Barcelo Costa Cancun

Enough cannot be said about the hard working, dedicated, and friendly, staff at the Gran Costa Real! These people work tirelessly to assist you with everything and always with smiles on their faces.

I am a very experienced traveler from backpack style to luxury and I have to say that I was impressed by the hotel over all-for what it is, an all-inclusive experience.

Our room was spotless, the grounds pretty, the food was good (not great but you could always find something to suit your appetite), the beach clean, the drinks delivered fast, and the entertainment staff fun!

I really liked the atmosphere, chilled out but not dull. I also liked the diversity of the guests which I feel make things more interesting-Canadian spring breakers, Mexicans, retirees (who know how to party by the way), families with kids, and couples like my boyfriend and I.

The only thing negative is the size of the beach. It is small and there are no waves. HOWEVER, guests at the Gran Costa Real can use the beach/facilities/restaurants at their sister hotel, the Gran Caribe. This hotel you can reach easily by bus (2 minutes up the road). It has a great beach with awesome waves!

The pool was top notch, drink service great by the pool and beach. Huge, immaculate rooms, fantastic shower, hammock on the porch, they restock your fridge every day with sodas and beer and bottled water! Very high class, especially for the value. Restaurants were good, Mexico Lindo, the Mexican one, was by far the best, though. Spanish one was pretty good too. Seafood one was OK and the desserts were not so hot. Beach was kind of small, but certainly enough.

The buffet was excellent for breakfast and lunch. Lots of fresh fruit and healthy options. Great variety--make your own mimosas!--and extremely tasty food. Don't expect to get much in the way of wine. But the daiquiris will knock your socks off! A short bus ride to the Isla Mujeres ferry ($5 round trip, unbeatable).

All in all, I highly recommend it for a relaxing vacation.

Make sure you stay on any floor but the first!!!!! You want to be able to enjoy the view. They wanted to give us a first floor room but after we visited it we asked immediately to put us upstairs.

The shows were good, the Albatrz restaurant was the best. The waiters/waitresses were excellent. They made us feel welcome all the time. Great food. You can eat anything without worrying about getting sick. It's very clean and you can use the water to drink if want.

Me and husband booked this holiday in September 2008 and after reading some of the reviews on this site i was extremely worried about our forthcoming trip. When we arrived at the hotel we were pleasantly surpised as it looked a very nice hotel. Our room was very clean and had everything you needed in it. There were lots of bad reviews about the safety in the hotel and that guests had had thing stolen. I left 2 pairs of GHD straighteners out for the duration of the stay and they were not stolen. I also left my watch and phone out in the room. We used the safe in the room to store tickets, passports and money which was free. We had a mini bar in the room that was stocked daily and the cleaner came in daily and tidied up. The food at hotel was exceptional and the best buffet food ive ever had. No matter how fussy you are there was always something to eat for everyone even if it was just chips. If you want egg and chips then you might as well go to Benidorm and not the caribbean. We ate at the a la carte restaurants most evenings, you have to book these during the day but we had no problem getting in one of them. The hotel is 24 hour all inclusive and once the bar and restaurants close you can help yourself to soft and acoholic drinks and also food whenever you want. There is pizza, hot dogs, salads, etc. The staff were polite and friendly and were constantly asking if you wanted a drink when you were by the pool or on the beach. The beach was very nice, there is a lot of seaweed, however, the staff do their best to rake it up morning and night, there is nothing more they can do. The entertainment is fine if you dont want to spend any money, however, it is extremely safe to go out and there are numerous bars and clubs in cancun for you visit. I would recommend Senor Frogs, Corona Bar, Hooters. Dady O's, Pat O'Briens. All in all this hotel is excellent value for money and I would have no doubts about returning in the future.

me, my partner and our young son aswell as my father in law and mother in law all throughly enjoyed our stay at the barcelo the staff are so helpful friendly , the rooms are spacious and very clean ,the food was a good variety something for everyone the beach bar snacks are very good ! i have also read on previous reviews roomservice was free , not anymore small charge of 40pesos , the pool was lovely freeform and very clean , trips are very good but shop around out of the hotel you can get them much cheaper we did the pirate ships good fun for all excellent value , also the catamaran to isla mujeres which we booked on family day (wed) but i found this to be a gloryfied booze cruise and not child friendly at all this wasnt booked through the hotel , we also swam with the dolphins at the aquarium in liverpool shopping complex which was cheaper than other places and an amazing experience !!!! if you do the dolphins here or any activity you get to watch the dolphin show for free at 6oclock which is a must , i will deffinately be returning to the barcelo costa cancun its an all round great place !!! say hi to pepe in the albatros for us x

Having read all the negative reviews about this hotel i have to say i was nervous, but from the moment we arrived the experience was outstanding. From the atmosphere to the service everything was perfect, the beach is small but has everything you need, the food was amazing - especially the mexican restaurant - Say hi to Cesar the waiter for us.

Tiz - Sussex

This was the 4th time 4 my partner at the barcelo , the 2nd time 4 me and the 1st time 4 the kids 15,12,10 .

We always look 4ward 2 the air conditioned immaculate rooms with free mini bar (topped up daily) and fantastic service from the staff and we were not disappointed. We only brought 3 of our 5 kid (their loss) but will definately be back next yr with all kids and extended family in tow. Our youngest is autistic and he loved the whole experience, especially the kids pina coladas (no booze) that were brought to him by the pool. The meals were fabulous and even having fussy teenagers they managed to find something to eat. There was lots of choice and if u fancied a lite snack then there was always the 24 hr snack bar with hot dogs, pizza, fresh salad with cold meats and cheese, plus u could get pop, tea, coffee, liqour etc and it was always kept clean.

Tips: When u first arrive by the pool and ur waitress comes to ask wot u want, give her a tip when she gets back with ur 1st drink about 100 pes. Then u dont have to tip her again and she will continue to look after u the rest of ur stay.

Definately book into the mexican resturant, u will be entertained with magic tricks, flower makin out of paper etc by the waiters. Very funny.

Book to go on the pirate ship but book it urself, its only a short walk past the buffet resturant, just follow the path. A really GREAT nite, lots of entertainment for the whole family and wonderful food!

Downside: There is only ONE. . . . . . . . . . COMIN HOME!!!!!

First of all..i dont understand why people book their trip during spring break and then complain about the fact that the hotel was filled with drunken teenagers..do your research people! i am not into the spring break thing, therefore i booked my next trip AROUND spring break.

I absolutely love this hotel! I am going back at the end of April and this trip will be my 8th time staying at the Barcelo Costa Cancun. The service is excellent, the food is good..especially at the mexican restaurant!

I read a review on here that said that they expect you to pay $50-100 if you lose your room key? this is not true..i have lost my key a few times over the years and have NEVER had to pay for a new one.

The staff is what keeps me coming back to this hotel, everyone is so friendly! People, a little tipping goes a looooong way, from the maids to the waiters to the bartenders.

I have stayed at only one other hotel in cancun and it was nothing compared to the Barcelo Costa Cancun.

Sure the beach is not the most beautiful beach in cancun, but again, people should research their choice of hotel before they go. There are a lot of pics on this website and others.

I would most definately recommend this hotel to everyone! dont listen to the bad reviews on this site.

Me and my partner stayed at the barcelo for 2 weeks and loved it! the rooms were nice didnt have a big balcony but we dont go on holiday to sit on the balcony.

The beach was small but we could always get a bed whatever time we went down there the staff on the beach bar in the day wern't the best,nachos and santos made up for it at night though with there (es specialle) shots. The restuarants were great we loved the mexican lindo must of gone about 5 times no limit on the bookings un like some places.

we will deffinateley return to the barcelo costa soon, we have booked to go to the barcelo sol y mar in cuba next year as we found the hotel group to be great.

My boyfriend and I went to Mexico in september of 08, and stayed at the Barcelo Costa Cancun. The best advice I could give when visiting this place is to ignore all the bad reviews that some people write as they just moan about silly little things!

ROOMS - Our room was very spacious and very clean, the bed was massive you could sleep about 3 people in there, the bathroom itself was clean and tidy and well set out with a massive shower....they have shower gel and shampoo and conditioner already in there so its quite handy if u run out of your own products also there is a hairdryer in the bathroom too. There was a fridge stocked daily with corona, cans of pop and bottled water also with nuts and chocolate which is part of the all inclusive package. The only gripe really we had with the room was the small balcony, however this didnt bother us as we didnt spend too much time in the room anyway.

POOL/BEACH - The pool is clean and quite large with plenty of sunbeds, we never had any trouble getting any beds in the 2 weeks that we were there. the beach is small but sufficient enough for sunbathing and going for a swim, there is no sight or smell of diesel coming from the pirate ships as mentioned in other reviews! the beach isnt as impressive as the main strip but is the best for that area.

RESTAURANTS/BARS - The buffet restaurant is very repetative and serves weird dishes such as pork stew for breakfast, however go to the seafood restaurant for breakfast and lunch and you will not be disappointed as they do pizzas, burgers, omlettes, eggs benedict, allsorts. The mexican restaurant is very nice and has a great atmosphere.

The lobby bar is nicely set out and has waitresses taking drink orders all day long and they go around the pool also taking orders. The only thing we would agree with some peoples views on is the horrendous singers in the lobby bar on a night. Our favourite bar was the beach bar there were 2 members of staff who worked there everyday for the whole time we were there, were so friendly and entertaining, we did tip not because we felt we had to but because the service was so good!!!

OUTSIDE THE HOTEL - one place we have to mention which is a must is Coco Bongo's, that place is amazing....the best club we have ever been to. Excursions that are a must are Chichen Itza and our fave Isla Mujeres where u can swim with the Dolphins and other marine life!

Overall it was a fantastic holiday and would recommend Cancun to anybody....infact we have already booked up to go back this year but to Riu Palace.

I just stayed at the Barcelo Costa Cancun for 7 nights with my girlfriend and 4 others. We all enjoyed the trip! After reading some of the reviews, I was nervous though. Everyone complained about the beach, saying it was too small. In reality, it wasn't that small....there were just a lot of chairs on the beach.

The rooms were very nice. We had a view over the pool and could see the water also. The other two rooms didn't have the best views, but you're in Mexico...how much time do you spend on the beach?

The food was good. The buffet was, well...a buffet. They did provide a lot of variety which helps. If you didn't like the buffet, they did have 3 nice restaurants. Is is that hard to make a reservation? We enjoyed the steak, seafood and the stuffed creps!

In the end, all 6 of us said we would go back. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. If you're loooking for the most romantic getaway in the world, this might not be the top choice, but it's a great place overall.

