Barcelo or Palladium?!??!?!?!

Who ever thought planning a vacation could cause me so much stress!
Have been on this computer all weekend trying to decide which resort to switch to. We are currently booked at riu palace but decided beach would prob be too crowded for our liking - although I did like the close proximity to PDC and the fact that there would be fewer children there

Anyway, I have been looking into Barcelo and Palladium - never,ever thought 1,000 room resorts would seem less crowded than 400 rooms but that is what seems to be from what I am reading

I Like the Barcelo for the fabulous looking beach and the good snorkeling right there, but have been reading some trip reports on Trip Advisor stating staff is not very accomodating. Also worried about the # of kids since we will be going in June right after the schools let out.

Palladium does have the quieter Kanetah (SP?) side and areas to get away from the kids. I am not worried about having to walk further to the beach bar !! The pics of the beach look great and they also have snorkeling. For just a teeny bit more than the cost of Barcelo standard room, we could book a Mayan Suite at Palladium (at least according to the Apple site).


If anyone can comment on either resort :

Service ( we are not hard to please, just don't want to be ignored)
Ease of getting beach chair (without going down at 7:00 am to reserve one)
crowded conditions at Palladium beach? (already heard no prob at barcelo)
Distance from PDC /airport (gave away my Apple brochure that had all the resorts mapped out)
Drinks/Beer (okay I confess it's important)
Food (slightly less important tee hee)
annoying children? (no offense to you parents)

Thanks in advance to everyone

[jrnugent]

I have been to the Barcelo 3 times and have had a great time. THE BEACH IS GREAT. My wife and I spent one afternoon on the north side of the dive shop and it was like having a beach to our selfs. We have been there in June twice and once in Sep there are more kids in June but the beach is so big you really do not notice. The staff does a good job of keeping thangs going through the day if you want to do that sort of thank when I took my kids last year they had so much fun with the staff we had to go looking for them. The food is good never had any problems. The drinks are important after all it is your vaction. They serve Corona as the house beer and at times you will find Josa Cuarvo at the bars but most of the name brand type stuff you are use to in the states is not included in your package this is true of most of the AIs. We have never had a problem with not enough to drink at any time of the day. The rooms arre very nice showers are good the beds were firm the veiw from most of the room is a garden type. If you go the rooms have AC which only turns on when you put ypur room key in the switch I used an old card with no info on it to keep it on at all times I like a cool room. There is a safe in the room which was big enough to hold my laptop and cameras We are planning to take my daughter there the 5 of may for there honeymoon. We have had a great time there. If you want more info try loco gringo they have a great areal veiw of the resort.

Thanks for the info jr.

I hope I did not offend you or anyone else with kids when I said "annoying children" as soon as I reread my post I thought OH GOD that sounds terrible.

I like kids well enough and I know kids need to be kids.... I just cannot have a pleasant time if there are a bunch of unruly kids running around unsupervised everywhere... it makes me nervous someone is going to get hurt or something!

[Karlla]

Carcar,

Cant comment on the Palladium but have been to the Barcelo twice and going back this summer. We went as a group of 10 last summer and had no problems anytime of the day getting loungers together, they are so many its just not a problem at the pools or beach. We have gone each time in June and there are many families and couples only but everything is well laid out so you should have no problem finding somewhere to go with out kids bothering you. If service seems a little slow on occasion, I just always remind myself I am on vacation and not in a hurry to do anything. We always seem to find something to eat, we have our favorites and stick with those. I think its about an hours drive if you make no other stops on the way. Good luck on your decision!!

The Palladium is a wonderful resort. Great service, good food 4 al carte, 3 large buffets and a small beach buffet. Get a Jr suite and ask for building 20 or 21. The beach on the Kantenah side is wonderful never too many people, but it is a little walk to beach bar, no big deal. There is a small reef maybe 50 yards off shore, with a lot of fish. We had a great time at this resort. I post our pics on this site. We never had a problem with kids, there is a adults only pool.

[Manitoban]

More luxurious feel to the resort. Lots of marble and cut out of the jungle. Beach on Kantenah side is absolutely stunning. You can snorkel or just lie back and enjoy the breeze and waves. Great al a cartes and the buffets offer an endless array of choices. Barcelo is a little more casual, but beach is equally as beautiful to that of the Palladium. Rooms at the Palladium are a step up from the Barcelo as the Barcelo is an older resort and in some cases, such as the rooms, are starting to show some wear and tear.

[EileenS]

We just returned from our 5th trip to the Palladium and agree it would be a good choice for you. Here are some pictures .http://groups.msn.com/eileendavestra...iumresort.msnw

[K and P]

Been to Barcelo 3 times and it just keeps getting better. I would also like to try the Palladium some day too, Looks very nice. Did you go to the www.unofficial-barcelo-maya.com discussion board, they have a photo thread and its great and lots of questions and reviews.

