Travelled to AKumal Beach resort on January 31 via Air Canada Halifax to Toronto, Toronto to Cancun. First time with Air Canada vacations and must say did enjoy the flight – very comfortable (although neither of us are overly tall) and the back of the seat entertainment was great. Didn’t like having to pay for the food but win some lose some. Connections were great going to Mexico and we gained two hours but not so great coming home – sixteen hours travel time was horrible but we knew that going in.

First time to Mexico and had been warned about the time share people at the airport but when a gentleman asked us what company we were travelling with, we said Air Canada and he said your rep is that lady there…. We didn’t know better but only took a few minutes to catch on and politely make our way outside of the airport. Your tour rep is OUTSIDE of the airport – I will remember that in future. Having only been to Cuba, we had never run into that problem before. A bar outside of the airport selling really overpriced margheritas which of course we bought because it is the start of our vacation. It was fun. Found the Air Canada tour rep, he directed us to the van and off we went. About a one and one half hour ride to the hotel, most of it in daylight so we could see a bit of Mexico.

Arrived at the hotel to smiles and drinks at the front desk – best reception of any vacation we have ever been on. The front desk people at the Akumal Beach Resort are wonderful! I am so used to people who do not seem to like their job very much. It was nice to see smiling faces and hear “Welcome” They made a point of going over the map of the hotel showing us where everything was – all we really wanted to do was drop our stuff in the room and start exploring. Whenever we went to the front desk for anything they were more than helpful . Wifi is $35 per week and you can get phone cards. There are two computers in the lobby with free internet (I think) but I did not use them.

We were in Building 7, room 704. All rooms are only about 10 minutes away from anything and I think most if not all have an ocean view. Room is basic; room safe is included (previous vacations safe was extra $$). Ample hangers and shelves in closet – no drawers though. Toilet and shower are in separate rooms – nice. Beds and pillows are hard but there was a screen on the patio door which was a huge bonus – you could go to sleep with the sound of the waves breaking on shore. Maid service was very good and everything was clean. No fridge or coffee maker. Towel art every morning.

Food and Drink: We only ate at the buffet restaurant which we loved. There was an excellent variety of food at each meal and everything was well prepared and presented. It is a buffet – but one of the best that we have been at although as I have stated previously our experience is limited. Soups were very good and each day you had a choice of chicken, pork or beef, and fish. Salad bar had a very good variety that even included sprouts. Fresh fruit along with excellent desserts and the bread was varied and good. Breakfast even included hot cereal (con leche or con agua) along with the cold selections and also what looked like very good granola. Beverages were self-serve which was OK, but I kind of like it when a waiter comes over and asks you what you would like – it gives the illusion you are being waited on even though it is a buffet and the view is so beautiful that it is nice not to have to get up for refills of wine or to get coffee after the meal. I did miss a good café con leche in the morning from the machines but the coffee in the urns was surprisingly good – nice and hot too!
Snack bar was really good. We only tried it the first day and the last day but everything there was good.
Bars were great – we didn’t try a big variety of drinks but the ones we had were excellent (mojito, margheritas rocks, pina coladas and beer. Wine at meals was decent also. Staff at all bars and the buffet were excellent – no complaints.

Can’t really comment on entertainment as we were usually back in our room by 9 or 9:30. The animation team was out on the beach doing stretching/yoga in the morning, watercize, dance lessons, volleyball, etc… They worked very hard and did a good job. They let you know what was happening but were not pushy if you weren’t interested in participating.
We did not go in the pool but it looked nice and clean with lots of chairs around.

Beach was great; lovely fine soft sand. Lots of chairs and shade – a bit of the towel game going on but by 10 am everyone who had claimed a chair was usually in it and while there may have not been palapas left, there were chairs and the palms did provide shade if needed.

Snorkelling was good although on most snorkels we found the water a bit murky. That may have had to do with the fact that our first 3 or 4 days there were quite windy and it was very busy with a large number of snorkel tours going out so lots of people to disturb the sand.

The cloudy / rainy weather gave us a chance to explore the area which was fantastic. We really loved the idea that this was a resort on its own but very near a small town. It is a place that certainly caters to tourists as there are a huge number of rental properties around. Along with these are great places to go and have a drink and a meal. Although we were at an all-inclusive, we tried a few – Lol Ha, La Beuna Vida, Launcheria, and Lucy’s. Weren’t disappointed anywhere and prices were reasonable! We have a list for next time.

We snorkelled at Yal Ku which we enjoyed. We got there early and were happy about that because it got crowed quite quickly – when we were leaving there was someone asking if they could come back tomorrow as the number of people made the water murky and they couldn’t see anything .

Someone at the resort said that it was so busy because the first Monday in February is a national holiday. We were there from the evening of January 31 and left early on the morning of February 7. The first few days were a bit windy and it was cloudy most days and rained a bit every day we were there (we even bought an umbrella) but it was warm and I must say we thoroughly enjoyed our vacation and were wishing we could stay another week.

This is a very laid back resort and was just what we were looking for. Not too big, good food, wonderful people (staff and guests), clean and very easy to navigate and of course snorkelling right off the beach.

