Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: A solid 4.5 star resort!

This is the 3rd Grand Bahia property we have visited and I will try my best to give a detailed review of our recent stay from June 14th to 21st. We checked into the hotel rather late due to a flight delay, and unfortunately our first impression wasn’t the best for a few reasons: • We were not welcomed by the front desk staff, nor offered a welcome drink. • The towel system was not explained, which made for an annoying first attempt at getting some. • We were not given a butler’s name, [... read more] or introduced to one (ever). • Upon check-in into our room, it was flooded by the windows in the bedroom and the archway leading into the bathroom was dripping. This was rectified quickly though with a phone call. • Although an e-mail was sent a few days prior to arrival mentioning a special milestone birthday, aside from a few balloons in the room nothing else was done (i.e. flowers or champagne). • We went to the snack bar around 11:30PM and were told to sit down and someone would take our order. We waited 10 minutes with no service what-so-ever. We ended up ordering room service though and that was very quick (10 minutes or so). As we progressed a few more days into our vacation and got a little more accustomed to the resort, we would also state some of the following as cons: • Not enough chairs/loungers in the pool area’s. • The last two days of our stay, pool bar service was almost non-existent. • Wi-Fi was not available in the room and/or other areas of the resort other than the lobby. The odd time I could pick-up a signal at the quiet pool though. I believe their network was taken down due to heavy rains prior to our arrival. Many guests were complaining about the Wi-Fi and lack of access. The last two days of our trip though they were installing new routers and cables on all the buildings. The morning we checked out we were finally able to get a signal in our room. Go figure. • The entertainment area and stage is very small, plus it caters to smokers (because of this we never watched any shows). • The first few days of our stay the buffet restaurant was not air conditioned. • The dedicated beach area is not monitored very well. We saw many others from Coba, Tulum and Akumal sitting in the loungers dedicate to Sian Ka’an. • There is a strong sewage smell at certain points throughout the whole GBP complex. We noticed the smell greatly on the way to the beach as you trolley up the road to the Sian Ka’an section. • We had a problem getting hot water in the morning the first 2-3 days, not sure why but it was really annoying. • There was really loud drilling / jack-hammering on a few occasions to the room next to us. One day it lasted more than an hour so that was frustrating (especially if you want a little siesta in the afternoon). • The Japanese restaurant at Sian Ka’an was good, but not overly impressive. • Dolce Vita (Akumal) food and service was average at best. Neither of us would recommend this restaurant. Now onto the pros for this great little resort: • The AC in our room was fantastic and really appreciated as the weather was very hot and humid! • The resort is located in a very lush and tropical setting, which is meticulously maintained. • Our maid (Edy) was great, and always very cheerful with a huge smile on his face. He always left our bed decorated with some type of towel art or flowers. • The buffet is fantastic, with a HUGE variety of tasty dishes. We were never disappointed in the selection and could have easily eaten every meal here. • Alux is a beautiful restaurant, with wonderful ambiance. The food was very good, but not plentiful (typical gourmet). Although not on the menu, we were treated to strawberry flambé as our dessert, which was a dessert for all senses. • Pool bar service provided by Ana at the quiet pool was fantastic. She’s a true gem, very attentive and friendly. • Speaking of bar service, drinks are top notch. Top shelf liquor as well. • Although very firm, the bed was quite comfortable. • Our private terrace was beautiful, although we didn’t use it often and the Jacuzzi was never used. I loved going outside in the morning and early evening though, just to relax and take in the scenery. • Drink tray concept (on the beach) is great, first place we’ve ever seen do this. • Sian Ka’an section of the beach was well maintained and seaweed was cleaned up quickly and kept at a minimum for the most part (the same cannot be said for the other resorts). • Trolley transportation was always quick and reliable, and most of the drivers were very friendly. • Our penthouse suite was very spacious and comfortable. We were located in block #8, room #40821 which was centrally located and close to everything within the resort. • Cleanliness of the overall resort and restaurants was immaculate; staff were always busy keeping everything in “tip-top” shape. • Wi-Fi was initially hard to establish, but once I got it I could generally connect in the lobby at some point throughout the day. • I know some reviews have commented that the majority of guests are older but we found the complete opposite. The resort had a wide variety of age ranges, couples and seniors. We met some wonderful people on this trip! Overall we had a very pleasant, relaxing stay. This is exactly what we wanted and expected. Would we recommend the resort to others? Yes! Would we come back to this resort? Potentially, if the price was right.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Awesome resort

