Overall, the hotel was not bad. You get what you paid for. Nothing extravagant. The beach was nice like all Cuba beaches. The resort was very basic. The food was pretty good except after the buffet closed at night the only other food you chould get was a ham and cheese sandwich. The staff was nice and friendly and the service was very good. The rooms were pretty clean and nice. The maids were very nice and ours even wrote us letters when we arrived and left.

The entertainment, on the other hand, was poor. They lacked creativity and it seemed that every night we just sat through it because there was nothing else to do. The resort also lacked activities or any life. There are hardly any young people in the whole resort and there was teenagers in our party so they were extremely bored. It's definitely not a hotel for anyone looking for a good time but more for a relaxing vacation of doing nothing. The resort definitely accomodates an older crowd.

I am a little late writing this review.

Was at Barcelo Feb 1st - 16th
6th visit at this hotel.

The staff are great. They go out of their way to make sure you have what you need. Always smiling, and always on the go.

The food is not 5 star.....If you go on vacation to have gourmet meals, don't come here. If you go on vacation to have the finest ammenaties....don't come here......If you are looking for loads of shopping, and night life....wrong spot again. If however your in the mood to forget that you have a job, or responsibilites back at home..If you want to feel like you just might have been stranded on the most beautiful island by yourself....If you need to relax.......unwind.......and feel free to do what you want when you want...then this is the Hotel for you.

It truly is the greatest spot that I have found that enables you to just be...that's it...just be. I spent 90% of my days on the beach, reading my book, listening to my i-pod, playing some yahtzee, doing some swimming, lots of walking, and caught up on some much needed sleep too.

I always try to travel with an open mind, and usually go with the flow. Not too much bothers me, but I understand that some people just have a hard time relaxing. Trust me, this hotel will not dissapoint you if your going for the reasons I mentioned above.

Have fun, and safe travels!!

We stayed at the Barceló from Feb 15-22, 2008. We have been to Cuba 3 times previous to this and found the Barceló to be O.K.

The food was average - little variety and nowhere near the fresh fruit that we have found in two of the Sols we have stayed in previously (including the Sol Cayo Largo).

The pool is great; grounds kept well. The two fountains beside the main walkway to the pool and the fountain outside the restaurant were not operational - typical Cuban breakdowns.
We found the night time bar to be great - Estevan was a real help... but we are also generous "tippers" so that may have helped.

The entertainment staff were O.K.....spent a bit too much time talking privately with the "clients" and admiring their possessions. I get the desperation of many of the Cuban people, but felt the entertainment staff in particular crossed the line between their professional roles and personal needs. There appeared to be lots of entertainment staff and very few staff who actually conducted activities.
Watch out for Eddie - he'll lure you (or your kids) into a soccer game and then play most of the game himself while you/your kids sit on the sidelines. When we voiced a concern, we had no response from the management... somewhat disconcerting.

The nigh time show is repetitive – after the first night or two, you can go to bed and read a good book.

The rooms were well kept up. We had an ocean view room in the main hotel and Rosa, the cleaning staff assigned to our room was great.

The beach was lovely and well kept - waves were fierce but also great for body surfing - just make sure to always have a "buddy"!

Glen and family, Toronto, Canada

I stayed at the Barcelo Cayo Largo from Feb 3rd to 9th, 2008. The purpose of our trip was for my spouse and I to rest. We have two lovely girls aged 5 and 2 at home that we needed to miss. We had a perfectly relaxing week. The weather was excellent. (windy but very warm all days except one with rain in the morning). The food is good. You can always find something you like at the buffet with a chef making something on the grill (scrambled eggs and pancakes in the morning, fresh pasta dishes, etc...) The Rachon restaurant by the beache always has good grilled fish for lunch and the reserved supper is a must. All the staff is very helpful and curtiouse. If you are interrested in a family vacation, the day care and children section is very organised and safe. I went to check it out for a futur family vacation. Cayo Largo is a beautiful island worth visiting so get out (a taxi ride is 2 peso per person, a real bargain) and go see the town and other beaches.
Have fun.