Bahia Principe Explore Akumal - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

14760 reviews

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  Fun and enjoyable trip, would be great if they fixed a few issues!

  Overall had a good time; had been 6-7 yrs since I had been here so kinda knew what to expect. Fun and a pretty place to stay, some issues come to mind however. 1. Drinks are mixed with sugar substitute and have distinct and unpleasant taste (? aspartame). I had to bring fresh fruit and real sugar to make a drink that was of decent quality at the bars. Alcohol quality not the best so don't expect much. This is pretty standard for similar all-inclusive hotels in the area unfortunately. The only thing that was good was the Dos Equis, at least they have a good beer! My wife will not be going back because she loves Coke and there is only Pepsi available...or $4 for a small can of coke?? This is way too expensive and taking advantage of customers. Would be nice to have Coke products available. 2. The website transitioning to Hyatt was a nightmare (and lost all my points for Bahia, not fair and no recompensation). I had to look elsewhere for an airport transfer since the new website would not recognize my reservation code (worked before website transitioned) and I called multiple times trying to remedy this. Also, the Bahia App worked but would only allow me to make dinner reservations for 2 when I had 4 people (my daughter in the other room I booked) in 2 rooms. All of this would have been solvable if I could reach anyone in customer service on the phone to help fix this and help make reservations ahead of time. I called multiple times over 10 days and placed written requests (which allegedly was the approved process to handle questions). When I occasionally did reach somebody, they hung up on me multiple times and nobody ever responded to my written requests for assistance. I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to fix this but to no avail. I understand there was problems with the website during transition in March, things happen, but it was the lack of responsiveness to help fix things that was lacking. As predicted, when I arrived, all the dinner reservations for the week were booked. With much effort, I was able to get some of my reservations extended for my family of 4, but the entire process was very frustrating, which is the last feeling you want to be having on a relaxing vacation. Victoria in guest services did a great job trying to help us; shout out to her, however there should be a better way to remediate problems like this when they arise. I was hung up on a daily basis when I called for help ahead of time and asked for assistance in English. This was rude and very annoying. This problem was created by a problem with the website/app, and compounded by a lack of customer service on hotel's end. To be told that nothing can be done when I arrived, and insinuated it was something I wasn't doing correctly on the website, was even more maddening. If I hadn't raised a fuss and been extremely demanding, we would not have had a single reserved dinner together as a family. 3. Despite this, we enjoyed our stay and felt the service and people helping out in bars/restaurants were pleasant and helpful. Had fun playing beach and pool volleyball and using the gym in the mornings. Bahia used to have decent entertainment; not nearly as good as I recalled 7-8 yrs ago...and now you have to pay and make reservations??!! I don't know if it was the timing or fewer people traveling because of concerns of violence in MX, but unlike the last resort we stayed, we were always able to find a chair by the pool or beach up/down the beach. Maybe not the "choicest" spots but could always find something and it was nice that I didn't have to wake up at 5am to reserve a spot with towel, Great to have enough chairs/lounges. Very beautiful and well-kept gardens/ grounds and, even though we stayed in the older villas, they were clean and comfortable. I felt the variety of food was nice and we could always find something to eat on the line that was good. The meat was overcooked and the fish/squid was way too salty and overcooked at buffet. I was literally begging them to pull the meat/fish off the grill early and sometimes they would. More cooks/space for omelets and cooked eggs in the morning would help with long lines. The experience at Katok restaurant was great; the steaks were cooked well to order but unfortunately quality was low and tough and gristly. But the service was great and nice ocean view there. The Gourmet restaurant at Sian Kahn was very good as well, the gourmet restaurant at Coba was underwhelming...had great memories of this on our last visit but ambience and food definitely took a downturn. Enjoyed watching March Madness at Sports Bar...they had hockey, soccer and basketball with fans from all over Europe and Americas watching games in different parts of the bar. Would be nice if they served some snacks/nachos etc.. at sportsbar. They were very helpful finding requested channels of your favorite sports team.

  Apr 13, 2026
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  Artificial sweeteners

  The location is great. The online reservation system for booking speciality restaurants was not working and by the time we got there all the reservations were full. When online they say to fill out questions on email form and somebody would get back to me. I filled out form four different times before my stay and never received a response. Despite that, What really ruined the experience is the presence of artificial sweetener in every single drink. Even the fruit juices , all mixed drinks frozen or otherwise, even regular sodas from fountain contain it. So all inclusive drinks really just include beer and water. I came to Mexico hoping I would have a real Coke made from cane sugar. I don’t want drinks that contain artificial sweeteners that make my joints ache and are known to cause health problems without my knowledge.

  Apr 13, 2026
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  Fabulous Holiday!

  Our 12-night vacation at the Bahia Principe Luxury Akumal was fabulous! We were made to feel welcome and valued as guests, a quality not always found at other resorts. The connections with staff at the Bahia Akumal made our stay feel like a home away from home without the “everyday” routines and stress. Because we stayed at the Akumal property, we had access to all restaurants, entertainment, activities and services at the Tulum, Coba and Sian Ka’an resorts as well. The free shuttle service makes it easy and convenient to get around the property you’re staying in or to visit the other Bahia resorts as well. We were originally on the 3rd floor in villa 77 which is a quieter part of the resort with a smaller lovely pool right outside the villa, but we wanted to be closer to the beach and activities, so we were moved to villa 64 (one building back from beachfront) in room 6404. This ground level room was very clean, spacious, comfortable and cool with a king size bed. The mini fridge was always stocked with cervaza, soda, juice & chips. Our ground floor balcony looked out to a patch of forest/jungle about 50 ft away where some of the Coati and Agouti live, we loved watching this wildlife from our room. Sadly, despite signs stating not to feed the wildlife, we watched people feed them bread, buns etc. from the buffet. With a Coati’s long sharp claws and teeth designed for climbing and digging for bugs, it wouldn’t take much to get accidentally scratched or nipped by a Coati. Human food (white flour bread, buns etc.) is not good for their health and for fish creates bloated gut and “angel wing” in birds, so if you go to this resort, please just enjoy taking photos or watching them. The overall quality of the food, drink, activities and entertainment at the Akumal was great and on Fridays at the Yum Buffet (Akumal) they host a Gala Buffet with grilled lobster tails, prawns, roast beef etc. I eat a mostly plant-based diet, and there were plenty of options to in the buffet and A la Cartes to keep me happy. All of the entertainment staff were super, but a special mention goes out to Fabiola and Oswaldo (bicycle tours, aqua fit, dance lessons, pool games) who were so energetic, welcoming & personable, you both made our holiday extra special! :o) We loved this resort and will be back!

  Apr 08, 2026
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  Incredible Vacation

  Amazing trip! Everything was top notch. Want to send a special thank you to Airton at the Don Pablo restaurant. He was the BEST server we had in a long time. He went above and beyond and left a fantastic impression on our final day. Thanks to the entire team.

  Apr 08, 2026
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  Wonderful Winter Break with my Daughter

  We enjoyed a luxurious week at this beautiful all-inclusive resort. It was my 3rd time there and it seems to get more wonderful each time. Our poolside server, Josephine, was a true delight. The restaurants were great, the beach was beautiful and all the staff were gracious and accommodating. Can’t wait to go back!

  Apr 08, 2026