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Which Barceló resort is the best?

All 17 open, scored Barceló resorts, ranked

There is no single best Barceló for every trip. These lead the list on one fact each:

The Barceló chain guide How we score

Which Barceló resort fits your trip?

Answer any of these, skip the rest. Tick must-have and a resort that cannot confirm it drops out. The full ranking is below.

Who's going
At the beach
Atmosphere
Airport transfer
Room

Choose an answer to see matching resorts.

How the matching works

Each answer is checked against one recorded fact: whether children are welcome, sea conditions, snorkeling from the beach, the evening atmosphere, the airport drive in minutes, and the room categories each resort sells. A fact that is not recorded never counts as a match; it shows as Confirm. Resorts that meet more of your answers come first, then those with fewer clear misses, then fewer to confirm; ties keep the recommended order of the ranking below. Room types are categories you book, not features of every stay. Beach conditions and seaweed change with weather and season. Palmprint scores are not part of the match.

Barceló resorts, ranked best to worst

Michelle's Picks come first; the rest follow by our score and guest ratings.

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17 Barceló resorts shown. Sorted by Our picks.

  1. Aerial view of Barceló Maya Palace resort showing blue pool complex, palm-lined grounds, beachfront buildings, and Caribbean Sea.

    Photo: It's All Inclusive

    1. Barceló Maya Palace - All Inclusive

    Xpu-Há, Mexico

    • Family holidays
    8.8our score
    4.9/552,311 reviews

    Why choose it: All-suite room inventory.

    Keep in mind: Large resort scale creates walking-distance and crowding tradeoffs.

    More about this resort

    Barcelo Maya Palace is the all-suite family resort of the Barcelo Maya Grand complex on the Riviera Maya, for families who want space. The run of a whole resort estate comes with it. It is about 75 minutes from Cancun's airport, with three pools, a children's water park, six restaurants inside the plan and access to the facilities of several sister hotels along the same beach. Every room is a suite, which is what separates it from its neighbours in the complex. Guests praise the suite-sized rooms, the pools and the family amenities, the beach and the marine life, and the access to the other Barcelo Maya resorts. The complaints are the walking distances and the scale, a beach with rocks, seaweed and variable entry, friction over restaurant bookings and crowding at peak season. The thing people wish they had known is that the size is a real obstacle for anyone with limited mobility, and that the beach is loved and uneven in the same reviews. The plan covers the six restaurants of the Barcelo All-Inclusive programme, Wi-Fi, the mini-club for ages four to twelve and the children's water park, with dine-around at the sister resorts; the airport transfer is a paid private car. The Junior Suite sleeps five at 45 square metres and the Family Junior Suite doubles that, and the Premium Level oceanfront suites, at 127 and 180 square metres, are where the money shows. Couples after quiet should look at the adults-only Riviera hotel in the same complex.

    From
    $126/night pp
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  2. Large outdoor pool reflecting a modern beige resort building with palm trees under clear blue sky.

    Photo: It's All Inclusive

    2. Barceló Maya Riviera - All Inclusive Adults Only

    Xpu-Ha, Mexico

    • Romantic breaks
    • Quiet escapes
    8.7our score
    4.9/544,055 reviews

    Why choose it: Large, modern adults-only resort with spacious suite-style rooms.

    Keep in mind: Not Cancun proper and not walkable to a town center.

    More about this resort

    Barcelo Maya Riviera is the adults-only section of the Barcelo Maya Grand complex, for couples who want a modern suite and a polished atmosphere. The dining of a whole resort estate comes with it. It sits at Xpu-Ha on the Riviera Maya, about 75 minutes from Cancun's airport, with 850 rooms that are all junior suites or suites with terraces and hydromassage tubs, 110 of them with a private pool. It is not a small resort; it is a quiet one inside a very large one. Guests praise the spacious modern rooms and the ocean views, the food and the restaurant variety, the clean, relaxed adults-only mood, the pools and the loungers, and the access to the wider complex. The complaints are sargassum on the beach in season, room service that costs extra outside Premium Level, reservations and dress codes at the a la carte restaurants, and the distances across the estate. The thing people wish they had known is that the adults-only calm ends at the resort's own boundary: the sister hotels are family resorts. The plan covers the on-site buffet, the four gourmet a la carte restaurants and five bars, a stocked minibar, water sports and scuba lessons, and unlimited dine-around across the complex's other restaurants; the U-Spa, room service for non-Premium guests and the airport transfer are extra, and top-shelf spirits come with Premium Level. The Junior Suite Ocean Front is the value room and a Premium Level swim-up suite the one worth paying for. Anyone who wants nightlife every night should look to the Hotel Zone.

    From
    $168/night pp
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  4. Multi-story white resort building with curved pool and lounge chairs on patio under clear blue sky.

