Barcelo Maya new section?

JWK · 12-30-2005

Hi all, I'm trying to find out if the Barcelo's Tropicale/Caribe is the new section of this resort? What do you get that's different from the other section? We are staying at the Lindo again this summer but the beach at the Barcelo looks heavenly so I want to possibly take a short trip with my hubby only this Feb. and check it out. Can someone do a comparison of rooms? I like new so that is why I am asking about the Tropicale/Caribe being new. Thanks for your help.

**Shammy** · 12-30-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWK

Hi all, I'm trying to find out if the Barcelo's Tropicale/Caribe is the new section of this resort? What do you get that's different from the other section? We are staying at the Lindo again this summer but the beach at the Barcelo looks heavenly so I want to possibly take a short trip with my hubby only this Feb. and check it out. Can someone do a comparison of rooms? I like new so that is why I am asking about the Tropicale/Caribe being new. Thanks for your help.

Jeanne, you need to go to the Unofficial web site because there is SOOO much information about the new section of the resort, and even a bunch of pictures that will help you put it all into perspective.

Click HEREfor a direct link to this information.

However, the new sections are not called Tropicale/Caribe, they are the Tropical and the Colonial. The original sections are called the Beach and Caribe. The rooms are nicer than the original rooms, once reason is because everything is new! But much nicer bathrooms, furnishings - take a look at the pictures on that link. The new section in general is more upscale and modern than the old - and the new buffets are air conditioned while the original ones are not (very important for summer guests!). You get 4 ala carte visits for a weeks stay in the new section, only two visits in the original. The people on the Beach/Caribe side can't use the new buffets of ala cartes either, but you can use theirs.

And yes, the beach is heavenly.

JWK · 12-30-2005

Thank you Shammy, I knew I could count on you for the answer.

aquavitgal · 01-02-2006

Just got back from Barcelo, Colonial. I will do a full report later, but did want to say it was very nice. Great service. We stayed at the Beach side last March. We felt the food has improved, we were with a group of 17 people and all agreed the food was great, but I believe the same food is offered in the buffet in all sections.
I will do a more thorough comparison of both sides in a day, have to catch up at work first.

K and P · 01-02-2006

Cant wait for the report, we are heading down to the Tropical side on Jan 17 and cant wait. We have also been to The barcelo beach a few times so looking foward to seeing the new part..

Cowgirl68 · 01-02-2006

Also looking forward to a report.....We are heading to the Tropical side on the 18th....

C YA THERE PAM!! Save us some cervesa!!

Tracy

JWK · 01-03-2006

I've seen pic on the new section at the Barcelo and the beach looks great. With all the new vegetation growing in, is there any shade on the beach? How about the pool area? As much as we love the sun, I ususally spend most of my time in the shade and my poor hubby is so fair skinned he can only be out for a little while. Thanks for any info.

**Shammy** · 01-03-2006

There are still palm trees left on the beach so yes, there is shade available. Around the pools is not a problem either as they have arbors running around all the pools. You can duck your chair under it and be out of the sun, and there are even hammocks hanging if you want to hang out in the shade swinging!

I found some recent photos (thank you Trekker!

)

Here is the new beach area:
<IMG class=imgBorder onmouseover="this.className='imgBorderOn'" title="Cliff (Trekker) > Barcelo Maya Dec 2005 - Tropical beach." onmouseout="this.className='imgBorder'" height=400 alt="Cliff (Trekker) > Barcelo Maya Dec 2005 - Tropical beach." hspace=0 src="http://trekker.smugmug.com/photos/50494836-M.jpg" width=600 border=0>

This shows the arbors that run around the pools (and the somewhat nekkid trees too

):

<IMG class=imgBorder onmouseover="this.className='imgBorderOn'" title="Cliff (Trekker) > Barcelo Maya Dec 2005 - View from the balcony showing hurricane damage to the vegitation," onmouseout="this.className='imgBorder'" height=400 alt="Cliff (Trekker) > Barcelo Maya Dec 2005 - View from the balcony showing hurricane damage to the vegitation," hspace=0 src="http://trekker.smugmug.com/photos/50494261-M.jpg" width=600 border=0>

