As many have said before, this is a beautiful,modern hotel which is kept immaculately clean by the ever present hard working and friendly staff. The pool areas were well maintained and again, kept very clean.
Bedrooms - We can understand why some people wouldn't be keen on the wooden floors and glass cubicles in the rooms, however, we had no problem with them whatsoever and liked the openess and look of the room. The air con was easy to use and efficient. The lighting was quirky but we got the hang of it fairly quickly. Good to have two sinks, although the 2 sockets were above just one of the sinks. Would have been nice to have a socket above each. Hair drier is provided and also an ironing board and iron. The safe and instructions are clear and easy to use. No idea how anyone could have anything stolen from their safe if they'd locked it properly (just saying). We were on the 15th floor on the Hard Rock side, overlooking the preferred pool area/Olio restaurant. This was perfect, as we got the sun all afternoon. Sea and lagoon view from balcony. No issue with lots of noise from there in the evening, as others have previously reported. Of course there'll be music from other hotels close by, they are holiday resorts and that is just par for the course. However, the wide, noisy corridors can be more of an issue. The wooden floors, length and breadth of the corridors means the sound does carry. Just something to deal with in a hot country hotel as carpeting is impractical. There are USB sockets as well as power sockets in the rooms, which is handy for charging phones and other gadgets with USB connectors. The mini fridge is kept well stocked and the coffee replenished. No fresh milk in the fridge however, just 1 sachet of coffee mate included in the coffee kit. However, we fetched fresh milk from downstairs and kept a cup in the fridge. Toiletries provided were of good quality. Soap bars, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion. Plenty of towels and face cloths plus mats. Towelling robe and slippers also provided. Plenty of hangers and wardrobe space. Good size balcony with white box style wicker chairs and a white wicker cube table. You can see through the partitions along the row of balconies to your left and right, but somehow, it isn't too obtrusive. Means you get plenty of light and air whilst on your balcony. Beds are comfortable but note that bedding (sheet and light duvet) is 50:50 cotton/polyester, so can get a bit warm at night. We turned the air con down at bedtime to counteract this.
Pool areas - 3 good sized pools (plus the preferred on a different level) well maintained and cleaned with plenty of fresh towels provided throughout the day. Staff friendly and helpful. Bars wells stocked with quality brands. Plenty of cold bottles of water offered thought the day by the serving bar/pool staff. Plenty of sun loungers for all with umbrellas for those needing shade. Plenty of sun loungers on the beach, which was also well maintained on a daily basis. Covered seating areas available plus cabanas with sofas and sun loungers. Music played throughout the day, so something to be aware of for those not keen, although we found that listening to our iPods as an alternative was fine. Security ensure only Secrets residents come up from the beach to the pool areas. Toilets not well signposted, but there is 1 (male and female) by the Manatee bar plus a large toilet suite of cubicles along the corridor beside the Entertainment team booth and the scuba booth. Interestingly, we noted a lot of people queuing for the single cubicle by the bar as if they were unaware of the main pool toilet area. We had asked on day 1 as there was no signage. Just something to be aware of.
Entertainment - great team of enthusiastic and fun staff, providing daily events from 10am plus a specific evening events. The daily programme didn't vary but you knew what was coming and could take part or not without pressure. The team were Winnie, Victor, Bethany, Kendall, Sunday and Kara. Very approachable and greeted us daily by our names. We enjoyed the aqua aerobics at 12pm and the Bingo in the afternoons at 2pm. Also on offer were beach volleyball, pool volleyball, minute to win it and the daily question, which could win you a prize if you're right, or the closest to the answer. The evening entertainment, which we opted out of, included magic shows, casino nights, live music and dancing.
