La Buena Vida

Pretty little treehouse style restaurant on the beach that’s not too far of walk away from the main scuba area.
We got there for happy hour so drinks were about $ 2 USD. I got the piña colada which was amazing but weak. The margaritas are your best bet if you want something stronger.
The calamari was pretty solid although it’s thicker cut, so if you like more crispier ones, this might not be your style. The lime soup was amazing, probably the best thing we ordered. We also got the grilled fish tacos which were pretty disappointing. It came with a very American style slaw that was too sweet, definitely not the Mexican style creamier slaw that lends itself to a great fish taco. My friend got the coconut shrimp that came with a sweet balsamic dip that seemed like an odd pairing, although the coconut shrimp itself was good.
All in all, it’s wasn’t awful. I was just expecting a little more authenticity seeing as we are in Mexico but the menu seemed to be dumbed down and lacking in the flavors of the Yucatan that we’ve been getting at most other restaurants here. Still, the view, setting, and cheap drinks for happy hour are worth the trek.

We LOVE The Good Life. Spent a week in Akumal and ate & drank here pretty much every day. Service was fast and friendly. I miss those tequila flights!

This is an excellent spot, all around great! First of all the view! It’s amazing, it’s right on the beach. You walk down a few stairs and you’re in the water.
Secondly, the food and the service! The menu is very extensive, everyone in my party ordered something different! I had the shrimp tacos and they were delicious! They even have items for vegetarians which was actually what brought us in. The staff was so welcoming and accommodating. Also, they accepted credit cards!!! Which… many do in Akumal, but not down the road in Tulum, which was a hassle at times.
They also had craft beer which was awesome, I had the Akumal ale and a very extensive drink list.
The prices are very reasonably priced and it’s about a 10 minute walk from downtown Akumal, where you can snorkel with turtles. Check it out!

I want to live here.
This beach bar is located in Half Moon Bay — about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the arches of Akumal and Akumal Beach.
It was quiet and chill when we were there — mid-​week, around 3pm. We stayed until happy hour @ 5pm. I loved sitting at the beachside tables and watching the pelicans dive bomb the water. Great fish tacos, guac, and HH cervezas were around 55 pesos.
There are even tree houses that you can climb — seats 4, and there’s a rigged bucket system to bring you beer!
Lastly, you can snorkel directly from this beach. Bring water shoes and please do not step on the coral.

FOOD POISONING FROM HERE. Avoid restaurant at all costs if you don’t want your trip to Mexico ruined.

What an amazing little find in the picture perfect beach of Akumal. After an eventful day of snorkeling with the sea turtles, my friend and I ventured to La Buena Vida because of the stellar Unilocal reviews. We were met with several days of high volume tourist action in the beaches of Playa del Carmen, and we were hoping to find a sanctuary in Akumal where we could drink a few beverages and nibble on good seafood.
La Buena Vida was pretty full when we got there, but we still managed to snag a few swing seats by the bar that gave us a beautiful view of the ocean. This was probably our favorite beach bar/​restaurant on our entire trip simply because of the ambiance and the quality of their food and drinks. The mixed ceviche was so refreshing, and we were almost too full to enjoy our fish tacos and cochineal pibil. Everything was very reasonably priced, especially considering the quality and view! A must-​try on your next visit to Akumal.

We were hungry. Buffet in hotel not open and usual ‘snacks’ available… checked Unilocal and ended up here.
Truly awesome food, staff and setting. Our new Go To Place to escape from the monotony of the hotel buffet/​À la Cartes and sooooo reasonable! Go try!!!

Ambiance was great. Food was as good as it gets. We had a really fun, relaxing experience here.

Great food here as well as drinks. They even had a local microbrew beer which was nice to see since I do enjoy my craft beer and had been missing it since getting to Mexico.
We had empanadas for appetizer and the wife said they were the best she’s ever had. She got coconut shrimp for dinner and while good, the sauce that came with them wasn’t that great. I had a chicken quesadilla which was great. Tons of chicken.
The bar is really cool with lots of swing chairs to sit in. I could see how that could get a little dangerous after a few drinks though!
Overall I’d definitely come back if ever in Akumal.

The Resturant has only been open 3 weeks. Ordered the Caesar salad the octopus salad for appetizers both were 5star.
The pizza was wonderful and he pasta was delish.
We will be here Thursday night for NFL & Pizza.

