We stayed at the Bahia Principe Tulum the weeks of February 2nd to the 16th. This is our second time staying at this resort as we also stayed here in February 2005. We have previously been at resorts in Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Barbados, Bermuda and Aruba.

For this, our second stay at this resort, we were disappointed and found that the resort is getting to be tired looking and the quality of service is not at the level we experienced in 2005. It is in our opinion, no longer the five star resort indicated in our travel brochure and indeed is not the four and a half star annotated in other brochures.

Rooms
The first room we were given in building seven was smelly and had black mold in the bathroom on the walls and on the ceiling. We are aware that in tropical climates you can experience a damp smell but this was different. When we complained we were told we could move to another room but the options were very limited. Nothing with the requested ocean view. We were told that if we wanted to stay in a building near our friends at the north end of the resort, we would have to pay an additional $70.00 per person per night. We found that unacceptable but decided to wait until the next day which was a Saturday and a day many people were leaving so we could see what might become available

The next day we went to the Hacienda Principe Tulum (Club Diamond) and we were successful in changing our room for $30.00 per person extra per night. Not ideal but better than staying where we were. No one could explain the difference in the price quoted the previous night and the price actually charged.

Our room cleaning was OK with some minor inconsistencies such as sometimes soap etc. was left, sometime not. We left $2 US per day as a tip. Sometimes we had little towel animals left on the bed while other times we had to search for the towels. The mini bar was filled about 60% of the time we were there. Definitely not on a daily basis despite the upgrade we paid for the room.

By the way our second room was in building 46 on the third (top) floor and sported an outstanding ocean view.

Staff
The staff at the Club Diamond are excellent and most helpful at all times. Free internet connection is also available to people here. Hats off to all the staff located at this site.

The staff at the reception desk in the main building (Tulum) were not accommodating at any given time during our stay. The staff who book the restaurant reservations in the main building were mixed in their performance. One (Sarah), was excellent, while another kept telling us that we could not book reservations at certain restaurants. She kept saying we were not entitled to book at those places even though we had already booked and dined at them the previous week. We were later able to make reservations at those same restaurants so the inconsistency in the information given was annoying.

Beach
The Beach is OK but not great. However that being said, we found the beach better on this vacation then our previous trip. More shade is available and more sand has been added. We enjoyed swimming in the ocean and bouncing around in the waves. There is plenty of space and although you have rocks present, there is plenty of areas to swim where the rocks are not a problem. It may not an outstanding beach but it is not as bad as some people report.

Pools
We really only hung around the Tulum Pool, which is also called the North Pool and located near the Tequila Restaurant. The last time we were here it was basically an adult only pool and had animation staff that ran some really fun activities. This time we found the pool inundated with children and hence any activities such as water polo or volleyball included children. The noise level was proportional to the amount of children in the pool. If you are looking for activities with your children great, but for those of us looking for an adult oriented setting, the pool atmosphere had changed and the pool activities were limited and poorly organized. Service at the pool bar was indifferent even though we tipped well.

All pools that we observed in all locations Tulum, Coba and Akumal were clean and well cared for at all times.

Food
The buffets are good. We tried the buffet at all three resorts (Tulum, Akumal and Coba). The food at all three buffets is pretty much the same with slight variations. If you had to eat there every night you might get tired of it but mix in your three a la carte options and you have a pretty good selection with respect to dining.

A La Carte Restaurants.

Mikado – located in Coba
Japanese cooking. Excellent presentation. Food very good. The only problem was we felt like we were rushed through our meal to make the room available for the next group. It was not only our group that expressed this concern.

La Gran Tortuga – located in Tulum
Steak is the main offering at this restaurant. Setting is OK. Service was slow and the food was poor. There were four of us (2 couples) dining and not one of us actually had a good meal nor did we get exactly what we ordered. We had made reservations for two evenings at this restaurant and we cancelled the second night.

Arlequin – located in Akumal
What a gem this restaurant is! Excellent setting. Superb presentation of food. Service is exceptional and the food was just outstanding. We made another reservation as this place is well worth a second visit. The second time we ate here it was just as good. Marvelous food with first-rate quality service at a relaxed pace.

Oriental – located at the Hacienda Dona Isabel
We ate here twice as it too is an excellent place to dine. We found the menu to have enough variety to satisfy the diverse tastes in our group. The food was well presented and delicious. The service was excellent and professional. Go on a Thursday and save yourself the cost of paying to get in for the Mexican Fiesta. The Mexican Fiesta by the way was OK. I liked it while others in the group found it cheesy.

Dolce Vita – located in Akumal
We had eaten here on our last visit and so we had high expectations. We were not disappointed. The food was very good although the service was a little inconsistent and slow. Over all though, the lovely setting and excellent food make this a wise choice.

Don Pablo – located in Tulum
We had eaten here on our last visit and were quite disappointed in both the food and the poor service. We had friends who dined here this time and they had mixed reviews. Two couples were quite satisfied with the food and service while another couple were very unhappy. It does seem to be a bit of a hit and miss with respect to the quality one finds here.

Gym
The gym is small and there was only one treadmill which was not working well. The last time we were here I believe there were three treadmills - all fully functional. There were weights, exercise bikes and an area where you could do yoga or other forms of exercise. For those wishing to jog or do power walking, forget about the gym and head for the many paths throughout the resort. I went early before the heat got too much and only used the gym the once due to the limited equipment .

Grounds
Immaculate and very well maintained. The grounds staff are excellent.

Overall rating for the Resort
Great if you are expecting a 4 star resort but mediocre if you are expecting a 4 ½ or 5 star establishment. We will not be returning for a third stay here as the decline in quality was enough to convince us to look elsewhere.

