My husband and I brought our 17 year old daughter and her 17-year old girlfriend to ABR April 15-20th and we just loved the place.

We're very laid back and ABR was perfect for us. What everyone said about a 3 star resort on a 5 star beach is absolutely true.
The resort is beautiful. Loved all the wood and tropical feel to it.

The beach is just gorgeous and right there. No hiking 1/2 mile to it like the mega resorts. No cursing if you left something in the room because you just burned 500 calories walking back to get it. Everything is right there.

The staff was great. Very friendly. The only complaint I have is that months prior and on a few occasions I requested bldg 6 and got bldg 5. Requested rooms side by side with our girls and yeah, we got room 534 & 535, however, 534 was the last one on the far left and 535 was the last one on the far right of the building. The girls were doing the happy dance over this! Dad and I were not real happy, but the resort was full and we just let it go. They did accomodate us with the fridge was asked for.

The food was adequate but we didn't go in with high expectations so we weren't disappointed. If you just need food in your tummy you'll be satisfied. Looking to be wowed by 5 star cuisine, look elsewhere. Had dinner 1 night at the italian restaurant and 1 night at the mexican. It was o.k. Again, it was food. Didn't like having to get to the beach bar between 10am and 12noon to get a reservation, but there could be worse things in life.

Snorkeling was great and we saw lots of cool things amongst them 2 squid making squid babies. So in a short time there will be more squid at Akumal. Saw huge barracuda. The girls saw about 5 rays and 2 sea turtles. I really wanted to see a turtle and didn't the first day, went back out the next day determined and after taking off my mask and snorkel to wipe my eye that got a good combo of sunscreen and saltwater in it, I got hit by a choppy wave and swallowed what felt like 1/2 the bay. About to give us and decided to suck it up and stick my face back in the water and just then a huge turtle swam by. I swear he winked at me like he knew I had been waiting. I was so excited and just smiling. Then I saw Barry the barracuda. He was just so chill sitting there. Snorkeled a lot and enjoyed all of it!

One of the highlights of the trip was going to The Jungle Place (Kuchi Kaax) about 10 minutes south of Akumal. It's a spider monkey sanctuary ran by an amazing couple, Heidi & Joel. They're amazing people and were so kind and generous to open their hearts, home and share their gorgeous babies with us. They let us spend as much time as we wanted and we were there about 2 hours just hanging out with the monkeys. They were so much fun I can't even convey how much. Hopefully the pix will give you an idea. They have about 18, and only put you in with the females as the males can get a little aggressive. When Heidi and Joel had less monkeys they used to live with the monkeys in their home, but they're mischievious to say the least and would unscrew light bulbs and stick their fingers in there. Lock each other in the fridge one even turned on the oven with its tail in the door and they would swing from the ceiling fans. If you get a chance, email them and set up a time for your visit as they only do this on an appt. basis.

Spent an afternoon at Xel-ha. Had a lot of fun and there was a lot to do. Don't bash me or write me bad things back, but I have to admit I did the Dolphin experience. What a let down. Maybe my expectations were too high, but after the monkey's this was boring and all they want to do is sell you pictures. No thanks!

The rest of Xel-Ha was fun, especially the cliff of courage and the roap walk. Loved the all-inclusive and just sitting down when you wanted to grab a bite and walk along after a long swim and grab an ice cold cerveza. If it weren't for having the girls with us, I wouldn't do it again, but as a family thing, its a lot of fun.

Hidden worlds zip line was a rip! We chose them because Selvatica (11 zip lines) was too far away and we only had 5 full days. My understanding was for $10 you could ride their 1 zip line as many times as you want. Well not the case once we got there. It was $10 a pop. I was not a happy camper. Now if I fork over $90 pp I can ride the stupid thing as much as I want. No thanks. So my husband and I opted out and just let the girls do it and take their picture.

Enjoyed the little town and shopping. Loved the home made ice cream at Lucy's. Loved the shrimp tacos at Lol-ha...great little beach bar 5 minutes down the beach from ABR and straight out from there is the best snorkeling.

We rented a car and that is the only way to go. The price through Easyway was great. Got a VW Jetta for the week with all ins. and 0 deductible for $269 complete. They were a breeze to deal with. No scams at the gas pumps, but we also paid attention the amount and conversion rate. No problem driving in Mexico. You'd have to be a moron to get lost there as everything is so clearly marked. Pay attention to the speed limit which changes and for heaven's sake...watch out for the mucho grande topes (speed bumps from he!!). If you wish to bring the car back in one piece, pay attention. A few times I heard people screaching their brakes at the last minute. This will definitely ruin your vacation.

Overall it was a fantastic vacation. ABR is beautiful and the beach is gorgeous and amazing. Met lots of great people who just made it even better.

Please feel free to contact me if you'd like more info or pix.

Audrey

My family traveled back to Akumal Beach Resort for spring break this year after falling in love with it last year. I still love the place but couldn't help noticing a few things that should be addressed so that this lovely resort doesn't fall into greater dsisrepair.

Nearly 1/2 of the lounge chairs on the beach and by the pool were broken. The part that support the back in upright positions was missing on all of them. With chairs in short supply already, this was very annoying!

