The Hotel Review: Barceló Maya Palace, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Carretera Chetumal Puerto Juárez Km. 266,3 77750 Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo
Review: Val Jones
THE HOTEL
Barcelo Maya Palace is part of the Barcelo Maya Grand Resort which comprises of five hotels, collectively housing 2760 rooms and suites and 20 restaurants. As guests of the Barcelo Maya Palace we had exclusive use of this hotel but had the advantage of using restaurants and facilities across all five hotels and the Maya Shopping Mall complex. The Hotel Maya Palace built in 2007 is the newest hotel within the Barcelo Maya Grand Resort, there are 960 rooms all with garden, pool or beach views, and either a large balcony or terrace.
The hotel itself looks very regal and did really did remind us of a palace as we drove up the palm tree driveway with the international flags flying at the entrance. After a warm welcome, we entered a huge lobby which is the central focus of the hotel, here we found a generous seating space, with many facilities leading off from this area including bars, restaurants, theatre, hotel shops, and premier lounge, you can also access swimming pools, the beach, and accommodation. The Barcelo Maya Palace is beachside with an ocean front walk that spans the resort, if you want to explore and need the shade there is also a great walkway that runs through the centre of all five hotels.
There is a main check-in desk in the lobby but as we were booked with the All-Inclusive Premium package we headed off to the Premium lounge for exclusive check-in. This was quick and efficient and we started to unwind immediately with a drink, canopies and fruit whilst relaxing on comfy sofas. Now, this is the way to do hotel check-in.
THE FACILITIES
beachside sun loungers | premium level lounge | lobby bar 24hr| meeting rooms | 6 restaurants| entertainment theatre | 4 swimming pools | Barca Club & water park | convention centre | tours | wedding services | tennis courts | gym | spa | dolphin centre
There is a great water sports centre with non-motorised sports offered complimentary. The white beach is shaded with palm trees you can spot turtles swimming close. Sunbeds are plentiful and with a towel station, beach shop and the Coco Beach Bar close by. There is also an Olympic style pool for the more serious swimmers. The adult-only pool was nestled away in a more secluded area, with choices of sunbeds, water sunbeds and Balinese beds.
The kids pool is a mini water park themed with animal slides it’s a great area for the little ones, there is also a children’s playground. The entertainment theatre is a large area, has its own bar with waiter service and features different shows each night.
THE SPA
The U Spa is placed in the centre of the resort and has 28 treatment rooms, a romance cabin, relaxation lounge, U kids spa, hydro pool, swimming pool, steam rooms and experiences showers, which serves all hotels within the complex. There is a kids spa section were you can treat the little ones to a fun prince or princess for a day package. Premium package guests can use the spa facilities on a complementary basis, and there is an treatment menu.
I opted for the hot stone massage which was 50 minutes of pure indulgence. My therapist positioned hot stones on my palms spine and chest and an romatic Orange oil was used for the massage which relived tension with pressure applied to key stress points. Following a sauna and experience shower we headed off to the hydro pool, the freezing cold plunge pool was a bit of a shock to the system!
THE ACCOMMODATION
We were more than impressed with our Premier Ocean View Suite with its’ spacious private balcony. The furniture in the room was dark wood with large ornate lamps and Mexican plaques on the walls. The comfortable king sized bed had a rattan and dark wood headboard – a decor feature that gave the room a true Mexican feel. The bathroom had luxurious double marble sinks with a large mirror stretching the length of the vanity area. The bathing area had open rainwater shower, rinse shower and bath with ambient candles housed in a marble setting.
THE DRINKS & DINING
Restaurants: Mirador | La Hacienda | Rodizio Brazilian | Brasserie French | Caribe Caribbean | Coral Grill
Bars: Coco Pool Bar | Lobby Bar | Casino | Disco
The Coco Pool Bar is the main external bar; a circular cabana which overlooks the beach. On the poolside there is a swim-up bar where you can sit in the shade of the thatched roof or take your drinks into the pool. Music and entertainment are provided throughout the day.
The Lobby Bar, open 24 hours, is our chosen venue for an afternoon drink, we liked the outside terrace area, which afforded us an ocean view – a nice spot to relax and unwind after a busy day at the pool! This bar had regular entertainment with a fantastic pianist every evening. For late night venues, the Casino and Disco are situated at the Maya Mall.
Breakfast & Lunch
Breakfast and lunch are served within two buffet restaurants Mirador and La Hacienda, both offer inside and outside dining with sea front location and tables laid out with crisp white table clothes. The food and service was above standard with a choice of food from several chef stations and buffet areas for both breakfast and lunch, plus the kids had their own food area for little appetites. If you felt like going further afield for lunch there are many options open to Maya Palace guests across the resort, however dining facilities at Maya Palace are exclusive for the guests staying here only.
Dinner
With a wide choice of food options for dinner it was difficult to know just where to start and it’s safe to say we were not disappointed by any of our choices, we made our dinner reservations at the Premium Lounge reception and were given information about each restaurant on enquiry.
We dined at Rodizio Brazilian on our first evening and the food and service at this restaurant was exceptional. Our favourite dishes here were the delicious Creamed Mussels, Portebello Confit (Ravioli) and Sterling Silver Beef Tenderloin. We also ate at the Tokeyo Restaurant situated in the Maya Mall and had the Teppanyaki – well worth the experience it was fabulous to see the chief performing his tricks to the crowd of diners.
Highlights
- Beachside location
- Great room with ocean views
- Fantastic food & service
- Vast choice of facilities
Barceló Maya Palace:
Rates at Barceló Maya Palace start from US$ 242 per night based on two people sharing on an all-inclusive basis. To book or for more information visit www.barcelo.com.
THE TRAVEL
T1 Escape Lounge – Manchester Airport
Airport Transfer – QTS – Cancun
We chose a brilliant company to transfer us from Cancun Airport – the transfer took around an hour and the car was comfortable with air conditioning and a friendly driver who pointed out landmarks en-route. The whole experience ran smoothly and we couldn’t fault the service. A great recommendation.