Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya

From the beginning to end, the visit was exquisite one person that really stood out was our pool attendant for three days Sharon she was at the pool by the beach and one day. She moved over by the pool by the Seaside Grill, and then one day she was at the Café Coco wonderful wonderful woman if anybody can tell her, thank you from Tom I’m bet you would see a smile Read less

Amazing stay! We booked the preferred club swim out suite which was well worth it. The suite (at least ours) includes your standard shampoo/conditioner, soap, hair dryer but also a steamer, shave kit, SUNSCREEN & bug spray! We didn’t even have to use the bug spray, the mosquitos weren’t an issue at all. They clean the room 2x day, replenish mini bar/snacks (you can tell them your preferences as well). They even have a pillow menu if you prefer different pillows! A couple restaurants require reservations so make sure to set that up with your concierge ASAP & book any excursions with the travel agent in the lobby if you haven’t already. When you arrive they’ll take your luggage while you wait for your room in the preferred lounge or you can explore. Pack a swimsuit/sandals/sunscreen in your carry on & keep it with you if you want to enjoy the beach/pool while you wait. VISIT THE SPA! It’s absolutely incredible and stunning. Preferred club includes some services and you can upgrade for slight cost. We did hydrotherapy & massages - BEST massages we’ve ever had! We brought a small first aid kit which came in handy when I cut my foot on some coral. Hubby got small piece of glass in his foot - I kicked myself for not bringing tweezers! Also bring some after-sun/aloe if you want to avoid paying higher prices for it at the resort. There’s a cord in the shower you can use to hang swimsuits to dry. We loved the complimentary robes & slippers - definitely a 5 star experience! Also, Portofino is DELICIOUS! Our fave restaraunt by far. You have to try the brick oven pizzas & blackberry margaritas. The nightly entertainment & games by the pool keep you engaged. Utilize the app as your room key but also to see the schedule of events & hours for restaurants! The weather was great, it was warm & humid but we enjoyed beautiful sunny days. Expect to see iguanas, birds, and even some kitties, raccoons & capybara! It feels like you’re in the jungle. It can seem easy to get lost but there are plenty of signs and always a staff member near if you have questions. Its about 1hr 15min from Cancun airport, keep that in mind. Overall amazing stay & we cannot wait to come back!!! Read less

Let’s be honest, if you’re reading this, you probably already know that Secret’s is a high-end resort franchise. Secret’s Akumal doesn’t disappoint in that aspect. Secret’s Akumal is clearly a 5-star place. Apparently, they just got their AAA 5 diamond certification for 2023. We loved Akumal, in fact we loved it so much we may be back again this time next year! Lovely and clean place with friendly staff. This is our second Secret’s location we've visited, we stayed at the Secret’s in Punta Cana back in 2017 for our honeymoon, but I think Akumal has Cap Cana beat. The people at Secret’s really have thought of everything at this place. PROS Food – both food selection and taste were very good. And it is really all you can eat…as much as your heart desires. From our count there were 6 restaurants on site for dinner (Market Street buffet, Hibachi, Mexican, Italian, Seafood, Steakhouse, Greek (preferred only)). There are also a couple bars if you want to grab some drinks only, you have that option, and of course if you want food, you can also order food at the bars (mostly bar food: i.e. - wings, fries, burgers, etc). There’s also a 24-hour coffee shop, which believe it or not was good and had plenty of choices. I’m not a huge coffee drinker, but I got an ice coffee a few times and some pastries for breakfast, and no complaints from me. If you have an early departure, stop at the cafe before you leave and grab some grub before you head to the airport. We ended up eating pizza a lot, which was good for what it is. If you remember the old Pizza Hut Personal Pan pizza’s, the pizza at Akumal is about that size, so it did the trick a few times we were hungry but just wanted a snack after soaking up some sun rays before dinner. If you’re a pizza fan there is a staffed brick oven for pizza in between the two big pools by the preferred section. The brick oven pizza was very good, better than the room service for sure! Also, for lunch since there is not as many options as dinner, we noticed the staff does a lot of alternatives to keep the variety going. We had had a Nacho day (beef, chicken and shrimp) one day, and two others we had a Mexican cookout (steak, chicken, shrimp and sausage on the grill). Activities – We ended up not doing much but catching up on some ZZZZ’s most nights, but there are plenty of activities you can attend if you’d like. We caught a performance by one of the singers in the lobby bar one evening and attended briefly the Pirate show. We also kicked off the Karaoke night at the disco one night which was plenty of fun. Nothing like being a little lit and singing at the top of your lungs. The disco also seemed to be rocking many nights…There were also special surprises for