TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Excelent resort as per pools, natural enviroments, bars, and delicios foods, very kind and hard working staff. Very good ala carte resturants.

I wasn’t planning on leaving a review, but after our experience at Bahia Principe Grand Coba — and what happened after we returned home — I feel compelled to share this for other travelers, particularly families. We booked this resort specifically because it was marketed as a family-friendly option. Unfortunately, it fell far short of that promise in nearly every way. Food Safety Concerns After returning home, I became extremely ill and was hospitalized, where I was diagnosed with salmonella. Based on what I experienced during the stay, I immediately knew the likely source. One day at the pool bar, I took two or three bites of a burger and stopped because it tasted wrong. I looked at it and realized it was completely undercooked. I assumed it was an isolated mistake, but the next day I checked the buffet, hoping it had just been an off day. It was not. The burgers were again visibly undercooked, made with very low-quality meat that crumbles apart, and not properly cooked through. I checked a third time on another day, and it was the same. This is not a one-off issue — it appears to be a standard practice. That is deeply concerning from a food safety standpoint. Value for Money This resort is only marginally less expensive than many other all-inclusive resorts in the area, but the quality gap is enormous. This is not “budget” — it is simply cheap. Food quality, maintenance, rooms, and overall operations reflect aggressive cost-cutting at the expense of the guest experience. Understaffing and Service Issues The staff themselves were generally kind and doing their best, but the resort is clearly and severely understaffed. Check-in took over an hour. Restaurants were slow and disorganized. Requests often went unresolved. The service problems are systemic, not individual. Additionally, if you do not tip to unspoken expectations, service noticeably declines. Compounding this, the resort refuses to provide change smaller than 50 pesos, effectively forcing guests to over-tip or be ignored. Rooms and Safety Concerns Our room was outdated and poorly maintained. In addition to multiple maintenance issues, the exterior sliding door was off its hinge and did not lock properly, which was concerning at night, especially while traveling with children. Other issues included fixtures barely attached, poor air conditioning, and repeated maintenance requests that were never fully resolved. Children’s Health and the Splash Park All three of our children contracted impetigo during our stay. Based on timing and exposure, we strongly believe it came from the splash park. The splash park itself is frequently closed, many slides are shut down, and others barely function. The area feels poorly maintained and unsanitary. For a resort that markets itself so heavily toward families, this was extremely disappointing. Noise and Lack of Family-Friendly Atmosphere Despite being advertised as family-friendly, loud music is played late into the night, often keeping children awake. There is very little meaningful family-oriented entertainment in the evenings, and noise control is poorly enforced. A Resort in Decline It feels as though Bahia Principe Grand Coba is being used to subsidize renovations and capital projects at other Bahia properties, such as Akumal, Tulum, or Tequila. Regardless of the reason, this resort is nowhere near a 4-star experience. To put this into perspective, we spent the last few nights of our Cancun trip at an Iberostar resort, and the immediate contrast was striking. The difference in food quality, cleanliness, service, and overall experience made it clear just how far below standard Grand Bahia Principe Coba really is. Bottom Line This was, without question, the worst all-inclusive resort experience I have had. I have stayed at approximately 13 all-inclusive resorts across Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and this one ranks last. If you are traveling with children, or if you care about food safety, cleanliness, value, and basic maintenance, I strongly recommend choosing another resort.

The Coba resort is actually split in half as the quiet pool and surrounding accomadations have been taken over by the new Tequila resort. Having said that, the Coba still has the one main pool plus all the the kid pool stuff etc. We were there near the end of November and found that the Hotel was about 80 percent full. We enjoyed the Le Gourmet, Portifino and Mikado ala cartes at the Coba. We also enjoyed the Katok steakhouse at the Akumal (requires upgraded bracelet). As the quiet pool was now gone, we found ourselves hanging around the quiet jacuzzi pool. The Tequila resort personnel were testing out all there new speakers and the noise was much louder than we prefer as the thumping sound carried well into the Coba resort. It will be interesting to see how late they thump the music once the new resort opens on December 1st. We found the rooms to be clean and cool and the personnel were as great as we have come to expect at the Bahia. Well done Bahia!

Very Disappointed!! We stayed at Sian Khan 2 years ago and thought The Coba would be great to take my daughter’s family with 2 small kids because of the kids waterpark. The kids enjoyed it very much! I will say that and the pools. The staff are all great and I’m sure it’s the this place is managed. We felt like we were second class guests there, we didn’t pay enough to get top service. ($7500 for 4 adults and 2 toddlers) There’s no restaurant or food of any type at the beach for Coba guests. My bad for not discovering that before we went. There’s only 1 bar at the beach and the day we were there 2 bartenders but only 1 was serving drinks the other guy was farting around not helping even though the line was 30 ppl deep all getting multiple drinks because of how long it was and we didn’t pay enough this twice same line same 1 bartender and slacker but I’m sure that’s the way management wants it to operate to get you to upgrade. So we visited the beach 1 day that’s it. The pool bars weren’t much better but occasionally the second bartender would jump in and help. Overall I don’t recommend this resort because your money could be spent somewhere where they actually appreciate it! We will never be back to a Bahía for this reason!

Disappointed doesn’t begin to cover our experience. We have stayed with this chain before, and the decline within 4 years is incredible. The rooms are in disrepair, uncomfortable and smell like mold and mildew. Staff does what they can to keep up and keep it clean, but it is visibly falling apart and not being maintained. The food is subpar and repetitive. Reservations are very hard to get at the alacart restaurants and honestly disappointing once there. The vibe and service is almost hostile in the Portofino restaurant, with wait staff leading with restrictions to the menu and host behaving like guests are a nuisance. Food again is subpar. Buffet is decent, but no matter the “theme” of the night, the only change I saw in what was offered throughout the week was the welcome drink. Alcohol is either bottom shelf, migraine inducing or watered down. But the absolute biggest disappointment was the advertised allowance of free rein throughout the connecting chains of sister resorts is no longer allowed without additional costs. And if you’re caught walking through the adjacent same-name resort you are treated like a criminal trespassing. You want to see the advertised beach? You now have to pay for that. Family of 10 that visits this destination annually, and we will NEVER be returning to this chain!