Our Review of Barcelo Maya Beach Resort
Barcelo Maya Beach Resort
The Barcelo Maya Beach and Caribe are the original resorts in the Barcelo Maya Complex. They are actually one resort with two lobbies. They are the most moderate of the resorts in the complex.
Guests of Barcelo Maya Beach or Caribe do not have privileges at the other resorts in the complex. The liquor is limited to Mexican domestic brands. There is snorkeling right off the shore off the long beach.
Our experience has been that clients do typically enjoy this resort. It also usually goes for a pretty attractive price.
One thing to be aware of is that the Barcelo Maya Complex is a drive of about 60-90 minutes from the airport depending on traffic. You might consider upgrading your transfers to the nonstop to shorten up your journey a little.
Cancun Caribe – Park Royal Grand
Cancun Caribe Park Royal Grand
If you’re a regular reader, you already know that we were quite thrilled with our visit to the Park Royal Cancun. The same day we went and toured the Park Royal Grand Cancun Caribe as well.
The Park Royal Grand Cancun Caribe is the same facility that used to fly the Hyatt flag. Formerly operating as the Hyatt Cancun Caribe as an EP property. (No meals included.) The same owner who used to allow Hyatt to operate the facility, now operates it as a Park Royal. It is also now exclusively an all inclusive property.
This hotel has always boasted a great position on the most beautiful section of beach in Cancun. You will love the beach.
Also, the same amazing food we experienced at the Park Royal Cancun is featured at the Park Royal Grand.
As you can see in the video, the rooms are beautiful. There are some amazing suites for large parties or for people who want an extra measure of luxury.
Our favorite part of the day when we were there was releasing baby sea turtles into the Caribbean Sea. During the fall, they protect the nests where the eggs are laid by the momma turtles. When the babies have matured a couple of days to give them more a fighting chance at survival, they allow guests to send the babies off in style. We actually got to pick up the turtles and place them so that they crawled into the sea and off to a life of greatness. (Well, statistically speaking…I suppose we’re really releasing them to be food for various predators..but some of them survive…right?).
I am of the opinion that the management of this hotel (and the Park Royal Cancun) is excellent. The people are friendly, the food is great…the hotel is clean and beautiful. You can book this hotel with confidence.
Our Review of Barcelo Maya Palace
Wedding Gazebo at Barcelo Maya Palace
Barcelo Maya Palace is a beautiful resort. When you enter, you’ll see that the huge lobby has a beautiful 3D tile mosaic behind the front desk. The lobby is filled with lots of comfortable places to sit and visit.
The Barcelo Maya Palace is the crown jewel of the Barcelo Maya complex which consists also of the Barcelo Maya Colonial and Tropical and the Barcelo Maya Beach. When staying at the Palace, you have access to international brands of liquor not available to guests of the other resorts in the complex. (But only at bars located at the Palace.) You also have complete access to all pools, bars and restaurants in the whole complex whereas guests of the other resorts to do not have access to the Palace.
The pool is large and beautiful. There are many of the tile pool lounger areas built into the pool. There are also lots of hammocks all around. There is also a section that is a pretty elaborate kids water park.
Room service is not included at any of the Barcelo resorts. There is a limited menu available and it costs $7.00 per plate. So, if there are two people and you each order an entree and a desert, you’ll pay $28.00.
There is a kids club (as with all Barcelos it’s called “Barcy Club”). It is open from 9am until 5pm and from 7pm until 830pm. Children ages 4-11 are welcome.
Something you want to be very aware of is the Premium Club. When you stay in a Premium Club room your room will be closer to the beach. Also you will have access to unlimited a’la carte restaurant reservations as opposed to being limited to one or two during your stay. There is also a really great Premium Club lounge where you can always find snacks, a very upscale seating area filled with newspapers from around the US, and helpful concierge to help with your restaurant reservations. Also, you have beach towels provided right in your room as opposed to traipsing down to the towel hut to exchange your towel card. In room free wired internet is also provided. I personally love having Internet right in my room and not having to hang out in the lobby to do what I need to do.
Have you stayed at Barcelo Maya Palace? What did you think?
If you haven’t, what questions do you have about the resort?
