Akumal Beach Resort Oct 6-13/07 Darrell & Brenda, Halifax, NS

We LOVED it!!! It's true, the ABR is not for everybody, but it was the right place for us. We loved the laid back friendly atmosphere. If you want glitz and glamour, then pick another resort.

Our trip was Oct 6-13. We were celebrating our 30th Anniversary on Oct 8th. We arrived in Cancun at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. It was beautiful warm and sunny. On the way to the resort it started to shower a little. We did have an afternoon thunder and lightening shower. I thought the light show was a nice welcome for us. lol. We were given room 529. Second floor overlooking the pool and beach. We had a beautiful view. About five minutes after we got to the room there was a knock on the door. Two staff members delivered a bottle of champaigne and a lovely fruit plate. They also gave us a and Anniversary congratulations note.

After walking around the resort and checking out the facilities we knew we made the right choice. The resort is so easy to navigate. Nothing is further than a few steps away. The ABR is located on a beautiful stretch of beach. Entry into the water is easy with no rocks to climb over.

Our room was comfortable and clean. Everything worked the way it should. Our patio door did not lock automatically when you shut it. The humidity is quite high in October. I took a couple of dollar store garment bags to keep the clothes that needed to be hung in the closet free of moisture. I also took a couple of extra large garbage bags to keep the suitcases in. It worked perfectly to keep the moisture off the clothes. At the end of the week the few pieces of clothes that were hanging out of the garment bags were quite damp. I dried them with the hair dryer before I packed them. Problem solved. There was no fridge in the room, however we were provided with an insulated water jug that we took to the bar and filled with ice. We had a water cooler around the corner from our room that we added to the ice. Voila, ice water. The safe is a little smaller than some of the other resorts we have been to, but it was plenty big enough for everything we needed to keep in it. The water pressure in the shower was great. Lots of hot water. The tv had several english speaking channels. For the most part the rooms were pretty sound proof. We did hear our neighbours come home a couple of nights. I don't think some people realize that they can actually shut their door without slamming it.

We had no problem finding enough food in the buffet to keep us satisfied. Carlos in the buffet only asked us what we wanted to drink the first day, after that he knew and just confirmed it with us before he got our "cold milk" and agua. The selection may not have been as varied as some of the other resorts we have been to, but we didn't find anything to complain about. There was the usual breakfast fare, omelet bar for eggs any way you liked them. They only had fried bacon on Friday, but there was always bacon chopped for omelets. There were also fresh pancakes, french toast, etc. each morning. Breakfast pastries, dry cereal, fruit, sliced meat, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, juice, etc. I'm probably forgetting something. Oh, the best muslie. Real nuts! Lunch in the buffet had fish, chicken, pork and beef in some form or another. There was a nice selection of salad fixings as well as a couple of different salads. Fresh fruit, yummy deserts. Soup, nachos, salsa, guac, a couple of different vegetable dishes, rice. There was also a pasta bar and something was always being freshly grilled. Supper was laid out similiar to lunch, but had nightly themes. They were carving roast beef one night and grilling fresh fish. I think we missed the BBQ night. Never had a problem finding something we liked.

If you couldn't find something to eat in the buffet at lunch, you could always visit the snack bar. Pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, some days chicken nuggets, some days chicken pieces. Nachos, salsa, melted cheese, salads, fruit. Solf serve ice cream. We had a few through the week. I liked with topped with a spoon or two of the fruit salad.

We ate one night at each restaurant, the Italian and the Mexican. OMG, too much food. Hubby is a little picky and doesn't like spicy food so he didn't enjoy the restaurants as much as I did, but I was stuffed when we got up to leave. If you book the restaurants, eat lightly at lunch or you will be sorry, soooo much food and soooo good.

Because it was slow season there was never a wait for anything. The three bars are only about a three minute walk between each of them. Drinks were good, bartenders are very cheerful, always smiling. Service was great throughout the whole resort. Everybody was very helpful.

Snorkeling was the best. It was like snorkeling in the worlds biggest aquarium. It was Darrell's first time snorkeling. He was amazed. I loved it. The first day out we stopped counting turtles at 8. We saw the fish ball, the barracuda, a stingray, angel fish, beautiful beautiful fish.

We had some wet weather while we were at the ABR but that was to be expected, tis the season. We didn't let it stop us. You can still swim even when it is raining. I did get out of the water when it started to thunder and lightening. There was some rain the first couple of days but it didn't last long. It did rain all day Wednesday when a system passed over us. Thursday morning came with the sun and it was beautiful. We had rain some days after dark, that suited me fine.

We toured the Tulum ruins early in the morning. We took the collectivo $2 each one way. Much better than a taxi. I think a taxi from the ABR to Tulum was around $30. We paid $48 for a guided tour, transportation from the gate to and from the ruins and entrance to the park. I would highly recommend getting the guide. They explain things and answer any questions you have, it is most certainly the way to go. Go early, there is not a lot of shade and it can get pretty hot.

We strolled the beach to Akumal several times, it is only a ten minute walk, if that. We didn't realize that the Chomak was as big inside as it was. I though it was only a tiny little store. Was I surprised when we entered. They had t-shirts starting at $2 US. You could buy other souvenirs, jewelry, grocery items, liquor, pretty well anything you were looking for. There are a couple of dive shops in the area. If you don't have your own snorkel gear and want to buy some, it is very reasonable priced.

To sum it up, we had wonderful vacation. Everybody was so nice and helpful. Service was great. We met several very nice people from all over the place. We are looking forward to our next trip to the ABR. Thanks to the staff at the ABR for a wonderful week.

Pictures can be seen at webshots. http://community.webshots.com/slideshow/561047549pdbqoF?mediaPosition=91