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Cancun & Cozumel Hotel, Resort & Villa Reviews
Akumal Beach Resort 01/03/2004
Reviewers Rating:  Great
Akumal Beach Resort
Mayan Riviera, Mexico
Date: Dec. 19-26, 2003
Signature Vacations Package booked with Darren at www.escapes.ca
Skyservice Airlines direct, non-stop flight from Vancouver to Cancun
About us:
We are a casual, laid-back, multi-lingual, professional couple- early 50s- with extensive travel experience for both business and pleasure. I do all of my own research before chosing the resort and I book our vacations with on-line discount travel agencies. The primary purpose of our vacations to all-inclusive resorts is rest and relaxation. We prefer to mingle with the locals and learn about their customs and culture, rather than spend our time chatting with other guests. We are very avid snorkelers and water sport opportunities rank high on our list of vacation priorities. Excellent snorkeling directly off the beach is a must. A nice beach, with opportunity to go for leisurely walks, is also important to us. We rarely use the swimming pool and/or swim-up bars. We enjoy small resorts, preferably less than 300 rooms, which are open-air and give a tropical feeling. We prefer resorts where the evening entertainment takes place outside rather than in a theatre or auditorium. We are not picky eaters and do not seek out resorts with multiple a la carte dining options or air-conditioned facilities. Resorts with fitness centers, casinos or spas do not interest us. Cleanliness is paramount. This is the first time we have traveled to an all-inclusive resort at Christmas. The Akumal Beach Resort met or exceeded all of our expectations!
Flight & Customs:
It has become the norm that many airlines have cut back on their in-flight service. Skyservice offers a boxed cold meal- usually a sandwich, drink, cheese/crackers and a dessert. Coffee and tea round out the meal service. Those wishing soft drinks, bottled water or alcohol on board will find these items are now subject to charge- between $1.00 to $5.00- depending on your request. Snacks such as peanuts, pretzels, granola bars cost as well. I highly recommend you pack your own goodies! A current movie was shown en route as well as assorted segments of older TV programmes. We prefer to bring along our own headsets and the special two prong adaptors most airlines require. Headsets are available for purchase at a cost of $5.00.
Our departure flight was delayed by almost 40 minutes. The problem stemmed from the new security rules, which require the passenger head counts and checked luggage counts to correspond exactly. It was reassuring to know that Skyservice takes these new safety regulations very seriously! I considered the delay to be a minor inconvenience and was pleased that staff kept us well informed of what was causing the delay. We enjoyed a smooth, comfortable flight to Cancun.
I had expected major customs clearance delays at Cancun airport based on previous forum postings. Three flights were arriving at about the same time, ours beginning the second in the series. The customs forms and tourist cards had been handed out in flight and this gave ample time for everyone to have their paperwork filled out and ready. An airport employee met the passengers on the tarmac and led the parade of anxious vacationers to the customs area where orderly lines were formed. I found customs to be very quick and efficient, less than 20 minutes. Getting from the customs area to where you meet up with the vacation reps. is a bit tricky and confusing for unseasoned travelers. Go directly to the terminal doors and OUTSIDE of the building to find you reps. Do NOT be fooled by the timeshare hounds set up inside of the terminal, just beyond the customs area! Walk quickly past this area and out the exit doors, where the reps are waiting to guide you to the buses. I suspect that our one hour wait on the bus for the last family to get on, before we were finally able to leave for the resort, had something to do with those timeshare people! The ride to the resort was long- about 90 minutes- but comfortable with three stops along the way to drop other vacationers off at their resorts. By this time it was dark, so we had to wait until the return ride to the airport to get a feel for what the other resorts were like. The check-in process for our return flight was well organized by the Signature reps., who quickly and efficiently got us to the correct line-up at the right counter. Just pay attention and do as they ask! Cancun airport is modern and clean with some good duty free shopping opportunities. Return flight to Vancouver was right on time. Skyservice strictly enforces the allowable baggage limit of 20 kilo per person and charges $5.00 per kilo for excess weight. Keep this in mind when souvenier shopping! We would not hesitate to fly Skyservice Airlines in the future.
