Gran Bahia Principe Akumal

We arrived at the BPA on Monday 9th May for a 2 week stay. This was our second time at the BPA we came last June and enjoyed it soo much we went back there again.

We previously emailed asking for an ocean view in either block 47 or 48 and when we arrived they had given us room 4826 which had the most amazing view of the carribean sea and was close to everything, lobby, beach, both pools, snack bar etc.. so our room was perfect so this kick started an amazing vacation for us !!

We never found there to be a problem getting a sunbed on the beach but we did get up around 6.30 - 7.00 but even so there were still beds available up to around 9.00.

Even if you are not usually an early riser you just have to get up at least once to see the sun coming up over the carribean sea its just amazing, its also nice as the place is dead theres hardly a soul around.

We used reef shoes for the sea and i would reccomend these very strongly ( they are not readliy available in the UK but if you go on Ebay you can pick them up for around 8 gbp) it means you dont have to worry about kicking the reef while you are enjoying the sea.

Also you gota try the snokeling on the Akumal side (especailly near the ropes which tie up the Bahia Divers boats) theres plenty of Marine life to see, we tended to snorkel around 17.00 as the water was not that busy at that time.

Food wise you cannot go wrong i am a very fussy eater and even i was satisfied (the marinated chicken was just superb), i did think though the food and service in the Tulum sides buffet was slightly better than the Akumal side, but also the Akumal side has a better 24 hour snack bar you definatley get more food and of a better quality we thought.

Ive seen reviews on here slagging off the shows at night and to be honest thats rubbish the Animation Team work very hard day and night entertaining us all and also finding time to practice there shows which were very energetic and were superb, i thing some people want a broadway show every night.

As far as tipping goes you get the same service if you do or dont tip, we tended to tip our maid every now and again as he was excellent (Damien his name is), but as far as service goes if you cannot afford to tip dont worry you will get just as good service as somone who does tip.

We had some painters around our block and i gave them some coke out of my mini bar (which get filled up every day anyway) and the guy really really appreciated it.

Like i said the mini bar gets filled up every day with Beer, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Water and the most amazing crisps (chips to you americans).

I was a little dissapoited as last year we also had chocolate in the mini bar everyday but that now only happens on a Saturday.

The grounds are just amazing they always seem to be working on them none stop to make them look the very best they can.

We quite often took the long walk up to the Hacienda which i would reccommend as it works off a little of the food you eat and also you can see some great wildlife (so take your camera with you) we even saw monkeys climbing trees but they were to fast for us to get a picture.

We took to trips out and they were both fantastic, the first we did was the speedboat jungle tour which goes from Cancun and you get to drive your own speedboat which was out of this world to a snorkelling area which to be honest was not up to much but i think the bulk of people on the trip went to play on the speedboats anyway.

The second trip we did was the Catermaran trip with Kimba the snorkelling dog !! this trip was just the best i could do and would do it more than once next time we go back.

There is some building work going on but you could hardly hear anything from them even when walking past the site, its also amazing how fast they work !!

The only complaint i could think of was that i thought charging 5 dollars a days to use the safe was a bit cheeky and and some of the Europeans (french, spanish and italians) were a bit arrogant especially around the buffet they quite liked just pushing in !!

There are also some topless sunbathers around the beach and the pool and oh yes i think they should ban skin tight brief like trunks for men an age and size its just NOT nice !!

Any questions i will be more than happy to answer any just email me at michael.parr3@ntlworld.com .

Oh one last thing the Airport is an absolute nightmare.

Great place, lots of fun. Three things to prep for:

1) bugs - Went through three cans of bug spray be warned.

2) Heat - only one restaurant has A/C other that your room

3) French Canadians - Need I say More?

Went SJR and was worth it for the view. Any issue was resolved in less than an Hour.

Tulum - Oldest but glad we didn't stay there. Service kinda sucked.

Coba - Away from the beach (behind Akumal) but fantastic service!

Rented a car and seen three ruins and two cenotes for the price of one excursion (including car rental fee gas and entrance fees)

Coba is awesome as you can still climb it

Tulum is beautiful

Cheten itza is well a tourist trap now there are about 1000 mexicans selling crap inside the grounds really turned me off.

Food fantastic

Buffets were huge

A La Cartes very tasty

Service very good

Shows sucked

room beautiful

pools tops

Ocean rocky so did not go in

Had a great time and would go back.

I reviewed about here back in beginning of August but decided to write another one with more details, I left a lot out on my old one. We stayed at Akumal from 7/26-8/1 and it was nothing short of amazing. As a background, I’m a 22-year-old female and I traveled with my parents (I’m an only child). Between us we’ve lived in several countries (Japan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, the U.S., Nigeria) so we’re used to traveling and enjoying different cultures/people. I’m personally not that gregarious and don’t drink alcohol so my review doesn’t include tips on discos, bars, alcoholic drinks, etc. Also, for some unknown reason we didn’t venture out to Coba/Tulum (I think we were quite content with just Akumal) but I hope you still find it helpful.

FLIGHT: US Air, one stop at Philadelphia, no delay, about 4 hours. On return flight 3-4 hour flight delay and one stop at Charlotte, NC. We booked with Expedia.

AIRPORT/TRANSPORTATION: No big problems with customs…they give you the customs card on the airplane before landing, make sure you sign your signature at the back, it’s very easy to miss it. We got caught by the timeshare people (white shirt, khaki pants) thinking they were ”helpful people” employed by the airport. Actually, the guy was quite helpful but when we realized who he really was we quickly said thanks and left. There was a man standing outside with a Bahia Principe sign. We opted for a private van transport, the driver was very nice and he let us stop at 7-11 for some drinks. Very light traffic & fast driving took us about an hour to get to the hotel…I enjoyed looking out the window for the scenery (people, stores, houses, bus stops, everything, even the trees). An hour went by really fast.

CHECK-IN: No huge problems that I know of. We were promptly given welcome drinks. I wasn’t paying much attention while my parents were dealing with the room situation (staring at the gorgeous lobby) so I’m not exactly sure what went on, but they wanted oceanview rooms and none were available. Rooms weren’t ready yet so we were given our wristbands and went to go eat lunch…came back and a bellboy drove us and our luggage to our rooms.

RESORT SIZE/GETTING AROUND: It’s big but I didn’t feel like it was, 3 resorts are spaced out well enough that you don’t feel cramped. The map and the layout can be confusing though, I think, but we were on vacation and didn’t mind laughing it off and walking around the impeccable/lovely grounds (might be a different story for those with disabilities/physical limitations). A good exercise, too. The trolleys/golf carts were SO MUCH FUN. We never waited more than 5 minutes for one and never experienced fighting with people over seats, maybe we were lucky. If you’re confused about where it’s going just ask the person driving it, he’ll probably be annoyed that 800 people have previously asked him that question but ah well.

ROOMS: My parents stayed in 5711, me in 5716 – very good location I think, we were 3-4 minute walking distance to the main lobby AND the activities pool/beach. We had junior suites and I don’t think any pictures do justice, it was clean, huge, beautifully decorated, and comfortable. If I had a room like that at home I would cry tears of joy. I liked to sit out on the balcony and read in the afternoon breeze and hear the crazy antics going on at the activities pool. Maybe we were lucky but we had zero problems with the rooms…AC/ceiling fan worked perfectly, hair dryer was very strong, TV had ample English channels, no insects, etc. The mini fridge was stocked with beer, coke, fruit juice, 2 cookie bars, and chips. The beds were hard but I was so tired every night that I peacefully passed out…the earplugs helped as well.

STAFF/SERVICE: My favorite part of the resort was the staff – so friendly, hardworking, and nice. NO ONE WAS EVER IDLE. You try working in 231904323 degree weather with 900% humidity in long-sleeve shirts and pants. I LOVED hearing “hola!” from the workers and they really appreciated it if you made an effort to speak Spanish. Yes, service was sometimes iffy (especially at the busy buffet restaurant, they would forget what you wanted) but the waiters meant well and they treated you respectfully. I think they liked it when I attempted Spanish sometimes (“dos cafes sin leche, por favor”). Some of the bellboys who drove the trolleys were downright hilarious. The maid who cleaned my room was nice, too, I met her once. Even the cleaning lady at the snack bar was soooo nice, considering the heat and the fact that she had to clean up after everyone’s mess. For some reason the “least” friendly workers were the people at the front desk…they seemed like they were just doing the job for the sake of doing it. Ah well. We tipped $1 for the maid everyday (towel art everyday) and sometimes at the buffet restaurant as well as the bellboys (i.e. when one helped me open the door when I locked the key in my room). I felt HORRIBLE because I never tipped the mini-fridge stocking guy because I thought the maid did that as well…but the fridge was re-stocked every other day.

It never occurred to me to get a safe ($5/day) but NOTHING WAS EVER STOLEN. Being a trusting fool I left out my wallet (not empty either), passport, $400 camera, and my laptop computer EVERYDAY. In retrospect I have no idea what I was thinking but the point is is that nothing was stolen.

The entertainment staff (called animation team) worked very hard, it was nice too see the same, familiar faces everyday. They worked at the pool during the day, performed in the shows at night, and (from what I read from other reviews) headed to the Hacienda to provide some more entertainment. They kind of reminded me of the “cool kids” in high school…the popular kids club. Anyhow, some of them include Juan, Carlos, Ulysses, Ivan, and Rebecca. Juan was hot. Sorry, just had to put that out there.

I think this note belongs in the staff/service section: I read once that the male staff can be "overfriendly" towards the female guests...all I can say from my experience is that I DID get hit on several times, which made me somewhat uncomfortable. In their defense I think they were doing it for the sake of chatting up with girls, which I don’t think is a complete sin (but can have some problematic consequences, obviously). In fact one of the bellboys actually asked me out on a date to which I politely declined. But I think if you make your intentions clear and don't give out any stupid signals then you'll be fine. Like I said before all the workers were very nice.

POOLS: The pools sure looked good. The big pool is right off the lobby and they have a swim-up bar. We mainly stayed at the activities pool, though, it was basically right at the back of our villa…we managed to pick a palapas with great views of both the pool and the ocean :) I liked watching the hourly activities lead by the animation staff. That being said, it can get pretty noisy what with the loud, dance music and the staff having fun with the microphones. Anyway the pools were clean and comfortable, there weren’t any problems with kids either…i.e. children running everywhere etc.

BEACH: It’s hard to generalize because we didn’t go to the section by the pier, where great snorkeling was to be had. We went to the beach by the activities pool. Yes, it was rocky, so bring water shoes. It’s also very shallow so it’s tricky to do actual “swimming.” However, lots of people seemed to have fun at the sand bags…you sit on them and as the waves came by you’re basically swept off the sandbags. My favorite was partly submerging the beach chairs into the ocean and taking a nap…nice.

