TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Staff was very friendly and helpful. I appreciated the mini bar snacks and soft drinks and water. I had some trouble with the lock on my room door, and was disappointed that it was not really addressed, but housekeeping helped me open the door several times. I enjoyed the balcony off the room.

we had the most Wonderfull time here, but Don't have restrictions on your alcoholic drinks and do not limit the times that we can eat on the different Restaurants! The rest everything was Wonderfull! The shows were phenomenal and the dancing time at the Jorongo bar was so great!

We planned a family trip and had the worst experience, the hotel did not honor all inclusive like we paid for, alcohol or drinks HORRIBLE No customer service what so ever, all the hotel personnel treated guests very poorly, no kids activities were provided, the door keyfab in our room kept getting dissabled

My teen children and I stayed at Barcelo Huatulco for 6 days as Premium guests. I did a ton of research ahead of time to be certain I was as informed as possible-since there seemed to be very little available on this hotel online. I don’t write a lot of reviews but I wanted to contribute for anyone in the same boat. That said there was a lot of misinformation or perhaps outdated info that might have helped on the front end. First, check in was a little bit of a cluster as it’s a free for all in the premium lounge. I walked in a quietly waited and was overlooked and told to wait my turn when in fact I was there before others had arrived. There is just no order. There was no early check in available when we arrived and they asked us to leave our bags in the lobby. Other resorts I’ve been to allow you to check them into a secure room and provide you with a corresponding ticket. Just know there’s not even “secure” cosplay happening here and anyone can access your bags. Like most other AI resorts, they do allow you use of the pool and restaurants while you’re waiting, so that is a plus. Next, info I found online indicated that the premium guests were able to reserve a la carte restaurants in advance which is only partially true. You can only reserve a day ahead of time with up to 6 days of travel, or 2 days in advance if staying over a week. So ultimately, you’re still made to feel you need to wait in line at 9a daily just like the standard guests, but in stead of reserving for the same night-you’re vying for reservations for the next night or night after. It is almost worse as a premium guest because as stated, there is zero order in the premium lounge and by one older person’s mere presence in the vicinity, they insisted they were first in line and creating reservations for 6 groups. It was an ugly showing due to the disorganization and most importantly completely unnecessary. Don’t fall for it. Unless you have your heart set on the Japanese shoe box of a restaurant-literally 5 tables-just come back at another time and there will always be space at the two larger restaurants-El Algave and La Fontana if you’re open to a range of available seating times. It’s just a silly waste of time and a stressor that isn’t needed on vacation. The key cards WILL get demagnetized at least one or twice a day. You’ll have to go stand in the check in line to resolve so be prepared. They’ll tell you it’s you phone/watch but I put my card in RDIF sleeves and kept them away from electronics and metals and would still end up making the walk to the lobby waiting with the check ins. My teens were full priced “adults” when booked but when we got there we were limited to the kiddie pool as the other pool is adults only. I get not allowing itty bitty kiddos but not allowing teens is slightly hypocritical as when paying it’s full priced fare but they’re not consuming any alcohol, and any usage of the pools is limited to half of a kiddie pool. Seems like a bad deal for parents of teens. There’s VERY little shade AT ALL which dampens the experience since the pool chair game is strong here. There were towels on chairs that hadn’t been occupied or visited all day. Only a few lounge chairs have any shading and those aren’t actually occupied by people-just towels-so expect a good tan. Now onto the good. There are some stellar staff members here that really made the experience great-Salo, Margarita, and Fernando by the pool were WONDERFUL. The made to order chefs by the buffets were also amazing. The performers at the Oaxaca Theater were also very good and fun to watch-even as a person that’s not really into the shows at resorts. Lots of very kind and amazing people that made our experience a great one. I’ve seen people online rip the food apart and I agree that it’s not ALL amazing, but it’s basic fare that needs to have mass appeal. You may not love it all but you will find something you like. Kioto was just meh and over hyped. The only appeal is the exclusivity of 5 tables as the whole place appears to have been an after thought. It was also humorous to have a microwave constantly beeping in the back. No cooking. That makes sense…but there has to be a silent mode for a “fine” dining experience. El Agave had some good chicken but the arrachera and shrimp were chewy and overcooked/reheated? Either way totally inedible, and the staff appeared to be the least pulled together here. La Fontana was the clear winner of the a la cartes and had good food and great service. Honestly, the ease of the lunch/breakfast buffets were my favorite. Always a yummy protein option and a good array of sides and extras. Yes they were the same a lot of times but they were decent and better than expected for this price point. Desserts were unbelievably bland and forgettable, so an easy pass. Dress codes were not as stated. When reviewing the official site it listed “formal” as the requirements for a la carte dining and I had my teens pack/dress accordingly. They were less than thrilled with me when they saw other kids (and some men) with tshirts, shorts, ripped jeans, flip flops, and Bears jerseys. Clearly the formal part was never enforced. We saw lots of extremely casual wear. No formal to it. Also should it be helpful, I booked a Deluxe Sea Front Premium Level View and ended up in room 132 which was an ocean facing room with a hammock. When researching I read that third floor and greater were premium rooms but I’m not sure if that’s outdated or what. I will say that you will have an unreal view and you will also be part of a few wedding photos as they did host quite a few there during our stay. (: I don’t regret staying at the Barcelo as Huatulco is very beautiful and the hotel is very traditional and pretty. For the price point it’s not bad. Would I return? Likely not here. If I returned to the area I’d likely try another resort or stay up the coast in Mazunte or Puerto Angel where the town is more walkable and there are more places beyond the resort.

The food, bars, and entertainment, are excellent. The staff is very friendly and kind. The Italian and Japanese restaurants are of top quality, Nice and secure family environment. The hotel needs to provide better room maintenance.