Bahia Principe Akumal Review: An Affordable Family-Friendly Stay in Mexico
If you are looking for an ultra affordable, family friendly all-inclusive resort in Mexico, look no further than Bahia Principe Akumal in Akumal, Mexico.
Located in the gated golf community of Bahia Principe, Bahia Principe Akumal is situated within a larger complex of three other resorts. Those resorts include the family-friendly Bahia Principe Tulum and Bahia Principe Coba resorts, as well as the adults-only Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an.
As a guest of Akumal, you have access to all four resorts during your stay, as well as a dedicated adults only section of the Akumal resort if you are traveling without children.
We stayed at the Bahia Principe resorts for four nights and had an amazing time for an extremely affordable price. Whether you are looking for family friendly resorts in Mexico or are considering staying at one of the Bahia Principe resorts, keep reading for an in-depth review of our stay.
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Planning Your Stay
The best way to book your stay at Bahia Principe Luxury Akumal is to book directly through their online website. Bahia Principe resorts guarantees the best rate and also offers additional perks through their loyalty program.
If you signup for the free loyalty program, you will receive 10% off your stay – even on your very first stay!
It will also give you access to the Bahia Principe app prior to your stay. The app allows you to select a room and make dinner reservations five days before your trip.
As restaurant reservations book up quickly, we feel the app is absolutely essential!
Location & How to Get There
Bahia Principe Luxury Akumal is located near the town of Akumal, along the Riviera Maya coast of Mexico. The resort is about an hour outside of Cancun, halfway between Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
To get to the resort, you will need to fly into the Cancun International Airport (Airport Code: CUN). Cancun is a major international destination, so you will fine affordable flight tickets from the US on major airlines like Southwest, Delta, American, and JetBlue.
Once you land in Cancun, you will need ground transportation to the resort. I highly recommend booking your transportation in advance, so you are not scammed by the many transportation vendors at the Cancun airport.
We booked directly through the resort at the time of our room booking. This cost us $150 roundtrip for a private transfer for two. Shared transfer options are available from $99.
Click here to compare flights to Cancun
All Inclusive at Bahia Principe
Bahia Principe Luxury Akumal is an all-inclusive resort, meaning all food, snacks, drinks, and alcohol is included in your nightly room rate. You will have access to a full buffet at Bahia Principe Akumal, as well at all the restaurants and bars in multi-resort the complex. Room service is included as well!
Your all-inclusive stay at Bahia Principe includes perks like:
- Access to all resorts within the Bahia Principe complex
- All food, beverage, alcohol, and snacks
- Room service and in-room minibar
- Lounge chairs, umbrellas, and towel service
- Entertainment and activities for adults and children
- Children’s club
- Free wifi
Other than your airfare, the only other costs you will need to be prepared for is airport transportation, extra experiences or services, and tips.
Make sure you bring cash for tips while staying at Bahia Principe. Tipping is common and expected at these resorts. We usually pack $100-$200 USD is singles, depending on the length of our stay.
Checking In
When you arrive at the resort, you will check in at a grand, open air lobby. The lobby features a large Greek statue that was really cool, as well as interesting architecture. The Lobby Shop as well as the Lobby Bar are located here as well.
The lobby is located in the heart of the resort, close to the restaurants and main pool. The resort staff can transport you via golf cart to your room, as most of the buildings are a bit of a hike from the lobby.
You can also catch the golf cart trains that take you to the different resorts. They do run on a schedule, with new trains arriving every five minutes or so. Upon arrival, the driver will shout out the location they will be heading to, or you can check out the route map.
Rooms & Suites
Bahia Principe Akumal is a massive resort, offering offering a whopping 758 rooms and suites at just this resort alone. The thirty five buildings are three stories tall, and do not include an elevator.
Room types at Bahia Principe Akumal include:
- Junior Suite Superior
- Connecting Junior Suite Superior
- Junior Suite Superior Oceanfront
- Junior Suite Deluxe
- Junior Suite Deluxe Oceanfront
The three Superior class rooms are designed for families, and can typically accommodate two adults and two children, or three adults and one child.
The Deluxe rooms are located in the adults only section of the resort, and do not allow children. Up to three adults can be accommodated per room.
Pools at Akumal
There are three pools total at Akumal: the Quiet Pool, the Activities Pool, and the Adults Only Pool.
