Akumal Beach Resort

Chuckanut Bay Travel

Akumal Beach Resort

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The Akumal Beach Resort is a 3 star all-inclusive resort located 75 minutes south of Cancun airport, on beautiful Akumal Bay. I stayed here with my family in November 2001. The best features of this resort are its gorgeous beach and great snorkelling. I like the compact size of the resort, and the way everything is located right near the beach. The atmosphere is definitely casual and very European. The guests are mostly Italian, French, German, British, and Canadian, with Americans in the minority. Mostly couples, both young and old, and single Italians. It is not very family oriented, although there is a kids club geared for the 4-5 yr old range, with one supervisor (who did not speak any English). There are not any organized activities for children at the pool or beach, only for adults.

I also liked its location close to the attractions of Yal-ku Lagoon, Tulum & Xel-ha, and walking distance to the small town of Akumal with its shops and restaurants.

RESORT LAYOUT: The main restaurant and bar are located just to the left of the pool. The specialty restaurants (Mexican and Italian) and beach bar with swings are at the far right of the photo.The rooms are located in 7 different buildings. Buildings # 1-4 (1 and 2 storey) are the standard rooms at the north end of the resort (to the right in the photo). The newer, superior rooms are located in Buildings 5-7, all facing the ocean. Building #5 is right behind the pool in the center of the photo, and Building #6-7 are at the far left of the photo. The beach here is rocky, but in the center and north end of the resort the beach is lovely.

Standard room building

Here is a photo of the standard room building. The rooms are smaller and older, but were recently renovated with new paint, curtains, etc. They do not have a television. The balconies are tiny, but some of the rooms are just steps from the beach. Try to request the ground level rooms # 301-305 or #401-405 for the best location.

Superior room building

The superior rooms have great ocean views from the second and third floors. Building 5 (behind the pool) can be noisy; at night you can hear the music from the bar from 11pm-1am. Buildings 6 & 7 are much quieter, and close to the main restaurant. We had a ground floor room in Building 7. There are nice, lit pathways from the rooms to the beach and restaurant - very pretty at night.

Superior room with king bed

Rooms have a king bed or 2 doubles. They are cribs available but no rollaways. The bathroom is large, with a hairdryer and shower (no tub). Large closet and lots of shelves. No fridge/mini bar. There are water coolers on each floor with purified water, and an ice machine.

Swimming Pool (water is on the cool side)

The swimming pool is not very big but was never busy, exept during water aerobics. Lots of padded lounge chairs around it. Aerobics classes are held poolside, as there is no gym or workout area.

Beach volleyball games are held every day, and were a lot of fun. The best snorkelling is right off the beach here...lots of colorful fish and sea turtles. Snorkelling gear is available at the dive shack and requires a credit card deposit. The gear must be returned by 6pm. There are also plenty of kayaks to use, but the sport center is closed between 12 and 3pm.

Buffet Restaurant (overlooking the beach)

The food in both the buffet restaurant and snack bar were good, but the service was inconsistent. In the snack bar, the grill chef often disappeared so you couldn't order a burger or any grilled item. In the buffet restaurant, we often had to go in search of utensils and coffeecups when the tables weren't set properly. But the waiters were friendly and helpful, and the food fresh and tasty. Breakfast included made to order omelettes, eggs, and milkshakes. For dinner there was different theme nights with a good variety of choices. We often ate lunch at the snack bar - excellent pizza, quesadillas, and guacamole!

Italian Restaurant

The Italian and Mexican restaurants require reservations, made at the front desk between 7-11am for the same evening. The food and service here were excellent! It's a nice change from the buffet. For evening entertainment there was a good singer at the bar, then a show in the theatre which started rather late at 10pm. We went to a few but they were pretty amateur except for Elvis night. After the show there is DJ music and dancing back at the bar from 11-1am. One night there was a beach party which was fun.

Despite the drawbacks of this resort (inconsistent service, limited facilities) I would definitely return. If you're just looking for a relaxing vacation on a beautiful beach with good snorkelling, I would definitely recommend the Akumal Beach Resort.