Here is the video we filmed while at the resort:
Greenhouse at El Dorado Royale
I finally got to tour the greenhouse at El Dorado Royale. I’d wanted to do it during each of my last several trips to the area and I finally took the time to do it. I am a new gardener, so I was intrigued by the size of the 70,000 square foot facility made up of (I believe) 14 separate buildings. Its a hydroponic greenhouse and the main growing medium is shredded coconut husks. One of the buildings houses an advanced system of pumps and tanks that allows exactly the right amount of moisture and nutrition flow to each of the thousands of plants throughout the greenhouses.
In much of the US, a greenhouse is used to be able to extend the growing season into the cold winter months. In Mexico they have the opposite problem. Rather than using materials to keep the heat in, they use screen material and misting fans to cool the greenhouse off so as not to stress the plants.
Having a greenhouse and growing produce on such a massive scale allows El Dorado to live up to their commitment of preserving the environment. The quality of the home grown product is also superior in keeping with the Gourmet Inclusive concept of the resorts.
The greenhouses now supply all of the El Dorado Resorts and Azul Hotels by Karisma. They also trade some of the vegetables for fruits (which they do not currently grow) and they sell to their staff at a less than market rate.
I highly recommend taking the greenhouse tour during your trip to El Dorado Royale. You will really appreciate the lengths the to which the organization goes to deliver a superior product while protecting the environment and using resources of the earth wisely.
Our Review of El Dorado Maroma
People ask me where my favorite place is, I always answer the same way. My favorite place to go is home at the end of every trip.
If they ask me about my favorite resort though, the answer is always “El Dorado Maroma”. Seriously, if I could be transported to a resort, I would always choose El Dorado Maroma.
Why? What makes El Dorado Maroma so great? Oh, let me count the ways:
1) Size: El Dorado Maroma is a small resort. Currently there are 72 suites. I personally love relaxing at a smaller resort. The feeling that I don’t know how to get somewhere I need to be makes me uneasy. At such a small resort I never feel that way. I can instantly relax. I don’t have to carry around a resort map and look for numbers on buildings to find where I need to be.
Another advantage of vacationing at a small resort is more personal service. The staff have less people to remember and serve.
2) Gourmet Inclusive: Like all of the El Dorado Resorts, El Dorado Maroma is Gourmet Inclusive. This means that the food you’ll enjoy will be far above the normal all inclusive fare. Even the 24 hour room service is to die for. You never have to worry about when restaurants are open (although they usually are). The food is simply amazing.
3) Service: One of the most impressive things you’ll experience at El Dorado Maroma is the amazing way the staff looks after you and really truly wants you to enjoy your time there. If you like bartenders who remember your drink, waiters who remember your name, housekeepers who remember that you need an extra towel and management who really truly goes the extra mile to make sure you’re happy and relaxed, then you’ll want to check out El Dorado Maroma.
If you need lots of noise and activity, then you might want to pick a different place. If you want to really relax and enjoy a slow pace for a while, then the El Dorado Maroma is somewhere you should consider.
Our Review of Barcelo Maya Colonial and Tropical
During our recent stay at the Barcelo Maya complex, we stayed at the Barcelo Maya Palace. As we toured all three properties, we decided that our favorite was the Barcelo Maya Colonial and Tropical. This conclusion has also been borne out by feedback from many clients over the years.
The Barcelo Maya Colonial & Tropical Beach has several features that make it a great choice for a vacation. They have a very nice Kids Water Park, a nice selection of restaurants, and a disco / night club on site. They also have a perfect location in the Barcelo Complex along a fantastic beach.
Not only will the kiddos get to play at the cool water park here, but they will also get to switch things up a bit and go play on the splash pad/ water park at the Barcelo Maya Beach. Staying here you and your family will have complete access to all of the restaurants and amenities at the Barcelo Maya Beach in addition to your home resort. That means more restaurants & shows for mom and dad to chose from and more parks, water slides, and kids clubs for the kiddos to chose from.
The Barcelo Maya Colonial & Tropical Beach boasts a great location. It sits directly between the Barcelo Maya Beach and the Barcelo Maya Palace. This resort has the best location to the Fitness Center, the Spa, and the Disco at the Complex. The resort overall has a great location. I would suggest that you upgrade to the premiere section to guarantee the shortest walk to water 
The Premiere Club also includes free internet and use of the Premiere Club lounge.