Area in General
The ruins at Tulum are really close and interesting.

The ruins at Chichen Itza are a nice day trip but you can no longer climb the castle (aka pyramid). We found these to be the most impressive ruins of the four we visited in the area.

The ruins at Coba are an hour away and you can still climb some of the buildings including the largest building. Don’t spend the money to book the whole day tour unless you want the complete package (lunch with a Mayan family etc). We just hired a taxi and had a far better time with a lot of flexibility on when we went and how long we stayed.

Ruins at Muyil are worth a visit. A UNESCO protected site and a well kept secret.

Shopping
Hacienda Dona Isabella is close for those who really don't want to leave the resort grounds.

Akumel beach is fairly close and has better prices and selection for T shirts etc.

Playa Del Carmen is about 20 minutes away and has a variety of shopping options in and around the 5th Avenue main street.

We are a middle aged couple from Hamilton, Ontario and this was our very first trip ever together anywhere. We want to tell you what a fabulous place the Gran Bahia Principe Resort is. We stayed in the area referred to as Tulum and the section was called - Club Diamond.

It was absolutely fabulous. The staff were all very very friendly, helpful and courteous. The resort and I mean the whole resort, including Coba and Akumal was immaculate. I have never experienced anything so clean and so well maintained in my life. We cannot even keep a Tim Horton's clean! The number of staff and workers at this place boggled my mind. We tipped most staff that we had contact with. Whether it was the lady making our omelet to the the unknown personnel cleaning the ladies washroom in the main lobby. Everyone works very very hard at this resort and it was pure professionalism all the way. We became very good friends with the girls at the customer service desk, namely Claudia and Jhoanna. They could not do enough for us and us in return. We were visitors in their country and they accepted us with open arms.

Restaurants: All of them were lovely - we reserved at the Oriental - Thursday night - to be able to take in the show at the Hacienda. We dined at the Don Pablo - very very fine dining and an ultimate experience. Food was fabulous at both places. We also experienced the Meditterrean Restaurant as well as the La Tortogue. (The Grill) Both were very nice. The buffets were over and beyond what we could expect and the food was excellent. Some may say the food tasted bland, but all you need to do is add some spicy sauce or hot peppers and your good to go.

Room: We stayed in Villa 40 - 2nd floor - Ocean view and the room was wonderful. Beds were made daily and sheets changed and room cleaned. Carlos was our maid and he was an excellent one at that. A very sweet man and tipping wasn't out of the question. The rooms are equipped with shampoo, conditioner, body gel soap, toothbrush, shoe shine kit, shower cap, mending kit, hand soap, hair drier, combs, magnifying mirror. I won't hesitate the next time to not take all these personal items with me, because I did use theirs and they were just fine. We were only there a week. Slippers were also given to us for use and allowed to be taken home. The bathrobes were there as well and if you wished to purchase them at the end of your stay, you are to speak to the front desk. (we did not take advantage of this)

Bar Fridge: This was stocked daily with any of your requests and again tipping helped in this matter. Cervaza, chips, chocolate bars, and soft drinks.

Drinks at any bar were more than plenty and a delight to ingest and believe me, we ingested a few. No waits and service was excellent. We did take insulated coffee mugs to keep our cold drinks cold in the hot sun and this worked really well.

This resort is very very large, so trolley cars were a good way to get around, which we sometimes chose to do and sometimes not. Always a pleasant time with mexican music playing to get you in the mood.

They call this resort a 5 star resort, but in our eyes it was a 10+.
I am still in awe on how they manage the magnitude of services and to so many thousands, without a blink. They are very hard working people and want to please. I can't honestly say we can do it as well in Canada.

Beach: The beach at this particular was rocky, however we knew this before going. We did snorkel down in the Akumal section and it was lovely and the beach was very crowded. We preferred our little section, not so crowded and just a lovely. We had a red flag most days, because of the high winds, which prevented most people from going in the ocean. Those that did usually got whistled out by the life guard. You do need beach shoes if you want to walk into this section of the ocean.

We shopped on the resort at the Hacienda, and found all our needs met and were able to pick up lots of souvenir type of items for family members. We did not find this to be overly expensive. T-shirts of the area for $5.00 - how good is that!

We did tip well as mentioned earlier, and rightfully so. They are hard working people and they deserve it. Our Sunquest rep. advised us they are only perhaps making as much as $10.00 a day. If this was a plug, so be it, I felt they deserved every penny we gave them, if not more. If tipping and shopping was our only expense, then let's do it right!

I have travelled to many resorts, countries in the Caribbean and I must say that I was extremely impressed with this resort. Truly a 5 star resort.

Musts: Oriental restaurant on Thursday nights, beach shoes, bug spray at night, thermal mugs for drinks poolside, US money (much better exchange rate – 11 pesos per dollar compared to 6 for Canadian money), XEL-ha.

Airport
· Was a little confusing to find way to Immigration officials. Once completed and luggage obtained, you get to push the button at Customs to determine if you are green (good to go) or red (time for a search). We were green and proceeded accordingly.

· Upon leaving the Customs checkpoint, you will be overwhelmed with people asking you if you want a taxi, drinks, porters, information, etc.

· One gentleman asked us what tour company we were with and asked us to follow him – he too was a salesman, offering a timeshare. I listened to his tips for bargaining and obtained a map but then left to find my real guide.

· Once finding my guide holding a sign for my tour agency, we had a short 10 minute wait. We were then escorted to a waiting passenger van. There were only 4 of us altogether and we were dropped off at our resort first.

