On arrival things seemed dim - we had requested rooms beside each other (or at least in the same building), after a long flight and the thought of the many bad reviews on the website along with rooms in different blocks things did not seem to bode well for the holiday. However after a lengthy conversation/disagreement with the front office staff rooms were re-allocated to include a junior suite; things improved. Rooms are a little dated (maybe rustic!!!) need a face lift but were clean and functional. The junior suite had a nice corner balcony with views over the pool and the beach. The beach is small but is clean and has sea, sand and a bar - what more do you need? There was plenty of space around the pool and the entertainment, regularly commented on in other reviews, was loud but finished at the latest 11pm every night. Unless your room is over the stage I cannot imagine it would be considered very loud ,but then again we stayed in late January/ early February - maybe this makes a difference on the quality/volume of the entertainment. The buffet we felt was of a very high standard with a good selection of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It of course can be repetitive if you stay for longer than two weeks there seems to be a seven day cycle eg Saturday = Mexican, Sunday = European, etc. There are a number of restaurants which offer an alternative to the buffet. All in all this holiday was very good and I would definitely consider returning. There are quite a number of shops, and a few cafe/restaurants and two pirate ships which are not part of the complex. Handy for someplace different to visit, if cabin fever starts to kick in.
The best advice I could give the hotel is examine the allocation of rooms (in particular requests from those travelling with elderly travellers). A revamp of the bedrooms (which in fairness were clean but a little dated) . Everything is in the resort - sun, pleasant staff, and good food . For those into entertainment you might or might not like circus shows, etc. Other then that I would highly recommend this hotel. Enjoy!

me, my partner and our young son aswell as my father in law and mother in law all throughly enjoyed our stay at the barcelo the staff are so helpful friendly , the rooms are spacious and very clean ,the food was a good variety something for everyone the beach bar snacks are very good ! i have also read on previous reviews roomservice was free , not anymore small charge of 40pesos , the pool was lovely freeform and very clean , trips are very good but shop around out of the hotel you can get them much cheaper we did the pirate ships good fun for all excellent value , also the catamaran to isla mujeres which we booked on family day (wed) but i found this to be a gloryfied booze cruise and not child friendly at all this wasnt booked through the hotel , we also swam with the dolphins at the aquarium in liverpool shopping complex which was cheaper than other places and an amazing experience !!!! if you do the dolphins here or any activity you get to watch the dolphin show for free at 6oclock which is a must , i will deffinately be returning to the barcelo costa cancun its an all round great place !!! say hi to pepe in the albatros for us x

Myself and two friends stayed at this hotel for 2 weeks in August 2008. The hotel was very clean and the staff were very helpful. The rooms were of a very good size and were cleaned adequately. There is a wide variety of food at the hotel buffet to suit everyone's needs. The restaurants at the hotel are well worth booking as the food is better quality and the restaurants are generally quieter than the buffet restaurant. You can also order room service once per day for free and have anything you want on the menu. We did the Catamaran and Xel-Ha trips which we booked through the hotel. Both trips were very enjoyable however we found the visit to the ruins as part of the Xel-Ha trip quite dull. However, there is the option to stay at Xel-Ha all day. We also booked to swim with the dolphins which is a must. The hotel is not in a bad location, but its not close enough to walk to the bars/nightclubs. However, a taxi is only about £4 and the bus also takes you straight there. Overall, a very enjoyable holiday.

Having read all the negative reviews about this hotel i have to say i was nervous, but from the moment we arrived the experience was outstanding. From the atmosphere to the service everything was perfect, the beach is small but has everything you need, the food was amazing - especially the mexican restaurant - Say hi to Cesar the waiter for us.

Tiz - Sussex