Barceló Maya Colonial

We love it here. The recreation team gets you moving, and the evening shows are great. The resort is huge, with lots to do, varied and incredible food, inviting pools and ocean, and wonderful service from the bar and pool servers. We saw sea turtles and fish, plus spider monkeys, coati, and iguanas.

We were a family group of nine at Barceló Maya Colonial in Riviera Maya. The resort is beautiful, with great pools and a very nice beach, but one stressful incident affected our vacation. One evening my wife, our 6-year-old son, and I were swimming when my sister took all our things, including the phone, towels, and room key cards, to the buffet without telling us. When we got back, it was evening, our son was cold, and we couldn't get into the room. I went barefoot to the buffet to find my sister and retrieve the key, but staff refused to let me in. I explained several times and asked for a manager. The staff member said she was the manager and continued to refuse. Only after a long discussion did she say I could go to reception for a replacement card. I had to run there, wait in line, and go through the process, which took a lot of time. We pay for a vacation to relax, but this created unnecessary stress and spoiled our mood instead of getting us quick help. I understand that rules exist, but with a young child and an urgent situation, staff should show more flexibility and empathy. I hope management reviews this to improve the guest experience.

We just got back from a lovely stay at the Colonial and would book it again. The room was clean and close to the beach and pool, and the grounds were well cared for. Staff regularly walked along the beach picking up cups guests had left behind. There were plenty of beach chairs, and we had no trouble finding some. The shows were great, and we really enjoyed them. There was lots of food and variety. How many à la carte reservations you can make depends on how many days you're staying. I saw a review about someone being reprimanded for taking buffet food, but we had no problem taking a banana and croissant along for an early morning excursion. If you want somewhere fun and relatively quiet, book here. We walked over to the Caribe, and it was loud, so that's the option for more of a party atmosphere.

Denaly Trejo made our stay at Barceló Maya special. She was our bartender, and from the first moment she was friendly, warm, and made us feel looked after. Her energy and service were wonderful, and we looked forward to seeing her each day. She made great drinks, but also made us feel like friends and at home. Denaly has a special way of making guests feel relaxed and valued. She's a big reason we'd come back. Thanks for taking such good care of us, Denaly!