My friend and I visited Sian Ka'an from 2/5-2/10, 2012. It was such an amazing trip, from the moment we felt the relaxed upscale vibe at Sian Ka'an and took in the beautiful and tasteful zen-like decor. I wish I was there right now. Our room was 2nd floor by the small quiet pool and we loved it. Besides wanting some patio furniture, not one complaint. We are in our mid-30's and came together for a 'girls' trip, so we were looking for relaxation and calm rather than partying and a loud scene. Although I think this resort might as well be adult only, the few children we saw were quiet and not the screaming variety. There was a mixed crowd however we saw mostly people our age or older and at least by our pool there was no attempts at drinking games or anything we would have found annoying. Again, that is what we wanted and I think the other pools at Sian Ka'an were more lively with some activities and more of a party vibe. We enjoyed the spa one day and lounged around the resort by the pool, and other days walked to the beach (yes, you can walk and depending on your pace will get there in 15-30 minutes) and took the trolley back to eat. We found Sian Ka'an's buffet to be better than the others although we only tried Tulum once and that was enough. We also took the colectivo (outrageously easy and not at all a big deal - save your money and get on these things) to Akumal and Half Moon Bay down the highway to see turtles and have one lunch outside of the resort (the beach restaurant at Half Moon Bay was fantastic).

Food/A la cartes: Don Pablo was by far our favorite, Arlequin was excellent as well, Sian Ka'an's Alux was very nice. However, the Mediteranean restaurant was horrendous. Service was fine but the food was just inedible. We couldn't get a reservation at the Mexican restaruant although I bet we could have just gone and tried b/c none of the restaurants seemed full. As a vegetarian, I requested this be listed when I made reservations. At some of the restaurants (Don Pablo, Alux), someone came up to me and checked in about what I wanted/needed. I found this to be part of top notch individualized service in this huge mega-resort. We ate delicious breakfasts at Sian Ka'an as well as lunches. Snack bar food was edible but nothing special, although the chips/guacomole dip were good.

The grounds are beautiful and you can see a variety of birds, butterflies, plants, and animals. The snorkeling at the beach was only so-so although I knew that going in. I am glad they are saving coral by roping it off but its too bad tourists cannot be trusted or educated to see the coral without damaging it. Even at Akumal Bay, outside of the resort, where sea turtles are pretty easy to spot, people go on chasing them around to touch them despite signs that say not to. Not sure what to do about this but place more signs?!?

Anyway, we ended up not going to the disco except for popping our heads in. It may just have been the type of trip we were on and our mood, but it seemed a bit corny for us. Again, we were not in the partying mode and could have probably preferred salsa lessons/low key dancing over the club. We never seemed to find some of the activities we would have enjoyed, so if there was some way to get a master list of all of the planned activities on all 4 resorts it would seem more accessible. For instance, at another resort one night (who knows which one, they start to look the same) a small outdoor dance thing started. The employees were trying to get everyone up dancing but the music was not our style - techno. So we said we want to dance Salsa or Bachata and the guy said "that was last night, you lose!". I may have tried to stop by the night before to check that out but I guess if you are not staying there it is difficult to know about the smaller shows. They advertise the bigger shows like the michael jackson thing.

Overall I fell in love with Sian Ka'an. The only times I wished we were on the beach was early morning/late afternoon when I would have liked to see the sunrise/set or try out snorkeling at better times. I could have made it happen but was lazy :) I prefer their decor, mood and vibe, over the other resorts. The beach area for Sian Ka'an is central and wonderful, and you have choices to walk away from people or head 5 minutes down the highway if you want a different scene. Thank you to Oscar and Paloma, who made the trip even more special.

Our trip was from Jan 30 - Feb 06, 2012. Although the weather wasn't cooperating, everything else was superb. From the amazing buffet to access to 3 other sister resorts a la cartes, you never tired of the food. This resort is the most quiet of the 4, which I quite enjoyed. If you wanted more fun and excitement it was just a short trolley ride to the beach and the other resorts. There is access to something for everyone and I highly recommend staying here!

Just returned from a week at this luxurious resort. Compared to the several other AI resorts we have been to this one ranks the best by far in terms of quality of food and service.

Rooms: We had a Junior Suite in villa 12B on the 3rd floor overlooking one of the pool areas.
The room was more than adequate in size for 2 people, with a comfortable king size bed, and a large balcony with chairs and table. Nice bathroom with great shower.We had no issues at all with hot water and air-conditioning as had previously been mentioned in earlier reviews. Room was cleaned thoroughly daily and mini-bar replenished. Note: The second floor rooms in these villas have only small french balconies with no patio furniture, and main floor rooms would lack privacy as close to the main pathways. As there are no elevators, the 3rd floor rooms obviously require walking up and down a stairway - we were ok with this as it provided some exercise to burn off some calories from all the food and drink - lol - however obviously not an option for those with mobility issues.

