Bahia Principe Explore Tulum - All Inclusive

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

17034 reviews

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  Average at best

  With the exception of the guacamole, the food was average at best. That was probably the most disappointing thing about the trip. The best restaurant (though not that good) was Tortuga, while the others were terrible - especially the Mexican one. And you had to book days in advance for some other restaurants. It could get cold in the evenings and there was just two blankets in our room (5 of us- 3 kids, 2 adults), so I called asking for a few more blankets and was told they were out of blankets. The room was fine, but just fine. The bed in the additional room was very uncomfortable and kind of old. Some of the nightlife was fun for kids and adults alike. Highlight was the magician for sure- for all of us. The general vibe is people who've been doing this kinda thing for a while- walking around with to-go cups of margaritas, etc. 10 days was too long. The staff were all friendly. The pools were super cold but fine. The yoga/movement teacher was lovely but the classes were not really very good at all. The beach is beautiful and the water was heaven. But I would not stay here again. I would find a smaller hotel or rent a house and find our own meals. This was an expensive holiday and I don't think it lived up.

  Apr 15, 2026
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  Underwhelming Experience – Dated Rooms and Poor Maintenance

  Overall Impression Our one-week stay was mediocre at best. Having stayed at El Cid Marina the week prior for a lower price, the difference was night and day. Despite the higher cost at Bahia Principe, the room quality and service fell short of expectations. I personally would not be returning. The Rooms: A Struggle for Sleep We initially stayed in a Premium Superior Ocean View room. While the view was lovely and the size was adequate, the room itself was incredibly dated. The Issues: The fridge was rusted, the shower doors lacked seals, and the bedding felt cheap and smelled damp. The Lighting Nightmare: The most frustrating part was the bathroom's one-way mirror door. It featured an auto-detection light that malfunctioned and stayed on all night. We spent two nights sleeping with the lights on. Service: It took three failed repair attempts before they finally moved us. Our second room was actually a "downgrade" in category, yet it felt better because the TV and shower actually functioned properly. Hotel Grounds & Pools The resort is showing its age and is in desperate need of some DIY and TLC. Maintenance: Both the Tulum and Akumal lobbies had visible repairs "patched" with unsightly blue plastic sheets. Pool Hygiene: The pools are dated and often had hair and debris floating in them. Most disturbingly, we witnessed a guest vomiting in the pool while his wife held a bucket for him—all while remaining in the water. We reported this to staff immediately, but no action was taken to clear or sanitize the area. Beach Comparison: Tulum’s beach was heavily impacted by seaweed. However, the beach at Akumal was much cleaner, family-friendly, and offered great snorkeling near the rocks. Dining & Buffet Buffet: Breakfast and lunch are very basic. Dinner is hit-or-miss depending on the theme. Pro-tip: Go early. If you arrive late in the service, the food quality drops and the atmosphere becomes chaotic. À La Carte Issues: Although our booking promised three reservations, the hotel only honored two. Even then, availability was so poor we were forced into restaurants we didn’t originally want. Thali vs. Don Pablo: Thali was a unique and pleasant experience. Don Pablo, however, was disappointing. The "Premium" Rip-off: We attempted to order a "premier" shrimp dish for 750 Pesos. It was advertised as large U-8 shrimps, but they served three measly, small shrimps. We rejected the dish immediately. For comparison, we had a much better meal at Funky Geisha in Cancun for a lower price. Final Verdict The hotel is clean enough in the common areas, but the lack of maintenance, poor pool hygiene protocols, and subpar room quality make it hard to recommend—especially when cheaper nearby resorts offer a far superior experience.

  Apr 15, 2026
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  Great hotel avoid the beach

  Great hotel, pools, food & staff. The beach was however horrendous for most of our 2 week stay due to tonnes & tonnes of seaweed. Also often ran out of wine & bubbly in the restaurant which we’ve never ever had in an AI before. This was however rectified after mentioning 4 times.

  Apr 13, 2026
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  Not as good as years ago

  this is the fifth time My husband and I have visited the Bahia Tulum and the first time in 15 years. This time with our two teenage daughters. Unfortunately our experience was not as good as previous years. The refurbishment all in all I think has spoilt the hotel. The main bar area is now generally moved to outside the pool area which means every cocktail you have is from a small plastic cup which kind of ruins the cocktail experience and makes you feel like you are at a kids party instead. I get the plastic cups but please, maybe something more interesting!! Also, the bar area used to be in the centre so you could sit around it and meet and chat to other guests now you just tend to sit on your own (if you can find any seats). Some of the staff are amazing - a particular thankyou to Edwin and Lydia who served us for breakfast and lunch in the Yucatan Buffet, they were both amazing, hardworking and very friendly. Some staff however seemed to be determined to tell us everything we were not allowed to do. My girls were constantly being kicked out of the teen area just as they were getting into playing a game of pool because they seemed to have very odd opening hours. for some reason I wasn't even allowed to walk from the buffet area to the lobby with a non plastic cup of coffee!! Even though my girls are very small and slim for their age and smaller than a lot of much younger children they were told by some staff they couldn't go on the slides. It just got annoying to keep being told we couldn't do things. The best restaurant was the Brazilian one and the Gourmet in Coba. The main buffet was good on most nights - some nights very good. The pool bar also served good food. All in all it was an average to good experience but definately does not have the same feel as it did 20 years ago but i Guess then it was smaller and didn't seem to be all about making money! It was also a shame that there had just been a fire in the Coba lobby so not only had we been told a few weeks before our trip the some of the restaurants were being re furbished and therefore unable to be booked, but others were now damaged by fire and a lot of the Coba guests came to use Tulum buffet which made ours very crowded especially at breakfast time!! Unfortunately Tui offered us no compensation for any of the inconvenience. I probably would not travel here again unless it had a very good offer on it.

  Apr 13, 2026
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  Bad Experience

  I thought long and hard about posting a review. I don’t like saying negative things but this is way beyond decent. I am greatly disappointed that Bahía Príncipe has been invaded by World of Hyatt. We have been going to the Bahía for 13 years now and our loyalty points were supposed to be black level this trip. The service was way below the standard expected of the Bahía. Not because of the staff but the lack of staff. The first thing I saw upon arrival is less than a third of the staff available. We normally have no problem booking the à la carte restaurants but now you need to book TEN DAYS IN ADVANCE! When we did get a booking the restaurant was less then half full but read fully booked online. That tells you how much staff were cut. The Buffets were absolutely terrible with below standard food, and no variety at all. Then we get told that we can not visit some of the sister resorts in the same area. I have seen these good and generous people run off their feet by personnel cuts and uncertainty. Despite the chaos of their whole livelihood changing these beautiful people made us feel welcomed and cherished. Thank you to the Mexican people that open your hearts and your country for us to enjoy. I am unsure about returning to Bahía Príncipe but we’ll keep returning to the Mexican hospitality in the future. As far as I am concerned Bahía Príncipe has gone from 5 star to 1 star in the middle of a holiday season.

  Apr 08, 2026