Barceló Maya Palace - 77750 Riviera Maya

PROS: Resort was beautiful, weather was great CONS: Staff is rude. Checking in was a nightmare and took over an hour. Room key is on your bracelet and they reuse them. We had one crack on the 1st day, and they tried charging us $250 to replace it. They accused us of tampering with it intentionally (not sure what there is to gain by doing that). Argued with them for over 2 hours before they agreed to replace it without a charge, very frustrating. Talking with other guests it was common for the resort to try to add on all kinds of additional charges. Food was disappointing. There are buffets available throughout the day but the food does not change much, we stayed there a week and the buffets get old quick. They have “fine” dining options that you can go to any of the 5 resorts to use but reservations are required. Reservations are challenging to get, they do not have ideal times available and you have to wait in line because there is only 1 person that can book the reservations for you. The “fine” dining experiences were similar to Olive Garden & Outback Steakhouse, again it was OK but we expected better. Shuttle between resorts is slow. They claim that the shuttles run every 15-20 minutes but it was more like 45-60 minutes. We were late to our first dinner reservation because we did not expect the shuttle to take as long as it did and they would not allow us to eat there. We ended up bribing the hostess with $40 and they sat us right away. Everyone in our group had the runs for the entire trip and about a week after getting back. We didn’t drink the water. Not sure if it was from the ice or possibly the buffet food. The water in the shower had a foul smell. Beach was disappointing. Lots and lots of seaweed came ashore throughout the day, not sure if it is only seasonal? They were taking it away in truckloads but they could not keep up. Beach smelled like sewage. Even if the seaweed was gone, there were a lot of rocks on the shore. Not much nightlife available. They have a casino but it does not have air conditioning and the staff is not friendly.

We had dinner at the restaurant Rodizio and what a excellent experience it was! The hostess Larissa greeted us with a smile and a welcoming entrance. Our servers Raul and Miguel Alvaro were very attentive to our evening. Excellent Service from these 2 waiters they truly went above to make our dinner special. Very welcoming atmosphere. Gladys came around to our table to check in on our overall experience at the hotel and with our dinner. 5 star experience!

We stayed at the resort for a week and we’ve had a fantastic experience. The service we received was friendly, timely, and high quality. The attractions were entertaining and well done! We had an especially good time interacting with Esteban Vega who assisted with the water aerobics and various other activities. Guy was extremely kind and fun to be around. If you’re looking for a vacation in Cancun this is the place to go

If you are looking for luxury, this is not the place, in my opinion. The resort is pretty big—lots of walking, mainly if your room is located in the 8400 block. The staff was pleasant but not overly friendly. The rooms are outdated and not as clean as I would have hoped. We had to switch rooms because we got locked in because of a jammed door lock. Out first room smelt moldy and had some mushy brown spots on the floor and dust and dirt on the light switches near the bed. Our second room was better, much cleaner, and had no jammed locks or smell. We spent most of our time in the pool. The pool was refreshing. We often couldn’t find a chair, so we laid out on the grass. The beach is rocky, and on some days, the water is rough. The beach is beautiful when calm, and the seaweed is cleared out. The food was mediocre. Nothing spectacular, something for everyone. The drinks were horrible. Water down and alcohol quality was terrible. Having stayed in several other resorts in the area, my expectation was high. I was disappointed, but my son (12) loved it. I would not stay at this hotel again, but it seems great for kids and those not looking for a luxurious stay. Oh, so the hotel is big on wearing masks in public areas like the lobby to stop the spread of COVID. However, people use the same spoons to serve themselves at the buffet. Additionally, I didn't see anyone wiping or changing the utensils or wiping counters. Hotel staff picks specifically those at the front desk pick and choose who they ask to wear a mask and who they don't.

The staff and everyone was so kind and great. The food is amazing, there’s always something for everyone at the buffet. They are very well organized and has a way of doing things well and prepare all the guests for anything they need. Drinks are fantastic, the beach and pools are gorgeous. The activities people are also so great, any activity I participated in I had an amazing time. Whether it was beach volleyball, trivia or dancing! I also recommend going to the seafood restaurant, Caribe. The staff, Jorge and Juan, that served us that night were so friendly and helpful with everything!

The resort was clean with great service. The buffet didn’t have the greatest food but was not too bad. The room was very clean and we had cleaning staff in everyday cleaning the room for us. The resort was beautiful and my kids and I had a great time. There was a lot of activities to do throughout the day. The service at the front desk and check in was a waiting time of over an hour and a half and took very long to get much done. Although there was about 10-20 guests in line to check in there was only 3 people at the front desk helping customers. There was multiple employees walking in and out of the back room not helping out customers although they saw there was a very long line of people.

Amazing service, Amazing food!!! We’ve loved this place most so far! The food and service have surpassed expectations. The staff is so friendly and helpful. Breddy was our server, if you can get him, you are in for such a wonderful evening! We didn’t have a reservation and Larissa (at the front) was so wonderful and accommodating, she made us feel at ease! Miguel and Gladys were so helpful and attentive- we sincerely could not have hoped for a better evening. I would recommend this place in or out of the resort- just an awesome experience.

We've been to this resort 3 times. This year was the first time we've been since the pandemic. Despite the challenges of shortages and staffing, the place was still incredibly clean and the staff was friendly and fantastic. The food was good, but at a couple dinners at restaurants one or two in our group of 10+ would have something that wasn't so good. But over the course of a week and over 70 dinners, that's not bad. Mostly the meals were great. The pool is fantastic, the beach was beautiful and the rooms are comfortable. I probably wouldn't go there if it was just my immediate family. It's not really my thing, but with a huge group, it is so much fun and easy for everyone to be entertained.