Monday 16 February 2015

Gran Bahia Tulum: the good, the bad and the beautiful.

Our holiday in Mexico was not our usual type of get-away. 

By nature, I love holidays that take in as many different sights and experiences as possible. This normally means I drag my poor husband to multiple locations and hotels during one trip. Although I love this way of travelling, it doesn't always make for relaxation. As total relaxation was definitely the aim on this trip, it meant we did something very rare: a package holiday to a resort. I fell in love with it!

We booked through Thomas Cook and had a mixed experience. Although our flights were awful (think surprise charges, no entertainment on an 8 hour flight, fights breaking out on board leading to passengers being arrested), the reps at the resort were very friendly and helpful and did everything they could to make it special for us. If it wasn't for the journey, I would consider booking with them again. 

The resort itself was the Gran Bahia Principe Tulum and it was absolutely incredible! Honestly, I couldn't recommend it enough. 




The resort is made up of three hotels: Tulum, Akumel and Coba and so it is absolutely huge. You can take advantage of facilities in every hotel so you get the best of three worlds. Hands down, Akumel had the best swimming pools and the best meal we had on our holiday was here. However, Tulum has the best beach and, as we'd take swimming in crystal clear sea water over overcrowded chlorine filled pools any day, this won us over!

Don't let the size of the resort put you off. There are charming golf buggies you can hop on and off to help you get all over the place. 

Our room

I have to admit here that I am a hotel snob! It's a terrible quality of mine but I spend hours every time we go away scouring tripadvisor, pouring over the visitor photos to choose the best bargain without compromising on my high standards. I know going into this holiday that these rooms were not going to meet my usual tastes but the resort had me hooked so we booked anyway. 

I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the decor was dated but the bed was huge and comfy with a seating area. Best of all, it had a wonderful balcony overlooking the dolphinarium and with a sea view. We were in villa 31 which is located right next to the beach - absolutely perfect for drinking cocktails on the beach all morning and heading back for a post-lunch siesta!



The cons: Although our room was nice, it wasn't perfect. Our shower leaked which flooded the bathroom. Every.single.time! Which meant our towels were continually used as mops..
The staff also frequently forgot to refill the mini bar, despite taking the tip left for them. All in all though, these were minor complaints and definitely not worth a bad review. 


Food and Drink

I had only ever stayed at one all inclusive resort before Mexico and the food was questionable to say the least. It was definitely quantity over quality. Therefore, the Gran Bahia blew my expectations out of the water. You have the choice of several buffet restaurants and, if staying in Tulum, you could have breakfast in the Brazilian restaurant which we loved - fresh food and escaping the crowds. For dinner, the main buffet had a themed night every night. It's amazing how good a Mexican hotel can be at Asian food - their sushi was to die for! Surprisingly, the only night we weren't fussed about was the Mexican night. Pretty disappointing in Mexico...

The stand out food destinations were the a la carte restaurants. Man were they good! As we stayed for 11 nights, we had 6 reservations. We choose:

- Don Pablo - A formal, international restaurant with a dress code. The food we had here was wonderful! I believe I had the pork belly and Steve had lamb. It was a beautiful setting with live classical music - the perfect choice for a romantic evening.



- Tequila - The Mexican restaurant. It has a beautiful location looking over the beach and has a fun atmosphere. However, the food didn't quite match up to the standards of other restaurants so unless you're intent on having (Western style) mexican food (think Tex Mex), I would give it a miss!




- Mikado - A japanese restaurant. If you book this restaurant, you HAVE to book a show table. We all sat around in a group of 8-10 and watched as the chef cooked our food in front of us with a tonne of showmanship and laughs. The food was great and it was definitely a night to remember. Top tip: Book early (like as soon as you get to the hotel), those show tables fill up fast!



Pescador - A fish restaurant in Coba. It's a bit of a trek but we really enjoyed our evening at Pescador. This was largely due to a hilarious waiter who made it his mission to get us filled up on 'Mexican water'. If you've been to Mexico, you'll know this is code for tequila. It made for an hilarious evening full of great memories but sadly any idea of taking photos went out of the window as soon as those shots arrived. 

Rodzio - A novelty Brazilian restaurant. If you're a vegetarian, give this place a miss! It is meat central. Waiters wander round ceaselessly with skewers of different types of marinated meats and fill up your plates until you've had your fill. Our experience was nice enough but we were already big fans of this type of restaurant from home and so the novelty was lost on us. We've seen it done better!

Arlequin - I've saved the best for last. If we ever go back, I would seriously consider using all 6 of my reservations on this one place. The food we had there seriously rivals any food i've had in Michelin starred restaurants in England. It was THAT good! Its set on the beach so you can watch the storms roll in and the food was creative and delicious. Don't skip it! Remember to finish off your meal with a flaming coffee - the show is spectacular. I wish i'd gotten a photograph.

Cocktail bars are everywhere at the resort. You are spoilt for choice and the alcohol used almost seems premium. The Gran Bahia does not seem to compromise on quality.



 The facilities

A dolphinariam, several pools, crazy golf, free water sports, free snorkelling, an active entertainment programme, shops, mexican markets in the hotel grounds... you seriously couldn't get bored in this place. 

One of our favourite activities was taking out a complimentary kayak for a couple of hours to explore. We even saw a massive sting ray just underneath us which Steve epically failed at taking a picture of ha! We love kayaking in England so we knew this would be an ideal way to spend a couple of hours. 

Overall: We loved it! Go, go, go and don't hesitate. 








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