My wife, myself and freinds have just arrived back from the barcalo after havng a great holiday the food was great and a great variation ,the service around the pool on the beach bar was great ,I have been to mexico 5 times now 3.times to cancun one down side was that the hotel is just a little to far from the centre for me and we had to use the bus evey time we wanted to go to the main centre .the hotel staff and the guys on the beach very helpfull ,now for the down side we was told it was a hotel for couples and families NOT TRUE we got their to find it full of groups of young lads and lasses partying to the early hours of the morning ,we were, woken every morning around 4am with singing ,,houting things being smashed doors being kicked,we reported it to both our rep and the security but nothing came of it but other than that the holiday was great ,in my appinion it needs to decide whether it is a 18 to 30 hotel or for families not both.

The pool was top notch, drink service great by the pool and beach. Huge, immaculate rooms, fantastic shower, hammock on the porch, they restock your fridge every day with sodas and beer and bottled water! Very high class, especially for the value. Restaurants were good, Mexico Lindo, the Mexican one, was by far the best, though. Spanish one was pretty good too. Seafood one was OK and the desserts were not so hot. Beach was kind of small, but certainly enough.
The buffet was excellent for breakfast and lunch. Lots of fresh fruit and healthy options. Great variety--make your own mimosas!--and extremely tasty food. Don't expect to get much in the way of wine. But the daiquiris will knock your socks off! A short bus ride to the Isla Mujeres ferry ($5 round trip, unbeatable).
All in all, I highly recommend it for a relaxing vacation.

Make sure you stay on any floor but the first!!!!! You want to be able to enjoy the view. They wanted to give us a first floor room but after we visited it we asked immediately to put us upstairs.

The shows were good, the Albatrz restaurant was the best. The waiters/waitresses were excellent. They made us feel welcome all the time. Great food. You can eat anything without worrying about getting sick. It's very clean and you can use the water to drink if want.

Me and husband booked this holiday in September 2008 and after reading some of the reviews on this site i was extremely worried about our forthcoming trip. When we arrived at the hotel we were pleasantly surpised as it looked a very nice hotel. Our room was very clean and had everything you needed in it. There were lots of bad reviews about the safety in the hotel and that guests had had thing stolen. I left 2 pairs of GHD straighteners out for the duration of the stay and they were not stolen. I also left my watch and phone out in the room. We used the safe in the room to store tickets, passports and money which was free. We had a mini bar in the room that was stocked daily and the cleaner came in daily and tidied up. The food at hotel was exceptional and the best buffet food ive ever had. No matter how fussy you are there was always something to eat for everyone even if it was just chips. If you want egg and chips then you might as well go to Benidorm and not the caribbean. We ate at the a la carte restaurants most evenings, you have to book these during the day but we had no problem getting in one of them. The hotel is 24 hour all inclusive and once the bar and restaurants close you can help yourself to soft and acoholic drinks and also food whenever you want. There is pizza, hot dogs, salads, etc. The staff were polite and friendly and were constantly asking if you wanted a drink when you were by the pool or on the beach. The beach was very nice, there is a lot of seaweed, however, the staff do their best to rake it up morning and night, there is nothing more they can do. The entertainment is fine if you dont want to spend any money, however, it is extremely safe to go out and there are numerous bars and clubs in cancun for you visit. I would recommend Senor Frogs, Corona Bar, Hooters. Dady O's, Pat O'Briens. All in all this hotel is excellent value for money and I would have no doubts about returning in the future.