Our room was in Bldg 5, by the pool. The location was very convenient BUT the pool house (filter, etc) was right outside the rooms and was extremely noisy. We could not have our patio door open at all, but had to have the air conditioning on to dim the noise. I don't know if it is always that noisy or if something was wrong with it.

The tennis courts are in pretty lousy condiiton, so what. BUT how about having some new tennis balls available for players. After trying every ball from the shack by the pool, we tried to buy some; there were none at the gift store. Again, a simple thing to do to add some service!

I hope the management does some re-investment in this gorgeous resort before it's too late! How much can new chairs cost?

My family and I got back from Akumal a few weeks back and I promised myself I would leave a review since I found so many others helpful before we left.

A little background, we are Texan's living in Canada and were in desperate need of some warmth after our first winter here. I don't care for all inclusive vacations but it is so expensive to travel from here compared to home that it was about the only way to go. Plus I knew the kids would like it. I chose Akumal on three assumptions 1) it was outside of Cancun and Playa (didn't want to be there during Spring Break) 2) the beach was supposed to be calm and sandy 3) it was cheaper than most of the other places I looked at.

The Beach was everything I had read about. It was sandy, safe and the snorkeling was great. My oldest and I went every day and saw dozens of turtles, lots of fish, stingray's, etc. It's an easy swim right off the beach so this was great for kids or not so great swimmers. Bring your own snorkel gear. We didn't use fins as they are a pain to pack and it's an easy swim. It was a pain getting chairs each day but I've found that to be the case at most resorts.

We stayed in building 6 in a Superior Room. I would recommend this. The buildings with the regular rooms looked pretty standard without the nice balconies of the Superior rooms.

All of the staff was friendly and I can't say I had one bad experience with them the whole week. They work a lot of hours and always seemed to be pleasant. My kids had a great time with the Animation crew and the Kids Club. I didn't go to any of the show's b/c I'd rather have a root canal but my kids enjoyed them.

We enjoyed walking to town each day and there are several good restaurants there. It was nice to be able to walk around in Mexico without being hassled by merchants. It is a very relaxed and safe town.

We enjoyed Yal Kul Lagoon which is near by. $8 by Taxi, but it does get a bit crowded.

I've read lots of complaints about the food. I'll admit to getting a little tired of the buffet after a week but there was always something good to eat. I've definitely had worse at other resorts. My take was that it catered to the Italian’s so some of the items we just weren't accustomed to. I did enjoy the coffee bar each morning, and this was definitely something that catered to the Italians.

I had no issue with the colored arm bands. It's simply a method for the staff to know which language to use with you. I didn't need an arm band to know who was from Europe and who was from North America. I would say it was about an 80/20 split between European's (Primarily Italians) and North American's (Primarily Canadian).

I would classify this resort as primarily for families and older couples past their days of parting all night. I noticed a few younger couples that seemed a little bored.

Anyway, when go back to Mexico I would likely return to Akumal Beach Resort but would also look into renting one of the many Villas in the area. Let me know if you have any questions.

For the record my two kids both gave it two thumbs up and my youngest cried when we had to leave.

My husband and I went to this resort for a week with another couple, after reading many of the reviews. We enjoy a resort off the beaten track, with character and a sense of culture. We found all this and more at the Akumal Beach Resort.

We stayed in building #7, 2nd floor, and although the beach at the opposite end of the hotel is better for snorkeling and swimming, we didn't mind the walk. The rooms are very clean and spacious with nice balconies overlooking the beach. The beach is beautiful, but the best part is what you find IN the water- turtles and fish galore. I am not a snorkeler, but my husband loved it and saw barracuda, rays, fish and of course, the majestic sea turtles. We went out in the double kayak every day so I too could enjoy the turtles, which are easy to see since they come up for air every few minutes.

It's fun walking into the community of Akumal, a 10 minute walk from the beach area- nice galleries, shops, market square and restaurants.

The food is fine. We made reservations at the Mexican restaurant one night, which has a lovely atmosphere and the food is very different from the buffet. I found the buffet more than adequate- made to order omelettes every morning...fresh fish or meat on the grill every day...always lots of veggies and fresh fruit. Staff is friendly and very helpful.

The animation team were very enthusiastic and friendly, but the nightly entertainment was the worst I have ever seen at a resort. Oh well, you just have to make do at the bar, drinking tequila boom-boom's in the evenings.

We took the collectivo ($2 US) to Tulum one day which is amazing. Another day we took a taxi to Yal-Ha, a lagoon for snorkeling a few km away. We also did a tour to Coba, where you can climb the pyramid (scary), plus we swam in a ceynote (incredible experience) and visited a genuine Mayan village.

For shopping, take the collectivo into Playa del Carmen for the best prices on Fifth Ave- a strip of shops, bars, etc closed off to traffic. Plenty of haggling and lots of aggressive shop owners, but all in good fun. A shoppers' paradise! We were glad to get back to Akumal.

Loved the ABR and would go back in a flash. Next time, I would go to Xel-Ha, Chichen Itza and best off, see the turtles again!