Bahia Principe Grand Tulum: Relaxing atmosphere, delicious food and drinks — Your Mexican-style vacation

We pictured a Mexican holiday as a livelier kind of relaxation — music, dancing, good food, tequila and cocktails, the occasional trip, and lots of chill time.

For our first visit we chose Bahia Principe Grand Tulum.This hotel and its grounds are part of the Bahia Principe hotel complex in an area that includes several other luxury hotels and accommodations.

Other Bahia Principe hotels in the same complex include:

• Bahia Principe Grand Coba
• Bahia Principe Grand Tequila - adults only

Accommodation

During our stay we were in a Junior Suite. The accommodation was adequate — everything was clean, the air conditioning worked, the beds had fairly good mattresses, and there was some furniture and wardrobes. Some fittings were a bit older and showed wear in places, but in my opinion perfectly acceptable. I guess it depends on personal preference.

I don't pay much attention to the room personally, since we're usually just there to sleep or take a post-lunch break (yes, after stuffing yourself with good food in the afternoon when it's 40°C outside, there's nothing better than crawling into bed and taking an Italian-style siesta for an hour in a shaded, air-conditioned room 🤣).

The hotel offers several room types, and you can find more information about them via the link at the end of the article.

Resort grounds

Flowering palms, clean walkways, green well-kept lawns, silence and a tropical scent wherever you go. It all fits together beautifully and even a simple walk has its charm. Considering how many people stay at the hotel, we sometimes had trouble running into anyone.

At night the grounds are beautifully lit.

After visiting the Maldives I wondered if we'd encounter any animal neighbors. Turns out we definitely did!

On a walk you might spot iguanas, a bunch of raccoons, or have a coati pop up under your feet in the restaurant 🐻.

The staff aren't thrilled about these restaurant visitors, but there's nothing like watching a coati eye you from a ledge, waiting for something tasty to fall so it can snatch it.

Beach

The beach is long and sandy, with spots to sit under umbrellas and a peaceful vibe. It has just two drawbacks.

We were there in March and the water was around 25°C — rather cool for my taste when you want to lounge in it with a tequila for a while.

Secondly, there was a lot of seaweed that had to be cleared daily with bulldozers. If seaweed and cooler water don't bother you, you're probably fine. Otherwise you can always use the pools, which are warmer.

I have to say, the sunrises on the beach were flawless.

Restaurants

Bahia Principe Grand Tulum has 7 restaurants. We mainly ate at the one by the main pool, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we also tried the Modern (Gourmet), Mexican (Tequila) and Grill (Gran Tortuga) restaurants. For the restaurants (except the main one) you have to make a reservation in advance — otherwise you won't get a table.

The Gourmet restaurant served dishes you don't find elsewhere; the interior is nicely modern and the food was tasty.

At Gran Tortuga we were given tastings of several types of meat and then could go back for more of the ones we liked best.

The Mexican Tequila restaurant has a nice interior, but the food is more or less the same as the All-Inclusive buffet.

So out of the three we tried, I recommend Gourmet and Gran Tortuga.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

I love good food and at Bahia Principe I didn't know what to put on my plate first. Luckily I have some experience and always mix it up — a savory plate, a sweet plate, fruit and pastries. I don't normally overeat like that, but you simply can't resist those food stations... and the sheer amount of desserts!

Bahia Principe Grand Tulum hosts themed evenings — one night might be Mexican cuisine, another Spanish or Asian, and so on.

Sometimes, just outside the main restaurant, there were tables with specially mixed drinks — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Pools

The resort has 3 pools. I mostly hung out in the main pool — it was the closest, and we came to Mexico to enjoy a livelier resort vibe, so we wanted music and a low-key all-day party; that's why we spent most of our time there.

There are plenty of sunbeds around the pools, though not all of them have umbrellas. I recommend bringing a hat and preferably a UV-protective shirt (even a basic tee for about 200 CZK / 10 EUR is fine — you can find them in Decathlon or Lidl). From experience, even sunscreen with SPF 50 isn't always enough.

Bars

There are several bars on the grounds. I personally spent most of my time at the lobby and at the bars by the main pool. The main pool bar has two levels — one up on the terrace and one at pool level where you can order a drink directly from the water.

At the bars you can even order specialty drinks, like pineapple or coconut cocktails. There's nothing like sitting in the pool with a straw hat and a coconut in hand 🧉🍹.

Activities on site

On the grounds you can play beach volleyball, water volleyball, join water aerobics, hit the gym, play foosball or pool, or take part in guided activities run by the animation team.

I definitely recommend joining a bike tour around the resort and the Grand Tulum area.

The animation team organizes it and it's free. Thanks to it we got up to a lookout tower and enjoyed views over the whole resort.

Nightlife, parties and contests

Parties, dancing, silent disco, Mexican music, magicians, performers and competitions.

More or less every evening there's some kind of entertainment at the main bar, so you won't get bored. It was my first time at a silent disco — it's fun until you take off the headphones, because then all you hear is flip-flop flapping, people singing off-key around you, and flashing headphones 😂.

Kids' club

Bahia Principe Grand Tulum has a kids' club for your little ones. Activities are arranged from morning till evening, so you might see a parade of small children following their counselor.

Excursions

If you want to spice up your holiday at Bahia Principe Grand Tulum with a trip, I recommend visiting Chichén Itzá and Cenote Maya.

You can find tour options for example on GetYourGuide.com.Tours are often arranged to pick you up at the hotel, take you to Chichén Itzá and Cenote Maya, and lunch is usually included.

If you don't find a tour on GetYourGuide, try checking https://www.chichenitza.com — they also offer tours with hotel pickup and return.

The trip is a full day, not that expensive, and it's an experience you'll remember for a lifetime.

Official website Bahia Principe Grand Tulum https://www.bahia-principe.com/en/resorts-in-riviera-maya/resort-tulum