My husband and I traveled to Ixtapa with two other couples. We had a room on the 12th floor and needless to say our room and view was great!!! Our flight arrived pretty early so our room was not ready so we went to go eat and sat at the beach until it was.

The food was okay. You will find something that you will like becuase their selection is pretty big. They have one restaurant in the hotel that you need to make reservations. The food their was really good.

The staff was very friendly and helpful. The shows at night were okay. We went to Carlos and Charlies in town and that was fun! They had crazy contest and games, which of course your on vacation and participate in all of them!!!

We went on a few excusions. We went zip lining which was a LOT of fun I definetly recommend. We also did a bike ride, then took a boat ride to Ixtapa Island went kayaking ,snorkling their and had lunch. We then took the boat back and rode our bike back. It was fun!!!

My wife and I are in our early 30s and visited the Barcelo Ixtapa for a short vacation from May 22nd - 26th over Memorial Day weekend. Much to the agreement of most of the other reviews, this hotel met our expectations in every way. Our trip was all-inclusive through Apple Vacations - Chicago. We are very experienced travelers to Mexico and many other destinations including Eastern and Western Carribbean and Hawaii. We have been to most popular destinations in Mexico including Cabo, Cancun (3x), Puerto Vallarta (2x), Mazatlan, Manzanillo, and Acapulco, and were eager to check out Ixtapa next (still have to visit Hualtulco). We enjoy visiting Mexico b/c you can't beat the price (all-inclusives in abundance), the people are so friendly, the weather is fantastic (sunny and upper 80s everyday on this trip), and it isn't that far of a flight from Chicago. I'll break the review down into a few categories noted below:

ROOM - The room (Room 712) is adequate size of which we had a king size bed, TV (mostly Spanish speaking stations), balcony overlooking both the pool and ocean, and bathroom with separate shower. It was awesome keeping the sliding door open at night and listening to the waves. We only needed to have our room cleaned once the entire trip and tipped the maid $2 and she did a fantastic job getting the room cleaned., leaving flowers for my wife, making a towel animal, and providing additional lotions, etc...Usually at other hotels in Mexico, we had to tip the front counter guy a $10 to get the best room, but no need at the Barcelo Ixtapa.........the first room was just perfect. The air conditioning could have been a little colder, but it wasn't so bad that we felt the need to complain or change rooms. We were mostly in the room in the evening/night anyway, and it was cool enough by then.

When going all-inclusive, they say your tips are included with everything, but let's get real people, these hard working people work their butts off to make sure your vacation is one to remember and they do it by getting paid almost nothing. Just by bringing $30-$40 in one dollar bills doesn't mean as much to us, but goes a long way for the employees and they really, really appreciate it. We tipped the maid, the servers at the pool, and everyone else that went the extra mile to make our vacation that much more enjoyable.

FOOD - The hotel has a barbeque outside for lunch, swim up bar w/ snacks, a main buffet inside for breakfast and dinner, and an a la carte restaurant (Don Quijote) at which you can only eat once if you stay less than 7 days and twice if you stay greater than 7 days. This Don Quijote is so much better than the buffet that we told our waiter we would tip him $10 personally to do what he needed to do to book us one extra evening. He accepted. After our second meal at the restaurant, we tipped him an extra $5 to thank him for taking care of us. The food at the buffet and snack barbeque outside was very good (the typical burgers, hot dogs, guac, chips, blah blah blah), but obviously not as good as the Don Quijote. We also went to dinner off the hotel property at El Faro, which sits on a hillside cliff overlooking the entire El Palmer Beach and Ixtapa Bay - this view is simply incredible. Try and make a reservation 30 minutes before the sunset and you will be treated to an incredible evening of fine food, views, and service. With an appetizer, two entrees, one dessert, and two glasses of wine, our bill was only $80 including tip............well worth it. Highly recommended. You can walk down the beach 1/4 mile to the left and a cable car takes you up to the restaurant. Google search this restaurant and the pictures will say it all.

BEACH/POOL - We traveled during the down season, so we never had an issue getting just about any chair we wanted, where we wanted, and when we wanted. Unlike some other all-inclusive hotels we have stayed, this hotel has servers that come around and take your order throughout the afternoon. A dollar tip here and there is well deserving to the servers. There wasn't too much activity at the pool until Saturday rolled around, at which the locals infiltrate the hotel through Sunday. The locals get great deals to stay at this hotel and other hotels throughout Mexico during weekends, so expect more crowds on the weekend. Once Sunday afternoon comes around, things start to once again quiet down. We spent the busy Saturday when all the locals were running around the hotel grounds to take the opportunity to go into Z-Town and stay away from the hotel (went to Playa La Ropa). Although not the Carribbean blue color water, the waves at the beach outside the Barcelo were great to frolick in and the water is great to boogie board. We each received 45 minute massages for $20 each, which is the most incredible deal we've ever come across. This massage area is on the beach next to the hotel to the left. And yes, the massage was good. There is also parasailing for $25 per person and wave runners for $35 for a half hour.