The Resort Check-in:
As luck would have it, our resort was the last stop for the bus from the airport and it was dark. Our first impression was the delightful lit candy cane decorations which lined the driveway to the lobby and the white or clear mini Christmas lights strung at the lobby entrance with a large decorated Christmas tree in the lobby center. Very festive! Check–in was quick and accompanied by a welcome cocktail. We were handed an envelope with our room key, in-room safe lock, towel cards (lost towels subject to $10US charge) and a list of resort amenities, dining times, etc. A resort map is on the back of the envelope. I noticed a previous guest has already scanned it and posted it for reference at Debbie’s website. We had splurged and booked an oceanview room for our vacation. I was expecting therefore to be located in building #5, 6 or 7 but we were given a room in building #1. The resort uses those dreaded arm bracelets! The difference however is that the colour of the bracelet indicates your primary language, so while we are able to speak several languages, staff decided we should wear yellow for English speaking guests since we were from Canada. I wish to make it absolutely clear that the colour of your bracelet in no way affects the service you will be given. All guests are treated equally- and very well I might add. In my opinion, comments and complaints made by previous reviewers indicating that this Italian owned and operated resort gives preferred treatment to red bracelet Italian guests is unfounded. The resort staff is multi-lingual, and while not all of them speak English well, every effort is made to address guests in their primary language which is clearly indicated by bracelet colour. Once everyone had their check-in envelopes, several members of the PR staff divided us into small groups depending on where our rooms were located, and guided us directly there. Guests had the option of leaving their luggage in the lobby to be brought by a bellhop but we opted to just roll our suitcases along behind us. My theory has always been that if I can’t manage my own suitcase, I’ve definitely overpacked! Also, don’t forget that most charter airlines limit checked baggage allowances to 20 kilo (about 44 pounds) per person.
Our Room:
There are seven buildings, from one to three stories in height, which make up this resort. All buildings are reasonably close to the beach and are spread lengthwise along the property, which has an approx. one kilometer long private beach and no beach vendors. Building #1 to #4 are part of the original resort and are older. Buildings #5 to 7 are newer three story structures and these house the superior oceanview rooms (usual brochure photo). The resort also offers regular oceanview rooms and gardenview rooms. We had an oceanview room at the front section of building #1 where it was one level only. Further back towards the gardens, it becomes two levels. My request for a king size bed was granted.
The best description for the d飯r would be “mexicano rustico”. The furniture was sparse but adequate- one king size bed, one chair, a small table, two night tables with lamps and a corner cabinet on which there was a small TV with remote and two open shelves. I was enamored with the furniture, which seemed to have been hand made and hand carved, including the headboard for the very comfortable bed. The closet was a generous double size, with a shelf at the top and sufficient hangers are included. There are no dressers or other shelves. A safe for valuables is located inside the closet. Cost for the in-room safe was included in our vacation package. Be prepared to pay a penalty of $100US if you lose the safe key. Access to the room and the safe are by keys rather than programmed keycards. The floor is all tiled with what appears to be hand made unglazed terra cotta tiles. The air conditioner is mounted above the entrance door and controlled with a remote. It worked well the few times we felt we had a need to turn it on. The room also had a ceiling fan, which we preferred to use. Bring your own travel alarm clock. Absolutely no musty smell or strange odors in the room! The soundproofing is almost non-existent. Thankfully, we had quiet neighbours!
The bathroom has a shower only- all tiled- with a rather too short shower curtain, so the water ran onto the floor. Great water pressure and no shortage of hot water. A 1600 watt, two-speed hairdryer is mounted on the wall. Worked great! The vanity counter was all tiled, generous in size and the sink and taps were of a newer style so some upgrading had been done recently (I believe in 2002). A large mirror covered the entire wall and the area was well lit. Two large bath and two hand towels as well as a bath mat are provided and changed daily. Bring your own facecloth if you use one. Shampoo and soap are also provided, but we prefer to bring our own. Toilet was also fairly new. Hold the lever down to flush completely! Just outside of the bathroom door, and open to the room by a pass-through behind the headboard of the bed, was a second vanity counter with a sink. A small thermos jug is provided in the room and the bottled water dispenser is in the hallway- in our case, just outside the door. The tap water is unsafe to drink!
Our room had a patio area with two chairs. The patio door lock worked just fine and there was also a screen in very good condition to keep out critters. Never saw any crawlies though. I came prepared with ant bait and bug spray, which I didn’t need to use. The most awesome thing about our room was that two steps down from the patio found us right on the soft, white sand beach with the ocean directly in front of us. My initial disappointment at not being in one of the newer buildings vanished and I think we were the envy of other guests because we had what must have surely been the best room in the entire resort. Steps away were also two hammocks, palapas or palm trees for shade and plenty of beach lounge chairs. The beach bar was right around the corner. I can’t imagine it getting better than that!
