Barcelo Ixtapa

The hotel is very clean with a simple pool. Rooms are a bit dated but clean. The family suite is a great value but only one separate bedroom with two doubles so there's no privacy for parents. It is at the quieter end of the hotel which is nice. First time to Ixtapa and we'd definitely go back. Easy and safe to walk to restaurants and market. Much nicer than PV [Details]

It was okay, not much different from the other Hotels on that strip! [Details]

Our 4th time at this hotel; although it is older, it's always clean and well run. We spent 3 weeks instead of the usual 2 and it was wonderful. Pools are clean, amazing, very kid friendly. Yoga every morning in the garden! Excellent, large gym. Great pool deck!
Laura Madrigal in Premium reception Was amazing, so fun and very helpful! Waiter, Luis, in Premium and room service, excellent! Marcelo in Veranda restaurant very good. In Fontana we had excellent service from Leo and his “Mexican” coffee was delicious! Our maids kept our room spotless! Stayed in Premium Level— well worth the extra $$. [Details]

In short the Hotel is definitely showing it's age, reception upon arrival was terrible, over an hour wait to get room! sink was plugged on first day, we had to call two days in a row to fix it, toilet was running constantly and had to call also. Room had a terrible smell (217). Restaurants were all booked up the day we got there and some nights not even opened. Bikes for adults are falling apart, we had to rent across the street. Total mix up and information about wifi terrible, some got a week free some one day free and some of us had to pay! Wifi should be free!! I wanted to review my bill on last day to ensure it was correct (room Service) they told me that was not possible, I should call my air line carrier, this was ridiculous! One good thing was the over all staff was very pleasant, but front desk needs training! [Details]

Nice All Inclusive Hotel. Good variety of food and endless drinks poolside.
Super Laura's Magic Fingers registered us and checked us in to begin our stay.
Marcello and Marcelino in the Premium Lounge have the ability to make a complete stranger feel like family. [Details]

The A la carts were not good. The steak was like shoe leather, the Sushi place was not even worth a comment.
The aquasize was hit and miss, nobody canvassed for it. If you happened to see it in the pool then it was happening. [Details]

Great holiday, but waking up a 6am to get a chair is too much. One day all the chairs were reserved by 8am. Hotel is dated, but the walk-in rain shower was very nice. It is a very accessible hotel. The staff was outstanding! [Details]

The hotel was great. Staff was all very helpful. We particularly enjoyed Leo who worked the evening shift on the patio and disco. Everyone was very efficient and busy cleaning or tidying if they weren't helping guests. [Details]

Overall the hotel was great...one complaint we have is the beds were a bit on the hard as a rock side! Lol...we dont let things like that stop us from having fun though...the night time waiter deserves a top notch review...Leon you were fun, efficient and very informative...treated us like gold! [Details]

Older Hotel that is in need of updates, buffet selection is small, staff is very good, beech is excellent. Overall good value for the money spent but I would give an overall rating of 3.5 star hotel. [Details]

Overall had a good experience at the Barceló Ixtapa. Friendly staff, good food, nice pool and grounds and awesome beach! [Details]

Hotel itself was good, but the service level was below expectations. We also had problems with internet service. We had been advised it would be $2.00 US/day but it in fact was $12.oo = $18.00 per day which is excessive. [Details]

Pleasantly surprised with the facility. [Details]

The hotel is clean with very friendly staff check in to check out was very well organized.there was a wide variety of food to choose from. On the down side the bar service needs to be improved little to no servers on beach, pool areas and lobby during the day and only bar open is pool bar one day they had beach service and was wonderful when offered. Rooms are well kept and have in room safes Overall except for I feel a shortage of staff very nice place to stay with great views. [Details]

Very nice hotel and very beautiful sandy beach! I would come back. Food was great at buffets. Two things that were disappointing was that there was only 1 bar service at the beach and it took care of the swim up bar and small restaurant and anyone walking up for a drink. The bartenders were non- existent so you always needed to get your own drinks. I'm ok with that but it was always a long wait time. Staff was very friendly and courteous. This was a hotel that had a lot of seniors, couples and families. Weather was fantastic, lots of people in the ocean swimming, very clean beach front and fine sand. I would have liked free wifi, as it was at a cost of 30 peso/ day/ device with a coupon, if not was $13 / day. Except for bar service this hotel was very nice. [Details]

We have always enjoyed cruising but thought it would be nice to try an all-inclusive. Unfortunately Barcelo Ixtapa was an extremely disappointing experience.

Immediately upon arrival, we were forced to pay an 'upgrade' of 5390 pesos to get a king-size bed. I find it hard to believe that a hotel that large doesn't have any king-size beds unless you pay to stay on the 'premium' floor. In any other hotel, a king-size bed is not considered an upgrade but a choice!