food, there was a Pineapple drink treat one day, and a Fruit on a stick (seasoned with Tajin & Chamoy sauce) another day by the pool. The guy had a cart like the ice cream mad had back in the day lol. There’s also a few Sommeliers on property that sell the upgraded Tequila and wine packages if you like the high priced stuff. Pools/Beach – 3 huge pools, all with different personalities. So take your pick, whatever your preference is, they have a pool to match! There is a quiet pool, we called it "The Zen pool," and its perfect for just chilling and relaxing. No loud music and everyone there was respectful and quiet. The Zen pool is next to the sports bar, so you can pop out the water and get a drink if you like and after noon you can order food. The middle pool is the one we spent the most time in. Its right next to the "Turn Up pool" 😊, but is a little more chill. Basically, just folks sitting in floaties, drinking. This one has waiters that come around, so you can get served, but you can also hit up the Oceana bar and the Tiki bar if you want. "The Turn Up Pool," doesn't need much explanation, but that's the one with the swim-up bar closest to the beach. The staff also does activities at the Turn Up pool. Rooms – rooms were big and spacious. Every room looked like a suite from what we saw, complete with a huge jacuzzi tub, nice shower, walk out balcony. No complaints at all, no bugs for it to be in the jungle, no weird smells, everything worked great, water pressure was even great! Room service – super convenient, and the menu had many options for breakfast, lunch and dinner and dessert. The food usually came within about 30-40 minutes, you can also schedule a delivery. Each time the food came it was still hot/warm, so no worries if you order, your food won’t be cold by the time you get it. Customer Service – Shout out to Daniel and Cruz at the pool for their stellar service. Also, our room building 7 Concierge Alondra, and our room attendant who provided stellar Maid/turndown service. We had different room service attendants each time, but they were all great, we never received an incorrect order. There’s even a little cabin door in your closet that the staff can leave food in when you don’t want them to come into the room. Everyone we interacted with from the bellman, maintenance staff, front desk staff, wait service, bartenders and everyone else were beyond nice. This place really goes the extra mile training their staff. You literally can’t walk by anyone of the staff without being greeted, and all of the wait staff, hostesses and bartenders were all personable. Akumal got really great staff here! Drinks/beverage selection – if you like to drink (like me), you’ll have plenty of choices as well. Cerveza and Tequila are of course flowing in abundance. There is an upgraded drink package, but I didn’t find it necessary. They only have one Mexican beer (Tecate), but I saw a few American beer options as well if that's your vibe. If you’re looking for a very specific type of vodka, gin or whiskey, you may want to call ahead and see if they carry it. If not, you may want to grab a bottle at the airport when you arrive. I'm not picky, but I have a few buddies that are Whiskey snobs and I don't think they'd love the choices. WiFi – WiFi was strong, and no password needed. I have Verizon, but didn’t really need to use the data at all because I was on WiFi the entire time. Good and strong WiFi even around the pools. CONS I’ll be honest here, my cons are a little bit nickpicky, but here are a few. Long Pants - FYI to the men traveling, remember to pack long pants for dinner and closed toed shoes. Cultural differences aside, I did find this a little annoying because I only packed one pair of long pants for the 90+ degree weather during our stay, and they were jeans so I was not very comfortable lol. So don’t do like me, remember to bring at least a couple pair of long pants for dinners, even if you only wear them for dinner and take them right off. TV - Again, not really a major CON, but if you are a big TV watcher just know, the TV channels are limited. Most of the stations are in Spanish, and only a few are English. I know, I know, who would think that Mexican TV has Spanish only channels? But, if you are thinking you can catch a big sports game or your favorite prime time show from your room, you may want to pack a tablet or watch on your phone. The sports bar was a good alternative to watching games, so that worked out well. Lots of folks were enjoying both NHL and NBA playoff games during my visit. As you can see, I have to really, really stretch to find any cons. We loved this place, and we will most likely come back soon. Well worth every dollar spent! Read less