FOOD: For the buffet I think they did a good job considering they had to cater to different tastes of 500 million people. It did get repetitive just because I chose what I liked the best in the first few days and tended to stick to those (amazing salsa/guacamole/topopos) but please be adventurous and try new food! I mean, they do have pizza, mac and cheese, hamburgers, pizza, etc but it doesn’t hurt to try. There are hits and misses with everything, sure. Also, on most days they had a mariachi band…I didn’t mind it because they were fun. They went around every table and did a song, we tipped them, some people didn’t. We only did one a la carte restaurant (I think you get to choose 3 if you stay one week?) at Frutos del Mar. They have an appetizer buffet with great varieties. The soups we had were disgusting but the main courses were really good – I had tuna and it was AMAZING. The desserts were very good, too. Service was OK, I felt like the waiters were trying too hard to fit into the “nice restaurant” atmosphere, I wish they would have relaxed more and joked around a little!

Snack bar is located right by the activities pool, I’m not sure if there was one by the main pool, I’m sorry. The snack bar is a snack bar: very convenient if you’re in need of a quick fix. They had hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken tacos, etc as well as drink machines, ice cream machines, coffee station, and self-serve stations (salsa, guacamole, chips, fruits etc). In the morning they had pastries and sweet breads, yum. Please expect some little queue during lunch time as people are hungry and the chefs are busy…I don’t think the made-to-order food was amazingly delicious or anything like that but they were just like regular snacks, good enough to fill my tummy.

Lastly on the “food” section…the Akumal buffet is H-O-T, even if you’re by the window. I was sweating and was really uncomfortable but I looked around at the waiters in long-sleeves/long pants hurrying around so I think I’ll shut up about that now.

OUTSIDE/INSIDE EXCURSIONS: We did the Tulum/cenote/zipline tour, the horseback riding/cenote tour, hotel parasailing, and the hotel turtle snorkeling tour. We booked the first 2 through the hotel and both were great. Tulum beach is OUT OF THIS WORLD! The zipline was terrifying but you just need the initial push to do go off the ledge :o) Horseback riding in the jungle/forest was a lot of fun, too, I was afraid I’ll fall off due to zero experience but the people helped me with everything and once I got the hang of it it was fine. I think everyone should go swimming in a cenote while they’re in Mexico – it’s freezing cold but the water is so clear and fresh it is quite amazing.

We booked the parasailing and the turtle tour through the Bahia Principe Dive Center. Parasailing was actually very relaxing, it’s really calm once you’re up that high. The turtle snorkeling tour for $45/person was just okay – yes, we got to see many sea turtles but the reefs were basically dead and we didn’t see any other remarkable fish (we’ve snorkeled/dived frequently in the Philippines so we had that as a comparison). I heard that it’s better to take a 5 minute trip up to Akumal Beach and snorkel there. Anyway the dive center people were really nice, I got deathly seasick on the boat but one guy David took care of me.

We also went to Playa del Carmen/5th Avenue. We took the collectivo waiting at the hotel entrance as opposed to a cab, it was very cheap and clean. As cute as PdC was, it was so commercialized and tourist-catered that I felt kind of let down. BUT, there are LOTS of shops as well as AWESOME-looking restaurants, some with cheap internet access. My only regret is not going to the beach and Senor Frog’s.

ENTERTAINMENT/STUFF TO DO: During the day there are things at activities pool like water aerobics, water polo, crazy games, etc and I saw a ping pong table, too. You can get your hair braided or paint little ceramic sculptures for a fee. There were people going around with different animals each day at the main pool…you can pose with them and buy a picture (parrots, toucan, spider monkey, iguana, etc). We posed with people dressed as traditional Mayan warriors and my mom bought a copy. There is a gym and a spa as well.

The night shows at Akumal started at 9PM. Just a note, the theater is stifling hot. OK, onward…some shows we watched were Broadway show, Cats, Crazy Show, lip-synching show and the Circus show. All of them were quite cheesy and the dancers weren’t top notch (sometimes actually painful to watch) but it WAS entertaining and a good way to pass an hour of your time. Plus they worked really hard so I respect that. Being the ignoramus that I am I had no idea that there were stuff AFTER the evening show at the Hacienda Dona Isabel, which leads me to…

HACIENDA DONA ISABEL: Kind of like a Mexican courtyard/market place with souvenir shops, bars, internet café (ripoff/slow computer), doctor’s office and a disco (and a restaurant, I think). Although it’s quite artificial-looking I liked it a lot, I’ll admit it was very pretty. On some days they had several vendors just outside Hacienda selling stuff…they were kind of desperate to sell things to you. You’ll probably read about the discos and night time music/dancing entertainment in other reviews so I’ll leave that out. The souvenir shops sell pretty much similar things but the prices were almost the same as shops at Playa del Carmen…at least that was my personal experience. A lot of people said that the vendors don’t barter but I asked if they could come down $2-3 for a necklace and they did it gladly…it’s not much but hey, it’s better than nothing. We didn’t get to attend the Mexican Fiesta on Thursday nights ($16/person) because we left Thursday morning. Tear. Oh, I loooved the shuttles running to and from the Hacienda. I’ll wait for you guys to see it in person when you get there, I don’t think you can miss it :o)

I think that’s about it. I’m pretty sure I missed some things, though…anyway, we’ll definitely be back here next year. It’s important to note that as AMAZING as this resort was, it’s definitely not the “real” Mexico…after all, it’s a resort. If you want that, I think you should venture out on your own to the neighboring towns. I think we’ll try that next time. Also, I won’t criticize the people who gave very negative reviews because they had their reasons for that…yes, some people are truly grumpy and hard to please, but some of the negative reviewers truly had genuine problems with the hotel. To each their own. You can message me with any questions if you have one and I’ll try to answer them as honestly as possible.

Final tips:

1.) Bring a light-colored hat (dark colors absorb more heat), bug-repellent, and plenty of sunscreen.

2.) Small bills for tipping

3.) Water shoes for rocky areas of beaches

4.) Please say hi to the groundworkers when you pass them by

5.) Attempt a little Spanish with the staff

6.) Small water bottle if you don’t want to carry the gigantic water bottles provided in your rooms…you can transfer water

7.) NO NEED to bring hair dryer, iron, ironing board

8.) Men should bring a pair of long pants for the a la carte restaurants

9.) Check the prices for some of the tours, the hotel might (probably will) charge a lot more than if you buy the tickets at the gates for some places

10.) Backpack for day excursions

11.) Some small snacks just in case: Cheetos, small chocolates, whatever…snack bars only have “real food” type things, not munchies…this doesn’t really apply to me as I was full the entire time I was there

12.) Make a la carte reservations ASAP at the Public Relations desk

13.) Pack your bathing suit and related items in your carry-on so when you check-in and your room isn’t ready, you can hit the beach/pool

14.) Take the collectivo (ask the staff how to use it)

15.) Bring your own snorkeling gear if you plan on snorkeling a lot…you can rent if for free for an hour at the dive center though

16.) Have a gooooooooooooood time

This place is a total heaven sent location !, away from the roads and noise.

We arrived to a gorgeous welcoming drink, and very quicly had the bags taken to the room, they where in the room b4 us lol !

The food was excellent, room excellent,staff amazing !

Just got home will write a longer review tomorrow !

Everything has been said about the riviera maya bahia principe hotels. They are fantastic, they have good restaurants, and they offer an overall high-standart level.

The think is: which one to choose between Coba, Akumal and Tulum. As we were travelling with a 4 years old boy and staying for two weeks, Akumal was a good choice as we found the best beach was near Akumal lobby. The beach is a bit spoiled by small stones that are daily being removed by the hotel staff, but apart from that we can definitely say that the best clear water is on Akumal side. Also we prefered the Akumal pool that had a lot of vegetatation, palm trees and a great design. However we found the Coba and Tulum restaurants much better. They had better choices and variety of food. Despite the Akumal restaurants were good the others were much better. Also we noticed that Coba room facilities were better as this hotel is the most recent from them all. Please bear in mind that you can easily have your meals in all the restaurants. All you have to do is to take the small trains that are always going around.

Apart from these slighty differences, you can easily have a very nice and sunny holiday besides from your decision.

We found the Japanese the best of the six restaurants we have tried. Also we have heard that Gourmet is very good, but we haven't tried it.

Don't miss Playa del Carmen. Don't be afraid of travelling in the public transportation. There is a stop point in front of the hotel and its very safe. Also you can easily reach Tulum by taxi. All you have to do is to settle the price in advance with the taxi driver.

Have a nice holiday.

I have been to Cuba before where they have not got the all inclusive thing quite right yet but this hotel ticks all the boxes.

You might have read reviews complaining about the steak or and tummy bugs but you're on holiday so you need to be reasonable and sensible you are not going to get a 10 oz steak in a buffet.

The hotel complex is massive- 4 hotels in 1 area. The grounds were immaculate and very green (with wildlife too). The beach was cleaned of sea weed each day by a team of workers. The life guards were strict about not going on the reef to keep you and the reef safe as the coral is so fragile. The best area for swimming was the Akumal beach which had a small amount of pebbles(as does any beach in the uk). i would say it was not umcomfortable to walk into the sea as this is what i was expecting from the reviews. The areas for swimming were sheltered by huge sand bags right up to the reef so the water was calm and shallow. The fish were amazing. If you were at the Tulum the sea was rougher due to the reef. The water was great for snorkelling. We saw rays and a baby barracuda, other people saw a turtle as the beach was also a breeding site. Mosquito free thanks to the quad bike each night. However, down by the dive centre they obviously didn't spray so prepare yourself before you go down there so you don't get eaten.

The Hacienda had great little shops and was where the disco was each night. This was a great idea as it ment that it was well away from the hotel rooms so it was very quiet at night. The Mexican Night was well worth the few pounds it cost to go as well. When you went to different hotels or the A La Cart restaurants it felt like you were going out for the evening which was lovely.

Food- You can eat at all the buffets and have a huge range of A La Cart restaurants- all good in their own way. Great touches like japanese sushi rolls in the buffets (Coba had a great choice) so you could try before booking into the Japanese restaurant which was fantastic. Not all uncooked fish like some people think. Great soups, sushi or spring rolls, Lovely cooked beef and seafood, topped off by a very naughty range of deserts.

A massive range of food in the buffets- fish, steak (thin but great flavour), pork, chicken, pastas, Mexican corner, salads (hotel purification system ment ice and salads safe to eat). Great selection for kids including mister whippy style ice creams. A great range of deserts too. The buffets were air conditioned or had huge fans so the temperature was more than comfortable of an evening. Cocktails were the real deal. No slushy ice stuff with a bit of alcohol thrown in. Properly made cocktails- The Mexican Sombrero- highly recommended. The flavoured tequila's were also great, especially the coffee one.

Rooms - clean, american tv channels for those that need it, marbled bathroom. They try to be environmentally friendly and have the usual sing about changing your towels. Never worked out if you needed to put the loo paper in the bin or not as you had to do this when you were out and about. The maids work really hard for very little pay and a tip will ensure a towel teddy of different types each day.

Staff -the waiters, bell boys and golf cart staff were all very friendly and looked so cute in their safari unifroms. Big hello to Alex the mad waiter in the Akumal buffet and his fire tequila on the last night! They work so hard for such little money even a small tip is a big thing.

