Barcelo measures up as all-inclusive resort

02-19-2006

The Barcelo Maya Resort occupies more than a mile of beachfront property 47 miles straight south of Cancun airport.

David Bear, Mayan gods are a landscaping theme at Barcelo Maya Beach Resort. More informationBasic inclusive rates start at about $180 per person per night, although widely available packages including round-trip air fare offer discounts. For resort information: 1-800-227-2356 or www.barcelo.com.

Developed by the 75-year-old Spanish-owned company that operates hotels and resorts in 16 countries, the resort campus, a complex of three-story hotel buildings fronted by huge swimming pools and the sea. It opened six years ago with two hotels, the Beach and the Caribe Beach. Two more hotel complexes, the Colonial Beach and the Tropical Beach, debuted in December, bringing the resort's room total to more than 2,000. Plans for a fifth and final complex are already under way.

Questions of the impact on the area's ecology and resources notwithstanding, designers of this sprawling resort have created a pleasing, family-oriented, eco-aware environment in which to enjoy the abundant sunshine and seaside. Water, both the salty and fresh varieties, are primary themes, with half a dozen huge infinity-edged swimming pools and a superb beach with life-filled tide pools and coral reefs just off shore.

The open architecture features plenty of tile and stucco, with a decidedly Mayan cast to the decor. In our four nights there, we stayed in two different properties, the Caribe and the Tropical Beach. Guest rooms were large, clean and well-appointed in terms of ambience and amenities, though the Tropical Beach was a step up both in size and comfort.

Since all hotel guests wear color-coded wristbands, there was no need to worry about money during the stay. The inclusive packages cover all meals and beverages, from poolside drinks to the contents of the in-room mini-bars, which made it easy for all three of us to relax and enjoy our time. Abundant and appetizing buffets are presented three times daily in two dining areas, and constant snacks in two beach-side bistros. More intimate dinners are served each evening in six nationally themed restaurants. We ate and drank freely for four days and, a personal first for Mexican vacations, suffered no gastric distress.

All of the resort staff we encountered were gracious, good-natured, professionally capable and mostly Mexican. It was clear Barcelo management places a high priority on both employee training and betterment. With more than 2,000 people on the payroll, that's the only way to develop a successful staff.

An informal reckoning of hotel guests enjoying the long, broad white sand beach and acres of swimming pools, sports activities, snorkling and the evening stage entertainments found as many from Europe, Canada and Mexico as the United States, a statistic later confirmed by Barcelo PR people.

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