Once again we left the cold and snow to find total relaxation at ABR. Our friends ask "Why don't you go somewhere else?"
Because the snorkeling steps from our hotel room is fantastic. No boats, no guides, just us floating face down enjoying the diverse life swimming around below us.
Because the staff treat us so well. When we arrived late at night we were met with sandwiches and fruit in our room. Welcome hugs and smiles from familiar faces. Friendly service from everyone, from the bartenders to the maids and security staff. Wilbert remembers not just our names but how we like our coffee - and he accomplished this after our 1st visit! Same with Clemente, Timmy and Phillipe at the main bar. Sergio at the Moonrise is a lot of fun. And the wait staff in the restaurants are very attentive and work very hard to make sure you have a pleasant time.
Because the ABR is very comfortable and unpretentious. No slacks required for dinner. No shuttles to get to the nearest restaurant or the beach because it is all just steps away from wherever you are.
Because the view from the room is spectacular!
Because it doesn't really attract a "party crowd", and music doesn't blare away all night.
I like the changes that have been made over the last couple of years. More Mexican food at the buffet, better liquor, live music a couple of nights per week, a responsive front desk staff (Thanks Juan for getting things done quickly!) Nice to see new the food and beverage manager visiting with the guest a bit at the buffet.
My only complaints are the hard chairs in the dining room and bar. Some cushions would be much appreciated by my bony butt. And we never knew when the maid might show up. It's hard to plan a siesta that way! But those things surely will not keep us from coming back again - the sooner the better!
We chose the standard section because we like the proximity to the beach, but the rooms are old and showing their age. I think if they ever put in some new tiles and a couple of upgrades I wouldn't be able to afford these rooms!
Thank you Sr Ortiz for providing such a welcoming, relaxing, beautiful resort!

This was our 7th stay at this resort. The last 3 years have seen improvements that were non-existent under the Italian company that ran it to the point of being run down and into the the ground.

As other reviewers have said, this place is not to everyones liking. If you're a hotel snob who wants your vacation to resemble living life like a week long episode of "Sex and the City", stay in Cancun! However if you enjoy a friendly staff, a clean room with a hot shower and some TV in the evening, then you will love it. Yes the beds are hard. They are that way at other places ,too.

The food is often better than what we fix at home or can get in restaurants in the states. The 4 nights where they had a Mexican night in the restaurant were great. The food is much better since the Italians are no longer on the scene. The bartenders have only been stumped by one of my drink requests in 7 years and that was because they did not have one of the ingredients.

I can't do the beach and the Caribbean Sea justice by typing out words. Google Akumal Beach and snorkeling to see what I mean.

The entertainment staff keep things light without being overbearing. In years past you had ones that were the director of animacion' who felt that if they did not use the word "sexy" or make other lewd references that people weren't entertained enough. I felt much better taking my son to things at night that did not involve overt sexual references. Now that the family who owns the property is back on the scene I feel it is much more family friendly, even if some feel that the age group skews to 50 plus.

Many of the people that were regulars stopped coming once the staff members who had developed a cult following quit or were fired. We like the waiters and bartenders but they are not the only reason for coming. Frankly we were pleased that some of the staff members were no longer there. Hope the guy with the "69" tattoo has landed at a place where people don't mind their daughters being hit on and their wives being laughed at or leered at. Being made fun of during the daily dance lessons and ridiculed was not why we go on vacation. Not going anywhere this nice because your favorite staff member has moved on is hard to grasp. Kind of like one malcontent at another resort we stayed at complaining because they stopped serving Corona and switched to Dos Equis.

ijwtoronto stole some of my thunder as he hit on many of my points. I know that the management reads this and I concur with the wi-fi comment. I don't mind paying $35 for the week. Free would be nice. What I have a problem with is $35 for each device. Especially when you're there for longer than 1 week. More and more of us have jobs or businesses that require us to be in touch every so often. And like ljwtoronto I make my suggestions in the same spirit.

The place has gone from the feel of being on Mediterranean Cruise Ship with a bunch of silly, pointless shows to being what you come to this part of Mexico for, to relax.

We spent a week including New Years Eve at the resort. The beach did not dissapoint and our room was clean and had a lovely view of the ocean. The food in the buffet restaurant was very nice and fresh and the service friendly and efficient. Even during the busy New Years week there were enough lounge chairs available as well as beach towels.
We felt that the resort would be great for families with young children and mature people but might not have enough to offer teens and young adults. We were able to snorkle straight from the beach and did see turtles and ray and many colorful fish. We were very impressed with the entertainment staff and the way they took care of the young children.

Visted ABR during the first two weeks of January 2012. Choose the resort due to the rave reviews of the beach, and was not disappointed....never have stayed at a nicer beach or nicer snorkeling. The resort is set up to take full advantage of this. No matter where you are in the resort you are very aware of the proximity and beauty of the water. Generally it is a self serve resort, but the staff is wonderful and friendly in a casual and "family style" way. They do serve you wine and beer during the evening meal but all bar service is at the bar only. While the resort is the oldest in the area, it is clean and well kept. Note, it is not a luxury resort, but has a family feel to it. In fact, while we travelled as a couple, we noticed a lot of extended families at the resort, and I could see that the compact set up and laid back attitude would be a great place for a family get together. The food was not fancy, but really very good. A lot of mexican dishes, but lots of standard fare for the less adventurous. I thought the breads were very high quality, and although I am not a soup fan, everyone raved about the different soups every day. They had icecream at the snack bar, but I did wish they would have had it self serve at meals. Another note, excellent cappucinos but they could use cappucino service in the restaurant, not just at the bar. There was always a line up for cappucinos in the morning, and the bartender was pushing them out as fast as he could. Not pretty when you have caffeine addicted people waiting in line! The coffee beans they use are excellent by the way and I am very particular about my coffee addiction. There is a main bar which is kind of cool because people congregate there during the day and evening for all sorts of visiting, playing games, and entertainment, so while you don't have tons of options of things to do, it is very central and you feel a part of what is going on. I would definitely feel comfortable recommending this resort to just about everyone, except for those who like to be waited on hand and foot and have a high "luxury" requirement. Few more things:
-when I return I will bring a thicker foamy with me..the beds are very hard even by Mexico standards and even with the mattress topper that they provide
-rooms are well sound proofed...never noticed any "neighbor" or hallway sounds
-no loud over the top party people
-no wifi in rooms...missed that... and it was $35 a week for the wifi in the lobby. I think they need to improve on this as this is the most common way communicating now
-you might want to bring some non-slip shoes...the tile surfaces are quite slipper when wet
-no need to bring fancy clothes...casual resort
-al a carte..okay...not great...

This is a hard review to write because this is such a great resort, but it is more the "feel" of the place than anything...maybe this will help explain it....when my husband asked the restaurant manager (I think his name was Alexandrjo?) how he was today, Alexandrjo replied, "well that depends on how you are sir", and when we said we will very well, he replied that then he was very well too. That pretty much sums it up. Great two weeks.