Barceló Aruba - All Inclusive — Hotel in Aruba

We recently stayed at the Barcelo to celebrate a friend's birthday. There were around 15 of us total, and while we very much had fun together and enjoyed the trip, we did not enjoy the Barcelo hotel at all. Initially upon checkin, our room was not stocked with shower gel (empty in a pump on the wall), or and hand soap. We called twice the first day with one stop at the front desk wherein they promised us they would get it, and we called twice the second day with another stop at the front desk until we finally asked for a manager. A female manager went and physically got the hand soap for us, which we were grateful for.

The food experience is not good. The buffet is the only thing easily accessible, and the food is very much subpar. Most of it is deep fried and greasy. To make a reservation at the "all inclusive", you have to see someone in the lobby before 5pm. In our past experiences, all inclusive resorts at this price point usually have a concierge that you can deal with 24-7 or an app that you can use to book reservations. Even if the restaurants are half empty, you still cannot enter without a reservation and they will not allow you to walk in. Room service is not included in the all inclusive price either. We also did not enjoy the alcohol at the bars, the drinks all had an erythritol aftertaste and they were hard to stomach, which lead us to mostly eating and drinking off the resort.

Finally, my husbands flight was affected by weather the day he was supposed to leave. We rescheduled his flight and hurried to make it to our friends who were going on a boat. I was already scheduled to stay, so we left our things in the room and planned on telling the front desk the next day that he would be there the remaining two nights, thinking this was no big deal and they probably experience last minute changes due to weather all the time. The next day they call us and ask us to come down to settle my husbands bill - no problem. We go down and they tell us they're charging us $1000 for him for two nights. I had already paid a decent sum to be in the room by myself, and this did not match the group rate or the rate we had paid previous nights, or the rate online. When we began asking questions, the manager became irate. We began telling him the issues we had with the hotel as well and how the value (in addition there was nothing to back up this $1000 they wanted - it did not even match the price online) was not there, and how we just wanted to pay the same rate our friends did. He told us to check back later, so when we returned at the end of his shift (which he requested we return at 11pm - inconvenient) he stated he got the price down slightly but still exorbitant. I felt the hotel could've been more understanding about weather changes - I showed them his initial flight plan, the emails we received from delta, and our initial room bookings from months ago. He became irate again, and when I asked to speak to someone else (since he was cutting us off, screaming, not letting us speak or ask questions) he told us he would not allow us to speak to anyone higher than him, a different manager, our booking specialist, and that we could not leave the lobby or he would call the cops. We asked if we could settle it in the morning since at this point we were being threatened by him into paying this random number, and he said no. We were genuinely scared by his behavior and paid, but in no way was this manager Giovanni friendly, hospitable, empathetic to our situation, and he genuinely bullied us into paying an exorbitant amount. Our friends who had booked a week before still received the group rate, so any argument of booking months in advance to receive the rate were moot. We felt so disappointed by the hospitality here and would...

This was one of the most disappointing all inclusive resort experiences I’ve had.

When we arrived at Barcelo Aruba, we were left waiting in a hot, crowded lobby with no greeting, no welcome, and no explanation of resort benefits. We were simply handed a QR code and expected to figure everything out on our own. There were three staff members helping one family for over 20 minutes while we stood nearby with no acknowledgment. They completely disregarded us. No one even said hello or offered a basic greeting.

We also observed multiple other guests complaining about their reservations and experiences. One guest was yelling in another language at the front desk when we went down to express our own concerns. It was clear that the service issues were not isolated to just us.

Our first room was visibly dirty. There was lint on the chairs, dust on the tables, stains and smudges on the mirrors and doors, and nothing stocked in the bathroom. When we complained, multiple staff members minimized our concerns. One manager told us the room was not dirty, just stained, yet still had someone clean the mirror. We were also told they could not vacuum because the resort does not have vacuums on the property.

We requested a refund but were told our stay was nonrefundable. Instead, they offered an upgrade to the Royal Level. We accepted the upgrade because we had no choice, not because we were satisfied. The second room had visible wear as well but at least included a robe and slippers, which should have been provided in our original room according to the resort’s own advertisements.

The Royal Level gave us access to a private restaurant and bar, which made things slightly better. However, the food options were extremely limited. The menu was basically the same every day, which made dining repetitive and disappointing. While the food itself wasn’t terrible, the lack of variety was frustrating at a resort advertised as all inclusive.

Dinner reservations were required, even though the dining areas were mostly empty. We were also turned away from restaurants multiple times for wearing matching top and bottom sets or partial cover ups over swimwear. We were never informed about any dress code guidelines ahead of time, and staff only enforced it after turning us away. No one ever explained what the dress code actually required, even after we asked. It was confusing, inconsistent, and frustrating.

This resort is not truly all inclusive. Room service is only available if you pay for the Royal Level. There were no snacks or drinks provided in the room. As a Type 1 diabetic, this was a serious issue. One night, my blood sugar dropped and I had to rely on snacks I brought from home because the food on site was so limited. This could have become a health emergency. The Aruban themed restaurant was especially disappointing.

This resort does not live up to its advertising or its pricing. The amenities were lacking, the service was chaotic, and the overall experience was uncomfortable. I would not return, and I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a true all inclusive or...

We just returned from a week at the Barceló and unfortunately we were underwhelmed.

The best part of this resort is the friendly and accommodating staff. Every person we encountered from the pool waiters to the front desk staff was lovely. The whole hotel is very clean! The housekeepers do room cleanings 2x a day which is amazing too. Always had plenty of clean towels in the room. The casino is super fun and the location is also wonderful - walking distance to the bustling bar and restaurant scene.

Unfortunately the minor inconveniences we faced were annoying enough that I felt obliged to list them here to forewarn future guests. This is NOT a 5 star hotel.

The WiFi is atrocious - unfortunately I had to work remote part of the trip and I was consistently disconnected every few minutes despite a new access code, resetting my phone etc.

The pool area allots you only one towel per day and they ran out EVERY SINGLE DAY by mid-morning. Completely unacceptable. Additionally, the pool and beach area requires you to get up at dawn to claim chairs since its first come first serve. I’m talking on the beach by 6:30 to get a halfway decent spot. Everything is so crowded all day long which is to be expected; however, most people throw their towels on pool chairs to “reserve” a spot and leave it unattended for hours. This should be policed slightly better by the hotel staff to allow more usage from guests who are actually utilizing the pool and beach. Additionally, the pool and beach chairs could use an upgrade altogether.

The food at the buffets and “royal” restaurant on the 9th floor is mediocre. The restaurant’s we attended on site were above average. Each one seemed understaffed as all the waitstaff was running around like crazy trying to clean tables, take orders, serve drinks, etc.

Room service is unbearably slow or unable to be reached at all. I’m sure they’re understaffed so we felt bad even bothering them, but an hour wait for a basic order or not even answering the phone is not a good look. Again, the staff was so lovely and apologetic so I feel awful even writing this - I know it’s not their fault.

The rooms are nice enough, but they reek of mildew and everything felt damp even with the AC running. We have to wash everything in our suitcases due to the smell. Also, the TV barely works…the remote has to be right near the TV to function and there is not a working channel guide. Again, a minor inconvenience but for the price of a “5 star” resort, it’s a nuisance.

Overall, we had a great week, but will likely not be returning here if we come to Aruba again. I would rather pay a little more to stay at a nicer place, and this is coming from someone who is content at a low end hotel as long as it is clean and the...