    Photo: It's All Inclusive

    4. Barceló Santiago - Adults Only

    Puerto de Santiago, Spain

    • Romantic breaks
    • Quiet escapes
    8.5our score
    4.4/55,542 reviews

    Why choose it: Excellent scenic setting.

    Keep in mind: Not directly on a sandy beach.

    More about this resort

    Barcelo Santiago is an adults-only cliff-top hotel on the west coast of Tenerife, for couples who want the view of the Los Gigantes cliffs and the sea. A beach beneath the room is not on offer. It is a four-star with 407 rooms, three pools including an infinity pool, a buffet, an a la carte Mediterranean restaurant, a gastropool bar and a theatre bar, with all-inclusive sold as a board option rather than the only rate. The nearest beach is a short walk, and the village below is quiet. Guests praise the views of the cliffs and the ocean, the adults-only calm, the pool decks and the infinity pool, and the buffet variety. The complaints are sunbed availability and towel saving, rooms that read as dated or basic in places, and charges outside the plan. The thing people wish they had known is that the setting is the reason to book, that the area is quieter than Tenerife's party resorts, and that the sand is a stroll away rather than in view of the bed. The all-inclusive board, when chosen, covers the buffet meals, snacks and selected drinks with premium alcoholic beverages included, gratuities and Wi-Fi; spa treatments and hydrotherapy and the airport transfer are extra, and a la carte access varies. Choose a sea-view category, because a garden view here wastes the reason for coming, and the Junior Suite is the only room with real space. Anyone who wants a sandy beach resort should look to the south of the island.

    From
    $157/night pp
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  5. Barceló Maya Tropical Convention Center exterior with stone facade, yellow canopy, palm trees, and landscaped grounds under clear sky.

    Photo: It's All Inclusive

    5. Barceló Maya Tropical - All Inclusive

    Xpu-Há, Mexico

    • Family holidays
    8.3our score
    4.9/526,801 reviews

    Why choose it: Large, highly amenitized all-inclusive complex with multiple pools and four-hotel access.

    Keep in mind: The complex is large and can involve walking or shuttle movement.

    More about this resort

    Barcelo Maya Tropical is a family all-inclusive on the Riviera Maya, for families who want the run of four resorts on one wristband. It is about 75 minutes from Cancun's airport, with 478 rooms of its own and access to the whole Barcelo Maya Grand complex: eleven pools between the four hotels, a water park, and four restaurants and four bars on this side. The beach, and the snorkelling straight off it, is better than most resorts this size manage. Guests praise the pool and beach complex, the family amenities and children's activities, and the snorkelling in the shallow water. The complaints are the friction of specialty restaurant reservations and length-of-stay vouchers, confusion over which of the four hotels a booking lands in, and competition for chairs at peak periods. The thing people wish they had known is that booking Tropical is not the run of every Barcelo Maya property, because the Palace and the Riviera keep rules of their own. The plan is the stay-at-one, enjoy-four programme across the Beach, Caribe, Colonial and Tropical hotels, with a minibar restocked daily, Wi-Fi and the Barcy Kids Club for ages four to twelve; the U-Spa, the airport transfer and the motorised water sports are extra, and room service and the specialty restaurant vouchers depend on Premium Level or on the length of the stay. The Superior Room is the value category for a family living at the pools and the Family Room sleeps five, while the 55-square-metre Junior Suite Ocean Front Premium Level is the room that buys position and service. Anyone who wants a compact resort should look further down the coast.

    From
    $113/night pp
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  7. Oceanfront dining terrace with wicker chairs and blue-topped tables overlooking turquoise water, palm trees, and rocky outcroppings at Barceló Bávaro Palace.

    Photo: It's All Inclusive

    7. Barceló Bávaro Palace

    Bávaro, Dominican Republic

    • Family holidays
    • Lively evenings
    8.3our score
    4.7/562,597 reviews

    Why choose it: Excellent Bávaro Beach setting with calm, reef-protected water.

    Keep in mind: Service is a recurring complaint across guest sources.