We juste got back from that resort and let me tell, that some people complains for NO reasons at all. That is a great resort. Small yes, but that is what is making the charme of it. The service at the hotel is really good, the staff is sooo friendly and fun ! They have 3 a la carte restaurents and i recomend them all, One buffet, wich is great also and the little snack bar is awsome :) Your on VACATION be happy. Lots of people can' t even afford to go places like this. You are close to the marina, so the beach is not that great, but the pool is big and fun !! Enjoye your trip, make the most of it. And remember, some people will NEVER find a place to not complain about and that's the truth. Make shure you go to the clubs in town, as the COCO BONGO :)

My wife, myself and freinds have just arrived back from the barcalo after havng a great holiday the food was great and a great variation ,the service around the pool on the beach bar was great ,I have been to mexico 5 times now 3.times to cancun one down side was that the hotel is just a little to far from the centre for me and we had to use the bus evey time we wanted to go to the main centre .the hotel staff and the guys on the beach very helpfull ,now for the down side we was told it was a hotel for couples and families NOT TRUE we got their to find it full of groups of young lads and lasses partying to the early hours of the morning ,we were, woken every morning around 4am with singing ,,houting things being smashed doors being kicked,we reported it to both our rep and the security but nothing came of it but other than that the holiday was great ,in my appinion it needs to decide whether it is a 18 to 30 hotel or for families not both.

On arrival things seemed dim - we had requested rooms beside each other (or at least in the same building), after a long flight and the thought of the many bad reviews on the website along with rooms in different blocks things did not seem to bode well for the holiday. However after a lengthy conversation/disagreement with the front office staff rooms were re-allocated to include a junior suite; things improved. Rooms are a little dated (maybe rustic!!!) need a face lift but were clean and functional. The junior suite had a nice corner balcony with views over the pool and the beach. The beach is small but is clean and has sea, sand and a bar - what more do you need? There was plenty of space around the pool and the entertainment, regularly commented on in other reviews, was loud but finished at the latest 11pm every night. Unless your room is over the stage I cannot imagine it would be considered very loud ,but then again we stayed in late January/ early February - maybe this makes a difference on the quality/volume of the entertainment. The buffet we felt was of a very high standard with a good selection of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It of course can be repetitive if you stay for longer than two weeks there seems to be a seven day cycle eg Saturday = Mexican, Sunday = European, etc. There are a number of restaurants which offer an alternative to the buffet. All in all this holiday was very good and I would definitely consider returning. There are quite a number of shops, and a few cafe/restaurants and two pirate ships which are not part of the complex. Handy for someplace different to visit, if cabin fever starts to kick in.

The best advice I could give the hotel is examine the allocation of rooms (in particular requests from those travelling with elderly travellers). A revamp of the bedrooms (which in fairness were clean but a little dated) . Everything is in the resort - sun, pleasant staff, and good food . For those into entertainment you might or might not like circus shows, etc. Other then that I would highly recommend this hotel. Enjoy!

Myself and two friends stayed at this hotel for 2 weeks in August 2008. The hotel was very clean and the staff were very helpful. The rooms were of a very good size and were cleaned adequately. There is a wide variety of food at the hotel buffet to suit everyone's needs. The restaurants at the hotel are well worth booking as the food is better quality and the restaurants are generally quieter than the buffet restaurant. You can also order room service once per day for free and have anything you want on the menu. We did the Catamaran and Xel-Ha trips which we booked through the hotel. Both trips were very enjoyable however we found the visit to the ruins as part of the Xel-Ha trip quite dull. However, there is the option to stay at Xel-Ha all day. We also booked to swim with the dolphins which is a must. The hotel is not in a bad location, but its not close enough to walk to the bars/nightclubs. However, a taxi is only about £4 and the bus also takes you straight there. Overall, a very enjoyable holiday.

Having just returned from our hard earned two week Easter break here are a few tips and pointers regarding the Barcelo Costa. Once you fight through the ever present touts at the airport in Cancun and find your representative and agree your transfer arrangements you are on your way and at the hotel within the half hour. As you approach the main entrance you compare it with others you have stopped off at on the way to let other guests disembark and you feel slightly let down but once inside the staff are professional and courteous checking my wife and I in quickly and efficiently. The room is a good size with A/C - which works well throughout our stay, a large double bed which could sleep three or four at a push, bathroom which has a large shower which also works well throughout our stay with more than enough supplies of shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. These are also replenished during your stay. We advise you make use of the safety deposit box and do not leave valuables and cash lying around in the room. We heard of some unfortunate/stupid couple who locked everything away but then left the safety deposit key on top of a bed side table resulting in the theft of some their belongings. You have been warned - temptation is a world wide trait! The hotel and its surrounding area are pleasant and we agree that the local buses are the cheapest way to travel. Pay in pesos for the best deal, seven pesos each to the hotel zone where you find most of the shops/malls and night clubs and restaurants. Talking of money I would advise that you take plenty of small notes either US dollars or Pesos for tips. We found that the staffs attentiveness did not alter if you tipped in the beginning, during or at the end of your stay but I think you get a feel for this and use your own descretion. Bar Staff could be persuaded to dispense international brands e.g. Smirnoff Vodka, if you tipped at the bar for this service. The beach bar staff - Felix and Ariel - were especially adept at this, one or two dollars per visit/session was more than adequate. The overall cleanliness of the complex was very good with the beach cleaned of seaweed and raked every day and we had no trouble obtaining a sunlounger at any time even over the busy Easter weekend when the hotel was full to the rafters with visiting Mexican families. We had thank fully missed the majority of the American Spring Breakers and did not suffer from an influx of large groups of beer swilling Brits either. There were a good mix of ages and nationalities but mainly French Canadians and Americans from all parts of the states - it's an easy and manageable 3 to 4 hour flight for the majority of them lucky so and so's! The food was of a good and varied standard, there are a few repeats on the menu but that’s what you get with 4 star all inclusive packages. There are six different eating options, The Albatross – buffet style morning lunch and evening meal, the Lobby for 24/7 refreshments, The Beach Bar for snacks served 1 til 5. And the three separate themed restaurants Don Quixote – Spanish, The Lindo – Mexican, The Claraboya – Seafood. The restaurants with waiter service provided some relief from the buffet and on the whole are very good. Unusually you can book tables at these eateries more than once during your stay we would recommend that you take advantage of this facility and don’t forget that you can also avail yourself of a lunch time menu at the Clarboya without making a reservation. There are various trips to look at for all budgets. I would advise you shop around as there can be savings to have. Our son and his girlfriend went on the Royal Swim with dolphins which was expensive but well worth it and viewing their souvenir DVD I would tend to agree – a once in life experience unless you are made of money or have an infinity with the intelligent mammals. The Pirate ships which are moored close by are good value and great entertainment for all ages – OOH AR! Me hearties. Coco Bongos is just out of this world and has to be on the to do list, be warned it is a long night starting at 10.30ish to gone past 4 in the morning but that’s what the beach is there for to recover on the following day/afternoon!! We wanted to see some of the historic culture and instead of paying in time and money for a trip to Chitzen Itha we opted for a much quieter, relaxing and far cheaper visit to a smaller archaeological site El Rey (30 min bus ride down the main strip towards the Hilton Hotel and Golf Complex and took some great photos of the lizards roaming around there) the whole trip cost us less than 100 pesos – a bargain. If you do take this option go early in the morning, it opens at 9 AM, to miss the heat and take liquids with you as there are no cafe facilities on site. A visit to downtown Cancun offers no real architectural splendours but does offer you the chance to try your hand at bargaining in the reasonably priced Market 28. The vendors can be very insistent and pushy but a polite stern NO should keep your money in your wallet. Other shopping areas are based in the hotel zone and consist of high end Malls and lower end flea markets. The flea Market Coral Negro is colourful but once again staffed by pushy sellers and market stall holders if you stick to the price you are willing to pay you should survive and pick up some good deals into the bargain. Cigars are very popular here but beware you get Cuban if you want Cuban as the Mexican equivalent are a poor imitation. Look around to pay about $20 USD for a pack of five large Cuban coronas. We also found the Mexican Outlet situated at Playa Fiesta in the hotel zone to be ideal as it worked on a fixed price policy so no hassle and they had good promotions on at the time of out visit. We managed to spend $100 USD and qualify for $40 USD worth of free silver jewellery. Last bit of advice is to make sure you have your exit tax in cash for the journey home. You are reminded about this but we understand the rate can change so recheck before you leave the hotel for you trip back to the airport. You are not told that the collector of this tax sits at a little table halfway down the queue where you check in so it was a scramble to get the money together when you are trying to hold your passport, travel documentation and luggage etc. If your a struggling he will accept all forms of cash, sterling, pesos and dollars or a mixture of all three although the exchange rate is in their favour of course. If you have any queries and I can answer them I’m willing to do so. If you notice previous reviews for this resort/hotel are mixed and although I agree that these reviews are subjective you will notice that nearly all the bad reviews are from our Colonial Cousins!! Enjoy we did.

Ok I will try and get everything into this review to help those of you like me who was worried about the negative reviews!

When my 2 friends and I arrived (3 girls between ages 25-35) we thought oh No it’s like a hotel in Benidorm, not because of how it looked but because of the people!! This thought went as quickly as it arrived, I'll explain.

The hotel was full of groups of young people mostly lads (not a bad thing for us) but we were surprised at how many groups of young English lads were there, turns out they were well behaved and didn't live up to the 'drunken yobs' title that us English have got, they lived up to the drunken but fun title. We met so many good friends that made our holiday fantastic.

SERVICE: - The service in the hotel was great and we can't complain. The towel guys (you get provided with beach towels although if lost its a $25 charge) were always happy to see us and asked us to book trips but never pressured us when we said No. Bar service is a little like home, you have to wait! Mary the waitress in the lobby bar was fab and kept us topped up every evening, likewise Sandra did whilst we laid around the pool, we tipped them every few days which kept them sweet (anything from 20 peso to 50 peso, which is about a quid or 2)

ROOMS: - The 3 of us shared a room comfortably no problem. We had an amazing walk in shower which was lovely in comparison to the tiny over bath thing you get in Europe. The room was cleaned daily and mini fridge containing beer/coke/sprite etc stocked up daily and we never had to ask. We had a TV with many English channels so had something to gaze at whilst getting ready to go party on a night. Beds changed every few day and we tipped the cleaner twice, once each week about 100 peso. We had a little balcony but not one you could fit a chair on but then again we were hardly in the room. Lovely job.

BEACH/POOL: - Beach is lush, it is small but was plenty big enough for us, water and sand lovely and clean and we always got to watch the lovely boys play volleyball very entertaining!! Whilst there is only 1 pool, it was big enough for everyone and clean which is most important. never struggled to get a sun bed and I think we stayed there at the busiest time. Bare in mind you can go topless on the beach but we were asked to put tops back on round the pool, fair enough.

