The Best Akumal Vacation Guide is here! Akumal (place of turtles) is famous for its beautiful beach and large, swimmable lagoon, and does attract turtles, though in far fewer numbers than before due to the massive development that has encroached on nearly all of their nesting grounds. Akumal is an Americanized beach community which is home to divers, fishermen, and laid-back residents from the U.S. and Canada. It’s basically a long string of upscale homes and condos along three bays. Akumal Bay is the best base for visits, with a good selection of hotels and restaurants plus the best all-around beach for swimming and snorkeling. Half Moon Bay, just beyond, has decent snorkeling and more condos for rent, but the beach is narrow and rocky. For snorkeling, go to Laguna Yalku. For a detailed description of all the beautiful beaches of the Riviera Maya, visit here. Akumal Vacations planning is simple, just read on and find everything you need for your Akumal beach vacation. Visit all of the best Maya Riviera Beaches on our Pinterest site here.
Akumal Weather – When to Visit
Summers are hot and humid in Akumal, and with the rainy season running from June to August, visitors should expect torrential rains almost every day at sometime. The rains do make the evenings cooler and more pleasant. Hurricane season runs from June thru October, further complicating summer weather. The best time to go, and busiest, is January thru March. Weather is at its best during this time. Prices for hotels will be the most expensive during these months, to purchase as far in advance as you can.
Best Akumal Beaches
Akumal Bay
Akumal BayAkumal bay has shallow waters that it is calm with little surf, making it the best in the area for lounging and for children to play in the sea. Akumal Bay is most popular for relaxing, swimming, and snorkeling. With many of Akumal’s amenities also located at the main beach area, such as; dive shops, beach bar, and restaurants, it is the busiest beach in Akumal.
.
.
Soliman Bay
Located south of Xel-Ha, Soliman Bay is a beautiful location for many TV commercials. This picture perfect bay on the Riviera Maya is home to a number of large, exclusive Akumal rental homes. It is a private gated community, so the beach is less crowded than the main Akumal Beach.
Jade Beach
Jade BeachJade Beach is located about one mile south of the village of Akumal on the Riviera Maya. This is a quiet area made up of private vacation homes and also a great place to snorkel as the reef comes very close to the beach here. There is a small restaurant on this bay, although it is an easy walk along the beach to the amenities of Akumal.
South Akumal Beach
South Akumal BeachSouth Akumal Beach is a lovely white sandy bay to the south of Punta Sur on the other side of the point from Jade Bay. This is a quiet and gated residential community of Akumal vacation homes and the Seven Seas condos.
.
.
.
Xcacel
Xcacel Beach is located south of Chemuyil, between Aventuras Akumal and Xel-Ha. A sea turtle sanctuary and protected area, the beach offers fantastic kiteboarding and surfing for those who are so inclined; there is a Cenote on the grounds as well. There are restrooms facilities, but pack a lunch as there are not restaurants.
.
.
Best Akumal Restaurants
La Buena Vida $11 – 30
This popular beachside eatery serves some of the best fish tacos around! If you are one who likes the option of shade, La Buena Vida offers comfortable seating areas perfectly situated beneath towering palms. There are also ultra-comfy beanbag pillow beds and hammocks, ideal for sinking into for an afternoon siesta. Telephone: 52-984-875-9061 Web: La Buena Vida.
Turtle Bay Café & Bakery $11 – 30
For fresh baked goods (some of the best pies in the region), and a divine mix of local and international cuisine (from eggs benedicts to seafood stuffed chili rellenos,) Turtle Bay Café is a must when in Akumal. It has been around for a while, filling customers’ bellies with home baked goodness and delicious meals for nearly 20 years! Telephone: 52-984-875-9138 Web: Turtle Bay Café & Bakery.
Lol-Ha Restaurant & Snack Bar $11 – 30
Ocean views, a flavorful menu with generous portions and friendly staff. There is a vast selection of items on the menu including the popular nachos al pastor (a thinly shaved pork marinated with chiles and achiote, a very traditional regional spice.) They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, so you have the choice to sip coffee while watching the pelicans feast, have a cold corona with your nachos in the afternoon, or try a fried whole fish dish, caught fresh, while you enjoy the evening breeze off of the bay. Telephone: 52-984-875-9012 Web: Lol-Ha Restaurant & Snack Bar.