General- it was the little touches that amazed me. The Gran Bahia stamp on every ash try in the resort. The daily cleaning of the beach with only what could be described as a sand mower for perfect carribean sand. A good range of known wines to buy at dinner if you didn't want house wine. Buzz fizz and bloody mary's available at breakfast. The waiters remembering what you drink even if you've not seen them for a day or two which really made the resort that bit more special. I read the reviews like many people but didn't hope for too much. We were the last hotel drop off so you see all the other hotels and pray that yours is just as nice. This hotel exceeded my expectations which i didn't think i would say. Like at most resorts people can have a funny tummy for a few days but like i always say, if you go out drinking all night then you don't have a great tum the next day so if you drink all day and night without having enough water and eating lots of rich food and fruit, you are bound to have a change in your bathroom routine (to be polite). We didn't have this problem and nor did anyone we spoke to.

We had 2 heavy rain storms for about 45 minutes then it brighten up again. It was hot so perpare yourself -get a base tan before you go or high factor sun screen so you don't burn. Lots of places to go Chichen Itza very interesting- make sure your guide brings golf umbrellas to keep you shaded if it's hot. We went to cozumel snorkelling with the dive center which was out of this world. I would love to have dived there.

If you were going to get married in the resort it looked lovely and we met several groups that were doing just that and they seemed really pleased.

Mainly spanish speaking guests, Italians and Canadians not that many Americans which surprised me. Although the summer is the quiet season the resort was still quite busy. But if you were up good on time you were ok for a sun shade. If it were busier it might mean an early (7.30) walk on the beach to get a shade but i did this a few times and it was really nice.

Overall a great complex, where they have got the all inclusive idea just right-activites for those that want it, great food and drinks, rest and relaxation for the lazy ones and a lovely, lush environment. I've already recommened this to my friends and parents and for the first time would be more than happy to return to this resort or other Gran Bahia hotels.

Through work commitments and buying a new house I had neglected to give myself a holiday for 3 years and wanted something really special to treat myself.

Having read other reviews on this site I can see that certain nationalities tend to give higher or lower reviews. This is from a British Point of view and so is relevant mainly because I am comparing everything I experienced to what I would expect back home.

My partner and I booked this holiday through Thomas Cook. We managed to get £400 pounds off the total just by hinting that we would try for the same holiday somewhere else so that meant our spending money was arranged.

The flight there was average but the inflight entertainment was good and kept us occupied till landing. You can upgrade your seat for £200 pounds but to be honest when I saw the "Premier Class" I was glad I hadn't wasted my money. There was a couple of inches more leg room and more films to watch and that was about it.

The hassle free bus trip from the airport took just under 2 hours. We hadn't been told which resort out of the three we would be staying at and on arrival discovered we were to be housed in Akumal. The walk into the reception area was spectacular. We couldn't see one spot of dirt in the place. Whilst queing up to check in we were greeted by a friendly member of staff who gave us a glass of Champagne and Orange juice and was constantly offering refills.

Our room was nice and clean. Nothing spectacular, but having heard that a tip goes a long way left a $20 dollar note for the cleaner the next day. This made such a difference. Our towels and curtains were folded into various animals and shapes, our room was spotless for the next two weeks and our mini bar was never empty.

I can't emphasise how important it is to tip in this resort. Even a dollar makes such a difference to the hard working staff who earn less than $10 a day. They do not expect to be tipped and at no point do you ever feel pressured into giving up your money but it's hard not to feel guilty when the smiling barmaid brings you the 5th free Cocktail of the night and then to just walk away without leaving something.

The grounds of the resort are so well kept it is hard to believe. The grass is cut and watered daily. The paths are swept and I even saw a guy polishing the steps with a sander ! The pool area was busy but never felt claustraphobic and the beach was fantastic. There are a lot of people at these locations but the sun loungers are so spaced out from each other that you still have lots of privacy.

The food was well above average and the A La Cart restaraunts are as good as any back home in Britain. The local liquor tasted no different than anything I have tried before and when it's free tastes even better.

The three resorts all have their advantages. Coba is best for sitting in for a few drinks and entertainment. Akumal is the best beach area and Tolum has the best pools and food hall. Try all three and you will eventually find you break up your day into visiting at least one other depending on what you are planning.

You can walk between them which I would recommend to avoid increasing your belt size too quickly or use the shuttle service which rotates every five minutes and is a good way to get somewhere in a hurry or if it's too hot.

The only thing that made the trip less than perfect were the mosquitos. Start taking hayfever tablets a week before you go and bring some good repellent to avoid being eaten.

Last thing, I said at the start that this would be a British point of view and if you are coming from the UK then expect an absolutely fantastic trip. The level of service is like nothing I have ever experienced.

I can't believe some of the comments on this forum and the moaning for moanings sake. Some of our Canadian cousins obviously have too much time on their hands. Just remember to treat the staff with respect, tip and you will have the best holiday ever !!!

July 6-20, 2008. This is the 3rd time my husband and I have stayed at the Bahia Principe Akumal. We were there this time for our 2 year wedding anniversary and previously got married there in 2006!

This time around was even better than the first 2!!

Being that we were "repeat" guests we got alot of extra special treatment that made our stay much more enjoyable! The service is always spectacular, the staff are always very friendly and the resort is immaculate.

We spent most of our time in the ocean and on the beach which is beautiful. The pools are lovely and very warm.

Our room was cool and air conditioned and the maids always did a wonderful job. The beds are a little hard... but it's not the end of the world!

The shows in the theatres are pretty well done and the lounges and live music are very entertaining. We only went to the disco once this trip...but had a good time!

We sat in the same section everyday for breakfast and lunch at the buffet and made friends with our server.... he made us feel very welcome and comfortable. My husband has severe food allergies mainly to Gluten, and the resort managers did an excellent job at accomodating his needs. He got wonderful meals brought to him for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We celebrated our wedding anniversay at the Arlequin restaurant which is outstanding..and they served us a beautiful "happy anniversary" cake at the end of our meal.

We really have nothing bad to say about the Bahia Principe.... I would recommend this resort to everyone!

I've been there on my honey moon for two weeks. We both loved the place. It is not perfect, nothing is. We used all three hotels, the place is huge and there are several pools, bars, jacuzzis, nice beach and great facilities. There are quite a few a la carte restaurants that must be booked. I recomend anyone doing it at the arrival because they get full really fast. Did not like arlekim, liked fruto del mar, dolce vita, mediterranean, and tequilla. Loved mikado. The buffets restaurants are nice. There are a lot of different kinds of food to choose. Quality is fairly reasonable. breakfast is great.

Most employees are really nice. Our housekeeper, Carlos, was great. The room was always impecable and we imeadiatelly noticed all trhee days he was resting just by entering the room. He always did great origamis with the towels.

The only thing i did not particularly liked about the complex was the diving center. I tought they were not very safe and the guides were among the few unnice people on the hotel. The dives were not that great, maybe because i did not have the chance to dive at cozumel or the cenotes.

We went to chichen itza, ek-balam and xcaret. I loved all trhee places. There is a trip that does the two first on the same day. I would definetly recomend it instead of doing it seperatelly. If you like culture and history it is a must go.

Xcaret is amasing. Everybody loved it. It is a ecological park and the show at the end of the day is simply great. It is worthwhille every single cent we spent on it.

The only thing i recomend is not to buy the trips at the hotel. We did it and found a few days latter that there are mini vans at hacienda dona isabel that take you to playa del carmen for only 2 dollars. trips are much cheaper there. there are also lots of diving centers there for anyone looking for a dive.

I also recomend people to get money from the cash machine at hacienda or at playa del carmen. The rating is much better (about 20%) than at the hotel. When you are buying anything always complain about the price. Some of the things we bought were for less than half the price they were initially asking.

In conclusion.... the place is great. I would definetly come back or at least try a bahia principe in some other location.

Let's be honest. We are very picky. I would suggest to book with Air Transat, which offers Golden Club. We had a villa with ocean view (villa 66)

The buffet is good - for a buffet. We booked 4 a la carte restaurant and we were able to choose the time and date. You have to reserve when you check in.

The staff speaks english like they say on the web site. Those ppl who say they only speak espanol is because they just assumed that because they greet you by a HOLA! SOme of them even speak french and german. wow amazing how some tourists just don't ask nothing to the staff.

Pools were SO clean. Lots of children. It makes you smile. Bars are good. Cocktails great.

The beach is rocky - MEXICO is known for that. No surprise people , read about the country before going !!! Regardless of what some people say, i think that resort is very quiet. Maybe a little too much. If you want to party I would not recommend going there.

Pools close at 8h00. About the beach chairs.....cmon, anywhere you will go you have to wake up early to get some. I was able to find a spot even around 11ham.

The junior suite was fabulous. I didn't see any bugs during my stay but 1 spider.

So you know, the resort is FAR from Cancun airport. At least 1h00 maybe 1h30 from there.

The night shows are not good.

I really enjoyed and next year im going to a Gran Bahia Principe, in Cuba !!! loved the resort.

Visited the hotel first two weeks in July flying from Newcastle with Thomson. Absolutely no complaints about the flight. You now before you book how long you are going to be on there for, so there can be no surprise. Unless you are upgrading, again, you know what to expect. Although, I have to say, leg room was generous. My husband is 6ft 4 and he commented on the space he had. Food was better than most airline food, although I did notice some people opted out and just bought sandwiches on board. Its a long flight though, and breaks it up. In the scheme of things, £20 is not that much to pay for a meal!

Cancun airport was a bit of an eye opener, and if I can give you any advice it would be to ensure that you fill out your forms that airline crew provide you with, and make sure they ar filled in correctly before leaving plane. I completed ours, but hadn't realised there was a section at the bottom to complete, so when we eventually got off plane, there is someone checking your forms before you can even get through to passport control. Huge queue at passport control which you have to "grin and bare" and then through for luggage. This came through reasonably quickly, although my daughters case had been completely destroyed! Another pitfall of airline travel! We thought that was us, but then you have to queue again to put your luggage through x-ray, so just a bit frustrating after a long flight.

We got out of the airport no problem, and had booked a private transfer which I would highly recommend. There was a man waiting on us holding up our name card, directed us to our a/c private mini bus, and we were taken directly to our hotel, £79 return journey for five of us.

Arrival at the hotel - we were blown away by the place, and was even more beautiful than any pictures we saw. Service on arrival was excellent and staff friendly, with a a very welcome cocktail for us, and non-alcoholic cocktails for the kids! We also checked in a good bit before the buses with people from our flight got there.

Room (Villa 76 at Akumal) was fantastic. Really room, and as we had two rooms for the kids, had interconnecting door which was fantastic. Room was clean, and was maintained to the same high stanard over the fortnight. Mini bar was restocked every day and had no problems. Our air conditioning was not that great and the roof fan packed in, but a call to reception had someone there within 10 mins. The roof fan packed in again the day before we came home, and to be honest the air conditioning and the one in the kids room was not that cold. For all the time we were in the room to be honest, it was just getting ready to go out at night really. I did object slightly to the $5 per night charge for the safe, however, better to be safe than sorry. You wouldnt expect to pay for a safe in this standard of hotel - and also, beware, they are not electronic, you have to carry the safe key with you, with $50 penalty if you lose it. Sort of defeats the safety element a wee bit!

The grounds of the hotel were fantastic. Men were out first thing in the morning and all day tending the grounds. Villa 76 is practically on the border of Akumal and Coba, so we really felt had best of both worlds, and it was a pleasant walk down to the beach and pool every morning. Some folk moan about the distance, but really, what are you hurrying for? If you dont want to walk, flag down a buggy, there were so helpful and would stop for you anywhere.

