Barceló Maya Colonial - All Inclusive
Barcelo Maya Colonial is best understood as one door into the Barceló Maya Grand Resort, a six-hotel complex that is among the largest on the Riviera Maya. Book Colonial and you get Colonial's own four restaurants, two specialty venues plus a buffet and a snack-grill, three bars, and then unlimited access to everything at Barceló Maya Beach, Caribe and Tropical: 16 restaurants in total, eight pools, the Barcy Water Park and about 2 km of beach. The two higher tiers in the complex, Barceló Maya Palace and the adults-only Barceló Maya Riviera, are separate bookings and are not part of the Colonial wristband. What you do get is a great deal of resort for the money, which is why this keeps coming up on traveler forums as one of the better value plays on the coast.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Colonial sits inside the six-hotel Barceló Maya Grand Resort, and its wristband gives unlimited access to the restaurants, bars, pools and facilities of Barceló Maya Beach, Caribe and Tropical as well, so one booking opens up four hotels
- +The complex fronts about 2 km (1.2 miles) of golden sand, a wide clean stretch with free loungers and none of the aggressive towel-reservation culture that plagues smaller resorts
- +Serious value against its premium neighbours: Barceló's own site advertised Colonial from about $180 a night in October 2026, well below what Iberostar or Excellence charge on the same coast
- +Free double-decker buses circle the whole complex every 20 minutes from 8:00 AM to 2:30 AM, which is what makes the sprawl genuinely workable rather than exhausting
- +There are 16 restaurants across the complex and the specialty kitchens are the reason people come back, with the Japanese and Italian venues the long-running favourites and a September 2026 guest singling out the French brasserie
- +Eight pools across the complex plus the Barcy Water Park with slides, castles and waterfalls, so families and adults can spread out instead of competing for the same chairs
- +Sports are unusually generous and almost all free: a gym with a spinning area, a professional soccer field with locker rooms, tennis and paddle tennis courts at no charge, an 18-hole mini golf course with equipment included, plus volleyball, ping-pong, darts, giant chess and pool tables
- +Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, live theater shows, and two nightclubs for different ages, Jaguar's for adults and The One for teenagers, so nobody has to leave the property to find an evening
Cons
- −Check-in is notoriously slow and disorganized - guests report waits of two hours and more even at Premium Level, an August 2026 review again described receptionists ignoring the line, and some guests have been placed in a different hotel within the complex than the one they booked
- −The a la carte reservation system is a scramble: the popular venues fill within hours of each new arrival wave, and guests who wait until day two often find their whole week already booked out
- −Rooms are spacious but dated. No renovation of Colonial's own room stock has been announced since the complex-wide program that finished in 2015, so this is not the resort for guests who care about modern interiors
- −In-house phones are effectively broken - reaching room service or reception by phone is close to impossible, according to a long run of guest reports
- −At roughly 2 km end to end the complex is big enough that Colonial may put you a long way from the beach or pool you actually want, and the walk is punishing at midday even with the buses running
- −Buffet food is safe rather than exciting, and an August 2026 guest complained the drinks were watered down while still rating the beach, pools and specialty restaurants well
- −Several things read as included but are not: 24-hour room service carries a fee unless you are on Premium Level, the surf pool is an extra charge, and the FlowRider surf simulator belongs to sister hotel Barceló Maya Beach rather than to Colonial
- −Sargassum can affect this stretch of the Riviera Maya roughly May through October, though crews clean daily and a September 2026 guest reported very little seaweed and clear water
Staying here means making peace with the rough edges of a very large operation. The beach is genuinely lovely and the grounds are lush and well kept, pleasant enough that walking them is part of the appeal. The U-Spa and the U-Kids Spa, the theater shows, Jaguar's nightclub for adults and The One for teenagers all deliver. But check-in is often painfully slow, the a la carte reservation system rewards whoever sprints to the desk first, the in-room phones barely function, and the room stock has not been refreshed since the complex-wide renovation wrapped in 2015. The free double-decker buses run every 20 minutes from 8:00 AM to 2:30 AM and solve most of the distance problem, but if your room sits at the far end you should expect a commute to your preferred patch of sand.
