Every once in a while, vacationers “discover”
a gem. They quickly tell their friends back home about their “find”. On
this trip to the Mayan Riviera on Yucatan Peninsula bordering the Caribbean
Sea, we discovered the Hope Diamond. The Gran Bahia Principe Coba is a
massive resort that delivers 5 star luxury in all aspects: food, accommodation,
grounds, entertainment, and a spectacular beach.
| We met
fellow Canadians from Edmonton, Calgary, Kingston, Ottawa, and Montreal
who were unanimous in their view that this is indeed a special holiday
resort – one that they were going to share with their friends. During an
interview with John Kirwin, the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, he
noted: “Coba has been open for just a year – and we’re already seeing people
coming back as repeat visitors. |
|
Repeat trade in the hospitality business
is a key indicator that you’re doing things right”.
The company is headquartered in Spain,
and they have brought their holiday expertise to a variety of Caribbean
destinations. The resort we visited is set up like a village, with over
a thousand mini suites spread over an array of three story buildings linked
by well illuminated walkways. These are shared by pedestrians and golf
cart mini-trains that run every 5 or 10 minutes, picking up guests and
whisking them off to the beach, the main lobby, a pool – wherever you want.
Coba, named after the nearby Mayan village
and archaeological site of Coba is the most recent addition to the resort,
which includes two other sections of similar design. Tulum and Akumal each
have approximately 800 rooms. Each resort has its own staff, restaurants,
pools, bars, lobbies and lounges; guests are free to use the facilities
of the entire resort. While there are administrative divisions of responsibility,
as guests you have a seamless run of the entire seaside village.
| The
climate is temperate – even in November we enjoyed daytime temperatures
of approximately 27 – 29 degrees Celsius, and a few degrees cooler in the
evening. Short sleeves were as comfortable at 9 pm as they were at 9 am.
What little rain we had on two of our seven days came in a period of about
10 – 20 minutes. The weather is so temperate that the major lobby areas
- with soaring thatched roofs in the traditional Mayan style - are open. |
|
The walls of the major common areas are
sliding glass, allowing them to be open most of the time.
The rooms are large – big enough for a
king size bed, a sitting area with a table and chair, a built-in couch,
plenty of cupboard and shelving space and a balcony. The ceiling fan provides
enough air movement that we rarely used our air conditioner. The bathrooms,
completely done in marble, are spacious and equipped with Jacuzzi baths.
While there are wooded areas separating
the buildings, we noticed that we hadn’t seen a single mosquito during
our stay.
Food is an important part of any holiday,
and the quality and quantity offered are outstanding. This is the first
resort we have visited that has an entire 20 page glossy magazine in the
rooms that provides an overview of the restaurants, their menus, photos
and biographies of the chefs, and even some of their recipes. It’s a reflection
of the importance placed on the gastronomical aspect of the resort experience.
Guests have a vast selection of restaurants and menus. Again, you are free
to experience the dining options at the other two resorts. We found a delightful
beachside restaurant, Dolce Vita that was open for breakfast and lunch,
and was included as one of the A La Carte dining options in the evening.
With a view overlooking the pool, with the beach and the Caribbean Sea
just beyond, it was like being part of a post card – but the pleasure was
very real.
| Kukulcan,
the main buffet dining room comfortably seats 800 people and has something
for just about every taste and diet, including a “healthy” buffet. Each
night has a theme, and extra decorations are installed accordingly. Salad
bars are huge, as are the dessert buffets. There is a wide selection of
fish, poultry (including duck), roasts, Italian, and Mexican cuisine. Children
are given special consideration with a Kid’s Corner buffet of their own. |
|
Every thing is set up at kid level – about
3 feet of the ground, and includes hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers
and other kid favourites.
Here’s few statistics to give you an idea
of the scope of the food and beverage operation. 1250 staff includes 415
chefs, 550 waiters, 135 stewards and 150 bartenders. (These don’t include
animation staff, maid service, grounds keepers and front desk personnel.)