Beautiful place. Filled with palm trees providing shade as well as w strip of, beach for swimming and tanning. There’s also a swimming pool of you prefer that.
Sitting available right by the water or indoor, up on top of a palm tree (climb it by the ladder and enjoy a nice view!) or on the pillows and hammocks.
Good for lunch, dinner or to enjoy a drink in peaceful environment.

Amo este lugar, me encanta, la principal razón por la que voy es por la vista espectacular, la hora feliz de 5pm a 7pm y por el excelente servicio.
Los amo, desde la primera vez que fui quede enamorada del maravilloso lugar y la gente que nos atienden.
Recientemente remodelaron la alberca que es genial para los niños.
Acostarse a disfrutar de un atardecer al lado de la playa con un trago en la mano no tiene precio (y al mismo tiempo sí $ 35pesos por el trago! Happy hour!!!)
Recomiendo mucho los nachos, el chile relleno de pollo y también hay opciones para los vegetarianos.
Soy muy feliz en este lugar y siempre lo recomiendo. El toque final es el gran servicio que tienen los meseros, recién regresamos y estaba súper lleno (afortunadamente es la primera vez que nos tocaba así de lleno) y aún así todos los chicos super atentos siempre bromeando y hasta te conocen si llegas a regresar (O será que somos muy feos y a nosotros por eso nos recuerdan? Jajaja) la comida recién preparada y calientita.
Les recomiendo llevar repelente en caso de que no haya brisa para que no se los vayan a comer los mosquitos.
Disfruten!

This seemed to be the only restaurant in Akumal that was worth trekking to, so we did for lunch. The walk for us was pretty far as we were staying at Akumal Resort, which is the farthest resort from this place. It took 30 mins in the gruelling heat. We encouraged ourselves that it would be worth it. The coast is beautiful while walking along, then you get to a set of abandoned and broken-​windowed houses that looked a bit sketchy. Then we went out to the main road of (what seemed like) Mexican millionaire houses.
Finally we arrived. The seating area was completely on the beach. There was a pool on the side but we never checked it out. The bar seats are swings as with many of the other touristy establishments. We couldn’t get a table right next to the beach as the spots were all taken up but still got a nice breeze at one of the long tables.
The treehouses were nice setups, a bit scary climbing up if you’re not good with heights but it’s very sturdy. The views aren’t the nicest but the concept is cool.
We ordered the Botanero appetizer to share amongst the 3 of us. That dish alone could have filled up 2 tummies — it was quite a large platter! I believe this dish was around 12 usd.
We also ordered tacos for each of us — I got the fish tacos, the other 2 in our group got Cheyenne tacos. Each of the taco dishes were around 9 – 10 usd, but there are 3 tacos for each order, and they are huge. I couldn’t finish all of mine because of the large appetizer.
The food quality is amazing and we were just happy to get some change from the average resort lunches we were having.
We didn’t order drinks, just bottled water, since we just couldn’t justify buying cocktails when our resort already had unlimited alcohol.
Our bill came to around 650 pesos. We had to pay in part pesos and part usd, getting all the math right with the guy who gave us the bill. The rate they were using was 13:1. Then there was a bit of a confusion with our actual waitress because she thought we didn’t pay enough, when we actually gave her extra for tip in usd. Not a big deal since she probably didn’t have a calculator with her. Overall the service was great and the food came at a reasonable time.
This place has great value and a nice vibe. I would come again to try the cocktails someday.

Food was good. Pretty big menu. This place is right on the water. There is no floor… sand floor. Great place to escape the sun and have a good lunch and some cold drinks. Service was excellent! Would visit again for sure.

Yucatan’s hidden secret.
La buena vida is located in Akumal Bay, the bay for sea turtles. The bar seats are swings. There are tables in the palm trees and there is a pool where you can eat and drink. The seafood is great!

Un local especial en un emplazamiento extraordinario.
La Buena Vida se encuentra a 1,5 km de la playa principal de Akumal (el paraíso para nadar con tortugas) en una cala de 1 km de ancho.
Nosotros fuimos a bucear a Akumal y después decidimos andar hasta allí… 1,5 km es poco, pero con el calor que da el sol mejicano parecía que estábamos haciendo una excursión maratoniana por el Sahara.
En la Buena Vida hay lo que promete su nombre: la buena vida en toda su esencia: vistas fantásticas, hamacas en la playa donde puedes comer con tus pies en la arena, cócteles maravillosos — y columpios en la barra :-)
A todo esto hay que sumar un servicio atento y amable, precios razonables (hay hora feliz todos los días) y una decoración MUY peculiar.
Para comer hay especialidades mejicanas para todos los gustos — pollo maya, marisco, carne, ensaladas, sopa de lima… (destacan especialmente los tacos de pescado).
Hay que decir que no es un local donde van los habitantes de Akumal a cenar y tomarse una copa, sino un bar para turistas (cosa que normalmente intento evitar… pero en este caso el sitio mola tanto que hay que disfrutarlo!).

