percussionking
Jul 26, 04, 11:29 am
Date of trip: July 16-23, 2004
The Barceló Maya Beach Resort is located on the eastern side of the Yucatán Peninsula in Quintana Roo, Mexico, which overlooks the Caribbean Sea.
Overall impression: Service was excellent, the resort was clean, food was good, there are plenty of things to do which are included in your package, and plenty of places to relax in peace. Bar service was usually very slow so bring a mug and they will fill it up with whatever you like.
With so many people, you would think the beach, pools, bars, and buffets would be crowded but they were not. There are a total of 5 buildings for guests to stay in, 3 of which had about 300 rooms each. I guess there had to be over 3,000 people there but it sure did not seem like it. Staff work around the clock making sure everything is clean. If you make eye contact with any of them, they will greet you with a friendly, "Hola." I saw men riding around on bicicles checking light bulbs at 2am and staff setting up for breakfast at 4am.
Since the beach is private, vendors were not walking up and down trying to sell stuff. There is a salon where girls can get braids done, by appointment, for $30-$90US.
All you can eat meals, two fancy restaurants, evening theatre, night club, scuba diving lessons, sports tournaments, salsa lessons, sailboating, water tricycle, golf, white sand beach, 2 warm pools, and domestic drinks are some of the things which are included so if you stay on the resort the entire time you should not get bored.
A lot of the people came from Texas but there were also a lot of people from other states, Canada, Italy, England, and France. Everyone who was under 18 years old wore a white bracelet, as opposed to blue or purple for those who could buy alcohol. This was worked out great for me because I am 21. A good way to meet people is at the club, Capitan Morgans, a discotech. Even if you do not know how to dance, go anyway because the staff will lead dances for about half an hour. If you meet somebody here, chances are very good you will see them the next day. The club is open from 2300 until 0200 every night, and people of all ages were there.
The beach was white sand and clear. There were a lot of chairs to lay out on scattered on the beach and pool and they used trees for shade. The pool was always warm and was not deeper than 5 feet in any area. There were two beach volleyball nets and one water volleyball net. Each person gets a card to trade in for a beach towel. When you return the towel, you get a card back.
Aside from the rooms, salon, and fancy restaurants, nothing was air conditioned. All the eating places were huts with large roofs and open sides, and they felt nice inside.
Puerto Aventuras is a 5-minute ride north of Barceló and has a few shops, some resorts, and a place to swim with dolphins. Playa del Carmen is 35 minutes north of the resort and has a lot of shops. If you want to haggle this is the place to do it. There are also some cenotes you can look at. I was not very impressed with Playa after being on the resort for 4 days. Cozumel is a ferry ride away from Playa and you can see it from the shoreline.
There were a few different types of rooms. Some rooms were just plain with two beds, a bathroom, and a balcony. Junior Suites were a normal room with extra sitting space (two chairs, a couch, and a coffee table). There was another kind of suite which had a large bed, kitchen and a living room and opened up to a normal room. Room numbers are identified by a four digit number, xyzz, where x was the building number, y is the floor, and zz is the room number. If zz is 01-12, your room is on the same side as the pools, beach, and discotech (which will play music until 2am).
I'm surprised not many FTers have said anything about this resort yet so if you have any questions, ask away.
The Barceló Maya Beach Resort is located on the eastern side of the Yucatán Peninsula in Quintana Roo, Mexico, which overlooks the Caribbean Sea.
Overall impression: Service was excellent, the resort was clean, food was good, there are plenty of things to do which are included in your package, and plenty of places to relax in peace. Bar service was usually very slow so bring a mug and they will fill it up with whatever you like.
With so many people, you would think the beach, pools, bars, and buffets would be crowded but they were not. There are a total of 5 buildings for guests to stay in, 3 of which had about 300 rooms each. I guess there had to be over 3,000 people there but it sure did not seem like it. Staff work around the clock making sure everything is clean. If you make eye contact with any of them, they will greet you with a friendly, "Hola." I saw men riding around on bicicles checking light bulbs at 2am and staff setting up for breakfast at 4am.
Since the beach is private, vendors were not walking up and down trying to sell stuff. There is a salon where girls can get braids done, by appointment, for $30-$90US.
All you can eat meals, two fancy restaurants, evening theatre, night club, scuba diving lessons, sports tournaments, salsa lessons, sailboating, water tricycle, golf, white sand beach, 2 warm pools, and domestic drinks are some of the things which are included so if you stay on the resort the entire time you should not get bored.
A lot of the people came from Texas but there were also a lot of people from other states, Canada, Italy, England, and France. Everyone who was under 18 years old wore a white bracelet, as opposed to blue or purple for those who could buy alcohol. This was worked out great for me because I am 21. A good way to meet people is at the club, Capitan Morgans, a discotech. Even if you do not know how to dance, go anyway because the staff will lead dances for about half an hour. If you meet somebody here, chances are very good you will see them the next day. The club is open from 2300 until 0200 every night, and people of all ages were there.
The beach was white sand and clear. There were a lot of chairs to lay out on scattered on the beach and pool and they used trees for shade. The pool was always warm and was not deeper than 5 feet in any area. There were two beach volleyball nets and one water volleyball net. Each person gets a card to trade in for a beach towel. When you return the towel, you get a card back.
Aside from the rooms, salon, and fancy restaurants, nothing was air conditioned. All the eating places were huts with large roofs and open sides, and they felt nice inside.
Puerto Aventuras is a 5-minute ride north of Barceló and has a few shops, some resorts, and a place to swim with dolphins. Playa del Carmen is 35 minutes north of the resort and has a lot of shops. If you want to haggle this is the place to do it. There are also some cenotes you can look at. I was not very impressed with Playa after being on the resort for 4 days. Cozumel is a ferry ride away from Playa and you can see it from the shoreline.
There were a few different types of rooms. Some rooms were just plain with two beds, a bathroom, and a balcony. Junior Suites were a normal room with extra sitting space (two chairs, a couch, and a coffee table). There was another kind of suite which had a large bed, kitchen and a living room and opened up to a normal room. Room numbers are identified by a four digit number, xyzz, where x was the building number, y is the floor, and zz is the room number. If zz is 01-12, your room is on the same side as the pools, beach, and discotech (which will play music until 2am).
I'm surprised not many FTers have said anything about this resort yet so if you have any questions, ask away.