Where to begin… My husband and I booked our trip to Secrets 6 months ago. . We are mid 40’s and have been married 24 years.

I booked through Travelocity and used FF miles. Transfers were not included so I contacted SERC and arranged transfers through them for $65 round trip
Upon arrival to the airport we passed all the people that wanted to “help” and headed straight for the exit! We easily spotted the Amstar rep for transfers by the sign he held with our names. We were transported in a private car to SERC in about 20 minutes.

We checked in almost immediately, and were given a glass of champagne, but no cool towel or cookies. No big deal…we were entering “paradise”. We were given room 3301 in building 3. I emailed and asked for a king size bed but did not request a certain building. It had a spa view and was on the top floor. The bellman gave us a brief tour of the resort and met us in our room with our luggage. There he also familiarized us with the room. Nice touch! We changed into our suits and headed to the pool!

The pools and swim up bar were closed I believe because they had been shocked with chemicals. We were told it had rained for several days, so the pools were a little cloudy. Luckily for us, the sun was peeking out now! We then headed for the lobby bar and had a few drinks and talked to a nice couple from PA. For dinner the first night we ate Mexican. Our server was Virginia. We never had an empty glass and she even brought us a drink for the road without us asking. The mango margarita’s and regular margarita’s with Don Julio and Gran Marnier were great. Called it a night after dinner.

We ate breakfast at Portofino’s 3 mornings and had room service 3 mornings. Portofino’s had everything you could think of. Made to order omeletes were good. Room service was also good, usually got the “American Breakfast”, eggs, bacon, toast, hashbrowns and juice. Pancakes were also good. Room service always came within 30 minutes.

Spent the days at the main pool with the swim up bar. We liked meeting the people and the activity that was always going on there. Usually we were able to get chairs between 9am-11am with no problem. Floats were available pretty readily. Most everyone seemed to share if they were not using them.

We had lunch either at Portofino’s/Demarinos or the Seaside Grill. Caesar salad and shrimp cocktail were wonderful. My husband even liked the burgers and fries. Pizza was also good at Demarinos.

We had other dinners at Portofino’s, Bordeaux, Mexican a second time and at the Caribbean Beach party on Monday night. Portofino’s was great, Bordeaux was our least favorite, and the ribs at the beach party were great. All the restaurants had top notch service with you being waited on hand and foot!

Other highlights……

Meeting some great friends, Tanner& Sarah, Chris & Stacey, Keith & Angie, Jim and Gayle, Tim & Kendall, Dave & Lisa, Clemson friends, Cleveland friends, PA friends…….

Met Shellgirl at the main pool. It was nice to put a face with a name from TA!

A couples Swedish massage at the Spa. Speaking of the spa…..enjoying the hot tub at the spa with friends but got kicked out for being a “little” too loud.


Desires sports bar and nightclub.....watched football and baseball games and danced a few nights away. Nightlife is what you make of it! There are movies, shows and other activities going on. The few nights we were at Desires it was busy!

The entertainment staff was great! Hello to John Paul! There was volleyball, water aerobics, texas hold'em, crafts, etc. We would see the entertainment staff from early morning at the pools to late nights at Desires trying to encourage participation.

Other observations.....

The beach itself was beautiful. The sand was soft and very easy to walk on. The water was calm and not good for body surfing. It also was not the bright blue water. But, we spent our time at the pools and this was not an issue for us.

We did not get or feel sick from food. We used tap water to brush our teeth, drank only bottled water, drank both frozen and drinks with ice and ate a large variety of foods. I think most of the "sickness" is from alcohol consumption!

Mini bar and the in room Jacuzzi was a plus. Incense was an added plus. We had maid and turn down service everday with no problems. My husband wished we had a couple of extra TV channels on our TV at home like SERC : )!

We were lucky enough to get sun everyday! There were a few clouds and brief rain showers, but for the most part we could not have asked for a more perfect week!

The bars all provide nice size plastic glasses not the 6oz ones. You really don't need an insulated mug in Oct anyway, or maybe we just drank them too fast! We brought them and did not use them. Try the Miami vice and the mojito.

