We spent the week of the 15-22nd of December at this beautiful resort.After reading some of the negative reviews about food etc , I was astounded.I live in Luxembourg which has many wonderful restaurants and I had no complaints whatsoever about the food.I think most of you guys are spoilt for choice in the U.S so you may find the menus limited.Coming from Europe ,we found there was so much choice from breakfast through to dinner that we were spoiled.I especially recommend the ChateauBriand in the French restaurant.The staff were wonderful and friendly and the place itself was immaculate. If you are looking to spend a wonderful romantic week away, this is the place for you.One of the nicest things about this place(which is not really mentioned) is that the resort is very spread out so even when it is full, there is lots of space by the pool and on the beach. If you are a whinger and a nit picker who has been spoiled all their lives, you will not enjoy this place or any other place for this matter. We are already planning our next trip there as you could not find a better place in the carribean for value for money and all out luxury. Make sure to have a coco loco for me.

My husband and I went to Secrets 1/18 - 1/24 with another couple and had the time of our lives!! This resort is great! The staff is very friendly and always smiling. They are always cleaning and painting and keeping the grounds top-notch. I am a very picky eater, but was able to find good things to eat at every resturant. Our favorite was the Italian. The beach is beautiful but the water is a little rough. (It is on the Atlantic) We took the Bavaro Splash excursion and had a blast! We met alot of nice people and made some great new friends. The roads are bumpy on the ride from the airport, but so what!! Sit back and have a good time!!! We can't wait to go back. We are already planning our next trip to Secrets!!

If you are a review reader, you may become acutely nervous by some of the ridiculous negativity posted on this website - take a deep breath and relax. This place is beautiful and romantic. It would be essentially impossible to have a bad time here unless you are a tragically unhappy person. The facility is gorgeous - if you are with someone you love you will not want to leave. Some specifics: Food - fine. French and Mexican are the best. Dress - ubercasual. Some topless swimming but most of those women should have left their tops on.

Well, where should I start? Flying into Punta Cana is breath-taking. The airport is all open air with palapa palm roofs. The people are so happy to see you and greet you with a smile! We traveled with Apple vacations and I cannot say enough nice things about them. They truly went out of their way to ensure our vacation was nothing but perfect! Upon arriving to the resort, Apple will give you an invitation to a small orientation the day after you arrive. I really recommend going. All of the reviews I have read indicate such silly problems that can be solved by attending one of these orientations - or better yet - READ the Secrets information book in your room. It will explain where everything is. As for the resort - Everything we could have dreamed of! Sure - the ride from the airport is rough, but it is also an adventure. Along the way, we stopped for Presidente Beer and enjoyed the landscape. Upon leaving, we opted for the Helicopter ride back to the airport! I also highly recommend that. Bring extra $$ for your excursions. This one cost $250.00 for 2. All of the employees greet you with big smiles and mimosas. We did not wait in any lines for check in, although we did enjoy the front couches while sipping our welcome drink and waited for our walk to our room with the luggage. The resort is spread out and we welcomed the tour from the baggage handler. He was so gracious when we tipped for his services. I took the advice from previous writers and e-mailed Secrets the week before we left. We were given a 3rd floor room overlooking the beach. The ceilings in the 3rd floor levels thru-out the resort make these rooms! All rooms have balconies or porches with chairs. The 1st floor rooms (mostly) come with hammocks. Everthing is open and beautiful, no fences. The room had a king size bed, complete with rose petals, lush bathrobes and slippers, jacuzzi tub, full shower and vanity area. The bar area is stocked daily with sodas, beer (Presidente) and Rum. We asked for Absoulte and Cuervo Gold , which the bar man was happy to stock also. We tipped daily and always received what we wanted. You have a coffee pot with all the essentails also stocked. The grounds are beautiful. Palm trees everywhere you look. We are from the West Coast and appreciate the palms. Many different varieties and wishing we could have taken some of them home with us! The ocean is full of waves. Somewhat larger than here in San Diego. The water is very warm and not at all shocking when you get in. You will not be able to snorkel at Secrets. This might be a drawback to some vacationers, although a small walk down the beach has a few calmer areas, but not without waves further out. BUGS - we brought several varieties of bug spray. My husband put it on every day as he is one of those who ALWAYS gets bit. I rarely put it on. He didn't get one bite and I came home with just a few. Mostly sand fleas from the beach I think. I never saw them though. Yes the drinks are wonderful - and they will make you whatever you want with whatever brand you perfer. If you don't ask, you won't get it. Food - just ok although I am not a big eater. My favorite - The Ceviche from the Seafood restaurant. (In San Diego, we get this at the Mexican Restaurants, not Seafood Restaurants.) Very Good. French - Terrible - Mexican - Not like at home although just OK - Steak House - VERY SLOW bt the food was ok - Dominican (In the Mexican restaurant) Good - Seafood - Good - Italian - Good - Asian - Good. Breakfast buffet - Good - Room Service Great! Excurisions - We went on 2 - Catamaran to Sanora Island & Outback Safari. The Catamaran was a lot of fun but...... the bus ride was long. It takes about 1 1/2 hours each way. It is broken up by a change in busses at a shopping location. They never turned the engine off on the Catamaran, so it wasn't like we were really sailing. Drinks the whole way and Lunch served while we were there. Watch the food outside the resort. It was always good, but my husband had problems after eating the meat. (All of the food within the resort is good - never had any problems) Outback Safari - THIS WAS THE BEST! I highly recommend this one if you want to learn about the Dominican and the locals. Definately take the bug spray on this one! We took a lot of school supplies for the local children and it was very much appreciated. They do not have much! Unless they can afford uniforms, they cannot attend school. Outback donates to them out of some of the proceeds from this tour. Well worth it! Entertainment - Great. don't miss the nightly shows. All of them are great. A few times a week they have whats called "Secrets Fair". This takes place in front of the French restaurant during the daytime hours. Go and play! Have fun and win play money! Gather as much play money as you can and play all of the games more than once to build up your bank. Later that night - they have a wonderful auction at the stage area. Take your money and bid on items such as Rum, T-Shirts - and Coconut Monkeys. This is great! Shopping - The vendors out in fromt of the resort are expensive! They know it - so do not be afraid to name your price and stick to it. If one won't take it - believe me the next one will. The best bargins are obtained from outside the resort. We found them on the Outback trip. We stopped at a local shopping area and bought bottles of rum for $4.00. Coffee beans $2.00. Dominican Cigars - $4.00 for 20 of them. Incredible bargins. Weather - Couldn't have been better - In the 80's. Secrets is always windy, so the heat was just perfect. My husband and I are very much looking forward to the opening of the new Secrets in Cancun. I reccommend this resort to anyone interested in going to the Dominican. We will definately one day return! If you have any questions, please e-mail me. By the way - if Raylynn, Tim, Erin or Brandon are reading - e-mail me. We are thankful we were able to meet such wonderful people and would love to keep in touch!