Latest Reviews for Akumal

Akumel beach itself is lovely with good snorkelling with turtles and good restaurants. Visit to Tulum ruins a must as is a swim in the sea there after to cool off. Xel Ha and Xcaret both excellent days out although can be costly at around ���£40 each-but this includes food and equipment.There are lots of other attractions along the coast road including Cenotes-sink holes-to swim in.

we expected a great deal better as we had read the reviews here-all I can say is the last review was in 2006 and things have obviousely gone downhill.The hotels,grounds and rooms are kept immaculate,but what lets this hotel down big time was the service which was mostly very poor with staff,particulary in the buffets,either overworked or just plain not bothered about serving you-how hard is a cup of tea for goodness sake?Politeness and tipping made no difference.Cleaner was very good,but was tipped daily. The complex is aggravatingly huge,with trolly buses needed to get about-after 2 weeks we still were not sure which bus went where and had to ask each time. The beach is good but swimming areas have obviousely been hewn out of rocky areas and breakwaters have been added to make it safe to bathe at all times although the water is almost too shallow to swim in.Plenty of beds available on the beach. The food in the buffets was very uninspiring,lots of choice but most looked unappetizing,the food at the snack bars was pretty awful! Service at the bars was poor simply because there are too few staff-maybe 20 people and 1 bar man. I suppose its a great way for the hotel to save money-tell everyone you can eat and drink as much as you like-then fail to pay enough staff to work to give it out to you! Win win situation for the hotel! A la Carte restaurants hardly worth the bother-Mikardos being the exception provided you get a table where you can watch the chef work.We didn't bother with our last 2 reservations. Entertainment varied from poor to excellent,although the theatres only lasted 45 mins. We stayed at the Barcelo Maya hotel our last 2 visits to Mexico which was far superior,although again we noticed the service was poorer on our 2nd visit,so maybe thats the way its going,now this destination is so much more accessible. If you want to get away-and believe me you will-catch the mini bus to Akumel bay 5 mins away-there you will find nice restaurants-Lol Ha being one-and you will get good service,good food and sunbeds-all quite cheap,and you can swim out from the shore about 100m and meet the local turtles!And lots of other fish-including some huge and scary baracudas! I would go back to Mexico dispite this disappointment but obviousely not this hotel.

This was our first time to Mexico, so wasn't sure what to expect. It looks like each hotel complex is in its own grounds. The drive down the dual carriageway from the airport would indicate so, with big entrances to hotel complexes about 5 miles apart. The Akumal Beach Resort (ABR)being no exception. The drive from the airport was a bit boring. There are no roundabouts, so every drop off meant a 3 mile trek back up the dual carraigeway, heading back the way we'd just come to find a retourno (an area designated for turning around on the dual carriage way).
The ABR was the last drop off on the bus, so the journey took about 2 hours.

The place itself is very nice. Its basic, simple, and uncomplicated.
The room was clean and tidy, maid service and fresh towels everyday, bedding changed every few days.
A few things could have done with some finer details though. On arrival, our toilet as blocked and the hair dryer didn't work. The repair man turned up inside about 15 mins of me reporting it, and was resolved in less than an hour.
The shower door wasn't in good shape, and looked like some sort of bodged repair had been attempted a few times. I didn't report this as we only spend about 5 minutes each in there anyway.
In general the rooms were nice, but not what you'd call posh or plush.. basic and functional..

All the staff were really friendly.

From what I could see, late arrivals are well catered for, as the staff would put out a small buffet occasionally late at night in the reception area, we could only presume for those guests arriving after the restaurant had closed.

There are a number of bars dotted around with snacks being served from about 11am until 6pm.
Breakfast in the main restaurant at 6:30am until abou 10am, Lunch at 12:30 until about 3, and evening meal from about 6:30pm until 9:30 ish, so no shortage of food or drinks.
The food in the main restaurant was superb, no shortage of choice.
The kids were well catered for too.
There wasn't what youd call kids meals available, but lots of stuff that they are familiar with, pork chops, chicken, lamb chops etc.
There are also 2 a la carte restaurants.. Italian and Mexican, which you have to pre book.
The Italian was rank bad.. we joked about throwing the lasagne out of the window, then commented about lasagne on the pavement everytime we walked past.
We never tried the Mexican.

