TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We recommend a vacation here! The property feels big because you can use the adjoining resorts. That being said they all kind of connect and don’t seem like they are very separate resorts, but it does feel like a large area to explore and gives you a lot of pools and beach space to play on! The beach: the beach was beautiful, (the beach by Beach and Caribe was the clearest for me asking into the water and swimming). Also areas for snorkeling. Lots of chairs on the beach and by pools but they do fill up by mid day. Pools: many choices. Of note the adult only pool is up by one of the Caribe buildings and you can rent a cabana for the whole day for only $12US. So on a day where you want to be chill and read a book and not be around as many people this is a great option. It also has its own bar, and bathrooms (with AC), right there too. Food: Restaurants are hard to get reservations for. And the length of your stay determines how many times you can go (ex. For our six night stay we were allowed three dinner reservations, the other nights you can eat at one of the four buffets*). When you check in immediately go to guest services and ask to do your dinner reservations and you’ll have the most opportunities. That being said we weren’t overly impressed by the restaurants we went to (marenostrum, Kyoto). - Skip the teppenyaki table unless you have kids who haven’t experienced that. It was good but not a significantly exciting show and the food was very oily and buttery. The regular table menu allows you to have all the foods still just not the show so that’s a fine way to go of you want to get some sushi. - Marensotrum was nice and has good seafood options but small portions. *the buffets were nice. They changed food each meal/day and had a good variety. The tropical and Colonial buffets are combined and serve the same thing, and caribe and beach are the same. We preferred the Caribe buffet. The colonial and tropical seemed smaller but all had different things and are worth checking out at different times. There are also four outdoor beach buffets that have food for lunch and then snacks. Try different ones because some have a lot more than others we found. “Strikers” is open 24/7 in the caribe lobby/mall area with snack foods like burgers and hot dogs and fries. They have tvs and theatre seating room to watch sports. They also have a bowling alley and a video game area (costs extra). Drinks: - drinks were good and they had several pool bars and lobby bars. Drinks by pool did seem weak. Drinks at the adult only pool were better. Kid stuff: We don’t have kids but the pirates island area looked small, but could be fun depending on the kid. Not sure how much it cost. The other free kid play areas by the pools seemed good. - you can rent balls from the activity center so we payed volleyball and basketball in the pool with those Rooms: Our room was a garden view in the Colonial. The colonial seems to be in the middle and we liked that because we were close to a lot of things. Nice balcony with drying rack, clean room with shower/bath combo and big sink area. Clean, and AC worked great. We saw the other buildings have suites with swim out etc options if you prefer that. Again the resort seems big which is nice because you have a lot of options (two theatres at night doing different shows, etc). But also was easy to learn the layout and find quick ways to get to everything. We really enjoyed our vacation here! (*we traveled during off season so got this for a good deal. The price we paid also helped the review. We’ve stayed at ones that seem more upscale for sure and had more perks like free room service etc. but for a good deal this was nice!)

The hotel had great service! The rooms were a bit outdated, but comfortable! The room service was great and clean! Didn’t have any issues.

I travel at least 2 or 3 times a year for pleasure. 1 of those times is at a beach resort. I would consider myself NOT a person that complains. However, this has been the absolute worst hotel that I have experienced. Mariana, from the front desk, needs to be in a position that doesn’t require her to interact with guest. She has the worst customer service. Also, read the fine print. Barcelo will place you in the hotel of their choice. I made a big deal of getting seperated from out group and only then did they accommodate us. That’s unacceptable. Be warned…. There is Barcelo BEACH, CARIBE TROPIcal AND SOME OTHER ONE you cOULD BE placed AT. Also, don’t expect to eat at restaurants. They’re all BOOKED. This is the worst! Never ever again!

What I like and don’t like. all over all one thing I don’t like it too much that was the waitress they taking longer to ask you whether you want to drink they don’t bring your tables and then make it wait longer

We enjoyed our 7 night stayed at the Palace. The grounds are so beautiful all over the resort and we loved all of our walks and views. There are lots of fountains, statues, and a good portion of covered walk for when it's sunny or rainy. The stretch of beach is long and plenty of room to spread out. There are so many pools, it's nice to have calm, clean water when the ocean is dirty or rough. The food is alright, hit or miss sometimes, but there is so much to choose from, you can usually find something you like, and being all-inclusive you can just get something different. We loved being able to eat and drink at any of the buffets and grills anytime we were hungry. We tried two of the a-la-carte restaurants; Rodizio and Brasserie. They were both delicious. Rodizio is a different experience than the typical Brazilian churrascaria, but the food tastes good. Brasserie was nice and we loved trying some of the French foods for the first time. Very elegant feel and wonderful service. In fact all of the service at Barcelo is excellent. Bring some dollar bills to tip these waiters, they work so hard. Some things to note: We had a junior suite with a balcony. These rooms are getting older at the Palace and maybe needing some attention, (our patio door was very hard to open, and the ceiling fan was slow, also a tiny family of ants made an appearance in the bathroom). And one night the lamp bulb was loose, it sparked when my husband touched it, and the power went out, I believe from all the humidity, but maintenance came fairly fast and changed it out. It's not quite 5 stars as in the States, but it was still good, and none of it bothered us. The AC worked great, and the beds were comfortable. I love the atmosphere and Mexican vibe here. We also checked out the Riviera Maya hotel at the opposite end of the resort, and while it's nicer and newer, it doesn't have the same colors, fountains, and Mexican feel. I liked the Palace more for that reason. I'd stay here again, if we came back to the area.