We recently had the privilege and joy to experience 5 glorious days at this resort with a very large group (over 100) for my husband's company trip. Day 1 we were greeted with champagne and a gorgeous room. We had a catered party on the beach that night- SO MUCH FUN. We were part of the Preferred Guests area, and I definitely think it is worth it. We had a private section just for us, a private BEAUTIFUL beach, all the top shelf liquor in our PREFERRED lobby along with snacks and champagne at all times. Our room was very clean and GORGEOUS. We had a bay view, and it was so nice to wake up to see the beautiful bay every morning. Everyone who went on excursions loved them. We just stayed on the resort for the most part, except for a cruise on the Island Dreamer catamaran, which was WELL worth it!!! Overall, our experience was EXCELLENT except for a couple of snags which the resort managers truly tied to fix. Day one, my husband's iPhone was stolen. The resort ended up paying for it, and it doesn't affect the rating I will give because one thieving staff member made a bad decision- it was locked anyway, so I guess it's a nice paperweight for someone. SO, I suggest WATCHING your belongings at all times, and if any doubt, put it in the safe in your room. A few of our friends also had money and phones stolen, so if you are going to drink a little too much- leave the cash and phone in the safe. That was the one and only complaint I would maybe give, but the majority of the staff were so helpful, honest, and friendly. Here are all of the pluses:
+location- the bay is SO calm and the beach is beautiful
+clean- the entire resort was VERY clean. I have been to many resorts, and this was by far the cleanest.
+rooms- modern and very spacious, rain shower, beautiful views- a sanctuary
+room service- prompt and yummy
+breakfast- YUM. Buffet and made to order omelets, quality cheese and fresh fruit/veggies
+Lunch and Dinner- I love the "No reservations" attitude. Just make sure the men pack collared shirts and long pants. The Mexican restaurant for dinner was SO yummy that we ate there twice. Our friends did the hibachi and loved it (you have to reserve that early)
+JERK CHICKEN- You absolutely MUST find the man who grills the Jerk chicken on the beach grill and grab a few plates- AMAZING. Best lunch hands down. He grills on a cart, you walk up, get your delicious freshly grilled chicken and you are in heaven.
+Spa- glorious. I had a relaxing 80 min massage and the hydrotherapy circuit was SO heavenly, make sure you try the cold plunge pool- invigorating.
Here's a tip- TIP these people. Yes, this is an all-inclusive resort, but I still believe you should tip. Give your waiter a few bucks, tip the maid, tip the room service and bellman. Anyone who objects to that doesn't really appreciate how hard these people work to make your vacation seamless and extraordinary. Will you get better service if you tip- probably, but the service is already stellar.
I would go back to this same resort in a heartbeat- absolutely. We have been on MANY vacations, and this is hands down, the BEST- minus the stolen phone, but that is not a reflection of this resort as a whole. If you are contemplating going here...GO MON!!! and try the Preferred Suites if you can swing it- ultimate luxury. It's all Ire Mon, no worries, no problems.

We were at Secrets Wild Orchid from Feb 2 thru Feb 9. We stayed in the preferred building room 1414. It was amazing from start to finish, truly the best vacation of our lives. We have stayed at Secrets Maroma Beach and at the Aventura Spa Palace in the Riviera Maya before this but it was our first time in Jamaica and it will not be our last.
We arrived after leaving Snowy Chicago and were upgraded on arrival to the preferred club. There was a tray of fresh fruit and a chilling bottle if Champaign waiting for us in our room which was ready immediately. From there on it was amazing.

We tried several if the ala carte restaurants and of them we liked the French Bordeaux the best. The jerk chicken cart is not to be missed. So yummy! No matter the time of day you can find something to eat and there are lots of healthy options which I loved.

The beach is smallish but wonderful. I love to look for shells and found tons of them and a friend I met there found several urchin skeletons. There are tons of starfish along the wall to the bay, so pretty! It's truly paradise. There are macaws to see and also some wandering peacocks. The landscaping is gorgeous too with tons of palm trees and beautiful flowers all around.

We went to the Spa one day and did a couples massage and pedicures. So wonderful! It's a beautiful Spa and we had the pleasure of getting to know Phyllis a little. She is a wonderful kind woman and a super talented massage therapist. I highly recommend her and the Spa.

