Family Fun in the Sun

We had stayed at the Grand Bahia Principe Akumal a few years ago, so we were excited to take our enlarged family of 12 to the Coba section this time around. The draw for choosing the Coba was the kids waterpark (we had 4 young ones with us) and the kids just loved it. I don't think there is a kids waterpark of this size on the Mayan Riveira - big hit with the kids. Now to set things straight, this is a very large resort (Tulum - Akumal - Coba - 3 hotels share a lot of real estate) but the shuttl [... read more]e was usually very prompt. (Just hard to get to beach for the beautiful sunrise photos - shuttle starts at 7:15am and its too far to walk) The service there is very attentive, but compared to Jamaica, the English is lacking. There were lots of entertainment options for all, great food, we really enjoyed all of the a-la-carts except the Brazilian (Tortuga) where the meat was way over cooked. The rooms are very spacious + nice jacuzzi in the room. My daughters are very fussy - but it passed the test with them as well. The restaurants were always able to accommodate a large group like ours with kids, even the picky eaters never ate so much :) There was something for everyone. NOTE: the chair hogs get up early to put their towel on the beach chairs, even if they are not there most the time - this should be regulated. All in all, we would go back - well done!

Wonderful resort for families and couples!

Friendly staff, very clean resort, yummy food, great selection of drinks, very kid friendly ( includes buffet area kids can reach to serve themselves from) not to mention the waterpark. Most bars close by 11pm (other than a disco and sports bar which was a short tram ride away from main areas)... We appreciated this as we aren't into partying late or hearing other people partying late! Didn't take our kids this time but plan to take them back when they are able to swim...they will love it!

Great family Vacation

We went from Jan 21-28th, with 2 kids age 5 &8. Had a great trip, enjoyed the pools and food. The shows at night were great enterainment other than the kids fell asleep before they were over due to all the activities in the day.

Wonderful holiday!

We just arrived from spending four great days at the Gran Bahia Principe Coba. The grounds are beautiful, the rooms clean and comfortable and the beach lovely, but the best are the employees, who always provide excellent service with a smile. I would love to go back.

The most friendly resort staff I have ever had!!!

First off let me start by saying the staff at this hotel is by far the most friendly I have ever encountered. We arrived at the resort at approx. 2:30 and our room wasn't quite ready yet. We headed to the buffet for lunch and were entertained as 2 members of the wait staff competed against each other in "napkin animal" off. Both continuously making different animals from the napkins in an attempt to out do the other. Great fun!!! Our room was very spacious and we had no issues with the air condi [... read more]tioning or service. We were in Villa 9. The ala carte restaurants we chose were all very good - the Japanese (Mikado) I enjoyed the most with the Italian coming in second and the Brazilian third. The rooms were all very nice. The resort is very large and does take a couple of days to orient yourself which was somewhat frustrating. The trolley system that they have in place to get you to the beach was somewhat frustrating. If you are an impatient person by nature and enjoy the beach this may not be the resort for you as the transportation system can be a little frustrating at times. I'm not sure if it was the time of year or a regular occurrence but the beach was covered in seaweed for 2 days. The other 5 days it was beautiful and you could see fish and really enjoy the ocean experience. If you are pool people this is a beautiful resort for you as well. Once you are able to get used to the layout of the resort it is a beautiful place. I cannot reiterate enough about how friendly the staff is - and I've been to many resorts. The food is excellent at the buffets and ala cartes. The cleanliness of the lobby and all public areas was excellent as well. Enjoy your vacation and remember........you are on vacation, enjoy it and just relax.

Not what I expected...

The hotel grounds were kept very clean. Our room was what you would expect from a 4 star resort. The safe was available in the room at an extra cost though, so be prepared for that expense. The food was actually good and comparable to a North American style buffet with an assortment of cuisines to choose from. What surprised me was the size of the resort/s and the distance to the beach. The resort is made up of 3 different resorts which means a lot of people all the time! Be forewarned that the  [... read more]evening entertainment and service from the bar ends at 10pm so bring a pack of cards! If I were to re-book with The Grand Principe Clubs I would book at the Akumal. It is a higher rated hotel and it is on the ocean and much quieter to relax at.

