Top Hotel Room: Barcelo Maya Palace Deluxe

Written by Susan Lanier-Graham

January 3, 2011

Travel | Destinations | Hotels and Resorts | Mexico | North America | Quintana Roo

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Barceló Maya Palace Deluxe is part of the Barceló Maya Beach Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico about an hour south of Cancun. My Junior Suite Ocean View Club Premium room makes it to my top hotel room list as much for the overall resort experience as for the actual room.

Barcelo Maya Palace Junior Suite Room. Photo courtesy Barcelo Maya Beach Resort

The entire Barceló Maya Beach Resort includes 5 hotel properties. By staying at the Palace Deluxe, I was able to enjoy the facilities at that hotel along with those at the other four hotels. The Palace Deluxe itself is enormous. There are 2 buffets, 3 a la carte restaurants, 2 grill/snack restaurants, 7 bars, and 2 swimming pools, including one adult only pool with double cabanas. If you add up all the hotels, there are more than 20 restaurants offering cuisines from around the world.

Barceló Maya Palace Deluxe is all-inclusive, so you can enjoy your stay without worrying about how much that mango margarita is costing you, and I highly recommend their mango margaritas. It was perfect sitting out by the adult pool, lounging under the cabana, drink in hand, without a care in the world except trying to decide between pool or beach after my spa treatment.

Barcelo Maya Palace Resort. Photo courtesy Barcelo Maya Resort

I stayed in a Junior Suite Ocean View Club Premium room. It was a large room with a king bed, nice sized living area with two sofas, and a great balcony that overlooked the resort’s pool area and the beach beyond that. The weather was perfect the first week in December, so I went to bed each night with my screen door open, ocean breezes blowing in from the water. The bath had a large rain shower and separate whirlpool tub. The maids came twice daily to clean. The staff kept the goodies in the fridge replenished. By booking a Club Premium room, I was also able to use the Club Premium facilities. This gave me an expedited check in and check out process, free internet access, and refreshments at the ready, along with the room overlooking the pools and beach.

The resort grounds at Barceló Maya Palace Deluxe are breathtaking. Walking between my room and the restaurants I could smell the sweet flowers. After the first day, I really felt as if I belonged there. The resort boasts a spa (choose a massage inside or outside by the ocean), miniature golf course, nightclub, several nightly entertainment options, many shops, and a transportation specialist who can help you book excursions to the surrounding areas. I took a day and visited the Mayan ruins at Tulum. These ancient rock structures on the edge of the sea are breathtaking and make you feel the history of the area that is often overlooked by tourists.

The staff is incredibly friendly and if you strike up a conversation with the waiters, you’ll get some great stories. Most of the water sports are included in the cost, so take advantage of the great snorkeling and fishing. If the kids go along, the Barcy kids’ club is great for both kids and parents. I actually envied that kids’ water park. Those slides and fountains looked like a lot of fun. Of course, I was perfectly content with the miles of beautiful sand beaches, the chaise lounges built right down into the pools, and the cabanas within steps of those mango margaritas.

Barcelo Maya Palace Barcy Club. Photo by Susan Lanier-Graham

I was at Barceló Maya Palace Deluxe for 5 days and I can’t wait to go back. It was hard to say goodbye and leave “my” room. I had grown quite comfortable waking up, walking out on the balcony, and watching the sun glisten off the water.

Lobby at Barcelo Maya Palace Resort. Photo courtesy Barcelo Maya Beach Resort

Barceló Maya Palace Deluxe
Ctra. Federal Chetumal – Puerto Juarez K. 266,3
Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico
http://www.barcelomayapalace.com

Written by Susan Lanier-Graham

Founder and publisher Susan Lanier-Graham has traveled the world for the past twenty years, filling a passport or two along the way. She has wandered through the jungles of Thailand, explored the mysteries of the Great Pyramids, and shared the night with a leopard in Zambia. She sailed in the Mediterranean, sipped her way through Burgundy canals and Champagne caves. She followed Rembrandt’s footsteps through Amsterdam. Susan found her center on the red rocks of Sedona and soaked up an exquisite sunset over the Indian Ocean in Bali. Susan is always looking for wow moments around the world or across the street to share with adventure lovers everywhere. She has authored more than 75 books and hundreds of magazine articles. Susan is an award-winning travel writer and member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA). She is a Certified California Wine Appellation Specialist (CWAS). Susan is also the managing editor of North Peoria Lifestyle, a print lifestyle publication in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. Susan's work regularly appears in print and online in a variety of publications. These include various AAA publications, Postcards for Travel Leaders, Alamo.com, Hotels.com, Fairmont.com, Sofitel.com, Paradise Valley City Lifestyle, Scottsdale City Lifestyle, So Scottsdale, Green Living AZ, Modern Luxury, Marriott.com, WHERE Arizona, WHERE Traveler Phoenix + Scottsdale, and more.