There are a lot of honeymooners, anniversary couples and just vacationers. There were people of all ages, 18 - 70's and 80's, and all sizes. You will fit in if you know how to relax and have fun!

I have my cell phone service through Verizon. I called and added international calling capability to my phone, my husbands and our 3 kids. This does not have a charge, but the calls are .69 per minute. My phone worked great down there, except for getting messages. I haven’t gotten the bill yet!

In summary,

We loved SERC for all the reasons we had picked it in the first place. New resort, no wristbands, no towel cards, adults only, no reservations for restaurants, in room Jacuzzi, minibar and 24 hour room service! I have traveled to other resorts in Cancun, a 6 star in Punta Cana and numerous hotels in Las Vegas. This is by far the best in every aspect!! We would not hesitate to go back again and again. It is truly paradise!

My wife and I returned on October 14th from Sectrets excellence, we had perfect weather and the most perfect time. We felt the resort was a 10 out of 10 in both service and what they had to offer in all categories. It is a beautiful location as well as property, perfect for romance, privacy, and meeting nice people. The food was very good, not perfect but very good... room service is excellent and promt... The employees are all smiles 24 hours a day, opening doors, pulling out chairs and ready to wait on your needs... The pools were beautiful, the beach was equally as nice, some sea grass but not a problem at all, it is much hotter on the beach which makes the pool a more comfortable choice either way... Nightlife is ok, could be a little bit more livlier, but it was perfect for me and my new wife.... We met great people on our trip, would love to her from all of you again, sorry we didn't get to see you before we left... Kim and Charles Philadelphia... I usually don't like to go back to places I have been to before, but I would definately return to this resort...

We returned from our 8 day / 7 night honeymoon refreshed, relaxed, tanned, fat, and happy! This place is beautiful, the service is excellent, and the food is amazing! The pools are lovely and the beach is no where near as bad as what people say! Yes, there is some sea grass that washes up and is in the water. It isn't covered thick and you can easily swim in the water and not be near any grass! As people who doesn't have a beach close by, this wasn't going to ruin anything at all for us!

Since there are so many reviews, and I would agree with the majority of the positive ones, I won't repeat all that. A few things I do think worth mentioning:

We had no waits for meals at any time in the restaurants. And the food is really that good!

The Excellence Club is a waste of money that we are glad we didn't get. The only difference is nicer wooden lounge chairs near the pool instead of plastic, and unlimited internet access for free (compared to the 30 min free you get as a regular guest). There is no way they can keep non-excellence club members from the pool or bar near your rooms, and the view is pretty much the same as our spa view /limited ocean view.

We paid $600 for the Secret's Eternity Honeymoon package - it was a waste of money. Yes, the massages were great. Yes, the dinner on the beach was great. But I could have booked these separately and saved a few hundred dollars. We never got our breakfast in bed, had to call to get the champagne, fruit and flowers, never got the Lovers music CD, and had no special check in. We're currenlty trying to get a partial refund form Apple on this portion as the hotel claims the web site isn't accurate (well whose fault is that?) But we didn't let this spoil our good time!

Getting rafts were no problem!

The Snorkeling Adventure is not to be missed! Fantastic!

Finally, although we tipped, it was becuase we wanted to. I can't see how it would affect service (if you tipped or didn't) becuase we always tipped at the end, usually had different waiters, and always had outstanding service.

You will enjoy this place truly!

We have just returned from six days of paradise at Secrets. This was our second trip and we cannot wait for our third. The place is great. We have no complaints. The food and drink are super. Breakfast was our personal favorite. The workers are so friendly and underpaid. Please budget a small amount of money for tips. Believe me they will earn them. Say hi to Cinthia and Gesela at the Baracuda pool area. This is where to stay if you like constant activity. We are in our 40's and we had a blast here. If you want to be left alone, stay at the Spa pool. There is something for everyone at this resort, and its cleanliness will astound you. They clean the entire resort every day. It is unbelievable! You will love it just don't forget to tip. It is not expected, but they deserve it!! Hello to Dave and Nilda in VA Beach. We enjoyed your company greatly. From KY