aquavitgal · 01-03-2006

I will just add a trip report to this forum since we are on the topic.
We stayed at the Barcelo Colonial (new side) Dec 21-28. We stayed at the Beach side in March 2005 so I will compare also for those trying to decide whether to upgrade or not.
We were a group of 17 people, family members ranging in age from 2 yrs to 75 yrs. We all agreed this place was perfect for accomodating all ages. The new side is beautiful, we came in greeted with a drink (blue, didn't know the name but was good). The staff, as was on the Beach side, was very helpful, gracious, pleasant and accomodating. We had in advance requested via email (reservas@barcelomaya.com) to have all five rooms together in same building, and floor, we got building 6. Just one room was below us so it worked out very well. The rooms are very nice, but I do feel they were a little smaller than the Beach side, the bathroom is alittle smaller also. This did not make a difference to us, it still had plenty of space for our family of four two adults, and 2 children ages 17 and 20. What is nice about the Colonial side is they have a sofa in each room which can be used as a bed also, so we didn't need to deal with a roll away. The room had a safe which is easy to use, robes, iron and ironing board and great water pressure in the shower. The bathroom also had a make-up mirror, and hairdryer.
The buffets were very good, much better than I remembered in March, so they must have reevaluated, and made improvements in the quality of food. All 17 of us thought highyly of it. I believe the buffets are the same on the old and new side. What is different about the new side is they have a bar there and they would bring you drinks, wine, beer, coffee, to your table as you request it. The staff in the buffet areas were fantastic and fun. With 17 of us trying to eat together they were always very gracious about helping us get organized.
We had the option of eating at 4 sit down dinners, we ended up just doing 3 because we had other things going on. We ate at the Spanish restaurant Don Quiote, this was a very good restaurant everyone loved there dinners. The menu had a great range of options which included meats, seafood, fish and vegetarian options. (Note; I believe all the sit down restaurants have vegetarian options). Once again the wait staff was excellent. It was my sons 20th birthday, they will have a special desert with "Happy Birthday" and the persons name, turn down the lights and sing happy birthday, very fun. We also ate at the Japeneese tepanaki (sp?) restaurant. This was alot of fun and very good food. The cooks were alot of fun. Everyone felt this was there favorite restaurant. The third one we ate at was the seafood restaurant. I am hesitant to review this because no one in our group liked it. The staff was excellent, they really stressed the presentation of the dishes which were beautiful, but the food inself was barely ok. We spoke with others guests that ate there they felt the same. I think it just opened and they are working out the bugs, I know the effort was there, they asked for our opions and we let them know our thoughts in a positive way.
The pools are enormous, the kids area is a big plus compared to the old area. I do believe as of now they let both sides use the pools. There is a life guard at the kids pool, but I would not let my child alone there, that could just be me. The beach is beautiful, however there is more sand areas on the old side. But what was interesting is we had more of a breeze on the new side, the old side is sheltered more. We had very little breeze so the new side was alittle cooler. Plenty of chairs at the pool and beach area, and plenty of shade at both areas also. Yes the pool was cool, but it never stopped the kids from swimming, and it was refreshing when it was so hot. The water Temp of the ocean in Dec is great. Was plenty warm, the kids swam all day. What is a big plus at the Barcelo is the beach it is gradual, little wave action, and no undertows, so very easy for young kids to swim there. People always question if Dec is a good time to go to the Mayan area. We have been going to this area for over 10 years, this was our first Dec and the weather was beautiful. Plenty warm during the day, and very comfortable at night. Temp range was about 84 during the day, and 68 at night, and less humidity than late winter/spring and summer. We had sun everyday, rain just once at 3:00PM for 15 minutes, then cleared up again.
We also did several of the shows, they were all very well done and entertaining. All the shows where at the old side, not sure why, probably because the old side was full and the new side was partially full.
The older kids in our group (17 and over) went to Capt Morgan's several times in the evening and had a great time, so did the adults. I'm sure different times of the year attract different groups of people. Christmas time seemed to attract alot of families, as aposed to when we were there in March it was more spring break crowd with families. March there was more drinking and young kids perhaps overdoing it. We did not see that this time, and our kids liked that better. The atmosphere was such that everyone would introduce themselves and just sit and talk. The kids then would met up on the beaches the next day play volleyball, snorkel or just sit in the sun together, some even met up in PDC. They loved it because not only did they talk to people all over the US, but all over the world. Spain, Canada, England, Italy, Germany. I felt the disco was very safe as long as they walked back to the rooms as a group.
The water activities area is also great. Several of us took wind surfing lessons, and had a great time. The hobbie cats are fun, kayaking, water bikes, and boogie boards, all free and fun. You do have to sign up in advance, get there when they open 9:00 AM to get a spot.
In short I think you can tell we love this resort, highly recommend it for all ages, plenty to do and easy to get to PDC or other areas. We've used the collectivo and cab both work great. We went to PDC, Puerto Adventuras, Akumal, and some did fishing trips, and horseback riding. They will set up tours for you at the resort, or you can do it on your own.
I got lengthy so I will end, if you have questions let me know.

deblis · 01-03-2006

Thanks, that was an awesome review!

