Barcelo Maya Colonial - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

11562 reviews

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  Gorgeous Pools and Resort Grounds, But Service and Value Disappoint

  We spent a week at Barceló Maya Colonial in June. The resort itself is stunning — palm trees, clean grounds, and a massive pool area that’s great for both relaxing and having fun. That said, there were a few things that really impacted our overall experience. ⸻ Beach & Seaweed: There was a lot of sargassum seaweed during our stay. The hotel does try to clean it every morning (credit to the hardworking grounds crew), but it’s a losing battle. While you can still find swimmable areas, if you’re expecting clear turquoise waters, you might be disappointed during seaweed season. Also, it’s advisable to wear water shoes or sandals when going into the sea — there are quite a lot of rocks just below the surface that are hard to see and could cause injury if you’re not careful. ⸻ Rooms: Spacious, clean, and comfortable. The air con worked well, and we had a nice balcony overlooking the gardens. The minibar was nicely stocked and refreshed daily, which was a great bonus. Nothing ultra-fancy, but totally fine for what we needed and great to come back to after a hot day. ⸻ Food & Drink: The buffet was good, with a solid variety and fresh options — breakfast especially. We also tried a few à la carte restaurants. Most were average, but the steakhouse stood out as the best meal we had at the resort itself. That said, the best food of our trip was off-site in Playa del Carmen, so definitely plan to eat out at least once or twice if you’re up for it. One frustrating part was the experience at the poolside restaurants. They had strict rules about being fully covered up (shirts, shoes, no swimwear), which is understandable — but not always well communicated or handled kindly. There were also odd restrictions around seating: some tables were limited to two people only, and when we tried to add a third chair, we were told to move. We were a family of six, and when there weren’t enough six-seater tables, staff refused to put two smaller tables together, instead asking us to sit separately. For a family-friendly resort, this felt unnecessarily rigid and frustrating. The wine situation also wasn’t great — the cheapest bottle at the à la carte restaurants was around $30 USD and it was awful. If you want anything decent, you’ll need to pay quite a bit more, which feels pretty unreasonable for an all-inclusive experience. ⸻ Staff & Service: This was one of the more disappointing aspects of the stay. Aside from the restaurant staff (who were polite and efficient), many of the other team members came across as unfriendly, disinterested, or just unwilling to help. The water park staff were particularly rude, and the go-kart attendants clearly didn’t want to be there. It often felt like guests were an inconvenience rather than being welcomed. That said, we did want to call out Eduardo at the games counter in Strikers — he was by far the friendliest and most helpful staff member we met during our entire stay. His attitude stood out in a big way and made a real difference. ⸻ Resort Pricing: Be prepared — on-site prices are shockingly high. We paid nearly $50 USD for a bottle of sunscreen and $7 USD for a bottle of Evian. Definitely bring your own essentials like sun cream, toiletries, and snacks, or you’ll end up overpaying for basic items. ⸻ Activities & Extras: There’s plenty to do around the resort – mini golf, nightly shows, spa, tennis, and more. The resort is huge, so the shuttle trains are helpful for getting around. The pool area is fantastic — absolutely huge, very clean, and there are loads of sun loungers. We never had any issue finding space, even during busy times. The kids’ pool with slides was great — it’s free to use, has fun features, and there are plenty of sunbeds around so parents can relax while keeping an eye on their little ones. A really nice touch for families. However, the on-site waterpark was a bit of a letdown. It costs $20 USD per person to enter, and it’s quite small — only four slides and a Surf Rider wave machine, which was fun but didn’t make it worth the price. Also, kids under 18 are required to wear life jackets, even if they’re strong swimmers, which felt excessive and unnecessary in some cases. ⸻ Overall Thoughts: The resort looks amazing and offers a lot in terms of space and amenities. But the lack of warmth from much of the staff, the inconsistent service, the rigid and sometimes frustrating restaurant rules, the seaweed-heavy beach, and the high prices for everyday items took away from the overall experience. If you’re going, go prepared: bring your essentials, pack water shoes, manage expectations on service, and plan a few meals off-site. You can still have a good time — just don’t expect five-star treatment in how you’re looked after.

