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.

Hi Folks,
As an experienced traveler I want to give you all some insight on BAHIA PRINCIPE AKUMAL as we traveled there the week of June 22, 2008 for one week. I need you to pay attention, because there’s a lot happening at this resort. First of all there are three hotels on this resort: 1) Akumal 2) Coba and 3) Tulum (pronounced Tuuluum)..

AKUMAL
Akumal is a nice clean property that is well maintained.

ROOM: Our junior suite was clean, functional and adequate with space for lounging. Our fridge was restocked everyday with soda, beer, water and mmmm chocolate. In my opinion, you have to be nice to the maid to get this treatment, as some people did not. We had turn down service (maid changes and turns down the sheets). Bathroom was clean and functional, however there is no circulation in them.

As some other tourists have pointed out on this sight, the beds are firm. We didn’t mind. If this is a problem for you, a solution is to ask for a mattress pad as soon as possible.

BEACH: The beach is beautiful and white with small granular sand. There are plenty of palapas for covering. The water is clear and blue with not much seaweed to report. There is a coral reef to the south but most tourists don’t hang out there as it is rocky. There were a few spots in the water with rocks but not more typical than most other tropical beaches. There is a beach bar at the beach and another one at Tulum’s beach. RECOMMENDATION: Bring snorkel gear!!!! The fish are amazing and you don’t have to go deep to see them.

POOLS: There are 7 pools on this resort with something for everyone. The activity pool has music, dancing and sports. If you want quiet, there are other Akumal pools you can lounge at and there is a pool bar as well. If you want really quiet, go to the Coba pools.

RESTAURANTS: There are 3 buffets and 8 a la carte restaurants on this property. Something for everyone. MIKADO a Japanese restaurant is popular. LA GRAND TORTUGA is a steakhouse that was delicious. LE GOURMET was also nice. Had a little problem with the meat at TEQUILA which coincidently is the Mexican restaurant on site. The service in all the a la cartes were good. RECOMMENDATION: Guys remember to bring pants with you if you want to eat at the restaurants. The akumal buffet fills up in the late morning and at lunch and the service is slower as they get overwhelmed at times due to under staffing (the servers work hard). There is plenty of selection in the buffet for the pickiest eater. RECOMMENDATION: try eating breakfast or lunch at one of the other buffets especially Coba. Coba is further away from the beach and quieter, but they try and make up for it with better food.

ENTERTAINMENT: There are 3 theatres on sight, one per hotel. You have access to all of them. Usually after dinner one can find a live band playing somewhere (just follow the sound of music). Afterward there is feature entertainment. Now one must be alert as sometimes the night’s main entertainment is only playing at one venue. RECOMMENDATION: If a Michael Jackson group is performing go and see it. There was standing room only for this one. After the main event is finished (and you still have energy), you can head to the Hacienda. The Hacienda is a courtyard with tables, chairs and shops. Here they have a live band singing with dancers performing until midnight. One can be served alcohol here. Crowd participation is encouraged. Don’t be surprised if an entertainer comes into the crowd and picks a drinking patron to dance. You will learn the hotel’s theme song as they sing it every night. Afterwards, there is a disco that opens up for those who love to dance.

The property is large and has something for everyone. If you want to get around there are trains that take you all over the resort and come every 10 min (remember you are on vacation in Mexico on Mexican time, so just relax if the trains are not exactly on time.) One must pay attention or just ask the driver where the train is going as they go all over the place. Each hotel has their own buffet and entertainment theatre which we had access to. So if you get tired of eating at the buffet go to another. There bars everywhere: beach bars, lobby bars, restaurant bars and pool bars.
WARNING: We were warned about this and it happened to us. When you come off the plane in Mexico, be careful of people at the airport who want to ‘help’ you. Many of them are aggressive timeshare agents.

Some final recommendations:
1)Learn a little bit of Spanish.
2)Go on an excursion while you’re there.
3) Have fun!
4) Have fun!

My husband and I just returned from a friend's destination wedding at the GBP Akumal. We were there July 1-7. Here's a rundown of our experience....

The resort is HUGE. We stayed at Akumal, in a room close to the pools and beach. Location couldn't be beat. Our room was clean and nice but take the other reviewers advice concerning the beds....they are ROCK hard. We did request the mattress topper but it didn't improve much. Other than that, the room was fine. We had a king sized bed with a small lounge area. Plenty of towels & the electrical system is similar to that of the US so our hair dryers/flat irons worked. We did miss having internet access. My husband's blackberry did work and could receive emails and texts. There is Akumal Premiere that is an upgrade worth looking into if you need to have internet access. The rooms there do have internet. (I know some people can't believe that this is an issue but there were many men who still needed to keep in touch with work during the week we were there...)