Our maid was very efficient and kept our room clean throughout our stay. She arrived at the same time every day to the point where you could almost set your watch by her. The issue of tipping at an all-inclusive is a personal matter. I am a rather generous person and opted to leave the maid a gratuity every day rather than a larger sum at the end. I didn’t want to take the chance that our last day would perhaps be her day off! On the third day of our stay, we returned to the room to find some lovely towel art on the bed decorated with hibiscus blossoms. Nice touch and a welcome surprise! As we were staying at Akumal over Christmas, I also brought along a couple of special gifts for the maid. I was puzzled that she did not take gifts other than money left on the pillow and sought her out to give her the watch I had brought for her. Turns out that hotel security regularly accompanies the maids on their rounds and unless a note is left specifying a gift is intended for the maid, she is not permitted to take it and she will also not take the money if it is placed near the gift. All staff are subjected to security checks at the end of their working day. During our stay I heard of no incidents of theft from a guest’s room.
Food:
Nothing to complain about! Typical all-inclusive fare!
The main buffet was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dress was casual. We especially liked the open-air feel provided by the large windows, which were usually open. There is both a smoking and non-smoking area. Staff was very attentive and immediately brought a beverage of your choice. Plates were also cleared away quickly. The selection for all meals was very adequate to serve all nationality tastes. The hot food was hot and the cold foods were kept on ice. Pancakes, French toast and omelets were made fresh on request at breakfast. A large variety of delicious breads and pastries- always fresh- were especially yummy. The fruit selection was not as extensive as I had expected but nonetheless good. Variety is the spice of life as some people say, and the buffet sure offered plenty of variety. Each dinner buffet featured a special offering from various world cuisines- ie: Chinese, French, Mediterranean, etc. Never left hungry! Never got sick!
For lunch, a second option was the snack bar located near the pool. The tables and chairs faced the beach and ocean. Again, this area was very open air. Bathing suits only and bare feet were acceptable. No stuffy dress code rules suited us just fine! A small bar area for alcoholic beverages adjoined the snack bar which served the usual fare- pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers, fries, onion rings and the most delicious guacamole, salsa and warm tortilla chips. The later items ended up being our downfall and we just couldn’t resist second helpings! Plastic plates were used for food from the snack bar area and could be taken back to your beach lounger. Garbage cans and ashtrays were placed close by along the main path areas. The beach remained very tidy as staff cleaned and raked daily.
The resort offers two a la carte restaurants- Mexican and Italian. There are two sitting times available- 7:30 or 8:30pm and only twenty guests are taken for each sitting. There was no limit as to how often you could go to the a la carte restaurants. Sign up book is on a table just inside the entrance of the main buffet, which opens for breakfast at 6:45am. General rule is simply if you snooze, you lose! We opted to eat at the Mexican a la carte once during our stay. We picked this restaurant because we loved the open-air venue with the tables set up around what was obviously the resort’s original small swimming pool (no longer in use but contains water). This can work against you on cooler, windy evenings, so bring a cardigan. Food was okay. The Italian a la carte is in the building next door and seems very elegant, even with its typical Mexican thatched roof. In fact, all of the common area buildings of the Akumal resort have thatched roofs! Guess they don’t get many hurricanes! A final evening dinner option was the lobster restaurant. This was subject to a charge of $30.00US per person. We didn’t partake but ended up eating our fill of lobster anyways. More about that to come!
Drinks:
When it comes to all-inclusive resorts, there isn’t much that surprises me anymore so I was very surprised indeed to discover some very lonely bartenders at this resort. Don’t think I ever waited longer than a minute to be served, and this at Christmas, which is high season and the resort was booked at maximum capacity. Just had to investigate this strange phenomenon! I was told, and my observations confirmed, that Italians do not drink heavily and especially not during the day. The mix of guests was about 50-60% Italians (mostly family groups), 25% English speaking (Canadians, Americans and UK), 15% French speaking (primarily from France), and a smattering of Spanish speaking with one or two German speaking couples. We, yellow-braceleted English speaking guests, seemed to keep the bartenders busiest! Cocktails of all types were listed, available and not watered down. Corona beer was on tap. Drinks were served in glassware or plastic cups resembling glassware, even at the beach. We had brought our own 12 oz. size thermal mugs, but noticed few other guests using these containers. The wine was very much to our liking, both red and white, and available for lunch and dinner. The resort served excellent espresso and cappuccino coffee at the main bar. In the evening, a talented singer/keyboard musician entertained the guests who could find ample room to sit and enjoy, or get up and dance. The Moonrise beach bar was open from 11-5pm, the main or central bar just around the corner from the buffet closed at midnight, the snack bar area operated from 11-5:30pm. There was a disco with bar service, which we did not visit. The disco started after the evening show finished. Extra tipping for service was not necessary and seldom observed although I did tip the bartender when I requested a cocktail not listed amongst the offerings posted. Even in Mexico, I had a craving for Cuban Mulatas!
