Barceló Ixtapa - All Inclusive

“First time at this resort – Great potential, but several areas need improvement”

First time at this resort – Great potential, but several areas need improvement We stayed at this resort over Christmas from December 21-28 in room 842, and it was our first time visiting after hearing high recommendations from friends and our travel agent. While there were some highlights, there … more

First time at this resort – Great potential, but several areas need improvement We stayed at this resort over Christmas from December 21-28 in room 842, and it was our first time visiting after hearing high recommendations from friends and our travel agent. While there were some highlights, there were also quite a few disappointments that impacted our experience. Arrival and Room: Upon arrival, check-in was quick, and we were promptly helped with our luggage. However, we noticed upon reaching our room that there was no balcony, even though we had selected an oceanfront room with a balcony. After going back to the front desk, we were informed that the room we had was the only option unless we switched to one with two beds instead of a king. We agreed to move, and were given a new room, which was fine, but this caused an unnecessary hassle as we had to go back to the old room get our luggage, move it and go return the old room keys. The room itself was decently sized, but the bathroom was cramped. You have to step into the shower to close the bathroom door, which results in wet feet if someone has just showered. The room also felt dated, and we had issues with the toilet. After calling for maintenance twice, it was fixed but continued to work well for the rest of the stay. There is a handheld showerhead and rainhead, to use the handheld you really have to push on the button to the point you think it's gonna break and same with turning it off you really have to pull. On a positive note, the beds were comfortable, the view was great and the air conditioning worked perfectly throughout our trip. Housekeeping and Service: Housekeeping was generally good – our room was cleaned promptly every morning, typically by 10am and there was always some sort of art left with a towel and flowers. The mini bar was stocked daily, and we always got what we requested, even leaving notes for extra bottled water or snacks. However, the service in certain areas was inconsistent. At the swim-up bar, we felt that staff were inattentive to Caucasian guests, which was frustrating. Food and Dining: The food was a major letdown. Breakfast and snack bar at lunch were fine, but the a la carte options and dinners were poor. We tried the Italian restaurant, but it still didn’t live up to expectations. We ended up leaving the resort for dinner on multiple occasions because the quality just wasn’t there. We also had issues with basic food items like bacon not being available at breakfast. No bread for toast some mornings, (had to ask multiple people until we found someone who went and got us some). No fresh guacamole when asked. The coffee was disappointing, and there was no real coffee creamer, which was a letdown for a resort of this caliber. Facilities: The pool area was nice, especially the adults-only section, though it would have been better if the pool temperature was a bit warmer. We were also expecting a foam party, which was advertised, but unfortunately, we didn’t experience one during our stay. The walk to the pool and other areas was easy and not too far, but the bathrooms by the pool were unclean, so we often went back to our room. Location of resort: Located in the main hotel zone, it was a great location, large beach. An oxo (convenience store) and market are right across the street and an easy walk farther into town, where we went to The Generals to eat, the Ixtapa sign to take pictures with. Close to the airport. We asked prior to our stay to confirm there was an ATM on site as we get better rates taking out pesos vs ordering back home. There is an ATM on-site – it was out of service for most of our stay, and it wasn’t until the day before we left that we learned it had no cash in it, this prevented us going out more as we find paying with pesos is best. Other Notes: There was no Christmas dinner or any special activities to celebrate the holiday, which was a bit disappointing compared to other resorts we’ve stayed at during Christmas. The chair situation by the pool was ridiculous. We had to get up at 5am to reserve a spot, only to see people claim chairs and not use them until after lunch. It would be great if towels could be removed from unoccupied chairs by 10am. The Wi-Fi was terrible – it kept disconnecting, could hardly watch anything without it disconnecting or buffering. Check-out was frustrating. We asked to extend our stay by an hour or so (something we’ve done at every other resort) but were rudely told no. We ended up having to sit around with our luggage until it was time to leave as they just left peoples luggage sitting out in the open in the lobby. She opted for a cab to the airport instead of the included bus. Would we stay again? Overall, while we had a good time and made the best of it, the resort has great potential with beautiful views. Given the price we paid (around $6300 CAD as a vacation package with flights), it didn’t feel like good value, especially over the Christmas period. If the pricing were better, we might consider returning, but based on this experience compared to when we stayed at the Azul Grand, we would likely look for other options or stay at the Azul Grand over this resort.

less

“Family Trip”

This hotel has good location and the city of Ixtapa is very clean, the beach is clean with good water temperature.