Beach and pool excellent. Our kids had a ball. The beach was a bit rocky, but we read on here to buy water shoes, which we did and therefore did not have a problem, so I would strongly recommend you get some. Water in sea was just out of this world. Like a warm bath! It was so clear and the fish are beautiful.

Pools excellent. Someone complained they were dirty. Its not the pools, it is some people! Yes, there was sand in the pool, thats because some people came straight from the beach, walked past the showers, and straight into the pool. I also saw some plastic cups in the water, but what, just because you are on holiday, do you have to be so lazy as to not put your cup at the side of the pool. There were workers who did nothing but collect cups all day, and they were collecting them from the side of the pool regularly. There were guys in the pool, certainly at Akumal all day cleaning out the sand where it collected, and a couple of days we saw guys scrubbing the side of the pool, so it was not dirty.

Food was excellent. The a la cartes are a complete must. The Arlequin was our favourite and we visited in twice. Standard of food is amazing and the service could not have faulted. In fact, in all of the a la cartes we visited, service could not have been faulted.

In the middle of our first week, the hotel did get really busy, and to be really honest, i would have said they could do with some more staff in the restaurants, especially at breakfast. Some people are so rude though, and the way they spoke to staff was really quite appalling. Would like to see you working in that heat! They were really doing their best.

Entertainment was okay to be honest. And just that. It didnt really last that long and have to say, as soon as that was done, the place sort of "shuts down". So come 11 o'clock, you sort of get the impression its bed time. There are the 24 hour snack bars where you have drinks, or the Hacienda disco, but we have kids, so it wasnt really appropriate.

I have to say, the worst thing for me were the mosiquitos. I know some folk say they werent bothered by them, all I can say is, they must have been lucky. I covered myself if all sorts of repellant, but got really badly bitten. Two other folk we met ended up visiting the doctor because of their bites, so take as much stuff as you can, take loads of anti-histamine and good luck. That was the worst part of this holiday for me.

We took the kids swimming with dolphins, and after previously being in Dom Rep, would say the trips were quite expensive. Our dolphin swim was $149 each, but it was a great experience, however, the staff were a bit cheeky when we didnt want to buy all the photos that were $16 each. We bought the DVD which was $52 and a couple of photos for the kids.

Went to Playa del Carmen one day using the Collectiivo. Excellent, no worries at all. It was really hot though, so try and plan your trip for a "coolish" time - pretty hard!

Went to Tulum ruins. Got up at 7 to be there early. Would suggest you do this if you go, because when we were leaving, there were bus loads of folk arriving. Go early, as the heat even then was incredible, and the mosquitoes there were truly unbearable.

This hotel was fantastic, and I would really have to struggle to agree with any of the negative comments on this site. The beach is stoney?? The pool water was hot?? I have a feeling some folk want to moan for moaning sake!

One last thing, go to the swim up bar at Akumal. Edgar is one of the hardest working, friendliest guys. We gave him a couple of dollars every other day, and we didnt even need to ask for a drink! He had our order, and whenever our glass was emtpy, he had a refill for us. I have to say, quite typical of the service we received throughout our stay.

Would I go back - yes!

Just back from a fantastic 2 week stay at the Gran Bahia Principe resort in Mexico. It was everything I expected and more! We stayed in the Akumal part of the resort which was good but we enjoyed the flexability of being able to use the restaurants and facilities within the other hotels Coba and Tulum. The a la carte restaurants are definitely worth a visit. The Mikado was probably my favourite.

The grounds and hotels are immaculately kept and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The entertainment is good but the Michael Jackson show is not to be missed!

The First Choice Rep at our hotel is brilliant. What a character! He makes himself available 24hours a day which is very reassuring if you have any problems. Which I hasten to add we didn't.

We swam with the dolphins at the Delphinus in Riviera Maya. What an experience!

We also visited the Excaret Park. It was enjoyable but the map you are given and the signposts to follow are quite confusing. We spent half our time walking in circles thus we didn't actually get to see all the attractions.

Would definitely go back to this resort and Mexico is a lovely place.

My brother had his wedding here, and we had a great time. The rooms were VERY nice. Solid marble mosaic floor through out the room. I was given two huge bottles of water every day in my room. The food was buffet style in the main dining room, and really good. Huge selection of traditional foods as well as the typical american fare. I personally ate only the traditional food and never got sick. There were NO mosquitoes, they spray for them. The grounds were absolutely perfect! I actually saw a crew of guys scooping out white rocks along the path ways, scrubbing them off and then putting them right back. It was crazy!! Like Disney standards. I dont speak spanish, but there are several people there who spoke english. This is really a place to just relax... which I did.

Sorry folks – my usual long review – but to summarise we loved it had a great time, very relaxing no major issues at all and would defiantly recommend it and would return,

The journey–

We booked with First Choice but was a Thomas Cook holiday – they subcontracted via Monarch - really small rubbishy plane with 3.5hrs sitting on runway in Dominican Republic – horrific journey!

Airport was chaotic luggage comes off at random carousels so be prepared to spend ages running between them to try and track it all down. As soon as you are out the porters are on you – taking your bags whether you want it or not – if you don’t mind this leave them to carry it all – but make sure you have some small bills we got stung for 100peso as we didn’t have smaller – however just outside there is a wee stall selling beer etc but we never noticed this till it was too late.

Bus journey about 1.5 hour to hotel. We left our bags for the staff to take to the room and checked in – we had no issued here – got cocktail at reception desk given map and instructions etc – then got buggy to room and bags were brought up for us.

The room –

We were in block 56 top floor – we had a sea view over the top of the activity pool. It was a Jnr Suite and I felt this was plenty big enough for us – huge super king bed and sofa bed in alcove for our daughter. Still had table and chairs, dressing table, mini bar, tv wardrobe etc.

The safe is about $4 a day – I object to paying for a safe in a 5* resort but we did this as felt it safer. You have to do this at reception.

The bed was firm but I didn’t feel this was too hard at all and was very comfortable. Only get 1 pillow each as a rule but we just left a wee note and got another batch next day.

Bathroom – fine – there is a wee vent in the wall, the Jacuzzi tub was nice but getting the jets right takes a fair bit of practice and we ended up with a very wet bathroom and much hilarity as the water squirted everywhere.

Noise – there is not a huge amount of soundproofing in the rooms so if your neighbour is noisy you can here the muffled tv etc. Also this block is noisy during the very loud activities at the pool – we struggled a bit in the afternoon if we wanted our daughter to have a rest – it was loud at times. Also if there are loud people in the snack bar at night you can also here this.

There are only a few rooms with sea views but I’d reckon block 47 would be the best block there – I think the higher blocks on the beach were golden club.

The hotel complex is huge and is spread over the 3 areas Akumal where we stayed, Tulum and Coba. All seemed similar in style and we were not aware of massive differences between these – I’d have been happy in any area and think they all had plenty to do and full access all over the place. Coba is further from a beach but that’s about it – not sure what traffic noise is like near the road but it’s a big road!

The pool –

We spent most of our time around Akumal pool which was lovely and clean – they have staff employed who just swim around the pool with masks on cleaning it!

Sunbeds – a different story – people seem to go out at the crack of dawn and do the towels thing – I hate this! There were never beds under shade if you arrived after 9.30am. Tons on the beach etc but not around the pool under the umbrellas. There are signs saying not to reserve beds but this is done and nothing is done to stop this. I have stayed other places which state that if you have not used the bed for 45 minutes other people can use it – much better idea as stops the towel brigade. If you want a bed you have no option but to join in the towel claiming.

The swim up bar is lovely and Edgar works very hard!

The other wet bar at the edge had self serve juice slush beer etc, also bottles of spirits sitting out for self serve should you want this. The staff will also mix up drinks. Take an insulated cup it makes a difference to keep it cold and covered and you don’t have to just settle for the wee plastic cups around the pool.

Didn’t use the activity pool but it was a good size and clean – but noisy!

The beach – again fantastic and clean – with little huts around it doing braids, massage etc and some other stalls where you can paint pottery or make bracelets all very good prices and the kids love it.

Massage – sheer bliss – lying face down listening to the waves its fantastic.

The Food –

Buffet was typical – Akumal had no aircon – Coba was definitely cooler but we felt the evening meals in Tulum were the best for variety and choice. The good thing is that you can go to any of them. I felt there was plenty of choice and with 4 buffets and other options for breakfast and lunch don’t think there need be an issue with choice.

Breakfast – bucks fizz sitting on tables to help yourself, Bloody Mary on another. Evening cocktails and tequilas sit for you.

The staff work hard and most we met were cheery and helpful if you were polite to them – some people are so rude its shocking and I felt quite rightly the staff were not as helpful to these people – there is no excuse for lack of manners or treating staff like dirt just because you have paid to be there !

A la carte – 16 of these you can book 4 a week standard or 6 for gold class guests.

Dolce Vita – dreadful – cant say more!

The Mikado – quite brilliant one of the best meals ever we loved this even my 7 year old – its not all sushi.

The Grill at Tulum – again brilliant food – lovely staff and a beautiful sea setting.

Didn’t make it to the others but others said the other Italian was very good as was the Mexican – not sure about others.

Snack bar at Akumal – pretty standard with burgers, hot dogs, pizza etc open 24hrs and will pack for take away –the buffet will also give you take away plates to make up yourself.

House wine is included – all others have to be paid for.

Entertainment –

Minidisco not up to much but the kids liked it – Chico was by far the best host for this!

Michael Jackson night brilliant – well worth a visit. Circus night fairly good as was Cats – rest were pretty poor but passed the time. There are 3 theatres so you can go to any you want. Marlene in Akumal is lovely and cheery and always knows who is drinking what!

Kids Club – is open from 9.30-4.30 – kids can go all day if you want. I felt it was too long and depending on who was on duty they sometimes spent a long time in the sun – but my daughter loved it and would have gone every day had we let her – Jazzmini was brilliant with them and Chico as mentioned above – rest not so good!

Trips didn’t do much –

Xel Ha – is $10 is a taxi and much cheaper to do on your own than as a package. The lazy river is so not lazy is ridiculous it was so long and such hard work I hated everything about it people abandoning rings trying to swim its not worth the effort. The snorkelling is great and the Cliff of Courage was loved by my husband and 7year old – I didn’t jump it. Mosquito heaven though and you need environmental sun cream.

The Captain Hook Night – long trip to get there but is a brilliant night well worth a trip.

Mexican Night – mmm I thought it was rubbish but some folks enjoyed it!

Daughter got an ear infection as did several others! – doctor $75 a visit plus medicines – hes very nice and says ear infections caused as result of the heat melting ear wax resistance, and much more water than we are used to – not sure if this is true or not and also apparently chewing loads helps fight against it.

Summary – we loved it, met brilliant folk had a great laugh and totally relaxed. Its huge, clean easy to get around. We’d definitely go back – in fact some folk we met were talking of booking for next year before we’d even left this years. Go enjoy it and relax.

We stayed at the GBP Akumal for our second time this spring. We had a fantastic experience in 2007, and decided to stay at the same resort for a second time. See our last year's review for more specific details, especially if taking your children.

