Yup, for 2020 we chose to return to Akumal Bay yet again.

We started looking for our 2020 trip almost as soon as we returned last year. Within a couple of weeks we just decided that we knew nothing else was going to make us happy so we booked it in early September. It was actually quite nice to have it done and out of the way.

Sadly shortly after we booked Thomas Cook in the UK collapsed. All the folks we had met from the UK last year were not able to go. We missed them dearly this year and hope to see everyone again in 2021. We also missed our Canadian friends who were unable to go this year. Here’s hoping we all see each other again soon!

Akumal Bay, regardless of where you stay, is a great location. It’s central to Tulum, Playa del Carmen and of course there is Akumal itself.

Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort (ABBWR) is everything we look for in a resort. Staff is amazing, boggles my mind that they remember us year after year. Food is great. The atmosphere is a mature fun one, no spring breakers here. Nightly entertainment is lively and gets people moving after a day in the sun. So many things.

I could go on and on but as you may have read from my previous ABBWR posts it’s fantastic. Every trip gets better.

Our penthouse room.

 

Some of the food and drinks

 

The resort

 

Some other pics around the resort

 

This year ended up being a little different for everyone. When we left home COVID-19 was there but not a real concern. There were no significant travel alerts for our destination. Our biggest concern was whether it would get to a point by the time we returned that my husband’s 85 year old father should stay home instead of coming for a previously planned visit. We figured we would assess that when we got home.

Well did things ever change fast. Mid-way through our vacation everything blew up. From fun in the sun to what time is the next press conference in a matter of a few hours.

The resort handled the situation really well. The workers concerns weren’t all that different from ours, well except that we had to get back to Canada. But their job concerns were the same as ours, their family concerns were the same as ours and their concerns for home were also the same as ours. It was tough for everyone.

We didn’t have an actual vacation provider representative available to us at the resort, just someone from one of the excursion companies 2 hours a day by appointment only. The Transat rep did answer some questions for us, but every other bit of information we got via press conferences. We tried social media but there was so much misinformation there we had to stop. We watched CNN but there is very little Canadian content there. Social media wreaked havoc on some people we saw who weren’t the type to fact check.

We knew we couldn’t get home any sooner than our planned flight so we did our best to keep an eye on things through the live updates and enjoy the rest of our vacation. Oh, and we starting tipping a lot more. It was hard not to feel bad for the workers, they work hard. Harder than most of us would. This is the time of year they normally make their best money.

Carlos at the front lobby was a star for so many people. Calming, funny and engaging. Exactly what people needed.

I realized how important free reliable WiFi is at a hotel and will not stay at a hotel without it ever again. It’s not optional. You just don’t know when something will happen and you will need it. It was a valuable lesson.

I also was very thankful that I am someone who always registers our trips with the Canadians Traveling Abroad site. Our first clue to something unusual happening was an email we got from the Mexican government because I registered our trip.

With all my heart I hope everyone at ABBWR comes out of this OK and I hope the resort can survive what will likely be an extended period of low or no vacancy. I hope the world is in a place where we can return to Akumal and the Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort in the future.

Regardless of where you are right now, stay healthy. Stay inside, wash your hands and listen to your local authorities. The responsibility is on each and every one of us to do our part in this fight against COVID-19. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.