The staff here are so friendly and helpful. We never encountered anyone who wasn't. They are hard working so we tipped well because we appreciated everything they did for us. We met so many that were wonderful and I wish that I'd written down their names so that I could give each a shout out here. Next time for sure. One that stands out is the wonderful young man in the handicrafts store. He went out of his way to chat us up every time we saw him. Even told us how to cook with the items we purchased and about his life and family. Such a nice young man.

We were walking through the lobby one day and were asked by a friendly concierge if she could do anything for us. We had earlier told her no but she asked again and since we were having trouble finding beach shoes large enough for my husband. She told us that she could help. She gave us a free catamaran trip to Margaritaville that included snorkeling and shopping where we did find the beach shoes. We had a blast! Made friends - who i wish that i'd thought to get an email address for so we could keep in touch with, hi Sherry & Gary -and danced on the catamaran all the way back. Truly a wonderful fun trip. I can't thank Carissa enough for trying not once but twice to help us and giving us more than we ever dreamed of. She was so fun! Along with her was Kamar another concierge, he was hysterical! I need to develop my pics because I got a great one of him fully dressed snorkeling in the bay in an inner tube. So funny. Carissa and Kamar were one of the best parts of our trip and both deserve a raise! :)

We did book a day trip as well to see some of the island. We had heard of Dunns River Falls but knew if was pretty commercialized. We wanted something unspoiled and we found it. Mayfield Falls was AMAZING! Best part was we had a private guided tour just my husband and myself. It's a mineral spring and falls up in the mountains. Just gorgeous! Our guide showed us all kinds if plants along the way back that are used medicinally and for cooking. Super interesting. It was super cool. Our driver Henry was awesome too, told us all about the island and what we were driving past and best of all took us to Border Jerk which is a real Jamaican Jerk stand on the way back. Hands down the best food we had in Jamaica. He gave us his number for when we come back, and we will definitely be back.

Finally I see tons of people complaining about the vacation club that they offer buying into at the resort. We bought in Mexico and got a great price which included one free week. We used it in Jamaica and on this trip we only had to pay airfare. It has paid for itself with just this one trip plus we can go back another 10 times over the next 12 years at a 25% discount plus as members we are automatically upgraded room wise upon arrival. In fact this time we booked a regular room and were upgraded to preferred. We saw other couples checking in when we did and their rooms were not ready but ours was. We get 25% off at the Spa too. There are benefits. It's just about how you negotiate the terms when you purchase. It's not for everyone but for us it's worked out splendidly.

Of all the resorts we have stayed at SWO has the best entertainment. Hands down. Amazing. There really is something special going on here. I can't wait to go back. If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer. Happy travels!

my wife and I stayed at Secrets Wild Orchid for 9 nights as our honeymoon. Neither of us are particularly keen on the resort style vacation - tending to prefer to explore and adventure, but for our honeymoon we decided to go for relaxation and all inclusive luxury.

We arrived and were really well looked after. The staff were delightful, friendly, smiling and very efficient. The room was stunning, and the view was perfect!

We stayed in a Preferred Club ocean view room and it was well worth the extra (the deal we used through TrailFinders meant it was £20 a night extra) the preferred club pool was so quiet and peaceful, we never bothered to go to the other pools - the music and the numbers over there put us off - we were very happy sitting peacefully next to the virtually deserted P.C pool :)

I have nothing bad to say about Secrets at all, but do be warned that when you go for options that aren't in the all inclusive - you will find them to be VERY expensive.

The resort credit vouchers are also cheeky.... $200US to spend on resort.... although $40 is spendable against a romantic dinner (you get one free with the honeymoon package - so we didn't use that) 4 sets of $10US against the wine list - but the cheapest wine is $40.... and then 2x$40 and 1x $20 against spa treatments - all of which are over $100... just a tad naughty I think...

The restaurants are good. Especially Blue Mountain (the Jamaican one) and El Patio (the mexican). The service is quick and efficient. The rest of them are still good, and you really can't complain, as there's nothing to complain about - but they're not necessarily "authentic" cuisine!


We had a great time, and we would definitely go on this kind of holiday again, and possibly even go back to Wild Orchid, although perhaps we've done it now.