We just returned from a two week stay at this amazing resort. This was our second trip and it was spectacular. It was so lush and tropical with tons of wildlife. The resort is very well run and extremely clean. The service and food in every restaurant far exceeded our expectations. There is an issue with seaweed this year which is happening all along the coast and the staff worked tirelessly to clean the beach every morning. This resort has a huge pool with three swim-up bars. There is also a sm [... read more]all shopping mall in the complex. All food and drinks are included with your wrist band. We will definitely return to this resort again.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Overall a good experience

We had first arrived to a downpour of rain, a hectic time at the Cancun airport and finally an arrival at the Bahia Principe Coba. Upon arrival we were informed that we were a part of a "Special promotion" that upgraded us to the luxury adults only resort "Sian Ka'an". We later found out that they really just over booked rooms and were picking and choosing who they would send to the more mature resort of the 4 available for booking. Upon arrival at Sian Ka'an, check in was quick and easy, we wer [... read more]e even driven to the front door of our villa with our bags which was really nice. The rooms were more spacious than your regular hotel rooms considering they were Villa setups. I am still trying to understand what the difference between the "Junior suites" at all the other 3 resorts and our "Master suite" at Sian Ka'an". I'll assume ours were just a tad bit larger in size. The area that we were located in was the top right hand side of the villas. Although this area was generally quiet, the walk all the way around and through the main lobby felt inconvenient after a few days. It would be very strategic to add a path from that section of the villas to directly connect with the main pool area in the center section of the resort. The walls were thin when there was noise, but very little since it was a more mature crowd. With this resort you have an unlimited amount of a la carte restaurants which is nice in comparisons to the other resorts that only allow 3 per week from what I understood. The food was much better than other resorts that I have stayed at in the Caribbean. The Japanese restaurant in the Sian Ka'an is a must try, the a la carte food at that restaurant was amazing! There is quite a few pools and we never had an issue finding a spot to enjoy some sun. Although this resort is not directly located on the beach, they offer a "VIP" section to the guests at the Sian Ka'an which seemed to look much cleaner than the other beaches. Note that there is a bit of sea weed build up that has happened this year from what I have heard from regular guests isn't a norm and it is due the hurricanes during the last few weeks. You will randomly find some people trying to steal the better spots in the VIP section of the beach. Although it is not regularly patrolled, you will find that sometimes people will be asked to move. Even though the Sian Ka'an isn't directly on the beach, it is nice that they accommodate their guests with their own section on the beach with a private bar. I have to send out a special shout out to the pool and beach animador/cheerleaders Ruben and Fredie who were non-stop entertaining during my entire trip. They go all day with a boost of energy that I have never seen. 8am-11pm of constant cheer leading and boosting moral and the energy of the quests, great job guys! Jaime, although you were quite the snob, you were great to look at and I didn't mind how easy you were on the eyes! The fire and cirque shows were much better than your average all inclusive entertainment but I would suggest getting rid of the MJ routine. Make sure you make it to the gala night at the buffet, they have lobster and crab! Yum! The interesting thing is that these 4 resorts entertainment shut down around 10:30 nightly and they have a central area called the hacienda. You will need to catch a shuttle to this area. You will find a plaza that has tables set up for live band, shops for souvenirs and the disco/nightclub. I really liked this concept because you got to meet different people from the other resorts in once central area and I am sure that this was probably easier for security to manage if the crowd got rowdy. Although I am sure that you will read reviews that suggest the resort is too big, I will have to disagree, I actually enjoyed that once you were a bit bored with your own resort for the day, you could explore the other resorts. Staying at Sian Ka'an allows you to experience every other hotel. I could understand how the trolleys that take you from resort to resort could be annoying to some, it was always an adventure for us. Also bring bug spray if you are heading there over the next few weeks. It is a more tropical setting and since there has been quite a bit of rain over the last few weeks, the mosquitoes are quite aggressive. Note that this resort offers free wifi 24 hours a day which also works in the rooms. The other resorts offer an hour a day and you must stay in the lobby. Check out was quick and easy and the staff was overall very pleasant. This resort really catered to couples but I enjoyed it being with there with my best friend. It's a quieter more mature resort of the 4 if you are trying to choose where to stay.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Beautiful Resort.

Big and beauty resort, room very clean, food was good. Great A La Carte restaurant.Beach at this time wasn't good with a lot of seaweed and too much mosquito...But very good staff and reasonable price ....

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Beautiful resort!

