Bahia Principe Grand Coba reviews
17359 TripAdvisor reviews
Awful resort
Nicolec1231988 (Great Malvern, United Kingdom) on Mar 23, 2024
We were very disappointed with this resort. The rooms are very run down and dirty. The pool bars smelt like vomit. The buffets were like feeding time at the zoo. Most the staff were stood around on their phones so it was hard to get any kind of service. Please don’t waste you money, stay somewhere else.
Amazing trip!
Christina C on Mar 21, 2024
We had the most wonderful trip to Bahia Principe Grand Coba! We are a family of four, our children being 5 and 2. We travelled with another family with children ages 3 and 18 months. This resort was an incredible family resort and we would most definitely return. A few of our favourite aspects: - the splash pad and water slides were so fun! There is enough space and options that it never feels crowded, and it was the perfect depth that our 2, 3, and 5 year olds could comfortably play without puddle jumpers on. - the pools were lots of fun and very clean. We spent most of our time at the gradual-entry (lake style?) of the main pool because it was easiest for our little ones to play comfortably. We did venture to the quiet pool as well and enjoyed the oasis-y vibe there. - the beach was fun, although a bit rocky, but we saw stingrays and some small fish which was cool. It was a quick trolley ride from the main lobby which our kids always enjoyed. If it were just us adults we would have walked for sure as it was only about 10 minutes. - the lifeguards at the beach, pools, and splash pad were always paying attention and on top of things, which I very much appreciated. We were with our kids the whole time, but it definitely made me feel safe - the food was excellent with lots of choice for the kids as well - special shout out to Miguel at the main buffet for being so sweet to our children and always remembering our lattes and mimosas in the morning :) Oscar with the entertainment team was also fabulous and very helpful! A fantastic resort!
Not our favourite holiday, but the Kids Club made it worth it
Keira G on Mar 21, 2024
This was our first all inclusive and trip to Mexico. Family of 3 seasoned travelers. It is very unlikely we’d return. The hotel has an odd vibe, seeming to try to cater to all sorts. Thumping bass music around the pool area at night in the part we were told is for families (we love a good club night, but this was not the right venue for it!), lots of loud speaker “entertainment”, and constant selling of various hotel products (photo shoots, spa, etc) when you’re trying to relax or lounge at the pool. Not quiet or peaceful at all, unless you’re up and out before 1000. Activities at the pool seemed geared towards more party crowds. Pool drinks we tried were pretty gross and sickly sweet. Bottles of beer cost extra, you can only get 1 kind on tap, which was meh. Hotel transfer company (“Coming2”) is absolutely terrible, be prepared to wait 2 hours for pickup and dropoff and staff who do not care and run down mini busses. It’s a significant drive even with no traffic - 1hr 20 mins at best. Taxi would cost about $180USD one way. Suggest finding an alternative to the hotel transfer if you can (ie, booking a travel package with your airline). Agree with others that this is not a beach hotel, it’s a pool hotel. The trolleys are limited in their appeal, and while sometimes they come quickly, they sometimes do not. While the beach is walkable, it’s not realistic in the heat with beach gear and kids. Beach is okay - soft sand, warm water. As others have said definitely very rocky and doesn’t get deep. Pools are shallow but very kid friendly. Waterpark is fun. Kids club is the only redeeming factor for this hotel. The staff are exceptional, really caring and attentive. The activities are fun and engaging, although programming did change frequently and this isn’t communicated very well. We cancelled 2 of our a la carte restaurant bookings as the first 2 were just okay (Tepanyaki & Portofino) - the buffet had way more options and was surprisingly decent. Especially for kid choices or those needing alternative diet. Lots of fresh fruit and veg, various cuisines. We tried one of the poolside “snack” places once and it was awful, we didn’t go back. For the most part the staff are friendly and attentive, with the exception of the front desk who we didn’t find welcoming at all. I’d say one of the worst parts was being targeted by some hotel sales people who linger in the lobby, and try to rope you into becoming a member by offering you free things in exchange for their “special promotion” (they make it sound like it’s a one-off) and a “special breakfast” in the members only area to listen to a presentation. They were quite aggressive in getting us to go, and didn’t like it when we tried to say no. They downplay it and make it sound like they want to offer you something great, but it’s a LONG time listening to them try to sell their exceptionally expensive (10s of thousands of $$) membership, and what we got out of it (a 3-day free upgrade to access the other 2 hotels) was pretty ridiculous and ended up meaning nothing. It’s not a terrible place by any stretch, but as people have said, could certainly use some repair attention and TLC for the buildings.