Firstly I really don't understand the handful of bad reviews on here for Secrets Akumal! My husband and I thought it was fantastic! However, not everywhere will suit everyone. I think if you like: - a blend between a relaxed holiday, with the option to get involved in activities if you want to, - a 'village' style feel - eating in nice restaurants, - fun friendly staff who will chat to you and get to know you (and ask if you'd like to get involved in the activities, but don't pester you to do so), - nice rooms with nice amenities, - lying by nice pools, - great cocktails, - theme nights and entertainment, - a place that has everything you need, with no need to leave the resort, - the option to buy extras like wine, spa treatments, excursions if you want them, - (and if you don't mind seeing groups of people around you having a fun time/getting in the mood with the cocktails)... ...then you'll like it here! I'm a person with pretty high standards and I loved everything about this resort! I will touch on a few of the negative things I've seen in reviews, that I feel I can comment on, as I feel some people have been a bit unfair in their reviews. 1. Some people have complained about the wine - we don't drink wine so this wasn't an issue for us. There are unlimited spirits and delicious cocktails, along with non alcoholic cocktails, and soft drinks so there are plenty of other things to drink! 2. You will be asked to go to a presentation breakfast about Unlimited Vacation Club, which is a time share I believe. We were asked once if we would like to go to a breakfast presentation, where we would be given some free stuff in return - we immediately could sense they were tying to sell us something. We said no politely and that was that. So just say no, and move on, you don't have to go. I assume that the employees here are just doing their jobs and trying to make a living. They are probably required to ask a certain number of guests. But just say no and they will accept that. I should mention that this was brought up to us when we visited the VIP services desk of our own accord to chat to them, it wasn't asked of us automatically. 3. Yes there are some larger groups of people there, and I think there was one company convention, but they were just having a good time, and everyone was very respectful and well mannered whether they were in a group, or in a couple. None of the groups were super loud, and didn't bother me as I can still relax and enjoy myself whilst watching people who are a bit higher energy. I'd much prefer to see people laughing and drinking, and having a great time, rather than sitting subdued/looking miserable! On to all of the positive things about our trip... We felt we arrived right into luxury, as the hotel lobby is beautiful and lit so nicely at night (when we got there), we were met buy icy cold minty towels, and champagne. The staff member who checked us in was super sweet and welcoming. There were bellboys to take your luggage to your room so you didn't have to struggle with it. The AC in the room was AMAZING. As it is very humid and muggy - this was our first time in Mexico so we didn't know what the climate was like. We really appreciated the AC! All of the staff here are fantastic, we did not have any bad experiences with ANY of the staff. They are all so sweet and friendly, and want to make sure you're looked after and having the best time. Each building has its own concierge, and ours (Alondra in building 7), was so wonderful. She wanted to do everything possible to make sure we had the best honeymoon. She helped us arrange the 'Romantic Dinner' on the beach which was an extra cost, but we thought it was worth it seeing as we were on our honeymoon. We brought this up ourselves, as this was something we decided we wanted to do before we even arrived. Not once were we asked by any staff whether we wanted to do any of the things that had the extra costs. I don't understand the negative comments on here about the food, because our eyes popped out of our heads when we saw the breakfast in the Market Cafe! There is an extensive range, and it was all pretty good quality. We've been to a lot of hotels and breakfast buffets, but this one really exceeded my expectations. There are the choices of fresh fruits and veg, cheeses, breads, Mexican dishes cooked to order, an omelette station (cooked to order), juice/smoothie station (made to order,) Bloody Mary and Mimosa station (made to order). There are heaps of guacamole and salsas (the guac was so creamy)! meats and sashimis, and then English/American style eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns, pancakes, crepes, waffles. Loads of pastries and a donut wall! The waiters are so sweet, and kind, asking if you want more drinks, but are not invasive. They clear plates away quickly so you're not sat with them in front of you for ages. The staff greeting you on the door and checking you in as arriving were always smiling and asking how you were, whether everything was ok. You can wear your swimming gear to breakfast as long as you have some sort of coverups on, and men can wear shorts here. We did the teppanyaki table at Himitsu which was great fun! There was no extra charge for this, but you just need to book in advance (which our concierge handled for us). It was really tasty too as well as being a good show. My husband said it was the best egg fried rice he's ever had. We went to Portofino and the food there was great. It was a nice atmosphere and they had a pianist play a few songs. Yes, men need to wear long trousers in the a la carte restaurants, but they have AC so it's not a major issue. Oceana was probably our favourite. It is outside so men can wear shorts. All of the managers in the restaurants were great, but especially in Oceana and Himitsu. I have a shellfish allergy and they were so reassuring with letting me know they had told all of the chefs and that they would be using