La Cueva del Pescador $11 – 30
This is where you’ll usually find a friendly crowd of residents gathering for cold beer and fresh seafood dishes. The fish tacos are great as is the cured ceviche seasoned with cilantro. The sand floors are a nice touch and add to the relaxed, Mexican-Caribbean atmosphere. For more information call 52-, or visit them on the web at La Cueva del Pescador. Telephone: 52-984-875-9002 Web: La Cueva del Pescador.
La Lunita $11 – 30
This Mexican Caribbean-style, beachfront restaurant serves an intriguing assortment of savory entrees from duck to jumbo prawns. Enjoy the ocean views over lunch or by moonlight in the open patio area on the sand. For a unique Mexican cocktail experience, try the Serrano margarita! Telephone: 52-984-875-9070 Web: La Lunita.
Best Akumal Nightlife
La Buena Vida
A popular beachside restaurant/bar with sand floors, swings, roaming musicians and a drink menu with gimmicky cocktail names such as “The Viagra”, which offers you “a stiff one”. Telephone: 52-984-875-9061 Web: La Buena Vida
Beached Bikini Bar & Grill
Swings around the small bar create a cozy space, so you are just as likely to come away with some new friends as a hangover. Neus will give you a warm welcome in her adorable Catalan accent. Good bar food. Real fruit in the blender drinks. Soon everyone is having one more and singing along to the 70s station. It’s like Cheers on the beach. Telephone: 52-998-845-4528 Web: Beached Bikini Bar & Grill.
Tequilaville
They are located in the pueblo side of Akumal. Visitors can see the ‘authentic’ side of Mexico. They have a variety of great drinks. The food is great too! Telephone: 52-984-875-9022 Web: Tequilaville.
Best Akumal Hotels
This is such an incredible review. You basically provided information to EVERYTHING about visiting Akumal.
The place certainly sounds enticing. I love beaches and look forward to visiting Akumal one day. When I do, I will know where I can find all the information I need to plan for the trip!
So glad you enjoyed Alex 🙂 If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Thanks for reading!
Akumal certainly looks like a fantastic place to visit. The turtles remind me of the Cayman Islands where they make the effort to preserve them too. This post has certainly given me the boost for a vacation. Getting there should not be so difficult from my border state location. Thanks for sharing, plans will definitely be in the works soon.
Akumal is a fantastic place to visit! I am glad you enjoyed reading. Thank you for visiting BeachTravelDestinations.com.
It would be amazing swimming inside of a cave. I’m curious if there are any health benefits when swimming in these waters?
I don’t know of any benefits of swimming in the cenotes. Maybe the exercise you get, but there is nothing special in the water itself 🙂 But it is amazing! Thanks for visiting Akumal Vacations!
My favourite type of holidays – by the beach.
Have not heard of a lot of these beaches, and so many of them are amazing.
Akumal caught my attention because I lived in Mexico for six months a couple of years ago but I was on the west coast Barra De Navidad. I learnt very quickly that I should have done my homework with regards to the weather as by the coast in May and onwards is incredibly hot. This guide is perfect for when I return next year!
Great, and you will LOVE the area. There is just so many things to see and do, besides just laying by the beach. Or you can do just that if you like 🙂 Thanks for reading Akumal Vacations!
Hi,
We stayed in Akumal a few years back. We actually Stayed in the Bahia Principe Akumal just up the Coast but visited Akumal a good few times. I even got my Diving Certification there!
The Whole area is incredible and we explored the Cenotes, Tulum Ruins, Coba Ruins and the whole coastline. We Snorkeled with Sea Turtles and enjoyed the incredible reef of Akumal Bay.
We also drank FAR too many Margaritas and too much Tequila!
Akumal is a fantastic Holiday Destination!