The pool area is well maintained and clean, with sunbeds dotted around.

One word of warning aout the sunbeds on the beach.. You need to be prepared to get up very early if you want one in the shade. Most of them had been taken up with towels before 6:30am. However, we found that if you walked down the beach to the right behind the main restaurant, you could find some down there even upto 9am. The only problem with this, if your'e a drinker or like to be in the middle of it all then your'e away from the bars and other stuff. I suppose an advantage to this, your'e also away from the noise of the entertainment crew doing water aerobics and other things around the pool.

The place is a little isolated. There is a so called village about a 5 minute walk up the beach, 3 shops and an internet cafe, and that's your lot. So don't plan on going anywhere in the evening unless you book a taxi.
Incidentally, the internet cafe in the village, is much cheaper than the hotel for Internet and telephone. Saved us a few quid with the kids emailing home etc.

Playa Del Carmen is worth an evening out, but everything closes at 11pm, so if you are going to go Carmen, go there about 5pm. Taxi to Carmen was about 18 quid each way if i remember rightly, so not a cheap night out.
Tullum ruins is worth a quick visit if thats your bag, but don't do what we did.. we asked our taxi driver to come back in about 3 hours.. we had nothing to do for the last 2 of them.

The diving is nice, and for any qualified divers, I would recommend doing a cenotes dive. Cenotes are fresh water cave systems. Its not as daunting as it sounds. You have a guide who knows the system like the back of his had, plus all the routes are marked out with ropes, so you follow a rope around a set route, with caverns to ascend into every five minutes.

we would never have travelled to any resort more that 4hr flight from uk but our daughter decided to get married in mexico - and now i kno i'll be booking similar holidays in the future. the akumal beach resort is absolutely beautiful. our accomodation was clean - fresh sheets towels everyday - lovely towel art! and the view from the balcony - we were in tulum block - was stunning - beautiful sunrises that take your breath away. the location was just perfect beach, bar, swimming pool - what more do u need?! there were loads of activities - aqua aerobics - this was fun, learn how to dance the merenga ( i think thats how u spell it) the staff were really friendly and enthusiastic but not pushy. theres a games room, archery, cant comment on the kids club ours were to old for this.

we were unable to eat in the italian restaurant because it was fully booked we tried a few days before we went home - so that was a bit disappointing. the self service restaurant was basic but plenty of it - always a fresh dish being cooked either meat or fish - we definitely didnt go hungary. i think the hi-light of our holiday apart from the wedding was swimming with turtles this was brill. we hired the equipment ourselves later in the holiday for 6 dollars and swam with them again. akumal village - about 10mins down the beach - has well stocked supermarket and souvenier shops also internet cafe - cheaper that the hotel - for keeping in touch back home. we went to tulum - that was a lovely day out - if u go take a towel theres access to the beach from the ruins - beautiful turquoise bay - just right to cool off in - alot of steps down to the beach but worth it. lovely market there to and only 2 dollars on the bus! we took the bus into playa del carmen thats a good day for retail therapy! but if you dont want to move you have everything you need at akumal beach.

we shall definitely be going back!

We had originally booked to go to the Catalonia Riviera Maya, but Thomas Cook advised us there were building works. Someone recommended we try the Bahia Principe, so we arranged for the holiday to be changed - and we are so glad we did!

We stayed at the Bahia Principe Akumal, which is on the beach, and one of three hotels in the resort. The main hotel is Tulum, which is also on the beach, and the newest hotel is Coba, which is not on the beach, but all rooms and hotels are serviced by regular golf-carts, so wherever you stay you can easily get about.

The food was incredible - I've never had so much choice for breakfast, and there was even freshly squeezed orange juice. Every night in the buffet was internationally themed, but if you didn't like that particular cuisine they always had trusty salad, pizza (freshly stone baked), sushi and pasta on the go, and loads more. The desserts were always fantastic - I recommend the carrot cake! Everything was fresh and hygienic; definitely 5-star stuff.

