Bahia Principe Explore Akumal

Not what it use to be Overall, our third visit to Bahia Principe Akumal and its sister resorts was okay—not terrible, but just okay. It used to be amazing and was once our go-to destination. Unfortunately, inconsistent service across the different resorts, declining food quality and availability, aggressive sales tactics, and lower-quality drinks changed our opinion of the property. Combined with what felt like less attention to detail and a shift toward a more basic, tiered resort experience, this visit did not live up to our previous stays. I also want to clarify that staying at Akumal gives guests access to the other Bahia Principe resorts and their buffets. Some information online may be inaccurate or outdated, so guests should confirm the current access policies directly with the resort. The room upgrades are a nice feature, but the bed in our room was extremely hard for our liking. Our first five days were excellent, when occupancy appeared to be relatively low. However, as occupancy increased, management seemed unprepared to provide adequate staff coverage. The swim-up bartenders were being overworked, and the staff-to-guest ratio clearly was not adjusted to meet the increased demand. Many employees, particularly those working in the restaurants, remained hardworking and exceptional. At the same time, the level of service was inconsistent. For example, at Cenote in Sian Ka’an, the staff appeared extremely overworked, even though the restaurant was not full. The wait was much longer than what we experienced during previous visits. Although this was only one experience, it reflected our broader impression that service levels varied considerably depending on the venue and the day. Food quality and availability also seemed inconsistent. Some items we had previously enjoyed were no longer available. They used to serve mashed potatoes made with real potatoes, but they now appear to be using boxed potatoes. The chocolate milk also used to taste like real chocolate milk; now, I honestly do not know what it is. Ku’uk was excellent when we visited one day. However, when we returned later that week, both the food and service were extremely disappointing. The difference was significant enough to make it feel like an entirely different restaurant. Several buffets have also been replaced by à la carte restaurants serving relatively basic food. We cannot say for certain why these changes were made, but they felt more like cost-cutting measures than improvements to the guest experience. We are also concerned that the Hyatt partnership may be moving Bahia toward a more tiered model, potentially undermining the inclusive atmosphere and value that originally appealed to us. We truly appreciate the employees who continued to work hard and treat guests well. However, based on our personal experiences and observations, the resort’s consistency and attention to detail have deteriorated since our earlier visits. We genuinely wish this stay had impressed us as much as our previous visits, but sadly, it did not. Despite our fond memories of Bahia, we left feeling like we had missed out on the experience we expected for the price we paid. We respect that everyone’s experiences and preferences are different, and others may disagree. However, we will not be rushing back to Bahia as we once would have. This was simply our experience. If you are planning to visit, I still encourage you to go and form your own opinion—it is just no longer what it used to be for us.

We stayed 24th August until 7th September. Our first 6 days were at Sian Ka’an and the last 8 were at Akumal. We had one of the newly renovated swim up rooms at Akumal, which was great. The staff were brilliant and couldn’t do enough for us. A lot of hard work goes into ensuring that the grounds are immaculate. The buffets weren’t as well stocked as they used to be but that’s understandable due to the current low occupancy, and we certainly didn’t starve. We booked into an a la’ carte restaurant every night, and used the various buffets and the new Cozumel restaurant in Tequila for breakfasts and lunches. The adults only buffet area In Akumal is a great new addition. Enjoyed iced caramel lattes from the coffee shop. We also used room service a couple of times which arrived promptly and was hot and delicious. We will definitely be returning.

Firstly, due to lots of negative reviews on here we did discuss with our travel agent about changing our hotel, we are so glad we didn’t. It’s our 4th time here, the last being in 2017, yes there are changes to the whole resort, but honestly, the changes are not on the negative side at all !! Yes it was quiet, but that made it easier to locate a sunbed where you wanted it, buffets had food a plenty, always something to eat, even for the fussy eaters. My husband is Coeliac and he was always able to choose what he wanted, foods were labelled at the buffet if they contained wheat, and if he wanted one of the chefs would cook him something. The al a cartes, were so so good Rooms, we were luckily enough up graded to a swim up room, and it had everything you needed, bed comfortable, air con was fab🥵, cleaned daily, lots of bottled water provided daily. Staff always had a smile and a friendly greeting, nothing was too much trouble. Trolleys were always there when needed them to the other hotels on the resort, and yes would stop if passed you to ask if you needed a lift anywhere. We mainly stayed by the adults only infinity pool, by the lagoon beach, pool bar was fab, lots of fab cocktails were consumed, and yes premium drinks were offered ie Smirnoff (just ask !) For cider drinkers, they do have Strongbow (Rose or Honey) you did have to pay extra for them, worked out about £2, but not an issue to us ! Yes lots of Sargassum when we were there, which did smell, but wow did they work hard to remove it, must have been soul destroying each day to return to see how much had been brought in by the sea. All in all we had a fantastic holiday, would we return, ABSOLUTELY 😀

Me and my husband came here for our honeymoon and it’s been absolutely amazing I am so so confused by the 1 star reviews as it’s been unbelievable! The staff honestly can’t do enough for you, they’re so happy and work so hard! All the restaurants were so good as well in 14 days we went to I think 10 and all were a hit especially the Hindu Thali! Ivan who was on the day bars by the pool was amazing, what a top guy! Antonio in the sports bar was great too - I’ve genuinely had the best time ever. One review on here made me laugh so much, the poster put loads of empty trays from the buffet this would be because the items were getting cooked on the grill or replenished! One thing I’ll say is they’ve been taken over things will change, it’s different than when we came 4 years ago quieter but that’s not a bad thing - no hassle for sun beds or at the bar it’s been amazing. Download the app before you come, check into the hotel and book the restaurants on the app it’s no hassle at all as you’ll probably struggle to get into the restaurants if doing it when you’re here - I think you can do it 7 days before. Another one is try to tip the staff they work incredibly hard in unbelievable heat and it’s only fair if you can afford to do so. Thank you so much to the staff at bahia principe explore akumal!! Xx

First time coming to Akumal and it did not disappoint, great location along the beach front. Views are beautiful. All the staff are so welcoming, happy to help and just happy to be there, took pride in their work never saw a staff member without a smile on their face. The views from the rooms are stunning, rooms are beautiful fresh and clean. The pools where great big a lot of sun beds, activities around the pool and music, swim up bar and drink service around the pool. Entertainment in the evenings was great something for everyone to enjoy and different every night, we stayed in a villa near the theatre and pools when you were in your room you couldn’t hear much from the theatre. I would highly recommend akumal to anyone thinking of going to Mexico and cannot wait to book out next holiday there