Overall the same as the previous year, but there were some improvements such as a new beach area closer to the snack bar and more palapas both on the beach and in the pool areas.

Food was excellent again, and we enjoyed the Dolce Vita and the Japanese restaurant in Coba for our a la cartes.

We took the 1/2 day ATV/Cenote tour and it was fun. Beware it is very dusty, so bring along sunglasses and a bandana to cover your face!

Our flight arrived late at night, so we arranged for a private transfer (with US Transfers) from the airport, rather than take the 2+ hour bus ride. We arrived hours ahead of the bus, and had no wait at the resort to get to our room. We also had an extra few hours at the end of our trip to enjoy on the beach. We will definately do that again!

Me and my boyfriend have a competition to see who can book the best holiday, he was unbeaten with his pick in Jamaica until we stayed in this hotel. We cannot think of anything to say against it as we really enjoyed our holiday. The only downfall to our holiday was the airport as it takes a long time to get through as they x-ray everyones suitcases again and they take a long time delivering luggage but this did not ruin our holiday and it was not the tour operators fault.

There are 3 hotels to stay in in this resort, we booked through Thomas Cook and didn't get to choose the hotel but we were very happy with Akumal. The only fault we have is that we requested not to be on the bottom floor and we ended up in a ground floor room but it was not too much of a problem as we just put a towel down by the door so as to try and prevent bugs getting in at night. We were very lucky though as we saw very few bugs except ants and moths. When staying in one of the hotels at this resort, you can use all of the bars, buffet restaurants, A La Carte's, swimming pools and beaches except the ones strictly for premium guests.

Our room was very clean and you can also choose a time you would prefer your room to be cleaned at and they will try their best to fit your room in at that time. The mini bar was filled up every day with soft drinks, beer and a couple of chocolate bars. Their is satellite TV showing some channels in English and an ironing board and iron were also included, something that has not always been included at hotels we have stayed at.

I have noticed that quite a few people have complained about the food, but me and my boyfriend thought that there was a good variety, they had an oriental corner, italian corner, meat and fish, burgers, fries etc aswell as Mexican food and they also had a childrens area. Breakfast was also very good and there was a good variety for lunch. The A La Carte's we went to were International, Italian, Grill, Mediterranean and Mexican. We would definately recommend The Arlequin (International) and the La Gran Tortuga (Grill) we were dissappointed with the Italian the most, the Mexican is fun but the food was not the best we had eaten.

We stayed in Villa 60 which is quite a walk away from the lobby and main pool but a couple of meters away, we had the jacuzzi bar. It is a small pool with 3 jacuzzi's and it is a very quiet area. We stayed here most of the time as it was impossible to get a sun lounger at the main pool, even when hardly anyone was by the pool. The entertainment is the usual cheese but the circus show is very good as is the Michael Jackson show.

We did 3 trips through Thomas Cook: Chichen Itza, Xel-Ha and Sea Life Plus dolphins at Porta Adventura. We enjoyed each of these trips, however beware at Xel-Ha - we were told by our tour operator to take bio degradable sun lotion and they told us ours still wasn't good enough, seeing as you only get one free sachet pp, this seemed to be a way of conning people into buying their own sunblock. We still used ours as we didn't have the money to buy anymore. You can also go all inclusive at Xel-Ha and so you only need $20 each to hire snorkelling gear. Sea Life Plus is a brilliant trip, not only do you swim with dolphins, but you can also swim with Manatees and Sealions. This cost us $199 each and we paid $140 for the 2 DVDs and 8 photos which we thought was a good offer compared to Florida and Jamaica.

Tips:

1. If shopping for gifts for family, we would recommend spending $2 each way on a mini bus that you can reach at the entrance to the resort; they will take you to Playa Del Carmen where the shops are cheaper than the Hacienda and it is also easier to haggle, it is a half hour journey there and back.

2. Make sure to use plenty of mosquito repellent as we got bitten a lot, also we would recommend taking Antihistamine's to take away the discomfort of bites.

I hope this helps everyone planning to stay at this resort we had a great time and I hope you all do too.

My husband and I just returned from a weeks vacation at the Gran Bahia Principe, Akumal, July 4th-11th. This was our first trip to Mexico, having been to Punta Cana, DR for the last several years. We decided to try something new and exciting. And thats just what we got. We booked thru travelocity, American Airlines, and used USA Transfer to get from Cancun airport to the resort. First of all, I cannot say enough good about USA Transfer. So very easy to find them once you got out of the airport. We got thru customs (finally) after my husband pushed the button and we got all of our luggage checked. Only took about 2 minutes for them to go thru our bags. We went through 2 sliding doors and once you got OUTSIDE the airport there was a man standing there with our name on a paper. He took us to our driver and off we went. USA transfer people were very friendly and 1-1/2 hours later we were at our resort. Our driver even took us through Playa de Carma so we knew what to expect which I thought was great.

We were dropped off at the main lobby, checked in and were in our room within 15 minutes of check in. We did ask for a mattress pad, and paid the $4.50 per day for the safe. We put everything in that safe....Passports, cash, credit cards, cell phones, everything we need to get back home.

Since we took the 6:00am flight from Detroit, we were early to get to the resort. Our room was ready, grabbed lunch at the buffet and we were on the beach by 3:30pm. The beach is nice in some places. Keeping in mind we love the beaches in Punta Cana, these are a little rocky but still nice. We are both beach "bums" and love to walk and snorkle. Which we did but I do recommend surf shoes. They helped quite a bit.

Our favorite spot on the beach was out by the swing bar. A great breeze that came off the ocean, and that made for great sun bathing and napping :):) The swing bar was close enough that we just took a couple steps and had our drinks quickly. Angel the bartender was absolutely awesome. Always had a smile on his face and knew exactly what we wanted when we walked up. A couple times I had him fix me one of his special, and "yummo"

The food was typical inclusive but we enjoyed the mamossa for breakfast, the omlets were good also. What was nice is we would eat a big breakfast in the buffet and then have lunch at the 24 hour snack bar. We would just walk off the beach and past the pools there was this open air building and you could order hamburgers, hotdogs, fries, pizza, chips & cheese, chicken tacos, chicken and they also had salads and pop, stuff like that. It was nice to get out of the sun and still see the water. Some mornings, we even jumped on the transportation vehicles and went and had breakfast or lunch at Tulum, or Coba, just to check out the other part of the resort.

The transportation system on the resort is not as complicated as other trip advisors writers have written about. If you know what part of the resort you want to go to, or the name of the restaurant you want to eat at, it is listed on top of the transportation carts. It only took us a couple time to figure it out. And of course, we asked the first couple of times just to make sure. All the drivers were very friendly and some of them would be telling everyone waiting where they were off to. You could always tell the Hacienda transport was bigger and had red top to it.

We did not go on any excursions. We ventured off on our own. We took the Hycienda transport to the Hycienda, walked to the highway and waited for the public transportation to pick us up. Yes the collectivo was a blast. These were white vans with the words C O L L E C T I V O on the front and sides. They would pull over and open the sliding doors and we would jump in and tell them where we wanted to go. Please keep in mind, we do not speak any spanish, and they speak very little english, but we went to Playa De Carma one day and Akumal Bay another, and they knew exactly where to drop us off at.

Akumal Bay is about a 5 - 10 minute drive from the resort. Pay the driver $2.00 american or Peco per person and they drop you off by the road. We then had to walk about a half mile and walked through a white arch and there was this quaint village. Several restaurants and a beautiful beach. We snorkled with the turtles and had the best margaritta at Xel - Ha (spelling) When it was time to go back to the resort, we went back to the highway, used the cross over walk path (above the highway) and waited about 2 minutes and once again a collectivo picked us up. We told them were were at Gran Bahia and they dropped us off at the entrance.

A couple days later we went to Playa De Carma. That took us about 30 minutes but the price was stll $ 2.00 per person. They pulled in to the collectivo "terminal" and pointed us in the direction of 5th avenue. What a great time. We had a blast. Walked for miles it seemed. Bartered for blankets, mexican dishes, anything, you name it they had it. Nice people. After bartering with the Dominican Republic people, we knew exactly what to do and what to expect. When it was time to find the collectivo, we went back to where they dropped us off and jumped into a van and we were back at the resort safe and sould about a half hour later.

We had a great time at the Gran Bahia Principe Akumal Everyone was very friendly and happy to help us out. The resort is quite large but that was the fun of it all. Exploring new and exciting things everyday. I really hate to think that reality sets back when we go back to work. :(

But it was sure nice in Mexico.

And to the mother/daughter that sat in front of us on the airplane from Cancun to Detroit, then to Chicago, and then back to Detroit (for us) hope you made your connecting flight to Baltimore. It was nice talking to you. And complaining about the flight, just won't do any good. Agreed:)

What can I say about the Bahia Principe Akumal that has not already been said?? It's absolutely fabulous and we can hardly wait to return next year. Infact we enjoyed the resort so much that we are going to get married here in '09 and bring our entire family. I recommend booking the Royal Golden and taking advantage of the little extras that make your trip that much more enjoyable. Make requests in advance for a king size bed and a particular villa if you want to enjoy the view of the ocean. We had chosen villa 66 and couldn't have asked for a more perfect view. The room service was excellent and we graciously tipped both the maid and the mini-bar attendant on a daily basis. We weren't particular about having more than ample amts of bottled water and coffee and it was plentiful. Our room and bathroom were always very clean. There was plenty of fresh towels and beautiful towel art on the bed everyday. Just a little extra to make you appreciate the hospitality of the hotel and it's service staff.

Take advantage of the beautifully maintained walkways and take a stroll in the morning on your way to the buffet and you'll see just how beautiful the grounds are and the ocean is in the morning with the sunrise. The Akumal buffet has a wonderful selection of food and you need to realize that the earlier you arrive the fresher the selection of food you have to choose from and hot as well. We ate at all the buffets and they are all enjoyable.. each with their own unique atmosphere and selection of food. The ala carte restaurants are wonderful and as everyone recommends... book those upon your arrival for the best selection of both times and restaurants. Do the same for any excursions that you may want to visit .Do make sure that when you're booking your excursions that you're on the bus with the language you speak...(we were on the tour to Chichen Itza with a french tour*unbenounced to us* and unfortunately my fiance doesn't speak a word of french.... ) If you're planning on buying souvenirs during your trip ... take lots of money with you to Chichen Itza since they're many vendors along the entire tour and they'll barter with you. *it's great fun interacting with the local people*..If you want to experience the Mayan culture then you do have to take the time to visit Chichen Itza.

We loved walking the beautiful beaches and although erosion has taken place due to Dean in '06 you can always find a way to enjoy the beach that is still being maintained on a constant basis. We did bring watershoes and are glad that we did but enjoyed other areas of the beach where they weren't needed as well. Never did we have a problem finding a palapa on the beach nor chairs at the pool but I think that depends on what time of year you're here as well. We were here from May 25-June 1st and would probably come back a couple of weeks earlier just to guarantee that it doesn't rain...*it rained for the last 4 days of our stay* uggh...but all in all we absolutely loved The Bahia Principe Akumal and it's sister hotels and we absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants to go the Mayan Riviera and feel like you're in paradise.

