Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort

Beste Senger

Traveled in June for 8 nights. Wonderful staff, very friendly. Only had a little bit of trouble finding space at the beach or by the pools - but we did hear the hotel was at capacity. No problems with our room, which was on the bottom floor of building 2, but heard about flooding in other rooms during the storm that hit. It was worth it not to have any room issues, but our room was super close to the snack bar and main pool, so not a great view. Was nice to walk easily out of our patio door and to the pool or bar though. Loved the yoga instructor for vinyasa yoga - wish I remembered his name - he was a really terrific instructor and the location/view was out of this world. For an hour a day you could rent free snorkeling gear from the hotel, but I recommend bringing your own so you can be out in the water with the sea turtles for hours. Lots of tour groups, so the best time to go is early in the morning, but we went out many afternoon and still saw plenty of turtles, rays, and fish, without being crowded. The food at the a la carte restaurants was great - our favorites were the Mexican and the Gourmet (just skip the chicken at the gourmet). Restaurants were all small though, so we heard there were frequently long waits to eat dinner at any of them (though we usually went at the beginning of service ~ 6 or 630pm and were seated immediately). The made to order eggs for breakfast and pasta for lunch and dinner at the buffet were excellent. The sushi bar was so so and very slow service. I think I got very sick from eating a mushroom at the Japanese/Peruvian restaurant (it was just about the only thing I ate that my boyfriend did not eat that day). The room service was included with all-inclusive 24/7 and usually very good (though it varied from day to day with regards to quality, quantity, and even ingredients for the same menu item).

We loved the snorkeling, saw lots of fish and turtles everyday. Although sparce, the rooms were very comfortable, the jacuzzi is a nice idea but we never used it. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Overall the food was OK, some we liked some we didn't. We ate most of the time at the buffet because of the variety. We did not like the sushi restaurant of the asian fusion. The brazilian restaurant was pretty good once we learned to ask for rare and medium rare pieces, otherwise the meat was so overcooked it was like leather. Our biggest disappointment was the lack of Mexican food, there was chips and guacamole but would have liked more variety of local foods.

The resort is a wonderful size. The staff are fabulous. The food is flavourful. The location is superb. The jacuzzi tub on the patio is a great idea. Every room faces a beautiful ocean view. The snorkelling and swimming were beyond our expectations. Who knew sushi on the pool deck would be such a great idea? Very firm but soft mattresses. We were not warned that construction was ongoing and we could not sleep later than 7:00 due to the noise. The room patio only has one chair and we asked for two but none was forthcoming. We were locked out of our room due to a malfunctioning electronic lock and it took well over one hour to have the boss return to the hotel and open our door. Smoking is allowed on room patios and as non smokers we did NOT enjoy our neighbours nasty habit. Double beds instead of queen size made it difficult for my 6'3" hubby to get comfortable - they should find some way to put the two beds together.