If you’re in Akumal, this is a great place to stop after a day of snorkeling! You’ll enjoy a delicious meal with your feet in the sand and an incredible view of the sea.
I ordered grilled fish tacos, guacamole and their Akumal ale. Food and service were both excellent.
Bonus: the bar has swings!

IN SHORT: Sand beneath your feet, sweeping ocean vistas, 80s music, swings by the bar, $ 2 drinks at happy hour, and all the tacos, nachos, and quesadillas you can imagine, a few with some thoughtful flavor combinations. Because what are you going to Mexico for if not for this?
THE STORY: If it’s not immediately apparent from walking into La Buena Vida and seeing the sandy floors and large swings hanging in front of the bar, and then turning to watch someone still in swim trunks climbing up a ladder into a tree house with a handful of margaritas, this is not a place where locals eat. But that doesn’t mean that La Buena Vida isn’t an exciting, perpetually fun place for touists to enjoy a good dinner.
So much of Mexican food is about the quality and freshness of ingredients used, and as such the fish and tortillas at La Buena Vida stand out as particularly excellent. The fish tacos, best prepared ajillo or in a crisp tempura batter, are finished simply with a touch of creamy aioli and a purple onion– and cabbage-​heavy pico de gallo.
Non-​seafood lovers should explore the Pollo Maya, a traditional recipe of spicy marinated chicken wrapped and baked in banana leaves and served with fried plantains, purple onions, and black beans. For those more inclined to stick to the Mexican food they know, the Chicken Quesadillas are much better than average, with cheese and tomato sauce adding a little extra moisture to the seared, crispy tortillas.
Because this is a Mexican menu that is aimed at accessibility and recognition by large groups of tourists, guacamole is of course present in vast quantities. Fresh, local avocados here are combined with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lots of lime juice, and topped with crumbled queso fresco that adds a bite of balance to the sometimes acidic creaminess of the guacamole.
Again catering to its pleasure-​seeking clientele, La Buena Vida offers incredible happy hour deals until 7 PM. The frozen drinks are a bit more successful than the others, particularly the Pink Panther, a strawberry banana concoction that goes down like a smoothie, but the house specialty, aptly named the La Buena Vida, comes with Baileys, Kahlua, coconut cream, and Grand Marnier for a silky finish.
Simply put, La Buena Vida is Mexican food the way Americans want it, but the results are still worth traveling great distances for.

We grabbed a late lunch at La Buena Vida. We had a great view of Half Moon Bay. We saw they offered a microbrew, which was a nice change. We ordered guacamole, calamari and fish tacos. We were enjoying the sea breeze and our feet in the sand, all was good. Then, you know that saying «Some days your the bird; others your the statue?» Well, I now know what it’s like to be the statue. A bird totally pooped on my leg. It fell from the palm he was perched upon above me. EW! Thankfully, our food hadn’t arrived yet. I’ve never been so paranoid during a meal, though. I was on edge the rest of the time.
The food was fine, but it lacked pizazz, my husband had a couple good pieces of calamari, but all the rings I tried were chewy. The tacos were better, but I wasn’t impressed. I was missing bold flavor, everything seemed a bit bland. It’s a shame, because we’ve really enjoyed La Buena Vida previously, maybe being pooped on soured the experience? Still, it’s a really cool place. Great for a lazy afternoon.

La Vuena vida es un restaurante único en Akumal. Para empezar Akumal es único. Un punto fabuloso entre Playa del Carmen y Tulum, que aunque sus playas no son del todo vírgenes si son bastante agradables, solitarias y algo exclusivas.
Dentro de las opciones que hay para comer algo en Akumal, La Buena Vida es el mejor. Es un mounstruo de restaurante que puede atender a cuentas de personas a la vez, y lo hace una y otra vez cada año, con las multitudes de personas que visitan estas playas. Casi igual que las tortugas que vienen aquí cada año.
El restaurante de La Buena Vida tiene opciones para todos los gustos, mariscos, carnes, hamburguesas, tacos, ensaladas, de todo. O carta es muy extensa y todo es muy rico. Casero.
La hora feliz es legendaria y también lo son sus margaritas y daiquiris de sabores.
Este es un lugar tranquilo, de convivencia, hay palapas, hamacas., servicios y hasta una alberca. Todo lo que necesitas para pasar todo el día en Akumal.

