Bahia Principe Explore Tulum
Bahia Principe Explore Tulum is the family hotel of the four-property Bahia Principe complex in the Akumal to Tulum stretch of the Riviera Maya, and the single most useful thing to know about it is what the name change did and did not mean. The hotel was Bahia Principe Grand Tulum until the chain's 2026 reorganisation into Explore (families and groups) and Escape (adults-only), which also brought Bahia Principe into Hyatt's inclusive fold so stays earn World of Hyatt points. The $40 million ORIGIN renovation that rebuilt the lobby, main pool, theater and rooms around Mayan iconography happened earlier, reopening the hotel in November 2020. Reviews from 2021 onward describe the property you will actually stay in; the 2026 news is a sign out front, not a refurbishment.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Your dining options are not limited to this hotel. The rate includes the themed restaurants and common areas of Bahia Principe Explore Coba and the restaurants at Bahia Principe Explore Akumal, with a free shuttle running between the hotels, so the complex puts 15 restaurants and 11 bars within reach of one wristband
- +Seven venues on this property: the Yucatan main buffet, two specialty buffets (Gran Tortuga for steak, Tequila laid out as a traditional Mexican market), two a la cartes (Thali for Indian, Don Pablo for gourmet) and two snack bars. The Truck Beach Food runs 10:30am to 6pm and then again from 10pm to 7am, so there is food in the middle of the night
- +The kids side is real infrastructure, not a room with crayons. The Zama Kids Zone is a Mayan-themed area with its own children's water park, bumper cars and slides, archaeology-style play and craft workshops, with activities grouped by age and supervised throughout
- +Teenagers get their own space too: video games, team challenges and organised sport including football, beach volleyball, tennis and ping pong
- +Four pools with a swim-up bar, separate children's areas and a main pool at 1.35 m, plus loungers, umbrellas and towel service at both the pools and the beach, and direct beach access that takes a couple of minutes from the water
- +The PGA Riviera Maya course sits on the complex: 27 holes by Robert Trent Jones II, an 18-hole championship layout plus a 9-hole par three, cut into a limestone quarry among mangroves and cenotes. Guests get green-fee discounts, free transport to the course and free golf bag storage, though play itself is extra
- +The rooms are built for families. Most categories take three adults and a child or two adults and two children, the Family Suite splits into two bedrooms with its own bathroom and television apiece for up to five, and every room has air conditioning, a ceiling fan, a balcony or terrace, coffee maker, minibar and safe
- +Accessibility is documented rather than implied: eight accessible rooms with roll-in showers, safety bars and a bath chair, an amphibious wheelchair, three beach access points, ramps at the main lobby, lobby bar and pools, and eight accessible restrooms around the property
Cons
- −The big renovation is old news, not new. The $40 million ORIGIN overhaul reopened this hotel in November 2020, and the brand's own fact sheet is headed 'renovated in 2020'. What changed in 2026 was the name: Bahia Principe Grand Tulum became Bahia Principe Explore Tulum in the chain's Explore and Escape reorganisation, which also brought it into Hyatt's orbit so stays now earn World of Hyatt points. Judge the rooms as a 2020 product with six seasons of wear, not a fresh build
- −Only three a la carte dinners are included per week of stay, they need a reservation, and semi-formal dress applies (no swim or exercise shorts, and Don Pablo asks men for a sleeved shirt and long trousers). With just two a la cartes on this property, a full week means leaning on the buffets or using the shuttle to Coba and Akumal
- −A fair amount sits outside the wristband. Premium beverages are on the extra-charge list, so the included pour is the house tier at the lobby and pool bars. The headline Origen show also carries an additional cost and is booked on site, free only for children under four. So do themed dinners, scuba and sailing, catamaran and fishing trips, anything motorised, spa treatments, babysitting, extra beds and professional photos
- −Only one bar runs late. The Tulum Lobby Bar is open 10am to 1am, but Caracolas, Cangrejo and La Isla all shut at 6pm. Evenings happen at the lobby bar, the over-18s casino or Hacienda Dona Isabel's themed shows, and the hotel lists no disco of its own
- −The 'Tulum' in the name is a brand label, not an address. The resort sits at Km 250 of the federal highway in the Akumal to Tulum stretch, 92 km or 57 miles from Cancun airport, so roughly 70 to 90 minutes depending on traffic, with the nearest town 28 km away. Tulum town's ruins, cenotes and restaurant scene are a taxi or an organised excursion, never a walk
- −774 rooms on a large jungle-and-beach site, with two sister hotels attached by shuttle, means the experience is organised rather than personal. Expect walks, shuttle rides and a lot of other guests in high season
What you get is 774 rooms, four pools with a swim-up bar, direct beach access and seven places to eat, and then considerably more than that, because the rate includes the themed restaurants and common areas of Bahia Principe Explore Coba and the restaurants at Bahia Principe Explore Akumal, reached by a free inter-hotel shuttle. Across the complex that is 15 restaurants and 11 bars. On this property the Yucatan buffet handles all three meals, Gran Tortuga and Tequila are specialty buffets for steak and a Mexican market spread, Thali and Don Pablo are the two a la cartes, and The Truck Beach Food covers late-night hunger from 10pm to 7am. The catch is the allowance: three a la carte dinners per week of stay, reservation required, semi-formal dress. Included drinks are the house tier, with premium brands charged extra, and only the lobby bar stays open past 6pm. Families are the clear priority, with the Zama Kids Zone and its own water park, bumper cars and slides, workshops and age-grouped supervised programming, a Teens Club with video games and organised sport, a free hour a day each of paddleboards, kayaks, tennis and snorkel gear, and a yoga, pilates, zumba and water polo roster for the adults.