Resort activities:
A daily posting board listing activities offered at the resort can be found on the side of the central bar building near the gift shop. The activities staff engaged everyone and welcomed participation in beach volleyball, Spanish lessons, dance lessons, water aerobics in the pool, etc. Most of the activities took place near the swimming pool, which seemed to be underused by the guests most of the time. We never used the swimming pool or attached Jacuzzi during our stay, so I can’t comment on the temperature of the water. There were plenty of lounge chairs and shade around the pool. The dreaded practice of reserving a chair at the crack of dawn was unnecessary, either at the pool or beach. They offer a Kid’s Club for ages 3 to 12 year olds from 9:30 am to noon and again from 3:30 to 5 pm. We observed many happy little guests throughout our stay! The watersports center offers kayaking, snorkeling equipment and wind surfers for guest use. We used the very comfortable kayaks (both singles and doubles available) several times and loved the extra padded seats. Equipment was in good condition. We always travel with our own snorkeling equipment. No motorized watersports are offered due to the reef. A full service PADI dive center is located directly behind the water sports center. Cost for a one tank, shallow dive is $40.00US per person. Wetsuits and all equipment are provided. The soccer area, which was also lit at night, was well used, especially by children who often enjoyed an inpromptu game with their friends or families. The bocce ball area was also well used. We especially enjoyed hours of snorkeling right off the north end of the beach. Ocean water was comfortably warm and actually got warmer further out where there were also some shallow sections. Reef is in good condition with an abundance of tropical fish and healthy coral and sponge formations, sea turtles near the turtle grass area, some barracuda, sting rays and we even spotted a couple of cuttlefish. The bonus was the availability of well located beach showers- even a hot shower!- for rinsing off after swimming in the ocean. It should be noted that the south end of the beach in front of Buildings #6 and 7 was narrow and rocky with rather coarse sand. The resort offers two, well maintained tennis courts and they have a tennis pro on staff. A Spa hut is located on the beach and offers various massages, facials and body treatments at reasonable prices. I have a list of services and prices for those who may be interested. For those who enjoy deep sea fishing or tours involving glass bottom boats, these were available at the small public beach to the left side of our resort beach. I did not make enquiries for these activities and can not provide prices.
We usually enjoy watching the evening shows put on by the activities staff. This was one area of disappointment for us. The shows started at 10 pm, often later, and are held in a separate enclosed theatre building located a short distance from the main lobby entrance. They offer a mini show involving the children before the main show begins. It’s an amphitheatre arrangement with rather uncomfortable wooden benches for seating. The sound system was turned far too loud considering the indoor venue. We did make an effort to go to two shows, which were very mediocre, but left shortly thereafter. The staff deserve an A for effort!
Excursions:
I always suggest that guests attend the rep. briefings, and especially so if visiting a resort for the first time. Our Signature rep. offered many excursions and tips to make our stay pleasurable. I have a list with offerings and prices if someone may be interested. You should be aware that making telephone calls to relatives from the resort is expensive and calls are subject to connection fees as well as long distance fees. The reps. have phone cards to use at pay phones available for purchase. The small town of Akumal is a short five minute walk along the beach and there you can find an internet caf頡s well as pay phones.
As others have suggested in their reviews, we opted to take the collectivo (air conditioned mini-van) at the main roadway and visit the ruins at Tulum on our own. Cost for the collectivo was 10 pesos per person each way and admission to Tulum was 37 pesos per person. Tulum was a short 15 minute drive south of the resort and we arrived early, about 8:30 am, just as they were opening, and before it got crowded with the bus loads of tourists who visit Tulum every day. We did a self-guided tour and found some great opportunities for taking photos. Very enjoyable morning!
We also walked along the beach into Akumal (less than five minutes) and checked out the few shops we found there. Prices were much better than what the resort gift shop was asking. Two decent grocery stores here, and reasonable prices for T-shirts and booze. The usual tourist fare! We were far too happy spending many hours snorkeling every day and did no other excursions. One week passes far too quickly and the resort did offer some “extras” as we were visiting over Christmas.
