All You Need to Know About the Snorkelling
at Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort
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Snorkelling review highlights
... 6 nights in paradise at Akumal Bay. I love swimming and snorkeling and it is the ideal spot for both! Paddle-boarding made...
... cleaned and water warm. We got in a couple of days of snorkeling once water cleared from rain storms the first day we...
... the day, Liliana's sushi was a fantastic treat after snorkeling, and Cintia, Katarina and Yeni were wonderfully...
Most popular question about the snorkelling
I'm looking to loads of snorkeling here. Do I bring my own snorkel and snorkel vest or does the hotel supply these free?
Answer from Deb O
Feb 2024 |
Featured snorkelling amenities
See all snorkelling amenities (7)
Reviews that mention snorkelling
Write a reviewJust returned from 6 nights in paradise at Akumal Bay. I love swimming and snorkeling and it is the ideal spot for both! Paddle-boarding made it even better!Thanks to Alberto for making that such an enjoyable activity and for making sure we were safe and comfortable when the wind picked up a little. I love this resort and will definitely be back!
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Room Tip: Buildings 3 and 4 are quiet with great views.
Cleanliness
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from ABBWR, Guest Relations Manager at Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort
Responded Apr 10, 2016
Dear jacobssmith, We would like to thank you for the kind comments, we are glad you have enjoyed your stay with us and hope you found in Akumal Bay - Beach & Wellness Resort the perfect spot for your next vacation, we are “your home under the sun”. Looking forward to seeing you again anytime soon. Best regards, Emanuele B. I'NA YANA KIN (my home under the sun) friends@akumalbayresort.com
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Arrival Nov 4-11, 2015
We are a family of 3 people (2 adults, 12yr old boy). Flight and check in was easy – everyone was super friendly and helpful.
ROOMS:
We stayed in a ground floor room by the activity pool in Block 2 - had a well-appointed room with day bed for our son. The room was nice with large bathroom. Room had a large closet, buffet with mini fridge/coffee maker, flat screen tvs, in room safe. Room was missing a dresser though – would have been nice to have something other than just hanging space. We had a patio area with Jacuzzi tub which we used a few times and was a nice touch on rainy days! We had no issues with hot water/pressure or a/c at all. Room was well cleaned every day. We did not find the room noisy in any way and never had trouble sleeping.
RESTUARANTS & BARS:
We loved all the food we tried at the buffet, a la carte restaurants and poolside snack bar. No complaints what so ever. Food was FANTASTIC. Lots of choices – even a “healthy food corner” that we LOVED! The cheese cart roaming the room at dinner in the buffet was amazing. Service was always excellent. Drink choices were vast and the wait service around the pool and beach was definitely a nice touch!
BEACH/POOLS/GROUNDS:
The main pool is quiet – no loud party music all day long or swim up bar. I did find it strange only sunbeds around the pool – which of course went quickly – and the fact there were no chairs. On several days we had to simply leave our belongings in a heap on the cement poolside while we swam. Biggest complaint would be TOWELS. We liked not having pool cards but there simply never seemed to be any available!
The beach was well cleaned and water warm. We got in a couple of days of snorkeling once water cleared from rain storms the first day we arrived. We brought our own gear – snorkeling best down to left side towards Town of Akumal. Lots of varieties of fish to see and turtles. We never had problems getting beach chairs.
I spent several days running a 5k loop through resort and all grounds are well maintained.
This resort is very small and was very well kept.
ACTIVITIES ON & OFF RESORT/HOTEL:
There seemed to be a variety of activities available but some confusion over when/where. We managed to get in paddle boarding – it’s a lot harder than it appears! Beach volleyball was fun on the days it was not super competitive. Water aerobics and poolside Zumba was great too!
Definitely not a “party” resort – which we LOVED. There are no nighttime shows but different small musical bands in the lobby bar area after dinner most nights.
We booked a tour through our rep for about $100pp and toured Coba and cenotes for a day - great fun and worth the trip! We also walked down the beach to the Town of Akumal and went geocaching and shopping with a problem.
Other Comments:
We had no issues with internet – free wifi available in most areas of resort. We used a magic jack for phone service with little trouble.
We loved the small hotel atmostphere, amazing food, drinks and staff - would we go back?? YES absolutely!!
We are a family of 3 people (2 adults, 12yr old boy). Flight and check in was easy – everyone was super friendly and helpful.
ROOMS:
We stayed in a ground floor room by the activity pool in Block 2 - had a well-appointed room with day bed for our son. The room was nice with large bathroom. Room had a large closet, buffet with mini fridge/coffee maker, flat screen tvs, in room safe. Room was missing a dresser though – would have been nice to have something other than just hanging space. We had a patio area with Jacuzzi tub which we used a few times and was a nice touch on rainy days! We had no issues with hot water/pressure or a/c at all. Room was well cleaned every day. We did not find the room noisy in any way and never had trouble sleeping.
