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Trip Reviews, Ratings and Comments - Trip Review - Barcelo Maya Garden Resort
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This could be a long one, so sit back and relax.
We booked our TNT Vacations trip through the Vacation Outlet.
We arrived at Logan airport at 6:30 AM on 2-11. There
was already a line and several TNT reps to keep things
in order. Paid our $35.00 per person fuel charge --"grrrrr".
Flew on Allegro Air - a charter. Aisle width and seating was very narrow (three and three across). Along with cereal for breakfast they served free tequila for our OJ!
What a way to start vacation!
Immigration and customs in Cancun were uneventful. They
have a random selection system - we just missed the red
light!
TNT reps guided us (and carried our bags) to our bus.
On the bus they were selling "cerveza" - beer to "gringos".
On the way to our resort, ~ a one hour ride, they stopped
to make a "pit stop" and get more beer.
Check-in was routine. Note: The Beach and Garden resorts
are both on the beach and equally desirable. The resort is
large and very spread out, be prepared to walk a lot. But,
who cares? Enjoy the scenery and the people you see.
At check-in you get passes for beach towels, snorkel eqp
and two passes for the "a la carte" restaurants, El Agave
(Mexican), Captain Morgan (steak) and Don Quijote
(Spanish/Italian). If your interested in these I recommend you make your reservations immediately after check-in. We
went to the first two. The food was fine but I have simple
tastes and don't have a problem with serving myself.
You use cards for keys and to activate the room electricity. The A/C shuts off when you open the patio
slider door - we kept our's open all the time we were in the
room. Buildings have elevators. Our room was spacious, bed
was firm (not "hard"), bathroom well-appointed with a hair
dryer, shower gel, shampoo (not "industrial strength"), and
many other little items. The tub was interesting - deep
and partially enclosed with marble walls. The room also had
a well-stocked mini-refrig (no charge), bathrobes (yes!),
no charge in-room safe, small clothes line on the balcony.
One potential privacy issue is that the bathroom door is
louvered, not solid.
The buffet restaurants offered a wide variety and good
quality for our tastes. We did not notice that the food was cold. It was fun eating "al fresco" - in the open air, in
February, with just a roof above - no screens even.
The buildings, grounds and beaches are well maintained -
and beautifully landscaped. The beach has plenty of
lounge chairs and palm trees for shade. You can generally
find sun or shade, crowds or privacy somewhere.
The sand is fine, the water shallow for a few yards. Then there are some rocks - you may want to wear sandles or beach shoes. Water temp was fine for mid February.
To the left of the main beach is a pier where you can go
snorkeling - plenty of fish and a small reef. Some
reviewers have complained there is seaweed along the shore.
This is only true in some areas. The staff does try to control it, but this is the living ocean, not a swimming pool.
The surf and wind can be unpredictable. If you like body surfing it is fine. There was one day, however, when the
wind was so strong it was like being sandblasted - we stayed at the pool.
Reviewers have objected to the topless sunbathers. There were only a couple I noticed and they were very discreet about it.
There are two vast pools, only 3 1/2 to 4 ft deep - each with a "whirlpool" area and sometimes-open-swim-up bar. The pool water is a little cooler than the ocean.
Around the pools there are picturesque arbors for shade, also lounge chairs and hammocks.
We found the evening shows "spotty", some excellent (don't miss the Michael Jackson impersonator) but others not so interesting to us. Some reviewers have noted the skimpy costumes. I don't think they show any "more" than you might expect at any metropolitan stage show.
Note: earlier in the evening they sometimes show movies for the younger set. Ask about these.
The disco runs from 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM, well-attended. They generally play Caribbean music and what I consider
"dated" disco tunes. Still, it is fun to be dancing outside in February. "Unadvertised special": we noticed they were serving burgers and fries as a midnight snack.
We generally had lunch at the Rancho Grande buffet - next to the beach. The architecture is something to behold in that it is a large many-gabled "palapa" or thatched roof hut. Here they featured nachos, hamburgers, hot dogs and fries along with a lot of other foods.
Note: there were open bottles available: we made Mezcal and orange juice cocktails for ourselves.