Akumal, para mí es la mejor playa de la Riviera Maya. La naturaleza se vive a mil, arrecifes y lo mejor de todo, tortugas. Todo buen lugar viene acompañado de buena comida. La familia de mi pareja, nos invitó a comer a un rico restaurante de la zona, La buena vida, ya con sólo el nombre, nos lleva a un futuro prometedor. Tienen una variedad de platillos para los exigentes paladares. Pero como toda buena comida, tiene que ir acompañada de una buena bebida, pero para seguir sumándole, que mejor que dos por uno, ya sabrán cuales fueron las consecuencias, risas, pláticas y lo mejor de todo, con la familia.
Hay alberca para pasar el día, la tarde y la noche, a cualquier hora es perfecta. La atención de Víctor, Mario o cualquiera de los meseros es excelente, te invitan a seguir visitándolos, y bueno, así fue durante la estadía de la familia de mi pareja. Es un lugar que recomiendo ir a todo el mundo, porque la buena onda se respira y qué mejor que al lado de la playita. Puedes pagar con tarjeta de crédito para que puedas pagar muchos dos por uno.

La buena vida.
Pocos Kilómetros antes de llegar a Tulum, en playa «Akumal» pueden hallar un lugar excelente para pasar un rato muy agradable y relajarse.
Se trata de «La buena vida» un restaurante — Bar junto a la playa, con una hermosa vista hacia el mar. Cuenta con una piscina bastante amplia, perfecta para nadar, además de tener acceso directo a la playa, que por cierto tiene la peculiaridad de que puedes caminar varios cientos de metros sin que aumente su profundidad. Es realmente sorprendente.
Los mejor de «La buena vida», son las bebidas. Tienen una variedad grandísima de tragos y bebidas, todas de una excelente calidad, personalmente recomiendo muchísimo el «Ojo rojo», aunque todas son buenísimas.
La atención del personal es excelente, me encantó que aún cuando dejé de ir durante más de un año, cuando volví, nuestro mesero de siempre nos atendió con mucho gusto y se acordó de mí, aún después de tanto tiempo.
Este lugar no deja de sorprenderte, todos los días de las 5:00pm a las 7:00pm, puedes disfrutar de la «Happy Hour», ¡Con los tragos a mitad de precio,!
Mi recomendación para cuando vayan a este lugar, es que vayan con la intención de tomar un par de tragos y no tanto para comer, ya que en cuanto a comidas, el sabor, no es malo pero tampoco es excelente y en mi opinión el precio no lo vale a excepción de los nachos con carne. Es un lugar para disfrutar de unos tragos y algún «deep».
La buena vida está ubicado en Caleta — Yalku S/​N Mz 7 Lote 35 Seccion G, Akumal, 77 710 Tulum, Quintana Rooy abre todos los días de 11:00am a 11:00pm

Es como su nombre lo dice, ¡la mera buena vida!
La primera vez que fui, hace unos 6 años, nos llevó (a mi y a mi familia) allí a comer un chavo que nos había organizado un tour para snorkelear en cenotes y nos condujo a este restaurante. Había, de 17:00 a 19:00 un happy hour que nos quedó como anillo al dedo aparte de haber comido como reyes. Esta última vez, yo ya vivía en la Riviera Maya y vino mi familia a visitarme. Fuimos a Akumal y justo nos hospedamos cerca. Seguíà la happy hour y volvimos a aprovecharla, obviamente. Fuimos varios días, así que tengo varios platillos que tuve la maravillosa idea de pedir, como por ejemplo, el ceviche, la carne a la tampiqueña que por cierto estaba ¡pero impactante!, la hamburguesa vegetariana, rellena de una masa hecha de frijol, avena y no sé qué más que todo junto, hacía una combinación que resaltaba de lo que cualquiera podría haber conocido como una simple hamburguesa. En cuanto a la barra, me tomé un… ok, unos mojitos por $ 30 MXP c/​u hechos con azúcar morena y un ron exquisito. Tomé también un vinito tinto, de $ 30 pesitos también en la precio de hora feliz. El restaurante está a la orilla del mar y tiene alberca que puedes usar si te da mucho calor. Tiene juegos para niños allí a un lado, para que no tengas que andar correteando a nadie. Todas las mesas son de madera y tienen esculturas muy originales. Hay unas mesas que están como a 3 metros del suelo hacia arriba obviamente, sobre bases de madera y subes por unas escaleritas, yo no pedí esa mesa, aunque ha de tener una vista espectacular, pero el mojito y la altura no se deben mezclar. ¡Me atrevería a decir que es mi restaurante favorito de toda la Riviera Maya!