Z-Town - We spent one day (Saturday) taking a bus (70 cents per/person each way) from the hotel to Z-town, which allows you to get a taste of true Mexico how the locals live. We then took a second bus (50 cents) that took us to Playa La Ropa (beach) in Z-town for the entire day. This is the best swimming beach in and around Z-town. We always like taking the bus in Mexico b/c it's more fun to us to join the locals and for a slower drive to absorb the area to a greater extent. A taxi costs more and doesn't allow you to absorb and see the area like you should.

We definitely agree that the Barcelo is a 4 - 5 star hotel depending on the scale you use. You will not be dissappointed in your stay and it's a great bang for your buck if you find a good deal. This hotel met our expectations in every way and was a perfect short gettaway vacation. This hotel is certainly one of the better hotels in Ixtapa (consistent with the reviews). We would recommend it to anyone.

You don't need to really do anything to enjoy your stay/vacation. All you need to do is just bring a few bucks to tip these harding working people, treat them with respect (you're in their country), try speaking Spanish (they appreciate the fact that you at least try), tip the waiter $10 to get an extra evening in the fine a la carte Don Quijote restaurant, try an incredible dinner at El Faro overlooking the entire Ixtapa Bay (El Palmer Beach), get your oceanview room w/ balcony (75% of rooms are this anyway), and leave the attitude at home / don't sweat the small inconveniences, and you'll be good to go.

I'd be happy to answer any questions at didddy57@yahoo.com

We went to the Barcelo resort for a wedding & had no previous experiences in Mex. We were surprised with the great service by the entire staff. Even tho they don't speak much english, we usually got them to understand us, they tried really hard to please our whole group. (15) Food here is very good and they give you all you want & then some. Pool bar and restaurant are fine with little wait for drinks, which could be an irritant when the drinks are free. Not here tho. The all-inclusive method is the only way to go, and Apple provided a great service, meeting us at the airport, and setting up any activities we needed to do. I reccomend the 1 hr. beach massage, deep sea fishing (if you can take the boat rocking and pitching all day). The fishing is alot of fun, and the guides on the" Bloody Hook" boat worked very hard all day to try & get strikes. If you want to see the real Mexico, take a cab ride to Zihuan. It will open your eyes, and you can ride around for 25.00 with some cab drivers showing you alot of the off the beaten path sights. I noticed that there is very little news from the states and most is in Spanish, so you are really on vacation here. Not much commercialism either. It's fun to deal with the vendors, altho you need to know what stuff is worth, or you will be a loser. They are good at their craft and love any "price is no object" tourist. All in all, a fine vacation, and the price was really right!! Also, if you can, Mexicana Airlines is really great! Fly with them!!

We stayed at the Barcelo from April 26th to May 3rd, it was our first "All Inclusive" vacation, and we had an absolutely wonderful time. We would definitely go back, in fact, we wish we never had to leave.
We were one of the first ones through customs at ZIH, and instead of taking the Air Canada Vacations bus with everyone else, we spent the 320 pesos on a private taxi. When we got to the Barcelo, there was no line to check in, it took two minutes to get our room, and we were showered, in our shorts and flip flops, and on our way to the buffet before the others had even checked in. We also avoided the timeshare/tour sales people. The view from the ninth floor was incredible. The room was clean and comfortable, some things were in need of updating, like the light switches between the beds and the hair dryer, but anyone who would complain about things like that, probably wouldn't have a good time anywhere. The beer, sodas, and water in the mini-bar were AI, but everything else would be added to your bill.
The best thing about the Barcelo Ixtapa is the amazing service from all the wonderful staff. Everyone was gracious and friendly. The bar servers were outstanding, Virginia and Maritza were always so friendly, even though I think they were secretly trying to kill us with tequila. The cleaning staff were constantly keeping the entire property spotless. Luis, the line cook at the breakfast buffet was a omelet making machine. We made sure to tip 50 pesos here and there to whoever was taking care of us, as much as we could. They really do appreciate it, and they make sure you are never without a drink (which are NOT watered down).
The food was mostly good, sometimes very good, sometimes just OK. The buffet had some average cafeteria fare, good salads, and excellent authentic, traditional Mexican food. The lunch buffet burgers were awesome, the Mexican Fiesta night buffet was incredible, and the Rack of Goat (Boat) was a misprint, it was actually lamb, and it was excellent.
It's important to remember you are wearing a plastic wrist band at a Mexican all inclusive resort, some things are not going to be the same as a Las Vegas or New York hotel, and that is what makes a place like the Barcelo so great. There are lots of Mexican couples and families, and guests from all over the world. If all the chairs by the pool are taken, there are lots more on the beach. The food is good, the band is great, and the margaritas are even better.
By the way, I proposed to Teresa on the beach our first night there. She said yes.