Restaurants - the breakfast buffet in Market Cafe was varied and generally of good quality. The one gripe we had on most mornings was that the butter portions were either not available when the doors opened at 7am and/or they were so cold that the butter was rock solid and unusable. This was mentioned on several occasions but alas, no real progress on this front was made. The butter issue was prevalent in all restaurants we visited where bread rolls and butter was provided. Again, mentioned there and in these case, the butter was 'softened' for us. Note that it is worth mentioning issues with any food items at the time. The staff and chefs are more than willing to accommodate requests or listen to feedback and act on it. No point holding back until the Tripadvisor review (just saying). One case in point is in Dragons Asian restaurant, where we dined on the first night. We have a thing for spicy food and had hoped for something flavoursome and spicy in a Panasian restaurant. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. On providing feedback on the meals we had been given, this was taken on board, so that the next time we went in, we were served by the head chef (the very engaging, friendly and accommodating Chef William). He personally took our order and was keen to understand what we were looking for. Our request was for an authentic and spicy Thai red curry. Chef William didn't let us down. He cooked us an amazing red curry with the perfect level of flavour and spice to suit our palates. He made sure we were happy with the quality before leaving us to enjoy our meals. The next night, again, he came out specially to ask what he could spice up for us. This I've a Thai green curry and again it was just wow. So, once more, we urge you to be open and honest, but constructive, with feedback on food in the restaurants at the time. Constructive is appreciated and accommodated! We had great service from Manuel in Nebbiolo Italian restaurant and from Jesus (Hesus) in Bluewater Grill. Both lovely restaurants with interesting menus. Note that for those with a bigger appetite, Nebbiolo in particular, serves small portions, so bear that in mind if you're hungry. The house wines are perfectly good so no need to go for the more expensive on offer. We read that some people had been pushed the wine list. We never experienced any pressure at all and that was mainly down to saying straightaway that we were happy to try the house wines. After that, we always asked for the same waiters in the restaurants we visitd, so they knew our preferences. Note that the Mexican Cabernet Sauvignon house red is very good indeed! The lunchtime offerings included burgers, nachos, paella, fish, hot dogs at the poolside or Barefoot Grill. The Sea Salt restaurant is also poolside and provides good food. For those looking for a wider selection, the Market Cafe does a very good and extensive buffet lunch, including a sushi bar and a roast of the day. Always plenty of meat, fish, vegetables, salads, fruit, bread and minimalistic desserts (not really to my taste) including a chocolate fountain. Cocktails in the restaurants are stronger than those served at the pool bars, so if you need a good alcohol kick, have a margarita in the restaurant...but be sure you have someone to help you out again afterwards hahaha.
Hotel in general - beautifully presented inside. Plenty of staff to help with questions or assistance of any kind. Toilet areas immaculate although the motion sensor taps aren't very sensitive, so can be tricky getting running water. Again, obvious signage for the toilets are lacking inside the main lobby. We asked on day 2 as we found it odd that there was no notification of them. They are located by the concierge desk, opposite Red Vine Bar and also by the lifts close to the hotel shop/boutique. I mentioned this as feedback to the concierge, which was taken on board. Again, if you find anything could be improved, say so while you are there! We had no pressure from timeshare sales people at all. We weren't even approached. We went and enquired ourselves but only to see about half price discount on trips. However we decided we didn't want to sit through the hour+ presentation so opted out with no issue whatsoever. We did hear others saying they'd been 'pestered' on several occasions but we certainly weren't. One thing we noted on rainy days was the inpouring of rainwater under the glass doors of the main lobby areas. Now we wonder if there is a design flaw here as there is no apparent drainage and no seals along the bottoms of the glass doors. So, the afternoon/evening rain meant staff busily pushing the water back out under the doors with rubber brooms then plugging towels along the length of the doors until the rain stopped. Not ideal and slightly alarming if sitting at a table by the doors having dinner (Dragons) whilst water pours in behind your chair. A couple of real annoyances, while we were there between 21Nov and 3 Dec, were a business conference taking place over 2 days, with a huge marquee set up on the beach below the main pool area, blocking the view and preventing that part of the beach being used by the residents. Is this a holiday resort or a conference centre? Also, there was a photo shoot taking place over 2 days, which again caused disruption in the main pool area, with some areas unavailable on 2 mornings and the unannounced closure of Dragons, the Sports bar and Red Vine bar on one day. Not impressed! Some thought required on managing these events and making it clear to residents that they'll be taking place. Putting a note under your door the night before with little clarity on what's happening, is not good management of expectations.
Ok enough I think. All in all, a very impressive hotel and staff and a very enjoyable holiday. Definitely considering a return visit. Very minor issues and all easily addressed, hence the 4 rather than 5 rating.