· Trip to the resort seemed shorter than at other locations, yet it was still well over an hour away.

Check-in
· As we were the only ones that attended our resort in the van that we were travelling in, check-in was a breeze! A nice touch was the champagne and orange juice provided to us immediately.

· Also, we did not touch our bags at all. A bellman quickly snatched the bags from the van and once we checked in (matter of a couple of minutes), we were chauffeured to our room, using one of the many trams on the resort.

Room
· We were in a junior suite, which had a huge king bed, with a seating area (small table and chairs and couch). This was all in the same room, yet the seating area was separated slightly with a half wall and pillars. Still definitely an open concept though. Nicely air-conditioned. We were on the 2nd floor of one of the many 3 floor villas. Ours was villa 4, room 413. If overlooked the beach and ocean. We had a balcony with a small table and couple of chairs. Very nice. Would highly recommend an Ocean view. Villa 4 was nice and close to everything. With some 35 villas, many were out in the middle of no-where, so be sure to request where you would like to be. Bathroom had a Jacuzzi tub for one, large counter with hair dryer and makeup mirror. No ventilation, so mirrors, etc. tended to get fogged up quickly with the nice hot bath / showers. Great water pressure. Also they have one of those clothes lines that pull out from the wall to hang wet clothing. In room safe costs $5 USD per day for the lock. Although extreme, we took it and had peace of mind all week. (actually 10 days).

· Mini bar in the room loaded with various pops (coke, diet coke), as well as beer (Dos Equis). There was also a small bag of chips and a couple of chocolate bars (Milky Way and a Snickers). Bar is replenished on occasion. Tips may assist in this regard.

· BEWARE of the tiny ants. Do not leave any sweets/chips/food lying around. The ants will be on it in no time. We only had the experience once with half of a chocolate bar that was left on the nightstand. The ants had come in from the balcony and I followed the trail of them. Once the chocolate was removed and I killed the many ants in the congo line, we were fine. We never saw them again. Weird thing is that they did not bother with the fruit bowl left in the room as part of the honeymoon package.

Honeymoon Package
· We did not have to show our documentation to anyone, but had brought it just in case.
· Weddings daily and they have a nice spot set up near the Tequila restaurant – outdoor arbour / patio decorated, where I am sure the weddings take place. Looked quite nice.

· I think there were a couple of flowers in the room and a small bottle of tequila with a bowl of fruit to set the honeymoon mood.

Smoking
· Note that smoking is permitted EVERYWHERE. It did not bother me, and I actually indulged in a few cigars myself, however if you are not into that beware!!! They did have some non-smoking sections, but we all know how well those work.

Television
· Who cares, you are not there to watch TV. However there were some English stations and we got caught up on news with the FOX station.

· The TV made an awful noise, so I called the front desk and someone was there in approx. 20 minutes to replace the TV. Pretty good service!

Newspapers
· Again, who cares, but if you have to get caught up on any major events, newspapers are available at guest services (where you book the restaurants), free of charge.

Facilities
· Easy to get around with the trams provided.
· 3 huge resorts in one. Go where you want when you want. Eat and drink wherever you like.
· Shows were so-so, although one was really good – shows start at 10pm.
· Drinks galore….Drinks are not watered down, as I watched them crack many a bottle of rum.
· Your favourite brands are likely to be there – CC, Smirnoff, Bacardi, Havana – not just the local stuff.
· There are coffee bars, which include teas of all sorts.
· There are specialty coffee areas, where the server lights the liquor on fire and ends up serving it to you.
· There are also specialty tequila areas where you can try different flavours of tequila – strawberry, pineapple, etc. Quite nice and ready for the taking.

· There are just many extras that make the resort a pleasure.

Restaurants
· Excellent!!!!
· Remember Cuba??? This is nothing like it, as the food is actually really good.
· Book the specialty restaurants early and make sure you book the ORIENTAL restaurant for the Thursday night. It is located in the market area of the resort. Every Thursday night they host a local festival in the market square and charge everyone $16 USD to enter. By eating there on the Thursday night, you are already there and thus do not need to pay. They will still ask you in advance if you need tickets, but do not bother paying and simply state that you already have your tickets. You will not be disappointed. The show is actually quite good and shows you a lot of the local culture.

· You are entitled to 3 specialty restaurants for a one-week stay.
· Every night there was a ‘drink of the day’. Pick it up on your way in. Many of them were so good, I continued with them once reaching the bar after dinner – especially the Mango Margarita!!!!!

Bars
· Many of them and I never had to wait very long for a drink. And I was not tipping each time either – actually very rarely. I like tipping at the end of my vacation, which is what we did.

· NOTE: Bring the thermal cups with lids, etc. for around the poolside. Those little plastic glasses they give you just do not do the trick.

· Disco at the Hacienda is good. A good mixture of 80s, 90s and current music. Not all rap, etc., although there is some. Beware – it is loud though. But always a good time.

· Resort Bars
– Bands are pretty good, but if you listen, you can tell that they are making up the words to many songs – including the famous ‘take those old records off the shelf’. I would bet money that they stated ‘take the salt shakers off the shelf’. They may have just been being funny, but I doubt it – lol. However, the same songs night after night is enough to drive anyone nuts. It is fun for the first couple of nights, but after that be prepared to either do something else or drink until the band sounds differently! The resort bar is nice in that it is a totally open concept. No windows, etc. It is also a good place to play cards, cribbage, etc.

Weather
· Lets just say that when it is nice, it is really nice – 30+ degrees celcius. Beautiful.
· Unfortunately, out of our 10 days, we had at least 4 days of PURE RAIN. Now, being our honeymoon, it was not bad. We also enjoyed the bar as well as playing cards and crib.

