Bahia Principe Explore Tulum

Edgar the entertainment was outstanding. Great English. Always checking to make sure we were happy. Getting our children involved in all of the games. Will definitely miss him and will return again hoping to see him again. I have gained a Mexican son

Mixed experience, pool side activities and entertainment team were amazing but overall experience was let down by poor food choices, rationing of attendance at à la carte restaurants and limited availability at any of the restaurants other than the buffet. Due to repair works for the entirety of our stay there was no lobby bar - which meant everyone was sitting outside at the pool side with limited seating, slow bar service and drinking from small plastic cups - not a 5 star experience. We were inable to use the beach/swim in the sea due to sargassum - the smell on most days was dreadful. Staff on the whole were friendly and always willing to help - special mention to Kendall who was amazing! We made the best of our time and did manage to relax and enjoy ourselves, but it could have been so much better had the access to restaurants and bar facilities had been managed more robustly.

Extremely Disappointing Experience — Do Yourself a Favour and Stay Somewhere Else I know this review may make no difference to management or ownership, but I am still posting it so other travellers can make an informed decision. If you are looking for a relaxing, enjoyable all-inclusive vacation, I would strongly recommend staying away from Bahia Principe Grand Tulum. We were a large group of 7 rooms — 7 families travelling together. Unfortunately, instead of creating a memorable vacation for such a large group, this resort made the experience frustrating from beginning to end. We have stayed at Royalton, Grand Palladium and Princess resorts across the Caribbean, and we decided to try Hyatt this time. Unfortunately, this property completely ruined what was supposed to be our vacation. The food was one of the biggest disappointments. The buffet was repetitive and monotonous, with essentially the same options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are vegetarians, and even basic items such as pico de gallo and guacamole were not readily available. We repeatedly had to wait 20–30 minutes for them to be prepared or refilled. Fresh fruit options were also extremely limited. What was even more frustrating was that during the last 1–1.5 hours of buffet service, many items were simply not replenished. At times, staff would also refuse to provide water during the final hour of service. The à la carte restaurant experience was equally frustrating. For a 7-night stay, we could only secure reservations at two restaurants. When you are travelling as 7 families, getting restaurant reservations together is already challenging, but the resort offered very little flexibility or assistance. The Indian restaurant served extremely disappointing food, and our experience at the Italian restaurant was even worse. We were never properly informed that the restaurant was located at another property and would require approximately 20–30 minutes of travel. Because we arrived late as a result, the staff refused to serve us food. A simple explanation or some understanding would have gone a long way. We also experienced a flood in our room. To be fair, the front desk did promptly move us to another room. However, there was no apology, empathy or meaningful acknowledgement of the situation. They offered complimentary laundry because our belongings were affected, but then attempted to charge us for that laundry at checkout. The manager eventually removed the charges, but this resulted in approximately 30 minutes of unnecessary frustration at checkout. The water policy was another bizarre experience. We were apparently limited to two bottles of water per day, and when we asked for additional water, we were asked to explain why we needed more. At an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean, having to justify why your family needs drinking water is simply unacceptable. Even basic drinks were an issue. At one point, staff refused to make a simple mojito, despite this being an all-inclusive resort. There were also numerous small cost-cutting measures that became increasingly irritating throughout the stay. Even pool towels seemed to be rationed. The pool remains open until 7 p.m., but the towel service closes at 6 p.m. Staff would refuse to provide towels even when we could see towels sitting right in front of them. The beach was also essentially inaccessible due to heavy seaweed (sargassum). It was not maintained or cleaned in a usable way at the property, making it impossible to enjoy. As a result, we were forced to travel to a different property just to access a usable beach. Even there, only drinks were included and no food was available, meaning we could only realistically use the beach for a single day and for limited hours during our entire stay. Overall, the resort gave our group the impression that every possible opportunity was being taken to reduce costs and limit services—whether it was food not being replenished, limited restaurant reservations, water restrictions, towel availability or basic drink service. Some staff members were also rude and unhelpful, which made an already disappointing experience even worse. That said, it is important to mention that a few staff members were genuinely good and professional, such as the check-in clerk Lewis, Jose and Eduardo at the truck bar, who provided friendly and helpful service. This was our first attempt at trying a Hyatt resort, and unfortunately, Bahia Principe Grand Tulum has completely turned us off from considering this property again. This is simply not the level of service or hospitality we expected from a resort associated with the Hyatt brand. We have travelled extensively and stayed at several all-inclusive resorts throughout the Caribbean. Compared with our experiences at Royalton, Grand Palladium and Princess resorts, this property was a major disappointment. Seven families came together expecting a great Caribbean vacation. Instead, we spent far too much of our vacation dealing with food shortages, restaurant issues, water restrictions, service problems, beach inaccessibility and unnecessary checkout complications. If you are spending your hard-earned money on a vacation, please think twice before booking this resort. Save yourself the frustration and choose another resort.