FOOD: - This was my only problem, the girls just ate the food whatever was on offer but I'm a little fussy. Breakfast was cool pancakes and toast and stuff. Lunch and dinner were pretty much the same, beef and rice, chicken and rice, beef and rice... you get the picture, by the 2nd week I just stopped eating lunch and choose to drink my way through it. There are 3 restaurants you have to book into on an evening but you can go as often as you like, not once a week like some hotels I've been to. The Mexican restaurant was horrible and the girls agreed when they usually like everything. The seafood one was ok and you can use it on a lunch time without booking where you can get great burgers and fries. The Spanish restaurant was not my cup of tea either. When it says mash potato expect Smash and you won't be disappointed. There is a 24hrs snack bar which is stocked with salad, pizza and hotdogs, it is stocked regular but can sit there for sometime if no-one tucks in but at 5am when you stroll in from coco bongo's your not gonna care so just eat it, I did and I'm still alive.

LOCATION: - we had no problem with the location at all as we didn't venture out during the day much, you have a beach and a pool (both of which were clean) no need to move. On a night we hopped on a bus into town which is about a 5 min journey and bus worked out at about 30p.

TRANSPORT: - as above the bus is dead cheap and runs every few minutes 24hrs so getting back from town was no problem at all. Taxis are not much if you compare them to prices here, we were told not to pay more than 120 peso from town but we managed to get away with paying 50 peso!! The boys were not happy. lol.

NIGHTLIFE: - What can I say, it’s amazing. We did all the big clubs and pubs, Coco Bongo's (you have to see it to believe it) Daddy O's, Daddy Rocks, The City (we missed seeing Snoop Dog and Akon by a few days, Gutted) Bulldogs, Basic, Carlos and Charlie’s, Dos Equis and Senior Frogs, we had wicked nights in all of them, they did get very busy due it being Spring Break but made it all the better. I guess on average you pay about $50 to get into each place, once your in all your drinks are included however they heavily rely on being tipped, we tipped and get looked after but did experience seeing people not being served if they did not tip!

TRIPS:- Not much to say here as we only did one to Isla Mujures, which was fab, we swam with Dolphins and Manatee’s which was great (we did it in Cuba but was better here) I also did a zip wire out across the ocean which was mental. Well worth the money but seeing as though we spent all ours on nights out this was it. Oh hang on we did do the Pirate ships which was on a night but I think that counts as a trip?! Well worth it, very entertaining and fun evening out on the sea, you get fed and watered and the food is yum. (Pirate ships are right by the hotel so no excuse not to do it)

MONEY: - We didn't take enough money and quickly run out not realising how much we'd wanna go out every night, however the hotels had cash points so we were saved.

We spoke to a lot of people out there who were jealous that we had such a cool hotel and that made us appreciate it more. We would definitely go back; in fact we are in the process of booking to go back for next spring break only this time we will take double the money. You will love this holiday, people moan about the rooms we only slept in ours for a few hours every morning, people moan about the food eat elsewhere is my answer, people moan about only having one pool, how many do you wanna swim in at once? All in all I loved it and think don't knock it till you try it.

My boyfriend and I traveled to Cancun for the first time on April 9th. Upon arrival to the Barcelo Costa Cancun, we were impressed by the hotel staff and our quick and easy check in.

Our room didn't have a balcony, but instead a sliding door which lead out onto some sort of roof top overlooking the beach bar. We didn't mind as we didn't anticipate spending much time inside. The room size was fine, with 1 large bed, tv, mini-bar (re-stocked daily), a table & 2 chairs, a room safe and a bathroom with a fairly large shower.

The pool area was nice, with random activities throughout the day (pool-volleyball, bracelet making, mini-golf etc). Although the games should have been more organized and less sporatic! The service at the pool was great, the bartenders circling the pool were great as well. Our drinks weren't finished and they'd be back asking if we;d like another! We also brought our own travel mugs (supplied by our travel agent) which came in handy !!!

The beach was lovely as well, except for the Pirate ships (which were a hit at nightm, apparently) they just took the look away from the beach a great deal. We appreciate the Beach Bar, which again was full of hard-working staff! Not until our last day did we realize you could order lunch from the Beach Bar! (we wished we had found out sooner, the Clubhouse and Fries were a great change from the buffet food)

We had the oppurtunity to rent sea-doo's and left not far from our own beach, just about 3 minutes up toward another resorts beach. This was fun, and we paid only $15 each for a half and hour, and were able to go far out towards other boats in the water, and coulc circle around parasailers etc.. The resort allows you to use the kayaks and peddle boats free of charge, I wouldn't suggest the peddle-boats, you have little to no control!

The buffet always had a large variety, and seemed to have a different theme each night.

We mostly booked at the restaurants for dinner, and ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch. ( I should note, the bacon is kept inside by the grills, you need to ask for it & and they will prepare your own omlet with your choice of peppers, cheese, ham etc, again you need to ask) The reataurant we enjoyed most was the "Mexico Lindo", the Mexican food was great the 1st time, and decent the 2nd. We tried the fajitas, quesadillas, mashed potatoes, everything was good. We tried both other Restaurants, and although we had not compaints, we liked the Mexican Lindo the best.

The nightly shows were good, they gave you something to plan your night around, if your were going out to the clubs you could see the show first, have some drinks and wait for your bus to pick you up. We enjoyed some shows more than others, but each one was different!! Although, the first show was a group of engligh high-school students from the US, a choir I beleive?? We thought it was strange, but the Spanish shows began the following night and up until we left.

Nightlife - If you don't leave the resort you will have to depend on the show and the 2-man band playing in the lobby to entertain you. The resort really pushes you too leave and go to the clubs. We chose Coco Bongo, which we booked through our travel company. We payed $65 USD and this provided transportation to the club, VIP passes which consisted of being met at the door, with Tequila shots, our own VIP table which was strategically placed in the center of the club, our own bartender which brought us 2 drinks each at a time (which was impressive since we went with a group of 6). The only downside was we had to get our own transportation back to the hotel at 2 in the morning. We chose the city bus, and arrived safe and sound. The club itself was remarkable!! Acrobats hanging from the ceilings, star impersonators, huge video screens, and interactive crowd, what seemed to be thousands of people, and so much more!!! We recommend to go to Cogo Bongo, it was an experience like none other.

We didn't get to go to Senor Frogs, but we heard so many good reviews that'd we travel back to Cancun just to go! The downtown nightlife was amazing, you'd swear you were in Vegas, it was great!!!

We took a tour, again through our travel company, on a Catamaran! The tour was great, our guide was a riot ! Although we didnt get to snorkel because of high winds, we were brought to Woman Island and were able to visit the marketplace, etc. We were provided with drinks on the boat, and lunch at a nearby Beach Cafe. We also had the oppurtunity to swim with some sort of small Shark and get our pictures taken. We Catamaran staff also took a video of the tour and we were able to purchase it for $15 each.

The only real problem we had was when we were approached while waiting for the bus, by a rather intoxicated spanish man, who insisted we had some sort of problem with him and challenged my boyfriend to a fight. This was ridiculous and made us a little wary of going back into town. The situation could have easily escalated but we continued to walk to the bus, and although followed by this man, we managed to out-walk him.

We travelled both downtown and to the Plaza's, and enjoyed both. We really enjoyed the marketplaces, but didn't enjoy being hassled by shop-owners, who seemed to be a little more pushy than need be. Some, however, we're very polite and this is where we spent most of our money/time. The Plaza's seemed to be more pricey than the markets, which was expected. We would recommend vistiting "Luxury Avenue", as well as the Mexican outlet stores etc..

If we were able to change anything about our holiday or if given the oppurtunity to do it all over again, we would :

- Book more nightclub outtings, or go along with the hotel when they'd visit a new nighclub each night

- We were able to scuba-dive in the pool, but next time we'd like to take the staff up on there offer to go scuba-diving in the ocean

- We would do the Pirate Ship tour, we heard only good reviews!!

- Do not accept any uppourtunities to "Visit another hotel". We gave it, and in return were given 500 peso's, a beach bag, and a t-shirt. BUT we had to view another resort (which was absolutely beautiful) and listen to a sales associate try to sell us some sort of time-share, which we knew we would never buy, but they were so persistant, more than necessary!! And not only that, once we declined we had to meet with a manager, and then another manager. It was a waste of 2.5 hrs, don't go!

All in all, we had a wonderful time! We definitely plan on returning to Mexico soon!

The weather was amazing, the food was great and the people were pleasant.

This was a last minute trip via Applevacations buy Thurs fly Sat. It was exactly what I paid for and expected.

I arrived at 8:30 am and was checked into my room and on the beach by 10 am.

The room was fairly large (compared to the Holiday Inn I stayed in pre flight) double bed, large bath-shower only. Small balcony with two chairs and small table. Refrigerator was stocked daily--I left my preferences with a tip inside the refrigerator and got exactly what I wanted.

There was a good mix of ages, from families, singles to seniors. There is a small beach which has a number of palm trees if you require shade, there's a good size pool (didn't use it). The water was crystal clear and perfect temperature.

Restaurants: The buffet I found more than adequate-daily specials where they cook your order separately-plenty of variety for vegans to carnivores-plenty of fresh fruit and ice cream as well as a variety of pastries. Hours are long like 7am to 10 pm. There are three specialty restaurants (6pm -10pm) which require reservations (however I didn't make reservations and ate at two of them). I found the buffet food a little better than the specialty restaurants (choices). The Mexican restaurant had the best dessert I've ever had- Crepes with Caramel Goat Milk==wonderful!!

I found the staff helpful and friendly-beware of guest services -a table away from the front desk--they attempt to seduce you into visiting their other property for a "90 minute not a time share" gathering.

The evening shows were the equivalent to a cruise line revue show. (If the highlight of your vacations are seeing live shows go out and pay for one or you'll be disappointed.)

Facing the water next door you can purchase a variety of "water tours." You can also purchase tickets for the ferry. I choose the Dolphin Discovery USD 99-Departed 9:30 returned 5:30-provided breakfast, lunch, drinks all day. Offered Dolphin swims( additional cost) and taxis to the park- included towel service, lockers, snorkeling equipment, short zip line over the water and back, and a small pool. Though it is on the water there is no sandy beach available. There is a buffet and plenty of snacks included in the cost. Lounge chairs are sit on only (no lying on your stomach). There is plenty of shaded hammocks available. Also included is a roundtrip boat ride to downtown--beach is nice-more than enough shops to satisfy any shopaholic.

