Chef Menajem Peretz
It’s my first time outside of Playa del Carmen, and although I’m not really crazy about big hotels, the experience here was great. The pool and the beach are top-notch, and the grounds are truly beautiful overall.
The rooms could use a little update — just small details, but the space itself is huge inside.
I really missed having good coffee in the morning, something many other resorts offer.
The food was okay, though a bit too creamy and with almost no red meat options. Good, but it could definitely be better.
Would I come back? Maybe — it’s a great place for groups, and again, the beach is a huge plus.
David Ebert
Our waiter Jorge Morales was absolutely fantastic!!! Tended to our every need. Explained the menu with precision. Was extremely attentive and made my family and I feel more than welcome! 10/10 would recommend. Promote him to manager por favor!!!
Fernando
I’m going to give a full review of my honest opinion from my point of view. I do NOT recommend it and I wouldn’t go again. I believe that for what you pay and what you expect from a 5-star hotel, it’s not enough.
RESORT
The resort itself is spectacular, surrounded by palm trees that provide plenty of shade to avoid direct sunlight, everything very clean and well maintained, the staff always helpful, a wide beach with crystal-clear water, with some stones and rocks. Honestly, in this part everything was fine.
ROOM
The room I was assigned had a very strong smell of humidity, it was impossible to stay inside. Someone from reception came, agreed with me, and changed my room. However, the new one also smelled of humidity, although it was more tolerable, so I assume most of them must be like that.
The room looks quite outdated: the closet doors don’t close properly, the air conditioning cannot be adjusted (the buttons didn’t even work), you either freeze or feel hot, there are damp spots on the walls and ceilings.
Also, after more than 7 days, no one ever restocked the minibar, not even a single bottle of water.
Housekeeping did come every day, though, and they always left everything clean.
ENTERTAINMENT
The entertainment is terrible and the thing I missed the most, since you’re in the middle of nowhere and I expected much more, because by the third day you’ll be bored. The entertainment boards say there are activities every hour, but that’s false, they don’t exist: water polo, basket pool, games, etc. are never done despite being advertised. The only things they actually did were beach volleyball twice a day for about 40 minutes and an occasional dance at the pool. Don’t expect anything else (I’m talking about daytime entertainment). As for the nighttime entertainment, it was poor any 3-star summer hotel would easily beat it. Only two nights had something a bit interesting. If you’re looking for entertainment, look elsewhere.
It’s true that you can borrow balls, play tennis, etc. for an hour, but the closing time is 5 pm, which I think is too early they should extend the hours.
FOOD
About the food, again, for a 5-star hotel it was really disappointing. I expected much better quality it leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve stayed at 3-star hotels with better food. The food is normally dry, not only the food itself but even some of the sauces in the prepared dishes. Sometimes it’s even cold, even though the dining room has only been open for 20–30 minutes. The pizzas are tasteless, no matter which one you take, they all taste the same: like nothing. It’s sad because the dough itself is fine. The meats are almost impossible to cut tough and dry. And every day it’s practically the same, they change almost nothing, 90% of the dishes are the same every day. The desserts are similar either very dry or flavorless, though sometimes you could find something decent. The fruit, depending on which, was good.
Another detail: you couldn’t even get up calmly to grab food, because they would clear the whole table and your drink in under a minute. I would go to get dessert and when I came back, everything had been cleared, even if my drink was still half full.
DRINKS IN GENERAL
Just as bad. Most drinks and cocktails are made with ultra-concentrated flavored glucose syrups pineapple, mango, orange, lemon, etc. (you can even see them refilling the dispensers with these syrups).
So in summary, it doesn’t matter which cocktail you order, they all taste the same, nothing close to the real flavor. You have to go for branded alcoholic drinks to get something decent, or order a natural lemonade.
Nothing is made with natural juice (except at the buffet breakfast area, where there are natural fruit juices).
RESTAURANTS
In the themed restaurants, there was a noticeable difference, excellent service from the waiters and good quality products.
Gaetz Barrie
We had the absolute pleasure of being served by Jorge at Santa Fe Steakhouse during our stay at the Barcelo Maya Resort, and he truly made our dining experience unforgettable. From the moment we were seated, Jorge greeted us with a warm, genuine smile and immediately made us feel welcomed and taken care of.
His attentiveness, professionalism, and friendly demeanor stood out right away. He anticipated our needs before we even had to ask and provided thoughtful recommendations that perfectly matched our tastes. The food was fantastic, but Jorge’s exceptional service elevated the entire evening to a whole new level.
It’s rare to find someone who brings so much passion and care to their work, and Jorge did just that. He was not only an incredible server but also a genuinely kind and engaging person. If you’re dining at Santa Fe, we highly recommend asking for Jorge — he’ll make your night one to remember.
Thank you, Jorge, for going above and beyond!
Anna San Pedro
Service is excellent! Teresa Chable your host is very pleasant and helpful. Abimiel Espinoza is courteous and hospitable. Rooms ate a bit dated and must but very clean and tidy.