Barcelo Maya Grand

We’re so grateful to the staff at Barceló Riviera Maya Adults Only for making our stay memorable. We had a wonderful time throughout, and the food was consistently excellent. Jennifer, the pool bar entertainer and announcer, brought so much fun and energy. Manuel Sanches, the Sapporo teppanyaki chef, gave us an outstanding meal, and Benjamin J. Sandy Cruz at La Comedie took great care of us. Thank you all for making the trip extra special! 🌴✨

We stayed at the Barceló Maya Grand on the Tropical side with a premium package, but the experience didn’t feel premium at all. We couldn’t get drinks sent to the room unless it was beer for the fridge. When our friends came, we had to walk across the resort to buy wine bottles at the gift shop and then find glasses ourselves because staff wouldn’t bring any to the room. At checkout they said we hadn’t paid for the wine, even though their system showed it as a gift shop purchase. We showed them our credit card statement, but the charge had posted later because it was Remembrance Day weekend. They still wouldn’t let us leave until we paid for the wine again. The à la carte restaurants were just as disappointing. We sent back a fish dish because it wasn’t edible, and the manager said nothing is fresh at a big resort. She said we could order only one more entrée, and it felt like they were trying to hurry us out. We’d booked a family dinner at an à la carte restaurant a month ahead for my friend’s wedding. They said we wouldn’t all be at one table but would be in the same area. On the day, they spread us around the restaurant. The manager yelled and waved her hands at the bride as if we were being unreasonable. It was embarrassing. The buffet was extremely disappointing unless you want hash browns and guacamole every day. We also didn’t know the resort had a dolphin pool when we booked. It was under construction, but learning they support keeping dolphins in captivity upset us. The service was terrible, the food was low quality, and the way the staff and managers treated us was unacceptable. We wouldn’t even give the resort one star and definitely won’t return.

The rooms were clean, well kept, and had balconies with pretty nice views. The resort has six hotels, including two adults only ones. Guests at Beach, Tropical, Caribe, or Colonial can use amenities at all four. Check in had a few hiccups, but the staff were quick to sort them out and very helpful. There’s a beautiful beach and a dock with fish swimming around it. Several water parks are available, including one that costs about 400 pesos per person for a day pass. That one has a flow rider with a boogie board and stand up surfboard. Both are fun, staff are relaxed about stunts, and lessons are available for the surfboard. There are basketball and tennis courts, pool tables, ping pong, and mini golf. The mall has a paid F1 simulator, plus bars, restaurants, entertainment, and shops. There’s also a Mexican market selling traditional crafts and clothes. A bus runs around the resort, so getting from place to place is quick. You’ll find bars all over the grounds where they can make whatever drink you want. The buffets at each hotel serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner at set times, with a good range of food and drinks from different cuisines. You need to book the à la carte restaurants in advance through the concierge. They were all excellent, especially Tokyo and La Fuente. There are free watersports, too. I especially recommend the catamaran, it’s a fun, quick ride. The entertainment was spectacular, even if the schedule could be confusing. During the day there are lots of pool and beach activities, from water polo and volleyball to yoga and Zumba. The entertainment team is amazing, shoutout to Joseph! At night, the theatres put on well organized shows and kids’ parties. You can even swim with turtles at the Tropical hotel beach, which I absolutely recommend. I’m 100% sure I’ll recommend this resort to anyone asking where to stay in Mexico.

Silvia Balam was our breakfast waitress for the full two weeks, and we adore her. She always greeted us with a warm smile, remembered our drink orders, and quickly got a table ready on the outside patio at Beach whenever there wasn’t one free. She made us feel so welcome. ❤️