This is a moderate all inclusive, which I found advertises truthfully. I met a couple of families that come back year after year. This is not a high end all-inclusive. I was a little fearful after paying for my trip and reading some of the reviews here. For the price I paid I was pleasantly surprised--I wanted sun-beach-room and food. I received perfect weather, a great tan, plenty of exercise swimming, good meals, early morning coffee on the balcony-early evening relaxation on the balcony, found friendly and helpful staff, clean room (they changed the sheets daily) and others who were as happy as I was with the resort. I also ordered ice cream at 1 am and it was delivered by room service.

As a hint, don't upgrade to the hammock balcony--I was the only person in the whole resort sitting on my balcony with coffee in the morning and drink early evenings. Never saw another person using a balcony.

The worse I can say about the hotel is that my mattress could have used replacement.

After reading many reviews on this website I was concerned that this holiday would be a nightmare and I would dread the hotel, but overall it was fine and nothing really to worry about at all. The buffet was ok, got a bit 'same' after the first week, but you had your choices & you could have egg and bacon for brekkie which was nice, and the burgers at lunch were good. Make sure you book a couple of nights in the spanish restuarant - it was great, the salmon especially. The mexican restuarant was a bit of a let down, my Fjitas are better than theres and not spicy at all - but still good. I had gone topless on the beach for most of the holiday and decided on the last day to sit around the pool - where i was told to put my top on because of children being there - wasn't a problem on the beach though & plenty of sunbeds! The bar on the beach was full of wasps which put you of sitting up there for a rest from the sun, but it did serve good snacks as part of the all inclusive from 1pm - but they don't advertise this fact! There is a waiter on the beach but they do expect tips, and most staff and outside people expect tips! We went on a fully paid trip to Chichen Itza (temples) - which was ok, 59 dollors each, including lunch but the coach journey was 2.5 hours each way and if you get travel sick sit at the front of the coach as the roads are a bit up and down, even then we were asked to tip as the rep and bus drivers are on minimum wages - by telling us this all the time it put us off tipping! We tipped the cleaner and our fav waiter Ruben (buffet) and a couple of bar staff to keep the drinks following but only a few dollors each. Another thing about the money is that you get told to pay for things in dollors by the rep when they collect you from the airport but for love or money you can never get 1 dollor bills so you are always after change and no one has any! Pescos are excepted and they always give you change in this not dollor. I recommend you take a bit of both and lots of small amounts! In the lobby there are two excursion desks, both offereing the same trips but at different prices so check with both! You book your reservations in the lobby for the restaurants. When you arrive at the airport DO NOT let a man in a blue shirt take you to your coach unless you want to give a tip for it! If you just find your way to the exit there are the reps outside as they are not allowed in the airport and they can direct you to the coach but the men in the blue take your suitcases from you, giving the impression they are being helpful and once they have delivered you to the coach they stand there and stare and expect a tip - not a good way to start the holiday! The hotel in itself was fine, nice beach, there were sport events going on like football and vollyball, and also water sports - we did jetski's for 45 dollors for 30mins, great fun! You don't have to take your own beach towel, they give you a card and you exchange for a towel and hand back at the end of the day - but don't lose your towel or you have to pay 25 dollors. Also if you lose your safe key/padlock thats 100 dollors! My main dislike for this holiday was not the location/staff/food but the fact that the hotel had such a mix of guests! There were young couples, old couples, familys, groups of mixed adults (alot of french-canadian!) and then groups of men and women who liked to sleep around with each other - they swapped around each night. So the hotel didn't really know its client base yet and I would say if your wanting to avoid an 18-30 looking pool side then avoid this hotel, there are prob other hotels to suit. You have to pay for room service now but its mega cheap, the maid cleaned the room fine and the showers are massive, the mini fridge was always stocked too. We stayed in room 608 which had great views but we were under the outside externtainment stage which did shows at 9pm - 10pm which if you have young children in bed at that time don't stay in that side of the hotel as its mega noisy at that time of night. Also the maid's re-stocking room is outside the room door and they chatter away and laugh very loudly at 8.30am everyday without fail! I may sound like alot of this is being negative but really its not as bad as other reivews let on, you will relax and there are opportunities to do lots of things. The entertainment in the lobby is very cheesy bad, but funny at the same time, the outside shows are ok for an hours break away from the bar. When they say its a 24 hour all inclusive hotel they mean the lobby and beach bar shut at midnight so if you want snacks and drink you have to go upstairs to the 2nd floor and help yourself to the Corona pump and spirits and pizza etc, not bad but I feel a bit misleading for '24 hour'! If you do decide to go into Cancun get the bus from outside the hotel over the road, its very cheap, pay with pescos and it works out about 30pence each and they run all night. We were going to go to CoCo Bongo's but were told even after you pay 50 dollors each to get in (all drinks included) the waiters expect a 5 dollor tip for each drink - so we didn't bother - defeats 'all included'! The flights were fine, flew with Thomson took about 9 hours there and 9.5 back into Manchester. There are worse places to go and stay and visit :-)

My husband and I actually went during Spring Break and it wasn't bad at all! I chose the hotel because of the 90% chance that the room would have a balcony/terrace and because the pictures I saw were "pretty". We found there to be a mixed crowd of college kids, families with kids, young couples like ourselves, older couples and lots of friends on vacation together. So please know that even if you go with your significant other, as long as you're social you'll always have people to meet and interesting conversations to have.

The hotel room was beautiful! The king size bed was fabulous and comfortable. The walk-in shower was so unexpected in its details and tiling, with more than enough room for two. Please note that they will not wash a towel unless it's on the floor, so by all means throw all your towels on the floor EVERY MORNING! And if they're not up to your standards, you can always ask the ladies to change them...again. Our room had a view of the courtyard extending out to the ocean from our terrace which had a HAMMOCK of all things! At night it was breathtaking, with the manicured grounds and the breeze off the ocean. It was a pleasure to just swing in the hammock and enjoy the nights, while listening to the horrible singers they hired for nightly entertainment when the DJ wasn't spinning. The hotel employees were never rude in any way and they were always helpful. The All Inclusive package was the way to go. There are restaurants that required reservations for dinner, but we went to the Albatros buffet for every meal and we were never disappointed, since the menu changed each day (Mexican night was the best!). Some had complained about the beach saying that it was a "fake beach", which it kind of was, since the beach was apparently eroded from a storm. But every morning there were workers diligently working to replace the sand and to remove the massive amounts of seaweed that came ashore due to the boats passing. You should definitely make time to walk around the hotel's neighborhood and down the beach. The malls are not far, just a 5-minute bus or cab ride away (take the bus, it's more authentic and cost effective) And if you can go to the pirate ship party! It's crazy!!!

All in all the vacation was wonderful and we plan to go back to the Barcelo Costa Cancun.

I stayed here with my friend and boyfriend and it was a great time! Checking in was no problem at all and they took good care of our luggage.

We had a nice room overlooking the water. Though the downside was it was an adjoining room with people we were not traveling with. Our neighbors were high school girls who were up late and talked loudly. Being college students ourselves it wasn't too big of a deal, we actually kind of got a kick out of the things the girls were talking about.

The walls are somewhat thin between the adjoining rooms, not sure how it is elsewhere...

The restaurants were nice, good selection of food and really had no problems. All you can drink was nice, tho tips of course are appreciated and got annoying, but thats the way Mexico is.

The day we left the water pipe broke in our bathroom and there was a huge puddle in the room and in the bathroom, luckily we were leaving that day... I called the desk right away to make sure we would not get charged, and they took care of it.

Overall it was a nice trip. We were able to book excursions through NWA travel while we were there... they have representatives available at the hotel to help with this... that was really nice! Shuttles everywhere! We always took the local bus downtown.. MUCH CHEAPER!! easy to use and the locals were helpful in helping us figure out where to get off down town and also back at our hotel.

Great trip! Would recommend to anyone!

My friend and I just came back from the Barcelo Costa Cancun and the hotel exceeded our expectations! After reading all the reviews on this site before leaving, we were convinced that we were going to end up transferring out to another hotel for a couple of hundred dollars each. But....I would have no problem going back to the Barcelo again. I have been to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Jamaica and previously to Cancun and I enjoyed my trip this time just as much as to these other destinations.

Since there is only one pool, the pool area was a busy spot. There were areas for the sun worshipers and areas for the people who wanted to be in the shade. We never had any trouble getting sun. The bar service was fantastic at the pool and I never had to get up once to get a drink. We took travel mugs but we didn't really need them because they served the drinks in decent sized glasses. We didn't spend much time on the beach. If you are a big beach person, this is not the hotel for you. The area is small (like a lot of hotels in Cancun) and the water is cloudy, not a crystal clear turquoise color. It was always full of people however so they must have liked it.

The food was fine. The buffet selection was smaller than I am used to but we always found something to eat. The restaurants were very good, especially the Claraboya. I know that when I order a steak down South I am not getting something from The Keg so I wasn't disappointed. We had no trouble making dinner reservations and unlike most all inclusives, they let you book three days in advance. Ask for a Mayan coffee (the flaming coffee)-it's lots of fun to watch how they make it. You don't need a reservation for breakfast or lunch at the Claraboya so I suggest you go there. We always had a great meal.

The room we stayed in was nice. We had a standard room and decided not to upgrade to the room with a hammock on the balcony. How much time would be out there anyway? The room had an iron, a hairdryer, a nice walk-in shower and the maid service was great and our room was always cleaned by 10 am. Our room was very close to the stage where the shows were preformed each night and although most people would have moved to another room, we stayed there. Most nights we were asleep by 9 pm and didn't even care that the show was going on outside. We were exhausted after all day in the sun. It was Spring Break and there were a lot of 20 year olds who were out partying all night so we did hear them coming back to the hotel between 3 and 4 am a few times. We just ignored them. Midway through the week the clientele changed to an older more mature group and the noise level at night lowered.

The service was very good. We had not trouble with the front desk staff, the waiters or the bartenders. We thought the staff was very friendly. Every hotel in the Caribbean that I have stayed in has informed us right away that if you lose your safe key it's $100US to replace and if you lose your towel card, it's $25US to replace.

We took the Sea Passion catamaran to Isla Mujeres which I recommend. It's an all day snorkeling, eating, shopping, and drinking (if you like) tour. We had a lot of fun that day and met some nice people from other resorts.

My friend and I really enjoyed our trip. We had no regrets and since we had such low expectations to begin with, the hotel exceeded our expectations beyond belief.

For all of you worried when you read the negative reviews, don't worry. Not sure where they are coming from!! This place is clean, rooms are very adequate, beds comfortable, TVs worked. The service was great and most everyone spoke English. Perhaps the people with negative comments didn't treat the staff with respect????? We did see people that had over indulged in alcohol, throwing chairs in the pool, yelling at staff when they were told to stop and downright being obnoxious!!!!! ......Regarding the food - please remember that this is 'Mexico'. We have stayed at numerous 5 star resorts and the food is the same. You can always find something to eat, even if you're picky. Lots of chairs available at the beach and around the pool. Even the entertainment was enjoyable, We have been at other resorts that also charge $25-50. if you lost a towel, so of course you have the other guests taking towels if they can't find their own.....we were aware of this, so I bought two inexpensive beach towels at home and took them rather than use the resorts towels, which eliminates the problem. My only negative is the pool was extremely 'cold', but it seems like all the resports keep the water cold.....