The following morning, the shower pressure was almost nil and you couldn't regulate the water -- it was cold. Later that evening, we noticed the bathroom ceiling was leaking water. We called the front desk 3 times and each time the clerk hung up on us. We went to the front desk and were told that since it was going to take all night to fix the problem, we should relocate to another room. So at 11:00 p.m. we are packing up our belongings and moving. This room also had water issues -- again there was no pressure in the shower and each time you used the shower a flood would appear below the sink. We discussed the situation of both rooms with the front desk manager, Miguel Lopez, who told us that since nobody else was complaining, possibly 'we were the problem'. We brought him to the room so he could see the flooded floor and he said no problem -- there are plenty of towels to use to mop up the water. We were completely disgusted by his insulting attitude.

The so-called 'premium upgrade package' was almost non-existent. We were told that there was a 'beautiful premium exclusive lounge' on the 12th floor. In actual fact, this windowless lounge is on the 2nd floor with a low ceiling, 2 computers and a dirty white couch. We belong to the 'Sheraton' group and have stayed numerous times on the 'club' floors so we know how beautiful these lounges can be!

As far as the food is concerned, the only word to use is 'awful'. Your only choice 90% of the time is a buffet. There are 4 restaurants on site but unfortunately 3 of them were closed the majority of the time.

Contrary to what Miguel told us, we spoke to several guests and all of them had complained about the water problems, air conditioning, lack of choice as to which restaurant they wanted to go to, etc. and they had to be relocated to other rooms as well! Also, 2 senior staff told us that the hotel has been going steadily downhill during the last few years. [Details]

Mid November is a perfect time to visit this little piece of paradise. Great Hotel, with fabulous service and staff. Wonderful clean rooms and beautiful linens. This resort is older and smaller than others along this strip but that was part of its charm. Lots of Mexican families on the weekends but they were delightful. The weekdays are much quieter. There were two main restaurant options and a pool swim up bar and snack shack also for lunch options. Fabulous fresh salad bar and lots of choices for main meals. The Spanish Don Qiote and sushi bar restaurants were not open when we were there but we always found something to eat and breakfast had lots of choices. Xtapa and Zihuatenyo offer lots of entertainment and activities galore. These people are very proud of their culture and are well equipped for tourists. If your looking for exciting nightlife activities on resort, the Barcelo is not for you, but it suited us beautifully. Lovely grand piano and 3 piece band played every night until about 10pm. We met many people who return to this resort year after year. The only comment I had for them is that it would be nice if WiFi was included. You can get it but you have to pay for it. [Details]

I will give you a very unbiased review of hotel. Stayed in Mexico at least 8 times. I'll give the good then the not so good. Remember when you read these reviews, what do you want in a vacation. Also, the hotel was probably 30% full except for weekend when it was packed with locals which was fine with me. Never had a problem getting a chair, reservation or a drink.

Good. The beach is amazing which is very important to me. Both Azul hotels apparently do not have a good beach and that would ruin my vacation. The pools are awesome and there are a lot of them. No problem getting a chair on the beach or by the pool even when it was packed on the weekend. No 6am reserving chairs. Again this is important to me. It would ruin my vacation if I had to get up at 6am every morning and then sit by the chair for an hour like apparently you have to do at Sunscape Dorado. No problem getting drinks ever and what I wanted. We did the bike tour with the hotel which was a good orientation to Ixtapa.

Bad(but not really bad in my opinion)
The rooms are fine. We had a first floor room on the city side the first night. The only difference from our upgraded seventh floor oceanview room was they had taken out the tub and put in a walk in shower and the desk was bigger to fit both our luggage. That is it and the ninth floor is the same, saw a room there as well. Our bed was actually much softer on the first floor. Asked for a foam topper and they provided one. Never saw any mold or bugs. The AC never didn't get much colder than 22. It was cool but not as cold as I like it. You can hear people in hallways if they come home at 4AM but this is the same as any hotel. You can get King size beds with balcony now. Anyway the rooms are fine. We did not pay for oceanview with our tour company so upgraded for $38 a night which is cheaper than it would have cost with tour company.

Food: Many people complain about this being the worst part but I thought it was fine. Always could find something. They only had the "grill" open 3 of the 7 days we were there which was annoying because it was good. We ate at the Don Quixote restaurant 2 times and the first night it was amazing!!!! Had the pork and lamb and the waiter made Spanish coffee with fire at our table. They allowed us to bring our own wine because my wife thinks all wines at Mexican resorts are cat piss:) The second time at the restaurant was terrible. Took forever, food was cold, lamb was still good and steak was ok. Never filled our water etc. The best food was on Mexican night, Wednesday. We only ate at the buffett twice for dinner, again it was fine. They always had some fresh meat and salad. Ate out at El Faro and Armandos in Ixtapa, did the sunset cruise and went scuba diving.

