Gran Bahia Principe Sian Ka'an Don Pablo Collection Reviews

Overall not bad. Newer of the four properties but lacking some touches. Housekeeping is a little scattered at times. Stayed 6 nights and the room mini bar (all inclusive) was only replenished twice. Calling only resulted in the famously overused phrase "we will send someone right over" but no one ever came. After a while, I just gave up. The rooms were nice, but the all concrete structure echoed every footstep made by any guest in the building. The mattress was the stiffest I had ever seen. The pillows were at least a foot thick without any give. Stayed in a jr penthouse suite with a jacuzzi on the upstair patio. Had to fill the tub myslef which took over 30 minutes due to the low flow of the faucet, only to find out that the jacuzzi did not work. The electrical outlet was tripped and would not re-set. The property grounds were well maintained. The pools were nice as well. The shuttles to the beach and the other properties were excellent. Spent most of our time at the other properties across the road since our location was limited on entertainment. I was surprised at the number of children staying there. I would not recommend for couples seeking a quite vacation. Too many strollers and children screaming at the pool. I would give this property a 3 star rating at best.

This resort is the most beautiful thing we've ever experienced! Fairly new when we went in January 2012, the service was impeccable. The buffets featured bite sized gourmet morsels of everything you've ever dreamed of, as well as things you've never heard of. There was a vast array of fresh options....fresh squeezed and blended fruit juices(papaya, pineapple, melon). Fresh baked foccaccia breads with flavored oils. Pasta stations, omelettes for breakfast, the freshest fish, sushi. Believe it or not, cappuccino that was outstanding. That is just the buffet at sian ka'an, the other resorts were good also but we were biased to our resort. There are also many restaurants that are a la carte. We found them to be very good, stunning decor and again, impeccable service. We were very surprised that we found ourselves gravitating towards the buffets. Not for the reason everyone would assume, lots of food to engorge yourself on, but because the food was made to order and so, so, so fresh and delicious. Also, Sian Ka'an has a few areas that are 24/7. One of them is the Cenote snack bar at one of the pools. Unbelievable! Gazpacho with fresh veggie fixins. Desserts, ice cream, salad bar, hamburgers right off the grill and hot dogs, surprisingly good pizza. Chicken wings, roast chicken and bbq ribs, oh yeah...Really good authentic mexican food. They make the masa and the empanadas right in front of you! Now, to be very clear, because I do believe there was obvious communication barrier and misconceptions.....when you stay at sian ka'an you have access unlimited to bahia tulum, bahia akumal and bahia coba, but they have no acces to your resort. Thus was nice for the peace and quiet at the end of the day. Also, you need to make reservations at the a la carte restaurants with the information people at the front desk and they stop taking reservations at 4;00 pm NO EXCEPTIONS! so make your reservations as soon aas you get there to be assured of getting what you want. We stayed in the penthouse suite with rooftop jacuzzi and it was amazing! We did notice that ALL your penthouse neighbors can see you so either learn to live with it or curtail your activities. We would sneak up when we saw that no one else was out there and we hung towels between us and our neighbor(because we noticed them sitting in the dark watching us one night...eeew), but for the most part, it didnt bother us. We found out later in our stay that our room was lacking an "information booklet" so we found a lot out on our own. Sian ka'an has its own area on the beach that they take you to. So you just need to take the golf cart labeled "la playa" and you will be escorted to your own paradise. private beach bar with a waitress that comes to every lounge chair to take drink orders. It is also located just a few steps(literally) from Delphinus where you can swim with(for a fee) and observe the dolphins(free). Delphinus is technically housed in bahia tulum so you can do some exxploring of that resort while you are enjoying your own private beach area...or if you're up for the hustle and bustle you can go to the beach that's attached to bahia tulum or bahia akumal. Both resorts also have lovely pool and activity areas. Bahia Coba does not sit directly on the beach but has a great night life vibe. Seriously.....the only CON......lots and lots of cigarette smoke! My husband and I are NOT smokers and certainly not used to being so inundated with it at every turn. You can not smoke in any of the restaurants but EVERYWHERE else is fair game.....on your patio, at the pool, riding in the golf carts to transport you between resorts, in the lobby, at the beach. Also, for die hard Dunkin Donuts coffee drinkers, there was not a cup of coffee to compare to that. I was great with the cappuccino, but my husband was jonesing for DD. This was really the best vacation we both have ever had. We left the kids home and were set on relaxing and the staff at Sian Ka'an definitely accomodated that.

Hubby and I just got back from celebrating our 12th anniversary at Sian Ka'an and honestly, it was better than our honey moon in Cozumel in 2000! This place is near perfect and any small changes we might have made were slight in comparison to all the things they did right. The only annoyance was having NO dresser in the room, which means that non-hanging items stayed in the suitcase. I don’t like feeling that I’m living out of a suitcase, and this property is too nice for that. But…let’s move on to the good stuff. The food was wonderful; we dined at Maiko and Alux (at Sian Ka’an). Other nights were spent at restaurants on the other properties: Mikado, Gran Tortuga and Don Pablo. The other two nights were at the Sian Ka’an buffet. Gran Tortuga was a disappointment but all other meals were excellent. The best part about this place is the people. The members of the Animation Team became fast friends and we looked forward to spending time with them every day. It’s because of them that we only left the property one time, because all the fun was right there! Oscar, Claudia, Luis, Brisa, Jocelyn and Angel…we miss you! The bartenders, servers, public relations people (Vanessa) and our reps through Olympus Tours (Brenda and Alex) were always helpful and extremely friendly as well. I should also mention that Denise (through CheapCaribbean) was great in helping me to book this - we would have never found this gem without her. When you stay at Sian Ka’an, you have access to the three other resorts (Tulum, Coba and Akumal) but I liked our property the best. I loved the private beach and all the beach games that the animation team organized. There was always something to do, but it was just as easy to spend hours at the beach reading a book. Each property has their own area of expertise (families, nightlife, etc.) and Sian Ka’an is there for upscale relaxation. It got pretty quiet after sundown but for those who want to go to a party or a show will easily find those things just a quick shuttle ride away. That being said, this place was a LOT of fun. We woke up every morning, meandered to the buffet, met a bunch of new friends and let the day happen to us, rather than planning out our day in advance. This was the perfect trip and I hope no one reads this so that it will always be our little secret. Don’t go! :-)