Be warned this report should be considered biased, after all I was bribed by ABR management with the best holidays I have ever had! This bribe was abetted by the most friendliest staff. I was under the influence of alcohol, my mood was altered by sand, sun, snorkeling and thanks to the staff, a total lack of pressure or stress. My good judgement was left sitting in a desk drawer back at the office.

Seriously, we have given this resort our highest possible compliment, we are already booked for return visit number three. This trip was for 15 days over Christmas and New Years. Last time we vacationed over the holiday season we stayed at a 5 star so I was a bit apprehensive about how they would handle Christmas and New Years. ABR is not known for its food or parties.

From a previous visit I had no fears about it being a great snorkeling/beach vacation. All the buildings are right on the sand or just seconds from it. The protected bay it is on, is just full of tropical fish, turtles and corals. ABR is a small, casual resort with a very friendly environment.

Take your own snorkelling gear. It is casual no need to dress up to eat. I stayed in shorts, sandals and a T shirt the whole time!

It is just a small 3 star; limited facilities, there is no concierge, no disco and not much in the way of nightlife and music. The food is different, not exactly American or European. I guess if that is what I wanted I would have stayed home. What they did for Christmas and again for New Years was beyond my ability to adequately describe in words. When we entered the dinning room the staff greeted us with handshakes and hugs. The feast laid out was better than even my regimental reunion. Seafood, turkey, prime rib and a whole room of just desserts even a variety of my favourite, rum balls.

At Christmas they did all sorts of extras for the kids, from pinatas to Santa and his helpers giving out gifts. He arrived in a red draped wagon pulled down the beach by an ATV.

On New Years Eve it was the exact opposite of its usual quiet, laid back ambiance. My wife has told me we now have a new family tradition, Christmas at ABR!

Overall most of the reviews are true to reality. There are some negatives & also a number of positives. If you are looking for a more affordable all-inclusive that is low key, not crowded feeling, beautiful beach & good location, great snorkeling for all, for getting to see some real cool places then this is great. We are a family of 4, kids 4 & 8. The kids LOVED this place. The kids club staff, Palm, is a gem!!! She's super talented, great at her job. We didn't leave our kids much, only twice about 2 hrs at a time but it was a great option and they loved it. She was also around just drumming up kids to play with. The kids loved the pool, although we were all disappointed there was no hot tub. The beach was nice & there were sand toys available for use. The whole entertainment staff was great and worked hard at their job and made it a fun place to be.
The rest of the staff... well let's just say there were a lot of "no we can't do that" that I overheard. We had no real issues though. Food was decent.
The disappointing parts: The rooms are really basic, no fridge, no wardrobe, BASIC! but blgs 5,6,7 have been "renovated". still really BASIC.
A lot of what was advertised was no longer true: no longer a spa, no longer kayaks, the gym was pathetic if not depressing, as was the entire north end of the facility (unfortunately where the kids club was). If it were not for Palm, the wonderful kids club staff, I wouldn't have gone NEAR the kids club the building was run down.

We are a 33 year frequent travler to Mexico and Caribban and this was the worst! We wanted to really like this spot but it just did not happen.We had read all the reviews and knew what to expect (we thought) We do wonder who these people are that "love" this place?.
We contacted ABR 2-3 weeks before our arrival requesting 3rd floor we got floor 1 we asked for a different room 4 times each day were told" check back tomorrow"we finally gave up. We did request a mattress topper for the bed which was on when we arrived, it did little to improve the quality of the worst beds ever!! The rooms are bland,outdated and in need of chairs and some hint of comfort.The rooms were kept clean daily. The AC has controls that do not work only one setting (high) worked.We would have slept with the patio door open if our screen door shut correctly. Security was excellent I felt very safe @ ABR.We did need maintenance one time and they were quick to repair.Our shower door did not close and there is 2 small windows one in shower and one in toilet area we would hear people talking when they walked by since we could not close the shower door.People use building 6 to walk to building 7.The beach is nice but not the best we have been to. Snorkling was good.
Chairs in restaurants and bars are VERY UNCOMFORTABLE! Tables our wobbly.None of restaurants are air conditioned which was uncomfortable @ times. Music in main rstaurant was terrible.Food was bad and very inconsistant. Butter was always being moved as was soup.Our entertainment @ supper was a man who stood around and glared @ people he wore tan pants white shirt and carried a walkie talkie.We called him the FOOD NATZI! He works @ ABR and needs to be replaced. The a la cart restaurant (Italian or Mexican food) is the same place just changes from one to the other. We got stuck w/ Italian and it was very bad. The bars are good and they work fast. Wilbert in main bar is the happiest man I have ever met he is the best thing about ABR! The palapa are limited and taken quickly the beach area in front of buildings 6& 7 is very rocky and not used.The activity team is "trying" to get it together, however they do not have a clue. There were small biting ants in our room we brought our own ant traps.We also had a cockroach in our room that was the size of a small car.Back to the food, we are not snobs in any way but cold bland food was just too much to handle.Good thing we enjoy veggies but carrots after a time get very boring. The omlet bar @ breakfast was good Nalallia is the grill master,however she is leaving soon to continue her studies to be a chef.We did like the smallness to ABR other wise we wish we had that week back to go else where. Think over before going to this spot!! Very disappointed in all aspects of ABR, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND.