Barcelo Maya Colonial Riviera Maya

Dates: December 23, 2009 - January 2, 2010

Location: Barcelo Maya Colonial, Riviera Maya

Quintana Roo, Mexico

So many firsts on this trip. This was the family's first of many trips to follow, out of the United States. We had such a magical time on this vacation as it was also our first true "vacation" as a family.

We were delayed in the Memphis airport for ~5 hours and I was sad. This, and the fact that we had a 1.5 hour drive to the resort after arrival were probably the only disappointments of the trip. (also returning home and getting stuck in the snow in the driveway was a bummer too). We arrived late at night. We stayed in the Riviera Maya at the Barcelo Maya hotel. It was such a great experience being my first all-inclusive resort. We traveled over New Years and I believe Christmas, but it never seemed overly busy as the resort complex is HUGE. We did one excursion off the resort which included swimming in a cenote, kayaking, and climbing the mayan ruin Coba which you can no longer do. We had family visit us for a short time of the trip. This is a really good resort for families and generational travel who are not luxury customers, but still wanting great value. One thing I do remember is the pools being freezing cold. We had a view of the sand volleyball courts facing the ocean, although I'm not sure if we could see the beach or not, you could barely see the ocean. It was still an amazing experience being our first trip to Mexico. I remember drinking lots of Fanta Orange soda and Coke, as I quickly realized these are the common beverages down there. After looking up the resort in 2019, it appears that the Barcelo has made so many changes to the resort in the ten years it has been since we visited.

If you are interested in booking a trip here, contact me for a vacation proposal!

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS - Had my 1st coconut - 1st time out of the country - 1st trip to Mexico - climbed mayan ruins - swam in a freezing cenote - snorkeling, saw my first stingray - mini golfing - parasailing