We just returned from a 11 night stay (11/30-12/11/04) at the Akumal Beach Resort. It is an older facility but is kept very clean. We found the staff to be extremely friendly and accommodating. The food was OK and we were always able to find something to eat. It wasn't great, wasn't bad, just your middle-of-the-road all-inclusive food. The resort is wonderfully quiet and easy to find a secluded spot on the beach to relax and enjoy the sun. The beach is nice right in front of the volleyball net. Our only complaint is when we wanted to go in the water, this is the only spot to actually swim without tripping over rocks and coral, and then you can only go out to your waist before your in the rocks and coral again. Water socks are a definite must and even wearing those, my wife scraped a patch of skin off her ankle. We were in building 6 so we had to walk half the beach to get wet each time we wanted to cool off. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it did get old after a while. It was a good vacation, we got our moneys worth, but wouldn't go back to this same resort again. If you would like any more information regarding this hotel, we would welcome any emails.

I went here with my son (then 5), my mom, her boyfriend and myself at the end of January 2003. The weather was really nice. I really enjoyed my stay here. We never got sick, and we drank the bottled water. I am considering going back to the same hotel in the spring (2005). I think though next time I would upgrade my room as the rooms were older and some leaked when the person upstairs had a shower. The food was great and the staff wre really friendly. They did have a kids club, but my son was too shy to want to go. He really enjoyed playing in the sand (which was very clean), feeding the fish, and walking down the beach collecting shells. He loved the fact that he could see all the fish in the water and the water was calm and swimable. We left the maid a dollar tip every day. The rooms were well cleaned. I hear so many stories from hotel reviews that there were not any towels at their resorts. We always had towels. Lots of selection on where to sit on the beach. It actually is quite private and not too many people here which I liked. I am not really into huge crowds. Vacation to me means relaxing and peaceful. Lots of Europeans there and a few Canadians. I couldnt understand when I first got there they were "speaking a different kind of Spanish", which turned out to be Italian! LOL I will know next time. Lots of activities to do during the day, excerise classes, everybody gets together during the evening to paly games. We won one game and got a free 15 minute massage. The lady sets up her table right on the beach. It was wonderful.... :)

We went to the Tulum ruins (very beautiful waters, iguanas every where) and took tons of pictures. Also we went to Playa del Carmen. Beware of the vendors as they try to sell you into these time shares. Keep walking. Recommended is if you bring a child, buy a beach ball (blow up ones) at the loonie store for two dollars before you fly here as here, they are $8 US and we ended up buying one. Mental note for next time. We didnt watch tv very much (there is about 3 or 4 channels - I think all in Spanish) or stay in our hotel room much unless we were sleeping or changing. But funny thing is, the channels are all Spanish, with cartoons on some. Some of the cartoons are actually watched here at home. My son actually told us to stop talking becuase he couldnt hear what they were saying. I asked him why he needed to know what they were saying if he didnt understand a word of Spanish! LOL!

We also went to Xel Ha....This place is really beautiful. I recommend you use the washrooms at your hotel as the ones here are out houses and are pretty bad. The tropical fuana and birds are really beautiful and you can feed the fish here and snorkel for the day. They also have parrots who will sit on your shoulders and someone comes and takes pictures. They post them up on a display and you can buy them. They also have dolphins here and you can pay to swim with them. Also, you may not take your sunscreen here as it can harm the marine life in the water. They sell sunscreen here that you can use. They will hold your sunscreen until you leave.

Honestly, I didnt want to leave. For three stars, it wasnt that bad. You really bond with all the staff, the service was great, the weather was beautiful, the beach was clean and beautiful. Hey, If you want to go again, email me. I will come along!

Some tips: If you are going on a day trip, tell the front desk. They will pack you a lunch. Remember to bring water. It is very expensive in the stores. If you bring children, bring a blow up beach ball. I also brought crayons, a colouring book, leggos, for wind down time. Bring goggles for your children. He loved to swim, but the salt hurts your eyes after a while. Also, when brining a camera, bring extra batteries. They are veyr expensive here. I brought pepto bismal, and advil in case needed, but didnt need it. I also brought Canadian soveniers to give out to the maids and children.