The Bahia Principe Coba is a beautiful resort, great for kids with the waterpark and kids activities all day. Too bad Coba vacationers can no longer use Akumal beach and facilities this was a huge let down. We have stayed at this resort many times and Akumal beach was by far the nicest place to situate for the day and now it is exclusive so no drinks or food for Coba people. We were also disappointed that the bars in the lobby close at 11pm every night. We have small children who go to bed at 10 [... read more]pm (the latest) so one of us would sneak out for drinks to bring back to the room but only until 11pm - not good! We were told that if we wanted drinks past 11pm to head to the Hacienda, that is a good trek on a trolly (about 1/2 hour, total time) and what they are really trying to do is force you to the new casino and pay for drinks at one of the fancy (non-inclusive) bars - not good! We have stayed at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico about 15 times and compared to the Iberostar Lindo we would say the Bahia has a lot to learn about what all-inclusive means. I would recommend this resort to families who are not looking to go to the beach and are looking for good bang for their buck. The food is good and the service in the buffet is sketchy. There were times we didnt even get served wine at dinner or coffee at breakfast. We will most likely stay here again as the price is always right especially when traveling with kids but our expectations of this resort have begun to dwindle.

Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya: Good resort

Food is good, not exceptional. Pools in resort are awesome! resort is big, clean! beach wasn't good for us, big storm previous week. I would recommend it to someone I enjoyed it! Third best beach is around the corner

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Great Trip!

My husband and I stayed at the Sian Ka'an from June 14th to 21th and we had a great trip. The property was beautiful and the staff were very efficient and professional. I wouldn't say anyone went out of their way for us, but they did their jobs well and worked hard. Our room was 41201 which was on the bottom floor, but looked out at the pool, pool bar/towel exchange and was very close to the snack bar. We would have prefered to been up higher, because we always felt that we had to keep our drape [... read more]s closed, but it was OK and in a convenient location. We had no issues with the trams for the first few days, but near the end of the week we never seemed to be able to find one that was going where we wanted to go. I seen empty trans drive away and leave 10 people standing there because they weren't going where it was heading and 3 trams stop in a row that were going to the same place? Seriously the resorts are only minutes apart, would it not make more sense to take the group of people where they wanted to go then drive an empty tran around? Anyway, that was minor, and would not stop me from going back. The tram to the beach was no issue, but I was a little dissappointed with the beach after being to the beaches in DR and Cuba, but it was OK. I would say that if you are a beach person that perhaps this resort is not for you, but the resort facilities, drinks and food were definitely way better than we have seen in DR or Cuba, so I guess you have to decide what you want. Also not a huge problem, but we were dissapointed that we were travelling for our 20th Anniversary and our travel agent had advised the resort when we booked and then we told them when we got there and actually tried to pay for an upgrade and it was never acknowledged and were brushed off by the front desk staff about the upgrade. Then I read where people were treated to free upgrades and special treats for their anniversary's? Maybe we didn't tip enough? I don't know. The service at the pool and beach was a nice treat and we never waited long for drinks and we enjoyed room service 3 times and we always received fresh hot food. I was a little worried it would be too hot in June, but the weather was beautiful and we hardly seen a bug the whole time and we would go back in a minute, especially if we got it for the same price we paid this time.

Grand Palladium Select White Sand: Ok Resort

The grounds were not kept that well. The layout of the pool was not overly inviting. The staff were not overly friendly and the housekeeping was terrible. Our room wasn't completely ready when we were given our keys and it took them 6 days to finally get that we had 4 people in our room and needed 4 towels, even though we left tips each day! The food was good and they bent over backwards accommodating us with our gluten and dairy restrictions. But they ran out of gluten free foods (pizza, muffin [... read more]s, brownies etc.) Our travel agent told the resort of our dietary needs prior to our trip, but I guess not all guests had done that as the manager told us they had about 30 people each day requesting gluten free foods, so we lost out.

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Exceptional 5 star resort!

The entire 500 acres are lush greenery with many trees and flowers. Very well maintained and very clean. The rooms were perfect and the pool is to die for!! Super large with floating pads everywhere with no shortage of chairs. The staff were amazing and extremely hard working. We will return many times over. We went in June 2015; my wife and 2 daughters in their 20's they loved it too.

Platinum Yucatan Princess: Intimate resort

I visit the area twice a year and have stayed at the sister resorts Grand Sunset Princess and the Grand Rivera Sunset 5 times. We stayed in the swim out at this resort. The rooms were clean, the food was very good, massage on beach great, room service quick and food warm, staff very friendly, entertainment ok, sports park fun but I prefer a larger resort. It is nice you can use the sister resorts which we did. The beach has really gotten bad with the seaweed, we only swam in the ocean once.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Fantastic Vacation

