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.

Excellence Playa Mujeres: By far the best resort I have ever been to

The Excellence Playa Majeures all round has everything. The restaurants to the beautiful accomodations to amazing pools the luscious green grounds and the best thing I think is the great staff who work there. They have obviously been trained very well, they bend over backwards to satisfy your every request. The no reservations needed for the restaurants is another thing I liked. I highly recommend this resort.

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.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: poor customer service

we had a decent short vacation (5 days) but this resort is NOT what I was expecting. Before I launch into the play-by-play, this resort has too many people and not enough a la carte restaurants. They do not prepare you at check in (a la carte reservations should be suggested, safe key supplied etc). Our room NEVER had suitable AC, it barely worked and we were lied to repeatedly (maintenance never arrived) both over the phone at when we walked all the way to the front desk. We complained every si [... read more]ngle day of our trip, NOTHING I repeat NOTHING was done. Eventually on the last night our AC died completely due to repeated power outages beyond their control. I KNOW the AC was not standard because other guest rooms we went into were frigid in comparison. Some staff are wonderful but the majority are at best aloof, at worst rude and inconsiderate. When poor weather hit the resort, it descended into complete chaos. We saw a piece of rusted support beam and paint fall on to a guests head in the Akumal bar in the main lobby, and the rain that covered the tile floor resulted in people falling like flies

Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda: perfect view all around clean

There is always something you do not like on a vacation but at Blue Bay I had nothing to complain the whole 2 weeks were amazing I intend to go back many times. The staff workers all were amazing I thank them all . John Mario Colamartini

Riu Tequila: Riu Tequila

Beach is good, but far away. You have use your feet. Walking way to the beach is 1km approx. The sea water is dirty. No shadow on the beach. The service is excellent. A lots of music shows and other entertainments. Overall, it was a good vacation for 7 days.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Amazing Service, Clean and Fantastic Food

We went away with my entire wife's family a total of 8 adults, 2 children and our baby. Upon checkin we has a small hiccup as they had us all placed in different buildings. I understand even though we requested it with our travel its not always guaranteed. After some begging we end up in building beside eachother. After that is when the FUN started!! Im not much of a beach guy so being so close to the pool and kids pool area was fantastic. To get to the beach you would have to hop on a little tr [... read more]ain and they would take you there. If you are a beach person stay at Tulum. The food was as my father in law said impeccable! The buffet was great, Le Gourmet was one of the best a la carte i've eaten at and the Mexican on the last night was by far the best time we had at dinner. The waiters made sure we were satified and then brought out the party favours for photos and tequila! They definitely made the night. We found all the staff to be extremely friendly and helpful, the ladies who clean out room everyday made sure we had everything we needed and provided us with more then enough water for the baby. It was overall an amazing trip spent with the family.

Bahia Principe Escape Sian Ka'an: Exceeded our expectations!

This was our first trip ever to a hot destination, I would recommend the location and resort! We stayed on the Adults Only part which was exactly what we wanted. The grounds and public areas were very clean. Service everywhere on our part of the resort was great! The locals were polite and consistent with their customer service. If you don't mind taking a 5 minute ride to the beach then the Adults part is for you! Also if you get a chance go swim at the Tao Wellness centre in their salt water po [... read more]ol, or enjoy a yoga class! They also sell amazing chocolate bars in their gift shop area, that's highly recommended :) Overall this resort is great for anybody family, couples, friends, honeymooners, whatever! If you want to see more in and pictures look them up on Facebook or Tripadvisor.

Bahia Principe Explore Coba: Good Hotel

This hotel is a great hotel but have a couple of issues. The rooms are very damp and feels like your sleeping on wet sheets. Also Akumel is not part of the royal golden club and you cant get served on the beach . You have to go to Coba beach and if you have young children or older adults this beach is not user friendly with all of the rocks. I was disappointed by this. I have been to this resort 4 times and will make sure I book Akumel next time.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Good Times With The Boys

Went to this resort with two buddies, we had an awesome time. Food was great, service fantastic and the grounds immaculate. The beach wasn't the greatest but otherwise we had a fantastic time. Also if you like drinking, the resort had Hennesy, Courvoisier, Grey Goose etc... all at no extra cost which was nice if you wanted a smooth drink. Lots of pools, which were all pretty good, entertainment could be better in my opinion. We didn't watch any of the evening time shows except one which was fai [... read more]rly entertaining. Overall a good place for a stay but maybe not the best for someone in their 20s with friends as there aren't many people that age.

Bahia Principe Explore Akumal: Excellent Vacation!

Loved our 14 day stay at Akumal. Fantastic food at the Akumal and Sian Kaan buffets, always a great variety of international and Mexican dishes. Our a la carte favs were Mexican, Brazilian BBQ, and Italian. All of the staff were accommodating and very helpful, they really made us feel comfortable. The top shelf liquors served at Akumal and Sian were much appreciated, as we have stay at lower end resorts that served generic brands that were simply awful. Lots to do at the resort, and many fun exc [... read more]ursions available off the resort. This was our 4th visit and we plan to return again, this resort offers superb value.

