We just came back from Salinas, we stayed in Barcelo Colon Miramar for 3 nights. The hotel was nice, clean rooms, (my room was a little small) but my parents got a suite and it was really big with a living room area, huge windows and 2 bathrooms! Buffets were OK, there was a huge selection but the food tasted ok.
The staff was really really nice, everyone was very helpful. The hotel was packed, there were lot of activities in the hotel altough we didnt get to do any since we rented a car a drove to Guayaquil and other places for most of the day.
The hotel is all inclusive, alcoholic drinks and sodas are also included so thats an advantage. The hotel has 2 pools and the beach is just across the street and is conected by a bridge which is a great spot to take pictures!!!
The hotel has a bar that has a karaoke and there is also a casino (very small) but my husband won $400 so it was great for us!!

I stayed at the Barcelo last week on a sightseeing trip through Ecuador. Overall, my experience was pleasant, and I'm pretty easy to please. The room was clean, the staff was very attentive, and it suited our purposes (which was really not to just hang out, but to use it as a base for sightseeing). That said, if I'd come to the resort for a weekend getaway, I'd have been a bit disappointed. Photos of the hotel lead you to think that it's right on the beach. Actually, it's the cross the road from the beach, connected by a walkway over the road. The beach area in front of the Barcelo isn't very good--lots of black sand and rocks--so if you're looking for a great beach, you'll be disappointed.

Also, I guess because it was in low season, many of the amenities were closed. The pool grille was non-existent--just a guy at the bar. The beach grill and bar was closed. The only things open were the main bar and the buffet restaurant.

The price, for all inclusive, was about $100 per night (I was staying in my room alone), so since I was using it as a hotel base rather than a resort, it wasn't a bad value.

I am a pretty tolerant guest, have traveled throughout Ecuador, and speak Spanish, but my experience of the Hotel Barcelo Color Miramar was like biting into a beautiful piece of fruit and finding it full of maggots.
The hotel looks good on first impression. The buffet food is fine, but boring and quite repiticious. Only one pool as of my stay still is heated (the other has had a broken heater for months...see other reviews). My room on first impression looked good. Top floor, lovely balcony and view; but the bed was uncomfortable (old and tired), and there was mold and mildew everywhere. At first I smelled it in the bathroom; then I saw it ...all between the cracks in the bathroom in the shower and the sink area. I asked to have it treated, to no avail, so I went to the store, bought bleach and soap and scrubbed it. It then realized that it was in the bedroom area as well; I assume throughout the furniture. It reminded me of being in a hotel in Cancun shortly after the hurricane and there was mold in all the furniture. They brought in a new bed, and put the sofa on the balcony. This hotel room must have been shut up for a time without air conditioning on. So, the last night I left the balcony door open wide and slept on the side of the bed facing the breeze. I do have an allergy to mold and mildew, and had a very difficult time. The front office staff were not particularly friendly. I would rather sleep in my rental car next time than stay there.

“All-inclusive” is a bit of a stretch for this property – what it really means is “all you can eat and drink, including domestic beer.”

Other announced activities and entertainment are usually cancelled except when the property is full or nearly so.

Even then, the staff seems to have been directed to nickel-and-dime the buffet – the waiters and waitresses often fussily spirit away your plates and silverware (which is not readily available outside place settings) the minute it appears you’re done.

Extra-person charges are exorbitant. The hotel also needs to find a better way of identifying its guests – they use a wristband which stays on your wrist throughout your stay (so make sure it’s not a tight fit). This, of course, also unhelpfully identifies you to cabbies, beach touts and anyone else with good or ill intentions as someone who’s staying at Salinas’ priciest hotel.

Rooms are clean and average sized and have an iron and hair dryer but no “wow” amenities, not even a bathroom exhaust fan. They do stock your mini-fridge with free soda, juice and water every day. The location is decent but it’s about a half-mile east of the main center of activity.

Service is also average. Problems or issues are usually resolved quickly, but at times require a follow-up call.

There’s a catwalk over the street that connects to the beach, but the section of the beach in front of the hotel is mostly deserted due to higher waves and rougher currents than further west.

The tours advertised in the lobby are at additional cost and again, not a very good value considering the prevailing prices in Ecuador.

For now, Salinas is the type of city that you’re better off visiting on the cheap.