Barcelo Puerto Vallarta

Nice place. Spent quality of time. Staff was great all the time. [Details]

Disappointed would be an understatement for the Barcelo Resort. My family and I were looking forward to experiencing a vacation that was long overdue.
To start, I would rate the food as a 0 star, it was rotated throughout the restaurants, was not fresh or hot and 5 out of 8 family members experienced food poisoning which ruined the majority of our vacation. When I advised the staff at the front desk, they didn't seem to care the slightest.

The beach area had very limited seating and you're unable to take a few steps without being approached by vendors daily. The ocean front property is also a parking lot for all of the boats, which impacts those who like to swim, kayak, paddle board etc.

The staff at the resort were not friendly and it seemed as though the tourists were more of an inconvenience. My family and I have been to 8 different resorts in Mexico over the years and this was by far the worst experience I have ever had! This experience has brought us to the point that we will be changing our choice in destination for moving forward and would never recommend going to the Barcelo Resort to others. [Details]

The view was great from the 9th floor, could see all of pool area, boats in the bay, lots to watch. Rooms were clean & food was good. Staff was always very helpful and friendly. [Details]

Our room was extremely spacious and comfortable. The mini fridge was stocked daily with beer/soda, chips and peanuts.
We chose to only eat at the buffet area for dinner as there was always enough choices. The snack bar had many food choices also which was nice.
We did not have to walk very far to access all that the resort had to offer. The only issue is that when the floors are wet in the hallways it is extremely slippery. I almost fell twice and did see someone slam down hard on their backside. [Details]

Grounds are pretty, Pools are nice, rooms are great!
Service around the pool is slow and what you ordered either didn't come or wasn't correct.
The food is maybe a 3/10. The Italian was terrible food, Spanish was good and service in there was top notch. The buffet was scary most days, the chef doing the eggs could wear gloves, she was touching everything and using her hands to touch peoples food. Not good at all!
I did not like how you have to book the restaurants only 1 per day. It's a pain, we're on vacation we don't want something becoming a job. Just let people book them all at the same time. You only get 3 anyways.
The bugs are horrible!!!!!! Still recovering from being eaten alive. I know there's not much you can do but I have never had this issue anywhere else in my 15 years of traveling to PV Mexico.
I found some staff not friendly or overly thrilled to be there. You could tell they hated what they were doing. Usually that's a management issue in my opinion. Check in and out was efficient and smooth. Went for a massage at the spa and I can say it was good but over priced.
I am usually a big tipper and I came home with money this time. Tipping was not deserved most of the week.
They say they offer WIFI but you will will not have a connection ever.

I would not return to the Barcelo. [Details]

We arrived to a beautiful resort. Lovely entry and reception area. We were treated to champagne! At the reception we were given our bracelets and welcomed. Some paperwork and almost had room keys when my husband and I were told he had given us the wrong colour bracelet. We quickly found out we had a lesser tier at the resort. We had those bracelets cut off. We later found out this meant alacarte meals for us could only be after 9 , we had no access to decent wifi and we could only be served generic drinks. No Bacardi or real Bailey's. Our room was huge. 2 living room areas. A large bathroom and shower. Upon being in the room for a few minutes, I could see the bathroom was very dirty. Crud around the bottom of the toilet. Splash marks on mirror and the vanity cabinets were covered in spots, drips and toothpaste etc.
The entire resort was so dirty. Lack of cleaning up puke. The stairs to our room had the same puke not mopped the entire time we were there. The chairs and table by the pools had stuff stuck all over them and the concrete area around the pool wasn't cleaned once. I could see the same spots and crumbs the entire week.
Food was seeming of decent quality but never cooked right. Always over cooked aside from one nights pink chicken. Food was brought out from the back kitchen already cold. It was hard for guests to find something good to eat. This was heard from other guests too.
Wifi wasn't good enough for me to do my work. Had I known this, I'd never had gone there. [Details]

This was our second trip to this resort. It was as good this time as the last as we extended our trip by 3 days to 10 days. Weather was consistently hot and sunny. Resort staff was competent and helpful. Trip on the bus into downtown PV was a great experience as was the shopping on the "boardwalk". Overall a really enjoyable and restful way to get back into travel after the pandemic. [Details]

Had a very nice time [Details]

Amazing views and rooms. Above our expectations with how nice the rooms were. Food needs some work and it would be nice if there was another bar area [Details]

The staff were amazing, the resort was very clean, but the food was less than spectacular [Details]

