Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an: An Affordable Jungle Escape in Mexico

If you’re looking for an affordable all inclusive resort in Mexico, then Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an is your perfect jungle escape!

Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an is an adults only all inclusive located within a complex of three other Bahia Principe resorts: Bahia Principe Tulum, Bahia Principe Koba, and Bahia Principe Akumal.

Whether you are specifically looking for an affordable all inclusive resort in Mexico, or are considering staying at one of the Bahia Principe resorts, keep reading for a full review and guide to Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an.

Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an: What You Need to Know

Of the four Bahia Principe resorts in Mexico, Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an is the only adults only resort. Guests of Sian Ka’an do have full access to the three other family friendly resorts.

It is important to note that Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an is not located on the beach. It is a firmly a jungle resort, and you will have to take 10-15 minute ride of one of the resort’s golf cart trams to the beach at sister resorts Grand Akumal or Grand Tulum.

I highly recommend booking your stay direct with Bahia Principe through their online website. They guarantee the best rate and offer a number of additional perks through their loyalty program as well.

Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an: Location & How to Get There

Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an is located in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, about an hour south of Cancun. You’ll find the resort along the Riviera Maya coast near the town of Akumal, about 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 usually can find affordable flights from the US on major airlines like Southwest, Delta, American, and JetBlue.

To get to Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an, you will fly into the Cancun International Airport (Airport Code: CUN). Many large airlines fly to Cancun from the US, including Southwest, American, Delta, United, and JetBlue. This makes Cancun an affordable travel destination for many Americans.

You will need to prearrange ground transportation from the airport to the resort in advance. We booked our transportation directly through the resort during check out. While shared transfers were available for $99, we opted for a private roundtrip transfer at $150.

All Inclusive at Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an

Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an: Lobby and Check In

When you arrive at Sian Ka’an, you are welcomed by a friendly staff, tropical cocktail, and an open air lobby. The check in process was quick and easy, as we had preselected our room in advance of the trip through Bahia Principe’s loyalty program.

The Yal-Ku buffet restaurant, Maiko Japanese restaurant, Tikal Lobby Bar, Uxmal Terraza Bar, and the Lobby Shop are centrally located in the lobby. The resort is on the smaller side, so the other bars, restaurants, and pools are a quick and easy walk from the lobby.

If you walk outside the main lobby and past the main drive, you will find the pick up location for the golf cart train service. These golf carts run on a schedule, with new trains arriving every five minutes or so. The golf cart trains will take you to the other Bahia Principe resorts, of which you have full access to the grounds and restaurants (with the exception of the other resorts’ buffets).

Rooms & Suites

Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an features 420 rooms and suites across 36 buildings. The entry level room type is the Junior Suite, and all other rooms are different variations of this Junior Suite.

The room types are as follows:

• Junior Suite
• Junior Suite Superior
• Junior Suite Superior Garden
• Junior Suite Superior Penthouse

The Junior Suite Superior Garden rooms are ground level rooms with an outdoor hot tub. These are really cool jungle rooms, however, the outdoor hot tub has little to no privacy from the resort’s walking paths. Plus, there will be tons of mosquitos.

We stayed in the Junior Suite Superior Penthouse, which is a two story suite with a rooftop jacuzzi. Keep reading for a tour of this room type.

Staying in a Junior Suite Superior Penthouse

Since Bahia Principe Sian Kaan is such an affordable resort, we decided to select the best possible class of room. Normally, we try to get the entry level rooms to save money, but this was such a great rate we had to select it.

The Bahia Principe Junior Suite Superior Penthouse is a massive suite with two levels of living space. On the first floor, you have a dining and living room with minibar, open concept bedroom area, and the restroom. The second floor is connected by an indoor staircase, and consists of a rooftop deck.

I loved that this room had these massive windows in the living room and bedroom that could open up. It was so nice to get the fresh air in the room. The downside is, however, that there is no balcony on this level. You will need to utilize the rooftop to actually go outside.

We really enjoyed the rooftop portion of the suite. There is a small table and chairs so you can eat room service up there, as well as two lawn chairs for tanning in private. And of course, the best part, was the Jacuzzi tub!

I will also note that because our room was located in a building right next door to the lobby, we heard the nighttime entertainment and music loud and clear in the room. While it didn’t last too late into the night, if you like to go to bed early, you may want to request a room further from the lobby.

For a full tour and review of our room, check out our Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an Junior Suite Superior Penthouse Room Tour.

Pools at Sian Ka’an

There are three main pools at Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an, and each pool has a slightly different vibe.

The first pool is located at the front of the property closest to the lobby, and next to the Alux Restaurant. This is a very quiet pool, where you will mostly find vacationers napping or reading a book. It was honestly so quiet here, we felt like we should whisper as to not disturb any one!

The next pool is located adjacent to the Pool Restaurant. It is the largest pool, and technically is made up of a bigger pool and a smaller circular pool. This was our favorite pool because it was still very chill and located right next to an outdoor bar.