· We just had a freak storm system that was circling for several days rather than moving on.
· Thankfully we were there for 10 days, so we had nice weather to start and end, but it was bad in the middle.

Pictures
· Lots of nice settings for great pictures.
· In addition, the resort sends people around with parrots, warriors, a large iguana, etc. to have your picture taken. They charge though if you want to take them - $10USD each.

Deals / Shopping

· We did not buy a lot, however we did take a bus from the resort ($19USD for the two of us – charged to our room) to Playa Del Carmen to shop on 5th avenue. We did get some deals there. We went in due to the rain – something to do. Some good deals to be had at the Hacienda at the resort too.

· BEWARE: timeshare people around in little kiosks on the street offering you assistance and chatting you up.

Timeshare
· In the middle of the 4 days of rain, we decided to take an offer for a timeshare. We never would have done it if the weather was nice, however due to the rain, why not. We were told that it was not a timeshare, only that we were to compare this new resort to our existing resort. I knew it was a lie when he ensured that we had a valid VISA or MC card with us. Naturally, 90 minutes turns into about a 3 hour adventure, but transportation and breakfast was included. However, we did get 2 tickets to the Xel-ha / Tulum adventure, 2 bottles of 1L Kalua and 2 large Mexican blankets for our time.

XEL-ha / Tulum Adventure
· We LOVED it!!!! The best part was that it was the first day that we had seen the sun in 4 days and it was HOT out. We did some snorkling and got some good pics in the water – underwater camera a MUST.

· Best part would have been floating down the river in the inner tubes, with beer conveniently hidden for our journey. As it turned out, everyone was doing the same thing and we had a blast!!!! Drinks and food were included.

· Bad part – leaving. They took us to XEL-ha first. We did not want to leave to go to Tulum mid-afternoon.
· If you have seen Chitzen Itza (sp?), you do not need to see Tulum. It is actually a disappointment in comparison. However, if you have never seen the ruins, it is worthwhile. Our guide was great and provided a lot of Myan history and culture. There is also a large beach there where you can go swimming if you like.

Checkout
· A breeze.
· They want you to settle the bill the night before (any excursions, room safe, etc.).
· Simply drop off the key, get your final receipt and you are set. They also provide you with the voucher for transportation back to the airport, so you do have to actually wait for the receipt and voucher.

Just got back from a week there - Nov 5-12th. Second time visitors to same resort; have also stayed at other all-inclusives in Mayan previously. We have two children aged less than 6. What we loved about this resort last time we stayed (4 years ago) was just how easy it was to be there especially with children. This time I must say I was very disappointed in the tipping aspect. The first two days our room was not cleaned, or barely cleaned (we had not left tips as we had not broken any money yet), once we started leaving tips the room was cleaned and the little towel creatures we had told our children of, were made. One day instead of a $5 USD tip my daughter wanted to tip so left her money which was about $1.40 USD in pesos.....apparently not good enough, room was left a mess....oh and did I mention the mini-bar was not refilled either on the low/no tip days. You could stand at the bar fainting from the heat and not get approached for a drink, unless you waved US cash around. I do not object to tipping but believe in tipping for service, not getting service because I am offering a tip. It made the trip considerably less easy, as you always needed to have cash on you which to me defeats the all inclusive idea, and of course that meant leaving cash unattended at the pool/beach and other things that are worrisome when travelling.

Also the kids club mini-disco was never on. We showed up every night with a multitude of parents and children only to find that they had nothing planned or did not think there were enough kids, or did not show up at all. It was made up with face painting, for those kids who were still waiting by the time the hostess finally arrivied.

Gran Bahia Principe Tulum
BENITO JUAREX KM 250
AKUMAL, QR MEXICO

This resort is made up of:

* Tulum - beach is the largest, 1/3rd rocky on east
- Largest resort but Akumel is slightly nicer estically.
- east side is quite due to rocky shoreline.
* Akumul - beach 1/3rd rocky on west.
- beach is nicely setup for families and has a dock.
- beach can get very congested due to the guests from Principe and Coba.
* Coba - beach sandy
- resort is furtherest away from the beach.
* Club Diamond (very small) - never went to it.
* Principe (very small) - beautiful smaller scale of the other main three.
* Hacienda - This is the main entrance where all the shops and the disco are.

- I found the beaches to be great as I walked them in my water shoes.
There is a lot of sand to lye in and rocky areas to explore if you want.
- Guests have access to all resorts, buffet resturants, and beaches.
- There are small bus like vehicles that move between all destinations every 5 minutes.
- There are pools everywhere.
- You can book snokal gear for 1 hr everyday and check out the fish in the reef.
**** DO NOT FEED THE FISH, I was told that bread, etc... kills the fish ****
- Room TV will tell you about some of the adventure tours.
- Drinks everywhere; however, they must be severly watered down.

//// Things to do when booking ////
- Make sure your coupon specifies room preferences or if its your anniversary/honeymoon.
- Insist on a 2nd or 3rd floor of the villa to avoid having any thing crawl in under
the front door. We were on the 3rd floor and saw a 3inch gecko in the bathroom
a few times. It was more cute than anything.

//// List of things to bring ////
- Small 500ml bottle to fill and carry with you. All bottled water comes in 1 liter.
- Bring sun lotions.
- Bug spray for evenings and adventure tours.
- Underwater disposable camera for reef on beach and adventure tours.
- Water shoes for rough coral areas. This is a very long beach with lots of sandy beach in the center.
- Get pesos/US dollar exchange rate "http://www.x-rates.com/d/USD/table.html"
Only bring US and insist on US change before making any purchases.
- Bring photo copy of marriage certificate if applicable.
- Umbrella or rain gear, we never used it 09/09/06-09/16/06.

