Barceló Maya Palace - All Inclusive things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
Basic Info
Barceló Maya Palace - All Inclusive
Carretera Tulum-Playa del Carmen Km. 266 Chetumal, Calle Margarita Maza 3, 77750 Riviera Maya, Q.R., Mexico
4.0(17.9K)
Ratings & Description
Info
Upscale all-inclusive beach resort with 6 bars & restaurants, plus pools & water sports
attractions: Pirate’s Island Waterpark, Barcelo Resort, Chikin Ha, restaurants: Barcelo Maya Tropical Buffet, Marenostrum, Barcelo Maya Kyoto Restaurant, Rodizio Restaurant, Buffet Hacienda, Coral Grill, Brasserie, Captain Morgan Grill & Pool Bar, Buffet Caribe, Caribe
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AI.Phone
+52 984 875 1500
Website
barcelo.com
Plan your stay
&promo_pic=/hotel-sample/coolest.webp)
Posts
Kirby HKirby H
BEWARE OF BAIT AND SWITCH. Had reservation for July 19 to 26th 2025. Upon arrival was directed to Barcelo Riviera for check in. When I explained we were supposed to be at the Palace I was told "you are at the Palace it was just updated 5 years ago". We had watched videos on the Palace as we wanted to snorkle and swim at the beach and this looked nothing like them. Next day we figured out we were almost 1 mile away from the Barcelo Palace we had booked and the Riviera beach is to nasty to even swim in and it stinks. After numerous conversations with desk staff we were finally told the Palace was overbooked and we had been "upgraded". Later talked to more than 10 other couples who had been "upgraded" to the adults only Riviera. Finally on our 3rd day i followed a man and his family who had been "upgraded" to the check in area and they could not stay there as their kids were under 18. They were also told the Riviera was the Palace then staff backtracked when found out kids age.. I followed this family to the Palace where they were given 2 rooms I then told the same Palace staff person we wanted to move to the resort we had reserved like this family and were told no rooms were available until the day before we check out.
There is no comparison between the two hotels, Riviera has larger pools and two swim up bars but it is a vegas type mega hotel and convention center. The palace has. Beautiful foliage and rooms are suites and closer to the beach. The beach is nasty nasty nasty at the Riviera and no one is staying here so Barcelo is obviously overbooking the popular Palace and moving couples to the Riviera without telling them like us and many others we talked to to get their numbers up. No problem if you are there to swim in the large pools and drink, that's not why we came to Mexico. We are now traveling by shuttle and walking each day to the beach at the Palace which takes about 45 minutes each way to use the amenities we paid to be staying at and we come back to eat at the Palace as the food is also much better. So book this place if you dare but if you are a couple without kids be prepared to go a mile away to a newer resort with no water access, a mediocre buffett, poor entertainment and our room is also not a suite as we booked. No help from Barcelo staff as in there minds the Riviera cost more so it is an upgrade, never mind it has none of the benefits we were looking for. Very disappointing high priced trip and we booked through Trivago which is zero help. We might get a return email from Trivago by the time we check out. Photos are of contrast in the two beaches and standing room only non air conditioned shuttle we have had to use daily. We would not have been in it once if reservation we booked was honored by Barcelo. Many other places to stay on the Maya Riviera then taking a chance on this happening to you. Recieved a confirmation 2 days before checking in of our stay at the Palace. While eating at the Palace buffett we noticed no couples at all dining so i am guessing all couples were rrerouted to the Riviera to make room for families. They know exactly what they are doing....
Mykola ParashchakMykola Parashchak
I don’t even have the words to express how incredible Alejandro Preciado has been during all our visits to Barceló. He knows exactly who we are — the family with three kids (two boys and one girl), and we were a group of nine including another family. Every time, Alejandro greeted us like friends, treated us with so much care, and made every meal special. He’s not just a waiter — he’s the heart of the dining experience. Friendly, professional, always helpful with drink suggestions, and incredibly attentive.
We sincerely ask upper management to recognize his talent and promote him — he absolutely deserves more than just a waiter position. Alejandro is truly exceptional!
No tengo palabras para expresar lo increíble que ha sido Alejandro Preciado durante todas nuestras visitas al Barceló. Él sabe exactamente quiénes somos — la familia con tres hijos (dos niños y una niña), y éramos un grupo de nueve personas incluyendo otra familia. Cada vez, Alejandro nos recibía como amigos, nos atendía con muchísimo cuidado y hacía que cada comida fuera especial.
Él no es solo un mesero — es el alma de la experiencia en el restaurante. Amable, profesional, siempre atento, y con excelentes recomendaciones, especialmente de bebidas.
Pedimos sinceramente a la gerencia que reconozca su talento y lo ascienda — Alejandro merece mucho más que solo ser mesero. ¡Es verdaderamente excepcional!
The quality of this resort has significantly declined compared to four years ago. The food has worsened, both in variety and taste. The Kids Zone inside states operating hours from 9:00 to 17:00, but when I arrived at 11:30, I was told it was closed and that only children aged 4 and up are allowed—without parents. If I don’t feel safe leaving my child alone, why are parents not permitted to stay?
