Barceló Maya Beach - All Inclusive — Hotel in Quintana Roo

I'll stop editing and get to my review 😀

Ok, onto the review ..

The grounds and hotel are stunning, hands down beeeeeutiful!!!.💚💚💚💯💯

The medical services were excellent!! As I got very sunburnt even with spf 50, please have stronger I recommend 😀

The coco bongo does happen, and when it does, it's fun to even watch or enjoy joining !! , it's fun the interaction between many countries of people together💚 (even if I'm not the one in there all the time it's fun to watch people dancing and pool parties 😀) wish there was fun like this a couple times a day even.

For those that want the pool bar ( i dont drink hardly at all ) but they shut the bars down super early. The bubbles and fountains are shut off at 630 . People are on holiday and let them enjoy themselves, is all .

The shows and theater were excellent !!!!! The michael Jackson and Cultural shows were so much fun !!! They have minimal music playing during the day, which i kinda missed as being on holidays it's what we came for , food, drinks, fun, relaxation , entertainment, and excellent service and facilities !

The stores, malls, transportation, and on-site things to see and do are excellent 👍 The prices to purchase things are incredibly overpriced, though. So I didn't buy anything there. Every check-in is supposed to get 4 al a cartes. Booked the day we checked in and could not get any until 9 at night on the second last day we leave. Could only book 3 at bad times.

Making people pay for kids things like the watersides on the resort, which just paid 12000 Canadian to come here after tipping very, very well is not a good thing.kids stuff everywhere should just be included as it gives parents also time to kick back and relax while the kids have fun which equals happy kids happy parents 😊

The pillows n beds are so-so too good , some pancakes and some good pillows,lol the towels are like sandpaper, there are zero faceclothes here.

The excursions are incredibly overpriced for the experience, unfortunately.

The poor dolphins are in small pools, not an attached ocean pool, which was sad to see their limited space. 😔

However and unfortunately,

The bartenders are grouchy , none interactive during any point of the stay, and they don't even seem appreciative to receive tips.many times, we recieced the wrong drinks, lol.

But... The cleaning/stocking staff & the staff at the dining were excellent and loved seeing them 💚🙏💚💯

The food was ok to good. Very well presented at the buffet, the japan al la cart is a must , I lived off meat cheese and pickles and the odd grilled meat ,red onions in literally every salad and waaay to much of it. lol If you're into deserts , you hit the jackpot! There is an ice cream bar also which had amazing raspberry & coconut ice cream!!

The blended drinks like pina colada and strawberry were horrible everywhere, except they make amazing mojito's, espresso martini are a solid 10 😀🤘🤘

We also paid for a king-size room and was put into 2 double beds.

There are no real snorkeling areas that aren't super dangerous to be in by getting smashed into the reef at the pier to see fish , however, the stingrays were right in front at the beach! Super cool !!! But be cautious at the pier as there are no calm places with safe snorkeling areas around the pier. It would be awesome to add a grab bar under and beside the pier for people to hang onto and get the full experience of snorkeling on Site there as there are hundreds of fish in the area there ! 😀 On a great note, in front of the main resort has safer beautiful waters to swim and enjoy! Overall the beach is amazing and so is the water.👌💯💯stunning stunning ocean 💯 I accidentally left my wedding ring in our room been trying the front desk, they gave me an email that doesn't work, the website has no contact emails for lost items or guest services help directly to each resort. The main company's email doesn't work either, lol. Please let me know ow how I can reach you by email to see if I can recover my...