//// What to do upon arrival ////
- Book three a la cartes restaurants before your orientation meeting with your Rep.
This can be done at the Public Relations desk.
- Ask for a room safe (35US/7day)

//// Resturants ////
- Oriental - Great
- Don Pablo - Great
- El Pescador - Great

//// Tours ////
- De Play Carmen
3hr trip in to this town for 3hr of shopping. Cost 12/person. Ate up a half day.
We didn't find any deals that we couldn't have found at the Hacienda at the resort.
- I was not impressed with the tour to the local Silver factory. We were lead into
a large showroom and we didn't find any deals to write home about. The driver was very informative about the area and brought us into a local village where we bought candy to give children on our tours.
- Coba/Mayan Village - Great
- Aqua Adventure - Fantastic!

//// Miscellaneous ////
- Ride to the resort was a very long 1hr45min; however, the bus had air.
Not much scenery on no stops for drinks or food.
- Air conditioned rooms where not as cool as we keep it in Canada, but provided us with restful nights. Some guests had problem with theirs.
- Pack of 4 AA batteries $20 US.
- Under water desposable camera $20 US.
- Tip 1 or 2 dollars when you get the chance. The staff are mainly comprised of the local Myan people and make very little base pay. They depend on the tips.
The run down buildings and towns are were these people live.
- You could bring hard candy (chocolate will melt), pencils, and crayons for children you encounter during your tours.

Hello, just got back from the Gran Bahia principe Tulum club diamond section and wanted share my thoughts on the resort.

I'll make it very short and to the point.

The good:

The resort is absoluetly beautiful. Food is fantastic, and the service wonderful.

The bad:
You cannot swim at the beach in this part of the resort. It begins with sand and ends in reef, all before you even hit the water. very dangerous.

The "exclusive" Club Diamond areas are anything but. We spent the week in line behind people from every part of the resort while in the Club Diamond restaurant, couldnt get a spot around "eclusive" pool for the same reason, and pretty much wondered why we had spent the xtra $300 to use these services that everyone else can use.

Wow, I just returned from the Gran Bahia Principe Tulum and it was more than I had expected. I had read almost all of the reviews for this resort and felt like I knew what to expect, and I was still stunned with the beauty! I was traveling with my boyfriend and we are both 26yrs old. We both went for a relaxing vacation to spend in the sun, which is what we got.

It’s a 1 ½ hr drive from the airport to the hotel, which was long, but we’re on vacation right? Our check-in was really fast and simple -no fuss at all. I had e-mailed the resort (email from their web site) with a request of a third floor (which is the highest) room with an ocean view and a king size bed, which I was granted (Villa 20). The bed and pillows are on the firm side, but I slept like a baby! We were near the Gran Tortuga restaurant, which was great in the morning - they serve a buffet breakfast and lunch and its right near the nice beach. The room was very clean, but I did encounter those TINY ants that I had read about in other reviews. I had brought my bug spray with me, and I spayed the corners of the room with it and the bottom of the bed and it fixed the problem. I did find a couple in the bathroom, but they didn't bother me all that much (as long as they weren't in the bed).

Now when they say the resort is big, they mean HUGE! It's actually 3 resorts in one. We never left the Tulum grounds, except once to visit the gigantic pool in Akumal, but then went back to our known grounds! Take the trams. If you don’t like large hotels or a lot of walking, this probably isn’t the place for you

We saw all sorts of people, from young couples, honeymooners to families and elders. It’s such a big resort that it’s really made for everyone. You can choose to stay at the pool or go to the beach, there are always chairs available.

Beach - the beach is pretty rocky, not like in Cuba where it's smooth sand everywhere. BUT, still amazing and SO warm! I had brought water shoes with me, but ended up not wearing them (I didn't want the tan lines). I didn't feel like I really needed them, the rocks are really just near the land, once you're in the water, it's really clear - there are some big rocks in the water, but it's SO clear that you can avoid them! We stayed at the beach in Tulum, right beside the snack restaurant. There were ALWAYS chairs available under a little hut.

Sun - It was SO strong! Bring lots of sunscreen and re-apply! Sunscreen doesn't make you not tan; it just blocks the bad UV rays and actually gives you a more even tan because you stay moisturized. Bring after-sun lotion too!

Snorkeling - If you can bring you're own gear, do so! If not, it's free to rent it at the hotel (but it's much easier if you have at least your own mask). The water is so clear and there are tons of fish to see. Bring some bread out in the water, and the fish will come ALL AROUND you. Beautiful! Bring an underwater camera for the fish!

Buffets - The buffet restaurant Yucatan in Tulum was really good. I'm not much of a fussy eater, but my boyfriend is a meat guy and he had no trouble eating. Every night, they had sushi, pizza, pasta, tacos, soup, salad, Chinese food, health corner (steamed veggies, rice, fish, chicken breast), hamburgers, kabobs (beef and chicken) pork chops, a kids corner (nuggets, onion rings, fries) and fruit and desserts like you wouldn't believe!!! (And I could go on...)There were soft serve ice cream stands in ALL the restaurants!!! The 24hr snack restaurant had AMAZING hamburgers, just like having a Whopper. There were always fruits and salads there too, and nice guacamole! We learned that the Gran Tortuga served breakfast and lunch buffet daily, which was nice because there wasn’t as many people and not a big line-up for the wonderful omelet station! The milk shakes are really good!