My wife and I stayed at the GBP-Akumal for our honeymoon from May 27-June 2 and had a blast. Aside from the tropical storm that blew in while we were there, everything was great. Even with the storm, we had fun, which says a lot about the resort.

The storm did limit the amount of activities going on, but the resort did it's best to keep everyone entertained indoors. To be honest, the wind and periodic rain showers were actually kind of nice for the first two days. It cooled things down a lot. Eventually it got old, but we always managed to enjoy ourselves. Even with the storm, the main pool bar stayed open (the swing bar did not). The storm also gave us a reason to check out the tennis and basketball courts, so we spent a morning doing that.

Our room was nice. They upgraded us to a junior suite because it was our honeymoon, which was cool. We were on the first floor of building 79 (7903 was the room number, I think). We weren't super close to the pools, but it was close enough to walk within five minutes or less. We actually never took the tram around Akumal

Over the course of our stay, we made it to all three sections. We really liked the Coba lobby. That was by far the most "happening" area at night. They had live music and the bar was always full, but not to the point where you couldn't get a drink. We went there on most nights, but we also went to some of the shows at Akumal and Tulum. You should take advantage of the different sections. The trams run frequently and it doesn't take long to get from place to place.

The shows were fun and it was a nice way to spend an evening. If you go there expecting Broadway or Vegas, you're going to be disappointed, but if you just want to be entertained for a while, you should have a good time.

Without going into too many details, I'll address some of the concerns that I had before we went. None of them turned out to be a problem.

Hard Beds -- They were a little more firm than what you might be used to, but we never had any problem going to sleep. Overall, the beds were comfortable and shouldn't be anything to be concerned about unless you just have a really sensitive back. The beds probably won't be an issue.

Food -- We were there for six days and never got tired of the food. All of it was pretty good. It's tempting to try everything when you first get there, but that's not the way to go if you don't want things to get repetitive. I realized this after the first night. So, from that point forward, I just chose 3-4 items for each meal. If you do that, you shouldn't get tired of the food. The combination of the buffets, the snack bars and the a la cartes will give you plenty of options.

The snack bar food is kind of like what you'd find at a country club poolside restaurant. It's not going to blow you away, but it's good enough. I just kept getting the hamburgers and my wife got the pizza a few times.

The a la cartes were really fun. The waiters were incredible. Even though we didn't have to tip, we always wanted to after our meals. They were just cool guys that made the experience that much better (offering me shots of tequila helped). The food was good, too. We ate at the Mediteraneo, Frutos del Mar, and the Arlequen (forgive my spelling). We were happy with all three and didn't have any problem getting a reservation at a reasonable hour. We booked the dinners right when we got there and ate at 6:00, 6:30 and 7:00.

I've seen some reviews and pictures that make it seem like there's not a lot to eat at these places, but we always left full. Other than the Arlequen, there's a self-service salad/appetizer bar that you go to before the main course. You could fill up just with the options there. You also get soup before the meal, so there's no reason why you should leave wanting more food.

Chairs on the Beach -- We never had any problem finding a place to sit on the beach. The tropical storm probably had something to do with this, but there were always chairs available before the storm hit, too.

Security -- We got the safe and kept everything important in there (wallets, passports, iPods, etc.). It was less than $5 a day and was worth it just for the peace of mind alone. We never had any problems.

The only complaint I would have with the resort was that our service kind of stopped during our last 24 hours there. We tipped housekeeping everyday and left some money for the guys restocking the refrigerator, but we didn't get anything replaced when they came by the day before we left. They didn't even give us coffee, which doesn't make a lot of sense since we were going to be there another morning. Other than this, we were very happy with the resort. We got coffee at breakfast.

I'd recommend the Gran Bahia Akumal to anyone. We plan on going back. I can see how the humidity can put people in a bad mood, but once you get past that, it'll be fun. I was a little disgruntled when we first got there, but I got used to the weather and then had a really fun time. In May-June, it's no worse than where I grew up in Louisiana and there are plenty of places to cool off.

If anyone has questions, feel free to contact me.

We stayed in the Gran Bahia Principe Akumal from June 21-June 28 and found it to be an excellent experience. I traveled with my wife (30), both sets of our parents (50s and 60s), and my sister (27) from various points in the USA. I thought that the strengths of the hotel included its food (both buffets and a la carte restaurants), the beach/snorkeling, and the grounds. The buffets had a wide variety of food, and our entire party always found something to enjoy (some of us are meat and potatoes kind of people, some of us more adventurous). The only bad part of the buffets was the sushi. The a la carte restaurants had excellent service, food, and presentation - i would have paid at least $100-150 per couple for an equivalent meal back home in the states. The liquor available ranged from adequate to good (Dos Equis beer, passable wine at the buffets and good wine at the a la carte restaurants, reasonable hard alcohol). The beach was also great - not miles of pure sand (there were occasional rocky parts), but plenty of beach chairs. Snorkeling was available right off the beach - we saw 20-30 species of fish including the usual tropical fish, stingrays, squid, and a moray eel. The reef itself was roped off, so there were not many/any coral structures to see off the beach. The grounds were also all very nicely manicured. Just to mention, it is about a 1.5-2 hour van ride from the Cancun airport. One thing to consider is the large size of the resort - it is really three gran bahia principe resorts that are interconnected by a golf cart/shuttle system (or you can just walk). It might be difficult to get around the hotel for people who have a hard time walking 5-10 minutes, eg from your room to the buffet. Or you could just request a closer room. The upside to the size of the resort is that there are three times as many restaurants/buffets/bars to choose from, and the beach is actually quite large.

Overall, this was an excellent experience for a larger group of travelers with a range of previous travel experiences. Beautiful resort, good food and drink, and a great value for everyone.

Firstly I must start off by saying that if you are planning to go to this complex then don’t be put off by any of the negative reviews that are on this website. It really annoyed me to read that a person said they would rather shut their fingers in a draw than stay here again, all I can say to that person is you are best off doing just that then you wouldn’t be able to write such a ridiculous review about this place, if you are as obnoxious as you sound then it’s no wonder you had to wait for drinks.

We stayed at this hotel from 8 June – 22 June and I have to say it is one of the best hotels we have ever been to. There are 3 parts to this massive complex and we stayed in Akumal. The room was spacious and cleaned everyday. The grounds and lobby areas are very grand and also kept clean and tidy at all times. The staff are really sweet and helpful and work very hard indeed. I could not fault this complex in anyway it is absolutely fantastic! We have been on many all-inclusive holidays and with regards to food and drink this was by far the best we have ever experienced. There was a good selection of food in the buffet restaurants and the a la carte restaurants are well worth visiting. We especially liked Le Gourmet and Mikado.

At Akumal there are two pools, one quiet one and the other one is where the daytime entertainment and music goes on. We opted for the quieter pool, mainly because of the swim up bar with our favourite barman Edgar! We never had any problems finding spare sun loungers by the pool or on the beach.

In the evenings we enjoyed listening to the live music that went on in the music bar and premier lobby.

We really enjoyed our stay and strongly recommend it to anyone!

Our family of 5 (kids 13, 15, and 17) stayed for 8 days. We had a blast. Staff were excellent, helpful, and friendly. For variety at meal time, I recommend going to the Kukulcan restaurant at Coba (another hotel in the resort). Overall, the food at Coba was better, we thought.

To save yourself some money, take advantage of the public transportation if you want to go to Tulum, Xel-Ha, Xcaret, or Playa del Carmen. It is NOT necessary to book a tour or take a taxi. Public transport (colectivos) run up and down the highway every couple of minutes until 10:00pm and only cost 20 pesos each way (maximum) per person.

For real Mexican food and a good shopping experience, go to the town of Tulum, about 10 minutes south of the resort. Don Cafeto restaurant is the real thing, and prices in Tulum for souveniers are very good.

spend 3 fab weeks there in may 2007, every hotel great ,food fantastic, something going on all the time..

I relied heavily on the previous reviews here and was not steered wrong. Great property with great service. My boyfriend and I went for 6 days. We're in our mid-30's. Some points...

-I think it's key to note that a 5-star All Inclusive does not equate to a typical 5-star hotel. I think we got an excellent value for the money we spent. There were meals that didn't knock our socks off, but we never went hungry!

-We forgot to request the mattress pads when we checked in and never got around to doing so. The bed is hard, no doubt about it, but not intolerable.

-We didn't think the trolley system was that confusing. If you weren't sure, you could ask and they'd be happy to direct you to the right one.

-The beach is great. We brought water shoes as suggested and they were very beneficial. The water is crystal clear and the beach is nice and fluffy sand. There are rocks, but that's just the nature of that part of Mexico. The shoes made them a non-issue. The barrier'd lagoon area is nice too and isn't as rocky.

-We stayed in villa 48 at Akumal. That was a GREAT location. Very central but not loud. The beach was a short walk away. I don't understand why Akumal or Tulum guests complain so much. Now, if we'd stayed at Coba and hadn't read these reviews in advance, I'd be disappointed because they have to trolley over to either Akumal or Tulum to get to the beach.

-We were always able to find palapas (sp) at the beach and at the pool.

-We loved the swim up pool bar at Akumal.

-We really loved the beach bar with rope swings on Akumal. The bartender, Angel, is very good and deserves nice tips.

-The buffets were fine. I saw that people had complained about the food in previous reviews. If you want gourmet food at every meal, then you shouldn't stay at an All-Inclusive. I thought they did an excellent job of producing massive quantities of food.

-We took advantage of our a la carte meals (3). Our favorite was Dolce Vita at Akumal.

-Our Funjet rep recommended a $12 shopping shuttle to Playa del Carmen. That worked out great. Otherwise, it would have been about $30 USD each way via taxi. The rep wasn't a big proponent of the public bus.

-We took a snorkeling trip to Akumal (the actual town) through the Bahia Dive Shop. It was 45 USD/person and a great value. We took a 10 minute boat ride up the coast and snorkeled for nearly an hour. We say sea turtles and barracudas and other colorful fish.

-On the first day (before we got sunburned) we got 50 minute massages at the Bahia Spa at Akumal. We had them outside under a vined trellis. It was a great way to settle into a relaxing vacation. My boyfriend had never had a massage before and he's a convert now!

-We went to the Hacienda de Isabella (sp) a couple of times in the evenings. The mosquitoes are horrible there (and we live in Houston so we're pretty used to them). You can buy repellent at the gift shop.

-We utilized the private transfer option through Funjet. It's about 1 hr 20 mins from the airport to the property. I'm sure if you were stopping along the way for other hotels, that time could easily double. Money well spent.

-We did as suggested and brought a wad of $1 US bills. Great for tips and ensured added service.

-There was a mix of families and couples. Despite the presence of children, there were plenty of quiet places to relax.

-There was no smoking in enclosed spaces which was nice.

-When you arrive at the airport, I suggest that you go to the restroom after you get through immigration then get a soda/water/beer after you get through customs for the ride to the hotel.

-Check-in/Check-out were a breeze. Didn't have to wait at all.