Christmas at the resort:
As I mentioned early on, this is the first time we have stayed at an all-inclusive resort right at Christmas. The Signature Vacations brochure made no mention of a Gala Christmas event and to be honest, we were expecting little or nothing special since it is more usual for resorts to put on a huge party for New Years. We were very wrong!!!- and very surprised and delighted!!!
The resort was wonderfully decorated when we arrived on Dec. 19th, with a large Christmas tree in both the buffet restaurant and reception area. The palm trees, which lined the main path along the resort and swimming pool area, had strings of clear mini lights strung on the trunks. This enhanced the walkway lights as well. The restaurants and common areas were decked out with string of clear icicle lights. Very attractive and tastefully done!
The day before, we had received some literature under our door outlining the planned festivities for Christmas. Every available member of the staff must have worked double shifts on Dec. 24th! After a hard day at the beach, we joined the first scheduled festivities at the swimming pool deck where tables had been set up throughout the day. By 7 pm, there were trays upon trays of delicious canap鳬 hors d’heurves and other finger foods along with two types of special Mexican or Mayan punches- alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Christmas carols in various languages were being played over the outdoor sound system. A massive dinner seating to accommodate all guests at the same time was set up in the main buffet area and throughout the central bar area. Dinner was to begin at 8 pm. While waiting, I took note of guest attire for the evening, which ranged from some very fancy outfits to casual wear. The Italians have always had quite a flare for fashion! For most Europeans, and those of us with a European heritage, Christmas Eve celebrations are more important than Christmas Day. In conversation with the staff, I found out that this is also the case with Mexicans and I felt badly for all of the staff, especially those with children, because they were at the resort serving us and not at home with their families.
The dinner was amazing! There was more than enough food available to feed a resort of twice the capacity! Amongst the offerings were huge prawns and lobster chunks, turkey with all the trimmings, beef Wellington, dessert tables which I was sure would collapse under the weight of the trays, and numerous other ethnic goodies. It was a feast!! The tables were set up as eights or fours, so guests shared and had an opportunity to meet others and linger over dinner. I don’t think we were the only ones who over-indulged! There was a show and piano bar held after dinner which we did not participate in as we were desperately in need of a very long stroll around the resort. While we were out of our room at dinner, staff had entered our room to deliver a small packet of chocolates and a special Christmas card from the resort manager and staff. Nice touch! At about 11:55pm a torch light procession which included the activities and diving centre staff dressed to represent an angel, Mary and Joseph, and a few animals, proceeded along the beach from the main bar area to the Moonrise beach bar area located near our room. The nativity characters took their places in a “stall” which had been built of palm fronds by the gardening staff during the day. So that’s what they had been doing! A doll to represent the baby Jesus appeared shortly after midnight and then the champagne bottle corks began to pop while management, staff and guests toasted and wished each other a very Merry Christmas. The champagne flowed very, very freely and other drinks were available at the bar along with special sweet breads and pastries. A huge Beach party began and didn’t end until about 3 am. Anyone with a room allocated in this area of the resort, ourselves included, would have found it futile to consider retiring early. Some guests stayed up and greeted the sunrise!
Christmas Day also included a full programme of special events and activities throughout the resort. Brunch was served in the main buffet from 7am to 3 pm. A religious service open to all guests was offered in the gazebo by the reception area at 10:00 am. In the afternoon, the entire area around the pool was set up as an amusement park with various games and prizes for those wishing to participate. There was something for everyone and all were enjoying themselves. The activities staff and children who had participated in the Kid’s Club over the previous week put on a special production of Grease as the evening entertainment. We never made it to the Disco and Pizza Party at midnight since our departure was the following day at noon and I needed to pack our suitcases. Christmas at the Akumal Beach Resort was a real treat!
Conclusions:
The Akumal Beach resort is a solid, older 3+ star resort. Medical services are available with 24 hour service. Thankfully, we had no need to see a doctor. The resort also offers birthday cakes, flowers, etc. for those planning special occasion vacations. A postal box for mailing your cards and letters is located just outside the gift shop. We enjoyed our stay and would not hesitate to go back to this resort. We have compiled an album of photos featuring this resort, which we would be pleased to share with others interested in vacationing at the Akumal Beach Resort. Due to previously experienced problems of having our vacation photos downloaded and used for commercial purposes without our permission, we invite you to get in touch with us directly for access to the photo album. And finally, if you have managed to get through reading this very lengthy resort review but still have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with us directly by email: YVRcuba@hotmail.com
Vancouver Couple
Vancouver Couple
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