The Sian Ka'an At Grand Tulum

“Sian Ka'an't go wrong”

We stayed at the Grand Bahia Sian Ka'an (SK) but had access to all 4 resorts on site. The Sian Ka'an has no frills rooms in a jungle setting.  The adults only restriction and remote location means people don't bus to your resort so it's quieter and more relaxed.  Note that "adults only" was a bit r… more

We stayed at the Grand Bahia Sian Ka'an (SK) but had access to all 4 resorts on site. The Sian Ka'an has no frills rooms in a jungle setting.  The adults only restriction and remote location means people don't bus to your resort so it's quieter and more relaxed.  Note that "adults only" was a bit relaxed and there were teenagers with their parents.  No issues with them while we visited. Rooms: we had the basic level room.  It was not 5 star quality, however, it was clean and competitive with a 3 star room in the USA. Your money goes into other amenities at SK so if you are looking for a 5 star room you'll need to book the Akumal resort or something else at a higher price point.  The room had a king bed and pull out couch. The couch was stained.  The room would benefit from some drying hooks.  Service: The service was generally attentive and staff went out of their way to be friendly.  Everything was top notch with the exception of the sit down to order and á la carte restaurants.  None of the experiences were under an hour.  Most were 90-140 minutes.  For a dinner experience you want a longer experience but you don't need 30 minutes for your soup course.  60-75 minutes is the ideal target for their number of courses. This was similar at sit down places like the pool grill. It took 45 minutes for a club sandwich to come out.  Be aware of this and hit the buffet. Food: The food was overall good.  The buffet had a wide selection and fresh foods.  The grill at the buffet always had a few cook to order options too that were fast.  I appreciated that you could get food 24/7 as well.  The resort has room service though it isn't well advertised and I didn't bother trying it.  The á la carte restaurants were all good (the raccoons inside made one interesting.... see my restaurant reviews). Each restaurant had at least a couple of dishes that were 5 star level in flavor and presentation.  There were some misses as well but most people should find something they can enjoy.  Also noteworthy, the restaurants are not a true "all inclusive" but more like a "meal voucher". You can only order one appetizer, one main, one dessert.  Even if something comes out badly or you are still hungry because of small portions. Just be prepared to go to a buffet or 24/7 restaurant if you are still hungry. Dress code: Unfortunately, dress code at restaurants is not enforced.  It's hot so you expect shorts, but a lot of people dining with little or no effort to meet a dress code standard.  Beach: The beach has some sandy portions and rocky portions.  It's not silky soft sand but it's beautiful.  It's well bounded so not much in terms of waves, and it's beautiful.  The water is a crystal clear blue. There are a variety of pools to choose from and the Akumal resort has really nice pool offerings. Transportation: for transfers there are none to the Tulum airport as of writing so you'll need to fly into cancun if you don't want to rent a car or find collectivos or taxis. Around the resort there are carts that take you anywhere.  We had gracious drivers who would sometimes make other stops or destinations if we were the only passengers.  Allow 15-20 minutes to get where you want. I think at the Sian Ka'an you'll want to beach and dine at other resorts most of the time. You need to plan your clothes and supplies and give up any an hour of your day in transportation time.  This may be the biggest downside of the SK. It's manageable.  As a suggestion, the property should consider removing speed bumps.  They are in a restricted access areas and they impact the travel time of the golf carts significantly. If you drive in Mexico then you know why these are here but there are other ways to enforce speed. Time Share Pitch: There are some folks around the resort who try to catch you after breakfast.  The incentive was based on age, not income and was only about  $80 in benefit.  We didn't participate since it wasn't anywhere near worth our 2-3 hours.  We did see some poor saps though and they did it outside in the courtyard! The heat and humidity are big turnoffs so beware.  As always,  time shares are a financial trap so be ready to say no to hard sales tactics if you attend.  If you have a divine revelation and need one, get online.  Thousands of people sell them for pennies (literally). Language: You're in Mexico so you should speak a bit of Spanish.  Many of the staff here are more limited in their English.  We had no issues communicating but be prepared to use AI translate or be well versed in your Spanish.  This resort was notably a bit less English than other experiences at resorts.  This is not a negative, just a heads up.  The staff were all able to understand basic English but sometimes the more specific things needed more Spanish than I had.  Luckily my wife is a native speaker so we didn't have any issues.  Resort fee: Remember that you'll have to pay about $25/ week in resort fees per room when you arrive.  It's well stated on the website. Drinks: The drinks were all very good.  They use mostly bottom shelf options but they'll mix to your preference so you should find a favorite. Overall: My group rented a car and really enjoyed exploring the area. The SK was a great experience.  It's laid back location was an added bonus for our decompression.  The entertainment was adequate. The service was also attentive and quite good.  The room was basic but the money you pay goes into your food.  I would book here again and recommend it to foodies who aren't overly critical about the room or overall accommodation.  It's a nice experience and at $110 per person per night it's one of the best values you'll find in the all inclusive options in the region.  Enjoy and say hi to Pedro the racoon!

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