My wife, Ellie and I had the fortunate of being hosted at the Barcelo Maya Caribe Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico this past week for a 5 night stay. My wife had traveled to Mexico a few times as a child, but for me and Ellie this would be our first trip. With all the media surrounding the US and relations with Mexico, I had my hesitations, but after our trip, I can say my doubts are gone, and I have found another place to add to my list of favorite destinations.
We landed in Cancun International Airport at a little after 12 noon and were through customs and on our way to the resort in about 30 minutes or less. The resort is about an hour south of the airport in the Puerto Aventuras area of Riviera Maya. A modest entrance off the main highway opens into a grand set of resorts, The Barcelo Maya Grand resort is made up of 5 resorts, the Palace, Tropical, Colonial, Beach, and the Caribe where we were staying, in their Club Premium Ocean Front Suite. Check out the video below, but to give you the details, our room was simply awesome, a jacuzzi tub on the massive corner balcony, another jacuzzi in the master bedroom, along with a rainforest shower. There were also two bedrooms, and an additional bathroom with a shower. As much as I'd like to stay we try not to spend much time in the room while traveling, this room begged for attention.
We landed in Cancun International Airport at a little after 12 noon and were through customs and on our way to the resort in about 30 minutes or less. The resort is about an hour south of the airport in the Puerto Aventuras area of Riviera Maya. A modest entrance off the main highway opens into a grand set of resorts, The Barcelo Maya Grand resort is made up of 5 resorts, the Palace, Tropical, Colonial, Beach, and the Caribe where we were staying, in their Club Premium Ocean Front Suite. Check out the video below, but to give you the details, our room was simply awesome, a jacuzzi tub on the massive corner balcony, another jacuzzi in the master bedroom, along with a rainforest shower. There were also two bedrooms, and an additional bathroom with a shower. As much as I'd like to stay we try not to spend much time in the room while traveling, this room begged for attention.
(one of the coolest surprises we've ever received, and one of many ways the team at Barcelo Maya went above and beyond for us, how cool is that bodybuilder!!)
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Our room (5312) was in the perfect location. We had the highest floor room (3rd floor) that overlooked two large pools separated by a foot bridge, as well as one of the 3 children's pools Ellie got to explore during our stay. The kids pool was the perfect place for Ellie to splash around, go up and down the slides, while we were able to kick back and get some sun. It was just by the main pool bar, as well as the snack restaurant which was open i believe from 1030-6 each day. It was the perfect place to stop in, grab some things to snack on, if the buffet restaurants felt like too far of a walk.
(Gorgeous sunsets each night from our balcony)
The Buffet was always delicious and fresh. A nice setup where in the center were long stations of fresh fruits, salad bar items, breads, and dessert, flanked on either side by prepared foods from mexican cuisine, seafood, vegetarian, and the best perk for Ellie, the kids station! This was great as it was kid friendly foods at a lower height so Ellie could see the station and help serve her self! I enjoyed trying lots of local dishes, as well as all the fresh fruits available daily.
My family and I are big time avocado lovers, and in Mexico, one must eat avocados. Interestingly enough, no avocados were available at the buffets, while there was always lots of fresh guacamole to be had. But with a simple request to one of the chefs or buffet staff members, off into the kitchen they would disappear for a moment and back out with a fresh avocado, sliced to our liking. I think we enjoyed a fresh avocado.. or two with every meal! That was one thing that was wonderful about the staff, ask and you shall receive, everyone was so warm and accommodating with any request we had.
My family and I are big time avocado lovers, and in Mexico, one must eat avocados. Interestingly enough, no avocados were available at the buffets, while there was always lots of fresh guacamole to be had. But with a simple request to one of the chefs or buffet staff members, off into the kitchen they would disappear for a moment and back out with a fresh avocado, sliced to our liking. I think we enjoyed a fresh avocado.. or two with every meal! That was one thing that was wonderful about the staff, ask and you shall receive, everyone was so warm and accommodating with any request we had.
We were lucky enough to enjoy four different a la carte restaurants during our stay, La Trattoria, Tokyo, Santa Fe, and Mexico Lindo. Hands down, Mexico Lindo was our favorite, although each had excellent service and their own unique dishes and flavors, the Mexican restaurant was wonderful. Our server accommodated every request, even allowing me to sample their Mole sauces (I LOVE MOLE) with a different entree, and various other requests we had. Not to mention the famous "flaming coffee" which is not to be missed, my video is only a portion of the "preparation" of my delicious after dinner drink.
The beach is breathtaking, I believe they offer a little under 2 miles of walkable beach stretching across two coves. The beach is long and lush with lots of palm trees giving plenty of shade, with calm, clear blue waters. Our first trip into the water, my daughter and I saw a few silver fish about 12" or so long, so the following day we brought some overripe bananas and off we waded into about knee high water, and found ourselves surrounded by 30-40 silver and blue fish, which became our "fish friends" for the week. Every time we found ourselves in that water, our "fish friends" found us. Ellie loved this interaction each day, watching her happiness and genuine amazement of the fish was precious. As beach lovers, the calm, clear, and lively waters of Barcelo's beach will certainly be calling us back.
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No trip is complete without a visit to the resort's gym and spa, and Barcelo has changed the game when it comes to hotel gyms. They offer state of the art equipment, over 20 pieces of high-end, brand new cardio equipment, a heavy bag, power racks, Dumbells up to 100, the list goes on. Barcelo has a full service health club, not just your run of the mill hotel gym. On top of the amazing gym, it is connected to the on-site spa, which offers a children's spa. This was where Barcelo really goes above and beyond, offering a separate spa area designed for a princess. Ellie was able to get her nails done and feel like a princess, an experience she will not soon forget. The staff was so kind to her, and a special thank you goes out to the ladies working in the children's spa.
Overall Barcelo Maya Grand Resort offers a ton, and it is tough to take advantage of everything in one visit! I think we could have stayed another week and still had more to explore. Around every turn we were surprised again and again with how much Barcelo offers. Barcelo Maya is a huge resort, so definitely prepare to walk if you want to take in all its amenities, but also prepare to be amazed. Cliche intended... The staff at Barcelo truly make this already exceptional location and facility top notch. Every person you come across greets you with a smile and is quick to assist with any need. This was my first visit to Mexico, but most certainly won't be my last.