A la carte - Reserve EARLY at public relations! For some reason, they book up fast (even though they're always half empty). Men have to wear long pants, but jeans are fine. We ate at Don Pablo (gourmet food) and it was the best. We had the fig salad, celery soup and sautéed shrimps for starters and the steak and shrimp and asparagus risotto for main meal. AMAZING! We also went to the Gran Tortuga which was also good - had the New York steak and the Ribs, really tasty. We also went to the Oriental (in Hacienda). I wasn't super impressed, but I think it's because in Montreal, we have REALLY great oriental restaurants, and this was kind of tasteless comparing to how good everything is here. The Tequila restaurant isn't very good, you're better of at the buffet.

Hacienda Dona Isabel - It's a small town like square just in front of the hotel. There's a shuttle to go, but also a 5min walk (good to digest the food!). There are little shops where you can buy stuff, but I found that the prices in the lobby shop were better. There's an internet cafe there, and a doctor and an ATM. There are 2 bars there and a night club. Nice place to hang out in the evening - there's a live band until about midnight then you can go to the disco.

Entertainment - The animation was great during the day, playing beach volleyball and soccer and having contests, but the shows in the evening were not so great. It's a shame, because they have this great auditorium, but they don't put too much into the shows, not very creative.

Excursions - We went to the Tulum ruins. Took the collectivo for 20 pesos and it's 45 pesos for the entrance. Wear you bathing suit under clothes, the beach is great. All ruins in Mexico are free on Sundays, but it does get crowded.

We also went to Xel-ha. Also took the collectivo and paid the $58us entrance (the all inclusive includes drinks and food). It's a great park to visit, nice snorkeling. The food wasn't very good though. Keep you flippers for the lazy river, you will need to paddle yourself - the river is VERY lazy!!

Shopping – You can take the collective to Playa Del Carmen to get better rates, but not that much difference. The Duty Free shop at Cancun airport is decent (I bought a 980ml bottle of Kahlua for $12us, where it was $8us at the Walmart in Playa). Hacienda also has a variety of souvenirs if you don’t want to leave the resort. Just make sure you bring enough sunscreen, it’s pretty expensive at the resort ($16us).

Just a couple tips:
-If you're not sure what you're eating, don't eat it. Usually, you're instincts are always right.
-Try to book Oriental restaurant on Thurs - you get a free entrance to Mexican Fiesta (usually $16us).
-They say the water is purified, but I only drank bottled water. They water in the restaurants and bars is ok.
-If you want to go somewhere, take the collectivo. They are white vans with a blue or green strip on them. They are the public transportation for visitors and locals and the cost is ALWAYS $2us or 20 pesos whether you're going to Tulum, Coba, Xel-Ha or Playa Del Carmen. I saw one of the drivers trying to tell tourists that the fare was 30pesos - if they do that, wait for the next one.
-You don't need to bring your passport anywhere, leave it in the safe (which is $5/day at the hotel :( but it gave me a sense of safety).
-Use pesos, you'll end up saving more money than if you use US. Exchange you're money before you get to the hotel. There's an ATM at Hacienda that charges $3us and gives you pesos.
-If you like Tequila, sample the different flavors. The hot chili was great!
-Bring a small umbrella - it's a big resort and if it rains, you'll get soaked walking to diner!!
-Bring a small water bottle, they only supply you with a 1liter bottle, which is kind of big to lug around.
-BRING MOSQUITO REPELLANT!! Once the sun goes down, these tiny mosquitoes come out and do ALOT of damage!
-Inform yourself. I read many reviews and found out a lot of tips! Thank you everyone!!
-Make the best of it. Yes, we can all find something to complain about, but remember, you're on vacation. The service isn't always the greatest when waiting for a drink, but don’t forget that these people are getting paid $6/day. When I called front desk when my television broke, it took about 3 mins for someone to come check up on it, and another 10mins to exchange the tv! Wow!! I also received a call from them 1hr later to make sure that it was taken care of. Now that's quality control!

Travelled over from England and wasn’t at all disappointed. Two adults and two children (14 & 9) in twin adjoining rooms. Excellent 3 in one hotel (Tulum, Akumal and Coba). Al a carte restaurants were all good, we liked the Italian the best. Buffet restaurants were also good.

Beach was as expected, a little rocky but nothing that a good pair of jelly shoes didn’t solve, all the pools were well maintained, as were the gardens and hotel grounds. Staff were friendly and very nice. Without exception. Didn’t see any Germans but that didn’t stop the pratts from reserving the sun beds around the pool… pathetic especially as short showers are quite frequent… there we’re plenty of wet towels on some days. This said loads of spare beds on the beach, lovely sea breeze and only yards from either the ocean or the poll – great.

We really enjoyed it. Took taxis to both Tulum and the Eco park, both were good value and a lot cheaper than the ‘Thompsons’ excursions.

I visited the Bahia Principe Tulum during the week of March 18-24 (spring Break), and beleive me when I say it was the best vacation I've ever had and probably ever will have, not to mention the best week of my life. It's definitley a resort for everyone - families, couples & party-goers, such as myself. I travelled with my best friends and we're all 19/20.

I've been to the area many times before. I've stayed at the Iberostar(3X), Barcelo(1X), Palladium(2X) and of course, the Bahia Principe. Overall, the Bahia Principe wasn't my favorite resort wise, and it was definitley quite different from the others, as they were all built similarly, but the Bahia was still a lovely place. It is really big, as other have mentioned, which can be annoying for some. I didn't mind the walks because of the amount that we ate/drank, I figured walking was the least I could do.