We stayed at Barcelo Maya Caribe for one week, and I wished it had been two weeks. First off, this resort is amazingly clean. No mold or dirty areas anywhere. The grounds are immaculately kept. The pools are sparkling clean. The food is excellent and of high quality. Our favorite restaurant was Kyoto, located in the onsite mall. It seems like most all-inclusives have a habachi type restaurant, but this was better than any we have been to in Mexico or the United States. We also ate at some fantastic places at the other Barcelo resorts that are next door. The evening buffet and specialty restaurants at the Barcelo Palace were delicious. A double decker red bus stops at each resort, so just hop on to go to any of the other resorts on property. We also walked from resort to resort on the path by the beach.|In addition to the mall, the Caribe has a really fun area called the Mexican outdoor mall. Tons of things for sale here, and the shopping was really fun.|The Caribe has a medical clinic on property with doctors on duty 24/7. The doctor I saw was very thorough, spoke perfect English, and diagnosed my condition. She wrote for two prescriptions that I needed for treatment. The on-site pharmacy quickly filled my prescriptions, and I was on my way. Thankfully my travel agent had recommended travel insurance, and I'm so glad she did, because it is picking up the costs not paid for by my regular health insurance. But honestly, I thought the medical clinic and prescriptions were reasonably priced for a vacation resort, and what a blessing to not have to leave the resort to seek medical treatment.|Caribe has a spa that has everything you can think of, and my family loved the water therapies that included pool exercise, a cold plunge pool, sauna, and steam room.|On property there are basketball and pickleball courts, as well as a soccer field. They even have one of the surf machines, and we saw several people surfing on it.| All of the pools have a swim-up bar, and a beachside buffet. Plenty of restrooms at each pool too. |We didn't go to any of the evening shows, so I don't know if they were good or not. Dolphins were on site, but there is no longer a dolphin show. But we still enjoyed watching the dolphins showing off. |The staff we encountered were helpful, friendly, and professional. |The beach was fantastic! I was worried to learn that the shade is provided simply by the palm trees. I was concerned it wouldn't be enough shade, but there was plenty! Comfy loungers were both in the shade and in the sun, and are plentiful. We had no trouble getting loungers. The staff works hard to keep the seaweed picked up. The beach was super clean.|Our room was as perfect as they come! The king bed had a great mattress and comfy pillows. Our room also had two sofas that were made into beds each night. Bathroom, bedroom, and living room areas were spotlessly clean. A large back patio with a hot tub had a table with two chairs, and two lounge chairs. From there, steps led down to our swim-up pool. For me it is always worth the extra money for a swim-up room, because I don't do a lot of the other activities. But if you love doing activities, hanging out at the pools and the activities there, and relaxing at the beach, you may decide the extra cost of a swim up room isn't worth it for you, especially if you just go to your room to change clothes or sleep.|We usually stay at a different resort every time we go to the Cancun area, but I'm thinking I will return to Barcelo Maya because I loved...

For context, this was my 8th time in Mexico, and I’ve stayed at many resorts, so I have a pretty good sense of what makes a great experience. Unfortunately, this resort missed the mark in a few key areas for me.

Arrival & First Impressions

Check-in was underwhelming. After getting our keys, we were told to find our rooms on our own—no guidance or assistance from bell staff. At such a large resort, this was frustrating and not something I’ve experienced elsewhere. Usually, you’re warmly welcomed and escorted to your room. To make matters worse, our key cards didn’t work when we finally found the room. The thought of walking all the way back to the front desk after traveling was not appealing, but thankfully, a staff member helped by calling for us. Not a great first 30 minutes.

Rooms

The rooms felt dated, and the bathroom was old and in need of an update. I’m not someone who needs luxury, but these definitely need refreshing. Our AC stopped working one day (they fixed it quickly), the toilet gurgled loudly every flush, the door seal was peeling, and the door wouldn’t reliably close behind us.

Food & Drinks

The buffet was the biggest disappointment of the trip. While beautifully displayed at times, it was poorly maintained. Items were often empty (bacon was almost always gone, sauces and toppings scraped clean), and some things you grabbed were cold. For me, food is a big part of the experience, and this was the worst buffet I’ve had at any resort in Mexico. On the positive side, some à la carte options were great: the Japanese restaurant was incredible, the Spanish restaurant was very good, but the Italian was a letdown.

Pool & Entertainment

The pool itself was amazing, large and beautiful, but there was little to keep things interesting. In five days, we saw entertainment staff twice at our pool. There were no extras like snack carts, fruit drinks, or poolside themed lunches. I love those small touches that elevate an experience, like an ice cream cart or a grill station—but there was nothing like that here. It made the poolside vibe feel flat and a bit boring. A Mexican-themed night by the pool with live music and tequila tastings would have been incredible. The theatre also needs serious attention. The AV system was terrible, we couldn’t understand anything through the microphones, and the projector kept cutting out with HDMI error messages for three nights straight. Karaoke singers had their lyrics disappear mid-song because of it. Fix the HDMI cord.The theatre seats were also uncomfortable and very worn out.

Staff

Hit or miss. Some were fantastic—friendly, remembered our names and orders, and made the experience fun. Others seemed disinterested or even a bit rude.

Would I Return?

No. I think I’ve been spoiled by other resort chains that focus on details, because that’s what makes a trip memorable.

Positives: • Beautiful beach and pool • Lovely grounds • Good shows • A few great restaurants • Some amazing staff

Negatives: • Poor welcome experience • Dated rooms with maintenance issues • Poorly managed buffet • Lack of poolside entertainment or extras • Inconsistent staff service • Outdated theatre and AV system

I hope this helps anyone...