Service at the restaurants and bars was not a problem. Everyone seems to work very hard - they just don't always have enough people (just like here!) If you want "an edge" pick up a few Spanish expressions. They appreciate the effort. A reviewer had suggested tipping the bartenders once in a while so I tried it. That did not seem to make any difference and I did not notice anyone else tipping.
Some reviewers have complained about the noise from the various entertainments; shows, discos, rehearsals, beach
activities. This a resort, not a deserted island. We kept our slider open all the time, it did not bother us.
We booked an all day and evening tour to Xcaret, a nearby ecological and folklore park. My only "complaints" are:
a) we didn't have enough time to see all we wanted to see - I'll explain later
b) services and drinks seemed expensive. For example, if
you rent a locker it costs $1.00 each time you open and close it.
Suggestion: Bring your own beach towels, also drinks.
They provide snorkel eqp (we didn't participate so are not sure if there is a charge). I believe a deposit is
required, at the least.
We really enjoyed the aquarium, sea turtles, jaguars, butterfly farm and dolphins.
We opted for the 9:00 AM bus, which was 1/2 hour late. Then we stopped at another resort but there was no one to pick up. We arrived at the park at 10:30 then had a mandatory (much needed, by the way) guided tour so we were not on our own until 11:00 AM.
We had previously decided to return to the resort at 1:30 for lunch and to rest. The bus picked us up again at 4:15. This time we saw a Mayan ball game, toured the caves and saw some Mayan dances, then walked through the jungle at night to the ampitheater for the Mexican folklore show.
This was very enjoyable. The whole thing ended at 8:00 PM and we got back to the resort in time for dinner. At Xcaret you will walk a lot, too, sometimes in crowds, sometimes in caves, sometimes in the dark. We thought that was fun, others didn't.
Getting back to the Barcelo Maya, some other amenities:
a) "chip and putt" golf
b) miniature golf
c) tennis
d) treadmills and weight room
e) massage, steam room, sauna
f) hairdresser
g) mini-club for kids - called Micky Maya
h) lots of playground equipment
An editorial comment: we don't believe this is a great place for kids, unless you go on a lot of excursions. I'd be
worried about sunburns plus there is just not a lot for them to do.
i) open kayaks (single and double), water
trikes, sunfish, catamarans
j) snorkel equipment
k) for a fee: SCUBA lessons, jetskis
l) for a fee: horseback riding - in
the ocean.
My comment: This looked to be as much fun to watch as do.
m)A well-attended Catholic Mass is offered at 5:30 PM on Saturdays in the Convention Room.
n)Internet service is available at a fee for those who just can't stand to be disconnected. We did not use
Keep in mind the Barcelo Maya is pretty remote. If you want jumping nightlife or shopping it is probably not for you. If you want to relax and "chill", it should be fine.
There was no real TNT Vacations Orientation meeting
as we have been used to at other resorts. We missed the little gifts, prizes, "two-fer" specials, icebreakers, etc.
We had read in other reports that some of the staff working at the resorts have a much different standard of living then we enjoy so we brought some almost-new childrens clothes to give to the house keepers. They were very grateful for these: donors need to write a note with
their name and room number so the workers can take the clothes home.
On our last day, 2-18, the 5:00 AM wakeup call was a rude reminder that our vacation is just about over. Check out was quick at that time of morning, the mood of the bus ride back to the airport was subdued, there were several TNT reps available at the airport to keep things orderly. We got bounced around from gate 7 to gate 2 then back to 7 -not a long walk. It was kind of comical, though.
The plane backed away from the terminal right on time, we were in the air shortly after.
We were kind of looking forward to cereal for breakfast -after the feasting we had enjoyed. Wouldn't you know they served pasta salad and ham and cheese croissants? And did I forget they served free cocktails again?
Just after we passed Manhattan Island the co-pilot in very broken English announced we were beginning our initial descent to Kennedy International. "Huh?" He quickly
corrected himself to say Boston International (he meant Logan).
The plane landed right on time, immigration and customs were a breeze and that was the end of our trip.
My wife suggested I add that in mid February you probably don't need a sweater there - a shawl might be enough for the evenings. The days can be hot.
I hope you can tell we had a good time at the Barcelo Maya and would consider returning.
If you have any specific questions please email me at MichaelSr@juno.com
Submitted by: Mike Langlois -- MichaelLSr@juno.com
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