Transfers to and from Secrets from Montego Bay Airport.
There is a long walk from the arrival gates to the Immigration section, so be prepared for that. Once past Immigration and Customs it is pretty quick to get to the buses/taxis. If you're traveling on a bus, make sure you pick up your bus voucher at the JBL desk. Once the bus departed it only took about 15 mins to get to the Secrets main gate.

Arrival at Secrets
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There are two security points/gates coming onto the property, which assures you the property is well supervised and only staff and guests are on the property.
The concierge staff will unload and look after your bags and direct you through the doors to the reception lobby. The lobby is very nice, but unlike the lobby you see at most hotels. Instead of a reception counter, they have several nice business desks. We were welcomed there and seated before a staff member. At first I felt we were about to get a sales pitch rather than a check-in, but thankfully it was a very relaxing check-in.
They offer you beverages, and a light snack, and some cold hand towels to wipe your face and cool off. Very nice greeting.
We didn't get exactly the room we were hoping for, but we did get a high floor as requested, with a very nice ocean-view (more on the rooms later). We got our room cardkeys, and went up to our room. I was anticipating the concierge staff would have already brought our bags up, but we had to wait. The room was fine, but we couldn't initially get into the safe. We had problems getting this resolved, and eventually had security replace a battery in the safe. Took about an hour in all. The staff were apologetic for the wait, but the wait was annoying after a long trip.
Recommendations:
1) If your room is ready, you may wish to take your bags to the room yourself, rather than waiting for the concierge staff. I find that once I am at a resort, I want to lock my valuables and get changed and down to the pool/beach or explore. Waiting a half hour or an hour for your bags to be brought to the room is a waste.
2) Unless you are at the preferred swim-out ground floor rooms, ask for a high floor (preferably the 4th or 5th floor).

Rooms
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* All the rooms have ocean views, but unless you are on the 4th or 5th floors, there is no guarantee your view won't be obstructed by another structure on the property or a palm tree. We did not go with the "preferred" accommodations, so we were in the main Wild Orchid Suites building #2.
* The room was very nice, clean and quite modern. It had all the amenities needed. The king-size bed was very comfortable. The pillow top cushion on the bed might be a bit soft for some, but we found the bed to be quite comfortable.
* The layout of the bathroom is more of an open concept. I suppose this could become a privacy issue if you were travelling with a friend/relative, rather than a spouse/partner. We especially like the shower with its rainfall-like shower head in the ceiling. The shower has a switchable hand shower attachment, so it's easy to have the shower spray directed wherever you want.
* Large flat-screen TV had lots of satellite channels. All the major networks plus a few sports channels and even some channels from Canada which was nice.
* Balconies are a decent size, and have a handy pull-out rack for hanging wet clothes. Note A/C will shut off it the balcony door is left open.
* Room electricity will shut-off automatically if there is no movement in the room after a period of time. We never found this to be an issue, but others felt it caused some concern for charging batteries/phones etc.
* Bar fridge is not very cold, so be prepared to put drinks on ice if want to make sure they are cold. We didn't use much from the fridge. They will refill it, but you are best to leave a note as to what you want added/replenished.
Recommendations:
1) Get a room on an upper floor, preferably 4th or 5th floor.
2) Leave a note to staff about what you want added/replenished in the bar fridge.
3) Not sure the "preferred" is worth the extra cost for what you get.

Food
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* The World Cafe is very good for breakfast and lunch. The sitting area expands, using seating from the El Patio restaurant, and the Blue Mountain restaurant. The buffet can be busy, but we never had to wait in any lines. There was lots of different food and it was hot, and tasty. On a couple nights the Cafe has special features such as Friday's Surf & Turf and Tuesday there was a rib night.
* The Jerk chicken carts roam on the walkway between the beach and the pool. The chicken is good, but it is spicy, so watch out if you don't care for spicy food.
* The restaurants each have a nice decor, and try to be elegant. The food is generally good, though I would say it is not "5-star" quality. The presentation is very nice, and the selection and quality is generally good. If you're expecting "gourmet", it falls a bit short.
* We preferred Portofino (the Italian Restuarant). Second choice is Bordeaux (the French restaurant). We dined at the Himitsu (Asian restaurant) twice, each time at a Teppanyaki table. The first time we had a very boring chef, who sang a bit but was otherwise dull. The food was good, but it might as well been cooked in another room as watching it being prepared was a disappointment. The second time we went we had a different chef (Marlon) and he was very entertaining. He had flair, spun his utensils, and sang lots of different songs as he cooked.
* We found the house wine to be reasonably good and thus no need to pay extra and order off the wine list. I suppose if you are really a connoisseur of fine wine, you may find the house wine unsatisfactory. We were pleased with the house wine.
Recommendation:
1) Don't miss the Surf & Turf buffet at the World Cafe on Fridays. The lobster was very good!
2) Book ahead for the Teppanyaki table, but be forewarned that some of the chefs may not be as experienced/entertaining as you might hope.