Any questions, you can email me : pebbleinthepond76@hotmail.com

We traveled to Akumal Beach Resort on 11-19-04 we used American Airlines stayed for 16 nights we left home at 4:00 am had a 6:30 am flight out of Phoenix Sky Harbor airport we always use America West Airlines because they go non stop out of Phoenix to Cancun but they wanted 1000 dollars per person so we went with American Airlines we arrived in Cancun at 1:45 pm and waited 2 minutes to get thru Customs very fast it took about 10 minutes to get our bags took longer to get our bags then it took to get thru Customs first time that has happened and we have been to Mexico at least 16 times we arrived on a Friday so that might be why when we left to go home the line to go thru Customs was very long it started as soon as you would leave the gate so try not to arrive on a saturday and avoid the long line.

Once we got our bags we went to Executive car rental no lines they had us out ther in no time headed south on Hwy. 307 stoped in Playa Del Carmen to pick up a few things at the supermarket before we go on to Akumal as there are no supermarkets near Akumal.

Check in went very well they gave us room 722 one problem with the room is it is as far away from the restarant as you get so the next day they were able to move us to room 505 the 500 block rooms are right in middle of the resort great location right in front of the pool and beach tipping the staff will not help you to get better service as they do treat all people the same we did tip our maid every day and we would tip our dinner waitress we sat at the same table every night so after a few nights they know your name and will have your drinks waiting at your table the staff at the beach are great they have many games for you to play every day they will get to know you if you play the games after a few days they all know your name we had so much fun with all the games we also met so many people when we played in the games great way meet people if you win the games at night at the main bar they would award you with a bottle of booze great fun one bad thing about staying so long was most people only stay for 6-7 days so your frends would leave and you have to try to make new ones very sad when we had to go home if you are thinking of going to this resort go you will love it very laid back resort far away from Cancun and the crowds great getaway P.S. the food is not to bad for the price that this resort charges you will get your moneys worth and plus some you will enjoy this place we will be going back in may 2005 not to many people from USA at the resort we met people from all over the world thats one of things that make this place great in that you meet people from all over.

Akumal Beach Resort- Trip Report

Honeymoon trip from October 27-November 12, 2004
Left Calgary via Air Transat (Signature Vacations) 10 minutes early on Friday morning and arrived slightly early in Cancun that afternoon.
Got through the customs snake lineup in about half an hour with no hang-ups.
Got through the red light green light with no stoppage and past the time share salesman with not much hassle.
Found the Signature Vacations guy with his sign up and he headed us up to our taxi van.
We only had one other couple on our stops so we headed down the 307 south pretty quick.
Arrived at the ABR and keys etc. were waiting as scheduled. Fernando the resort customer service guy gave us our details, directions around the resort and we were off.
We booked in the 600 block which are a bit better of rooms. They had our room dressed up with a couple of towels looking like swans and red flowers over the bed with a honeymoon welcome envelope. Looked real nice.
We then settled in and headed for refreshment at the bar. By this time the sun was almost setting so was real nice view. For you that have not been this resort everything is beachfront and they are not kidding.
Not much room between bars, restaurants, rooms and the ocean front.
For the first night we went for dinner at the buffet, walked the beach and listened to the ocean.
First morning we as usual up with the birds and went for a beach stroll then breakfast.
On the beach sun tanning by 8:00 as were most. Tried snorkeling for, first time and was amazed what you can see just a few feet from your lounge chair. Rest of 2 weeks went much the same and I will detail.

Room- Was good for a 3 star. Clean, king bed, closet storage, TV. Remember no room fridges here. Water is in water coolers outside your rooms and you have a small thermos cooler for filing. Ice tubs are in your room and you can get them filled at the main bar. Water pressure is relatively low compared to what we are used to and water was generally warm for showers not hot. Just let them run first before you jump in or they are cool. Beds are hard as rocks so if you like it soft bring something or I heard at front desk if available they will bring you a small foamy.

Food- Food was good for us. We did not even eat at the Mexican or Italian restaurants. We are basic food eaters and found the buffet to work just fine. Several others that did the other restaurants seem to all agree the Italian wasn’t that good but the Mexican restaurant was better.
Buffet had all the usual for breakfasts such as cereals, several types of eggs, omelet’s to order, pancakes and French toast to order, fruits, lunch meats, buns toast etc.
Lunches had lots of salad, fruits, chickens, beef, pasta (firm cooked), fish, potatoes etc.
Suppers were different daily. Had salad, chicken, fish, beef, potatoes, pasta, fruits, and deserts.
Once again lots of choices. If you are looking for hy's steakhouse you came to the wrong place. If you luck good basic stuff there is lots of choices at every meal. The main restaurant is open front windows facing the ocean and is a stone throw away from the shore.