Check in/out was easy. Loooooong ride from the airport to the hotel with kids screaming on the bus, so not the best way to spend a 2 hour bus drive. Coronas for sale aboard the bus. The rooms were nice, nothing special. Kind of dark inside and we couldn't open our curtains because the door faced a popular path and we didn't want everyone to see us changing and stuff. This is okay, however as we were in our room to sleep and to shower. We stayed in villa 31, which was far from the lobby, but close to a trolly bus stop. We never stayed in Tulum, we always hung out at Akumal and ate at Coba, drank at the Hacienda.

Service was so-so. Go to the Coba buffet and ask for Alfonso, he is an AMAZING waitor. He is just one of those people who stands out in a crowd. The service wasn't close to the excellence at the Iberstar or Barcelo, as it took us 45 minutes to get drinks at night and by the last night, the only way you could get drinks is if you waved money in the bartender's face, and even then he was reluctant. Most of the staff said hello whenever they could, but the service is definitley an area that needs to be worked on.

FOOD:
Food was great, I'm not a picky eater, so I have no complaints. Every night the buffets featured something a little different, which was nice. The waitor staff was always great and consistient. Pasta, pizza, meats and sushi was featured every night. We went to three A La Cartes - La Dolce Vita (Italian), Tequila (Mexican) and The Oriental restaurant. Our favorite was the Oriental. I wouldn't reccomend La Dolce Vita, as it wasn't very good, but if you do decide to go, order the Tira Misu. Order a pizza for lunch at the Akumal Beach Snack bar. The cheese is amazing!

POOL:
We always stayed at the Akumal pool because we loved their animation staff. Pedro, Yvon and Mary-Sue are amazing people that everyone should meet. The pool was very nice and there were always activities going on. For example, beer-drinking contest, crazy games, dance lessons, guacamole making, volleyball, bingo... Animation team deserves a 10/10 for effort and enthusiasm.

BEACH:
Never stayed on the beach, exept for the hammocks on the Akumal side. Beach was pretty bad, hate to say. Rocky and busy. There's only one place that you can swim and it was always packed with kids.

HACIENDA (Disco, bars)
WOW! Best part of our trip. We met over 30 other people our age and we always filled the disco with our group. Definitley a place for 19/20 year olds... music was awesome. DJ has great remixes. We partied at the hacidena every night except for one. If you're young, you must check out the Hacidena! You won't regret it.

BARS/DRINKS
Tulum Bar/Hacidena bar is were we always went. Tulum Bar is the best bar on the resort. I was surpirsed to see brand name liquor. Smirnoff, Bacardi, Malibu, Kaluha, Bailey's, Jose Cuervo, you name it. Drinks were inconsistent. The beachside/poolside drinks were never really great, but at most of the bars they served up a great drink or two. Beer was alright, nothing compared to Canadian beer.

My reccomendations:
SHOTS
Tequila BoomBooms, Kamikaze, Fetus shots. Try them!

COCKTAILS
Amaretto Sour, Coco Loco, Blue Lagoon, Killer Long Island Iced Tea. Ask Yolanda to make your Long Island Iced Tea.

We have just returned from Mexico, which is our first trip there. We are from just outside of Toronto and we travelled with another couple all of us in our mid 50's.

For my husband and myself, we have visited the Caribbean before, Curacao, Aruba, Barbados, Margarita Island and Cuba. Our friends travelling with us, well this was their first visit beyond the USA and Florida.

We all agreed that we should write this review as we cannot say enough good things about this resort. Our treatment from the time we arrived where you were greeted with a champagne and orange juice,until the moment we left very very early in the morning, with coffee and sweet breads to tide us over on our trip, the entire experience was nothing but positive.

The people are warm and friendly with an hola and smile whenever you encountered them. Many spoke English and were always willing to help you with your attempt at Spanish.

Our first impression was memorable. There are three compounds within the Bahia Principe, Coba, Tulum and the Akumal, We were in the Akumal, and in our estimate, the best. We visited all the others at some point during our vacation for lunch or dinner.

The holiday was booked 5 days prior to departure, and little did I know I booked the Golden and the accommodations were fabulous. Marble floors, Jacuzzi tubs, big cumfy dressing gowns with matching slippers. Your fridge was stocked each morning with beer, soda and bottled water, chocolates and chips. Chocolates on the bed in the evening with the bed turned down. Adorable towel scuptures each day. No problem with the water pressure or air conditioning. The bottle water is in 1 ltr size. so you may want to take a smaller 500 ml to fill and carry with you. All water, no matter where is it served is bottled. We would just fill our 500ml plastic bottle at the many bars available for you.

We were in Villa 73 about a five minute walk from the beach area. But there is always a golf tram going somewhere that you can jump on. Just behind Villa 73 was the Jacuzzi pool & bar. We would end our day here getting to know the other guests.

Yes it is large, but you never felt overwhelmed with people. Depending on when you went to the buffet, it may be crowded. I would suggest if you are travelling with no kids, go a little bit after 8:00 pm. We always found it quieter then. The buffet was fabulous with selections for all tastes and cultures. Hand off to the chefs. We ate at the Seafood a-la-carte and it was OK, but we preferred buffet simply because it was quicker.

As I was booking this holiday not just for myself and my husband, but for our good friends and their first time in the Caribbean, I wanted to be sure that I got the best bang for our buck. I did a lot a reading review for many hotels on the Mayan Rivera. I read reviews on this resort complaining about size, heat (gee your in the tropics almost eh!!!) and bottom line the holiday is what you make of it. Remember it is their country, not yours, and sometimes things are done in a "Mexican Moment". Your on holiday, chill out, take a drink and relax.