This makes the most sense for value-focused travelers, large family groups and first-time all-inclusive guests who want the scale and buzz of a mega-resort without premium pricing. It is a reliable pick for spring break groups or multi-family trips where the priority is quantity of things to do. Tulum's ruins, the turtle beach at Akumal and Xpu-Há are all close by for day trips. Guests who care most about a smooth arrival, modern rooms and a quieter atmosphere are better served by Iberostar Paraiso Lindo or Excellence Playa Mujeres.
Common Questions
If I book Barcelo Maya Colonial, is that what I definitely get?
What's the restaurant reservation strategy at this resort?
Is this a good resort for families with kids?
How does Barcelo Maya Colonial compare to Grand Palladium Kantenah nearby?
Is sargassum seaweed a problem on this stretch of beach?
Can you walk between the Barceló Maya Grand hotels, or do you need the shuttle?
Restaurants (16)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Colonial Buffet, Caribe Buffet (at Barceló Maya Caribe), Beach Buffet (at Barceló Maya Beach), Tropical Buffet (at Barceló Maya Tropical) |
| Mexican | Mariachi, Mexico Lindo (at Barceló Maya Beach) |
| Italian | La Trattoria (at Barceló Maya Caribe), Capri (at Barceló Maya Tropical) |
| Teppanyaki / hibachi | Kyoto, Tokyo (at Barceló Maya Caribe) |
| Steakhouse | Santa Fe (at Barceló Maya Tropical) |
| Seafood | Marenostrum |
| Mediterranean & Spanish | La Fuente (at Barceló Maya Caribe) |
| American & grill | Captain Morgan (at Barceló Maya Caribe), Rancho Grande (at Barceló Maya Beach), Palmeras (at Barceló Maya Tropical) |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
20 min drive · 12 mi
25 min drive · 15 mi
Akumal Beach20 min drive · 11 mi
25 min drive · 15 mi
Yal-Kú Lagoon25 min drive · 11 mi
7 min drive · 1.4 mi
More things to do (24)
- Xenses · adventure park20 min drive · 11 mi
- Playa Mamitas · beach25 min drive · 16 mi
- Cenote Azul · cenote6 min drive · 1.4 mi
- Xpu-Ha Beach · beach10 min drive · 3.5 mi
- Dos Ojos Cenote · cenote25 min drive · 15 mi
- Río Secreto · adventure park20 min drive · 11 mi
- Playa 88 · beach30 min drive · 17 mi
- Cenote Cristalino · cenote7 min drive · 1.3 mi
- Puerto Aventuras Marina · marina7 min drive · 2.4 mi
- Jardín del Edén Cenote · cenote9 min drive · 1.8 mi
- Cenote Chikin-Ha · cenote12 min drive · 2.1 mi
- Riviera Maya Golf Club · golf20 min drive · 12 mi
- Cenote Nicte-Ha · cenote35 min drive · 17 mi
- Puerto Aventuras Golf Course · golf9 min drive · 2.9 mi
- Xplor · adventure park15 min drive · 11 mi
- Cenote Chac Mool · cenote15 min drive · 4.3 mi
- Cenote Tajma-Ha · cenote20 min drive · 4.0 mi
- Half Moon Bay · beach20 min drive · 11 mi
- Delphinus Riviera Maya · adventure park20 min drive · 12 mi
- Parque La Ceiba · nature25 min drive · 15 mi
- Voladores de Papantla (Parque Fundadores) · historic site25 min drive · 15 mi
- Xel-Há Ruins · ruins25 min drive · 15 mi
- Frida Kahlo Museum Playa del Carmen · museum25 min drive · 15 mi
- Playa del Carmen Fifth Avenue · town25 min drive · 15 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Riviera Maya gets sargassum, typically worst May through August, peaking in July and August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.8 · 27,190 reviews
“I would like to share a positive experience at Barceló Colonial Riviera Maya. I accidentally left my hoodie in the theater one evening. At first, it could not be found, so I reported it as lost. The resort staff took the situation seriously, stayed...”
“We loved our dining experience at the Marenostrum restaurant. We have made over twenty trips worldwide and our server Moises stands out as one of the best! He provided exceptional hospitality and service. Serving is a skill mastered by Moises and his...”
“We had an incredible stay at Barceló Maya Colonial and would highly recommend it. One of the first things that stood out was how clean and well maintained the entire resort is. You can tell a lot of care goes into every detail. The buffet and restau...”
