Bahia Principe Luxury Sian Ka'an (Adults Only)

“Great Stay at Sian Ka'an”

Great experience at the Sian Ka'an. Rooms are fairly standard for similar hotels. Maid and room service prompt and efficient. The rooms are a little bit worn - not as sharp as one might expect for 5 star. The food was excellent - both buffet and a la carte. Shuttles to other hotels were usuall… more

Great experience at the Sian Ka'an. Rooms are fairly standard for similar hotels. Maid and room service prompt and efficient. The rooms are a little bit worn - not as sharp as one might expect for 5 star. The food was excellent - both buffet and a la carte. Shuttles to other hotels were usually quick. Able to eat at a la carte restaurants of other hotels which as an excellent feature of our stay.

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“Staff and "Jungle" setting saves the experience.”

Been to this resort in 2018 and was really impressed. It has sadly gone downhill post Covid or seems like new management that does not understand the previous brand. That being said, the staff, setting, jungle vibe, pools, entertainment, activities, buffet etc. are very good. The "luxury" experien… more

Been to this resort in 2018 and was really impressed. It has sadly gone downhill post Covid or seems like new management that does not understand the previous brand. That being said, the staff, setting, jungle vibe, pools, entertainment, activities, buffet etc. are very good. The "luxury" experience is not what it once was. Room and buildings need a refresh. Some rooms were nice but others need a total makeover. (sadly this was our room and I should have insisted on a switch during our stay due to the constant damp smell) For an AI food is better than most places and drinks are good. Missing the wow factor of previous visits. Little details make the difference in the "luxury" experience. Beach is pretty but very rocky. Water shoes are a must and should be provided for that extra wow factor. Sian Ka'an beach bar is gorgeous and the ability to use all other facilities and restaurants in the entire complex was great. The trolley to other parts of the complex were efficient but if you want to walk out on to the beach this is not your place. Akumal also has an adults only area if you want an "on the beach experience" but only limited sections. There is no butler service anymore as with other BP "luxury" properties and the "chat with us" what app concierge is ok and met expectations 50% of the time. Cenote bar was a good spot to hang out for lunch or breakfast but had limited 24 hour options with not great quality as we arrived late on the first night and that was our only option. (bit underwhelming). Vibe on property is chill and activity pool can get really fun. NYE party was top notch, the staff, buffet, and entertainment was an unforgettable experience. Talking to some of the guest experience persons they were aware of the issues I brought up and I really hope BP ups it's game.

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“Great for groups or families with older kids ...not recommended for solo travellers !”

Just got back from the Bahia Principe Sian Ka'an. There were a lot of really great things about this 9 day vacation over Christmas and ending on New Years Eve, but there were also some things I didn't particularly like. I would recommend this resort if you are travelling with young adult family… more

