Resort Details
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
14326 reviews
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Mar 11, 2025This resort is not for people who like to swim in the sea.
Just came back from a week-long vacation with friends (2 couples). I'll start with what I didn't like at all: 1) Their beach sucks! The "swimming area" within the bouys is very shallow (barely any spots waist-deep) and very rocky. So, if you even attempt to swim, you run the risk of scratching your knees or hurting your feet against the rocks (I did). 2) Once the winds and waves subsided on the last day of our vacation, I wanted to swim in the deeper areas beyond the bouys, but the lifeguard kept whistling like a madman, annoying everybody on the beach. Management needs to recognize the problem of the extremely shallow beach and move the bouys at least 30 ft into the deeper area. 3) The resort calls itself luxury, but the only decaf coffee they offer is instant. Other resorts we've visited had an amazing decaf coffee in both buffet and specialty coffee shops. 4) The rooms are outdated and do not have electric outlets by the bed (only on 1 side). The handrais on staircases were falling apart. On the positive side: 1) Food and drinks in buffet and a-la-carte restaurants were amazing! We managed to book 4 dinners at a-la-carte restaurants in 7 days. 2) The staff was super-friendly throughout the resort, beginning from the check-in, to restaurant waiters, to entertainment workers. (This obviously doesn't include whistling lifeguards!) 3) Resort grounds are green and beautiful. Every area is super clean, including the beach: on the day when the winds were the strongest and seaweed overwhelming, the workers cleaned the beach very efficiently. 4) The AC worked very well in our room, which is a major deal for us. Last summer, we went to a more upscale contemporary resort (Paradisus La Perla), and their ACs couldn't cope with the heat. In the end, we come to resorts for their beaches and swimming opportunities. This resort lags behind all others we have visited in Mexico and Caribbean in terms of quality of their beach.
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Mar 10, 2025Winter Sun
A wonderful two weeks stay. Customer service is second to none. Enjoyed a traditional Mayan massage in the spa at the beginning of our holiday, well worth it to get over a ten hour flight. Plenty of choices in the buffet restaurants, from traditional Mexican home style cooking, to freshly stone baked pizzas, there is truly something for everyone. The a la carte restaurants are superb, very high standard ( as confirmed by one of our group, who was a chef). We really don’t understand some of the negative comments on here regarding food, given the amount of choice available and quality of the meat, fish, and dairy on offer, and can only conclude that some travellers must dine in Michelin starred establishments on a daily basis! We were in room 6625 with a lovely sea view. These rooms are a little ‘ tired’ and are ready for a refresh, but the sea view more than makes up for this. They are also kept spotlessly clean, by our fantastic cleaning lady. Our second visit and we’ll be back.
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Mar 09, 2025The nastiest hotel room ever.
3 friends booked a triple room, £6000 for 10 days. The room was dated and tired, the third bed was fit only for a dog, a rock hard "mattress" on a concrete base. The bathroom was filthy. We were charged £450 to upgrade to a better room, but even then the supposed 3 to 4 bedroom was only ever really fit for two. The public areas in the hotel are smart, but housekeeping in thebedrooms very poor.
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Mar 08, 2025
The "Mal" in Akumal.....
Well, my family just came back from our week at the resort and I will say that for a 5 star hotel, the experience was very disappointing. Positive things: 1) was the buffet: food was plentiful, fresh, lots of variety. Although waiting for empty plates to be replenished at the kids station was usually a lost cause. We also wishes there was sanitizer at the actual buffet, so people could sanitize their hands more often. 2) the kids club was amazing. They had lots of entertainment for the kids and they absolutely loved it. Rooms: We are a family of 4, so at booking we requested 2 queen beds, so adults could bed share with kids. At check-in we were told that we have a room with a King and a sofa, and a single bed rolled in. Kids are too young to sleep by themselves, so we were forced to drag the single mattress onto the floor and I slept with my baby on that. The beds are SO hard... If you like hard beds, you'd be happy... I don't. We asked for something to make them softer, and they said they'd bring a topper, which they did, 4 days later.... The AC in the room vary worked, so we usually spent most of the night drenched in sweat. We mentioned this to the front desk a few times, and they "fixed it"... Well, it still didn't work. If you're traveling with kids, bring your worn blackout curtains: they don't have any. The have storm shutters outside that are extremely loud and annoying to pull closed (plus the staff tell you NOT to use them). But if you don't close the shutters, your kids will be up at the crack of dawn. The balcony also had a light on it, so even with the shutters mostly closed, there was light visible through. This light would automatically go off at some point during the night, but kept my baby awake for a while when trying to go to bed. Bring bug spray... We're covered in mosquito bites from night times in the room... The mini fridge kept being missed. We literally called the front desk to remind them that it had not been replenished with water every day.... Beach: The "wonderful" kids friendly beach is very rocky, and too shallow for adults to swim, but for kids, the sand was nice and the shallow water was great. The fish were colourful and fun, although they bite quite hard, so beware. Pool: The pools were great, although it would have been nice.tp have some shady options for the middle of the day. The swim up bar was such a great idea, in theory... Problem is: people sit in the heat and drink all day, and then they puke into the pool.. I will hand it to the staff: they are very quick to get everyone out of the pool and close it.... But then of course it has to be closed for 24 hours while they clean it and put enough chemicals in to make it safe. Many of the pools are connected (and the kids pool is connected to the swim up bar one), so when they close that area, 1/3 of the pools are closed. Specialty dining: We tried one specialty restaurant, Mikado and that was a very disappointing experience as well, we almost walked out... We waited 10 minutes before we were given a menu... At that point the kids were losing it, so we quickly asked for food for the kids and asked to bring that out as soon as possible. When the waiter came back to take out order, it was clear that he has not yet put the order in for the kids, because he was asking for a clarification.. the food itself was very underwhelming as well. So we cancelled our other restaurant reservations and stuck to the buffet. We were told that there are some restaurants that are better (Steakhouse?), and some that are even worse (seafood). Maybe my expectations were high, but I definitely thought a "luxury" resort would be a lot more pleasant.
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Mar 07, 2025
To infinity and beyond.
Another lovely stay at our favorite resort. We're have been going since 2008 and have returned fourteen times. Needles to say we have enjoyed all four locations but now in our older years our favorite is the Akumal lounging by the infinity pool. We really enjoyed that they have moved the loud music to the main pool so it's is a more peaceful fibe. Last visit we were in one of their newly renovated rooms which are lovely. We do alot of snorkeling and can't advise people enough that you need water shoes they are not an option if you want to be safe. All the restaurants provided lovely service and the buffets serve great healthy options which I love. Be sure to enjoy a mudslide at the swing bar. 😎