separate equipment and taking safety into account even more so than normal. I was really confident because of this. Our concierge helped us to amend the menu for the Romantic Dinner to remove the shellfish elements for my dishes. And at the Romantic Dinner and Himitsu they brought us special deserts saying 'Happy Honeymoon.' All of the food in the a la carte restaurants is very much 'fine food', and portions are on the smaller side. But I think this is good because we tended to take advantage of the Market Cafe, Coco Cafe and the pool and beach grills in the day, so weren't wanting huge portions. There's unlimited access and you can order whatever you want, including multiple plates! We didn't have to wait to be seated in any of the a la carte restaurants. I loved Coco Cafe so much, Maria was so sweet, and made great iced coffees and iced teas. There were beautiful patisseries and cakes there each day, as well as sandwiches and warm pretzels. Oh, and ice cream. Because everything is all inclusive, you can eat as much or as little as you like. There was an outdoor pizza/wood fired oven every day making fresh pizzas to order, so we did that on some days for lunch. We didn't try El Patio or Bordeaux because we did outdoor Mexican buffets on the other nights. So onto the entertainment (and the outdoor buffets) - We were really pleasantly surprised as we didn't know there would be so much going on. There are about 8-10 activities you can get involved in each day, ranging from cocktail making contests, to paddle boarding and kayaking in the sea, to archery, aqua classes, and stretching classes on the beach. These are all included and aren't charged as extra. In the evenings they have silent discos, karaoke, live musicians and art activities. There are also shows in the theatre. When we were there we went to a cabaret/acrobatics show, and a rock show. There are also outdoor dinner buffets and shows. Akumart is a Mexican street food style buffet with music and performing artists. Local artists come in with their creations for you to buy as mementos. There was a fire show (does what it says on the tin), and a Mariachi show with, again, a Mexican style buffet). There are three pools to choose from, one which is super chilled and relaxed, the main pool which is slightly more lively, with activities like guacamole making classes and special cocktails. And the infinity pool with the swim up cocktail bar and lots of activities like pool volleyball, paddle board exercises and water biking. That one was a lot more lively. The pool waiters are great and very attentive, the pool concierges come round to check you're ok and let you know what activities are happening each day. There are staff members who come round with ice creams, fruit on sticks, and icy towels. The sand on the beach was white, and the sea, clear! If you stood still or sat still in the sea you'd get lots of little fish swimming around you. There was a bit of a seaweed issue, but there are lots of members of staff constantly clearing it so it doesn't spoil your experience of the beach. The beach waiters make sure to look after you too, asking you regularly if you'd like more drinks. I did pay to go on the staff guided snorkel tour, but you can also rent out the equipment for free for an hour and the pool concierges will point you in the direction of where to swim out to, to possibly see some turtles. It was my first time so I chose to pay the $49 dollars and it was absolutely worth it. The staff take you to see the coral reef - you'll see fish, sting rays, and turtles too! Oh, and you don't need to bring your own towels with you, there are unlimited towels for you to use by the pools and on the beach. The gardens and flora and fauna were so pretty, and very well maintained. We also thought it was cool how there were lots of creatures roaming around, huge iguanas, lizards, birds etc. None of the iguanas bothered us, they seem very tame and used to humans being around. I will lastly add that we did tip quite a lot. Whether this affected how good our service was - I simply can't answer as we don't have anything to compare it to! Tipping is 100% not expected, but you can see it's very much appreciated. I noticed that the majority of people did not tip, and they didn't appear to be getting any less/worse of a service than us. I have read some other reviews on here that say you'll be treated differently if you tip, however we did it to show our appreciation of the hard work that all of the staff put in, and in recognition that tips probably help them a lot. We loved all of the options that the resort gave us, and whilst we didn't do everything, we did a nice mix of activities and chilling out by the pools and on the beach by ourselves. I would definitely go back to this resort in the future as I personally thought it was perfect! If you like the sound of the above, then I would encourage you to go! Read less

One of the best resorts we have ever been too. The food is 5 star, the resort is 5 star, and the people are above 5 star. Big shout out to Benjamin with the entertainment team. He has great energy, good vibes, and really makes sure you are having a good time. Mi Hermano. Also shout out to Dani with the entertainment team. She was very enthusiastic, always positive, and you a pretty great volleyball player! Read less