Don't sweat the small stuff, have a great time.

We were a group of 8 that visited this hotel.. with low expections due to the poor reviews.

We were more than surprised to see the condition of the property, it was clean, well kept and located in a good location for those visiting the Hotel Zone Activities.

Service : Was 5 star.. cannot say a bad thing. They have to be given great credit for being able to deal with the 18 to 28 year olds.. they can be a handful when drunk..

The rooms were kept so clean.. PLEASE TIP THE MAIDS THEY WORK HARD FOR VERY LITTLE.

The waiters/bartenders/bus boys/ everyone provided top noch service.

If you could not find something to eat at this hotel you should stay home and not travel because after three trips to Mexico I can say this hotel had food to suit everyone.

The beach.. all hotel beaches in the hotel zone are small, this one is located to Marina with fuel station. and passage to the Lugoon. so if you like seeing all kinds of yatchs , boats and ships passing by.. wonderful If you want quite , no noise or traffic outside the beach area don't go there..

We liked seeing all the boats and Hook tours going each day..

The pool was clean .. the problem was teenagers now and then wasting their drinks in the pool which we might add they are not allow to drink in the pool .. but did not listen..

I felt bad for the poor pool gye who was always trying to keep it clean.

Entertainment was just as good as any other hotels we have visited.. hats of to the young preformers.

Front desk was always helpful and provided great service. We had a medical emergency and they had a Doctor to the room in minutes.. Thank you .

Securtiy was too tight.. we had family in Cancun and trying to get them in just to visit and talk was difficult but after 5 days they loosen up a bit.... we understand the reasons .. saftey for guess and staff.

If you do not like young people partying by the pool or listening to them come back at 5 am from club hopping .. STAY HOME OR GO MAYA .. HOTEL ZONE CATERS TO YOUNG AND PARTY GOERS.. DON'T GO THERE AND COMPLAIN.. STAY THE [--] HOME..

We are in 40 up range and loved it, at 11 pm the place goes silent expept the lobby bar, then when the kids return from party hopping they make a bit a noise on beach or around the pool.. so we make noise at 7 am when they go to sleep .. tit for tat...

Only down thing was the SO CALLED 24 HOUR BAR.. never stocked fully.. could be improved.

So for good price and great location near Hotel Zone.. this hotel is fine..

Coco Bongos was out of this word.. LOVED IT.. PARTY CENTRAL FOR ALL AGES..

JUNGLE TOURS 5 STAR...

CAPTAIN HOOK SHIP TOUR.. PERFECT

SHOPPING.. not so good prices are now alot higher.. carful with the silver.. know your silver and prices..

Bus .. great cheap way to travel safe.

Great trip .. can't wait to retrun..

We stayed at the Barcelo Costa the first week of February for 7 nights and it

was cool most of the time we were there. The resort was very clean and the

service was good. We had a problem with the first room we were given as the

refrigerator would not close and the one day it was warm the air conditioning

didn't work. They were very understanding and moved us to an upgraded room on

the first floor at no extra charge. We loved the second room and it was very

convenient being on the ground floor and not having to wait for the elevator.

Most days we had to wear a jacket to the beach and cover up with our towels

until the clouds would pass. There was no-one in the pool because it was so

cold. That is not the fault of the resort though. We met several people from

Canada and England and none of us were prepared for it being so cool. When you

go to a beach you want it to be HOT. The beach area was very clean and they

worked diligently to keep the seaweed off of the beach. The only complaint was

the beach area was so small compared to what we were used to and when they

played soccer on it one day we got sand kicked in our faces. We inquired if

this was normal weather for February and they said it was much cooler than

normal. The service on the beach was excellent and they always remembered what

you were drinking.

As for the food, it was good. We ate breakfast every morning at the buffet and

never had a problem finding something we both liked. We also ate lunch there

and you can find something different every day so you didn't get tired of eating

there. As for the al-a-carte restaurants, we tried both the Mexican and

LaClarboya. Both restaurants had good food, but Cesar made the Mexican

restaurant our favorite. He was a hoot and kept us laughing through our entire

meal. Be sure to try the flaming coffee as it is very, very good and the Strip

steak and Baked Alaska at LaClarboya.

We only left the resort one time for souveniers so we spent most of our time on

the resort. This was our second time to Cancun-the last time being in 2004. We

have gone 5 times to Puerto Vallarta since then and prefer it over Cancun.

Again, no fault of the resort but we just prefer the way Puerto Vallarta is more

"Mexican" than Cancun. We booked this trip at the last minute--booked on

Tuesday and left on Saturday-and there was nothing available in Puerto Vallarta

on the short notice.

If I went back to Cancun I would be more than willing to stay at Barcelo Costa,

but I don't see us returning in the future.

The Good- service, food, location,

The Bad- snack bar, internet price

The Ugly-shows start nightly and they play the music at full volume which echoes through out the resort. So loud that you can't sit on your balconey and have a conversation. If you want quiet don't go here. The beach was small and crowded.

A few tips for you;

The differance between a junior suite and a regular room is a balconey, not worth the price of an upgrade

Resturant food was the best I've had.

If you need internet walk across the street there's a spot in the little plaza, 1 peso per minute. Hotel charges $5.00 us for 15 minutes about 70 pesos.

Us local buses, 6 and 1/2 peso to go anywhere.

Market 28 downtown is a great place to shop and eat.

Take the ferry service to island and spend the day, its beautifull, beaches, bars , shops. Rent a golf cart and explore the whole island. Don't book through the hotel, they will charge about $50.00 us. Take the local bus to the ferry port , ferry costs about (70 pesos return) they run every 1/2 hour till midnight.

If you want more info please email me at [-]

We were "bumped" to Barcelo Cost from the Tucancan. I think the broker had overbooked (Cheap Tickets). However, it turned out ok (I think), although we don't know if we would have loved Tucancun.

It was a bit stressful to arrive at our hotel and be told we had no room, after a day of traveling and being tired and ready to arrive. But we were assured we would have an ocean view room (upgrade), and they would pay for our fare to the next hotel, and to the airport back. (Which we should have gotten in writing; it was not to be.

The Costa was smaller; only 1 pool. But the room was nice, and very clean, with a lovely balcony with a nice hammock.

However, NEVER, repeat NEVER stay in an adjoining room. We learned our "roomates" (what I called them) smoked, (filtered under the "adjoining door), were Canadian, were staying til Feb 26th, had fights (she cried), and (luckily for us) didn't stay up late, and got up rather early, as we do. The door might as well not have been there. We heard EVERTHING, including bathroom noises!! (Ugh) They didn't arrive until we had been there for a few days, so we thought we would just endure.

Also, the shows every night were all pervasive. If one didn't want to hear them and were in your room; too bad. Luckily, we did enjoy them.

Food was over all good; not a whole lot of variety, but you get what you pay for.

I can't say enough about how nice the staff were; friendly , cheerful and hard working. The place was immaculate, as well. I am very impressed over all with the warmth of the Mexican people I have meant; and the Canadians we met were lovely as well. Not too many Americans there.

I don't know if I would stay there again; but we do like to stay at different places anyway. So, I would recommend the Costa with reservations; no adjoining room, mostly. If you really want beach, it is small, but was ok with us.

We originally stayed here about 4 1/2 years ago when it was under different ownership and always vowed we would go back. We booked this holiday a year ago and ever since we booked we have been worried about the negative reviews, however we neednt have bothered because we couldnt fault anything.

The room had two double beds in it and was extremely spacious and clean, our mini bar was restocked daily and we didnt tip until the end of the holiday so it just shows that things are done whether u tip or not. We were on the 7th floor with a view over the pool and sea, our balcony was only big enough to stand on but we knew that before we went so it wasnt a problem.

Food - We had 2 fussy eaters in our party and we had no problems with them finding something to eat each day - we all put on lots of weight so it shows the food was plentiful and varied. Yes there are funny things for breakfast but Mexicans holiday here too so they need to cater for everyone and certain reviews seem to fail to mention the plentiful fruit, cereal, eggs, ommelettes etc.

Bars - The bar staff were excellent, several nights we were ready to leave the bar but found our drinks had been refilled before we had a chance. The men were quite happy with the Corona beer and we were more than happy with the variety of cocktails and drinks available. Julio in the lobby bar made our holiday really enjoyable - thanks Julio

Beach - Ok the beach is not enormous but it is certainly big enough and u can walk along it past the apartments next door, we took a few long walks right along the beach with no problems. Yes we noticed a few occasional diesel smells but this was from the jet skis which you will get wherever they operate, it certainly wasnt a problem. The seaweed was raked up several times a day and didnt cause a problem.

The bar staff bring u drinks around the pool and on the beach all day and we found all the staff to be extremely helpful and friendly.

Unfortunately the weather wasnt too kind to us while we were over there and this was the only thing that stopped our holiday from being excellent but obviously thats not the hotels fault!

Trips - we went on the bar crawl with First Choice which was excellent value for money. We also went on the Pirate ships which I thought were good but over priced for what it was. We went out in the Hotel Zone for a couple of drinks but they were extremely expensive so on our last night we took a taxi "downtown" and ate in "La Perilla" mexican restaurant which was much more reasonably priced and not so commercialised and we had a fantastic night. We also took the ferry to Isla mujeres and rented a golf cart which was great fun. We were going to go out snorkelling with the guys on the beach (much cheaper than a tour) but the weather wasnt good enough and the guys said they wouldnt take us as it wouldnt be enjoyable and they didnt want us to waste our money which I thought was very honest of them.

Dont worry if u have booked this holiday I am sure u will have a good time.

Just back from a week at the Barcelo. It was better that expected and way better than the reviews. We took our kids for the last family vacation and really enjoyed the pool, beach, food and overall condition of the property. The al a cartes were excellent with the Spanish being our favorite. The lunch at the seafood restuarant, was really good, but they could have used another buffet style. The snack bar needs attention as the food was gone most of the time.

