I travelled with my mum and dad to this wonderful hotel last year for 16 nights with First Choice.It was amazing, all of the staff were friendly, the hotel was always clean and the pool was stunning.

Rooms:
The room we had was large and spacious. There were three of us in the room but we had two double beds. The room had everything we could want including amazing towel art, espically on my birthday, it was very cool when it needed to be too.

Beach and Bars:
The beach was stunning, in the sea there were always fish swimming around your feet and the sea was clear blue. There is a reef barrier which you can either sit on or walk along which was very nice. The amount of cocktails that were avaliable was very good but sometimes the service was slow.

Activites:
There is always something to do at this hotel, you can go around the the whole resort, there are three hotels. Tulum, Coba and Akumal. You can use every facility from each hotel and you can catch a lobbly train to each section. The Hacienda is good too, there are a large amount of shops to visit and some activities to take part in too. For example; cycling, fotball and tennis. On the beach you can do kyaking, canoeing and play volleyball.

Overall i thought this was a great hotel and you couldn't get bored and not know what to do. I would easily recommend it!

We stayed Nov 25th to Dec 9th 2012. We had purchased the Royal Golden package from Air Transat. I was under the impression it meant we would have a room with a view of the ocean, but this was not the case. We were in villa 76 for our first week and it was thanks to the GBP staff that we were able to move to the villa 65 and have an ocean view for the second week. I was disappointed with our Air Transat Reps as they did not explain what the "package" entitled us to, they were more interested in selling their excursions.
Both our rooms were exceptionally clean and the beds were very comfortable. The towel sculptures were a nice touch. It was disappointing to have to pay the $5/day fee for the safe. The mini bar was restocked everyday and we also were close to the 24 hr Snack Bar if we needed anything. We had booked our à la carte meals and only attended three before we decided we preferred the buffets. The à la carte restaurants were excellent with amazing service, but since we were on vacation, it was nice NOT to have to follow a schedule and eat when we felt like it at one of the three buffets. All buffets had really nice and polite staff and very helpful when we practiced our Spanish. What impressed me most with the staff at GPB is that most of them speak many languages and it wsa nice to be served in French as well as in English.
Lots of activities offered at the resort, there is no way you can be bored unless that is your choice. The Spanish lessons in the morning were so much fun (thanks Diego and Miguel!), dancing in the afternoons and great professional shows at night. The beaches are just amazing and though the water is not deep, it is perfect for snorkling and with the sand bags it allows you to be in the water everyday and not have to worry about turbulant waters. We saw so many fish at the resort, including a stingray. The sand is clean and without rocks so you can walk without sandals. There are different beach areas, so you can have peace and quiet or be in the area where they have activities. The golf carts were plenty to get you around the resort, but we preferred to walk and explore. The drivers of the golf cart transportation were always so nice to stop and ask us if we wanted a lift. The coaties, birds and the iguanas were so nice to watch and we even saw some racoons. It was so nice to be in a place that had wildlife all over. The grounds were impeccable, very well kept and clean. The customer service staff were very helpful giving us information of places to visit that we went to by collectivo. This place is very well situated around so many different activities (ruins, public beaches, cenotes), it was great to be able to do an outing any time we felt like it without having to sign up for excursions. The excursions we did were a lot of fun (Secreto, Xel-Ha, Ek Balam, Tulum) and there are still so many more to do. The market at the Dona Isabella was great. We got all our souvenirs here and at better prices than offsite places to shop.
This was such a wonderful vacation that we will be returning this year!

I went with my boyfriend, brother and his girlfriend last August and had high expectations beforehand. The hotel was lovely, but the rooms did let me down a little bit. They are massive, but need a little modernising i think. It was an expensive holiday and when compared to other hotels nearby it wasn't as expensive, yet other rooms in other hotels were amazing looking and for not much more of the price. Overall, the pools and beach were fantastic. The food was amazing too. The service was incredible and overall would go back!

My family just got back from a stay at the Gran Bahia Principe - Akumal Resort & Spa. While we enjoyed our stay very much, it was not the greatest hotel we have ever stayed at. We would most likely not stay here again, but overall the experience was an enjoyable one!

Rooms - We stayed in 5226, on the third floor. For not being a suite, the room was still very large and comfortable. We had four people: 3 adults and 1 child, and they provided us with a king bed, a queen bed and a couch-turned-bed. All of those beds managed to fit in the room without feeling too crowded. One cute feature of the rooms is that the maids leave towel art on the bed. There's also a minibar in the room, but ours was never very cold. Also, it is hit or miss whether it's stocked every day or not. If you get a room on the third floor, be prepared to climb some stairs, as there are no elevators. Another downside is that, at least in our room, we didn't have hot water all the time, which sucked when you really wanted a nice hot shower or bath but would be disappointed instead.

Beach & Pools - The beaches here are very nice and very big! The sand isn't exactly fine white sand, but it's still nice, and the staff keeps it very clean. There are plenty of loungers and huts for everyone. There is a nice buoyed area where the water stays very calm and is great for snorkeling, even when it is very windy out. Go snorkeling! You won't regret it. As for the pools, they are very big and clean, but they are also very cold! They are not heated so be prepared for that if you stay during the colder months.

Entertainment & Shopping - Akumal has some great entertainment. Definitely check out the Ampitheater Hollywood, off of the lobby. They have great shows there every night at 9 PM, except for Thursdays. In the bar off the lobby, they have a singer there most every night. For further entertainment and shopping, go to the Hacienda Dona Isabel, which has an outdoor market area, indoor shops, a disco and a sports bar. They also have shows in the Hacienda every Thursday night.

Food & Restaurants - The food here is all right. In my opinion, the food at the buffet is nothing special. Don't go to the snack bar, as it is horrible! The food is cold, and the options are terrible. The food at the specialty/a'la'carte restaurants is much better, but you must make reservations. Three reservations were provided to us on arrival, which was very nice. We ate at the Gran Tortuga (Brazilian), Tequila (Mexican) and Mikado (Japanese/Hibachi) restaurants. My favorite was Tequila.

Location & Size - This resort (including the other hotels of Tulum, Coba and Si'an Kaan) is huge! Even just in the Akumal area, it is very big, and you will do some walking. If you want a very relaxing and peaceful stay, this hotel might not be for you with all the walking involved. Try to get a room closer to the beach and pool area, if you can. The location is good, but it is long drive from the airport (over an hour), which isn't fun, but it's worth it to get away from Cancun crowds. You are also close to the Tulum ruins here, which you should definitely check out.

Service - Service here was very good. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. When we arrived, we were served drinks right away. We booked our vacation through Apple, and on Wednesday night we were treated to a special dinner just for Apple guests, which was very yummy and entertaining. However, if you happen to wander into an exclusive area reserved for Si'an Kaan or privileged/premier guests, be prepared to be told to leave. That happened to us once, and it was embarrassing, but it didn't dampen our spirits too much.

Overall, this hotel is very good but not the best. There are a lot of great features, but there are also some negative things as well. However, we still really enjoyed our stay, and even though we would probably not come here again, we would still recommend this place to anyone looking to stay in the Riviera Maya.