Overall, the Resort is nice. One major issue - Example: When we approached either the front desk, concierge, excursion representative or premium lounge representative - quite often we were bounced around to another one of these representatives, as the representatives either didn't have the answer or didn't care to find the answer for you. As Premium level guests, we were NOT informed of all of the Premium-level benefits. We found out a lot of other services from other people we met at the resort, in the pool, etc. For instance, as a Premium level feature, there was a complimentary excursion with shuttle service to and from Puerto Vallarta for the day. We were never told about this & found out by chance, from some people we met in the resort. Also as Premium-level guests, all purchases from the convenience store in the resort had a 10% discount. We made 2 or 3 purchases there before one of the store employees informed us of this discount! As far as the drinks, the Premium level information sheet indicated we would get Premium brands of liquor, but we did not. Only if you tipped 'substantially', would you get something other than the regular bar liquor. The excursions were very nice, but again - more information (more 'clear' information) and communication of the excursion details would have improved the experience. The information provided at time of booking versus the information at the actual excursion varied significantly at all 3 excursions we attended. In general, most of the staff are excellent & very pleasant. The pool could be cleaner. Pool deck especially - we often seen Iguanas 'voiding' themselves. The pool deck was quite dirty. Booking reservations for the Restaurants was quite difficult and could use improvement. Food was overall good, but temperature was often just lukewarm and not hot. This raises sanitation and health concerns. Wi-Fi is poor. On the last night of our stay, the power in the resort went out for 12 hours or so. The standby generators were VERY loud. We walked down 8 flights of stairs to ask the front desk what was happening - they provided no answers. When we left to check out, we had to carry our luggage down 8 flights of stairs, as the elevators were still out of service. Housekeeping was good in general, but all products and drinks were not replenished consistently. Even after leaving a substantial tip, we still had to ask for an item or two that was not provided. Room service meals were okay, but could use some improvement also. The burgers were very good, though. The Activities in the resort were very good - the staff were very friendly & excellent overall! We had fun kayaking which was included but would be great if the Resort invested in a couple of paddle boards as you had to walk down the beach and rent them. The evening theatre shows were quite good. Please provide information to arriving guests about the sand flies! We were unaware of this, and as we sat out on our balcony the first night, we received horrible bites on our legs! They became very itchy and uncomfortable. We only noticed ONE information poster on this in the entire resort & it was tucked at the end of the desk at the Premium level lounge. No one had mentioned this to us. Fortunately, the convenience store carried repellant for these flies. [Details]

Deluxe suite was beautiful - separate sitting area with single sofa and chairs, and TV. King bed, sofabed in sleeping area with 2nd flatscreen TV. Spacious shower and bathroom. The service at this resort is great and staff are very friendly and accommodating. Food was very good too. Definitely recommend this resort. [Details]

Everything was great. This was our fifth time at this Barceló so that pretty much sums up our experience. We will be considering a sixth time possibly. [Details]

This was my first excursion to Puerto Vallarta. I've stayed at the Barcelo in Cancun and had a much better "resort experience," but after doing some research, I think this may be due to the differences in focus on tourism and tourism culture between the two cities.

The suite was decently clean. The sheets smelled a little musty, probably because of the humidity. They changed our room for us because our room's smell worsened throughout the stay. The second room's duvet had makeup smudges on it and neither of us wore makeup.

My partner and I found that they often refill water bottles and give them to you as new bottles. The taste was inconsistent, seals were broken, and my partner ended up with a coldsore. However, we found this to common everywhere, including restaurants.

The food is less than decent. I ended up sticking to the traditionally Mexican dishes in the buffet, as the more "North American" dishes in the reservation-only restaurants were not up to our standards - meat was often overcooked or undercooked, and sometimes dishes were reheated. The cheese and meat board selections were miserable. The wine list is meagre. However, the broths and soups were excellent.

In general, PV is not a foodie's paradise except in the neighbourhood "Zona Romantica."

The staff is courteous. Sometimes service was slow or not there yet. The concierge was supposed to open at 9am. I suppose they operate on the local feel of time and this might be the same in all the resorts. Concierge was often late. There is only one person at the desk.

The part of the beach bordering the ocean is shared with the public, and I found this to be common in PV, whereas in Cancun you get your own private section of the beach. This opens up hawkers to constantly walk up and down the beaches selling things and a less clean beach.