Iberostar Waves Tucan: Great Resort

Loved this hotel, especially the jungle atmosphere and all the wildlife running around freely. Agoutis, howler monkeys, peacocks, coati, just to name a few critters that we saw. Hotel was fine; looking a little dated, but very clean. Staff was friendly and helpful. Food was just okay, but very plentiful. You won't go hungry here; you will always find something you like. The best part of this hotel is the gorgeous beach. The water was beautiful, waves just the right size for ocean "bobbing", some [... read more] fish in the water, but not anything that bites. Loved its proximity to Playa Del Carmen. I would go back here in a heartbeat.

Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya: So much fun!

We had the best time. There is so much to do! We wish we had stayed for 2 weeks! The only thing I would change is the sound level of the nightly entertainment. It hurt my ears, and the sites were do good it would have been nice to enjoy them without having to plug my ears.

Secrets The Vine Cancun: Beautiful Resort!

Modern resort with beautiful suites and lots of areas to kick back and relax and find privacy. I never felt lost as there was always staff to help out with anything I may have needed. Room service food was sub-par but the restaurants were delicious. I also loved the coffee bar for mid-day snacks and caffeine pick-me-ups! I would definitely return to Secrets the Vine Cancun.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: bad start and good finish

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort We've stayed at the resort between 21 and 31st of May. The reason for the stay was our son's wedding. Overall the aftertaste of our vacation is positive and we have a potential desire to come back. There were, however, couple of issues which probably should be addressed for the resort improvement. 1. The check in was unbelievably slow, with little attention given to the guests presences, and no support provided afterwards. I had a twisted ankle and a broken rib issue an [... read more]d begged at the check in to allocate for us a room on the ground floor. However, the answer was simple, not possible. Meanwhile our friends couple, who were at the same time asking to put them higher up, were given ground floor room with the same no exchange possible. Hmmmm? Only after 3 days of asking, plus with involvement of my son's wedding coordinator, we were moved to the ground floor location. Needless to mention similar attitude was given to my daughter upon her arrival with two kids of 1 and 3. They were put on the top floor with pushchairs to move up and down. Their situation was solved only on the second day. 2. As we are up rather early everyday, we've noticed that property is not bring well maintained and cleaned before about 9 am. Walking around about 8am you will find drink cups, food mess, and similar all around the area, including similar floating in the pool. It was rather sad. On the positive note, the wedding organization was superb, with excellent entertainment and good care after guests and wedded couple. Food was good, diverse and available at anytime. Plenty of seats on the beach and around the pool. Amazing Xcalacoco shows during the stay. Great indoor playground for my grandchildren. Thus, the resort is good with great window for improvement and opportunity for growth. Here are my review in a nutshell. Sincerely, Elena, working for American Express Travel as a senior travel counsellor

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Daughter LOVED IT

My spouse and I have been to Mexico before - Puerto Vallarta and we loved it. This vacation was more for our daughter (3) as this was her first time being on a plane etc etc. We loved the resort. Our first day wasn't too pleasant as this resort is the only one I know of that made you wear a long sleeve for dinner at the buffet. Only know of that rule when eating at a la carte's but that's ok. The grounds were beautifully kept, and the staff were always pleasant! Our room was cleaned everyday, an [... read more]d just wanted to throw it out there we didn't use the safety deposit box, and none of our items went missing. We took the taxi to the Tulum ruins and we had the best cab driver ever! David! He took us there, told us how it would be like offered to be our guide, let us know that if we bought the tickets at a certain stand it would be cheaper than buying it at the ruins, plus he waited for us until we were done so we didn't need to flag a cab back. PLUS he took us off the highway to show us a few underground rivers that run beneath the highways. The only off thing was the sea-weed but that isn't their fault. I am an ocean baby and would prefer to play in the ocean over the pool anyday but the large amounts of sea weed washing up was too much for me. They clean it everyday its just it was alot for ME personally. I would definitely come back here and recommend this place to others.

Bahia Principe Explore Tulum: Awesome holiday!

The Bahia chain is one of my favourites. The staff was amazing. We were upgraded to the Luxury Akamal which allowed us to use all of the resorts and the butler service was very handy. My favourite restaurants were the Don Paublo in Tulum and the Japanese restaurant in Coba. The beach is good for Mexico but the sand isn't the beautiful white sand of Punta Cana or Cuba. Very long beach for walking. This is a large resort but the trolleys are always available if you don't want to walk. Don't believ [... read more]e the weather forecast, it was suppose to rain 10 - 20 cm for 3 or 4 days while we were there. Other than a few drops in the daytime, most of the rain came at night and only lasted for a few hours. We will be back.