Pools were great. We never had a probem finding a lounge chair. We loved the swing bar and many of the wedding guests we were with stayed there. The beach was great....a bit rocky so the advice gleaned from this forum for watershoes was handy. Our friends brought snorkel gear and had great times snorkeling and saw great sea life (I tended to stay on a lounge chair in the shallow part of the ocean....lovely!!) Many of our friends enjoyed the bars and I never heard a complaint about the drinks.

Food.....you need to keep in mind this is similar to travelling on a cruise ship and the quality of the meals isn't akin to a 5 star restaurant/hotel. The buffet for dinner was something we didn't repeat...very blah and not great (although not horrible). The wedding dinner was at Dolce Vita, totally unappealing. My least favorite restaurant. We liked Le Gourmet and the Medierannean. Heard nice things about the Japanese steak place as well. Breakfasts were the buffet and they were fine. Basic omlette stations, various fruit, breads/pastries/, cereals.... We often ate late and really didn't eat lunch except from the snack bar. We ate mostly at Coba for dinner and I noticed there was a dacquari bar there as well. Also, the restaurants aren't air conditioned but not hot in the evening. I did spray some "Off" on my legs after the first night due to the mosquitos when we dined. Another thing to remember is if dining at a restaurant for dinner, MEN cannot wear shorts or sleeveless shirts (though women can). A friend had to go purchase some khakis so he could dine in a restaurant! Another thing to note...make sure you get your reservations first day. We didn't and had to settle some nights for restaurants instead of our restaurant of choice. No big deal at the end of the day though.

For those planning a wedding....the setting was pretty. On the beach and the bride came to the alter from a high point on the beach. There is a "gazebo" we sat in front of. The hotel had wrapped some tulle and put some cala lillies on each pole (I would have wanted a little bit more "oomph" but maybe that was the bride and not the hotel). They had sprinkled beautiful rose petals on the aisle. There were some nice flower arrangements lining the alter (but again, picky me noticed that the metal containers were rusted along the legs...that may not be a big deal to someone but I did notice) There was a lovely quartet of guitar players serenading as the bride entered. The minister was sweet did a lovely service. The bride's flowers were lovely.

Some of our group went to a disco one evening. They said it felt as if it was 105 degrees at the bar and 150 on the floor! We had a private party at a disco one night the air conditioner was weak. But we were there for fun and that was in great amounts!

We did have a single friend with us and he kept commenting on how this resort was really for couples and families. We got a text from him when he stayed one night in Cancun pror to leaving Mexico and he stated that it was "like the Vegas strip meets Bourbon Street". I think if you're single and trying to find others to have fun with, there are better venues than this.

We have travelled to this area many times so we didn't go sightseeing this time around. If you haven't bee to the area, you need to see Tulum. Xel Ha is nice as well. We did go to Playa del Carmen (by taxi first b/c my husband wouldn't pay attention to my advice for the $2 collectivo and after $60 round trip, we took the collectivo the next time!) and Cozumel. Great shopping in PdC...I thought better than Cozumel. If you need to choose between the 2 for a day trip, just stay at Playa. Great stores, easy to get to by collectivo ($2 each way and very easy!), good restaurants, beaches and water are GORGEOUS. We ate at Fusion and it was delicious (shrimp tacos...yum!).

I also played tennis while there. I had tried to see if there was any "pro" before we left and didn't see any info. There is a class at 8 and at 9. Bring balls and your racquet (if you forget something, there is a sports shop in Playa del Carmen) There is a pro who charges $25 per hour for a lesson (and that is divided amongst how many are there...BARGAIN!) He's nice, not great but it was nice to exercise! There are also other classes, yoga, pilates....The schedule is handed out upon check in.

I also had a GREAT massage at the spa in Akumal. It was awesome. It was similar in cost to what I pay in the US (~$120 for 50 min) but very reasonable for a resort massage and it was nice. Weird thing though was they put my friend and I in the same room. I've never had that but we just giggled and shut our eyes.

was it an nice vacation? very. the area is gorgeous and the hotel being all inclusive made it very easy to stay. Staff couldn't have been nicer.

would I recommend it? yes for someone wanting an all inclusive resort