The very last pool is the more active/vibrant pool. The folks hanging out at this pool were very social and the daily entertainment happened at this pool. There was often a DJ playing at this pool and there was also a big foam party happening during our stay. With that being said, it still was fairly tame compared to parties in Cancun, etc.

Is Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an on the Beach?

Sian Ka’an is not actually located on the beach. Instead, it is a jungle resort located about a 15 minute golfcart ride from the beach located at Bahia Principe Koba. The resorts have an intricate golfcart trolley system set up, so just hang out at the bus station at the front of the property until the trolley for “La Playa” arrives. It usually takes about 15 minutes for the right one to arrive, so make sure you plan ahead.

Sian Ka’an has its own roped area of the beach to enjoy next to the sister resorts. There is a bar area and wait service. You are also right next to the beach areas for the other Bahia resorts, and you have full access.

We found the water wasn’t as great in the adults section because it was quite rocky to wade in. We wished we would have packed water shoes! The water however next door in the family friendly area was absolutely stunning and easy to wade into, even though it was crowded with families.

We were also extremely pleased by the lack of Sargassum and how clear blue the water was. This is due to the beach and swimming areas being protected by rock barriers.

Restaurants & Food

Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an boasts a total of four restaurants on site. Of these, two do not require reservations: Yalku Restaurant, an international buffet, and the outdoor Cenote Pool Restaurant. In addition, you can also order room service as part of your all inclusive stay.

The Yalku Restaurant buffet was probably the best buffet we’ve eat at on our travels. While we did explore the other restaurants at the sister properties, we honestly would have been completely happy eating all of our meals here! We had breakfast here daily as well as a few dinners.

Sian’ Ka’an also has two a la carte dining restaurants that require advance reservations. Alux Restaurant offers gourmet cuisine with a lovely view of the pool. And there is also the Maiko Restaurant, which serves elevated Japanese cuisine.

We were able to get a reservation at Alux in advance on the app. The restaurant was almost completely booked-up when we made our reservations five days in advance. Alux was very classy with excellent service and delicious food.

Unfortunately we did not get to eat at Maiko as a reservation wasn’t available. Definitely take advantage of the advance reservation option!

In addition to the four Sian Ka’an restaurants, guests have full access to thirteen other a la carte restaurants across the Akumal, Koba, and Tulum resorts. However, it is important to note you are not able to utilize those resorts’ buffets.

Bars & Drinks

As Sian Ka’an is all inclusive, all of your wine, beer, and alcohol is included. This includes drinks at the bars, at the restaurants, room service, and your minibar.

There are several bars at Sian Ka’an: The Tikal Lobby bar, the Uxmal Terraza Bar, and the Xpu-Ha Pool Bar. Xpu-Ha is an outdoor bar located between the pools. Both Uxmal and Tikal are located in the lobby area.

I will note that at the restaurants across the Bahia Principe resorts, a wine list was offered with bottles that were not included in your all-inclusive rate. It felt a little awkward having this pushed on us, but there is no need to purchase additional alcohol. You can still order regular wine by the glass without upgrading. We just closed our wine list menus and handed them back when asked if we wanted something from the list. No big deal!

Vibe & Demographics

Sian Ka’an definitely offers peace, quiet, and relaxation in an adults only atmosphere. The guest demographic appeared to be average working class folks, and the age range we observed were the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

When we visited in April 2022, the resorts actually had booked over 600 members of a film crew for a several month long period across the Bahia resorts. This crew was away filming off site during the day, and this combined with lower travel in the post-COVID period, made the resort quite quiet.

It is evident from a Sian Ka’an guest Facebook group, however, that this resort attracts a cult following. Diehard guests visit the resort year after year again and it looks like many have made friends during their visits.

Even though the resort offers entertainment like foam pool parties and live music in the evening, it is pretty tame compared to many other resorts I’ve been to.

Cost of a Trip to Bahia Principe

Wondering what four nights at Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an costs?

We booked our airfare through Southwest during a sale and got an amazing deal! Our grand total for roundtrip flights for two from Nashville to Mexico was $644.74.

Our stay for two at Sian Ka’an in the Junior Suite Superior Penthouse for 4 nights was $1210.16. This was during a sale, so I received 40% off standard rates. We also received an additional 10% off discount for joining the free loyalty program.

Additionally, we booked the private transfer for the total cost of $147.36. I originally was going to opt for the $99 shared transfer, but since we received the surprise loyalty discount, I went ahead and upgraded the transportation.

Grand total, our four night vacation only cost $2,002.26! I thought this was an absolutely fantastic deal. Typically, we usually spend about $2k+ on just the resort and $1k+ on airfare.

If you are willing to stay at one of the family friendly Bahia resorts in the complex or book a basic Junior Suite instead of the Penthouse, you can get this trip even cheaper!

Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an Videos

Check our our Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an vlog video on YouTube! Don’t forget to like and subscribe to our channel to follow along with our adventures.

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