Barcelo Maya Colonial

Joey C

Title: Premium Price, Disgusting Conditions, Misleading Promises, and Mediocre Service — Avoid This Resort Our stay at Barceló Tropical / Colonial was one of the most disappointing resort experiences we have ever had. This property sells guests a polished image of a premium vacation, but what we experienced was misleading information, filthy and poorly maintained facilities, amenities that did not match what we were told was included, and service that was mediocre at best. We were lied to about transportation arrangements and misled about the amenities supposedly included with our premium room. When you pay extra for an upgraded experience, you expect the resort to honor what was promised. Instead, we spent our vacation dealing with excuses, inconsistencies, and disappointment. The condition of the bathroom was absolutely disgusting. The photos speak for themselves. The toilet seat mounting areas were packed with dark, filthy buildup and grime that clearly had not been properly cleaned or maintained. There was visible black staining and apparent moisture-related growth around the bathroom ceiling and tile joints. Other areas of the bathroom showed poor maintenance, deteriorating finishes, and a general lack of cleanliness. This is completely unacceptable for any hotel, much less a resort charging premium prices and selling upgraded accommodations. The problems extended beyond the room. The resort appeared poorly maintained in multiple areas, and the overall experience fell far below what was advertised and what we paid for. Getting help from staff was frustrating, service was mediocre, and there seemed to be little urgency to address legitimate guest concerns. What made the experience especially unacceptable was the gap between what we were promised and what was actually delivered. We did not pay premium prices to spend our vacation documenting filthy fixtures, questioning whether our bathroom was sanitary, chasing down transportation issues, and arguing over amenities that should have been provided from the beginning. I strongly recommend that potential guests photograph their room immediately upon arrival, get every promise about transportation and premium-level benefits in writing, and carefully inspect the bathroom and other facilities before unpacking. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend Barceló Tropical / Colonial or the resort as a whole. The combination of misleading promises, disgusting room conditions, poor maintenance, mediocre service, and failure to deliver the premium experience we paid for made this a deeply disappointing vacation. One star is generous.

Carly Cenzer

The Colonial is right in the middle of the compound so its easy to travel to the other resorts. The resort was very kid friendly for our 3.5 year old, and her first luxury vacation. She had a blast, and we had fun with her. The staff was amazing. One of our queen beds was blown out. We almost complained for a different room, but we made it work. My husband slept on that bed and said he was comfortable. I slept on the other bed with my daughter. The last day the room lost power, and the shower probably needed a good deep clean or reglaze. Prepare for an hour plus drive to and from the hotel-airport; depending if your ride is picking anyone else up. Food pleasantly surprised us, if you know what to expect with the resort style food. Our favorite restaurant was Capri, the Italian restaurant in the Tropical resort. The staff in the seafood restaurant at Colonial went above and beyond. The pastry chefs 10/10 on every dessert we tried, don't skip the desserts. The beach, although was a little rocky, was still 10/10 beautiful with some incredible photos. Don't skip a sunrise. Thank you for our stay!

Manuel Gonzalez

October 2026 review: Infrastructure is overall in great shape. Food is really a very disapointing point. Such a big hotel and can't even offer basic plates and have such a limited menu is really frustrating. Pools are great, nice and warm. Again, licor offer is really poor and so basic, even for premium wages. Won't even bother in develop that, just not what is expected. Service I'll elaborate in two main points: 1. Persons: mexican are always welcoming, warm and willing to help, I can't complain about it. 2. Systems: on the other hand have such low standards and put employees in frustrating situations since they can't help you not because they don't want to, they just don't have the resources to do it, this can be technical systems, training, a service system, a reliable hierarchy chain. This hotel has really lots of points to develop. The infra is there, but is not making any efforts on providing the experience, which is far more important.

Emily Rodrii

We’ve had a great stay at Barceló so far! The beach is absolutely stunning, the colors of the water are truly out of this world. The food has been surprisingly good, and the service has been excellent throughout our stay. We had lunch at El Mariachi, where Miguel Itza and Sandy Dzib took wonderful care of us. They were both incredibly friendly, attentive, and made our experience even more enjoyable. We’re honestly very pleasantly surprised by the quality of this all-inclusive resort. For this category, it has exceeded our expectations, and we’re really enjoying our time here. We would definitely recommend it!

Jayson Wild

Our family had a wonderful stay at Barceló Maya Colonial. The resort grounds are beautiful, exceptionally clean, and very well maintained. The landscaping is meticulously groomed, and the architecture throughout the property creates a relaxing and attractive atmosphere. There were plenty of family-friendly activities available, and the pools were enormous with ample seating, so it never felt difficult to find a place to relax. We visited during the off-season, which made the experience even more enjoyable since the resort never felt crowded. The ambient music throughout the property was pleasant and added to the atmosphere without ever being overpowering. One of the highlights was the food at the buffet restaurants. Both breakfast and lunch offered excellent quality with a wide variety of options. The buffet staff were consistently warm, welcoming, and helpful, which made each meal enjoyable. The beach was another pleasant surprise. Despite visiting during a time of year when there was significant sargassum in the region, the resort staff worked hard to keep the beach clean and enjoyable. There were a few areas that could be improved. - The resort maps were not detailed enough, and some of the signage was difficult to follow, making it challenging to navigate the property at times. - We also found it frustrating that food could not be taken out of the buffet areas. On one occasion we had an early morning scuba diving excursion and would have appreciated the option of a simple to-go container for breakfast. - Guests should also be aware that the à la carte restaurants enforce a dress code. Men are not permitted to wear flip-flops or plastic sandals, which caught us by surprise and required a trip back to our room to change. - Additionally, the show schedule we received upon arrival was not always accurate, leading to some confusion when planning our evenings. For premium-tier guests, room service is included. Delivery typically took around 50 minutes during our stay, but the food quality was good and made for a convenient option when we wanted to stay in. Overall, Barceló Maya Colonial provided a very enjoyable family vacation with beautiful grounds, excellent buffet dining, friendly staff, and plenty of activities. While there are a few logistical details that could be improved, we would happily consider returning in the future.