Another Special Vacation
JudyB1861 (Saskatoon, Canada) on Mar 19, 2024
Just returned from our thirteen stay at the Gran Bahia Principe Coba. Prior to our vacation, we had contacted the Guest Services with a request for a specific building and to book our a la carte restaurants. We received a reply from Alicia Beltran, Guest Services Manager at the GBP Coba, who said that they will do their best to accommodate our request and if there was anything else we needed to contact her. On check-in, we were happy that they were able to accommodate our request for buildings and our a la cartes were pre-booked. Luis, Assistant Guest Services Manager, came out to greet us on check-in, wished us a good stay, and if there were any problems, concerns, or special requests, to contact him or Alicia. The resort and grounds continue to be well very maintained and attended to. The shuttle drivers are always happy to take us where we wanted to go. At the quiet the pool, we never had a problem finding a lounger in the shade early in the morning. The Kukulcan, Coba’s main buffet staff, especially Jose Marcial Caamal, were very hard working and we never waited to have our coffee, water or wine glasses refilled. Jose, Leonardo, Tomas, and Andre were very attentive in their duties and accomplished everything with a smile. We loved all the a la cartes we ate it, but this is subjective to what you like and what you order. All of the waiters were very attentive. Fabio, waiter at the Don Pablo, Miguel, waiter at the Dolce Vita, Israel and Arian, waiters at the Le Gourmet restaurant, Jesus at Alux, Alex at Katok, and Pedro, Jose, Gladys (manager), and Angelina (hostess) at Ku’uk were all excellent in their duties. At the main Coba lobby bar, Ofelia is fun to talk with and attentive to our needs. We much enjoyed our evenings sitting in the Premier Lobby at the Daiquiri Bar with Julian as the bartender. He is superb! With all that said, we had an absolutely wonderful vacation. Do not let negative reviews deter you from visiting. The staff is very hard working with positive attitudes. After 13 times, we still get just as excited to return and just as sad to leave as we did our very first visit. Remember to be patient, be kind, relax and you’ll have the best vacation! Thank you GBP Coba and we can’t wait to return next year!
Highly Recommended
Christopher T (North Yorkshire, United Kingdom) on Mar 19, 2024
Excellent resort. This is a large resort with several pools, and 3 sister resorts that you will have access to. There are electric 'extended golf buggies' which will take you to the other resorts or the beach. The beach is 5 mins from reception with plenty of sunbeds, but get there before 0900 if you want a shade option. Snorkelling in shallow water is good. There is a beach bar which doesn't become busy. But there no food available at the beach, so something to think about if planning a day on the beach. Tip - take a snorkel, and swim shoes as much of the sea bed is rock. Guest services and reception have friendly 'can do staff'. Always a positive attitude and a smile when I asked for something. Wifi was reasonable, but a little slow on occasions. All the pools are relatively shallow, with the deepest part only stomach high. The lifeguards are keen on the whistle, so avoid robust activities. There is a towel exchange hut at both main pools where you can exchange towels all day long. There didn't seem to be a limit on the number of towel exchanges per day. The food at the buffet restaurant was very good quality, plenty of it, and a wide variety. Nothing to complain about at all. (No dodgy tummies at all in our party!) Try the A La Carte Restaurants which had no extra cost. Recommend the Tappiyaki Restaurant. I won't spoil the surprise, but there is an element of theatre to your dining that's not to be missed. You will be sitting at a long table with other people that you don't know whilst the food being cooked. We also tried the Italian and Mexican A La Carte restaurants, which are recommended too. Tip - Book early in your stay to avoid disappointment. All inclusive drinks were decent, although I wasn't a fan of the draught beer. There's a mini bar/fridge in the rooms/suites which is supplied daily with 2 cans of beer. That was very drinkable and much better quality than the draught. We had a Junior Suite which was large, clean and tidy, recently decorated and the beds were very comfortable. There a safe in the room that was free to use. Ask for a 'safe key and block' at reception when you check in. You'll know what I mean when you get it! AC unit and fan worked well. As previous reviewers have mentions, wildlife is abundant. There are many coatis and agoutis roaming free around the resort but they are not aggressive. Iguanas bask in the sun during the day everywhere, and there is a wide variety of bird life. Mosquitos and bugs were not an issue at all for us, although we were bitten just a couple of times in our 11 night stay. The entertainment team work hard around the pools during the day, and the theatre and terrace bar in the evening. The shows are repeated every week, but are excellent. Well worth spending an hour to watch them. A couple of negatives: Our room had a musty, damp, mouldy smell. We asked at reception to change rooms when we arrived, but were told not possible as there were no rooms available. Told a dehumidifier would be provided but one never arrived despite asking twice. The fact that reception knew what to do, and didn't raise an eyebrow, suggested that it's a common occurrence. To dissipate the smell we opened the balcony doors when we were in the room, which helped. Most of the smell had gone by day 3. My best guess is that the damp is rising from the ground as the area is a rain forest. It wasn't the fact the room hadn't been used for a while as the smell didn't fully go for the 11 nights we were there. Tip - ask for a first floor or second floor room as the problem may not arise in those rooms. Sun beds by the pool with a shade option were very well sort after. Despite the signs asking guests no too, everyone placed towels on sunbeds early in the morning to reserve sunbeds. To secure a couple of sunbeds with a shade option, you will need to set your alarm for 0730/0745!! Cancun airport infrastructure cannot cope with multiple plans landing in quick succession. We arrived on a Wednesday evening, and it took us 4 hours from wheels touching the tarmac, to the transfer bus leaving the airport. Add a 10 hour flight from the UK and a 2 hour transfer, and its a very long day. We spoke to other guests at the resort who breezed through the airport with no hold ups at all. I really is a case of being unlucky if your plane lands at a similar time to other planes. Overall - We had a great holiday. Highly reccommeded.