RESTUARANTS & BARS:
We loved all the food we tried at the buffet, a la carte restaurants and poolside snack bar. No complaints what so ever. Food was FANTASTIC. Lots of choices – even a “healthy food corner” that we LOVED! The cheese cart roaming the room at dinner in the buffet was amazing. Service was always excellent. Drink choices were vast and the wait service around the pool and beach was definitely a nice touch!
BEACH/POOLS/GROUNDS:
The main pool is quiet – no loud party music all day long or swim up bar. I did find it strange only sunbeds around the pool – which of course went quickly – and the fact there were no chairs. On several days we had to simply leave our belongings in a heap on the cement poolside while we swam. Biggest complaint would be TOWELS. We liked not having pool cards but there simply never seemed to be any available!
The beach was well cleaned and water warm. We got in a couple of days of snorkeling once water cleared from rain storms the first day we arrived. We brought our own gear – snorkeling best down to left side towards Town of Akumal. Lots of varieties of fish to see and turtles. We never had problems getting beach chairs.
I spent several days running a 5k loop through resort and all grounds are well maintained.
This resort is very small and was very well kept.
ACTIVITIES ON & OFF RESORT/HOTEL:
There seemed to be a variety of activities available but some confusion over when/where. We managed to get in paddle boarding – it’s a lot harder than it appears! Beach volleyball was fun on the days it was not super competitive. Water aerobics and poolside Zumba was great too!
Definitely not a “party” resort – which we LOVED. There are no nighttime shows but different small musical bands in the lobby bar area after dinner most nights.
We booked a tour through our rep for about $100pp and toured Coba and cenotes for a day - great fun and worth the trip! We also walked down the beach to the Town of Akumal and went geocaching and shopping with a problem.
Other Comments:
We had no issues with internet – free wifi available in most areas of resort. We used a magic jack for phone service with little trouble.
We loved the small hotel atmostphere, amazing food, drinks and staff - would we go back?? YES absolutely!!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Response from AKUMALBR, Guest Relations Manager at Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort
Responded Dec 1, 2015
Dear AMomInLove, Thank you for taking the time of sharing your recent experience at Akumal Bay - Beach & Wellness Resort. It is always a pleasure to know our friends opinion in order to continue to provide them with the best service possible. We look forward to welcoming you again to your “home under the sun” for another unforgettable experience. Kindest regards, Emanuele B. I'NA YANA KIN (my home under the sun) friends@akumalbayresort.com
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This was our third stay at the Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort, visiting in 2018 over late March and early April, and we couldn't have been more delighted. The resort is perfectly maintained and having a reef to snorkel at right off the beach always sets Akumal Bay right at the top of our list for destinations.
Seeing the reef even further cordoned off with a larger 'no go' zone in the water for people was a bit disappointing at first, but the improved health of the bay, with considerably more fish and other wildlife, makes it clear that the plan put in place by the local conservation authorities is doing wonders to restore and maintain the reef. The only thing we could ask more of for protection of the area would be a greater presence of supervising staff to shoo swimmers away from the bay's protected reef area, but I'm sure that's far out of the control of this resort.
One new addition (at least we think it's new) which we really enjoyed was the opening of the patio bar in the evenings. While the Lobby Bar is great, for those of us who like things a bit quieter after dark having an evening drink by the beach at the patio bar added a really nice cap to the day.
All of the staff we interacted with were wonderful, but we would like to call out a few individuals in particular:
At breakfast and lunch, Francisco's professional attentiveness provided a welcome start to each day.
During the day, Liliana's sushi was a fantastic treat after snorkeling, and Cintia, Katarina and Yeni were wonderfully accommodating at the Lobby Bar after.
At the Mexican restaurant, Beatriz, Armando and Conception were a delight to run into again and always make us feel welcome.
The Gourmet restaurant was the one we ended up visiting most often on this visit, and Ambar, Daniel, Jesus, Oliver and Marcos made each dinner a fantastic experience. And Fernando at the wait bar between the gourmet and asian restaurants was always a delight to run into in the evening.
We're already planning on when we can fit in our fourth visit to the Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort and would recommend this destination to anyone seeking a relaxing vacation outside the usual 'party resort' circuit.
Seeing the reef even further cordoned off with a larger 'no go' zone in the water for people was a bit disappointing at first, but the improved health of the bay, with considerably more fish and other wildlife, makes it clear that the plan put in place by the local conservation authorities is doing wonders to restore and maintain the reef. The only thing we could ask more of for protection of the area would be a greater presence of supervising staff to shoo swimmers away from the bay's protected reef area, but I'm sure that's far out of the control of this resort.