The location does not allow you to walk outside the property far. We used taxis every day. $10 took you to market 28, the bus depot to Playa da Carmen, malls in Cancun. Snorkeled around the beach everyday and saw many different fish. Word of caution - do nottake the jungle tour unless you like driving a 14 foot boat by yourself in the middle of the ocean. It was very scary. We had no serious complaints the entire time. The rooms were large and very nice, staff were good, booze was free (go to the snack bar for a self service bar - 40's everywhere) and the food was better than expected.

we stayed in october and had 10 out of 14 days of rain, the shows were either cancelled or cut short because theres nowhere inside to do the performances and the shows started too early for us (we eat quite late), the staff were all very nice but seemed a little tired and jaded this late in the season-if the weather had been better we'd have enjoyed it more-the busses are a joy to use and cheap around 30p for the journey no matter where you go just ask at the front desk and they tell you which bus No. you need the in house craft market is a buzz if you enjoy haggling do it in a friendly manner and its well recieved-we got a lot of bargains

Having read many reviews on this hotel, we stil decieded on going. The hotel it self was very clean, the food was not too bad, pretty much the same food over and over we tried all the resturants and found the Mexican to be the best by far, the food and the service in the Mexican resturant were great!! We traveled in a group of eight,(age ranging form 26-56) we requested for our rooms to all be in the same area, but that didn't happen and at we ALL ended up being sick at some point thought our stay. You are waken up every night by spring breakers who don't seem to ever go to bed. The shows in the hotel are very loud and just ok. There is only one pool on this resort, so if you don't want to listen to screaming kids all day long go somewhere else!! There is no swim up bar wich I found to be very disapointing. We did the pirate ships, that was fun but not a place for small children, we also did the catamaran to the island of woman that was the highlight of our trip it was very beautiful and lots of fun. We also went to Coco Bongos, the show was great but again alot of very young half dressed teenagers. The bartenders on our resort said that they didn't serve our types of liquor, but when he opened the cupboard we saw Spiced Rum, Baliey's, and Crown Royal, he then said that if we wanted that we had to pay for it, which was not fair as we paid for an all incluvise vacation. With a little talk to the manager we were offered all of that booze free of charge.The rooms are nice, not great but nice, our firdge was restocked daily. All in all, I really liked Cancun, but would rather next time stay further up the hotel strip where the beach is much nicer. Last year we stayed at the Sandles Royal Hiacos in Cuba, the Barcelo Costa Cancun didn'e even compare!!!!!!

dont plan on getting any sleep, they have live entertainment til midnight nightly, romm service is not included in all inclusive package, dirty rooms(had bugs in mine), decent location, if going there to party tolerable, if goign for relaxation dontplan on getting any. They have the net but at a cost, go somewhere else trust me for that price go to oasis or somewhere clean at least. This hotel ruined my trip and im not picky at all

I went to barcelo costa with 7 other friends ranging ages 19-22..during our spring break..we went with an open mind and it was alot of our first times even being down south, so didnt have annything to compare too..which helped alot and probably gave this hotel more credit than it should have got.

First off upon arriving, the bag boys grabbed our bags and wouldnt let us have them back..once they acrried them ten feet they began telling us what currency they accepted as tips..their very needy and expect money for everything!!!!!

The hotel upon arival was very busy and quite comercialized..but that was awesome cause thats what we were looking for..very helpful front desk people, our rooms werent ready so they kept them in a room for us where they were safe. We changed and hot right to soaking up the rays and enjoying the pool. The pool area is very clean and average size so it wasnt to crowde, although if u wanted a chair u needed to be out first thing in the morning. Service around the pool was average..if u didnt tip they would not come back and only had one or two waitresses on a day, which more were defnetely needed..because even if u did tip it took them forever to come back!

Once we got into out rooms, we discovered they were very clean, and spacious..huge bathroom and shower..nothing to complain about here..the only thing was the balcony was barely big enough to stand on..but that was ok because how often did u use it anyway!..they were cleaned every morning for accept they would not give you new towels unles u asked..??weird, and do not leave any money around unless u expect them to take it for tips..but leaving ur belongings and clothes and what not out was perfectly mine we had no problem with that. Some rooms had an elctronic vault for passport and what not, but most others just had lock and key..which if u lost the key u paid 100 dollars!

The restaurants we never went to much because u had to make reservations a day or two in advance and we never got around to it, but we quite often went to the buffet down by the pool..had very good breakfast lunch and supper...there was also a 24 hour buffet in the hotel which was absolutely horendous!..they would put food out at 6 in the morning and leave it out till the following morning..so u can imagine how well that tasted!..all drinks here were amazing and bar staff were very quick and helpful..i recomend a costa cancun or cabana!mmm mmm mmm Quite often we went off the resort to eat, we went to a few mexican restaurants , the steak house, hard rock cafe(my favorite, closest to canadian food u will get)..a very good sea food house ..and many more

The beach..was small ..but compared to the ones we have around home..it was a good size and beautiful..they cleaned the seaweed off the shores pretty much every hour to ensure it was always clean, it had clear water and white sand..but u werent allowed to swim out very far as they had it blocked off for the ships coming in..and there were no faves as it was enclosed in in a bay type thing. There were the pirate ships on the one side so u couldnt walk any further, then on the other side there were private condos..but they would allow you to walk past if u wanted to check things out. We never did go on the cruise ships..but heard from many others the food was excellent and well worth their money and easily their favorite night.

There were only the two bars..one in hotel and one down by the ocean..this was defnetely not enough as they were very buy at night time and had to stand in line awhile to get a drink!

The one downfall was that the hotel was a good 8 minute drive from the downtown and all the clubs, which was usually a 10 dollar cab ride, depending on how many there were..they charge on how many ppl not on the vehicle or how far they are taking you..so when all 8 of us were there they usually charged us about 20.

The nightlife in Cancun was absolutely amazing and undescribable!..it never slept whether it was 2 in the monring or 7 in the morning..ppl were always going! My favorite night was at coco bongos..absolutely unreal! totally undescribable..and like nothing around home! This is a must see! its not so much a dancing bar but amazing shows go on till all hours of the night. Flo Rida was there the week after we left:( We also went on a few pub crawls, but the best was the one that took u too the carona bar, senor frogs and a bar in the city..we went to hooters another night, very good drinks and food, but quite expensive!...then we went to hard rock one night..amazing food..if ur missing home eat here, then we went back another night when they had a live band playing this was also a good time! many other bars such as daddy o's, daddy rock and other little clubs along the strip! Most u would pay a 30 or 40 dollar cover charge and u got free drinks all night. As long as u made sure u were down in the lobby between 8-10 they were always selling tickets to some bar or pub crawl for a cheaper price, VIP and a bus would take u there and pick u up!

The weather was amazing when we were there all for accept the day we left it rained..

There was always activites going on around the pool and good music..their goal was to keep u entertained and that they did..it was never boring sitting around the pool during the day and at night they had shows outside. Which if u were having a night in..it was quite hard to sleep until about 11 pm..then again when the party crowds came home at about 4 or 5 there was constant rucus in the hallways which the staff wouldnt do anything about..but that was ok cause it was mexico and it was spring break after all!

Another thing we did was go on the spring break boose cruise..u all meet at a place down town and u go out on a big fairy..a good 400 people or more and they take u to this island where they feed u supper(not good eat before u go) then there are a bunch of shows and competitions on stage..wet tshirt contests..etc..was a very good and entertaining night..another one of my favs! then around 3am they take u back to the hotel!

Upon leaving u have to check out by 12 i believe it was, and they keep ur bags for u in a back room again, then a bus picks u up and takes u back to the airport

was overall a great trip..just a few minor things about the hotel and staff! But didnt have much to compare to as this was my first hot trip!

If u have any questions please feel free to ask me anything..

My husband and I have travelled to Mexico and the Caribbean several times, and we have stayed in 5-star luxury resorts, and a variety of lesser level resorts. We chose to stay at this resort because of the price. At about $99 pp per night for an all-inclusive, it was the perfect resonable getaway. We knew going there that is was Spring Break, and would have a lot of young guests. Overall, we had a fantastic time, were impressed with the cleanliness and service, and would recommend people to stay here. However, there is another Barcelo resort in Cancun, further down the hotel zone. We stayed there 2 years ago, and it was much bigger with more pools and a bigger beach. A little more expensive though. So, if you get a good deal to stay here, and you are not super snooty about resorts, you will have a great time.

The airport: It seems like they have recently renovated the airport. It is air-conditioned, covered with marble tile, and with clear signs for flow of ppl. Once you land, you go trough Immigrations, then pick up your bags, then to Customs. Yes, it is the system where you push a button (once per family), and if green you go, if red they search. But the red rarely comes up, and they were barely looking in people's suitcases. I would recommend booking airport transfers before you arrive, because you will be bombarded by taxis and people trying to offer you timeshare presentations. Just say "no thank you" and look for the company you booked. We used Best Day Travel. It was $17pp round trip.

Location: This Barcelo is on the top part of the "7". The water on that side is calmer because Isla Mujeres blocks the rougher water. It takes no more than a half hour from the airport. The hotel is in a little turn-off from the main thouroughfare. The entry is not spectacular, but pretty enough. The hotel is at kilometer 4.5, and the main part of the hotel zone is between km 9-11.5 The buses run, like, every 90 seconds, so you won't have a hard time getting around. It costs 6.5 pesos #about 60 cents each way.

The Rooms: Our first room was the basic level that we booked. It was spacious and clean, but did not have a balcony. I can't live without one on vacation, so we started to ask for an upgrade. It is $15 extra per night for the junior suite. Those have the large balcont with hammock. We got one on day 4 because the hotel was at full occupancy. So worth it. The safes are included. We had the electronic one in the first room, which i loved, and the old lock and key one in the second. Thank goodness nothing was stolen from ours, and I feel awful to hear that it happened to anyone. We actually changed our reservation from another resort because of TA reviews of it happening in the hotel we originally booked. The TVs worked well, no DVD players, though. The showers were enormous. The second even had a large bench at the end. There are dispensers with shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. Only 1 towel per person. Beds were firm #as I've found all over Mexico# but the pillows were soft. After the maids had come through each day, you could tell it was thoroughly cleaned. Mopped the floor every singe day. Our mini fridge was great- restocked every day with beer, water bottles, soda and snacks.

The Beach: Yes, it is small. The sand is soft, and the water is really calm and very shallow. We're more pool people anyway. There were a ton of chairs and umbrellas to be had on both the beach and pool, and both have a server coming around all day for drinks.

The pool: There is only one but it is large with a little island in the middle and a section in the corner for kids. The kids did pretty much stick to the corner. The entertainment people play music and activities during the mid-morning/afternoon. The water was a little cool, but it was february and it was refreshing when you got hot. You receive one towel card pp at check in. Do not lose it #$25 each#. The towel stand is right by the pool, and nobody moved anybody elses towels.

