Guide to the Barcelo Maya Grand Resort - Part 8 - Overall Review: Best, Worst & Unforgettable Parts!

This resort is huge and there is so much to cover! In my last seven videos I've given you a nearly complete tour of the Barcelo Maya Grand resort and showed you all of the great things you can see, do, and experience. But if you've heard me talk enough and don't want to watch the other videos for 2 hours, in this video I'll give you my overall review of the resort. I'll talk about the things I loved about the Barcelo Maya (there were a lot of things), a few things I didn't like as much, and some of the most unique things about this resort.
But if you do want my complete deep dive into everything the resort has, check out the other parts of my video series:
Part 1: Location, hotel buildings, lobbies, and room tour - • Guide to the Barcelo M...
Part 2: Pools and beaches - • Guide to the Barcelo M...
Part 3: Food and restaurants - • Guide to the Barcelo M...
Part 4: Bars and nightlife - • Guide to the Barcelo M...
Part 5: Amenities and noteworthy places - • Guide to the Barcelo M...
Part 6: Water and adventure activities - • Guide to the Barcelo M...
Part 7: Getting off-resort - • Guide to the Barcelo M...
Part 8: My overall thoughts about the Barcelo Maya - THIS VIDEO!
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#barcelomaya #rivieramaya #mexico #barcelomayagrand #mayanriviera

[@JC-cl5bx]

Thanks man, you might as well be the official Barcelo Maya guide as your videos are more detailed than any of the resort info lol. FYI I'm staying right now at the resort, and the wifi had been free as far I can tell, unlimited devices, even on the beach, so one of your biggest downsides have been removed!

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

That's great to hear, that makes it nearly perfect now! Really glad you enjoyed the videos, enjoy the rest of your trip.

[@janicenichols7271]

I really enjoyed your series of videos on Barcelo Maya Grand Resort...I vacationed here in 2012 and stayed at Maya Beach...Best vacation I've ever had...the beach and the buffet meals were my favourites...I got up early every am and walked all the resorts...hearing the birds and the quiet was so pleasant...a week of no stress...staff was so pleasant and nightly entertainment was beyond fabulous...just a beautiful resort and plan to go back soon...I've tried other resorts on the Mayan Riviera but Barcelo is the best in my opinion...I'll always go for the less expensive at the Beach as the amount of time I spent in the room I can't see the need to pay more than what you get at the Beach...I did some walking in the jungle areas on the property and really enjoyed that...the gardens were so beautiful and well maintained...I have recommended others to go here and have all really enjoyed it.

[@steveryley3662]

You did a fantastic job on showing the resort. I will be going in November. Keep up the great videos

[@TheWBsTravelDiary]

A really helpful set of videos. Thank you for such a comprehensive review. We are going in June and these videos have been very helpful!

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

Thanks! I hope you have a great time.

[@gnucci3958]

Great video! I have been there many times and can"t wait to go back...

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

It says alot about how nice the resort is when so many people come back year after year.

[@mariegutierrez3090]

Was there in November and going back on July!! Love your videos ❤️

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

Nice! Hopefully you have a great time.

[@tomaszs9600]

Hej, dziękuję za informację o hotelu, super ważne informacje dla osób odwiedzających gości. Jutro tam się wybieram z rodziną. Dziękuję za profesjonalne filmy informacyjne. Pozdrawiam z Polski Tomek

[@chimpay3438]

I'll be going here December! I hope the sea turtles and creatures will all be there by then 😁 Super excited

[@camilo8cheryl]

I had endured watching all your vids😂👍 were heading there last week of august before school starts.. and we found out hotel prices got cheaper on those dates..the savings we got will be going to fund our day adventure trips👌

[@MikeTerry1969]

A great series of videos, it was very informative and I'm glad you took the time to film all that. It sounds like you are from Canada, so did you bring Candian dollars, American dollars, or did you bring pesos? Also, no talk about tipping in your videos, was that something that was expected either every meal, or once at the end of the stay? Did bartenders get tipped? Maids when they clean the room? Thanks again for the great videos!

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

Thanks! Glad you liked them. I live in the US, so I always had some USD with me but I usually try to have pesos with me. Pretty much everywhere will accept USD and some places will even take Euros/Pounds/Canadian dollars/etc. But I found if you pay with anything other than pesos, you usually get a worse exchange rate. I have a bank card with no extra exchange fees, so I usually just get local currency from a bank machine in any country I visit. If you go off-resort, many places are cash-only so its always helpful to have a few pesos with you. As far as tipping, the resort technically "includes gratuities" but in practice nearly everyone tips and it's usually expected you will tip. What I found to be most common when I was looking into all-inclusive resorts is that people usually tip their server at each meal, tip the people who clean the room (leave money on the pillow with a note), tip the person who restocks your minibar (leave money in the mini-bar), and tip the bartenders. Of course this can very a lot by person, especially since a lot of people visit from counties without tipping cultures.