Again one of my absolute favorite things about this resort is the beach. They have one of the longest stretches of beaches in the Riviera Maya. Their beach is not only nice and long, but there are gorgeous streches with no rocks, or coral; they are just beautiful.
Our Review of Park Royal Cancun
Nicki and I just returned from Mexico where we saw and filmed 9 different hotels. I would say that the biggest standout of the trip was the Park Royal Cancun.
The Park Royal prices similar to hotels much lower in quality. This Cancun All Inclusive is simply beautiful. We got to each lunch at the main buffet and we were blown away by the food. You can see several shots of the food in the video.
Another feature of the hotel that was very impressive were the rooms. Besides being beautiful, they have so many suites that will accommodate large suites. What really struck me was that the hotel would be so perfect for bachelor and bachelorette parties.
The Ambassador Suite with a connecting room can accommodate up to 10 people and has a beautiful oceanfront balcony with a great big jacuzzi that overlooks the ocean.
Even the normal rooms are great though. The hotel has a really beautiful modern feel to it. When we were done touring, we got into our system to check out the various prices. The hotels that priced similar to the Park Royal were not even close to being as nice.
This is a hotel we’re going to be selling alot of.
Nicki’s First Trip to Mexico
I recently had the opportunity to travel to the beautiful Riviera Maya, just south of Cancun, Mexico. It’s only a little over a 2 hour flight from Dallas… I love, love, love short, direct flights : ) I stayed 3 nights at The El Dorado Seaside Suites which is a little over an hour transfer from the airport, but definitely worth the drive. I stayed in a Beachfront Jacuzzi Junior Suite- Beautiful view, location, setting, everything. I knew it was going to be nice from what other agents in the office had told me, but their pictures and stories just didn’t do the resort justice. I’m already anticipating my next trip back.
The El Dorado boutique chain continued to impress me every time I turned around. I am so excited that they’re going green. The El Dorado Maroma already heats all of it’s water with solar panels and the El Dorado Royale has a huge green house on site where they grow all of their own vegetables.
I’m trying really hard to think of one thing that stood out above all the rest… The beach was beautiful. The rooms were excellent. The layout of the properties were perfect- None of the resorts felt too crowed or spread out and everything you could possibly want and/or need is always just a few steps away. Restaurants are spread out through out the properties and there is a concierge desk for every 35 rooms.
I was also really impressed by how the Azuls have combined Karisma’s Gourmet Inclusive concept with their family friendly concept. They have contracts with Fisher Price toys and they have absolutely everything you could possibly think of for babies and kids of all ages. From kid’s clubs, kid’s activities and programs, play equipment and arcade rooms, to bottle warmers, and play pins- They have it! I really enjoyed the nightly shows at the resort, but out of all the things that I made me do a double take my favorite thing has to be the food!
I had the opportunity to meet the Head Chef for the El Dorado Royale and I was so EXCITED to hear him talk about his job with such enthusiasm. He has worked/cooked in over 22 countries and he said that there is no request that he cannot fulfill either on his own or with the help of his Sous Chef and staff. A fellow travel agent said that she was currently making arrangements for a bride and her guests that will be coming down in October and asked if he could possibly make a Hindu menu for her and her guests and he said of course he could. I love the idea of sending clients to a resort where I know that they are going to be completely taken care of. Below is a picture of just one of the many desserts that I was lucky enough to indulge in while I was at The El Dorado Maroma.
This was served in the Sabores restaurant.
When I arrived I was greeted with this welcoming sign : )
Trying to catch some sun…
This is the view from one of the Jacuzzi Suites at the El Dorado Royale.
When you go to The El Dorado Seaside Suites you have to order a Sombrero!
This is the only adult’s only restaurant at Azul Sensatori.
Serves 8 courses that takes about 2-2 1/2 hours to enjoy 
You can upgrade to a 14 course meal that takes about 3 1/2 hours to enjoy!
The next time you’re at The El Dorado Seaside Suites
You have to try the Tequila Tasting they offer- Very informative and delicious!
