My family and I were at Akumal Beach Resort for 11 days in May. I decided on this resort based on the information I read in T.A. My husband, and two sons (19 and 17) joined us on this trip, so with this dynamic in mind we were looking for specific criteria. We were looking for something that we could all enjoy, beautiful beach, good food, nice pool, decent rooms and a palapa to relax under. My expectation were not outrageoulsy high but we were excited to enjoy a lovely family vacation. This vacation far exceeded what I had hoped for. It had everything we were looking for and all of it was better then I anticipated. It also had an element that we were not expecting and it was such a pleasent part of our stay that I would have to say it was our favourite part of our vacation. I am refering to the animation staff that work (play) at this resort. They are a terrific group of people (most in their 20's) that put such a spark of fun in our vacation that it added the last perfect ingredient. Vacationing in May and at a relatively small resort I was concerned that my boys would be restless with the lack of youth their age. And although they were the only teens there the many daily, hourly, ativities both non contact (ie. vollyball, archery etc) and contact (soccar, water polo etc) kept my boys very entertained. These activities were offered daily "just for fun" but also tournaments were organized for some good old fashion head to head competition. We enjoyed interacting in these activities with people from around the world and by the end of our vacation we became very good at cheering for our team in Italian. Bravo to all the employees at Akumal Beach Resort!
P.S. Desperate Housewifes; check out Roderio!

My husband and I stayed at the ABR May 27 to June 1, 2005. We booked through Apple Vacations. I can say this was one of the most relaxing resorts that we have stayed at. The resort was quiet and peaceful. We were in building 6, 3rd floor. What a view!!!!

I have no complaints about this resort. I cannot find anything negative to say about it or the staff.

Rooms-Clean, plenty of towels, iron and ironing board, hairdryer, and safe in closet. Maid was terrific.

Food-Loved the food. They had about anything you could want. Breakfast-what did they not have? Lunch and Dinner-Alot of vegetables, rice, pasta, and different types of meats. Salad and fruit were plentiful. Desserts were always plentiful. If you wanted wine with your dinner, there was red and white wine. The dining and food area was very clean.

Beach-beautiful. Yes it does have some rocks, but if you walk down near the soccer and volleyball nets and go in there, there are no rocks. I got to see sea turles for the first time in my life. I saw alot of pretty fish. There were plenty of chairs to lay out in. If you do not get a palapa, then the shade from the trees works just as well.

Pool-very nice pool. We did not use it because we were always at the beach.

Staff-Nicest group I have ever encountered at a resort.

Bring big mugs to put your drinks in because the cups are small that they put your drinks into.

We elected to rent a basic car from the buget rental man at the resort. He gave us a good deal on it, and we had no problems.

Overall this resort had alot of couples at it from young to old. Some of the couples had their young children with them, but there were older kids too. This is not a party party college kid resort. It is more of a family fun resort.

They do have a disco, but we never made it to that.

We went to Yal ku one day and snorkeled there. We saw a puffer fish and some huge brilliant colored fish(did not know what they were-bright pink, torquoise, and orange). You can find one of the staff members and they can tell you how to get there.

We stayed 5 nights this time. We plan on returning next year and staying 7 nights. I just hope the owners of this resort keep doing what they are doing because the stay was great.

My wife, son, and I stayed at this resort from May 15-22, 2005 and we all enjoyed it immensely. The beach was beautiful and the snorkeling was great, the kayaking was nice also. We saw numerous turtles in the bay right off the village beach area. We stayed on the second floor of building 6 and the view was superb. The view from the third (top) floor is even better but we were more than satisfied. The room was decent and all we could expect at the price we paid. It was not luxurious but it was spacious enough for the three of us and clean. We only saw one bug in the room all week (it came in under the front door and was chased out the same way) and that is not bad for the tropics. The food quality was uneven but good over all. There were a fair amount of dishes to choose from and there were always pasta and salad dishes. The breakfasts were especially good. We enjoyed the two specialty restaurants but rated the Mexican one higher. The service in the two specialty restaurants was enthusiastic but the dished seemed to be served randomly - relax and you will enjoy it. We took the collectivo (public transport) down to the Tulum ruins and that was a great low cost excursion. The SCUBA shop is good especially for novice divers and the cenote dives are a don't miss. There are activities such as dance lessons and water aerobics going on most of the time but they are not intrusive to the non-participating guests (us). Don't feel bad if you miss the nightly shows. The staff and other guests were friendly and we conversed with other guests from many countries. We were positively impressed with what the resort offers for the price we were charged.

My husband and I recently returned from a 10 day stay at Akumal Beach Resort (ABR). We have been on several trips to the Yucatan, and by far, we enjoyed this trip the most!

What was really important to us was to be in a quiet place, and have a balcony and view of the sea. At ABR, for an additional few dollars, you are guaranteed a sea view.

We did a lot of research before booking, and the TripAdvisor reviews were very helpful and were totally true. There is really nothing to complain about this place.

The Room:
The room was not fancy, but laid out well, and always kept clean. Be sure you don't lock yourself out on your balcony - because the sliding door locks when you close it. They provided a thermos cooler, and bottled water on each floor to fill it each day. Towels were plentiful. Didn't see one bug in our room the entire time!

The Food:
The food was good. There was always something we found that we liked. It was presented nicely, and everything was fresh. We didn't go to the Italian restaurant, but the Mexican restaurant was wonderful.

The Staff:
By far, the staff was the best from any other resort we have been. They would always greet you with a smile and "Hola". I felt a little bad for the entertainment crew - they worked hard to get people to participate, but it seemed that most of us just wanted to lay back and relax.

The Grounds:
The grounds were nice. We enjoyed the walkways and the different spots to have a drink or snack.

The Beach:
The beach is located on the largest coral reef in the western hemisphere. Be sure to take your snorkel gear, because you will want to snorkel every day. You could also rent them. Also, it was good advice to take along beach socks, because the south part of the beach was rocky. This has got to be the most beautiful beach in the world - an infinite number of shades of blue, depending on the light. We never got tired of sitting on the beach or our balcony, or in the restaurant or bar - and simply watching the waves.

The Locals:
We walked into the town of Akumal to the tourist shops and restaurants. Our favorite was the Buena Vida restaurant, halfway between the hotel and the Yal Ku lagoon. We kicked back with a cervasa and burger right along the beach. Everywhere you went, people smiled and seemed happy that you were visiting their town - way different from Cancun.

Overall:
We will definitely return!