Food: We had no problem booking our a-la-cartes on arrival. We chose Alux and Maiko on site (Both outstanding), and Le Gourmet, Don Pablo, and Tortuga which were at the Tulum and Coba resorts. All were very good, the Tortuga ranked the lowest of the 5 but worth trying just for the succulent beef and chicken on the Brazilian skewers. We ate breakfast everyday at the Sian Kaan buffet and it was excellent, and we also had dinner at this buffet for 2 of our 7 nights. The first night was International and it was fantastic with succulent grilled lobster and prawns, and they even had a Mariachi band serenading tables. We also wanted to try their Mexican theme night on the Thursday, as we had enjoyed this so much at a Cancun resort we had stayed at previously, and this was our only disappointment of our stay. There was no entertainment at all, no special Mexican theme at all in the food that we could notice. My guess is that all the bands were playing at the Mexican Fiesta at the Hacienda that night. My suggestion to the Sian Kaan would be to make their Mexican theme night some other night of the week, and book the Mariachi band for that night, and have Tequilla tasting and more Mexican dishes available.

Beach and Pools: Trollies transport you to the Sian Kaan private beach area. Very comfortable loungers and plenty of areas for shade. Level of service at this beach was outsanding - we could not possibly keep pace with ordering drinks everytime they came by asking if we wanted a drink. Never before experienced this at other AI's. Actual beach was not the best we have seen, but still nice with few rocky areas and relatively calm waters to swim in. How can you complain? We tried some of the pool areas at Tulum and Akumel resorts, but much preferred the relatively quiet and peaceful pools at Sian Kaan, again with superb bar service.

Other Activities: We took the Collectivo on separate days to Tulum and Playa del Carmen.
Highly recommend this form of transportation, as it is far less expensive than taxis or tours
(only 30 pesos each for the Collectivo), and is safe and fast - never had to wait for one. Just a short pleasant walk from the resort along the golf course to the main highway 307 to catch them. We loved Tulum beach - a must to bring your bathing suit if visting these ruins to swim at this spectacular setting. These ruins are especially historical as they are the site of the first encounter of the Mayans with the Spaniards in 1508 - a sad day for the Mayan culture to be sure, but historical nonetheless. We also spent part of a day at Playa del Carmen. Also has a beautiful beach and worth seeing. Walking 5th avenue can be a bit annoying with the aggressive sales guys - we did our shopping at one of the mega stores on this strip which was hassle free and good prices. (Note: For Canadians they accept $CDN same as $US - all prices in $US, I paid in $CDN and got $US in change. Also noticed that Playa had the best exchange rates for $CDN to Pesos - at least 12 to 1, some higher and some gave better exchange rates for $CDN than $US.) We also spent one morning checking out the beautiful golf course at the resort. For $10 you get unlimited balls to hit on a lush practice facility which includes high end clubs rental. You also get free drinks at the clubhouse - they will ask you to sign a bill with your room# - don't worry, this is only for cross charging and your room will not be charged for this.

Lobby Bar: Premium drinks served at this bar in a comfortable relaxing atmosphere. Again, superior service. Nighly entertainment varies from band that plays various 60s/70s/80s type music, to another night with disco stero playing. We enjoyed spending before and after dinner time here. Oh yeah, before I forget, make sure you order at least one Margarita from Oscar at this bar. The best I have ever had by far and not to be missed. Ingredients from what I could observe were top shelf Don Julio tequila, Grand Marnier, lime juice, and some other ingredient I could not make out. And all served with a big smile - to be sure he is no grouch like I have encountered so many other times at other resort lobby bars. This sums up all the staff at this wonderful resort - great service with a smile.

In summary, would highly recommend this resort for those that want a quiet and relaxing holiday with great food, premium drinks, and quality service. If only this resort was right on the beach it would be perfect. Although the trollies run regularly, we did find it a little tiring toward the end of our stay to be be taking these everytime you want to go to the beach or to the other resorts for dinner or drinks. Also think they got it wrong not making this an adult only resort. In spite of this, I still rate it a solid 5*, with some room for improvement as already noted. We are a couple in our 50s that prefer it on the quiet side, so you can judge our comments accordingly.

My girlfriend and I spent one week at Gran Bahia Principe Sian Ka'an in the penthouse suite, the room was decorated beautifully with more then enough room for 2. The bathroom could have been larger if I was picky however on the terrace was a hot tub which was great to relax in however it did seem that when it drained it went all over the terrace which is something that could be looked at. The choice of pools at the resort were great and swimming with dolphins experience was incredible with golf carts coming so often getting to the beach was great. The staff were fantastic in organizing our dinner reservations and were generally very helpful. Oscar who seemed to be everywhere took a genuine interest in all guest and made our experience more pleasurable. The A la carte restaurants were good however the buffet was better a tip for the hotel though at breakfast is to maybe have a separate grill for vegetarians to get their eggs made. Room was impeccably clean always. The best a la carte was the La Gourmet which I wish I ate at every night such good food. The bar and dancing at night always had a great vibe. All in all a very good resort.