Bars and Snacks- There is the main bar where most happens at night. They make all types of drinks here so don’t be shy to order. Beer is good here as well. Not bad stuff as some other resorts. There is also a beach bar beside the pool on the beach which also has burgers, fries, hot dogs, pizzas and nachos with veggies etc. to munch on and for light snacks. It is right on the main part of the beach so is the handiest when a cold cervesa is needed. This is open until 5:30 each day.
There is also another beach bar which has swings for seats at the north end of the resort. They serve drinks only at this bar and is open to 6:00.
They also put tea and coffee and cookies out in the main reception everyday at 5:30 as well if you would prefer something lighter and sit on a comfy couch.

Activities- The kids in the animation group are busy all day if you would like to partake. They start at 9:30 with stretching, do aqua gym, dancing lessons, Spanish lessons, darts, shuffleboard, archery and more.
They also come down the beach and dress up in costumes and bring fruits, upside down tequila’s and more.
They work hard and were one of the parts that were sad to say good-bye.
Other places- We are the outdoor types so we hiked the beach every morning. The town of Akumal is at the north end of the beach only 10 minutes from the hotel. We were even in town our second morning at 6:15 and couldn’t figure why there was no action. There are 2 stores there. The Super Chomak seemed the better pricing of the 2. They also have souvenirs, lots of shirts and hats as well. You can also buy liquor there if you prefer a drink of the good stuff in your room. They are also the location of the local atm if you need some pesos. Just don’t run too low as they ran out of cash a couple times we were there and had to go back the next day.
Head north down the road through the town and go to half moon bay. Nice condo’s along the way to look at. The Buena Vida Bar is along the way if you need a refresher. You can also take a cab from Akumal town to Yal ku lagoon if you like.
On your way back the Lol Ha bar is near the north end of the beach. Nice place just remember to take some pesos as is not part of the resort.
There is also an internet café in Akumal. If you would like to keep In touch with the folks back home just set up a hot mail account or the like and email from there. Much cheaper than phoning. Only a couple of bucks each time.

The only day trip we did was from the resort to Tulum Ruins. Trip is half day and guide was full of info. Just don’t get sucked in as we did as they told us we were making a pit stop at a small tequila factory. Told us for 2 minutes how it is made and had a shot of the stuff then shuffled us to the big souvenir store. This lasted for about 20 minutes. Other than that the tour was great.

Beach- This is why this is the place. The sand is to die for. The water is clear and always calm. You snorkel right in front of your lounge chair. There are thousands of fish right within knee depth of the shore. Go further out and there is coral, many colored fish, sea turtles, barracuda and more.
We saw sea turtles right in front of us several times but the best is out just past where the catamaran is parked. Saw barracuda out there as well. Got some nice water pictures as well.
This is only a 3 star resort but talking to others they were paying money for snorkel and diving tours to come to Akumal Bay. Why not just have it in your backyard.

People- The staff were great. Rooms were cleaned daily and were well done. Bar tenders mixed drinks as requested. Take a mug if you like a taller beer as the glasses are the same size as the liquor glasses.
Animation people worked hard all day and night. They also put on a show in the theatre at 9:30 each night.
There is also a husband and wife play in the main bar each night with dancing as well.
There was a diverse population of people while we were there. More from Italy, lots of Brits, some of us Canadians, a few France, Sweden, German.

We were picked up by our taxi van right on time for our return to Cancun airport. Quick check of our baggage and flight left for Calgary a few minutes early and arrived back home with our ride awaiting. Breezed through customs as they didn’t check anyone on our flight.

This was a trip to remember and we are already planning a return trip. Anyone that is worried about this place is just paranoid. Best location on earth for beaching and snorkeling. If you are looking for the Ritz Carlton service and quality then you are at the wrong place. Great value for the buck.

Would also like to say hi top some of the great people we have met on our trip. Some we have already exchanged pictures over email. This is great when everyone is so far away.

Jim and Dani (Pittsburgh), Barry and Marilyn (Nova Scotia) .

If anyone has any questions I would love to answer for you.

See you again soon at the ABR.

Here are some links of a few pics of our trip>

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