I stayed at the Tropical side. The beach is better there but still rocky. The best beach is on Caribbean and Beach side of the hotel and you can walk there for 5 minutes. The walk itself is very pleasant. The Beach on the Palace side is also better and it is 2 minutes walk.
Every section of resort has something different and unique. For entertainment- Caribbean - closest to Mall, bowling, casino... My favorite part to stay is Colonial- Tropical- close to snorkeling, best pool, more quiet at night. Best a la cart restaurants- Barcelo Adults only. But the beauty of this resort is that you can go from one part to another easily depending of your needs. I enjoyed every part for different reasons.