So overall, rooms are fine, pools and beach awesome, drinks good, food is fine. If the food was amazing I would have given it 5 stars for a 4 star resort.

PS Go get a massage on the beach. It was 300 peso for two of us for an hour. Like $12 each and it was great!!!!!! [Details]

we have been to this resort 4 times and will be going back
Dinners are terrible both at the Ala carte and the buffet restraunt, so we go out [Details]

We spent a pleasant 14 days at the Barceló. Would go back any time. Older Resort in the process of upgrading all the rooms. 2 buffets offering a nice variety of meals. There was plenty of food. Always fresh! Really would appreciate free WiFi for all the guests. Very friendly staff (: [Details]

All was good, clean, friendly, helpful.
not very good water pressure in shower, depending on time of day trickle of water st times.
Lacking in A la carte restaurants. Don quiote only open Friday-Monday, Sushi small and not all likes this. la palapss only open Tues. and Thurs if you can get in. [Details]

According to other reviews, the 'concrete slab of a bed issue' has been addressed on the higher floors, but definitely hasn't happened on the 2nd floor yet. [Details]

I loved my stay at the Barcelo in Ixtapa. The staff were great; the air conditioning wasn't working in our room and they offered us another room immediately and even offered to help us move our belongings. The view was incredible with breathtaking sunsets; make sure you have dinner at The Sunset Grill where you can enjoy watching the sunset while eating freshly grilled steak, chicken, lobster and salmon.
Made-to-order omelettes for breakfast and the burgers at the poolside restaurant were delicious. For a very reasonable price, you can go parasailing right off the beach and have a one-hour massage in a grass hut while listening to the waves lapping on the shore. Everything was easy to get to; you knew your way around the place very quickly. The town is right there with a market and great restaurants and nightlife just down the street. Go outside and hop on a bus for 90 pesos to the old fishing village of Zihuatanejo with a huge market where you can get great deals. I would highly recommend the Barcelo Ixtapa for a holiday for singles, families and couples alike. [Details]

This Barceló may not be as new and opulent as some of their other properties but it is still a great resort. The pool area and beach being just steps away from the hotel was the highlight, as well as being right across the street from a market and many cool restaurants and bars. Likely the best thing about this area is the weather, 32 every day, ocean is very warm, felt safe on and off resort. [Details]

Considering the hotel was built in the 70's I think that is was quite lovely. The room was adequate, although the tiny bathroom showes it's age. There was no air conditioning, just a room fan and that didn't quite get rid of the dampness. The beds were excellent. The view was amazing. The noise from the lobby/buffet traveled up the open space (all the way up the 12 floors). Beautiful clean pool and grounds. Amazing staff. Loved all the Mexican families - lots of them. Air Canda rep was very helpful.
Good vacation overall. [Details]

We still like arriving at the Barcelo,so professional and polite great atmosphere,acommadition and such friendly staff.Hard to believe the food selection at the buffets has got even better,around the pool and the swim up bar service still very efficent.Ixtapa,very clean and not too many annoying pushy time share advocates,enjoy walking around and jumping on the local bus for a fun trip to the mmarina or to down town zihuatanejo,we will be back and why not,great hotel,great staff and never saw any unhappy guests,one more little detail the weather was fantastic!! [Details]

Nice staff generally food needs big improvement Place is as shown on website very beautiful gorgeous views shopping is close though not great. [Details]

Rooms were nice except bathroon needed repairs, air conditioning barely worked, inside buffet did not have much selection. weather and grounds were beautiful [Details]

Ixtapa is my favorite destination in Mexico. You can count on the weather being hot and sunny. The beach and sunsets are to die for. The food was inconsistent on this trip. It started out poor but improved during the week we were there. We will go back if the food reports are favorable in the future. [Details]

This was the 2nd time we've stayed at the Barcelo Ixtapa Beach Resort, and we really enjoy this place. The beach is fantastic, as is the pool area. The food, service and cleanliness is incredible. There was always someone there to serve you and always cleaning and polishing going on. The only complaint I had were with the rooms -- the glass cover on one of the lights by the bathroom sink was broken and just sitting there. The closet door kept running off of its track. The beds in our room were something between a double and a queen size -- too tight for both of us to sleep together. So we slept in separate beds. The rooms could do with a bit of updating and repair, but not that big of a deal because we were out having fun, and only in the room to sleep and shower. I'd be back, Definitely !! [Details]