We are very basic folk and don't really need a lot to make us happy. We would ease into the day...buffet was open till 10:30 am then walk the beach, and finally relax on the beach. I always found the pools too busy mainly with frolicking children. Don't get me wrong, I like kids, but we didn't come with any so we didn't feel the need to share their space.

We did make one trip to Xel-Ha the Naturalist park. We took the $58 trip and chose to go by taxi instead of the over-priced All-Inclusive fee arranged by the hotel/Air Transat. The fee covered our entrance fee, food, drink, towel, locker, snorkel equipment and you get to keep the snorkel (Health reasons no doubt) We loved it. My friend is an avid snorkeler and it was the experience of a lifetime for him. He loved it. Suggest when out there, stay to the shoreline, rocky areas, the visuals on the fish and sealife are better there. It does get busy there, so try to go when the park first opens. Opened from 9 to6 pm. Swim with the dolphins is pricey at $115 US which will take up 2 hours of your day. one hour of orientation and another hour with the dolphins. The Taxi ride was $10 us each way. Money well spent not to wait for straglers to get on your bus.

They only allow biodegradable sun lotions, so check when you buy here that it is eco-safe. Cost for sunscreen at the park $150.oopec. ($13.50) (Lobby store NOAD lotion $$114.00pc. Also, that much time in salt water, bring some regular body lotion to use after you've showered off. You will go through a lot of sunscreen so bring a good and varied number (8-15-30-45supply)

The beach in front our our immediate Villa was rocky, so bring water shoes. It was extrememly windy when we arrived and the crashing waves off the coral reef were impressive. A good swimming lagoon is just a short walk down the beach, near the peer. Here you can bring some bread from breakfast and feed the multitude of fish that will each out of your hand. A fun experience.

The people here work hard for their money. I would see the same bartender working our bar during the day for 8 hours and then doing the dinner bar for another 5. Yes it is all inclusive, but a single $1 tip goes a long way. A single $1 is a cup of coffee for us, but it may mean a days meal to their family. Don't be afraid to be generous. The scars of the Hurricane Katrina were evident in the foliage, but apparently this hotel faired better then most.

The only negative I can think of came from the other guests. The behavior of some of the European guests was appalling. Many were rude, treating the staff more like servants then servers. They would jump in line to pay for goods or demanding drinks. Never was their an attempt on their part, that I saw, to try to communicate to these people in Spanish.

We would not hesitate to recommend this resort to anyone, and we ourselves will be searching the Last Minute vacation trips next year for a return trip.

We are a family of 4 including our two teenage daughters. We traveled to the Principe Tulum March 8-15 and were very impressed with the place. The resort complex comprises of 3 facilities being the Tulum, Akumal & Coba. The Coba is set away from the beach therefore you will not be able to get a beach front room, but each resort has 3 or more pools, one being very large and two smaller, quieter pools. Each also has two buffet restaurants, one massive and the other smaller. There is approximately 12 a la carte restaurants throughout the complex with a few of them being exclusive to each of the resorts, but a majority of them having exchange privileges between them. The resort complex has open tram cars that travel regularly day and night between all of the resorts to get you around and the property is huge and without exceptional walking shoes, you will need the transportation. There is a shopping complex at the entrance of the resort called the Hacienda Dona Isabel that provides all the souvenirs you may want, but they are more expensive then in Playa Del Carmen.

ROOMS: Very clean and spacious. Fridges stocked with beer, pop, juice, chocolate and chips. Left a tip in fridge and for room attendant as they are different. Left notes in my very rough Spanish to get extras of what we liked best. Worked very well.

BEACH: Yes the shoreline is rocky due to the November 2005 Hurricane, but if you bring water shoes and walk out a bit you’ll find the sand again. It was great fund wave jumping when the winds are not too high. There are plenty of beach chairs and nice sand and to walk on up on shore. The beach is very long and beautiful to catch the sunrise and go for a walk.

POOLS: This was our only area of frustration as they could double up on the loungers and towels, but don’t and run out of both. There is also not enough shade around them to have a break from the sun so yes you have to do the save game early to get a lounger at all, let alone one in the shade.

FOOD: Quite frankly you can eat all day long until you’re sick. Each of the resorts has a 24 hour snack bar and our room was a little to close to one. The main buffet restaurants are HUGE and have a great variety of stations for grilling, pasta, pizza, Mexican etc. You could not possibly leave hungry. The a la cartes should be booked upon your arrival or times and specific restaurants will be hard to get. We attended 4 of them and they were all very good with the Don Pablo being excellent and the Oriental in the Hacienda being excellent as well. If you are able, book the Oriental on the Thurs. evening when there is a Mexican Fiesta night as that is the main entertainment throughout the complex and you will be charged $16 per person if you are not already their dining. You can go to the area to shop up to probably 8 p.m. and try to then stay for the late show, but after 8 they will not let you in without paying.

ENTERTAINMENT: The evening shows were actually quite entertaining. Yes some cheesy parts, but good variety from the repetitive singing and dancing every night. They had different themes and really tried to mix it up a bit, from a circus type show, to a comedy type show. Even our teenagers found them entertaining.

FINAL NOTE: This resort complex is rated a 4-5 Star depending on the brochure and I would say for the volume of guests, rooms, restaurants, grounds etc., that have to be attended to, that the rating is accurate. If you are use to more intimate, personal, individualized type of service then this would not be the resort for you. There are approximately 2000 plus rooms within the complex and they do a fantastic job trying to meet the expectations of most. You can never win with everyone.