Large and in charge

This is a massive compound. Not close to the ocean at all, but lots of pools. There is a trolley system to take you where you need to go. Well manicured, clean and friendly helpful staff. Ocean can have a weed problem when the winds are right.

A true 4.6-Star resort tries really hard to be 5.

The resort has a 5-star at the gate. From the hardware, service and the way the management manages the hotel. It is a true 4.6-star resort. The services are very friendly from almost all staffs except those who are the front desk. They feel they are the masters of the resort and anyone else brings the problems to them. The local Mayan people made the difference in a very positive way - make us feel welcom. The food is very good in buffert and some speciality restaurants comparing with other 4.5- [... read more]star to 4.9-star resorts. The cookers are very skillful in all food counters except the Mexico food counter - most often there is no cooked food on the counter or the cooker even disappears for long long time. Another big issue reported to the management in writting but never heard anything back is that the fresh juice counter staff drinks from the serving jar and then refill the juice. It is a very unique way to refill the juice. Room is clean except the number of towers provided is different everyday and only 2 of 4 lights working in the room. In general it is a true 4.6-star resort and the management works hard to make it 5-star.

Great destination

Great resort! Amazing place for families or couples. Good food and many many options on where you want to spend your days! Loved my vacation there and definitely a place to come back for me! Don't hesitate to go there!

Beautiful Resort

Recently my husband and I traveled for our honeymoon, the resort is absolutely beautiful, well maintained and very clean. The room are a good size and comfortable. The staff all very pleasant and make you feel very welcomed, we didn't really spend time at the beach as the waves were very high so couldn't swim and we personally prefer the pool area. Watch out for ppl trying to sell you on the privledge club, it's very annoying and unless you want a second mortgage you won't want this. We were dis [... read more]appointed that nothing was done by the resort special for our honeymoon but I think that could be a disadvantage from it being so large is you get lost in the shuffle unless your ready to make a fuss to get what you want, not worth it at that point. Overall I'd recommend this resort as long as you don't mind the size of it, it truly is beautiful.

A little disappointed

Great pools, beach a little far from rooms, food plenty of variety but nothing amazing, not the cleanest room service, Not too many beach chairs, watch privilege club for a $11,000 offer might be really pushy. Pricy over all

Huge resort!

We stayed at this resort dec 31-jan 6, 2015. Overall it was a nice resort, lack of a beach was disappointing, but the shuttle to the Tulum beach was fast. The Tulum beach was nice, lots of beach chairs, but also lots of seaweed. Coba pools were great, but sadly lacking in the beach chairs, if you like to sleep in on your vacation, don't plan on getting a chair! However, the food and service was Outstanding!! For once on an all inclusive (and we've done at least 10), we never got tired of the foo [... read more]d! And there was flavor! We did 2 a la carte, and highly recommend Gran Tortuga! The Brazilian restaurant was great, and if you leave hungry, it isn't for their lack of trying! Jose at the buffet at Coba (breakfast and lunch) was great! After one day he remembered our drink order and made sure we were always taken care of. Don't waste your money upgrading to Golden Club, we didn't find any real benefits (unlike Catalonia resorts). Overall, a good vacation, but we will try somewhere else next year.

Great resort

Excellent value for the money paid. We were upgraded upon check in at no additional cost. Only downside is this is four resorts in one, and the size is a bit overwhelming. Made getting around a bit tough at times. Overall great resort tho, and spectacular golf course!

Fantastic Family Getaway!

We traveled to the Grand Bahia Principe Coba over the holidays and loved the resort, food and beach! Great for families and kids especially the pools which were not too deep and the waterpark area. Buffet was a huge hit with our children (4 & 7yrs) and the a la carte dinners were very accommodating to ensure our girls enjoyed (if your kids don't have adult palates they offer kids menus at the a la cartes). New Year's Eve buffet was out of this world (my DH would return just for this!) All the st [... read more]aff at the hotel were very friendly and helpful and it is really clean. The only issue we had was that the bar refill (water, beer, snacks) which were included in the package were not done consistently everyday so we had to often ask for these items. That said they always brought them when asked and it definitely didn't hamper our fun. Weather was great (although, they have no control over that) and we would definitely go back to this resort

Excellent Stay!