Extremely Disappointing Experience – Major Service Issues Our stay at this resort was extremely disappointing, especially considering we were a group of approximately 20 people. We came expecting a relaxing family vacation with good food, reliable transportation, and professional service. Unfortunately, several serious service issues negatively affected our entire stay. Buffet Service – Extremely Poor Attitude The attitude of the buffet staff, particularly the female manager, was unacceptable. From the very first day, she appeared unfriendly, irritated, and unwilling to help guests. On our first day, we had to ask for water multiple times—at least five times. Even our children had to ask for water. One staff member actually told our children to go to the lobby to get water because the restaurant was closing, despite other guests still being inside finishing their meals. Regardless of whether the restaurant was closing, telling children to leave and get water themselves instead of simply providing them with water was extremely disappointing and showed a lack of basic hospitality. Indian Restaurant – Misleading Expectations and Poor Food One of the main reasons we selected this resort was because it advertised an Indian restaurant. After checking in, we discovered that it was actually open only once a week. This should have been clearly communicated before booking. When we finally ate there, the food was not properly prepared. We contacted Guest Services and asked to speak with the chef because we were willing to provide constructive feedback and give the resort an opportunity to improve. Instead of trying to solve the problem, Guest Services failed to provide meaningful assistance. The situation became so frustrating that our group seriously considered leaving the resort on our second day. What was even more disappointing was being told that we could simply change resorts if we wanted and should speak with our booking agent. I booked directly with the resort. As a paying guest, I expected the resort to listen to our concerns and make a genuine effort to resolve them—not effectively tell us to leave. Golf Cart Transportation – Unacceptable Delays Transportation around the resort was another major problem. We regularly waited 15–20 minutes, and on some occasions approximately 30 minutes, for a cart. Because the buffet was essentially the main convenient option for lunch and dinner, we frequently had to walk instead of waiting for transportation. On one occasion, our group had a reservation at a restaurant in the Coba property. We waited approximately 30 minutes for a cart and eventually had to walk to the lobby. We contacted Guest Services and explained that we would be approximately 15 minutes late because the resort transportation had not arrived. Instead of helping us, the Guest Services representative blamed us for being late and threatened a $20 charge. We were on vacation and had made every reasonable effort to arrive on time. The delay was caused by the resort’s transportation service. This is not how a resort should handle a situation caused by its own service. Raccoons Around the Restaurant There were also numerous raccoons around the restaurant area. This made it uncomfortable to eat and raised legitimate concerns about cleanliness and hygiene. The resort needs to take proper measures to manage wildlife around dining areas. Pool Hours The pool closing at 6:00 PM is far too early for a vacation resort. Guests are often returning from activities and the beach later in the day. The pool should remain open until at least 8:00 PM. Credit Where It Is Due Not everything was negative. Some employees provided excellent service and deserve recognition. The staff at the TRC/Trik restaurant were among the best we encountered. They were friendly, helpful, and welcoming. I would also like to recognize the bartender who works Monday through Wednesday and has Thursday off. He was one of the best bartenders we encountered during our stay and consistently provided excellent service. He has a noticeable white spot/patch in his hair, which should help management identify him. Overall We came here to enjoy the beach, Indian food, family facilities, transportation, and quality resort service. Unfortunately, many of the things we specifically looked forward to were either unavailable, poorly managed, or negatively affected by the level of service. For a group of 20 people, this experience was particularly disappointing. The resort needs significant improvement in customer service, staff attitude, Guest Services, restaurant communication, food quality, transportation, wildlife management, and pool hours. We paid for a vacation—not to spend our time waiting for carts, repeatedly asking for basic necessities like water, dealing with poor service, or being blamed for delays caused by the resort itself. Management needs to take these concerns seriously. Good facilities alone do not make a good resort experience—the way guests are treated matters just as much.

An amazing experience; the hotel management and staff in general were amazing, the facilities beautiful, food top notch, and the kids club fantastic..... our daughter has always refused 'kids clubs' during holidays elsewhere, that said once she ried out the kids club at Bahia Principe explore Tulum, she was completely sold, excited to attend every day..... and for parents wondering, that's 7 days a week, from 9AM to 5PM!!!! Wow. Kids have a great time, and if parents are looking for a bit of rekindling and self-time, that'll tick the boxes, haha.