It was our first time to an all exclusive resort and we were unbelievably impressed. The Coba resort was huge and very clean plus you also got access to the Tulum resort. Food was great at both but id give the win to Coba. All staff were extremely friendly and really appreciated when you tipped. We had a few days of bad weather but there were so many things to do that we didnt mind that much. The one bad thing was that the beach was covered in seawood from the big storm. There are a wide variety [... read more] of pools to take our minds of that though. The night time shows in the theatre were also very good. I'll definately be coming back next year.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: 40th Anniversary Vacation

This is our 7th vacation to this resort complex. They exceed in customer service. Truly a 5 star resort. We wouldn't go to any other resort to celebrate our 40th. Great staff, wonderful bar service by the pool and beach. The food is amazing, bed very comfortable, it is a 1.5 hr from the airport, but once you arrive, you are treated like family.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Good resort

The hotel was a great resort, very big, interactive, lots of pools and activities to explore throughout the day. The only issue we had was upon arrival the hotel staff advised they didn't have 2 rooms for our group of 4 adults and 1 child. They offered us 1 suite with 2 beds and would bring in another bed or the other option was to move us to Bahia Principe which was across the street. I was not impressed with either or option because I booked 2 rooms so I expected 2 rooms and I wanted to stay a [... read more]t Tulum not the resort across the street, also it's their fault for not having the rooms to accommodate. We ended up taking the 1 room option cause it was taking too long to speak to the front desk and we were just going back and forth. Aside from the room situation the resort itself had great staff, very clean, friendly and everyone works really hard. When we landed there was a major tropical storm happening and the beach was filled with seaweed and parts of the resort was flooded, but the staff worked hard to clean it up as quickly as possible throughout the whole week. Food was good, entertainment was good, overall I'd give the resort a good rating aside from the check in and room situation. If they were over booked they should have been prepared or organized it better.

El Dorado Maroma: Best in Mayan Riviera!

5*****"s all the way! It is a boutique adults only all inclusive resort with a little over 100 rooms but with 5 great restaurants. The newest, Lima Limon was outstanding, with new innovative and creative dishes comparable to the better restaurants in Montreal. The Caribbean Grill was also very good as was Mio"s, but the icing on the cake was the impeccable service from every single employee at each restaurant and throughout the entire resort. The many positive reviews on trip advisor are right o [... read more]n!

Akumal Bay Beach and Spa Resort: amazing service and food.

grounds was ok. public areas ok. rooms excellent. dining excellent too. features good. All the staff was hard working always smiling and always on time .Mauricio you're number one thanks for everything.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: the best vacation

I would've given them 5 stars but when it rained the roof leaked but they took care of us anyways. Entertainment are good we have no time to get bored. Just be careful and watch where you step there are iguanas all over. Services are excellent

