I have been staying at Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort for about 3 years now. This is one of the…read morebest beaches I have ever stayed at in the entire Riviera Maya -- and their staff is just as stellar in their service.
While I really like this resort, there is definitely room for improvement, particularly working on better air conditioning for both public areas such as restaurants and most definitely inside the rooms/suites. Food was also inconsistent, not always excellent nor executed properly, and ranges from good to below average.
**ROOM**
-I stay at the penthouse on the top floor, which is a duplex with a king size bed and sitting area on the 1st floor and long stairs to the 2nd floor terrace with expansive ocean views, a jacuzzi and 2 loungers.
- Mostly cold water showers (hardly ever gets hot), but great water pressure
-A/C barely worked and leaked -- and the fan barely cooled our room. We definitely had some nights a bit too warm for comfort.
**FOOD / RESTAURANTS**
It was very warm inside the restaurants (no cold A/C felt, doors mostly open). May be uncomfortable to those not used to the very warm, humid summers in the Yucatan. It's actually best eating outside due to the refreshing ocean breeze.
Buffet restaurant:
-Incredibly refreshing, tiny gazpacho. Way creamier than the traditional cold soup.
-Great fish ceviche, right amount of tangy bite, can tell chips are made/fried in-house
-Nice salmon sushi, although rice slightly stickier than average. It was topped with a spicy mayo type of sauce, although way overboard with the green onion garnish (it overpowered the creamy spicy deliciousness of the sauce). Still ate it though :D
ALUX (Mexican rest.)
-Right next to the lobby entertainment area, which is lovely on piano man nights to have beautiful live music while having dinner
-"BAO" de cochinita was disappointing - not a traditional sticky Asian bun; they use regular bread. Not as flavorful as cochinita I've had elsewhere. (quite bland). Pork was very tender & juicy though.
Drinks
-Mango margarita way too sweet. Try asking for it stronger/less juice (& tip).
**YOGA**
The 2ND BEST part! Outdooor covered palapa facing the ocean. You can hear and smell the salty ocean waves as you flow. Felt like being in a yoga retreat in a remote jungle palapa in Costa Rica. It was amazing! And they have soooo many yoga classes throughout the week -- usually 2 a day at a minimum and held nearly every day.
**SPA**
THE BEST part of this resort! Their SPA is absolutely gorgeous, with an indoor/outdoor mixed layout. When you go through your hydro circuit prior to treatments, you feel like you're deep in the jungle -- thousands of miles away from civilization. It is so quiet and the staff provide incredible massages and body wraps. I highly recommend you book at least one treatment during your stay!
**ACTIVITIES / ENTERTAINMENT**
This is a much quieter resort in comparison to other all-inclusives throughout the Riviera Maya. There aren't many activities happening throughout the day besides the yoga classes and some chill band playing live music at night by the lobby. Everything was pretty much done by 10 - 11 p.m. or so.
They do not offer any shows or anything of that nature like many other hotels in the area, btw.
**VERDICT**
Akumal Bay is definitely only suitable for those who seek and relaxing retreat for their vacation. Moreover, I can only recommend it to those not expecting a 4-5* resort, as it is a bit rough around the edges. With some small reno work and training, I'm sure it'll be excellent again.
Would I still come back as-is, though? Yes - for the right price :)