  Jun 21, 2025
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  Barcelo Colonial River Maya

  I would say for thr price eveything was decent, food was what you expect for a resort, drink had a lot of options. Pools we nice and clean, beach was clean. However whem we went 6/14-6/18 there was tons of seeweed and they were working every day to clean if of the beach, but they would pile it and stinks but that not against the resort, the water was extremely wavy so always red flags, so beach was more for relaxing and listen to, we did get in twice once at the Adult area and once at the Palace area, the Palace has large turtles that people bring out bananas to, just a reminder that they are used to people and one person got bitten, not bad, but they cann distinguish food and your hand so be careful, if itnwa not for the heavy waves it would have been cool to do. Also they say pay at one play at 4 , 5 or 6 depending the area you purchased, but the only item that said you could not eat and swim at was the Palace and when we were at the Adult area and tried to get drinks from bar, we were told wrong wrist bands, so i do not understand that theory. Also they need more signage they area called Tropical/Colonial lool to similar and they ise thr same numbers. Signage for the bulidings are small and they need to put more signage up, by 3rd day we had it figured out but if your drunk like the second day and gonin the wrong area hopefully you got good homing radar. But if the waves ans seeweed were not there be a lovely place and might try to come again. Staff was friendly also! Oh and the shows were great, they have wonderful singers, the Broadway show was the best!

  Jun 18, 2025
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  Fun family vacation

  Fun family vacation at Barceló Tropical. Used both the Barcy clubs with my children. The Beach one is super big and nice. The Colonial/ Tropical one is beside an amazing slides pool for the kids. My daughter 4. & 6 had fun with the activities and the monitors Zairean Huitzil, Susana Ovando and Sarahi Martinez!

  Jun 17, 2025
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  Excellent

  Everything is good there and we have a good time there. The staff the environment . Good resort fir kids. My kids has an amazing time there

  Jun 13, 2025
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  First time at an AI, beautiful resort!

  TL;DR: First time at an AI and we loved it. Food was acceptable, AC was strong, and the service was excellent. Very few issues and so much fun. 😎🏩🌊 — My wife, myself, and 2 of our kids (13, 17) stayed at the Colonial June 6-11 (we’re headed out super early tomorrow). We had a great time! 🛏️ Grounds & Room: The resort is MASSIVE, beautiful, and clean. Service was fantastic. Most staff spoke English which was helpful since my high school Spanish is rough. We were in a 2nd floor premium junior suite. We requested a ground floor room in advance (for disability reasons) but none were available. The room was really clean and comfy. Double bed suites were all taken so the staff set up a cot for one of the kids. Which was better because my wife and I prefer a king anyway! The sleeping spaces were all comfy (bed, cot, and couch). The AC was STRONG - thank god lol. 🥘 Food: The buffets were buffet-y. 🤷🏻‍♀️ They were fine. We did a la cartes every night. Four were prebooked for us (premium perk). We swapped one booked restaurant for another and also made a fifth reservation at check-in. 1. Kyoto (hibachi) - fun show, good food! 17y/o and my favorite. 2. Santa Fe - ribeye and salmon were both yummy, but not exceptional. Still good! 3. Capri - honestly just ok (think Olive Garden if that), 13 y/o did love the pizza. 4. Mexico Lindo - The crème brûlée was so good!! 5. La Fuerte - yum!! My wife’s favorite for the grilled salmon. we do NOT recommend room service, especially if you’re not premium and have to pay extra for it. pizza and burgers were both really bad. 🌊 Water: The pool at the Colonial was amazing! Swim-up bar was typically busy, but efficient, and made good drinks (I drank mostly mango mojitos). We didn’t spend much time at the beach since it was pretty windy. We did try snorkeling by the Palace but it was choppy and sadly didn’t spot turtles 😩 🧳 Packing: Glad we brought: aloe, decent shoes, 2-3 swimsuits each, waterproof phone pouches, cash for tips. Wish we brought: extra snacks for the room, a nail file lol. Brought but didn’t use: Damp Rid, insulated tumblers, travel clothesline, multiple floaties. 📝 Tips: WEAR SUNSCREEN. Like, way more than you think you should. I burned day one (with sunscreen on)…ow!! Check your kids’ drinks - my 13 y/o was served a very non-virgin pina colada (actually a damn strong one 🤪). If you have mobility limitations - rent a scooter through PlayaMobility! You will not regret giving yourself some extra help on the massive campus. The ATM charges a stupid high fee so make sure to bring cash for tips. We brought $100 USD, $1s and $5s, but next time I’d bring $150.

  Jun 10, 2025