I agree that it is a great destination, and hey what is a beach vacation without margaritas? They just go hand in hand, right? I am glad you enjoyed, sounds like you had a wonderful time! Thanks for visiting BeachTravelDestinations.com!
All of these wonderful places to go and I am overdue for a vacation. I must bookmark this page and look at the packages once I am ready to book a vacation.
Great Max! Yes, so many wonderful beach destinations to choose from! Thank you for visiting Akumal Vacations! See you back again when you are ready to book!
Hi Leahrae,
You always bring us these amazing places and you have not disappointed. This place sounds amazing and that cave looks so amazing. I can imagine me and my husband exploring it together. The colors are gorgeous and it looks like you can get lost there(not physically). Is that top image one of the sea turtles from Akumal Bay?
Thank you for visiting Akumal Vacations Melissa and taking the time to comment. Yes, the top image is from Akumal Bay 🙂
wow this place looks incredible, I would love to check out that atkun-chen cave. Its safe to say this is now officially on my bucket list haha. As a lover of tequila, if I were to go you would most likely find me at tequilaville!
Well Tequilaville is a fun place! And this is an incredible place! Thanks for visiting Akumal Vacations!
Hi Leahrae!
Wow, so much inspiration in this article.
I really like the look of Xel-Há and I would really like to go snorkeling there with my kids 🙂
Thanks for the tips!
Take care!
Regards, Jan
You bet Jan! Thanks for visiting and your kids would love it. I know my son does. Glad you enjoyed reading about Akumal Vacations!
Akumal” place of Turtle”the name alone sounds great.I love the beautiful description and no issue about the safety part.Most importantly the hotels around are great.Also getting around is good.What a good place to visit!Thank you for this great article.
Thank you Stella for visiting Akumal Vacations. Yes, it really is a slice of heaven plopped down into Mexico. Everything you could want 🙂
what a great article! I wish I came across this last year when we were in Akumal. It’s a great area, we have been twice and stayed at the Grand Bahia Principe and love the resort. It is quite a distance from the Cancun airport, so I always recommend two weeks if you can swing it and visiting some of these great places you have recommended. I didn’t realize that it was home of the sea turtles. I would have guessed home of the iguana’s 🙂 never seen so many iguana’s in all my travels and I love the little guys, just like humans, love bathing in the sun! thanks for the great article, although I have been to Akumal, I learned lots from your article and can reference next trip we take there.
Wow, great Lyndsay. Most people have never even heard of Akumal. It really is a great place, and yeah lots of Iguanas for sure! Thanks for visiting BeachTravelDestinations.com!
I love travel. Akumal sounds fantastic. I have never been to Mexico before but hopefully we can plan a trip soon. Are there regular flights from NYC? Lol-Ha Restaurant & Snack Bar sounds like my kind of restaurant. My husband and I love diving. Since we will be coming from South Africa we don’t wan to travel with all our diving gear. Do you know if there are good scuba rental shops around?
Ok, tons of flights from NYC and lots of scuba rental shops. Scuba diving is big here, so you won’t have any problems getting the gear. Thanks for reading about Akumal Vacations.
I’ve never been to Mexico before, but is actually a place me and my wife are wanting to go this year. Looking at your Akumal Blog, the scenery looks absolutely stunning, and seen as I’m also into diving, this looks like an ideal place to visit,
I really like your website, and the blog is packed full of information for anyone interested in going, especially the nightlife, which sounds great.
Glad you enjoyed reading about Akumal Vacations and visiting my website. If you have any questions, or when you are ready to pack your bags and head to Mexico, I would love to help you find some great deals!
Akumal Mexico I take it you fly into Cancun? Looks really interesting. I like going to Cancun especially the adult only all inclusive resorts.
If you fly into Cancun how do you recommend getting there or did I miss that? I noticed you talked about rental cars and how police watch for them.
I assume you also feel safe in that area?
Yes, you can fly from Cancun or Playa del Carmen. And yes, rent a car, but with this be very cautious and follow all the road laws. I am glad you enjoyed reading about Akumal vacations. And, yes, it is safe in Akumal.