TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We just returned from a trip to Barcelo Colonial. Overall, the resort is great and the service is wonderful. The food and drinks were great, especially the a la carte’s that we booked. The resort layout, pools and outdoor spaces are some of the best we’ve seen at a resort, and having activities like the Maya Mall, bowling, mini golf etc were all a hit with the kids. We really loved the fact that the whole complex was built with the mindset of moving in between the resorts. The walking pathway and shuttles that take you between resorts were great to use. Lastly, the ocean had some of the whitest sand out there, and yes, there were some rocks and coral in some areas but it didn’t bother us at all and actually held a lot of fish to see when snorkeling. The only downside that we found were that the rooms were very humid and difficult to sleep in sometimes. A trick for this is to keep your AC unit and fan on all day and you should come back to a less humid room. It would be helpful for the resort to install bathroom fans in the units as well to help with keeping humidity in rooms lower. Great stay! Definitely recommend.

Rooms are outdated a lo. Strong smell of chemicals initially. Other room kept losimg power, had to call in maintenance. Due to left chemicals (bleach) on the bathroom counter couple clothe got damaged.

Can I manager contact us ? We’ve been unsuccessful with guest services booking restaurants while we are here. The first thing we did after check-in last night was try and book our meals for the week. We have 9 and 12 year old girls and today is my partners birthday and we’re going to be eating at the Buffett. The options we were given were either the last night at 9:3O or for the 14th after we have checked out and on our way home. Also - we’ve dealt with 3 guest services reps and none have helpful and each borderline rude. Side note : while here 7 days you are only given restaurant options for 4 of the 7 days and we can’t even get into 4 of them. This is my second time here and this wasn’t the case last visit.

Went to a wedding and from the start, they are racist, the air conditioning didn't work, neither the hair dryer, they never pick up the phone, nightmare to make dinner reservations, the beach has so many rocks, it is dangerous.

Where should I begin? First, I would advise readers not to rely on bot reviews or reviews from first-time travelers for whom hearing a language other than English is the highlight of the trip. We have traveled extensively throughout the Riviera Maya, including a prior stay at this hotel. Unfortunately, things have changed—and not for the better. The grounds and beach are visually appealing. However, swimming requires caution due to underwater boulders, with only a few cleared areas offering safer access. Our room was filthy, featuring a rusted bathtub and a shower clogged by hard-water buildup. The room where our daughter stayed was not much better, with an electrical outlet ripped out of the wall. When we reported these issues to the front desk, no meaningful resolution was offered. We were shown another room that was in equally poor condition. Dining presented additional problems. For reasons that were never explained, the staff initially refused to seat a party of five at a single table. This issue was only resolved after we stated that there were six of us. The food was mediocre at best, with little variety and poor quality—“some of yellow, some of green” (Vegas Vacation). This is what one would expect from a 2.5–3-star property. I have no issue with 3-star hotels when they are accurately represented. The problem here is the misleading promotion of this resort as a 5-star property when it clearly does not meet that standard. As for the specialty restaurants, they do exist; however, we attempted to make reservations immediately upon arrival and were told that the only available times were at 9:30 p.m. for the whole week of our stay. This may be acceptable to some guests, but it is disappointing when one has paid for a so-called 5-star experience and received something closer to a Motel 6. If you have already booked this hotel and still have an opportunity to change your reservation, do so without a second thought.