This is a solid, large-scale family all-inclusive at a sensible price rather than a boutique or a luxury play. In October 2026 the brand's own site was quoting rooms from the low $200s to the high $300s per room per night, which for an all-inclusive sleeping three or four is good math. Golfers get a genuine draw in PGA Riviera Maya on the complex, 27 Robert Trent Jones II holes carved into a limestone quarry, with discounted green fees and free transport. The one thing to set expectations on is the setting: this is jungle-and-beach highway Riviera Maya, 28 km from the nearest town and 92 km from Cancun airport, with Akumal Bay and its turtle snorkeling nearby as a paid excursion rather than something on the resort's own sand. If you want Tulum town's beach clubs and cenotes on foot, this is the wrong base. If you want a self-contained week where the kids have somewhere to be and the dining options run across three hotels, it is a strong one, and Bahia Principe Explore Coba next door is the cheaper way into the same complex.
Common Questions
What is included, and what will I end up paying for?
How do the restaurant reservations actually work?
Has the resort been renovated recently, and why did the name change?
Is it near Tulum town, and how long is the drive from Cancun?
Can you see sea turtles, and what does the resort do environmentally?
How does it compare with Bahia Principe Explore Coba?
Restaurants (12)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Main Restaurant Yucatan |
| Mexican | Tequila Restaurant |
| Italian | Dolce Vita Restaurant (at Bahia Principe Explore Akumal), Portofino Restaurant (at Bahia Principe Explore Coba) |
| Teppanyaki / hibachi | Mikado Restaurant (at Bahia Principe Explore Coba) |
| Steakhouse | Katok Restaurant (at Bahia Principe Explore Akumal) |
| Seafood | Frutos del Mar Restaurant (at Bahia Principe Explore Akumal) |
| Brazilian churrascaria | Restaurant La Gran Tortuga |
| Indian | Thali Restaurant |
| International & fusion | Gourmet Don Pablo Restaurant, Ku’uk Restaurant (at Bahia Principe Explore Akumal), Le Gourmet Restaurant (at Bahia Principe Explore Coba) |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
13 min drive · 4.9 mi
25 min drive · 13 mi
Akumal Beach6 min drive · 2.5 mi
Yal-Kú Lagoon12 min drive · 4.3 mi
20 min drive · 11 mi
30 min drive · 18 mi
More things to do (24)
- Cenote Escondido · cenote35 min drive · 19 mi
- Cenote Azul · cenote15 min drive · 11 mi
- Xpu-Ha Beach · beach20 min drive · 9.8 mi
- Dos Ojos Cenote · cenote11 min drive · 4.9 mi
- Gran Cenote · cenote30 min drive · 17 mi
- Río Secreto · adventure park30 min drive · 22 mi
- Cenote Aldea Zamá · cenote30 min drive · 15 mi
- Cenote Cristalino · cenote20 min drive · 11 mi
- Cenote Calavera · cenote25 min drive · 15 mi
- Jaguar Park (Tulum National Park) · nature25 min drive · 13 mi
- Riviera Maya Golf Club · golf7 min drive · 3.2 mi
- Jardín del Edén Cenote · cenote20 min drive · 11 mi
- Puerto Aventuras Marina · marina20 min drive · 13 mi
- Cenote Nicte-Ha · cenote20 min drive · 6.3 mi
- Caleta Tankah · beach25 min drive · 13 mi
- Cenote Chikin-Ha · cenote25 min drive · 11 mi
- Tulum Pueblo · town30 min drive · 15 mi
- Half Moon Bay · beach10 min drive · 3.9 mi
- Xel-Há Ruins · ruins10 min drive · 4.7 mi
- Xcacel Beach · beach11 min drive · 3.6 mi
- Cenote Xunaan-Ha · cenote13 min drive · 3.4 mi
- Cenote Dos Palmas · cenote20 min drive · 6.2 mi
- Aktun Chen Nature Park · adventure park20 min drive · 3.0 mi
- Casa Cenote · cenote25 min drive · 12 mi