The Food: There were 3 A La Carte restaurants, and one buffet. We stumbled into the Claraboya the first day, and almost never hit the buffet #Albatros# again for lunch or breakfast. The menu is large, and everything cooked to order. Breakfast in both places have champaigne for mimosas, a nice touch. For lunch, the club sndwich seemed popular, and the bacon-wrapped shrimp were awesome. The pizza is good but strange with cheddar cheese. You can only make 2 reservations at a time, but the total number is unlimited. If you eat at Don Quijote's or Claraboya for dinner, ask for the falming coffee at desert. It was both entertaining and delicious. The seafood soup there was good, too.

The Drinks: My number one tip for ANY all-inclusive: bring an insulated mug! They use little 6-8 oz cups for everything. With a 16-24 oz mug, it keeps it cold, less trips to the bar, and less work for the bartenders anyway. And definitlely ask for a specific brand of liquor, otherwise, you'll get the cheap stuff out of the soda gun. The best vodka was smirnoff, and the best rum bacardi. I didn't catch the tequila brand, but ask for whatever is in the bottle. And if you're tring to tie one on, ask for a double. And yes, a dollar or 2 goes a long way here and there.

The Shopping: There are several high-end malls along the hotel zone that I believe have duty-free prices, but I don't really shop high-end at home anyway. So, if you're looking for souvenirs, silver, Mexican stuff, etc. there are a few options. Downtown is Mercado 28. It is like a large outdoor flea market. Yes, the prices can be much lower than on the hotel zone, but it is a little more pressure as far as negotiating and feeling overwhelmed by people. On the hotel zone, La Isla mall is a nice large outdoor mall with restaurants, stores, and aquarium, etc. The majority of these stores have price tags on things, so you know what you're paying. Then there is Coral Negro and the smaller Plaza Flamingo. These are more flea market atmosphere with no prices listed on anything. Try to have an idea of what you are looking for and how much you are willing to pay. For example, my husband wanted a 100% silver chain #around 24"#. The first price the guy gave us was $130. We ended up paying $55 with a women's silver bracelet included. I wanted a hand-painted Mexican platter. For a large one, the guy said $125. I ended up paying $25. We are no experts at this by any means, but the key is just to be willing to walk away. A guarauntee, they will come out with a lower offer over and over again unitl they are not willing to go any lower. Be firm, but polite. Just say that it is still more than you are willing to pay/can afford, etc. And there is a chain store called Plaza La Fiesta. They have bright yellow buildings all over the hotel zone. It's easy because the prices are all listed, but it is also way over-priced for the souvenirs you can find all over.

Isla Mujeres: There is a ferry right next door to the hotel called "Mexicano" that takes you to the Island. It is $17 round trip. It leaves at 930, 1100, and 1230, and returns 115, 330, and 530. The ride is about 30 minutes. You can rent a golf cart for about $15/hr or $45 for the day. During high season, I recommend you do it as soon as you get off the ferry. We took the 930 ferry over, and went to the beach first. At 11, when we started looking for one, they were all rented out. This was also druing Mardi Gras which is one of the most popular times of year. Definitely walk to Playa Norte. Is is 3 blocks left from the ferry dock . It is a spectacular beach with white powdery sand, and clear blue water that you can walk out in no higher than waist-deep for at least 100 yards. Amazing.

Overall: When we return to Cancun #and we will definitely return#, we probably not return to this hotel. Not because we didn't have a great time with great meals, and drinks. It's just that this hotel is great for an inexpensive, unpretentious vacation to a beautiful destination.

One more tip: To sign on to the wireless internet in the resort, it is $15/day. Walk just across the street, and there is an internet and long distance phone cafe. It is $1 for 11 minutes online.

You really do get what you pay for. They list it as a 4 star, but I'd say it's just below that. Everything about the resort was good, just not great. It could have been a bit better in most categories.

The Service was good, not great. Bartenders would ignore you at times, even if you did tip them frequently, which I did. However, the servers in all the restaurants were excellent. The front desk was also very good during check in, check out, and dealing with other issues.

The Room was good. Beds were hard, but that's Mexico for you. Bathroom was very nice, huge shower, room for more than 1!! Balcony was great, and I loved our hammock. We upgraded to a Junior Suite for $100 when we got there. It was totally worth it. And the beer in the fridge was nice, and they refilled it daily. Although I find the beer in Cancun isn't served cold enough. But whatever.

Food - was 'meh'. Some nights it was good, some nights it was not. Most of the a la carte places are worth checking out. the Buffet was decent, but the food quality is not the best. Don't go to this resort if you're going for the food.

Entertainment & Staff - daytime pool acitivies were Ok, but could have been better. The staff was alright, I've had better. The night time shows were too loud, but alright. They were kinda plain. The Mexican one was pretty good. The lobby bar entertainment was terrible. They were terrible singers, but they tried. They really need to get something better in there.

WARNING ABOUT ROOM SAFES. There are 2 kind in this resort, the lock and key and the digital key pad. Our safe was broken into, it was the lock and key type. We were at the beach on day 2 and someone came in, opened the safe with their own key, and robbed us of $500 US. This also hapenned to 2 other people we met down there. I've read on TA this is not the first time for this resort. Believe it, it's true. DO NOT LEAVE CASH IN THE ROOM SAFE. We thought it wouldn't happen to us, but it did. When we complained the hotel did everything to suggest it was not their fault. Total [--]. We think it was the maid or the Supervisor as we saw the printed log of who entered into our room that day. We didn't lose it, it was stolen. You have been warned.

Overall, this is resort for younger ppl because it's more affordable. You get what you pay for! I won't be going back, but only because I'm over 30...and the fact that we were robbed, and I prefer 5 star resorts that have that little bit more to it. I still had fun mingling with everyone and met a lot of great people, but you can do that anywhere. If you've never been to Mexico and are under 25, this resort is for you. If you like a lively party atmosphere with younger ppl, this resort is for you. Now, this may have a lot to due with Spring Break, so other times of the year may be different. From what I've read so far, this resort has cut back lately, and it shows as it's slipping in the overall TA ranking of Cancun hotels and resorts. Spend the extra $200 and go somewhere nicer if you've travelled a lot. Next year I'll be hitting up a 5 star in the Mayan.

While the hotel as decent, not a disaster, it does not live up to expectations for a 4 star hotel. I don't think that it is worth it for its price. On the positive side, the room was spacious and quite clean. There were at least 3 choices of restaurants, and the choice of food at the buffet, while junky as expected, was plentiful. However, basic hygiene was not respected in the buffet- ex: food was not covered and there were flies everywhere. The image of cakes with cream toppings covered with flies is hard to forget...

Food in restaurants was quite tasty, although I doubt that the hygiene is any better in the kitchens as in the buffet. Incidentally, I got slightly food poisoned.

The staff for the most part was rather rude and unhelpful.

While it is not a disaster waiting to happen, I would not return to this hotel.

When I checked into the hotel around noon, they told me they didn't have my room ready yet, because checkin is at 3:00pm so I said alright, and lounged in the lobby area for three hours (just to note, there is no free WIFI, you have to pay for internet access). After the three hours went by I went up to the front desk to grab my key, however; the room still wasn't ready. I ended up getting to my room at 5:00pm. This, to me, was a waste of my first day in Cancun. I enjoy the sun and would have much rather been able to shower and lay outside.

Food:

The only food that I got as the buffet. You need to make reservations for all the restaurants and this needs to be done by 3:00pm everyday. I never made a reservation, and never ate in any of the restaurants. The buffet was alright, but most of the time I would go back to the room and order room service, for $4.00 per plate. This, I think is stupid because I've stayed at many all-inclusive resorts, and this is definatly in the bottom two as far as service goes. The thing that irritated me most is when you are sitting down to eat many times the waiters/waitresses will come and take your plate before you are finished. This happened on many occasions, and you can't relax, everything seems rushed. Like they want your table to serve other people, it was very irritating.

Rooms:

The rooms were pretty nice, although our toilet wouldn't flush and one of our friends toilets actually flooded her room. The water pressure in the shower is horrible! And the hot and cold water are labeled wrong, so you do have hot water, you just need to turn the knob the opposite way! The electricity in the room will only work if you put your key or towel card into the slot, which I think is pretty annoying. But overall, the beds were comfortable and the rooms were pretty spacey.

Beach:

The beach is pretty nice, not as tropical as you see in the pictures. If you are traveling to see a nice beach and crazy tropical water, this is not the hotel for you! The service on the beach was great, there is always someone walking around asking if you want a drink. Althoug, there are also vendors allowed on the beach which is very annoying. I only saw two so I can't complain.

Location:

The hotel is located about 15 minutes from downtown, about a $12.00 taxi ride, or you can take a bus for $0.60 I opted to take a cab everywhere.

Overall I would say this is a perfect hotel for younger travelers, or spring break people. I would not recommend it for couples or honeymooners. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me!

-We were originally booked at the Barcelo Tucancun but when we arrived, we were told that there was no room for us. We were told that we would get a room upgrade at the Barcelo Costa Cancun. This sounded like a pretty good deal. However, when we arrived at the Costa Cancun and went to our room, it didn't appear that anything was upgraded - a pretty standard room. We felt that the desk staff had deliberately misled us.

-The room was ok. It was clean but it looked well worn.

-The beach was small but ok. We were disappointed that there were no waves at this beach like there was in other areas.

-Almost all of the staff was very friendly. Sometimes service was slow but that didn't bother us. One of the beach bartenders made us a special treat of mandarin oranges and spices - very tasty. Tipping did help service but bring a lot of small bills with you because the hotel will not make change.

-The food was ok. I had a couple of really good meals and a couple of bad meals. I really enjoyed the mexican breakfast dishes (particularly the chiliqueles) served at the ala carte restaurant. We only ate at the buffet twice because the food was somewhat unimpressive. None of the desserts I tried were very good at all. Reservations were required for dinner at the ala carte restaurants and they were not that easy to get. You had to plan several days in advance to get one at a reasonable hour. Would recommend making reservations as soon as you check in if you want to get one.

-Our room was unfortunately on the first floor and very close to the stage that had live entertainment at night. The first night we were there we were very tired and wanted to go to bed early. The music was very loud and quite a nuisance. The rest of the week, it didn't bother us as much. Also, we could hear everything in the hallway. All night long people coming back from the bars walked by our room and woke us up with their talking. It felt like I was living in a college dorm room again. In short, we didn't get great sleep while we were there.

-The stocked mini bar in the room was great and was refilled every day. It was stocked with Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Water, Corona light, and Modelo. However, the beer did taste a bit old. It also had peanuts and chocolate wafer candy bars. Not bad.

-Generally felt like the hotel was geared for a younger crowd.

This was our second all-inclusive resort vacation and this was very disappointing compared to our first vacation. We definitely want to go back to the other resort the next time we travel (Jungle Bay resort in Dominica; Caribbean).

