Barcelo Puerto Vallarta - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

10222 reviews

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  Relaxing Holiday

  Having just returned from the Barcelo , we can say that despite some online reviews we found it to be very clean , staff where very friendly and hard working , the rooms where huge and very comfortable .The resort itself is in a stunning location and plenty of beach for anyone . We only ate at the buffet which we found to be more than adequate especially as my wife has some allergies . Her only disappointment was that the salsa and guacamole where only available on a few days . The nightly entertainment was really good overall , especially the Fredie Mercury tribute night . We didn't have any sickness , staff where cleaning all the time .We found this resort to be on the smaller side with only two tower blocks for guests , Local people who where on the beach where very friendly and the sellers didn't pester you in any way . The only " blip " on our vacation was the last night as the cantina small bar area which is open till 1 am was very loud with talking , shouting and laughing , our room was located directly above it on the 3rd floor so no sleep till 2 am . Overall we enjoyed our stay here and would highly recommend it .

  Jan 15, 2025
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  Save your money and stay somewhere else

  I don’t know where to start but felt compelled to review since my husband was one of the paramedics that resuscitated the girl that drowned. Parents, if you plan on going to this resort PLEASE keep your eyes on your children. There was a “lifeguard” walking around. I would hardly call him that, he was standing eating a popsicle while another girl was bleeding from her mouth and he rummaged through his fanny pack to get her some gauze. The incident that happened with the little girl that drowned was very traumatic and I just thank god my husband and another firefighter were there to help or she would have not left there breathing. They need more medical equipment that works! My husband was given fruit and champagne as a thank you, not what we need, we need better facilities for those incidents. Everything from food to service there was sub par! 7 of the 13 of us ended up with norovirus and missed days of our vacation. Asking for a bottle of water is a big ask there! The concierge’s to book a reservations is a joke she was rude and literally doesn’t care! Room keys continually stopped working! Save your money and stay somewhere nicer, not worth what we paid!!!! Only bright side is the bartenders at the swim up bar, they are great! They maid came in and saw how sick my daughter was and was nice and sent up electrolytes and saltines!

  Jan 13, 2025
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  Not What we Exoected.

  We will definitely not be returning to this resort. 1st off our 2nd day a girl drowned in the kids pool which is hidden behind bushes. My sons friend was the one who actually found the girl and told another parent nearby. It was 2 off duty firefighters who went into action trying to save this girls life. She had apparently been under water for 20mins according to the men preforming CPR. They did get her breathing after long time. Music kept playing and numerous people watching . The life guard was nowhere and doctor on site was not off much help. Thank God for these 2 men who tried to save a child. The food is sub par at best in the buffet. Not much for options during breakfast as other resorts we have been too. Other resorts offer eggs Benedict, crepes, smoothie bar etc. The snack bar seemed to have to the best food for lunch. We did have to wait over 1.5hrs one day for our food as other servers kept taking our order to others. We had to ask 3 times where our food was. Only good thing while waiting was the view we had and drinks. We tried to go one night to the Italian restaurant and my husband and 10 year old son were denied access being in dress shorts and dress shirts. Yet another family in Jean shorts and tank tops and beachwear were allowed in. So that was very disappointing. There is no schedule on what restaurants are closed on what days. We went to book the steakhouse for our last night and it was closed. The lady in the premium lounge is very rude. She should not be working. We found only a few great servers and 1 was at the snack bar. The games in game room are very expensive 30 tokens for 500 pesos which is 40.00 for our exchange rate. Our room was very spacious and amazing views. The AC doesn't work very good. Numerous people very sick with outbreak of Norovirus at this resort many who ended up in the hospital. Having swim up bar in the non adults pool seems very strange to me. The evening shows were decent we went to Queen, Micheal Jackson and the rock show. The Disney show for kids at 9pm is a little late if you have little kids. They should look at doing a dinner and Disney show earlier for families. Our checkout was also disappointing as 1 of our towel cards fell behind the dresser as we were packing to leave. The lady checking us out wasn't even going to allow us to checkout without the card. You can't even use the facilities at resort once checked out even if your transfer is not until after room checkout. Other resorts we have been to allows use of restaurant, pools and drinks until time of your pickup. The rope lights they had on the trees around the resort for the holidays were beautiful and added a beautiful ambiance. These were taken down on Jan 7th and then made resort very dark at night. There is also no where expect 1 bar to get drinks from at night unless in buffet or restaurant. The cantina is busy and very loud every night. We will never be back to this resort.

  Jan 13, 2025
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  Kind staff

  Ceaser Lopez is awesome! So kind in the premium lounge, and he even offered me a one hour Spanish lesson free of charge! If you have premium level you can get free water bottles from the lounge, otherwise you only get water bottles from the mini bar (3 per day).

  Jan 13, 2025
• 

  We love Barcelo!!!

  This was our second time staying at Barcelo. We went this second time because our first experience was so incredible, and we were happy to see Oscar Martinez still works there! He is so warm and welcoming, a stand-up man. Pros: Staff. While Oscar is our star, all of the staff are incredible! David and Enrique in the bar were stellar as well, such nice guys! Clean. Staff work seemingly around the clock, cleaning and making repairs and improvements. Housekeeping works thoroughly and like clockwork. Pools and pool areas are clean, common areas are spotless, no complaints there. Food. Buffet serves a lot of repeat dishes, but there is literally so many options available at every meal, every day, there's always something for everybody. Steakhouse offers an amazing sit-down lunch option and delicious taco bar. A nice alternative if you find yourself growing tired with the buffet. There's even a nice snack bar at the bar for your nighttime snacking needs. The food is great!! Entertainment. Lots of activities going on during the day. An arcade for kids, and a daycare(?) for younger kids. Unfortunately we didn't catch any of the nighttime entertainment this time round, but last time it was fantastic, and this time I heard positive things as well. Amenities. There's a pharmacia beside Barcelo, down a little road, which is also another beach access. There's some shops and restaurants down there, too. There's an Oxxo across the main road, as well as restaurants, a zoo, and another pharmacia. All within walking distance. The bus stops right on the road in front of Barcelo, and only 10 pesos gets you to downtown PV! I recommend Jack Sparrow PV on the beach at Barcelo for all your water tour needs!! Cons: Pool service can be slow if you're in or around the adult pool, or around the family pool. I often waited upwards of 30 minutes for a drink. But other times I waited less than 10 minutes. I didn't hold it against anyone. They're busy. The water is rough. My husband and son still really enjoyed playing in the ocean. If you're expecting calm water, this isn't it. Beach is small. We still enjoyed walking on it, and checking out the restaurants and shops down the beach. A la carte reservations. If you want your preferred restuarant at a reasonable time, sometimes you have to be waiting in line at 8am (or earlier) and reservations start at 9am! They should really do something to mitigate this waiting in line before 9. No one enjoyed that. At times, it's impossible to get a chair at the pool. People must get up at 5am to throw their towel on a chair to "reserve" it, then vanish for the day. I was tempted to remove towels from chairs just to sit at the pool. Management should monitor the over-indulgence of the chairs at the pool. Once a lot of guests left, about halfway through our stay, this situation was much better. In high times, it's awful!

  Jan 12, 2025