Bahia Principe Explore Tulum

This was our second trip to Mexico, and we arrived at the resort with somewhat modest expectations. Ever since Bahía Príncipe underwent its transformation, the reviews have been mixed, so we were prepared for an experience that might not be the greatest. Location and Beach The hotel’s location is decent. The surrounding area isn’t particularly busy in terms of traffic, which is a plus. However, the beach was awful. It was full of rocks, and the water was extremely murky, making it unpleasant for swimming or relaxing. That said, I wouldn’t necessarily blame the hotel for this, as some of these conditions are simply down to Mother Nature. Hotel Atmosphere To be frank, the overall atmosphere was rather dull. Although there was music and some entertainment, the lighting, lobby bar, and even the main buffet lacked the lively, vibrant atmosphere you would typically expect from a resort in Mexico. It just didn’t have that vacation energy we were hoping for. Rooms and Housekeeping Our room was okay. Nothing spectacular, but nothing terrible either. Just average. However, a huge shout-out to the wonderful ladies and gentlemen responsible for housekeeping! They did an excellent job throughout our stay and were consistently kind, friendly, and professional. The bed was comfortable, and the air conditioning worked very well. We could easily adjust the temperature to our preferred level, which was definitely appreciated. Pricing and Value One of the hotel’s biggest advantages is its affordability. We visited in November and paid less than $4,000 CAD for two adults and two children. Considering the cost of family vacations these days, that was certainly a positive. Another benefit is that the resort is relatively quiet. There isn’t excessive noise, which can be ideal for families with young children who prefer a peaceful environment. Customer Service The service was a mixed experience. Some staff members were absolutely wonderful, while others left room for improvement. I want to give special recognition to a few individuals who made our stay more enjoyable. Jordy – Breakfast and Lunch Service Jordy was absolutely amazing! He was kind, friendly, extremely polite, and always welcoming. His service was consistently excellent, and we genuinely appreciated his hospitality. Unfortunately, the dinner service wasn’t nearly as impressive. It was inconsistent and could certainly use improvement. The front desk service was acceptable, although nothing particularly memorable. Carolyn – Privilege Services Supervisor Carolyn deserves a very special mention! She was absolutely wonderful throughout our stay. Incredibly kind, polite, professional, and always willing to help. She genuinely made us feel welcome, and her outstanding customer service left a lasting impression on our family. We already miss her! Pool Lifeguards The lifeguards around the swimming pools were also very friendly, approachable, and helpful. We appreciated their positive attitude and professionalism. Food Availability – Important for Early Departures One thing families should be aware of is that the resort does not have a 24-hour snack bar. If you have an early morning flight, I strongly recommend making arrangements for snacks or food the night before. Coffee machines are available from approximately 6:00 a.m., while the breakfast buffet opens at 7:00 a.m. This is something worth planning for, especially when travelling with young children. My Biggest Criticism – Animals and Pest Control This was, without question, my biggest disappointment with the resort. Let me be clear: I have absolutely nothing against animals. I understand that wildlife is part of the natural environment, particularly in tropical destinations like Mexico. However, there needs to be a reasonable balance between preserving wildlife and ensuring that guests, especially families with young children, can comfortably enjoy the resort. Unfortunately, animals were everywhere! We encountered them around the lobby bar, buffet areas, and other common spaces. As a parent, I found this incredibly frustrating. Instead of being able to relax and enjoy our vacation, we constantly felt the need to watch our surroundings and keep an eye on the children. Families should be able to sit down, enjoy a meal, or walk around the resort without constantly worrying about animals approaching them. I believe the hotel management needs to take this concern seriously and implement better measures to manage animal access to dining areas and other guest facilities. Respecting wildlife is important, but so is maintaining a comfortable and hygienic environment for paying guests. Final Verdict – Would We Return? Absolutely not. While there were some positives, particularly the affordable pricing, peaceful environment, comfortable beds, and several outstanding staff members, the overall experience simply wasn’t good enough to convince us to return. Would I recommend this resort? For families with young children: No. The frequent presence of animals around common areas made it difficult for us to fully relax and enjoy the freedom that a family vacation should offer. For couples or adults travelling without children on a budget: Yes, potentially. If you’re looking for an affordable Mexican vacation, aren’t particularly concerned about the beach conditions, and don’t mind the presence of wildlife, this resort might be worth considering. Ultimately, the resort offers reasonable value for the price, but it falls short in several areas that matter to families

Tulum is perfect for families. We stayed in Oct/Nov in the 2 bedroom suite. we come back here almost every year as part of the Privilege Club membership and love it here. The water park is excellent for kids. Highly recommend coming here over Halloween and Day of the Dead. The resort goes BIG with decorations and festivities for both occasions, including costume contests, and trick or treating throughout the resort for kids for Halloween, and 2 days later transforming the resort to Day of the Dead. Service was exceptional. The resort does an incredible job accommodating and taking care of its members. The concierge and bar staff in the lounges are great. Regular Amenities are also great. Rooms are clean and housekeeping is attentive but the rooms starting to show wear and tear even with renovations in recent years - specially under doors and bottoms of furniture. Beds are firm but comfortable. Pillows are very thin though so worth considering bringing your own pillows if you are a picky sleeper. Beach is great though it has receded significantly in recent years. The golf cart service has improved, and service overall is the highlight with the introduction of the new WhatsApp concierge. The food here is impeccable. Can’t say we’ve had a bad meal here in all of our stay. Would highly recommend!

Nice facility, clean, food is okay. Cons for me are that there are people smoking everywhere and no one enforcing what is law in Mexico, not crazy about vendors coming around the pools trying to sell their Products and with this many pools, why isn’t there an adults only pool?

Josefina ,Jose, and Maria gave excellent service at the lobby bar . And a shout out to Edwin at the buffet

Just back from 2 weeks in this amazing place. Travelling from UK on tui was great, and took private transfer from Cancún airport to hotel, this definitely was worth it as its a long day. Hotel check in was a little long , but we did have 4 rooms , staff are lovely and happy, just hard when you have young children who just want to sleep, but all suitcases got taken to rooms and within an hour of rest we all headed out to explore. This resort is huge...thank God for the golf carts picking us up ...we had 3 huge pools...and the buffet was fabulous, plenty of choice for everyone, even my grandson who is autistic and normally only eats his safe foods...he did only eat the pizza and doughnuts but he ate. Kids said they should have chips every night, but it actually made them try different foods so I think having no chips is good. We ate at 6 of the specialist restaurants, and wow the food was outstanding, highly recommend getting them booked before you leave, I emailed hotel before arriving and they booked them all for us. Entertainment team...hard to say how hard these guys work...kaydan..our american boy ! Just unreal, we will miss him so much, and hope he comes visit us if he comes the UK..Bahia management..we will be returning just to see him again..he is your golden card to this resort, and my lovely coco bongo boy...walking round all week...so helpful. If you're active this hotel will keep you busy ...if you want peace and tranquility this hotel also has this. We used the Spa facilities, absolutely wonderful, highly recommend the facials. Tui had a cocktail party whilst we stayed..nice touch...we won a massage for 2 and wine and tequila! We can honestly say that Tulum gave us the best 2 weeks, memories made forever. Thank you and see you again soon