We arrived on time, but had to wait for other passengers before the bus could leave from the airport. When we arrived at the hotel, there was not much of a line up for check in. Got checked in in few minutes(upgraded with a VIP upgrade b/c of repeat booking with Bahia.) All the amnesties were excellent @ Coba. Food was excellent, but would be nice to see different varieties on different days. La Carte restaurants were really nice. Many to choose from! Kids enjoyed the swimming pool and the kids [... read more] water park area. The resort area is really huge! There is no issues catching a ride in the golf cart to cruise around the resorts. Akumal is the closes to the beach, but we had no issues catching a ride to the beach any time we wanted. Overall, excellent and memorable trip.

Beautiful resort!

The Grand Bahia Principe Coba is a very large and beautiful resort. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the food was excellent and the staff were extremely hardworking and friendly. They were always busy cleaning and assisting the guests. The resort was at full capacity when we were there, and a crib was not available for our grandson until the third day. That is really the only complaint we have.

Amazing resort!

Everything is super! Great service, excellent food, nice beach, quick transportation. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great Family Resort!

The resort is impeccably maintained and the pools are large and child friendly. The water park is amazing. There is a good variety of dining options and the food is above average. The house red wine is very good quality. The entertainment is geared to all age groups. This resort is very good value and I would not hesitate to recommend it to friends.

SWF - third visit - love this resort - will return

This was my third visit to the Bahia Principe in Mexico and my second visit to Coba. Love this resort, tons of things to do without leaving the property. The nightlife is one of the best I've ever seen and the shows are extremely good. Don't miss the Hacienda from 10:30-11:30 for the live outdoor music and dancing with the entertainment crew. There are bars and sports bars surrounding it so lots of guy and girls. The disco opens up after the outdoor music and was pretty much packed every night a [... read more]s folks from all 4 spots come. You better take a nap as the nightlife is not to be missed! Specially at the Coba they seem to have a lot going on in the main lobby, live music every night, which turns into a dance party outside some evenings. They have an outdoor bar as well. The shows were just so impressive, especially for an all inclusive. For the daytime any of the pools are pretty good but I'd say the Coba party pool is pretty happening. Lots of activities going on, the entertainment crew does a great job of keeping it going. I'd also recommend checking out the sports complex, the gym, and renting some bikes! I booked Coba this time around again before knowing that the Akumal turned into adult only. Coba clients are not allowed to use the facilities on Akumal, so for that reason I may book at Akumal next time. However I used Tulum for the beach area (beautiful but packed!) This resort is a little far from the airport but I wouldn't let that deter you! Tulum also has the best lunch buffet! I'd say Coba had the better breakfast. Although in a whole the food is good. Tons of options and you'll never go hungry. The rooms are perfect, couldnt want anything more. Love the jacuzzi tubs, beautiful balconys, very roomy, and the beds are pretty comfortable. Decor is your classic resort look. The staff at this place is awesome. Especially those in the main dining rooms and buffet areas (as I dealt with these the most but really any staff member was amazing). Any request I had they were happy to accommodate. Very friendly and approachable, always big smiles, jokes, and greetings. I don't know how they keep it up with that many people! The cart guys are awesome too! Seriously just thrilled with this place!

Good value

This resort is still great value for your dollar, we had great weather, good food and the people were very friendly. On the down side, Akumal is no longer assessable and this was the best area and best beaches. 5 of the 6 times we previously stayed at this resort was at Akumal. You can use the beach but no drinks or food. They are selling this off as time shares. If we had known that when we booked, we may have gone elsewhere. The second thing is there is a real lack of chairs (lounging chairs)  [... read more]around all the pools. They need 50% more, many people could not find a place. Beyond that we had a good time.