On arrival we were checked into a room that smelled and had no balcony or a window that open we went down to the front desk and requested a room with a balcony they gave us one it over looked a parking lot and the hiway but it was huge and much nicer then the first so we were ok with the view we had. In general i found the service horrible the waiters and bartenders were not very friendly or quick in serving you even after we tipped them. There were a few good ones which worked there butts off and did everything they could to make your stay enjoyable. I enjoyed the food at all the resturants including the buffet there was something for everyone. Our room was cleaned daily and our mini fridge stocked daily. We got massages at the spa there a little over priced for the length of time and they would stop like 5 minutes before the time was up but otherwise a very relaxing massage. I highly reccomend going Xehla and the island of women the snorkling is fantastic and people much friendlier then at the resort. Next time I go I will find a different resort to stay at as this one is clean but not very friendly and I would like to stay at one with a bigger beach area and if I would have done my research I would have known the beach was small so this is my own fault.

Within 24 hours of arriving at this hotel, I was ready to go home. The rooms themselves are OK, but the rude and unhelpful staff combined with the bland and horrible food definitely impacted our vacation. I will NEVER return to this hotel; in fact, the experience made me question whether I would go back to Cancun. Next time, I will go back to Cozumel -- that was wonderful!

Random observation, but one of the things that annoyed me the most while laying out by the pool was the staff's choice of music. We heard jazz soundtracks, oldies, etc., which were weird but fine -- but I couldn't believe when they actually played "Frosty the Snowman" in March!! If you go, definitely bring your own music!

A group of 20 friends and I stayed at the hotel for a week, it was fine for college students but overall not worth the cost. The food was poor - the buffet food always looked to have been sitting out for hours, the 3 restaurant options had bad selection and slow service. Most of the day time servers were rude and unhelpful. Our fridge wasn't re-filled very often and the receptionists were not helpful when we asked for things. All our drinks were watered down and no matter what alcohol we ordered, they gave us tequila. Be prepared to tip well without good service. Although the city bus was convenient, the hotel is located on the outskirts of the Cancun strip and not in a very convenient location. The beach was tiny with no place to swim.

So to start things off when we first arrived we switched rooms 2 twice in the first 10 mins. The first one was located right outside the children's area and there was no view at all. So we asked to be moved to another area which they did kindly and the next room was worse it smelt so bad we couldn't even stand to be in it for more than a minute and the view was a wall . So once again we asked to be moved and they claimed the only room they had available was one that was right beside the 24 hour bar and right above the main bar . Which we were fine with ,but any time after that when we went to the front desk they would roll their eyes and one guy even walked away every time he saw us. That didn't make me very happy considering we already felt that we had paid way too much for this hotel in the first place! The food was not good at all. I mean I'm a picky eater , but my friend with whom i went with is not and for 7 days all we ate was rice this did not make us very happy. One night we tried an A la Carte restaurant and I swear I could've bounced my chicken off of the floor. The beach was not a beach at all it was a tiny area of sand with junk all over it and right beside the hotel is private property. You can walk the distance of the beach in i'd say just under 2minutes. The other problem i had was the pool area because of the hotel there is only one area of the pool that gets sun all day and the rest is in the shade. One night we were bored so we decided to hang out in the room for a bit so i opened a pop and then went and showered and by the time i came back the whole enitre night table and pop can and inside the can was covered with a disgusting amount of tiny little bugs i almost threw up thinking about the what if i didn't notice that there were bugs and just drank the pop. I'm aware that this isn't the Hotels fault but maybe they could have bug spray in the room or something. The bathrooms were nice, but the maids don't speak any english and they don't really clean either they turned the sheets around instead of changing them and they never once cleaned the floors or the bathroom they would just pick up towels. The staff was nice well most of them. Some of the outside towel boys would say very inappropriate things and that bothered me but other than that the staff was very nice and attentive. The night shows are funn if you've had a few drinks not very child friendly though! They also closed the bar @ 11:00 everynight and then starting cleaning that area and they would kick you out and tell you to go upstairs to the 24 hour bar which consited of a few bottles of booze, and they also wouldn't let you leave with any booze from the upstairs bar which i thought was kind of rediculous. One night we went to down to the beach after the bar closed because we had nothing better to do and some guy came up to us and told us that the night before the hotel staff said they were going to call the police on him and his friends because they were down there just having fun drinking and hanging out you know vacationing it just didn't make sense to me. I called back home to Canada twice and i called collect and when i got home i looked and it charged me $84.00 for a grand total of 11 minutes so lesson learning don't call home to tell family you've made it safe and sound it's not worth getting ripped off!

All in all i will never go back there and i would never recommend it to anyone! it was not a fun, relaxing, or enjoyable time..

My 3 best friends and I decided to do a girls trip to Cancun and to make life easier, we chose to take advantage of the all inclusive package Barcelo Costa Cancun Hotel offers. My first impression of the hotel is that it was clean and well taken care of, especially the public areas. The rooms were nothing to write home about, except for the spacious bathroom and glass showers. Almost all the room balconies also had a hammock for the occupants to enjoy lazing aroung in.

The two biggest dissapontments regarding this hotel were the customer service and food. From the get go, the check in process was so disorganized, it took what seemed like forever to check in and get our room keys and all inclusive wrist bands. The receptionist tied the wristband on my friends wrist a little too tight and when my friend asked for another one, the receptionist denied her. What's a plastic wristband cost these days, $1 maybe? The "customer is always right" is not a motto they follow at this hotel.

The customer service, for the most part, was also terrible in the many restaurants that are on site, as well as the food. The buffet only style of Albatros restaurant was the worst regarding quality of food and service. Claraboya restaurant, however, had slightly better service and infinitely better tasting food, especially for breakfast. I would also suggest making your dinner reservations upfront at either Don Quijote or Mexican Lindo, instead of being forced to partake in the dinner buffet at Albatros. Also a friendly tip, since the drinks are also included, aks for doubles or extra strong drinks because their bartenders tend to skimp on the alcohol.

All in all, for the price we paid, I don't think I got my money's worth. However, I was grateful that my friends and I were still able to enjoy each other's company and make the best of our time in Cancun, despite the shortcomings of our accomodations.

we went to this resort and found it to be very small grounds. limited beach and pool area. close to downtown cancun.

beach was small and crowded.

first night we had noise in the halls that kept us up until 4 am... there was no second night.... we moved.

Overall the hotel was mediocre, at best.

The restaurants were horrible, with the expectations of the buffet. The beach was always dirty and it's extremely small for the size of the hotel. The room service is NOT included in the all-inclusive package. I asked the front desk to come and repair my refrigerator, which was broken, they NEVER came. When I called room service for towels and to restock my warm drinks they NEVER came. The 24-hour snacks bar was always full of old, nasty looking food (I didn't dare taste anything). The nightly entrainment was boring and ended at 10:30 every night.

However, on the bright side, they had a shelf of alcohol and a stock of beer, for you to make your own drinks and the workers there were nice.

Overall I would rate this hotel a 2 out of 5 (MAX).

WOW i dont even know where to begin!.....they lie in the whole package , no room servive included soo hard to get, our fridge was only stocked once the day we arrived, no alarm clock , bugs in our room, we originally asked for 2 beds we got stuck with one, we had to change rooms 3 times and it took a whole day of our trip to do it total. They dnt care they already have ur money! There is nooooo booze in any of the drinks!! everything is shut down at 11pm. no 24 hr bar no 24 hr food unless you like old hotdogs! trip was horrible will never stay there again.!!!!!!

First time I've ever written on here but myself and partner had such an awful time here just had to write in and warn anyone thinking of going here PLEASE just don't bother.

I'm not going to go on and on repeating other bad reviews but for a start it was just a money making hotel, we were actually greeted by being told if we lost a key a towel or a key card we would owe them $100 for this, or $50 for that which wasn't the nicest welcome.

I wouldn't even say the staff were very friendly and to be honest behind the reception they would keep us waiting for ages and there was one man there that was really miserable and unhelpful.

This was supposed to be a romantic get away for myself and partner and we were were kept awake by screaming and drunk people. It really was more like an 18-30's holiday somewhere.

Like other reviews have said if you are going in a big group of people and just up for a big drinking holiday then it might be for you but don't go otherwise.

Also be warned if you want a room with a balcony that is for a charge of an extra $15 per night.

That was in small print apparently before we booked the holiday.

This holiday has really made us think about where we go in the future.

BE WARNED!!!!

Some girls and I just went to that resort last week and we hated it. As for the resort itself, it was really beautiful and relaxing, but our service and the food were horrible. We recommend going else where. You will get more bang for your buck. Everyone we met while there agreed with us on the service and food.

I'm not one for writing reviews. In fact, this is the first time I've ever been so horrified as to feel compelled to write a review. I stayed 4 days and 3 nights at Barcelo Costa in March 2009. In all fairness, the hotel itself was relatively clean. I had a minor ant invasion in my room, but the property was okay overall. It was the food and the service that shocked me.

First, if you're going to Mexico in hopes of some strong margaritas and some fabulous guacamole, this is not the place for you! The drinks were extraordinarily weak and the food was abhorrently inedible. The "snack bar" was a a series of cheeses that had sat under a heat lamp so long they looked wilted and diseased. The restaurants, with the exception of breakfast, served nothing but sad examples of Mexican cuisine. The bread and tortillas were stale, the meat was old, the vegetables were wilted and the desserts were poorly made and appeared to have sat out for a minimum of 3 days.

Second, the service was the worst I have encountered in my life. I have traveled internationally to numerous destinations and have never experienced the extraordinary lack of service as was offered at this hotel. For example, I requested help confirming my shuttle to the airport. I was told by every employee of the hotel that they "did not have an outside line" and that "I would have to call from my room." I had an extremely difficult time believing that a hotel had no outside phone line, but was even more horrified when I was charged $6.00 for a 2 minute local phone call. I could talk for days about how disappointed I was in this trip.

I had read some of the other reviews and thought it would be okay, but it wasn't. It was a horrible experience. Save yourself the trouble--stay elsewhere!!

We had a reservation at Barcelo Tucancun hotel, but when we arrived at the airport our van driver said that the hotel was over booked and we were going to the Barcelo Costa. The Costa has the same number of rooms as the Tucancun hotel, but only one pool, one bar, 3 restaurants. The food was cold and barely edible. The service was fair. Pool was cold and not chlorinated. We did not get any satisfaction for this change from the hotel, so I went back to bookit.com, where I purchased the package. I talked to them and they told me the first day that someone would get back to me about the situation. Did not hear any more that day. I called the next day and they said they had upper management in the US and in Cancun working on it and would get back to me. They did not. The next day I wrote this same article on this web site, about this problem and it is no where to be seen. I never heard from bookit.com.

the hotel also seemed to cater to the college crowd, which were loud at times, especially at 4 AM.