We just (yesterday) returned from GBP-Akumal and had a wonderful vacation. "We" is my wife (47) my step-son (18) and I (53). I did an extensive amount of homework before booking our trip and I am happy to say, it paid off. I tend to ignore the very worst and the very best of reviews and heed those that seem to be honest about the pro's and con's of a resort. With that being said, let me offer a few observations then I will list some specifics regarding food, rooms, service and the like.

We never encountered any rudeness from anyone, staff and other vacationers alike. After reading some reviews from people complaining about rude people, the only thing I have to offer is that those complainers must be either looking for it or do not deal with it well. Holy smokes, folks . . . this is vacation and you are not in Kansas anymore. Relax a bit - take a valium. Better yet, a Pina Colada !!! Yes, some folks are friendlier than others, some are more attentive than others . . . but rudeness, we never experienced.

I saw numerous complaints about the "lady at the snack bar" and her attitude. Again, get a life. Take off your swimsuit, put down your drink, put on a pair of long pants, a shirt, socks and shoes, an apron and a chef's hat, grab a spatula and stand over a hot grill and hot oil vat and cook for 8 hours straight in 90 degree heat and humidity and let me know how you feel. She is a cook, not a customer service representative. She'd doing her job and doing it well. The folks at the counter who are taking orders were always friendly. Un-be-frickin'-lievable people.

And, finally, the last consistent complaint I saw were those about the beds. Obviously, the resort has taken action regarding this one and there are foam toppers available for the asking without charge. Ask for one and shut-up. The mattresses are not "cement blocks" as one reviewer wrote. They are extra firm mattresses. If you do not care for them, the foam topper takes the mattress to a firm rating. If this is unacceptable to you, lather up with bug spray and go sleep in the hammocks on the beach or on a raft in the pool. Or better yet, take a Tylenol PM or, again, a Valium. They are comfortable enough to sleep on and, to the best of my knowledge, that's why they are there.

Okay, here are some general tips for your stay:

- if you are going to go to the beaches at the resort and go into the water, bring water shoes

- if you are going to lounge by the pool, read and sip on beverages, bring an insulated mug of sorts. It saves on trips to the bar and keeps your drink cold. We took Bubba Keg brand mugs with us (stuffed socks and underwear in them for suitcase packing)

- if you are a decaf coffee drinker, bring instant decaf packs with you. Hot water is available but no decaf

- sunscreen and after-sun lotion are a must

- bug-spray such as Off; mosquitoes are plentiful in the evenings. Also, "Afterbite" is available in most pharmacies so bring some to treat the bites you do get.

- $1 or $2 tips for the housekeepers and mini-bar staff go a long way for personal attention to your room as well as extra attention at the bars you frequent. If you tip the bartender with your first drink, he'll remember you your next trip(s)

- "Shout" wipes and some "Woolite" will come in handy for spills or stains

- if you are going to snorkel, bring your own equipment. You can then take a cab or "Collectivo" to Akumal Beach or Turtle Bay and pay their fees to snorkel. It is cheaper than the snorkeling outings organized by the tour companies

- for souviners, go shopping in Playa del Carmen. Take the tram to the Hacienda, walk outside of the entrance to GBP and to the left wait the "Collectivos". A cab to PdC will cost you about $30. A ride in a Collectivo van will cost $2 per person. While there, if you get thirsty, beer is $1 a can in the small convenience stores and you can walk around with it in hand

- if you need internet access while there, you can either upgrade to the Royal Golden package ($35/day/person) which also gets you an extra al a carte dinners or tahe the tram to the Hacienda where there is an "Internet" access cafe (actually it's the Corona shop) where for 4 pesos a minute (about 40 cents) you'll have access

- if you are going with teenagers and they want to "do their own thing" once in a while, take a pair of walkie-talkies

- if you need to electrically charge things (electric razor, cell phone) in your room overnight, take a power strip

Okay, now the specifics:

ROOM: was always clean and comfortable. Tipping helps to keep it that way and gets you a few extras, especially in the mini-bar. Our toilet seat broke one morning, I went out to let the housekeeper know and w/in 15 min, the handyman was knocking on our door to fix it. Scratch their backs and they'll scratch yours !!

FOOD: if you don't like the Akumal buffet or you get bored with it, hop the tram to Coba or Tulum. We did and it was worth it. As far as a la carte restaurants, Mikado (Japanese) at Coba was excellent and fun, Arlequin (Gourmet) at Akumal was very good and Dolce Vita (Italian) at Akumal was very good. Mikado and Arlequin were both air-conditioned, Dolce Vita was not.

SERVICE: front desk and customer relations were always helpful and available. As soon as you stepped up, they were ready to help. The folks in customer elations are very helpful.

The buffet staff did a good job handling what I consider a challenging situation. We never had a problem with their service (I got a big laugh from one review complaining about the service differences between the "green shirts" vs. the "white shirts"). We were always in and out of buffet meals within 30 minutes.

SHOWS: these are semi-professional performers, folks, so keep that in mind. If you expect a professional show, you will be dissappointed and will likely complain. The Circus show was entertaining. The "Michael Jackson" show was fun. It wasn't great but was fun to watch. We stayed for a short bit - not the whole show. If you see this performer do the "Billie Jean" routine, then it will be worth while. It's almost an exact re-inactment of Michael's Grammy show performance.

The theaters are open air so get there early and get a table or seat under a celing fan - it's stuffy.

POOLS: there are two pools at Akumal, the Activity pool and the Maze pool. The Maze pool is quieter and has a swim-up bar. The Activity pool is just that. From about 10:00 amon, there is always something going on - water volleyball, water basketball, water aerobics, skits by the youngsters, pool-side bingo, etc., all organized by the "Anamacion" team. Music is always coming from the DJ at the pool-side activity hut. We hung out here a lot because it was just FUN !!! The team is great - kudos to Carlitos, Ulises, Pepe and Taquito. They made the days at the pool so much fun. These guys and gals are worth their weight in gold, in our opinion . . . ask them anything about the resort, activities, shows . . . some have been there for 15 years !! They are the most helpful and best ambassadors the resort has to offer

Hope this helps - feel free to e-mail me with any specific questions.

whiteisp@buckeye-express.com

Me and my b/f stayed at the Akumal resort from May 31 - jun7. It was the first vacation we've ever taken alone so it was wonderful.

The service there was excellent, the staff was amazing (Edgar was the best!)everything was easy starting from the check in to check out. We definitely took advantage of the food and drinks we paid for in our package. I think we almost had a heart attack the first time we walked into the buffet, we really didnt know where to start. But we did think that Coba had the best buffet out of all 3 resorts.(Akumal is 1/3 of the resort there) I dont know why everyone was complaining about the beds..they arent that bad. Overall it was a great trip and I certainly will be going back this year, but i think we'll probably try coba next time. And when you do go, you'll probably meet the nicest people there. We made friends with different people from all over the world, it was amazing and you'll never forget them either!!I wish we had taken pics with them but i dont think it really matters if you're by the wet bar getting drunk......you'll hopefully still remember them :).

Try seeing the culture they have outside the resort....it was very informative and fun!

There's a couple of downsides, we met incredible people there but you'll occasionally run into people who are grumpy and dont like the resort. We just minded our own business and in return told them we loved it hee hee.(which we really did)When we got there it was really ugly out, but mind you we meet the nicest people on the ugliest days.......and the last downside, one week isnt enough :)

WE had the time of our lives. We were at the Bahia April 20th to May 3rd, 2008. We went to get married. We had 70 people in our group and not one person complained.

Of course there were some minor glitches - checking in late - but you're on vacation - WHO CARES! HAve one more drink, relax and then check into your room.

The service was incredible, staff was friendly, grounds were impeccable.

We spent most of our time at the pools -- the beaches were beautiful, but rocky. Oh well, there were so many pools we never got bored.

Hidden Worlds - you must must must go to Hidden Worlds (just off the highway). For $80/person we took a "jungle limo" into the jungle, snorkelled in several cenotes, rapelled into cenotes, sky cycled and ziplined. WE also ate the most phenomenal beef fajitas ever here!

The wedding went off without a hitch - only minor minor "complaint" if you can call it that is that the discotheque - Le Rancherita - does not have air conditioning. It was boiling, but nothing a few drinks couldn't take care of.

I keep reading reviews from Americans complaining about every last little thing - beds are too hard, no air conditioning in the Akumal Buffet, pools are crowded, beaches are rocky... Get over it - you're on vacation, relax and enjoy yourselves!

Lots of fun. Very big resort with a number of pools, a variety of a la cartes restaurants, incredible staff and a pretty beach. I will be going back!

A large group of family and friends went from the end of April to the beginning of May for a wedding. All and all it was a pretty enjoyable trip! For the most part it was just my sister, dad, and I but we did meet up with our relatives quite frequnetly. It is a very large resort and very hard to find people! Seen a few people with walkie talkies which would probably be a good idea. I got pretty burnt one day just walking up and down the beaches to look for my dad. I didn't pre tan and I am pretty pale and to tell you the truth I don't think I could have survived more than a week! I must have put on a pound of sunscreen in total and got a few burn patches.

The bus ride from the airport to the resort is pretty long and doesn't have a beach view like I expected. It was a little longer than usual cause we got stuck in construction.

Check in was a little bit of a blur. I pretty much just followed my relatives (one in which had been there before) and made it to the club golden check in area which is where we were staying. The people at the desk spoke decent english and were able to tell us all we needed. Our club golden package included 4 a la cartes, robes and slippers in the room, free internet access, and a villa that was pretty close to the ocean with a slight ocean view. We still had to pay about $5 a day for the room safe.

The trams were a little confusing for the first while but there is no way you can't end up where you want to end up. Even if you take the wrong one and end up at the wrong lobby just switch trams! They don't take very long at all and there is always tram drivers and other tourists there who will tell you where they are going to.

The rooms were great and I don't know why people complain about the beds so much. They were slightly hard which I noticed when I first went in there and kind of did a little bounce on the bed. You don't really bounce haha but they were fine to sleep on. We had no other problems with the room. The AC worked great.

The grounds were kept so clean and the staff were so friendly!! Everywhere you go staff walking on the grounds wave and say "Hola". I don't think I could ever be that happy at work haha. Ricardo was our favourite waiter in the Akumal buffet during breakfast. We tipped him a dollar each day because he was super and after that he remembered us and made sure we were well taken care of. I don't know why people are complaining about the smoke. I am a non smoker and smoke does tend to bother me but I didn't find it a problem at all! Many of the areas are no smoking and a rarely saw anyone even smoking! I think I had two people sitting beside me once at the beach who maybe smoked for 5min.

The beaches were pretty decent. Some of the areas were more rocky than others. Some areas were pretty wavy but I had no problems. It was fun to play in them and they have plenty of wave barriers. Snorkeling is pretty decent. Saw a number of fish and squid right around the shore. Swam pretty far out with goggles and flippers one day where my sister got stung by fire coral! Her leg stung and got a little lumpy but it was gone within 45 min. Just a little scary when she didn't know what happened. I sugguest bringing your own snorkel equipment as they only rent them out for an hour! This is not very long considering they have one rental boofth and I didn' t just want to snorket in front of it. My only regret was not going to Akumal Beach where my aunt and uncle went and saw sea turtles! It is only about a 10 min drive.