Just got back from the Bahia Principe Sian Ka'an. There were a lot of really great things about this 9 day vacation over Christmas and ending on New Years Eve, but there were also some things I didn't particularly like. I would recommend this resort if you are travelling with young adult family members or a group of friends, but I would recommend you look elsewhere as a solo traveller which I was for this trip. I give it a 4/5 for groups/families and maybe 3/5 for solo travellers. First the good parts: The staff at the resort are excellent - genuinely warm, helpful, happy people who want you to have the best experience you can have at their facilities. Not a single complaint about any of the staff from my perspective ....they have great teams from the buffet staff, to the entertainment team, to the front desk people, to the Cenote Grill late night crew, the hardworking bar staff and restaurant servers. The grounds of the resort are very well kept and you can tell there's a lot of pride in the groundskeepers who keep the pathways clean and clear and the grounds well landscaped. Some of the entertainment that I saw was excellent - really enjoyed the Rock Show and the Silent Disco night was heaps of fun and had lots of smiling faces - I just wish the Silent Disco had gone on longer than 10:45pm Restaurant choices - with 4 resorts and tons of a la carte options available to you, you will not be bored of what to eat for dinner at night. Standouts for me were the Japanese Teppanyaki dinner, the surprisingly excellent Indian Restaurant and the Brazilian Rodizio. I missed trying some of the others I wanted to get to but there are tons of choices - just be sure to download the Hotel App and book a few dinners in advance of arriving or see the Guest Services desk when you arrive to make arrangements. I did go to the Spa for a full massage and that was an excellent experience and I would recommend this if you like to treat yourself to a massage If you are a golfer, I'm sure you will appreciate the PGA golf course on the grounds that is available to you. I did see some interesting wildlife, the racoons, Coatis and Capybaras during my stay. The raccoons and coatis are really cute creatures and obviously used to being around (and fed by) humans. Now the things i didn't particularly like. The first is the proximity to the beach - I knew this resort was in the 'jungle' away from the beach, but I didn't realize the actual distance to the beach and the time commitment needed to get shuttles to the main resort areas of the sister resorts of Akumal, Coba and Tulum. You really have to decide if you are having a beach day vs having a pool day at Sian Ka'an whereas at some other hotels you can easily get both in the same day with minimal effort. I spent most of my time at the activity pool and only did 2 beach days in my 9 day visit. I will say the ocean beach does offer the infinity pool, a bar and a very good buffet breakfast and lunch option in the Katok restaurant (sp?) . The beach itself for Sian Ka'an section has coral and sand, so I would absolutely recommend water shoes for this area. Some people told me that other sections were sandier further up the beach. The Sian Ka'an Activity pool was usually lively with lounge and house music throughout the day, some silly games, a foam party in the pool, aquafit, pool volleyball and Water polo and more as well as a waitress and a bar. While there was a good selection of alcohol available, I felt like the mix wasn't up to "luxury" quality - some of the drink mixers tasted not great to me (ie orange juice and pineapple juice that tasted like a Tang dry mix) - some even tasted like sugar free mixes with aspartame so I steered clear of most of those. I WAS happy to see the bar had real Canadian Caesars with Clamato Juice available and Aperol Spritz's on offer. As a solo person, the one thing I missed having at Sian Ka'an was a Swim Up bar in the Activities pool, as this is often a great place to meet other travellers and interact during the day with other guests. For dining, I didn't particularly enjoy a la carte dining alone for my stay at the hotel. As a suggestion it would be great if every evening there was a Communal Table offering at a different a la carte that Solo travellers could opt to join in to meet other solo travellers and not feel like an outcast dining alone each might. Perhaps even having a Solo traveller meetup or event similar to what cruise ships do to help ease the anxiety of solo travel in a large resort would be a helpful idea. I also didn't enjoy the fact that the Lobby Bar closed promptly at 11pm every night and if you want to drink and socialize you can only choose to go to the Cenote Grill or get the 15 minute shuttle to the Hacienda Complex where the Casino and a DJ and bar are open later. The 11pm closure seems awfully early to me compared to other 5 star resorts I've visited. The Casino at the Hacienda, while small was pretty good and I enjoyed some Roulette while others partook of other table games or slots. The late night DJ and bar in the Hacienda were fun, but I'm not sure a lot of people knew about it as it was often poorly attended, and sometimes only by the 18+ crowd. I felt like I was learning more about the Resort's offerings each day and by the end of my week I knew more of what was on offer. I didn't get to any of the food truck experiences, the sports bar and some of the other things available to me on the other resorts as I really didn't know about them. I didn't realize until day 5 of my 9 day stay that my Air Transat Rep was actually located around the corner from the bar inside a room for Reps. I kept looking for him to be sitting in the Bar Lounge area with his shirt on not realizing I had to look around the corner to find him. I had seen the Air Canada rep in the Lobby and a Tui Rep and just thought I kept missing my guy whenever I checked the lobby - yes I felt silly about this when I asked the Bartender and he told me to go around the corner. The rooms were a very good size, however I did feel like other travellers they could use some TLC and refurbishment. The included mini bar with potato chips, sparkling and bottled still water, pop, beer and liquor is a nice touch and you appreciate it throughout the week. All in all, I had a good experience, I wouldn't say it was great but it was definitely good. Recommend this resort for families with older kids or groups, or couples, but not Solo travellers.

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“Overall the 5 Star luxury is suited for the food and brand drinks but the rooms, pools etc are more 3-4 star”

We have stayed at all of the hotels in this complex over the years so new the area. We booked this because of the 5 Star rating and adult only. Pros: As with all of these the staff where excellent, cheerful, quick to respond from reception to bar staff. Jungle location meant lots of wildlife, we … more

We have stayed at all of the hotels in this complex over the years so new the area. We booked this because of the 5 Star rating and adult only. Pros: As with all of these the staff where excellent, cheerful, quick to respond from reception to bar staff. Jungle location meant lots of wildlife, we saw Coatis, Capybara, a Mayan Fox, bird life galore and various spiders, iguana etc. Also the hotel has a colony of bats in the reception roof, a surprise at dusk. Location is 1.5 mile (2.4 km) from the beach but there are regular golf buggies to transport you. It also meant my wife and could get in a nice 3 mile walk to the beach and back before breakfast, made us feel less guilty about the food and drink. Beach bar was great as where all the restaurants, great staff, good food and brand drinks. The shows varied in standard from good to excellent. The cons: Again jungle location, lots of bugs, never been eaten so much despite soaking myself in DEET and taking a portable bug repellent. The humidity was also very high meaning it was impossible to dry anything on return from the beach or pool. Rooms are old looking, very dark and in need of an update. The storage is suitable for short breaks. No drawers, a couple of shelves and limited hanging space, we ended up leaving items in the case. I would recommend taking a torch as for some bizarre reason all of the path lights are switched off at 0630 despite it being dark for another hour. The wifi is free but medieval in speed, there is an option to purchase premium which I thought was poor for a "luxury" hotel. Overall the 5 Star luxury is suited for the food and brand drinks but the rooms, pools etc are more 3-4

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