There are also 'a la carte' restaurants and you can pick three per week. We particularly like the gourmet restaurant in Akumal and the Oriental restaurant at Hacienda.

If you like snorkelling and diving (as I do) then this is the hotel for you. They have an onsite dive centre, which arranges all sorts of trips. I went snorkelling with 14m whale sharks and 3m manta rays in the wild - it was quite expensive and I had to get up at 4.00am but it really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I have a wonderful time. We also did snorkelling at Turtle Reef, where the turtles are huge and take no notice of you swimming around them. I also did my PADI scuba refresh and a dive there, and they were $US35 each so quite reasonable.

The beach is not the finest sand, and there are some rocks in the sea, but this makes really good snorkelling and there were often shoals of fish. There's a small lagoon-type bit at the Akumal end of the beach where they've taken most of the rocks out and put huge sandbags in the sea so there's hardly any tide in there, which is great for kids.

There are a few beach and pool bars; the beach bar at the Akumal end had swings hanging from the roof so you could swing away in the sea breeze with your cocktail! They used mainly local spirits at the beach, but in the indoor hotel bars they used branded stuff (Smirnoff vodka, etc).

The service was friendly, but you need to take quite a few dollar bills with you for tipping in the a la carte restaurants and in the bars in the evening. We gave our maid $US5 at the start of the holiday and then another $US5 halfway through, and she made us beautiful towel sculptures every day, including a vase (with flowers!), an elephant, a lobster and a woman in a skirt!

You can easily get a taxi from outside the resort, it's very safe, or you can ask them to come directly to reception to pick you up. Otherwise, there are very cheap taxi-vans which take you up to Playa del Carmen or down to Tulum for just $US2 each. They do tend to cram people into them, but they are air conditioned so it's not too bad. You can ask to be dropped off anywhere along the main road, but beware they do literally just drop you off at the side of the motorway, and you have to remind them of the hotel before they drive past it because if they forget they just leave you wherever it is you tell them they've gone wrong! Probably not ideal if you've got kids with you.

There are various cenotes (sink holes) in the area, some of which have been commercialised and cost a small fortune to get into , but we asked around and the Eden cenote was recommended to us. We took the taxi-van from outside the hotel and it took about 15 mins to get there - we just asked the driver to drop us off there. It cost only $MEX35 ($US3.50) to get in, but we recommend you take the right change as it's just a little old lady sitting in a hut. There's then a very hot 5-minute walk to the sink hole, but it really is worth it. We were the only people there apart from a couple of divers. It is very beautiful, and someone has put some wooden steps going down into it at various points. Take your snorkel gear as the rocks and fish are fantastic. It is very very deep in places, but perfectly clear fresh water.

Lastly, we weren't sure whether to take dollars or pesos, but it seemed that most people wanted tips in dollars, and payment for goods in pesos.

All in all, a fantastic holiday, and it comes highly recommended.

This was one of our best holidays.

The location is superb.Our room was spacious but basic.We were there for relaxation and sightseeing and certainly got both. The excursions are expensive but are worth it. Our favourite was to Coba and Aktunchen.Also not to be missed are Chichen Itza (booked through the hotel) and Tulum and Xcaret. We took a taxi to Tulum and the collectivo (local bus) to Xcaret and Playa del Carmen.

We found the food in the hotel just ok. If you arrive late on at the buffet the choice is very poor. Lunch was marginally better than dinner. We ate once at the Mexican restaurant and twice at the Italian. Both were better than the buffet, understandably so as they were catering for fewer people. Cocktails at the Moonrise bar were better than at the main bar. The singers were absolutely awful - especially the woman - and they were on every night! However we weren't there for the entertainment. Akumal means place of the turtles and on our second last night we were priviledged to see a turtle lay its eggs on the beach just in front of our room.What an experience!

Apart from the excursions we spent very little money. Our advice is to take pesos and forget the dollars. Departure tax can be paid in pesos as well as in dollars and tips in pesos will be appreciated. Don't forget high factor suncream. We had seriously underestimated the strength of the sun. Start off with factor 45.To sum up this holiday has finished us for the Med. It was excellent value and we shall be looking at something similar for next year. Highly recommended.