Looking forward to going to BM even more now.(new side)

mishmc · 01-03-2006

Thanks for the review and pics! I've made your beach pic my wallpaper, can't wait to go. Glad to see so many palm trees, even with the newer foliage it looks like we can get some shade. (just noticed the Shammy posted these, thanks, Shammy!)

This will be our first trip to Barcelo, staying at the Colonial Feb 1-8. We're a 30-something couple, no kids. What do people think the crowd will be like then? We're thinking there won't be as many families with school-age kids (as school is in), and it's too early for Spring Break. Do you think it will mostly be adult couples and groups, with some families with toddlers?

TheBigSmoke · 01-03-2006

I've kinda been wondering the same thing. We're off to the Barcelo on the 9th of January (Can't wait). Wife and I are 30 something newlyweds. We both love kids and it won't matter if there are a lot there or not becasue from what I've seen and heard, there's plenty of room for everyone.

aquavitgal · 01-03-2006

Jan and Feb tend to be more couples than kids, unless you are there during Presidents weekend. I found that families with kids tend to be by the shaded areas and kids pool, adults in other areas. Our kids are older, we really didn't notice small kids, its big enough to spread out. I maybe quiter on the new side if that is what you are looking for. Couples, take a night out in PDC, taxis are easy to get at the resort, and any street in PDC has a taxi waiting to have customers. Go to "search" area and look up bars, or nightlife for suggestions.

K and P · 01-03-2006

Excellent review, I am pumped even more for my trip exactly 2 weeks from today.
Cowgirl what time will I see you at the bar on the Wednesday???? Kev and I will keep some spots for you guys at the pool bar LOL.
Hey did you guys have Lobster? if so where and when???

Cowgirl68 · 01-03-2006

Pam,

Our plane is due to arrive in Cancun at 12:45pm. Same as yours but the next day. So, I figure we hopefully should be at the BM for 2:30 - 3:00 pm.
I'm sure we will drop our stuff off in the room and then hit the pool (and pool bar!)...

These next few weeks are just not going to go in fast enough.....We are so excited!!

12-30-2005	#1 (permalink)
JWK way into it Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 133	Barcelo Maya new section? Hi all, I'm trying to find out if the Barcelo's Tropicale/Caribe is the new section of this resort? What do you get that's different from the other section? We are staying at the Lindo again this summer but the beach at the Barcelo looks heavenly so I want to possibly take a short trip with my hubby only this Feb. and check it out. Can someone do a comparison of rooms? I like new so that is why I am asking about the Tropicale/Caribe being new. Thanks for your help.