Each month more than 30 tons of fresh oranges are squeezed to provide fresh
orange juice; 432,000 eggs are used for food preparation, breakfast and
pastry; along with 25 tons of chicken and 48,000 litres of milk. I also
enjoyed a variety of other fresh juices including honey dew and watermelon
that were freshly squeezed moments before you drink them – delicious!
We tried four A-La-Carte restaurants, and
while they were all excellent, our favourite was Arlequin. Continental
cuisine, a lovely setting, and fine service were all part of the experience.
Remember when dining out included a dessert cart brought to your table,
and waiters preparing flaming Spanish and Irish coffees with panache? You’ll
find this service at the Arlequin and other speciality restaurants.
We also dined in Restaurente Mediterraneo,
El Pescador (fish and seafood), and Le Gourmet, which also featured fine
continental cuisine. Service in all of the restaurants, and indeed throughout
the resort is cheerful, friendly and courteous. In all, there are 7 buffet
locations, 11 a-la-carte restaurants, four 24 hour snack bars, and 21 bars
(no need to be thirsty!).
Four dinners are all part of your all-inclusive
package if you purchase the Club Golden option. This is an upgrade that
is offered exclusively for Transat Holidays customers, and includes a private
lobby with rapid check-in, free internet access (including wireless service
if you bring your laptop) free mini-bar in room service, and luxurious
cotton robes and slippers. As front desk manager Michaella Holmberg noted
during an interview, “We’re already a five star all-inclusive resort –
but we thought our guests would appreciate these extra features as part
of the Club Golden hotel within a hotel.” You might also be interested
in trying an hour of free scuba instruction within the friendly confines
of the pool.
While there are seven very large pools
within the overall complex, (not including whirlpools) the beach is the
focal point for a Caribbean resort. I’d estimate the total beach length
at the better part of a mile, and within that space there is a sheltered
area that is ideal for children and adults alike – almost like a giant
salt water pool. I found that it was pleasant to swim the length of the
beach, and then walk back and do a little people watching.
There are kayaks and sailboats available
without extra charge, as well as snorkelling equipment if you want to enjoy
one of the best examples of sea life in the Caribbean – just a few yards
offshore. There are plenty of lounge chairs, and enough beach area that
you can be with all the action – or choose a quiet spot a little further
down the beach. Ample shade is provided by the permanent thatched beach
umbrellas that are located the full length of the beach. The hotel also
has bicycles available for an hour at a time, and we found that this was
an excellent way to tour the entire three parts of the resort, and to get
an idea of its scope. The bike shop also offers various bike tours at moderate
rates, which are interesting and not overly stressful.
If you’d like to keep fit, there are three
fully equipped gyms with everything you need to tone up. There are also
two spas that offer everything from massages and facials to body wraps
and other procedures to pamper you.
Sightseeing
There is a variety of excellent sightseeing
opportunities, including the archaeological sites of Tulum, and Coba (which
is an ongoing excavation). You might want to visit Playa Del Carmen for
some shopping, and even take a ferry over to Cozumel if you like. The local
bus service; called “collectivos” are very clean 15 passenger vans. We
tried them on a visit to Tulum, and found that they were fine – as recommended
by the local travel representatives. It was just $2 each way to Tulum,
about a 20 minute ride from the resort, and a similar amount to Playa Del
Carmen. Xel-Ha and Xcaret are also popular destinations. However, with
only one week, and the resort as beautiful as it is, we found it difficult
to pull ourselves away to do off-site sightseeing. We spoke with several
people who were staying for two weeks or more, and we would recommend that
you give this serious consideration.
If you go. Gran Bahia Principe is
serviced throughout Canada by Transat Holidays, and can be reserved by
contacting your travel agent. To visit the resort website, click on www.bahia-principe.com
and follow the links. They have some excellent photos and a virtual tour.
To visit the Transat Holidays website: www.transatholidays.com
Bon Voyage!
|