Next time, I will try staying in a hotel closer to town so we can eat better. Who knows, service might be like this everywhere. PV is great! [Details]

We chose the right hotel for the Grandma as I like to be out of town and more into the country, Quick all inclusive trip. Only complaint I had is because of a lock malfunction we were locked outof our room for 14 plus hours, They did give us another room but we didn't have pj's. toothbrushes, medications, etc--nor did they adjust the bill, I complained to the concierge who promised me an upgrade on my next stay--probably never to be used as I like to go to the next place. They could have made me happy with an amenity package of some kind or something along that line. I did not let this colour my view of the place. Service was great and I don't think the upgrade was at all necessary. I had tried to get the Hard Rock hotel but it was booked and it probably would have been more appropriate for my grandkid but we both enjoyed the shows ( a surprise for me as I find that kind of stuff cringeworthy) and she went dancing every night, The Capri was, IMHO, the best restaurant, like Los Arcos and found Don Quixote to be adequate. The snack shop with the fresh tacos at lunch was fab. The place was clean and it was perfectly fine to visit a hotel I was last at over 30 years ago. Yes, it does need some touch up but a very solid hotel. It is not a 5 star but I'd rate it a 4 though it will have to strive to keep up with today's worldy traveller, For the price--I liked it. [Details]

...great service, great food and atmosphere. [Details]

We were totally looked after at this hotel. Staff was friendly and very helpful. [Details]

great food ,super service [Details]

Hotel was very nice. Clean, well looked after, nice grounds, etc! [Details]

would recommend, would stay again. [Details]

This is a great resort. Its smaller then most, which I enjoyed and the people that work here are wonderful. Hats off to Pablo, Blanca and Anthony.
The rooms are generous in size and clean.
The buffet was very good and the Ala Cartes were also very good.
All in all a great resort. The second Barceló my wife and I have stayed at and they don't disappoint. [Details]

The hotel was your typical Mexican resort. We enjoyed the weather and the day time activities at pool side. The internet was slow at best and could not connect in my room so laptops are not recommended. We were told that men had to wear long pants (not dress shorts and collared shirts) in the restaurant but saw men being allowed in with shorts and women with cut off jean shorts being allowed in. The best food theme night was the Chinese night. Overall enjoyed our stay but would probably not return for the price we paid.

Steve [Details]

The hotel is beautiful and very clean. The rooms were extremely spacious. The staff were excellent. The restaurants were clean and had an abundance of food choices. Had your choice of several bars. The weather was great, no mosquitoes but lots of little black biting flies(No See Ums) [Details]

Overall I would rate this resort as good. We paid for premium club and don't think it was worth the extra money - only real benefit was the Internet and the unlimited a la carts. Food at the buffet was really good for breakfast but would not recommend eating other meals there as the choices were vey limited. However, all the a la carts very excellent. Beds are comfortable, rooms very clean and the pools clean and warm. We did notice on check in that the staff at the premium club need to be more attentive to the customer in front of them, not just get up and leave to do.......also they need to speak A little slower , often was hard to understand what they were saying. [Details]

We had a great stay at Barcelo Puerto Vallarta. The rooms were huge and really nice and the views were beautiful. We upgraded our room and stayed on the 9th floor with an amazing view of the ocean. The food was better than most typical all inclusive buffets but the a la carte food was excellent. The staff was friendly and service was great.The only disappointments were no internet in the rooms and the beach. Not for the small size, but for the biting sand flies and the large drop off in the water. We walked along the beach for about 10 minutes and I got two bites on my ankle and my husband got about 5. Which wasn't too bad until a few days later they swelled up and became extremely itchy. Luckily I had read the reviews prior to our trip and I brought some anti-itch gel. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this resort. [Details]

You can't go wrong with this hotel. This was our second time back to this hotel and both times I have been completely satisfied with our stay. If I return to PV I will be staying here again. [Details]

Very nicer hotel. Room was beyond our expectation. Staff very friendly and helpfull. Had a great time [Details]

Beautiful location nestled in the mountainous jungle of Mismaloya...we liked that it was a little more secluded than the fast pace hotel zone...we were there to relax and it was a very beautiful place to do just that [Details]

Beyond expectation. Feel very safe. Lots to do during the day. Clean and the hotel is well maintained everyday, floors & washrooms. Late check out can take shower at gym with clean & good supply of towels & necessity.Excellent weather daily. [Details]

About an hour by coach from airport, but well worth that drive. Hotel views were great, room was clean and well looked after. The food was great, only having 3 a la carte restaurants was not an issue, the buffet was always well stocked, lots of variety. The snack shack was great. The premium lounge was wonderful and the staff were very helpful and friendly. Josephina, looked after our room daily and made sure everything was in order. Our only criticism would be that we needed more bottled water in our room. [Details]