We stayed at Barcelo Maya Beach from Jan 28 to Feb 2. The resort is massive, and as a guest, you have access to 4 or 5 hotels within the complex, meaning you can use their restaurants, bars, buffets, pools, beaches, lobbies, entertainment venues, and more. The hotel lobbies, gardens, and pools are absolutely stunning, with plenty of lush greenery.
The beach is beautiful! Bring water shoes because the water is murky for the first 200 feet (about 60 meters), and there are many underwater rocks. Stingrays also swim in the shallow areas—I even accidentally stepped on one, so be careful!
The downsides of the hotel: Not enough lounge chairs – This is the most frustrating issue. There are simply not enough loungers for all guests. People wake up before dawn just to place their towels and "reserve" chairs. By 8 AM, every lounger by the beach and pool was already taken. The problem is that many guests don’t actually show up until midday, leaving others without a place to sit. Meanwhile, there is plenty of space on the beach and around the pool for at least twice as many loungers, but for some reason, the hotel doesn’t provide enough.
Limited à la carte restaurant reservations – For our 5-night stay, we were only allowed 2 reservations at the à la carte restaurants.The food in these restaurants was almost the same as in the buffet. As for drinks, don’t expect high-quality cocktails. The hotel is worth it for the price, offering good value for money.The staff was very kind.