The Quiet Pool is located right outside of the lobby area. It is shaped almost like a river, and massively winds around the front of the property. This pool is the best spot to relax and unwind at Akumal.
The Activities Pool is where the action takes places, as well as daily entertainment. Here you can enjoy a livlier environment as well as activities like water aerobics in a very large pool.
And for those searching for a bit of an adults only haven, the Adults Only Pool at the far end of the resort is a great spot to take a little break from the family friendly fun.
Additionally, there are several jacuzzis throughout the property.
Beach at Bahia Principe Akumal
Of the four resorts in the complex, only Bahia Principe Luxury Akumal and Bahia Principe Grand Tulum are located beachfront. And yhe beach at Akumal is one of the most fantastic beaches I have been to at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico!
It has very little sargassum, of which we found Grand Tulum to be plagued by. We recommend skipping Grand Tulum’s beach, no matter which resort you are at, and heading directly to Akumal’s.
Akumal actually has two separate sections of beach. The family friendly beach is largest, has the clearest water, and a small dock that makes a perfect photo spot. While this side is crowded, it is beautiful and perfect for swimming.
The other side of the beach is an adults only beach. Here you will find a beach bar with beachside wait service to keep the drinks flowing. While quiet, it does face a more rocky shore that was tough to get in the water without water shoes. We set up our towels here to relax, and walked a few yards over to the family side to enjoy the ocean.
Restaurants & Food
Not only does Bahia Principe Akumal boast seven different restaurants on its property, but you will have access to dining at the three other Bahia resorts as well.
Enjoy all-you-can-eat at the Riviera Restaurant international buffet, or grab some lunch poolside at the Pool Restaurant. And if you are spending the day at the beach, there is no need to venture further than the Beach Restaurant for a quick meal.
Enjoy modernist gourmet cuisine at the Gourmet Arlequine Restaurant, or grilled fare at the Beach & Steak House Los Corales Restorant. Seafood lovers won’t want to miss Frutos Del Mar Seafood Restaurant, and you’ll find the best of both worlds at Italian/Mexico fusion Dolce Vita Restaurant.
On our first night at the Bahia resorts, we ate at Los Coreles Restorant and had some delicious steak. It was nice to be able to eat outside in an open air setting as well.
Our favorite restaurant was Frutos Del Mar. They had several of these “Love” tables set up for couples, which was such a nice touch. I had the catch of the day, which was delicious; David reported his Caribbean Fried Fish was excellent, even though it was looking back at us.
Akumal guests can enjoy nine more restaurants between Bahia Principe Grand Coba and Bahia Principe Tulum. And if you are dining without children, you will also have access to two adults only restaurants at Sian Ka’an as well.
Note that reservations are required in advance. Some restaurants do book up faster than others, so I highly recommend using the app to make reservations in advance of your stay. Otherwise, you will be spending all of your meals at the buffet.
Bars & Drinks
It’s easy to grab at drink at Luxury Akumal’s seven beach and pool bars. Sports fans won’t want to miss the Sports Bar “Pakal”, a Latin American atmosphere that honors the traditional Mayan sport of pelota. And if you need a caffeine fix, you will want to stop by the Coffee Shop.
Activities & Entertainment
The resort offers plenty of daily entertainment and activities for both children and adults.
Kids won’t want to miss the Kid’s Club or Children’s Water Park. Adults may be more interested in the Bahia Principe Golf course or spa.
At night, live entertainment and music is held by the pool. It was lively and colorful, but nothing too crazy. Perfect for sitting outside with a drink and enjoying the atmosphere.
Vibe & Demographics
Bahia Principe Luxury Akumal is a family friendly resort, so expect to see large families and children at the resort. However, while we saw mostly families with children, there were still many couples and large friend groups at the resort as well. This is likely d+ue to the fact that guests at all four resorts have full access and you will see many of Sian Ka’an adult guests utilizing the Akumal beach.
The resort is a perfect choice if you are traveling with children. And if you are part of a multi-generational group, Akumal is a great choice due to the dedicated adults only area as well as reciprocal access to the adults only Sian Ka’an resort.
Bahia Principe Akumal Drone Footage
Interested in a view of the Bahia Principe Akumal resort from above? Check out our drone footage of the Bahia Principe properties on YouTube! Don’t forget to like and subscribe to follow along with our adventures.
Don’t miss our review of sister resort Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an as well!
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