One day a bunch of my family went to Playa Del Carment. Because there was a bunch of us we all went in on collectivo. We just walked up near the main enterence to the resort and they were already waiting there for us. $2 a person gets you to playa del carmen. We got dropped off near the main tourist street and walked around and had some drinks on the beach. The beach is beautiful there and I would have liked to spend more time there! We just went for a few hours to shop.

We also went to Xel Ha one day. We booked it through the resort. It was pretty fun just snorkeling around although I didn't see anything too exciting. Lots of tuna's and my dad saw a sting ray but I didn't. The lazy river wasn't so lazy and was rather stressful! It starts out good when you float through the trees and can cliff jump but then it just turns in to work. I suggest trying to get out before you have to hop off your tube with all your equipment and swim until you are huffing and puffing! Waste of time in my opinion.

I found the buffet food fine except it does get rather repetative after a week. The a la cartes break it up though. They have the best chips and salsa around the resort at all the buffets and snack bars. I don't know how people can complain about the lack of food!!!

We had 4 a la cartes. We had the seafood, itallian, fine dining (don pablo) and a grill one with steaks, etc. I forget the name. My favourites were don pablo and the grill one. I had very good steaks at both. The only downfall to the a la cartes is that they are rather slow. You can count on your dinner to take a couple hours but what is the rush! Relax, you are on vacation! We never got to see many shows, though, because most of them were pretty much over by time you were done dinner. We saw a part of the lip sync show and it was very good! After 10 okay you pretty much have to go to the hacienda for outdoor dancing then to the club.

My cousin had her wedding there and it was beautiful!!! I think everything went fine with that.

We went the end of April which was borderline off season I guess. We didn't find it overly crowded at all. There wasn't much of a problem finding chairs in the shade. The restaurants and buffets seemed okay temperature wise as they had plenty of fans going. Maybe this is differen't during the busier season though.

I was just reading some of the other reviews. Things happen. Your bed is probably not going to be as comfortable as the one you have at home, the food may not be up to your standards since you didn't make it, and, yeah, some of the staff seem a bit grumpy at times. I would be too if I was working in such hot weather. If you're going to let things like that ruin your vacation, whose fault is that? In any case, I'll highlight a couple points that may be helpful. This may be a bit long.

My husband and I booked our honeymoon for August 2nd-9th. We hadn't been to Mexico before so this was a new experience. When you got through customs, make sure you fill out the bottom part of the sheet. Lots of people forgot to do that and that caused a bit of chaos in customs.

We flew through Air Canada (which I hope to never do again but that's a different story). If you have a bus picking you up, you go OUTSIDE of the airport. There are people right in the airport trying to get you to take private transportation or to hear their spiel about tours. Make sure you look for the people holding up the specific airline sign and wearing the shirts/uniforms. It's a fairly long drive 1.5 hours and more waiting for other passengers to board the bus.

We were originally booked for Coba but they moved us to Akumal. That worked out well as we were 5 minutes from the beach. The resort is large and it's a bit confusing at times. We carried our resort map for the first couple days. DO NOT assume that getting on any trolley will get you where you want to be eventually. We did that the first night and ended up going around Tulum and Coba 3 times (on different trolleys). 50% of the time the drivers will say where they're going. If in doubt, ask! Also, there are clocks on the pillars where the bell boys are that say when the next trolley is scheduled for a specific location.

No complaints with the buffet. We tended to go when it first opened since the food was fresher. We could always find something to eat. We ate at Coba and Tulum buffets as well. I do think we prefered Coba generally. It's a quick trolley ride or 10-15 minute walk. The 24-hour snack bars weren't great but a couple nights I picked up some nachos to go which weren't bad. The cheese sauce was a bit watery so it made the nachos sort of gross if you left them too long.

I booked the a la cartes based on the reviews on here. You book through the Hospitality Desk in the lobby. We booked the night we arrived as I gather it's hard to get reservations. We usually made them for around 7:30 or 8:00 p.m as we didn't know what tours we were planning. They have a binder of the menus for the restaurants.

We tried Le Gourmet, Arlequin, and Mikado. We liked Le Gourmet. The staff was really friendly and the food was great. Arlequin was decent. Not terribly memorable as I can't think of what I had there. Everyone raves about Mikado. The food was nothing special but I think the attraction is the entertainment factor. We were seated with a large group of people we didn't know. That turned out fine as they were very friendly, but we were confused as it was not communicated to us that would happen. Our server/chef made our food in front of us doing all the fancy flipping of the eggs and knives, etc. Entertaining ,but I personally didn't think the food was all that great.

We didn't go in the pools much but stayed to the beach. The first few days we didn't get to the beach until 11:00 so it was difficult to find two chairs together. We started getting up earlier for breakfast and easily got shaded chairs at 9:30 a.m. We brought snorkeling sets and water shoes. Definitely bring water shoes as it is a bit rocky on the Akumal side. Sometimes we walked to the Tulum section which seemed less rocky.

We were supposed to take the shopping tour into Playa del Carmen but we were told to go to the Coba lobby and the tour left from the Tulum lobby. We waited 1/2 an hour before inquiring with our Air Canada rep. Make sure you know which lobby you're leaving from.

Not a big deal as we were refunded our money and we ended up just taking the Collectivo to Playa for $2 USD/person. We were hesitant as we had never been before but it was very easy. You trolley to the Hacienda (where the flea market is) and walk to the highway. The white vans are looking for you. You pay when you get to Playa. 5th Avenue is a block or two away from the very last stop so it's easy. Also, if you're buying souvenirs, check out what you want at the flea market at the Hacienda FIRST and know the prices. I'm terrible at bartering and most often ended up getting things for the prices that are marked at the Hacienda flea market. We also did the Tulum Ruin tour for 50/person.

At checkout there seemed to be mass confusion as we had to check out of Akumal but get our luggage taken to Coba since that's where our vacation itinerary thought we were. The bell boys told us to go to Coba and our luggage would arrive there but we decided to wait for it to go ahead of us. They put it in the middle of the road and told one of the trolley drivers to take it. The bell boy then walked away and the trolley drove off leaving our luggage just sitting there. We waited for 20 minutes to see what was going on with our luggage and finally asked if someone was taking our luggage to Coba. Apparently they had thought it had been taken. They immediately put us on a trolley and took us to Coba with our luggage. It's a good thing we waited for it as it may not have made it at all.

Overall we had a good time. The rooms and grounds were always kept clean, the food was good, and the staff was pretty friendly. Negatives, the beds are on the harder side, some of the sellers in Playa are pretty pushy, there are lots of mosquitoes at night so bring BUG SPRAY, and sometimes the staff just grunt at you (though I wonder if it's a language difficulty). It's a family resort so don't get upset if the kids run around and ask before you get on a trolley so you don't go around in circles.

We stayed here in 2006, and despite a number of problems that we had it did not affect our enjoyment of the place and hotel.

First of all, we paid £750 each for this hotel and flight for 14 days and thats all inclusive and its a good 4 star hotel, so that value for money I believe.

The hotel complex is huge and you could spend a long time walking around the whole place. The beach is'nt the best, but when we went in September, it was easy to find space on the beach and get a lounger and sun shade.

ROOMS

Our room was huge and was really quite classy. We did as for one bed, but we had two smaller doubles pushed together to create one huge bed. It looked awesome, but when you fall through the crack in the middle when your sleeping it aint so funny!

There was a mini bar which was restocked once every 2 days, from what I can remember, only 2 small cans of lager, so your getting 1 can for 2 days if there are two of you sharing, not great, but your usually not too far from somewhere selling drinks.

The only downside was quite dark, but this is intentional I believe to keep the room cool. We had one problem where the air-con leaked continouly throughout the holiday, leaving a huge puddle near the door, although I'm sure this sort of thing is rare.

FOOD & DRINK

The food is great, plenty of variety and eat as much as you can like obviously. The only downside was the lunch buffet was usually very similar to the evening meal buffet, and the deserts were the same each day, always small cakes or fruit.

The drinks were fine, as long as you dont mind them being served in tiny glasses, ok if their spirits but not great if you enjoy a beer. But this is usually the case in all all-inclusive hotels I believe.

As for restaurants, there was either the main buffet room, or around 6 a-la carte restaurants which you can visit 3 times a week if I remember correctly. The food there is great for an all-inc hotel

OVERALL

This is the only hotel I've ever stayed in that I would probably say I'd go back to in a few years if I chose to do this type of holiday again. It really was good value for money, good rooms, clean and classy hotel, good food and drink, good sea and decent beach, not really much more you can ask for with this type of holiday really.

Oh and if you want to get away for a few days to take in the history of the Yucatan, Chichen Itza is only a couple of hours ride away, and only 30 minutes down the coast are the ruins of Tulum. Not much there in Tulum really, but the beach side ruins are postcard perfect and you really shouldnt miss it.

We stayed in the Royal Golden section of the Akumal Resort.

The staff was great, everyone was friendly and helpful. The rooms were clean and restocked daily with fresh linens and beverages. The staff at the activity pool kept the guests entertained.

We had four ala carte seatings included in our package. Without a doubt the best restaurant is the Makido (?). It is the Japanese restaurant. I was not overly impressed with our other restaurant choices (we did the steakhouse-Tulum, the seafood restaurant - Akumal and the Italian restaurant - Coba). At best the food was mediocre. When not dining ala carte we did the buffet. The buffet was restocked often, the food was hot, however it was at best average. If eating is really important to you then this may not be the place for you.

My only other complaint would be the pillows on the bed, they were paper thin. They advertise themselves as a five star resort but every five star resort I have ever been to have thick luxurious pillows. Not the case here. Again, not a big deal, have an extra drink, fold the pillows up and go to sleep.

I have read previous comments about there being a lot of walking. Well its true. However, it probably does you some good, a little exercise will burn off all of the extra calories you are consuming.

That said, the price I paid was great. Would I go back again, certainly. My kids had fun as did my wife and I. It was hot but sitting by the pool, having a few margaritas, playing water polo and volleyball while listening to some music is a good way to spend a week.

This is definitely not a five star resort but it is a clean and safe place with friendly, helpful staff.

By the way, I brought a couple of hundred dollars in single American dollars and left a few bucks on the table after each meal, on the bed for the maid in the morning and the odd tip to the waitress. I think it is a good idea to show your appreciation. I noticed many people did not leave any tips, all inclusive does not mean you should not acknowledge superior service.

My boyfriend and I just returned from Mexico. It was our first time there and we were very pleased overall. The hotel was absolutely beautiful, however... next time we will choose an adults only, this is not the place for a young couple, great for families though. The rooms are very clean and comfortable, the grounds are kept so well, the pools are very nice, but loaded with alot of young children throwing balls and frisbies at your head. The beach is gorgeous, a little rocky in some places though. It's hard to find beach chairs at both the pool and on the beach, so get up early. Our biggest disappointment was the food. There are some things that you should know before you go...depending on the amount of nights you stay... for example we stayed 5 nights we were only entiled to 2 nights of a la carte meals, and you need to make reservations well in advance, like 2-3 days before you want to eat there or you'll end up eating at 10pm like we did. So what do you do with your other nights there for dinner??? You eat at the buffett, which would have been fine, excpet each buffett as the same things every night, and although you have privligies at all 3 resorts they ALL HAVE THE SAME