What you read about the negative reviews is all true! Any positives we experienced were ruled out when we both got violently ill. Into our third day my friend was so sick we had to call the doctor. Don't count on the nurses to help you much unless you speak Spanish. Thankfully the doctor was fluent in English. $610 USD Cash later, she had to get an IV full of antibiotics and one with saline. Forget the fact that they show signs as if they accept credit cards. Nope! You need to hit the ATM and pay in cash.

I ran into a few other couples who all complained about being sick with the same symptoms. Some said they got a shot. Others said they just dealt with it for 2 days. Either way - too many people complained about the same thing we did. Something is definitely wrong with the hotel.

We did not drink the water. We did not eat anywhere but the hotel. Whatever we caught was from the hotel. Don't expect the hotel staff to care about you if you do get sick or complain either. They simply ignored us when we told them we got sick. In fact, the guy simply shrugged his shoulders! He didn't even ask if we were feeling better. We were so upset we just checked out and left.

If you've read about bed bugs and question if they exist .... They Do! I was chewed fairly good. I went to bed with perfect legs and each night I woke up with more and more red bumps all over.

Beware if you choose this hotel!

Our family of eight (Mom and Dad, three adult children and their spouses) just returned from a six night stay at the Barcelo. It was a wonderful experience. We were greeted warmly and our rooms were immediately available.

The rooms were first rate--clean, well-laid out, spacious, and very attractively decorated. The beds were very comfortable with a wide selection of pillows to suit an individual's taste. The air conditioning worked well and other than a brief smell of mustiness when we first walked in, the rooms were beyond our expectations. The beautiful marble-tiled bathroom and shower was extra nice. My wife and I (Mom and Dad in this review) have traveled extensively and stayed in five star hotels and resorts around the world and the rooms our family had at the Barcelo were as nice or nicer than many of the five star hotels we've been in.

The food was excellent--great variety, well-prepared and presented, plentiful, and delicious. We ate at all three of the reservation only resturants and they were all excellent. Courteous servers and very enjoyable meals.

We booked one day excursion through the hotel--a snorkeling outing and a visit to Yelopa--a village down the coast. The snorkeling wasn't the best, but the crew was pleasant and the trip very enjoyable.

Our days were spent mainly by the pool, enjoying water volleyball, reading, the swim-up bar, and just general relaxing. My wife became ill the last day of our visit and got excellent attention and care through the hotel clinic.

I would have to get really picky to come up with a single complaint and can recommend this property without reservation.

After reading so many terrible reviews, I was really worried about my husband's and my choice to stay at Barcelo. We chose Barcelo because we wanted a reasonably priced all-inclusive in a quiet location. We got exactly what we expected and more. We really loved the resort and enjoyed our visit from June 13-19. If you've researched and seen pictures of the resort, you should know exactly what to expect. I think the people who are disappointed with the resort have way to high of expectations or didn't research the resort before going. I mean, you're not going to get Four Seasons food at a Barcelo price.

First of all, the resort is beautiful. I believe that most or all of the rooms are renovated. They are nice and big, the beds are really comfortable, and we loved the waterfall shower head. The pools are really nice with a beautiful view of the mountains. The resort is about the furthest resort from the downtown area, which we knew when we booked it. I loved the location, because it was nestled in the mountains and was much quieter than the hotel zone. It felt very secluded, whereas the hotel zone looked like any tourist area you'd find at a beach. It's about a 25 minute drive downtown, but we didn't think it was bad at all. Plus the road follows the ocean the entire way, so you have beautiful views. Take the bus instead of a taxi and it's only 60 cents per person compared to a $13 taxi ride. The bus stop is right in front of the hotel and it drops you off in the Romantic zone.

The food was good. We enjoyed the buffet food and trying everything out. Really, you can't have too high of expectations when you eat at a buffet, but we thought the food was good. We only at at Don Quijote, but I heard the Italian restaurant was good too. The sea bass at Don Quijote was great! We also liked sitting by the snack bar for lunch or a mid day snack. They ran out of french fries one day, but I'm not going to let that ruin my trip. The tables for two are by the beach in all of the restaurants, so we always got a great table.

As for the beach, it's not the most beautiful and it is located next to a public beach with lots of locals. Again I knew this when I booked the trip. If you are looking for a resort mainly because of the beach, then I'd try Dreams instead. We've seen many beautiful beaches, so this didn't bother us. I'd rather be at the pool anyway. (The pool had wonderful views of the mountains.)

The only reason I gave Barcelo a 4 is because of the service. We never had any rude people, but the service was very slow.

We didn't get bit by noseeums/bedbugs, take bug spray with Deet you're going to the beach and rainforest. What do you expect? I did get stung by a bee. They are all over the flowers and are attracted to fruity drinks. We brought $100 in ones which was so nice for tipping. We just brought our money to the pool, bar, etc. You don't have to exchange USD for pesos. I know this is long, but for those of you about to leave, don't worry you'll love Barcelo. By the way, this resort is rated #3 on Travel Channel's Top Mexican Resorts.

My husband and I stayed at the Barcelo from June 18-23rd. We are 28 years old and went for a relaxing anniversary trip, which is exactly what we got. We had read the reviews on here prior to our trip, and I was a bit nervous as to what we were going to get. My fears were gone after stepping out of the shuttle to a beautiful property. We booked our trip through Apple Vacations and were extremely impressed by their service and price for this trip.

This was our first time at an all-inclusive and I think you have to have an attitude that of course you will find things that are not perfect but make the most of them and enjoy the many positives. Was the food the best I have ever eaten? No, but we tried new things and the sunset dinners were breathtaking.

Property: The Barcelo is absolutely beautiful and immaculate. When we arrived, we were greeted very warmly and were given a two bedroom/two bathroom suite in Tower 2. It was very clean and well kept. We were on the 6th floor and had a spectacular view of the pools and ocean. Throughout our trip, we were amazed at how clean everything was kept and the hard work by the staff.

Staff/Service: Service was hit or miss for the most part. The drink service at the pool was a little slow. I think the resort was understaffed but you never saw anyone just standing around. Everyone we encountered had great attitudes and were quick to make sure our needs were being met. Juan at the swim up bar did a great job of keeping drinks filled and Issac was a lot of fun playing "Mexican Bingo" at the bar. Our housekeeper did a great job of keeping our towels fresh and making our bed.

Food: The food was average. The omelettes in the morning were great. Upon our arrival, we made dinner reservations. Per our package, we were supposed to get 2 reservations, but the concierge kindly let us eat at all three. We first ate at Don Quijote's and found the service disappointing (we later ran into another couple who had the best service there...) but we sat oceanside and watched a beautiful sunset while drinking excellent sangria! The Italian restaurant was by far my favorite and Los Arcos steakhouse was good too. The buffet service was great and the fruits, salads, and breads were always great fresh. We usually ate lunch at the grill by the pool which was also good.

Activities: My husband and I mostly lounged at the pool and in the pool during the day. There is not much of a nightlife, but that was fine with us as we were happy getting some drinks and sitting out on our balcony. We did do the Outdoor Adventure excursion which was a blast. We also got massages at the beach (in the massage hut at the point) and they were excellent! We only paid $70 for an hour for the two of us. Highly recommended!

Overall, we had a great trip. It was just what we needed and were totally relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. We tipped a little here and there, but not as much as I was expecting. We did not have any bed bugs, food poisoning, and really liked the remote feel of the hotel. The weather was perfect-it rained one night but never during the day while we were there. If you are heading there soon, enjoy!