    More about this resort

    Barcelo Bavaro Palace is a very large family all-inclusive on Bavaro Beach, for families who want wide sand, four pools and a water park. It is about 20 minutes from Punta Cana's airport, with 1,402 rooms, eleven restaurants, fourteen bars, a golf course and a casino, and more than a thousand of those rooms carry a terrace jacuzzi. The beach rates higher with guests than the food or the service does, and by a clear margin. Guests praise the Bavaro Beach setting, the pools and the grounds, the family facilities and the water parks, the large rooms and the sheer variety. The complaints are service inconsistency, food quality, crowding and the logistics of a resort this size, and maintenance in rooms and public areas. The thing people wish they had known is that room location and internal transport shape the stay, and that the better placements and services are often tied to Premium Level. The plan covers eight a la carte restaurants and three buffets, the bars on domestic brands with a selection of international ones, a stocked minibar, Wi-Fi, the Barcy miniclub and teen club, the Barcy water park and the non-motorised water sports; La Comedie carries a surcharge unless you hold Premium Level, room service and top-shelf pours come with that tier, and the Pirates Island water park, the spa and the airport transfer are extra. Book the a la carte tables on arrival day. A Premium Level seafront junior suite answers several of the common complaints at once. Anyone who wants a small resort should book almost anywhere else in Punta Cana.

    From
    $92/night pp
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  10. Central courtyard at dusk with thatched-roof pavilion, fountain, palm trees, lit shops, and orange colonial-style buildings surrounding the plaza.

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    10. Barceló Maya Colonial - All Inclusive

    Xpu-Há, Mexico

    • Family holidays
    • Active holidays
    8.2our score
    4.8/532,070 reviews

    Why choose it: Excellent family activity infrastructure.

    Keep in mind: Room service costs extra.

    More about this resort

    Barcelo Maya Colonial is a family all-inclusive inside the Barcelo Maya Grand complex on the Riviera Maya, for families who want a big, busy resort. The run of its neighbours comes with it. It is about an hour from Cancun's airport, with six pools, a children's water park, two specialty restaurants, a buffet and a snack grill, and access to the pools, beaches and restaurants of the sister hotels along the same shore. The scale is the product and the walking is the price. Guests praise the family activities and the water park, the pools, the run of the whole complex and the snorkelling when the sea cooperates. The complaints are food that arrives lukewarm and varies day to day, service consistency, a beach with rocky sections and seasonal seaweed, and the distances between one thing and the next. The thing people wish they had known is that room service costs extra, and that water shoes make the rockier stretches of beach usable. The plan covers the buffet, the snack grill and the two specialty restaurants with reservations, the kids' club and Wi-Fi, and it extends across the complex's other hotels; room service is charged, and the airport transfer is a paid private car. The Superior room sleeps four at 38 square metres and the Family Room sleeps five at 68, which is the size jump that matters with children. Couples after quiet should look at the adults-only Riviera hotel in the same complex.

    From
    $121/night pp
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  11. Resort pool with white umbrellas and lounge chairs, palm trees, and a multi-story hotel building backed by green mountains.

    Photo: It's All Inclusive

    11. Barceló Puerto Vallarta

    Mismaloya, Mexico

    • Active holidays
    • Family holidays
    8.1our score
    4.5/512,830 reviews

    Why choose it: Scenic Mismaloya beach-and-mountain setting.

    Keep in mind: Food feedback is inconsistent.

    More about this resort

    Barcelo Puerto Vallarta is a suite-sized all-inclusive in the Mismaloya cove, for families who want jungle and mountains behind the beach. It has 316 rooms, four pools with a swim-up bar and four restaurants, in a cove south of the city where the bay dampens the Pacific swell and the coral sits close enough to snorkel from shore. Every room is suite-sized at 68 square metres or more. Guests praise the Mismaloya setting with its ocean and mountain views, the size of the rooms, the pools and the swim-up bar, and the Premium Level lounge and room-service perks. The complaints are food variety and quality, front-desk and service inconsistency, air conditioning and maintenance, and the distance from central Puerto Vallarta. The thing people wish they had known is that Premium Level ties the unlimited specialty restaurants and the room service to itself, so the tier changes the stay more than the room does. The plan covers the restaurants and bars, Wi-Fi, a minibar and the children's programme, with the unlimited specialty dining and the room service belonging to Premium Level; the spa is extra, and the airport transfer is a shuttle on request at about 75 US dollars a vehicle return. Compare a base Suite Deluxe against the Premium Level version before booking, because the footprint is the same 68 square metres and the inclusions are not. The Family category splits two bedrooms with their own bathrooms. Anyone who wants to walk into town should stay closer to the Malecon.

    From
    $78/night pp
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  12. Resort golf course with stone features and tropical vegetation bordering manicured lawn, white buildings with terracotta roofs visible beyond.