The buffet service was extremely disappointing. We sat for over 40 minutes, finished our meal, had dessert and coffee, yet no one came to clear the plates. The service was inattentive and careless. Room conditions have also declined—while housekeeping does a decent job cleaning, the rooms themselves are outdated and poorly maintained.
At the beach and pool, no staff offered us drinks or water—we had to go to the bar ourselves, which is unacceptable for a resort of this level. Restaurants are fully booked a week in advance, making it nearly impossible to enjoy a proper dinner experience. The towels are old, worn out, and should have been replaced long ago.
I’ve stayed in many resorts and can confidently say this one has gone downhill. Sadly, I won’t be coming back.
Jenny ChenJenny Chen
Barceló Maya Palace: where the sun is hot, the food is great, and the pool chair situation feels like “The Hunger Games: Resort Edition.” 🏖️🎯
We were a family of 6, with kids varying from age 11 to 29 who made the trip to Mexico for the week of Christmas to be “less stressed”. Our check-in experience wasn’t great — we had two rooms: family suite for my husband and I with our two younger kids and a junior suite for our son and his girlfriend. Even though we had both rooms on the same booking, they put us in two separate buildings. We requested for them to move our son to our building which they were able to accommodate, but the family suite was three hours late past their normal check-in time, and even when we were told the suite was ready, we showed up and had to wait outside our door while the housekeeping team was still cleaning. Also neither rooms keys worked so we had to make the 10 km hike from the rooms to the front desk back to the rooms twice just to get the keys re-programmed.
Our family wasn’t going to let this early experience ruin our trip, so we tried to turn things around the next day. Boy, were we surprised…
While the property is stunning and the meals are top-notch, the daily scramble for chairs brings out a level of human behavior I thought was reserved for Black Friday sales. When we came out to watch the sunrise at 7:20am, about 90% of the pool and beach chair were gone. All towels, not a soul in sight. “No reserving chairs” signs everywhere. The property is huge, there are five different complexes to the Barcelo grand resort. On Christmas Eve there was not a single pool chair or beach chair available across all five properties by 10 o’clock in the morning. That’s insane.
I don’t blame anyone for needing to do this for their families so that they can enjoy a day beside the pool. There are definitely not enough pool chairs to accommodate the number of guests at this resort. And this is the only resort we’ve been to where you do not have the option of purchasing a cabana on the family side, which we would’ve been happy to do. You are only able to buy a small bed on the adult only poolside.
Would we come back? Probably not—my sanity can’t handle another round of resort chair squid games. If you do come, May the odds be ever in your favor.
Reviews
Reviews of Barceló Maya Palace - All Inclusive
4.0
(17,883)
4.0
16wJust got home from a week here. Overall, scenery, food, and staff, was fantastic. Weak spot was the rooms.
Food: Several different dining locations were available and close to the beach, your room, or other areas. We have two small children so we ate solely at two nearby buffets, Hacienda and Mirador, with a few pit stops at Coral Grill. The variety was amazing for each meal time, and we were able to find something (or several somethings) to everyone's liking at each meal/location. The...
Read more
1.0
13wIf you never read reviews, take the time to read this one. My husband and I stayed at this resort this year from June 7th-14th. We were here for our wedding (the wedding was not on the property), we had about 50 guests also staying at this resort. To start, check in was a nightmare, there were not enough people checking in guests on the weekend. Us, along with many of our friends and family, waited an hour+ just to get room keys issued to us.
Room - We stayed in a Junior Suite Ocean Front...
Read more
1.0
18wBEWARE OF BAIT AND SWITCH. Had reservation for July 19 to 26th 2025. Upon arrival was directed to Barcelo Riviera for check in. When I explained we were supposed to be at the Palace I was told "you are at the Palace it was just updated 5 years ago". We had watched videos on the Palace as we wanted to snorkle and swim at the beach and this looked nothing like them. Next day we figured out we were almost 1 mile away from the Barcelo Palace we had booked and the Riviera beach is to nasty to...
Read more
Page 1 of 7
Previous
Next
Nearby attractions of Barceló Maya Palace - All Inclusive
Pirate’s Island Waterpark, Barcelo Resort
Chikin Ha
Pirate’s Island Waterpark, Barcelo Resort
3.2
(24)
Open 24 hours
Click for details
Chikin Ha
4.7
(498)
Open 24 hours
Click for details
Things to do nearby
Biking Into A Jungle Hidden Cenote
Mon, Dec 1 • 8:00 AM
77702, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
View details
Walking Food and City Experience/Veggies2
Tue, Dec 2 • 5:00 PM
77710, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
View details
Snorkeling in an open cenote and a cave cenote
Mon, Dec 1 • 10:00 AM
77774, Ciudad Chemuyil, Quintana Roo, Mexico
View details
Nearby restaurants of Barceló Maya Palace - All Inclusive
Barcelo Maya Tropical Buffet
Marenostrum
Barcelo Maya Kyoto Restaurant
Rodizio Restaurant
Buffet Hacienda
Coral Grill
Brasserie
Captain Morgan Grill & Pool Bar
Buffet Caribe
Caribe
Barcelo Maya Tropical Buffet
4.5
(207)
Click for details
Marenostrum
4.4
(224)
Click for details
Barcelo Maya Kyoto Restaurant
4.4
(184)
Click for details
Rodizio Restaurant
4.6
(306)
Click for details