One new addition (at least we think it's new) which we really enjoyed was the opening of the patio bar in the evenings. While the Lobby Bar is great, for those of us who like things a bit quieter after dark having an evening drink by the beach at the patio bar added a really nice cap to the day.
All of the staff we interacted with were wonderful, but we would like to call out a few individuals in particular:
At breakfast and lunch, Francisco's professional attentiveness provided a welcome start to each day.
During the day, Liliana's sushi was a fantastic treat after snorkeling, and Cintia, Katarina and Yeni were wonderfully accommodating at the Lobby Bar after.
At the Mexican restaurant, Beatriz, Armando and Conception were a delight to run into again and always make us feel welcome.
The Gourmet restaurant was the one we ended up visiting most often on this visit, and Ambar, Daniel, Jesus, Oliver and Marcos made each dinner a fantastic experience. And Fernando at the wait bar between the gourmet and asian restaurants was always a delight to run into in the evening.
We're already planning on when we can fit in our fourth visit to the Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort and would recommend this destination to anyone seeking a relaxing vacation outside the usual 'party resort' circuit.
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Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from ABBWR, Guest Relations Manager at Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort
Responded May 27, 2018
Dear thatistaken, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience with us. It is very pleasant to read reviews like yours that highlight with details every little thing that you have enjoyed in Akumal Bay – Beach & Wellness Resort and please rest assured that the staff mentioned will be recognized for the excellent service provided to you and will be receiving the kind comments you shared. We look forward to welcoming you back to your home under the sun for your next visit anytime soon. Warm regards, Emanuele B. I'NA YANA KIN (my home under the sun)
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Just back from a 7 day stay from May 9th to the 16th. Had a great time, the resort was beautiful. Snorkeled with the turtles each day and saw a great variety of fish as well. Our only criticism was the food, it was just OK. We really did not enjoy the Sushi or the asian fusion restaurants. The brazilian was OK once we learned to ask for rare or medium rare meat, otherwise it was way over cooked meat.
We did an ATV/Cenotes snorkeling trip, great fun! Definitely recommend it. We also did a day trip with snorkeling to Cozumel. It was well worth it but the snorkeling was a little disappointing, we didn't see nearly the number of fish as were available right at ABR.
Overall loved the hotel and had a great time on our trip.
We did an ATV/Cenotes snorkeling trip, great fun! Definitely recommend it. We also did a day trip with snorkeling to Cozumel. It was well worth it but the snorkeling was a little disappointing, we didn't see nearly the number of fish as were available right at ABR.
Overall loved the hotel and had a great time on our trip.
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Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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The good: The people, the people, the people. Everyone who worked here was kind, warm, and gave everything their all. Other reviews cover that a lot so I’ll leave it at that. It’s also a lovely bay, and while like much of the area, there’s a lot of coral damage, there are still some sections of reef, fish, rays, and of course turtles to see when snorkeling - if you venture out far enough (around the closed area).
The bad: First impressions were… rough. We had an included airport transfer, and while it showed on our reservation, after a full day of flying with a 3am wake-up, arriving in Cancun to find no driver in the chaos there was not great. After calling the hotel, they finally got someone, but it was over an hour wait (in the rain!) for a driver, and then the 1.5 hour drive to the resort. They said it was due to a transportation manager quitting recently, and yes, things happen, but there’s no good excuse for that situation.
And upon arriving at our room, it was a classic “this is not what the hotel photo showed”. There was no view of the ocean, or a hammock, but instead the back of a swimming pool with screaming kids, water aerobics classes, and the like. I’m pretty sure the website photos are from Building 3 which was currently mid-renovation. To be honest to guests, there should be more price tiers - actual ocean view garden suites, and obstructed view garden suites.
The room was also clearly in need of updating. Corroded mirrors, a TV hanging sideways due to being wall-mounted with an undersized bolt was just a start. And then what seem like small issues, but get annoying quickly, such as the linens which didn’t fit the bed, so the corners of the bottom sheet come untucked after rolling over in bed once. And perhaps the most frustrating bit was that the thermostats were locked to 19.5º C (about 67º F). For sleeping that’s fine, but if stuck in the room during inclement weather, being able to adjust the temperature is a pretty basic room feature. After multiple pleadings to the front desk, multiple maintenance visits (including once being told it was fixed, and essentially being lied to about the issue), it was finally fixed by replacing the thermostat with one which wasn’t locked - but that took until day 5 of an 8 day visit.
The beach: Our first morning we headed out to the beach to find… zero available lounge chairs. In a nutshell, the owners built a resort to contain way more people than the pools and beach have capacity for, so every morning before 7am (officially 8am, but best chairs are gone by 7am), people have to head out and stake out their chairs for the day. It’s a crappy system. Perhaps it’s just because they’ve lost too much sand, so it’s only a portion or the resort (in front of Building 1) where you can safely go in the water - everywhere else it’s exposed rock/coral. Even where the sand is, there’s still rocking getting into the water. There were also a lot of smokers, and the lounge are crammed close together, so it’s not a peace-and-quiet sort of beach, if that’s your thing.