[@donutcop5944]

Loved your video series! I've got the Barcelo Tropical booked for this August '21. I saw where you saw iguanas regularly, but did you see many other wild animals? Such as monkeys, coati's, etc? I know it's not supposed to be a zoo, but was hoping to see a few scurrying around once in awhile, besides just reptiles. Thanks!

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

Thanks! I didn't see any monkeys or many birds, but I did see some coatis hiding in the bushes. Most of my animal sightings on land were lizards and coatis. In the water, lots of different types of fish and some big sea turtles.

[@davegrimpe9052]

We have been to the Barcelo 8 times and going back May 21st with some GREAT FRIENDS. JUST LOVE ❤️ THE PLACE !!!!!

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

Nice! I wish I was there right now, it was so much fun. Hopefully you have another great time.

[@freethinkeralways]

@@FirsthandGlobetrotting Txs! We r going soon. Any advice on improving Wi-fi (kids still need to do school work) & also on covid tests to come back to US?

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

When I was there is was really bad, but honestly most people seem to say it's excellent, so I must have been unlucky. The resort has tests you can take (for a fee) at the resort. I'm not sure of the costs exactly, but I think they are around $30-50.

[@freethinkeralways]

@@FirsthandGlobetrotting Thank you so much! I'm usually unlucky with wifi as well... Not sure what to do- kids' university classes r online... Thank you for test info!

[@matchetman]

Watxhed almost all your videos and really found very informative. How or where would you recommend best way to research my stay here before going? The website for Barcelo is not very descriptive imo to say the least. Wether it be structure for reserving meals or day trips off site. Thanks again for your descriptions. My family and I go in a little over a month, and are staying at the Colonial too.

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

Thanks! I found the same thing when I was researching my trip - all the resorts' websites seemed similar and it was hard to figure out what things were actually like. I found asking people who had already gone was the best thing to get answers, but I had to explore the resort myself to really figure it out.

[@dobentiapon8481]

Hi you should check Iberostar paraiso Maya or Lindo I’m sure you’ll love it,, thanks for sharing your videos

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll have to check those out if I'm back again.

[@garethbayliss4097]

Great vids! I have 2 questions.. Would you recommend this resort for couples or just families with kids? Also do you see many iguanas on these resorts?

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

Thanks! I saw a pretty good mixture of couples, families with kids, and big family groups. For couples, the Riviera would be your best bet (no kids allowed), but honestly none of the hotels were really overrun with kids. Palace, Colonial, and Caribe all have bigger kids areas, so those ones are more likely to have families. For your second question, I saw iguanas pretty much every day.

[@garethbayliss4097]

@@FirsthandGlobetrotting thanks for your reply, I do have a phobia of iguanas!

[@GregBrown.Realtor]

I have seen your videos, very good... I have looked at others videos, I have not seen anything in regards to a specialty coffee shop. Is there any specialty coffee area in the resort?

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

You can get coffees of various types at the restaurants/grills, but there was no specialty coffee shop when I went.

[@Andrew-xo2sy]

Did you have a room key you had to show to the bar tender to get a drink every time or for the restaurant like a cruise

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

Everyone has a resort bracelet, so as long as they can see your bracelet you don't need to show anything else.

[@EternityGamesVids]

Note: If you stay at the Riviera hotel, you get unlimited reservations at A-la-cartes

[@khonlaola]

Great video! How much for WIFI?

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

I think it's currently free during the pandemic (since you need it to view menus). When I went it was $45 a week or $12 a day.

[@khonlaola]

@@FirsthandGlobetrotting Thanks so much for info.

[@terrycarlos2725]

What would be the best Barcelo resort for adults and teenagers?

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

That will depend on a few things. You won't be able to go to the Riviera since it's adults only. If you want the slightly fancier one, the Palace. If you are OK with the entry level ones, probably Beach if you love sandy beaches, Tropical if you like snorkeling (sea turtles next door at Palace). Colonial and Caribe both have bigger kids areas, so may not be as good for your family with teens (but they are closest to the mall, Mexican market, and a few of the extra cost activities).

[@adamwvase]

When were you at Barcelo?

[@FirsthandGlobetrotting]

I was there in early 2020

[@adamwvase]

@@FirsthandGlobetrotting Nice, I was there in 2019, but planning to go back this December. Its a great resort.

[@teamalcoy]

Hi ​@@adamwvase ! Mind sharing how was your experience during December? We are planning to go there mid to end of that month so would be nice getting a little feedback. Thanks!