We were very impressed. When we found out it was not on the beach we were a little disappointed but once we got there and saw how beautiful it was and how it was just a short shuttle to the beach we were glad of our decision. The rooms are large and well kept. You have the choice of staying at your hotel and relaxing quietly by the pools or taking the shuttle to the beach and enjoy being with many others.

Had a great time the Sian Kaan resort seemed more laid back then the others but it was nice having access to all parts of the resort. The food wasnt that great. Be sure to take advantage of the A la carte dining options. All of the staff was amazing and very friendly. Almost everybody spoke good english.

This was my second visit to the Mayan Riviera and my second visit to the Bahia Principe Resorts. The first time I stayed at the Coba and after reading many reviews on trip advisor, I was hesitant to stay at any other resorts, I didn't want to be disappointed after the Coba. The jacuzzi suites are larger ones with a table & chairs in them, they have a real pull out sofa and a sliding partition that closes off the bedroom. There is one bathroom with a door to the bedroom and a door to the main room. These are ideal for more than two people in a room. The sofa beds in the regular suites are the kind that flip out, they are low to the floor and are definitely not as comfortable as the sofa beds in the jacuzzi suites. The landscaping is very immature right now, so the majority of the suites look toward the patios of each other. Once the shrubs and plants have time to mature it will be great, but right now there is not much privacy. That being said not many people were hanging around their patios. If you wait to upgrade at the hotel they charge you $20.00 per night per person for the garden view jacuzzi room, I am not sure about the penthouse. If you are planning on an upgrade do it before you go, there are not very many of the jacuzzi suites so they do not sit empty often. There was a waiting list when we were there for people wanting to upgrade. I have heard others rave about the king beds in this resort, but I have to say if you do not like a hard bed you most likely will not like these ones. I finally asked them if they could bring me a foam topper or something to soften it up. They brought me one that I guess was meant for a queen so didn't quite reach the top or bottom of the bed but it did the trick. I do agree with the last poster.....it would have been nice if there was a hot tub at this resort for the people who don't have a jacuzzi on their patio. It rained one of the days we were there and a hot tub would have been great! The customer service at this resort is above and beyond, Claudia is exceptional! It is definitely the quietest of the four resorts, but they are only a tram ride away. The buffet was great! No long line ups for the specially cooked items, always fresh, no complaints, we tried the other buffets but they did not compare. We actually preferred the buffet to the a la cartes. I would recommend this resort to anyone! The only reason I rated this resort 4 stars is because I know it will improve with age and I need to leave room to rate it a 5 next time!

The resort is very beautiful. It's more for the adult crowed. If you are traveling with children, use one of the other 3 Gran Bahia Principe resorts in the area. Everything is done to perfection!!!

A bunch of my girlfriends headed down to Sian Ka'an for my friends bachelorette party. We had a great time. There is no beach at Sian Ka'an but we found the tram service to be easy and we never had to wait more than 10 minutes. The availability to eat at any of the other Gran Bahla resorts was also awesome. The food was fresh We loved the quietness of our resort mixed in with the lively other resorts. The tram driver Ricardo was awesome he was so sweet and really took care of us. Some things I didn't love were the shower would go from really hot to really cold. Also the reception desk manager Juan was not very friendly or accommodating when we found out that our rooms were no where near each other. This resort just reopened I think its a great value for what we got and when they work out the small issues it truly will be a fabulous resort!

What a wonderful place! we had stayed at the other resorts (Gran bahia coba and Gran bahia Tulum) and this one was just as wonderful! the rooms were spacious and we even had a jacuzzi on our patio! the pools were relaxing and we LOVED the staff,Especially Oscar the bartender at the lobby bar. Everyone was very helpful, too, with any questions we had.. Great place to stay!

My husband and I enjoyed our week at Sian Kaan. The buffet was outstanding, and after dining at restaurants at the other properties, I wished I had stayed to eat at our buffet. It was close to a gourmet buffet with excellent choices every meal. The staff was attentive and helpful when needed. We were the first occupants in our room so there were some maintenance problems when we first arrived, which were corrected in a timely manner. The one complaint I have is there is no bureau to put your clothes in. The closet has a dozen hangers and the bedside table has one small drawer so the rest of your clothes have nowhere to go except your suitcase or a shallow shelf next to the TV. This resort is not on the beach, however, there is access using golf carts from the lobby to a reserved area between the other resorts in Bahia Principe complex. The other resorts are also where most of the restaurants are located. It worked well, as the transports run every few minutes.