    Photo: It's All Inclusive

    12. Occidental at Xcaret Destination

    Playa del Carmen, Mexico

    • Active holidays
    • Family holidays
    8.0our score
    4.7/540,206 reviews

    Why choose it: Excellent protected cove beach

    Keep in mind: Dinner reservations are a recurring pain point

    More about this resort

    Occidental at Xcaret Destination is a large family all-inclusive on a protected cove, for families who want Xcaret Park next door at a lower price. It is about 55 minutes from Cancun's airport, with 765 rooms, eleven restaurants, eleven bars and seven pools, in grounds full enough of wildlife that guests talk about the animals as much as the beach. That cove is the differentiator: sheltered, scenic and far less exposed to sargassum than the open Riviera Maya. Guests praise the cove, the jungle-like grounds and their wildlife, the walk to Xcaret Park, and the pools and the family layout. The complaints are a dinner reservation process people find genuinely frustrating, food that varies by venue and room category, rooms that feel dated, and check-in and service that are not consistent. The thing people wish they had known is that this is not Hotel Xcaret Mexico, so park access depends on the Unlimited Xcaret Xperience package or separate tickets. The plan covers the two buffets, the specialty restaurants and the snack venues, the national drinks, taxes and tips, a minibar refilled every second day, Wi-Fi, the kids' club for ages four to twelve and the non-motorised water sports; the spa is charged, room service is limited, park access beyond the package is extra, and the free airport transfer applies only to a promotional offer of five nights or more. Royal Level is where the food and the service improve. The 47-square-metre Junior Suite separates the living room from the bedroom. Anyone who wants polish should compare the Riviera Maya's newer resorts.

    From
    $75/night pp
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  13. White bungalow with pergola shading a patio, lounge chair on lawn, palm trees and resort buildings visible under blue sky.

    Photo: It's All Inclusive

    13. Occidental Punta Cana

    Bávaro, Dominican Republic

    • Lively evenings
    • Family holidays
    8.0our score
    4.6/540,573 reviews

    Why choose it: Direct beachfront location on El Cortecito Beach.

    Keep in mind: Food is often described as average or inconsistent, especially buffet quality.

    More about this resort

    Occidental Punta Cana is a big, busy all-inclusive on El Cortecito Beach, for people who want beach, pools and a nightclub at a fair price. It is about 30 minutes from Punta Cana's airport, with 860 rooms, eleven restaurants, ten bars, three lagoon pools with swim-up bars, and the Mangu nightclub. The beach and the pools rate far higher with guests than the food or the rooms, which is the trade this resort asks you to make. Guests praise the beach and the oceanfront setting, the pools and the swim-up bar, the entertainment and the nightlife, the staff and the value. The complaints are food consistency, room humidity and maintenance, cleanliness that varies, service that is warm but uneven, and mosquitoes and crowding. The thing people wish they had known is that Royal Level noticeably improves the food, the beach area and the service, and that the resort is entertainment-led rather than quiet. The plan covers the two buffets, the seven a la carte specialty restaurants and the two snack venues, domestic and imported drinks from 11am to 2am, a stocked mini-fridge, the mini club for ages four to twelve with a teen club, and the kayaks, windsurfing and snorkelling gear; in-room Wi-Fi is charged outside Royal Level, which is unusual for a resort this size, and the spa and the airport shuttle are extra. Royal Level buys private check-in, a private beach area, premium drinks and preferential restaurant booking. The 41-square-metre Superior Ocean Front is the room with the view. Anyone who wants quiet should look up the coast.

    From
    $64/night pp
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  16. Turquoise pool with blue cabana structure, palm trees, and rocky landscaping at Barceló Aruba.

    Photo: It's All Inclusive

    16. Barceló Aruba - All Inclusive

    Palm Beach, Aruba

    • Romantic breaks
    • Family holidays
    7.9our score
    4.5/58,386 reviews

    Why choose it: Excellent Palm Beach beachfront location.

    Keep in mind: Rooms and some facilities are repeatedly described as dated or in need of upgrades.

    More about this resort

    Barcelo Aruba is a location-first all-inclusive on Palm Beach, for couples and families who want Aruba's calmest sand and a walkable strip. A new room is not what it offers. It is about 20 minutes from the airport, on the high-rise beach with restaurants, shops, casinos and nightlife within a stroll, with 373 rooms, seven restaurants, three bars and one pool. The beach is the star and the resort is the base for it. Guests praise the Palm Beach position and the calm, swimmable water, the friendliness of the staff, the walkability and the Royal Level service. The complaints are dated rooms and older furnishings, buffet repetition and difficulty booking the specialty restaurants, competition for pool chairs, and a gap between the marketing and a five-star expectation. The thing people wish they had known is that Aruba's restaurants are close enough that many guests eat out anyway, so the plan is a convenience rather than the point. The plan covers the buffet and the specialty a la carte restaurants, house drinks, a stocked minifridge, the kids' club for ages four to twelve and the snorkelling gear; premium pours, room service and the gourmet restaurant belong to Royal Level only, and spa treatments are extra. Royal Level, on the top four floors of the North Tower, solves several of the common complaints at once and is worth pricing. Anyone whose priority is a modern room should compare the newer hotels along the same beach.

    From
    $243/night pp
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