01-03-2006	#9 (permalink)
aquavitgal beachaholic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inver Grove Hgts, MN Posts: 361	I will just add a trip report to this forum since we are on the topic. We stayed at the Barcelo Colonial (new side) Dec 21-28. We stayed at the Beach side in March 2005 so I will compare also for those trying to decide whether to upgrade or not. We were a group of 17 people, family members ranging in age from 2 yrs to 75 yrs. We all agreed this place was perfect for accomodating all ages. The new side is beautiful, we came in greeted with a drink (blue, didn't know the name but was good). The staff, as was on the Beach side, was very helpful, gracious, pleasant and accomodating. We had in advance requested via email (reservas@barcelomaya.com) to have all five rooms together in same building, and floor, we got building 6. Just one room was below us so it worked out very well. The rooms are very nice, but I do feel they were a little smaller than the Beach side, the bathroom is alittle smaller also. This did not make a difference to us, it still had plenty of space for our family of four two adults, and 2 children ages 17 and 20. What is nice about the Colonial side is they have a sofa in each room which can be used as a bed also, so we didn't need to deal with a roll away. The room had a safe which is easy to use, robes, iron and ironing board and great water pressure in the shower. The bathroom also had a make-up mirror, and hairdryer. The buffets were very good, much better than I remembered in March, so they must have reevaluated, and made improvements in the quality of food. All 17 of us thought highyly of it. I believe the buffets are the same on the old and new side. What is different about the new side is they have a bar there and they would bring you drinks, wine, beer, coffee, to your table as you request it. The staff in the buffet areas were fantastic and fun. With 17 of us trying to eat together they were always very gracious about helping us get organized. We had the option of eating at 4 sit down dinners, we ended up just doing 3 because we had other things going on. We ate at the Spanish restaurant Don Quiote, this was a very good restaurant everyone loved there dinners. The menu had a great range of options which included meats, seafood, fish and vegetarian options. (Note; I believe all the sit down restaurants have vegetarian options). Once again the wait staff was excellent. It was my sons 20th birthday, they will have a special desert with "Happy Birthday" and the persons name, turn down the lights and sing happy birthday, very fun. We also ate at the Japeneese tepanaki (sp?) restaurant. This was alot of fun and very good food. The cooks were alot of fun. Everyone felt this was there favorite restaurant. The third one we ate at was the seafood restaurant. I am hesitant to review this because no one in our group liked it. The staff was excellent, they really stressed the presentation of the dishes which were beautiful, but the food inself was barely ok. We spoke with others guests that ate there they felt the same. I think it just opened and they are working out the bugs, I know the effort was there, they asked for our opions and we let them know our thoughts in a positive way. The pools are enormous, the kids area is a big plus compared to the old area. I do believe as of now they let both sides use the pools. There is a life guard at the kids pool, but I would not let my child alone there, that could just be me. The beach is beautiful, however there is more sand areas on the old side. But what was interesting is we had more of a breeze on the new side, the old side is sheltered more. We had very little breeze so the new side was alittle cooler. Plenty of chairs at the pool and beach area, and plenty of shade at both areas also. Yes the pool was cool, but it never stopped the kids from swimming, and it was refreshing when it was so hot. The water Temp of the ocean in Dec is great. Was plenty warm, the kids swam all day. What is a big plus at the Barcelo is the beach it is gradual, little wave action, and no undertows, so very easy for young kids to swim there. People always question if Dec is a good time to go to the Mayan area. We have been going to this area for over 10 years, this was our first Dec and the weather was beautiful. Plenty warm during the day, and very comfortable at night. Temp range was about 84 during the day, and 68 at night, and less humidity than late winter/spring and summer. We had sun everyday, rain just once at 3:00PM for 15 minutes, then cleared up again. We also did several of the shows, they were all very well done and entertaining. All the shows where at the old side, not sure why, probably because the old side was full and the new side was partially full. The older kids in our group (17 and over) went to Capt Morgan's several times in the evening and had a great time, so did the adults. I'm sure different times of the year attract different groups of people. Christmas time seemed to attract alot of families, as aposed to when we were there in March it was more spring break crowd with families. March there was more drinking and young kids perhaps overdoing it. We did not see that this time, and our kids liked that better. The atmosphere was such that everyone would introduce themselves and just sit and talk. The kids then would met up on the beaches the next day play volleyball, snorkel or just sit in the sun together, some even met up in PDC. They loved it because not only did they talk to people all over the US, but all over the world. Spain, Canada, England, Italy, Germany. I felt the disco was very safe as long as they walked back to the rooms as a group. The water activities area is also great. Several of us took wind surfing lessons, and had a great time. The hobbie cats are fun, kayaking, water bikes, and boogie boards, all free and fun. You do have to sign up in advance, get there when they open 9:00 AM to get a spot. In short I think you can tell we love this resort, highly recommend it for all ages, plenty to do and easy to get to PDC or other areas. We've used the collectivo and cab both work great. We went to PDC, Puerto Adventuras, Akumal, and some did fishing trips, and horseback riding. They will set up tours for you at the resort, or you can do it on your own. I got lengthy so I will end, if you have questions let me know. __________________

01-03-2006	#11 (permalink)
mishmc sandflea Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: NJ, USA Posts: 1	Thank you and a question Thanks for the review and pics! I've made your beach pic my wallpaper, can't wait to go. Glad to see so many palm trees, even with the newer foliage it looks like we can get some shade. (just noticed the Shammy posted these, thanks, Shammy!) This will be our first trip to Barcelo, staying at the Colonial Feb 1-8. We're a 30-something couple, no kids. What do people think the crowd will be like then? We're thinking there won't be as many families with school-age kids (as school is in), and it's too early for Spring Break. Do you think it will mostly be adult couples and groups, with some families with toddlers? Last edited by mishmc : 01-03-2006 at 11:30 AM.

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12-30-2005	#3 (permalink)
JWK way into it Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 133	Thank you Shammy, I knew I could count on you for the answer.