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Nice resorts but with cons

I had been here in 2012 and was expecting upgrades after the 'changes' to LUXURY. Sadly, I found no major changes for the better. Except for one thing only - they now offer specialty coffees in all their areas. However, perhaps they did that before and I was not aware of it. Overall, the place is beautiful. They have made the main beach swim-able, and for those of us who are beach lovers, it is a plus. There is also a smaller protected beach at the end of the property, that is less busy. Howeve [... read more]r, not all the rooms have been renovated. The first room we were in, in Bldg. 65, had a bed as hard as a rock. The tiles were cracked and broken, the tub was chipped, and the worst part, because it rained all week while we were there (NEVER AGAIN TO GO IN JUNE - these were no 10 minute showers, but torrential rains 24/7), our roof leaked in various places, including above our bed. They did change us rooms, and gave us a $150 credit to use in the resort. The second room had a much nicer bed (had I known..) and in kind of a better shape. Although the bath tub was still filthy. The rain did not affect just our room. Every public area was flooded and dangerously slippery. Plus, because nobody could be outdoors, the public areas were so crowded, it was next to impossible to find anywhere to sit. Plus, service relaxed with the rains. So their top notch service, also became almost negligible. My personal ratings for this resort: Resort grounds - 5 stars (beautiful and well maintained) Rooms - 3 stars (although "renovated" I didn't observe any such thing since my last visit in 2012, except for the softer bed in the second room) Beach - 3.5 stars (very rocky and tons of seaweeds) Service - 4.5 stars (sometimes 5 stars depending on person) Food (buffets) - 4 stars Dining a la carte - 4 stars Reception - 4 stars Pools - 4.5 stars Shuttle cars - 3 stars (not consistent and they made us walk in the torrential rain to one of the restaurants. Thank God the Manager of that restaurants called one for our return, who picked us up in front of the door, as it is supposed to be, and as we saw some others do) Spa - 5 stars (beautiful environment, massage was top rate) Room service - 3 to 4.5 stars depending on person. However, they have reduced the choices on the room service menu, especially for breakfast. They have, however, elevated the kind of sandwiches offered. So it's a toss up. Pillow menu: 2 stars (I requested a traditional pillow 3 times and they brought me the wrong one each time. Meanwhile, I could see them being delivered to other rooms. The concierge was really nice, but somehow that never happened). Their regular pillows are a bunch of rolled up balls put together in a tiny pillow. Not comfortable. Again, this is different from 2012 when they had the traditional pillows (North American style). Policy: 1 star - even though they had rooms available, they still did not allow people to check in until 3 p.m. For those of us who arrived there at 11 a.m. it was a long, hot wait to endure. Especially since it turned out that the day we arrived was the ONLY sunny day we had there all week, so we missed out on some good beach/pool time. Personally, although we had paid for ocean view room, and had the e-ticket to prove it, they had initially assigned us a regular room and as a result they didn't give us a room until 4:15 that afternoon. This did not help in starting our week off well. Internet - 2 stars - always busy, can only be used in main lobby. They no longer have the complimentary computers for guests to use in a separate lobby, and if our phones/tablets don't work so well, then we can't have any access. This is a downgrade, not an upgrade. Bars - 4.5 for service. However, one of the lobby bars was never open. In 2012 I used to enjoy going into that one when the louder entertainment show was on in the main theater/lobby bar. That one used to have a one or two person show, doing oldie tunes or nicer, less chaotic music. They did not have that this time, and kept that bar closed... Entertainment - 2 - the animation team this time were not as good as last time I went. Plus all their shows are tailored to the young people. Even their Michael Jackson show only included the latest songs from that artist. Those of us older folks stopped listening to his stuff as we became parents, etc. I was looking forward to some nostalgic songs but the oldest one they offered was Billy Jean, and not even in completion, but as a part of a medley which did not include any other older song. In 2012 this same show was amazing!! It was interesting to watch most people in the 45-90 range leave after the first 15 minutes. Their other shows are also truly tailored to the younger crowd. They really need to bring back the solo artists in that other bar, for those of us who want to relax while enjoying the entertainment and not get aggravated by loudness and cacophony!!! Too bad. With the rain all week long, this was something to look forward to, but totally disappointing. Luggage: 1 - Even after making arrangement the night before to pick up our luggage, nobody showed up. Upon calling them, they told us it would be a 45 minute wait, and our bus was leaving in 40 minutes. We ended up lugging our luggage ourselves, which wasn't that tremendous of a problem since our room was close to the lobby. However, there are rooms that are much, much further and those would be a problem. So something to keep in mind. We travel light, but a lot of people don't! Travel agent - 5 - I will always book my travel with you guys in the future (if I travel again after this nightmare trip)!!! The rain did us in. We both got back with Montezuma's revenge, which we are still suffering. I've never had this happen before in Mexico, so I think the rains had something to do with them being unable to keep things as hygienic as they normally would. In any case, thank you to Shauna and Teresa for your help in arranging this trip. Next year, it will be an earlier time of year, that is for sure!! No more rain trips for me!! Location - 2 - it is the farthest hotel on the Mayan Strip. Therefore, travel time to and from the airport is ridiculously long, almost 1.5 hours. This also means losing hours on your departure day as they pick you up over 4 hours before your scheduled departure time. So, we basically had 5.25 days there, instead of the 7 we paid for. (First day shot because of late room check in. Last day non-existent because of travel, left hotel at 6:50 a.m.). Regards.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Wonderful Vacation at Grand Bahia Principe Coba

This was our first family trip to Mexico. Our stay at Grand Bahia Principe Coba did not disappoint us. Amazing resort! Selection of foods are great & service of the staff is impeccable. We will plan our next trip to this resort.

Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya: Majestic Resort

This Resort was by far the most enjoyable resort we've seen. The resort was well maintained and beautiful. The staff made our stay pleasureable and they truly go out of their way to represent the hotel with pride for their work. The beach was heavenly. We would recommend this resort to anyone looking for the beauty of Mexico.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Nothing outstanding, but met expectations.

The service was fine, nice staff, but most resorts seem to go above and beyond which the staff here did not. They were not prepared for rain. Resort does not have a nice beach, and tons of seaweed!! The hotel had a lot of fun evening activities but quickly shut down at 11pm, after the general family activities, everyone was encouraged to attend the disco. The disco was the most lively I have seen at a resort which was fun, so there is not a obligation to go to the city. The rain really limited [... read more] great service. They did not seem prepared. Water was everywhere in the resort; main lobby, restaurants and the hotel rooms. Everyone was supposed to have a umbrella which was not available. Overall the hotel is average, and as expected for the price, nothing exceptional or worth going back for.