The flights were very good on the First Choice Airways ";revamped"; Boeing 767 planes which have ample leg room ,comfortable seats and individual consoles for t.v. ,films, radio and games.Transfers and booking in was pleasant and hassle free.

All ";First choice"; rooms were advertised as ocean view.Ours was fine (in the 700 block -called Itzel )but in some rooms views were partially obscured by trees.Some of the rooms on the complex were not ";ocean view";.
Our room was not luxurious but clean and comfortable and we could have done with a little more storage space.

The staff were always friendly and attentive without being ";pushy"; and spoke good English.

Food - plenty to choose from in the buffet restaurant with always at least one option being freshly cooked (either meat or fish). Italian restaurant - we found was very good during our first week but the menu was not so good for the second week. The Mexican restaurant we thought was good and we went 3 times.

Bars - friendly and efficient staff (although did 'run out' of certain spirits at the end of our first week and didn't replace them.) Personally, we were disappointed that the 'Moonrise' bar was only open until 1700 (therefore was not aptly named!) but would do any cocktail you asked for.There was also a third bar at the pool.

Pool - plenty of activity if you wanted it, clean, sufficient beds but not much shade.

Beach - clean. Not all areas suitable for swimming (due to rocks) or snorkelling. Sufficient beds but, once again, not enough shade areas.
Our biggest moan of our holiday was perhaps the 'having' to get up at 5.30 am to reserve beds with shade - although this did enable us to see many beautiful sun rises over the sea. We have to complain about some of the people who reserved the beds and then didn't use them all day!! - we find this most unfair and this was perhaps the main reason that there wasn't enough beds/shade to go round.

Entertainment - was supplied by the animation staff (morning, noon and night) and they worked very hard. The hotel has its own theatre for evening shows. There was a resident duo in the main bar each evening who were both very good.

Akumal - itself is a small village with not many shopping opportunities - Playa del Carmen being the nearest shopping centre. (Buses - 2 USdollars each way)

Excursions - we booked ours through First Choice but could be booked through the Hotel. We went to Tulum (half a day) and to Xcaret (full day). Enjoyed both and guides were good and entertaining and 'knew their stuff'. In Xcaret we stayed all day (though there were options for you to return to your hotel for lunch or before the shows began) and we stayed for the shows. The first was brilliant but, to be honest, the second one went on a bit too long. And, the park which had been relatively quiet during the day was very busy for the shows.

Tipping - was not necessary but we found our friends from the USA were doing it quite a lot (bars, restaurants). We left tips for all the staff at the end of our holiday. (Being English we are not habitual tippers - as a Canadian pointed out!!!)

Reps - our First Choice Reps were very good and helpful.

Weather - while we were there is was hot and breezy (some days it was positively windy!)

We found Akumal Beach Resort to be quiet and relaxing. Good for snorkellers. There were people of varying ages and nationalities at this hotel and some young children but no noisy teenagers.

Would we return? Yes.

Most fantastic hoilday we've ever had.resort was briliant,staff could not do enough for you.there was so much choice of food,all good quailty and plenty of it.as much to drink as you could possibley want all brand names,lots of tequila as we found out,some carried to bed.Beaches beautiful sand,very clean,plenty of loungers to choose from,sea was very warm if a bit rocky in places.
trips out not to be missed swimming with dolphins and chichen itza,bit of a climb but well worth it.
despite all the bad reports we had heard about Cancun airport we had no trouble at all,comming home we were in the departure lounge within 15 minutes of arriving there.
we will definatley be going back

This resort and its sister hotel Tulum are not closed and never were they were hit by hurricane Emily mildly and the small amount damage bar one spot is fixed. It did not spoil any of the facilities or resort. This holiday was the best we have been on so far and we have had a few. This was our first all inclusive so were not quite sure what to expect. We were not disappointed. Would go back to this resort and would use Global Late deals at the drop of a hat.

It took us 45 minutes to clear the airport that was from touch down to leaving the airport on our coach. We had no hassle arriving or departing at the airport, they xray your bags going into the country and hand search them on exit. It cost $50 US Dollars or $500 pesos each to leave the country payable in Pesos or US dollars at the airport. You have to pay this before you check in. There is not alot in the airport abit basic, Burger King, Pizza place or sandwiches. A few shops. Cigarettes are cheaper on the plane.

