I recently returned from a trip to Cancun with 2 friends for a sunny getaway. We decided to stay at the Barcelo Tucancun (All Inclusive) after a lot of research, primarily using TripAdvisor reviews to help choose the right hotel for us. So it only felt right to contribute ourselves. We were extremely happy with our choice and had a fabulous time, mostly because the hotel was exactly what we were looking for.
Pools - 3 pools, each with its own bar. One pool has swim up bar and activities all day every day. Plenty of sun lounges but the earlier you're out the more choice you have. You have a towel card for however many towels you want each day and if you lose the card or a towel you have to pay USD25 - not a problem as long as you know this beforehand.
Eating - 4 restaurants to choose from for dinner - Three ala carte places that require reservations. One buffet dinner with a different theme each night that does not require reservation. Buffet breakfast always yummy with great variety, fresh and a perfect way to start the day. And they serve brekky from 7am to 1200 - later than anywhere else I've ever stayed! Two lunch buffets to choose from. Overall good food, great selection. The Mexican Restaurant for dinner was my favourite. Service almost always impeccable at each one.
Hotel was kept very clean
Staff always friendly and polite
Bars - In addition to Pool bars, was also a Lobby Bar open until 5am every night so you never go thirsty. A tip here and there to your barman will ensure great service,
Rooms - clean. Beds comfy. Mini Bar kept stocked and included in All Inclusive Deal. Housekeeping look after you a bit more if you leave a tip - $1 or $2 here and there. Aircon a little cold for us. Hot showers. In room safe that you have to pay for - about USD2.20 per day - but make sure you are aware of the fine print that says if you lose the key to the safe you have to pay USD100.
Entertainment - A cabaret style lounge that offers different nightly entertainment but we did not attend any of these.
Beach: Beautiful, clean, crystal clear waters. Lifeguard on duty during the day - flags indicating level of danger for swimming.
Wireless internet available - pretty pricey but not too bad (USD5 per hour) much cheaper in town. Phone calls expensive so don't bother if you don't have to.

Tips:
** Learn a little Spanish language before arriving, its the polite thing to do. Just the basics.
** Tip small amounts often - this will get you far!
** Beware of people wanting to talk to you about time share. We knew to avoid it but many don't know and it wastes your time. The reps for these are in the hotel and normally start the conversation with offering something free... Nothing is free!!
** The Party Hopper Tour booked through the hotel was loads of fun, including cover and all drinks for three different bars. Vibe was awesome - we had so much fun.
** Do your own research if you want do a tour as there are many options and agency people to book through. We booked one with Traffic and one with Barcelo and both were what we expected.
** Go to Chichen Itza, the newest wonder of the world. But note you can no longer climb it - you may not be told this.
** Swimming with the dolphins was a highlight, but they try to rip you off afterwards offering photo and DVD packages that cost hundreds of USD... just beware...
** Taxis are ok but a little costly for tourists. Buses come every 2 mins and cost USD0.65 per trip..

We stayed at this hotel during spring break. We arrived at 11:00 a.m. but had to wait until 3:00 to get into our room. The room was very average on the lagoon side. The food was ok but nothing great. The service staff at the front desk were rude, the poor bartenders at the pool bar were overworked and had long lines waiting. They would have to stop making drinks and run around pool area to retrieve glasses. We had guest next door that were extremely loud and obnoxious. I went to the front desk to complain and asked to be moved, preferably to an oceanview room since that is what I was originally suppose to have. The told me they would have a room the next day. I returned the next day and was told "sorry" we don't have any rooms at all to switch you too. The girl was not apologetic at all about promising the room and actually pretty rude as was the manager when I asked to talk to him. The following day our toilet overflowed and my son called down to let them know it was all over the floor in the bathroom and halfway into the room. I then called 20 minutes later again and told them to hurry and we waited an additional 25 minutes after that. They sent four people who cleaned it up but did not disinfect. I told them I wanted it sanitized so a older woman stayed around and got that done finally. I guess from what I heard toilets overflow easily there. The bedding also got wet and after waiting an hour for sheets with no comforter I made another call for a new comforter and finally another hour later I received that. Recommend you not stay at this hotel, rude people, food was very average and no beach area at all.

The entire staff was friendly and pleasant. Great house keeping our room was always
clean and tidy (room4019).We enjoyed lunch at the Laclaraboya thanks to the lady with
the pretty smile,Janetyky and Nancy. Thanks to Arman at the El Lindo. Bar tending at the
Lobby bar was excellent espicially Jose who made Theresa's margarita. special.

My stay at the Barcelo Tucancun was excellent, everything from the staff to the food was 1st class. I went to Barcelo last year to get married and I can say that the staff were excellent, they went out of their way to ensure our stay wih them was truly one to remember.The rooms were great we were here for 4 days before we got married and had absolutely no complaints about the room we were first allocated upon arrival we even had champange, strawberries and fresh fruit in the room however on the morning of the wedding we were upgarded to the south tower, the room was huge with a jacuzzi on the balconly wh,ich was also huge.The staff moved all our belongings safely over with no issues whatsoever.we blown away by the wedding ceremony itself, to which I can highly recommed if anyone who is thinking of getting married in Cancun Maria is a fablous wedding co-ordinator.Truely a dream come true. The food at the hotel was the best I have ever experienced abroad, there is a good choice of resturants and if you want to you can eat 24/7. The towel cards were so handy and it was nice to have a fresh towel everyday. At Barcelo there is 3 swiming pools to choose from and plenty of sunloungers so a great choice of you want to relax or have a bit of craic at the fun pool.The staff at the hotel work extremely hard and very long hours but still manage to interact with customers even after an extremely long day, at times some staff members even accompanied us to the local clubs such as Coco Bongos.Nearby there are 2 shopping malls with a huge range of shops, the local nightlife is fantastic and there are fantastic excursions to choose from.In Cancun you can relax if you wish but if you want fun it's there for the taking.We met a lot of people on holiday here and have made some lifelong friends including some staff members.I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone it is a holiday for everyone.Cannot wait to go back fro our first anniversary.