TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Bahia Principe Grand Tulum – A Beautiful Property With Tremendous Potential, but Management Needs Improvement Our stay at Bahia Principe Grand Tulum was a mixed experience. This resort has tremendous potential. The grounds are beautiful and well-maintained, the pools are enjoyable, and the food was generally good. However, several operational and management issues prevent the property from delivering the experience it is capable of providing. I genuinely want to see this resort succeed, which is why I’m sharing constructive feedback rather than simply criticizing it. The Positives The property itself is attractive, with beautiful landscaping, enjoyable pools, and a pleasant overall atmosphere. We also enjoyed the food throughout much of our stay. Special Recognition: Francisco at the Yucatan Breakfast Buffet I especially want to recognize Francisco, who took excellent care of us at breakfast two mornings in a row. Despite the restaurant being extremely busy and noticeably understaffed, Francisco remained attentive, hardworking, professional, and genuinely committed to providing excellent service. His hospitality was so exceptional that I personally got up from our table to shake his hand and thank him. I sincerely hope management recognizes Francisco for his outstanding work. He is an asset to this resort and represents the type of hospitality that makes guests feel appreciated. I also want to recognize the pool bartender, who provided excellent service despite working alone during busy periods when additional help was clearly needed. He was attentive, friendly, and even remembered our drink preferences. These employees demonstrated that the resort has dedicated people who genuinely care about their guests. Areas That Need Improvement 1. All-Inclusive or Semi-All-Inclusive? The Resort Needs to Decide This was probably my biggest frustration. Bahia Principe Grand Tulum needs to decide exactly what type of experience it wants to offer. Is it a fully all-inclusive resort or a semi-all-inclusive property with limitations? The restrictions on à la carte dining are frustrating, particularly when combined with the restaurant reservation process. We were informed that some guests reserve restaurants weeks in advance, leaving limited availability for other guests. There is absolutely nothing wrong with offering a budget-conscious vacation or limiting specialty dining. However, those restrictions should be communicated clearly and prominently before guests book. Guests deserve to know exactly what they are purchasing, including how many specialty restaurant visits are included and how reservations are handled. My suggestion is simple: Decide what experience you want to deliver, communicate it transparently, and execute it consistently. 2. Restaurant Service and Execution We visited the Brazilian steakhouse, where the food was good but the service was poorly coordinated. At times, we waited approximately 7–10 minutes between servings of meat. We also observed employees walking around without skewers instead of continuously serving guests. The issue wasn’t the food selection. It was the execution. A Brazilian steakhouse should offer a steady, coordinated dining experience, and unfortunately, that wasn’t consistently delivered. 3. Understaffing and Management Oversight The Yucatan breakfast buffet was another example of an operational problem. The employees were working extremely hard to accommodate the volume of guests. Tables generally did not remain dirty for long, and the staff was constantly moving. However, there simply did not appear to be enough employees to handle the demand comfortably. What concerned me most was the apparent lack of active management assistance during these busy periods. When employees are overwhelmed, supervisors should be actively coordinating service, helping where necessary, and ensuring appropriate staffing. This is not a criticism of the frontline employees. They were doing their best with the resources available. 4. Beach Conditions and Sargassum Removal The beach was disappointing due to a significant amount of sargassum seaweed along the shoreline. I want to be fair about this: I do not hold the presence of sargassum against the resort. It is a natural, regional issue that no resort can completely control. However, what management can control is its response. During our stay, there did not appear to be enough workers assigned to remove the accumulated seaweed effectively. The cleanup effort seemed insufficient for the amount washing ashore. Additional staffing and a more proactive cleanup operation would help improve the beach experience, even during periods of heavy sargassum. The resort cannot control nature, but it can improve how it responds to it. 5. Pool Towel Availability The resort ran out of pool towels by approximately 10 a.m. For a property of this size, that is an avoidable operational inconvenience. Guests should not have difficulty obtaining something as basic as a pool towel early in the morning Final Thoughts My overall impression is that Bahia Principe Grand Tulum is experiencing something of an identity crisis. The property appears to want to position itself as an upscale resort, but some of its policies and operational practices create an experience that feels more budget-oriented. There is nothing wrong with being an affordable all-inclusive resort. In fact, offering good value can be a major competitive advantage. However, guests should clearly understand the experience they are purchasing, and the resort should consistently deliver on those expectations. I don’t believe this resort has an employee problem. I believe it has a management, staffing, training, communication, and execution problem. The employees who stood out during our visit proved that excellent hospitality is possible here. Unfortunately, that level of service was not consistent throughout the property. With stronger management involvement, improved restaurant reservations, clearer dining policies, adequate staffing, better beach maintenance, and more consistent service standards, this property could become an outstanding destination. I hope management takes this feedback constructively because I genuinely believe the resort has the potential to be much better. Finally, Francisco at the Yucatan breakfast buffet deserves special recognition. His exceptional hospitality was one of the highlights of our stay, and I sincerely hope management acknowledges his efforts.

They did not honor our request for bed types (2 double beds) even though we were asked well in advance what type we wanted. We have 4 children so this hindered things. We had my wife’s purse stolen from our room along with our cash, credit cards, and all items within it. They took a report but we never heard anything else about it. They didn’t try to make it right at all.