The resort is 1 hour away from the airport.

The double rooms are clean, tidy, maid service daily, mini bar, balcony, bath, shower, TV and in room safe (the safe is not included and will cost $4.50 US dollars a day). Swimming pools are big, clean, and warm. The beach is right in front of the hotel. Word of warning if you go over the sand bags you will find the sea urchins like i did and they hurt. If you are stung by one you have to wee on it and do this for at least 3/4 times a day for 3/4 days to get the spine out. If you go into the sea where the kayals are with some bread you can feed the fish. We did that and had about 100 fish swimming around us i got some lovely photos. There are not allowed to do any motorised water sportis at this resort because of the reef. If you want to go on a jetski then the best place is Playa De Carmen on the right hand side of the ferry terminal. It cost $55 us dollars or $550 pesos you get half an hour which my son and husband thouhgt was great they would have stayed out there all day. The food well what can i say it was excellent there was something for everyone even if you have a fussy eater like mine is, he loved it.

We went to Xal Ha this is about a 15 minute bus ride from the resort its beautiful. I would recommend the all inclusive package its $83 US dollars each and everything is included except swimming with the dolphins which is anohter $155.00 US dollars each. We did swim with them it was fantastic you get an hour in the pool with them well worth it.

Buses you get a bus from the main road outside the resort. They are not like oour buses they are white transit mini buses. It cost 20 pesos each to go into Playa de Carmen about 30 minutes away. Excellent shopping, i would not use the hotel to exchange money i would go into playa del carmen the hotel exchange rate is very low. we took american dollar travels cheques. If you go into playa del carmen beware of the guys and girls in t shirts with Mayan Place on promising you cheap or free trips. They are timeshare or vacation package reps for a laugh we went on one it lasted 3 hours, yes the resort was nice but they want a lot of money and by the time we left i was ready to scream. I don't recommend you do this.

Mozzies - the mozzie man sprays the around the resort twice a day, we took insect repellent and found that we were biten more when we put it on then when we didn't work that one out. The worst place for mozzies is in the sports bar at the Hacienda which is were the internet cafe is.

This hoilday was well worth the money and we would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Thomson need to look at there in flight meals. Breakfast was the only meal i ate. I prebooked my seated and was told that they had abit of extra leg room. They lied we had no extra leg room and had the child from hell sitting behind us. The seat are small and you don't have tv screen in the back of the headrests.

we stayed at this hotel in june having read previous reviews we thought this would be out of this world for a 3* but all i can say is dont go if you expect to be waited on because this hotel runs off self service.

good points the beach was out of this world you cld snorkel for hours and get lost its amazing all the kind of fish and tutles you see.and always somewher to sit wheter in the shade or not always plenty of longers

food was okay at this resort but did get a little boring on the 2nd week as for the drinks this was the best place for cocktails all fresh ingredientd bananas orange all blended together

overall wlnt go bck as too quit at night and we like quiet but i mean this place is boring after 7

BEWARE OF MOZZIES

ALL IN ALL NOT THAT BAD BUT WILL PAY THE EXTRA NEXT TIME TO STAY IN MAYBEE 4 OR 5 *

ENJOY

Just return from the Akulmal Beach Resort it was the best holiday I have ever had,

The beach is fantastic line with palm trees and ammocks loads of sunbeds.the mozzes are not bad at all as the mozzie man come along around 6;30 pm with is smoke mozzie machine and kills them all did not have one bite and thats a 1st for me the hotel and staff are very kind and cot not do anuff to help in any way<

I would recomend this holiday to all as i am going back in two years just to see some old friends,ps take a beer glass with you to drink your beer you only get small glasses not even an half all the guys from the usa had there own glasses BIG. dont for get to tip peppe at the pool side bar he will look after you just a small tip at the beginning and one at the end of your holiday,try the beach bar and try one of rubys long Iland ice tea or any of the other cocktails, she makes them stong bewarned,

Enjoy your Holiday.