Food and drinks: In both cases, they’re… serviceable, but between not great and terrible. The higher-end dining spots were much better at creating food that *looked* gourmet than actually *tasting* good. K’ooben, the “gourmet” restaurant served “beef tenderloin” that was the toughest we’ve had - we were pretty sure it was sirloin attempted to be passed off as tenderloin. Drinks were typically either overly sweet or watered down. Something like a Negroni (hard to screw up) was still somehow watered down. In the end, with an all-you-can-drink situation, that might not be a bad idea, but still disappointing. All in all, they were all restaurants that if you paid to go to, you would never return. And for wine drinkers, there was 1 white and 1 red, with some others available only by the bottle at highly inflated prices.
Bottom line: if you’re not too picky about.. all the stuff mentioned above, and are okay with a “cruise ship on land” vibe (i.e., lots of people and noise everywhere), this might be a good fit. But it wasn’t for us, and we won’t be back.
The bad: First impressions were… rough. We had an included airport transfer, and while it showed on our reservation, after a full day of flying with a 3am wake-up, arriving in Cancun to find no driver in the chaos there was not great. After calling the hotel, they finally got someone, but it was over an hour wait (in the rain!) for a driver, and then the 1.5 hour drive to the resort. They said it was due to a transportation manager quitting recently, and yes, things happen, but there’s no good excuse for that situation.
And upon arriving at our room, it was a classic “this is not what the hotel photo showed”. There was no view of the ocean, or a hammock, but instead the back of a swimming pool with screaming kids, water aerobics classes, and the like. I’m pretty sure the website photos are from Building 3 which was currently mid-renovation. To be honest to guests, there should be more price tiers - actual ocean view garden suites, and obstructed view garden suites.
The room was also clearly in need of updating. Corroded mirrors, a TV hanging sideways due to being wall-mounted with an undersized bolt was just a start. And then what seem like small issues, but get annoying quickly, such as the linens which didn’t fit the bed, so the corners of the bottom sheet come untucked after rolling over in bed once. And perhaps the most frustrating bit was that the thermostats were locked to 19.5º C (about 67º F). For sleeping that’s fine, but if stuck in the room during inclement weather, being able to adjust the temperature is a pretty basic room feature. After multiple pleadings to the front desk, multiple maintenance visits (including once being told it was fixed, and essentially being lied to about the issue), it was finally fixed by replacing the thermostat with one which wasn’t locked - but that took until day 5 of an 8 day visit.
The beach: Our first morning we headed out to the beach to find… zero available lounge chairs. In a nutshell, the owners built a resort to contain way more people than the pools and beach have capacity for, so every morning before 7am (officially 8am, but best chairs are gone by 7am), people have to head out and stake out their chairs for the day. It’s a crappy system. Perhaps it’s just because they’ve lost too much sand, so it’s only a portion or the resort (in front of Building 1) where you can safely go in the water - everywhere else it’s exposed rock/coral. Even where the sand is, there’s still rocking getting into the water. There were also a lot of smokers, and the lounge are crammed close together, so it’s not a peace-and-quiet sort of beach, if that’s your thing.
Food and drinks: In both cases, they’re… serviceable, but between not great and terrible. The higher-end dining spots were much better at creating food that *looked* gourmet than actually *tasting* good. K’ooben, the “gourmet” restaurant served “beef tenderloin” that was the toughest we’ve had - we were pretty sure it was sirloin attempted to be passed off as tenderloin. Drinks were typically either overly sweet or watered down. Something like a Negroni (hard to screw up) was still somehow watered down. In the end, with an all-you-can-drink situation, that might not be a bad idea, but still disappointing. All in all, they were all restaurants that if you paid to go to, you would never return. And for wine drinkers, there was 1 white and 1 red, with some others available only by the bottle at highly inflated prices.
Bottom line: if you’re not too picky about.. all the stuff mentioned above, and are okay with a “cruise ship on land” vibe (i.e., lots of people and noise everywhere), this might be a good fit. But it wasn’t for us, and we won’t be back.
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Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Questions & answers about the snorkelling
Answer from Deb O
Feb 2024 |
There is a minimal cost for snorkeling gear. We bring our own.
Answer from Magdalena S
Sep 2023 |
Hello, sometimes peddlers can be seen, but not too many. Not sure about rooms, as it was my first time there this year, but there are two parts to the hotel, it’s quite big. Snorkeling is nice, but also there are zones for swimming that people should respect, as it is supposed to be a turtles protection area. Rooms have lockers and mini fridge (mini bar), but small bottles do fit there.
Answer from Teri A
Sep 2023 |
The dive shop will help you with that. It's located in front of building 1.
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