My boyfriend and I stayed at the Barcelo from May 25 - June 1. We recently graduated from college so we were on a budget and didn't feel like "finding ourselves" on a backpacking trip through Europe. The Barcelo was PERFECT for our needs as it wasn't like stepping into the United States as many luxury hotels tend to be, but still had many of the luxuries we're used to. We were debating Barcelo and the Las Brisas, and were glad we chose the Barcelo because the all-inclusive package took a lot of stress out of our vacation. We had met a woman on our day cruise who said Las Brisas' dining was super expensive. There were a lot of things to do and eat at the Barcelo, but no one would judge you could just stay in your room and catch up on well-needed rest.

At the front desk, we asked for a king-sized bed so they upgraded us to an ocean view room. I think it was smart to begin our stay on Sunday, since many Mexican families stay only a weekend, which made the rooms available. We were on the 9th floor, and immediately checked to see if they got ESPN as the Celtics were in the middle of a playoff series with Detroit. The room had it, and they also played most major sporting events down in the lounge where we could enjoy a drink.

Speaking of the drinks, many of these reviews said they weren't watered down, but I beg to differ. While tasty, the mixed drinks didn't have any kick, so if you're looking to have a Cancun-for-spring break experience, you might want to stick to Cancun. The Barcelo is very family and couples oriented, and a young single or a group of young singles would feel very out of place.

The pool was gorgeous and always the perfect temperature. While there was no problem finding a chair, it is difficult finding a chair in the shade beginning on Thursday, when the families start gravitating to the resort. That's also when there starts to be kids in every nook and cranny of the hotel. Luckily, the beach is down a few steps from the resort and always had an open chair in the shade. We did prefer the pool because there were a lot of fun activities that were amusing to watch like a balloon animal competition, and what I can only explain as "alternative water aerobics." We would watch them from the poolside restaurant which was a nice change of pace from the buffet.

When you do find a place to lay, a waiter is there in minutes to take your drink order. There are also water sports there, where you can go parasailing or jet skiing. We went jet skiing and it was $40 for a half hour, and was worth it since I had never done it before and was scared out of my mind.

The food was descent. I have an especially bland palette, so I felt lucky to see pasta, chicken, and salad and not be disappointed. However, I would not recommend this hotel for any connoisseur (food or wine) as there was little variation. On the other hand the fine dining restaurant in the hotel, Don Quijote, was EXCELLENT, had a great wine list, and wonderful service. Of course, there were mixed reviews from the guests we talked to, but it might have just been what I ordered, the chicken suprema (or something to that effect) which was cheese-stuffed chicken with a side of whipped potatoes. For every 3 nights you stay, you get a free meal, and we definitely would not have paid extra to stay there.

House keeping was very efficient. We always left a small tip for them. One time I accidentally left them 200 pesos instead of 20, and they left it there, assuming it was a mistake. So they were also very trustworthy. They begin relatively early though, so make sure you put the do not disturb sign on the door if you're like us and enjoy sleeping in.

In fact, the only problems we had with the service was the front desk. When we arrived in our room, the mini-fridge and the safe were locked, and we had to ask repeatedly for someone to come upstairs, and one came for the refrigerator by nightfall, while the safe wasn't unlocked until the next day.

Other than that, the staff was perfect. The piano player followed through on one of my requests, one waiter put a little extra alcohol in my pina colada, and Alberto, who is the activities coordinator, was quick to book everything we wanted to do. Since we were on a budget, we had to choose wisely and ended up swimming with the dolphins and going on the Picante day cruise. Absolutely do both of those things! The dolphins and trainers were so great, and the Picante crew were awesome! The cruise lets you go snorkeling, sailing, and parasailing on their spinnaker, which ultimately saved us a lot of money since we didn't have to do it all separately.

One downside to the hotel were the paper-thin walls. So all you honey-mooners, beware that we heard the a person in the room next to us brushing his or her teeth. Also, the halls are long corridors with tile flooring so every sound was amplified. We thought someone was knocking on our door, when he was actually a few doors down. On more than one occasion, I was woken up by people shutting doors.

The most memorable part of the trip for me was walking on the beach at night. There are a few couples and families out there enjoying the ocean, and on our last night, there were even fireworks. Although, I think that was a one time thing, since we walked over to where they were coming from and there were police with giant rifles giving the man a talking-to.

Overall, we felt safe and didn't feel "played" for being tourists. There is a very important oversight we finally noticed on our last day, however. The hotel has a program called "Club Barcelo" where for an extra $25 per person, you can get unlimited meals at Don Quijote, and unlimited internet. Without that, you're paying $15 a day for internet. At least look into it when you get there.

Would I go back? YES! After I left, I was seriously considered moving there because it was so relaxing, especially after 4 years as an undergrad. Everyone was so pleasant and the scenery was beautiful.

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!!