Barcelo Puerto Vallarta - All Inclusive

Currently I DO NOT recommend this Hotel. I traveled with my family of 10 the week of 4/4/10 to 4/10/10. As soon as we arrived we started hearing stories about hotel guests getting sick. Well, they were not stories it was true. About 24 hrs into the trip our entire group of 10 got very sick vomiting,projectile diarrea, and severe abdominal pain. We all spent an entire day in bed and we all suffered various symptoms for the remainder of the trip and are to date. We spoke to MANY guests and EVERY person I spoke to had at least one or more family members sick. The hotel did not offer any explination or compensation. The staff did not acknowledge there was any problem at all, although they were helpful in cleaning up all the vomit and projectile diarrea messes and there were ALOT! My understanding is that this has been going on for about a month. In addition to getting sick, the group was eaten alive by bugs, leaving our arms and legs looking like we had the measels. As for the hotel property.....it is very scenic and clean. The rooms were nicely decorated and spacious. The staff was friendly and helpful. The pool was large and mosly clean but you have to grab a chair before 7am or you wont have a place to lay out!

The views were great service was good. but the food was average at best and I would say more than 70% of the resort got sick by weeks end. I had heard that this was going on for quite some time and they had the health department in for a look to determine the cause. It was miserable because there was always someone in our group ill. Don't bother upgrading to their "premium" club at this resort...it gives you NOTHING!

My wife and I looked forward to 10 days in the sun relaxing by the adult pool and enjoying each other. Our last stay at this resort was great and that is way we went again. However, we did get bug bites and the adult poor was no longer an adult pool. It was not fun to sit at the pool bar with kids all around you. Some of the staff were not very friendly and services was sometimes long. We will not be going back for another trip.

FYI this review is an utmost honest experience that we would like to take the time to describe because we would appreciate this type of information before our travel to any hotel. I hope this helps! The GOOD: the hotel is located in the quaint area of mismaloya - which if you want to be somewhat away from the busy city (near the PV airport), it is nice. It is somewhat secluded, with other hotels around of course. Considering the age of the hotel, the rooms are probably one of the nicest things about it; they are kept up very well and extremely spacious and comfortable. There are lots of activities on site, on a daily basis. There are also 4 pools, all very nice (one with a small waterfall and walkway above, another with a swim up bar). The drinks are NOT watered down, they have a good variety of alcohol (as opposed to only lower grade/ cheap alcohol), that being said however, they still do not have the top of the line if that is what you are looking for. There are lots of activities available, and a taxi is always a minute away if you want to go into town or go do something re: an activity. One of the best things we did was go horseback riding, it cost about $42/per person, for 3 hours of horseback riding and you go check out the predator set that was filmed in PV. It was really amazing, the gentlemen that took was (Chavez) was SUBERB!!!!!!! Also, Rhythms of the Night tour was really good. The BAD and the UGLY: although the staff is friendly, everything takes forever - which was surprising considering we were told that May is not a busy season. We ordered a soda during lunch, it came after I was done eating. We wanted guacomole because it was out, it came after we were done eating. Photos of the hotel are also much more beautiful than itself. It looks like a 4 or 4.5 star hotel on the website and online, but in person, I would say it is more like a 3.5 star hotel. Also, it is hard to find room to sit at the pool, especially later in the afternoon. The beach is also not very impressive, it is small filled with locals selling items, boats, and huts. The food is mediocre, with a small variety. One of the biggest issues (that I wish I would have known about before booking) was that the hotel does have 3 different dinner restaurants, 1 buffet restaurant, and then 2 bars. Depending on your stay, you can only make x amount of reservations at the hotel. For example, we stayed for 5 nights and we could only have dinner at the nicer restaurants 2x during our stay. As a result, we really got sick of the same buffet style food we were eating for breakfast, lunch, and DINNER! Our room wasn't ready until almost 2 hours after we arrived. I called ahead of time (2 months) and asked to be put in a room with a nice view as it was our first wedding anniversary, our view was mediocre a small ocean view and a view of the pool. It was our anniversary, we asked for wine, but a fruit platter (no wine) was brought instead. They brought a cheap sparkling wine the next day. You can get massages on the beach for $55 per couple, which are nice. But if you want deep tissue or something out of the ordinary, be sure to ask them about pricing because they will add on $15 bucks without first getting your consent if you for example mention that you have a lot of tension in a particular area. Getting a taxi from the hotel is the cheapest. For example, from the hotel we were charged almost $40 to our hotel. On the way back to the airport from hotel it was more like $25.

Hotel lost my reservation and created a headache for me and my wife that lasted 3 days. Hotel Customer Service was not helpful, could not offer telephone service and only wanted to charge me for extra nights. Great rooms, great pools, great staff (not front desk) location is nice![...] NO thank you hotel customer service!

nothing made sense at the buffet such as had Chinese noodles with Italian sauces. Staff at buffet and restaurants rude. If you said you did not speak Spanish they froze and made no comments. It was a disapointment from last visit. Maybe it was the season. The lobby staff was hit and miss. No conceirge available no matter what time it was.

We felt that there wasn't much to do at this resort. They had no activities for the kids, and the food was average at best. The beach was horrible, it was not sand at all, it was like a gravel beach.

If you are a first time traveler, or traveling with a family, you will probably like this place - for everyone else you may be a little disappointed. There is not much to do as the beach is very small and has more walking vendors than areas to relax. There are few events other than drinking - the town is an hour away and everything the hotel offers (kayakk, ping pong) closes at 5 every night. The food is average by all means. The room was upgraded to a large suite which was great, but there are so many children running around you really need to spend your time on your own patio or in your room to relax. No swimming after 10, lame events every night. If you want to do spa treatment, get dinner reservations, or any other activity - book early! Everything was filled up... so all you can do is sit around the crowded pool or dirty beach and drink. Drink drink drink. We went in mid-August and it was very crowded, no chairs at the pool, the buffet was a madhouse, etc. This is not a romantic spot if that is what you are looking for!

One of our most relaxing vacations ever. All inclusive a real plus. Pristenely maintained property including the beach. Staff was extremely helpful and attentive. Found the cross-training an intriguing concept in a Mexican resort. Glad to see some of our favorite service providers in different guises and performing all responsibilities well. Food selection extensive in the specialty restaurants and buffet, but proteins were consistently overcooked, underspiced and flavorless. Fresh vegetables were lacking or swimming in cream sauce, also underflavored. They presented well, but the best meal was breakfast with the availability of fresh tropical fruits (such a pain to peel), fresh juices and custom omelet bar. All in all a wonderful stay.

The food was ok. Staff was very friendly and rooms were very clean. It was a little ways from downtown so we stayed at the resort the majority of the time. The beach was pretty small and there wasn't much going on in the evenings but overall was a good experience. We definitely can't complain for the price.