De regreso de visita a Cobá, paramos en playa Akumal para cenar. Locación y ambiente ideal, ya que el restaurant está incrustado en la playa con una vista espectacular.
Nos asignaron mesa enfrente a playa con muy buena vista, y los niños jugaron en la arena. Desgraciadamente había muchas abejas y nos cambiaron de mesa, una un poco más alejada de la playa, y con velas repelentes.
Los tacos de camarón, los de pescado, el ceviche de camarón, y el pescado TIC-​KIN-​XIC muy buenos. Los platillos no-​frescos (hamburguesa, costillas de cerdo) de plano, malos.
Servicio bien a secas, y ambiente bueno. Tocaron música unos mariachis y animó un poco el lugar.

La Buena Vida has a view of the Caribbean to die for. You can enjoy this scene from the comfort of:
— Huge bean bag beds.
— Hammocks.
— Lounge chairs on the beach.
— The beautifully tiled POOL.
— Tree houses complete with a bucket and pulley system for food delivery.
— Swings in the bar.
— Panoramic glass windows from upstairs.
— A perfect little tiki hut table.
I cannot imagine a more perfect location. This is one of those amazing restaurants you see in the movies or on the Travel Channel and never imagine it’d be real (at least for normal people).
The food isn’t spectacular, but it’s certainly not bad. We enjoyed the Mayan chicken and the drunken chicken. We were not as crazy about the fish tacos, which seemed to lack any flavor at all and became mushy. The ceviche was our absolute FAVORITE dish we tasted. I really enjoyed the tamarind margarita, while my husband preferred the mango. We had a coco-​frio and after we finished drinking the water, they peeled it and gave us chunks of fresh coconut to munch on.
However, I’d eat just about anything so that I could enjoy the views and amenities of La Buena Vida.
On our first visit, we decided to don our snorkeling gear and go for a swim in Half Moon Bay. Our waiter said it was a little rocky and not much to see out there, but boy was he wrong! Yes, it’s rocky, but if you’ve got water shoes, you’ll have a blast. We snorkeled around for at least an hour and saw beautiful coral, tons of fish and hung our with a 4-​foot wide Spotted Eagle Ray for a good 10 minutes! It was an incredible experience, especially considering after your swim you can rinse off (La Buena Vida has a shower, too) and enjoy a cold margarita steps away from your excellent snorkeling paradise.
If you don’t have your own gear or want to stay above water, right next door you can rent snorkel gear and kayaks to explore the bay.

I love this place just for the atmosphere alone. I visit every time I’m in Mexico.
Beautiful ocean view — check
Swing seats at bar — check
Beer buckets — check
Palm Tree hut you can sit in with table and chairs & dumb waiter corona bucket if you’re brave enough or sober enough to climb up it — check
This is just a great place to sit and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere. We always order the botanero dish which is an appetizer that comes with beef, chicken, queso, guacamole, peppers & onions as well as tortilla shells. Enough for a meal for two. My husband eats the meat and I eat the veg. They also have a large drink & food menu. They are known to have full moon parties though I’ve never been.
It’s further down the road in Akumal just keep following the road after the arch, you won’t miss it. There is a small parking lot across the street and a few shops. It’s definitely worth checking out.

It’s really hard not to live la vida buena when you are ensconced in such beautiful surroundings. Half-​moon bay in Akumal is truly stunning, with its white sand beach and turquoise water. And the ability to sit at a table, feet firmly planted in said sand, sun blocked by palm fronds waving gently in the wind overhead. In short, the location is spectacular.
This clubhouse-​style restaurant has a covered «interior» bar, some fun swinging seats at buddy bars, and tables placed out on the sand on a terrace overlooking the beach. You can kick off your zapatos and dig your toes in as you munch on huge plates of fish tacos and other local fare.
The menu itself reads well, and the food portions are generous. This place is definitely oriented toward gringos (the main clientele) and while the food is decent, it’s not great. The one shining standout of all the things our group consumed was the house habañero hot sauce. Get that, and beware, It’s very spicy, but has a great flavor to it (it’s not just all heat). Fish tacos are large and in charge, and the yucatecan chicken is pretty decent.
Overall, the food is A-​ok, the service is forgetful at times, and it’s not as local as I’d like it to be, but it’s not as cheesy as a Margaritaville or anything, so there’s that.