“December 2024 Family Vacation”

This is the second time we've stayed at a Barcelo resort. The first was Barcelo Puerto Vallarta in 2023. WARNING 1: I booked both experiences on Barcelo.com. .com. In Puerto Vallarta, this automatically placed me in the premium category. In Ixtapa, it did not. This is important because at no time… more

This is the second time we've stayed at a Barcelo resort. The first was Barcelo Puerto Vallarta in 2023. WARNING 1: I booked both experiences on Barcelo.com. .com. In Puerto Vallarta, this automatically placed me in the premium category. In Ixtapa, it did not. This is important because at no time during the booking of the Ixtapa experience was it explained that a 7 night stay only provides access to 2 a la carte dining options, with 2 buffets and a snack bar being the only other options. The pool side snack bar became a "fine" dining seafood restaurant at night. The buffet food was decent but repetitive. In short: The dining experience at Barcelo Puerto Vallarta is superior to the dining experience at Barcelo Ixtapa. PV was excellent, Ixtapa was okay. WARNING 2: I booked a "Superior Family Villa" which is described as a "privileged location next to the pool. Bar and Beach Service to enjoy as a family." They don't tell you that it might be 3-4 flights up. I could not explain the difference between a Family Villa and Superior Family Villa if you asked. WARNING 3: Water. I believe our family was provided (3) 650 mL bottle of water each day. You can request more but it is carefully policed. We bought our own from the OXXO across the street, but the point is for the amount we are paying (especially over Christmas), we shouldn't have to. Find another area to make your profits. PRAISE 1: The resort is very clean. Rooms are clean and our villa had lots of space for our family of 4. The flooring decor is tile so hard to update but a good choice. (Caution: The sliding glass door don't work very well and I saw the same in a video from years ago. Should probably address this) PRAISE 2: Paulina, the concierge, saved our vacation in many ways. She deserves extremely high praise. A heartfelt thanks. NEUTRAL 1: Service. The resort was very busy and service was inconsistent. Even with tipping, it could be difficult to get a refill on coffee / alcohol. I believe this may have been because the staff had too many responsibilities to develop personal relationships. NEUTRAL 2: Chairs. My goodness the politics around location and claiming poolside chairs and umbrella are interesting. If you like to sleep in, you're in trouble. This is not a fault of the resort, it's the tourists (like us)... PRAISE 3: Location. Beach and location to water is beautiful. Gorgeous sunsets. Great access to tourist shopping. The cyclopista is fantastic for runners, walkers and bikers alike. NEUTRAL 3: Entertainment / Shows. Same crew each night, but they did a fairly good job changing the themes for a different experience. Language barrier likely contributed but we don't consider this an issue for the resort. When in Rome... Be aware of: Even though Ixtapa / Zihua are safe, it is in the state of Guererro so there are fewer English speaking travellers. The predominant language is Spanish and English as a second language is not as predominant. We appreciated that (and like it), but it was different from what we experienced in Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Maya. This can influence things like pool activities and entertainment. Last but not least: Avoid raw meat, even at the a la carte restaurants. I'll spare you the details. In short: Our family had a good time but will not be returning. It was my impression in this experience that the profit margins were being carefully guarded and this should not be the case when you are spending around $1000 CDN per day for our family of 4. This experience has made me more willing to try other resorts outside of Barcelo.

less