We had an absolutely wonderful and blessed stay at this resort! From the moment we arrived until the time we left, our experience was amazing. The resort was fantastic, but what truly made our stay so special was the incredible staff. Everyone we encountered was welcoming, kind, helpful, and genuinely made us feel taken care of. I would especially like to recognize Ivan and Zahory at the front desk, Saul at the truck spot, Airam and Francisco at the buffet, Yolanda at the lobby bar. Each of them stood out for their outstanding service, warm personalities, and kindness. They made our experience even more memorable, and their efforts deserve to be recognized and appreciated. I would also like to give a special thank you to the wonderful housekeeper Maria who took care of Suite 1512-1513. Their hard work and attention to detail did not go unnoticed and we truly appreciated everything they did to make our suite comfortable and welcoming. Honestly everyone we encountered throughout the resort was amazing. It is clear that the staff play such a huge role in creating a positive and memorable vacation experience, and they did exactly that for us. Thank you to the entire team for your hospitality, kindness, and exceptional service. We left with wonderful memories and so much appreciation for everyone who made our stay special. We would absolutely love to return and highly recommend this resort to anyone looking for a fantastic vacation??

?? Very disappointing experience – would not return Unfortunately, our stay at Bahia Principe Grand Tulum was nowhere near the standard we expected from an all-inclusive resort. A major issue was that we did not have access to all of the restaurants advertised, as several were closed for the majority of our stay. This left us with very limited options. The buffet was also extremely busy. On one occasion, I stood waiting for around 30 minutes for a table with my disabled father, while a significant section of the seating area was closed off and sectioned away despite how busy it was. The situation became so bad that we eventually paid separately for a meal just so we could get some decent-quality food. We tried to resolve the situation, but around 2.5 hours later we still hadn't managed to get a satisfactory meal, so we eventually gave up and complained to reception. The quality of the buffet food was also noticeably poor. What made this even more concerning was that staff told us the food quality had been reduced because of the number of Mexican guests staying for Independence Day, as they apparently pay considerably less than international guests. If that is genuinely the reason we were given, I find this completely unacceptable. Every paying guest should receive the same standard of food and service regardless of nationality or what they have paid. The snack facilities were another major disappointment. Only one snack bar was operating, resulting in queues of around 45 minutes to an hour, and when we eventually received the food, some of it was so poor that it was practically inedible. This holiday was supposed to be about relaxing and enjoying an all-inclusive resort. Instead, we spent far too much time queuing, trying to find somewhere to eat and dealing with facilities that simply weren't available. The situation was particularly difficult because we were travelling with my disabled father, and the excessive queues and lack of available seating made things even more challenging. Overall, I feel the hotel was overcrowded, under-resourced and not providing the standard of food and facilities we had paid for. Very disappointing and, based on our experience, I would not return to this resort.

i want to preface this with the knowledge that we were at the resort during low season so some things were scaled down. the grounds are beautiful and the landscaping is well kept. lots of animals/birds to see. staff were mostly decent but only a few were above average. buffet food was very repetitive in all the hotels as we made our way around trying to find the best option. (more on this later) the ala cart's we booked were mediocre at best. the carts to take you around are plentiful and always seem to be right around the corner or already waiting with staff that are happy to take you. best buffet was Akumal by far for all 3 meals - side note none of the buffets have AC so be prepared with a small personal fan coba was based more on authentic mexican from what we could tell. sian kan was a bit better selection of buffet food but still primarily the same. we stayed at tequila the adult section which was to have it's own buffet for all three meals for those that wish to avoid children but they had changed it to ala cart just for breakfast and dinner due to being low season (our guess?) however we paid the premium to have all adult and were then forced into going to the family resorts for lunch. Brazilian - was by far the best - meatatarian paradise! Japanese - was next with fresh sushi and many options the smoked - no smoke has touched anything in this restaurant it is all grilled but that was the extent of any smoke. the brisket served was wafer thin, dry, no flavor all meats we had were tough the Italian - horrible, wife had the carbonara it was dry, pasty, and noodles just barely al dente, i had the beef lasagna the sauce was the same as the tomato soup they had served as a starter, super salty and noodles way over done. the pools are expansive however our favorite was Akumal's at one of the family portions. we stayed at the tequila but the party scene in the pool isn't really our thing. one thing we did note was that all the pools are in rough shape especially if there are over head concrete walkways. they all have concrete falling off, rusted metal exposed, paint peeling. they were also very dirty when we first arrived with a hazy discoloration. by the time we were leaving they had cleared up to some degree but were still not crystal clear. the booze was as described in many other reviews hit and miss and running low. i am a bourbon drinker but don't mind having some variety. my wife is not really a drinker but does like a pina colada or frozen drink on occasion. we found that the liquor seemed to move from hotel to hotel, one day jack daniels or buffalo trace would be in one the next day not but in some other location. they ran out of several types of liquor while we were there as well in particular the coconut rum. pours were light unless you specifically asked and watched. we also had an unfortunate encounter with an amstar rep trying to get us to but into membership which we were original considering due to the size, variety and location of the resort and now being part of Hyatt. he told us about the program and asked if we would be willing to come to a breakfast and tour which again we agreed to for the following morning. he then went on to ask if there was any restaurant that we wanted but didn't get. we explained that we had prebooked through the app and that we were happy with our choices as my wife can be a picky eater. after some persistence i did say that i would have liked to go to the Brazilian but not if it changed our scheduled or cost anything which he assured me it wouldn't and made reservations for that evening. we went and it was very good. the next morning while discussing the membership he again asked if there were any other restaurants that we wanted and was pushing the seafood. we again declined stating that we were happy with our choices and looking forward to going to the smoked that evening, it was then that he informed us that we no longer had the reservation he took it for the Brazilian. i checked the App on my phone and found that it was indeed gone which upset me and we ended the conversation with him pleading that he could get us to the smoked which i did not want to discuss further with him. we then had a call to the room from front desk management that we had the reservations, and we explained that due to the confusion and situation we were not interested only to find a handwritten note under our door stating that we had the reservation. we went to the front desk and after some discussion was assured, we could go to the smoked and everything would be good. it was still not on our App but we went and were allowed seating.