Julie and i went to Cancun in '99, too busy, too crowded. We've gone to Barcelo in '01 and '03, absolutely loved it. We're going again this Sept/Oct again. Can't wait!!

[JimmyR]

Was at the Palladium-Colonial side for our second time in Jan, 2005. It was a family reunion with 25 of us there. One family had been to the Barcello the year before and said the beach there was a little better but overall they liked the food, rooms and service better at the Colonial.

I have not stayed at the Kantanah side as I perfer being closer to the main building. Building 3 or 4 on the Colonial side is nice as it's very close to the adult pool which is quieter

[Texas Gringo]

We stayed at the Riu Palace on our honeymoon and didn't find the beach crowded at all. Last year, we stayed at the Palladium. Overall, we liked the Riu Palace better. But, there were several things we liked better about the Palladium. We liked the long beach of Palladium. Great for walking. Yes, the sandy beaches of Playacar definately blow away the beach of the Palladium...however, we liked the Palladium because it was better for walks. Service: Palladium can't compete with the Palace. Buffet service at Palladium can be very slow. A la carte service was great. Palace service was always great. Ease of getting a beach chair: No problem at either resort. Plenty of shade at both also. Distance: Palladium is about 20 minutes further south than the Palace. Barcelo is about 15-18 minutes south of Palace. Drinks/Beer: Mixed drinks better at Palace...beer better at Palladium. Corona at Palace, Dos XX at Palladium. We prefer Dos XX. Food: much better at Riu Palace. Palladium food was disappointing for me, but edible. Food opinion is different for everyone, so don't let me opinion keep you from going. Children a problem: Very few at Riu Palace. Quite a few more at Palladium, but you can usually avoid them.

We liked both resorts. But we liked the Palace better...mainly because of food and service. We preferred the layout and atmosphere of the Palladium. We had a hard time deciding between Barcelo and Palladium this year. We ended up picking Palladium because my wife's mom and sister are going for their first time. We know Palladium is a good resort and we know they won't be disappointed. Going June 2nd through June 9th.

I can't really comment on Barcelo. But I've hard alot of bad things about the food there. However, that was not the deciding factor for us. Being familiar with the Palladium was our main reason. Don't be afraid to go to Riu Palace out of fear of overcrowding on the beach. It wasn't that bad (at least not when we were there). If you decide to change, pick Palladium.

[Beachaddict]

If food is important, Palladium gets better reviews on food - but I hear better reviews on Barcelo's beach. Priorities will help you decide. No offense taken on the kid thing - My boys are now teenagers and I find when at a restaurant I prefer not to eat around kids if possible, and I love children! You should try to get what you want from your vacation!

[quote=Texas Gringo]We stayed at the Riu Palace on our honeymoon and didn't find the beach crowded at all.
Don't be afraid to go to Riu Palace out of fear of overcrowding on the beach. It wasn't that bad (at least not when we were there).

Texas Gringo.... what time of the year were you there? Our trip is 3rd week in June (low season right?) so I would think it may be less crowded then. I still can't decide what to do.

My husband is not much help in deciding. He will most likely be retiring from 30 years of teaching in June so he says "I would be happy at Lake Erie!!!!!" hahaha

One other question- are you able to snorkle at all at the Palace? That is something my husband enjoys and I know it would be much better at Barcelo but I think he would be satisfied seeing a few fishies here and there at the Palace especially if we do a side trip or two for snorkeling

[Texas Gringo]

Carcar, we were there June 18-25th of 03 for our honeymoon. I'll admit, the beach at Palladium is better as far as crowds go. It's so big, you can spread out. It is very busy around the beach bar though. At the Palace, the crowd was spotty. Some times of the day were busier. But, most people laid out in the sun down by the water. We preferred the palm grove (still on the beach). It all depends on your opinion of crowded. We didn't find it annoying at all. If you're worried about finding a lounger, that was not a problem for us. Maybe someone who has been recently can give you better info, but it was not crowded when we were there.

Snorkeling sucks at the Palace. It's a very sandy beach with very little habitat for the fish. Palladium or Barcelo would be a much better choice for snorkeling. Of course, the Palace offers snorkeling tours from the resort, but it costs money.

I don't have my pictures of the Palace online, but if you want to see my pictures of Palladium go here. http://community.webshots.com/album/149134107dPGVBg

[K and P]

Barcelo the Food is very good to excellent. We love good food and so far its the best we have had in Mexico,we much preferred the food at Barcelo to the RIU. but thats a personal thing. I have read that some dont like the food at the Palladium too, im sure we would be very happy with it. I still would go to either resort and be very happy. Dont let bad reviews of Barcelo stop you from going, really the food is very good our whole group was very impressed with it. I find all the food in Mexico different tasting then back home and I think thats why some say they dont like the food, it not like at home.