01-02-2006	#4 (permalink)
aquavitgal beachaholic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inver Grove Hgts, MN Posts: 361	Just got back from Barcelo, Colonial. I will do a full report later, but did want to say it was very nice. Great service. We stayed at the Beach side last March. We felt the food has improved, we were with a group of 17 people and all agreed the food was great, but I believe the same food is offered in the buffet in all sections. I will do a more thorough comparison of both sides in a day, have to catch up at work first.

01-02-2006	#5 (permalink)
K and P beachaholic Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ont, Canada Posts: 343	Cant wait for the report, we are heading down to the Tropical side on Jan 17 and cant wait. We have also been to The barcelo beach a few times so looking foward to seeing the new part..

01-02-2006	#6 (permalink)
Cowgirl68 very sparkly Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: ontario Posts: 29	Also looking forward to a report.....We are heading to the Tropical side on the 18th.... C YA THERE PAM!! Save us some cervesa!! Tracy

01-03-2006	#7 (permalink)
JWK way into it Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 133	I've seen pic on the new section at the Barcelo and the beach looks great. With all the new vegetation growing in, is there any shade on the beach? How about the pool area? As much as we love the sun, I ususally spend most of my time in the shade and my poor hubby is so fair skinned he can only be out for a little while. Thanks for any info.

01-03-2006	#8 (permalink)
Shammy Moderator Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Joisey Shore Posts: 10,269	There are still palm trees left on the beach so yes, there is shade available. Around the pools is not a problem either as they have arbors running around all the pools. You can duck your chair under it and be out of the sun, and there are even hammocks hanging if you want to hang out in the shade swinging! I found some recent photos (thank you Trekker! ) Here is the new beach area: <IMG class=imgBorder onmouseover="this.className='imgBorderOn'" title="Cliff (Trekker) > Barcelo Maya Dec 2005 - Tropical beach." onmouseout="this.className='imgBorder'" height=400 alt="Cliff (Trekker) > Barcelo Maya Dec 2005 - Tropical beach." hspace=0 src="http://trekker.smugmug.com/photos/50494836-M.jpg" width=600 border=0> This shows the arbors that run around the pools (and the somewhat nekkid trees too ): <IMG class=imgBorder onmouseover="this.className='imgBorderOn'" title="Cliff (Trekker) > Barcelo Maya Dec 2005 - View from the balcony showing hurricane damage to the vegitation," onmouseout="this.className='imgBorder'" height=400 alt="Cliff (Trekker) > Barcelo Maya Dec 2005 - View from the balcony showing hurricane damage to the vegitation," hspace=0 src="http://trekker.smugmug.com/photos/50494261-M.jpg" width=600 border=0>

01-03-2006	#10 (permalink)
deblis toe in water Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 57	Thanks, that was an awesome review! Looking forward to going to BM even more now.(new side)

01-03-2006	#12 (permalink)
TheBigSmoke way into it Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 114	I've kinda been wondering the same thing. We're off to the Barcelo on the 9th of January (Can't wait). Wife and I are 30 something newlyweds. We both love kids and it won't matter if there are a lot there or not becasue from what I've seen and heard, there's plenty of room for everyone.

01-03-2006	#13 (permalink)
aquavitgal beachaholic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inver Grove Hgts, MN Posts: 361	Jan and Feb tend to be more couples than kids, unless you are there during Presidents weekend. I found that families with kids tend to be by the shaded areas and kids pool, adults in other areas. Our kids are older, we really didn't notice small kids, its big enough to spread out. I maybe quiter on the new side if that is what you are looking for. Couples, take a night out in PDC, taxis are easy to get at the resort, and any street in PDC has a taxi waiting to have customers. Go to "search" area and look up bars, or nightlife for suggestions.

01-03-2006	#14 (permalink)
K and P beachaholic Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ont, Canada Posts: 343	Excellent review, I am pumped even more for my trip exactly 2 weeks from today. Cowgirl what time will I see you at the bar on the Wednesday???? Kev and I will keep some spots for you guys at the pool bar LOL. Hey did you guys have Lobster? if so where and when???

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01-03-2006	#15 (permalink)
Cowgirl68 very sparkly Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: ontario Posts: 29	Pam, Our plane is due to arrive in Cancun at 12:45pm. Same as yours but the next day. So, I figure we hopefully should be at the BM for 2:30 - 3:00 pm. I'm sure we will drop our stuff off in the room and then hit the pool (and pool bar!)... These next few weeks are just not going to go in fast enough.....We are so excited!!