Staff
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* We found the staff to be very friendly and very service-oriented. We've stayed in Jamaica many times, and the staff at Secrets were the best we've seen in Jamaica. They always made a conscientious effort to provide warm greetings and make sure you have everything you need. They were all very good. Special kudos to Harry at the pool bar. That guy makes an awesome Pina Colada!
* A few of the staff can be quite soft-spoken. That combined with their accent can make some of them a bit difficult to hear at times. If you ask politely they will try to speak a bit louder.

Pool
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* The pools were nice, clean and very refreshing. The main pool seems cold at first, but after you adjust it is very refreshing. They have lots of floating mattresses which are nice. Towels were always available and they are quite big.
* Some people would reserved lounge chairs by the pool by placing a book or towel on the lounge chair. We usually could find a spot, so it is not essential to reserve.
* The swim-up bar has its own pool. It seemed a couple degrees warmer, probably cause it got more sun and was a smaller pool. I wish the two pools connected, because you had to leave one pool to get a drink at the other. Not sure why they don't provide a way to swim between the two pools.
Recommendation:
1) Reserve a lounge chair early n the morning (before 8:30), if you have a preferred location at the pool.
2) Check the lounge chair carefully. Some have broken hinges and need to be repaired.

Beach
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They have lots of beach area, with plenty of lounge chairs and shade huts. The beach is not a fine sand, and in spots can be a bit gritty to the bottoms of bare feet. It was not enough to bother us, but I know some people who were hoping for finer sand for walking.
They have kayaks and sailboats available. The kayaks are free to use, but the sailboats have to be rented.
For snorkeling, the staff will guide you out to a reef area in front of the the resort. The reef is not terribly colorful, but it there is coral and some small fish. For novice snorkelers it is ideal, but for more experienced people they will be a bit disappointed.

Entertainment
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* The steel drum band was quite good though they only performed for an hour. They are very talented, and perform a lot of recent pop music. If you're expecting a more traditional steel band playing more cultural music, you'll be disappointed.
* The house band and other entertainers they had were good, but nothing uniquely special. They hardly used the "Showtime" theatre while we were at the resort.
* Entertainment usually ends at 10:30pm, except for Desires Lounge/Disco. Thus noise should not be a problem after 10:30.

SuperBowl Party
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* The resort put on a SuperBowl party and had three large projection screens set up on the beack in front of the barefoot grill. They sold some special VIP seats, that were special comfy chairs, and souvenirs etc, but we opted out for the VIP seats. They had a nice buffet set up for the SuperBowl party, along with finger food, a bar, and two huge cakes. The only problem is they failed to advertize they were having this buffet for the SuperBowl. We ended up going to a restaurant to eat, and missing the first quarter of the game. They had advertize the party well, but failed to mention they were having all this food available.

Excursions
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We did a couple of excursions (Ziplining, and the Dreamer Catamaran cruise). Both were fun, though the cruise was a bit more of a party boat with LOTS of drinking.
Recommendations:
1) You can book excursion in the lobby, or at the tour office (2 doors over from the CoCo Cafe). If you book online you can save money as both places at the resort charge a premium on the regular price of the tours.


Secrets is a beautiful resort, with excellent accommodations and excellent staff. That part of the resort is 5-star in my opinion. The food and entertainment is very good, though certainly not 5-star yet. Overall Secrets is 4.5 star resort.

Sidenote: We overheard numerous guests at the resort say they much preferred Secrets over Sandals. We have never stayed at Sandals, but have stayed at Couples. The Secrets resort is nicer than Couples, though the food and entertainment at Couples I would say is superior (though not by a huge margin).