Let me let you in on a little secret... There's this incredible resort down in Riveria Maya, about 1.5 hours south of Cancun. It's all you can eat, all you can drink, and all you can relax. It's called Secrets Resort Akumal, and it's adults only (no screaming kids!) and it's a real gem. First Impressions: Beautiful grounds. The upkeep of this place is incredible. When you're not walking right along one of Cancun's nicest beaches (at least according to a billboard we saw advertised by National Geographic!), you're strolling through the peaceful jungles of the resort grounds. Room: The boyfriend and I stayed in a "junior suite tropical view." Pleasantly to our surprise, there was a hot tub and our own balcony which overlooked the jungle AND the beach! The interior of the room was comparable to a 4 star hotel. Everything was spotless, the decor was very modern but also had that beach-y resort feel without the wicker furniture. And did I mention we got our own hot tub?? Prettttty neat. For a larger fee, you can opt for their "swim out" room where you're connected to what looks like a large man made lazy river and can literally swim out from your room. It looked cool but not worth it to me. Food: There are multiple dining establishments at this resort: - Market Cafe (Buffet): this was only open for breakfast and lunch during our stay (I noticed that during some weeks, they are open for dinner). The breakfast was fantastic (omelet stations, tamales, tacos, any type of bread or Mexican sweet bread your heart desires), sausages and bacon, make your own smoothie stations, waffles, crepes, deliciously sweet fruit!) The lunch was really good as well (more tacos, build your own pizza, make your own pasta, ribs, enchiladas, deli meat, fresh raw fish!) - Portofino: this is their take on Italian food, and it was pretty good! The calamari was crispy and had a great flavor. The octopus salad was different and refreshing, basically an octopus ceviche. The salmon ravioli was okay, it came with a heavy white cream sauce. The rustic pizza wasn't bad but be warned if you're not a blue cheese fan. - Seaside Grill: this place is located right outside near the pool area and serves food all throughout the day. We came for dinner one night (our 3rd dinner of the night because - all inclusive) and found out that they turn into a steakhouse at night. The filet I got was pretty good but I was too full by the third dinner to enjoy much. - Barefoot Grill: this bar doubles up as a quasi fast food joint that churns out burgers, fajitas, fries, and chips and guacamole. While on the beach, you can enjoy some crunchy and delicious fries and all the guacamole you can eat! - Bordeaux: this French restaurant is a miss for me. I ordered the Oyster Rockefeller and it definitely fell short. It didn't taste nearly as good as what I've had in Houston or Nola. I also ordered a duck entree which used a mustard based sauce that I didn't favor (to be fair, it was my fault that I don't like mustard but tried this anyways). - Himitsu: this Asian restaurant is the best one yet. We came for the hibachi show one night (make reservations right when you arrive!! They only have limited time and tables.) and the food and show were good and entertaining. We came back on our last night for dinner and no show and man, I wish we came here sooner. The soft shell crab salad was incredible. The ramen was light and had good flavor. The cold soba noodles were delicious. And the pad Thai was mouth watering good. My favorite part though? The tempura fried ice cream. Best dessert I've ever had. - Coco's Cafe: a small cafe that serves little sandwich snacks and desserts. The desserts were okay. Get the almond croissant! - Some days/nights they have poolside or outside lunches and dinners. We caught a Mexican dinner night and the churros were muy bien! Activities: The beach was beautiful. Known as the "secrets of turtles" resort, there were definitely turtles to be seen while snorkeling! The resort offers many free activities, including biking around the resort area, paddle boarding, snorkeling, kayaking, guacamole classes, water aerobic biking exercises, different shows each night (aerobatics, movies, comedy) and dance lessons. You really really can't get bored here - but if you don't want to do any activities, you can sit by the beach. All. Day. With all the food and drink you ever wished for in life. Staff: The staff were all SO helpful and kind. Not a single complaint about any one of them. They were all more than willingly to help. Overall, this resort is very high on my recommendation list. If you and your spouse are looking for a getaway from the adult world, this is the place you want to be. read more

See all

This is a decent resort with great service. There are many bars and restaurants all around the resort. They have events every single day, such as cirque de Soleil, dinner parties, shows major sporting events on projector, etc. Some pros about the resort... - 24 hour room service - 24 hour cafe (Drinks and sandwiches) - Bars all around the resort - Various types of restaurants Some cons - Much of the food is underwhelming - There was tons of seaweed all over the beach (Workers were cleaning it up, but there was tons!!). - Room service takes approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour. - Our mini fridge was warm. Overall great accommodations, but for approximately $4-500 a night, not sure if this is justified. read more

My wife and I had a great time. July 26 - Aug 3rd 18. We stayed in a Preferred Club Junior Suite Swim Out, building 6.($4k for 7 nights) WOW, what a room, opens space, and your pool just outside your door. Great location, right in the middle of the resort and next to the Preferred Lounge. Here are a couple of things you may want to know before you go here. FOOD: Good, not GREAT. We have taken Cruise Ships and had way better food. Whatever you think a Pasta, Mexican, Sushi, or American dish should be, it's not here. And for this to be a 5 Star resort, you would think the food would better. BEDS: Mexican beds are very different. Most hotels in Mexico have FIRM bed. So if you looking for soft cozy bed, not here. DRINKS: All you can drink, top brands. Nice tropical drinks offered across all the bars (simple drinks). Big surprise, they offer Corona Beer. Drinks at the Preferred Lounge, had more options. (side note: Preferred upgraded mini bar = Evian water bottles) LOCATION: About an hour and half away from Cancun Airport. We rented a car and drove down. Or you can take the shuttle that races down at high speeds. I took my chances on my own driving. Easy drive in, just remember, no rules and just stay to the right when you can. Let everyone past you by, and you don't need to speed like the locals. Try not to drive at night, very little street lighting. So after all that, why 5 stars on yelp? SERVICE is amazing. The staff is wonderful, from the very start, walking in to very last day, everyone was great. Two standouts, Mario (bartender) at the Barracuda Bar on the beach. We spent hours talking and getting to know the local spots and in and out of Maya Rivera. Pascual (waiter) at the Seaside Gill. He was very accommodating to our food request. We sat here for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. And always asked for his service. The staff is very respectful and polite and the made the difference from 3 star to a 5 star. We hope we can make back soon. read more

See all

Where to begin... As a frequent visitor to adult only All Inclusive resorts, Secrets climbed their way to my top choice. Everything from the rooms, activities, food and staff made it easy to rate them very high. We arrived to be immediately greeted by the lovely staff and get checked in right away. We purchased a room part of the 'Preferred Club'. This offers a separate check in area with the bar and appetizers readily available all day. Their top shelf liquor selection are above and beyond what I've seen at all inclusive resorts i.e. Johnny Walker, Grey Goose, Crown Royal and Bailey's to name a few. Ricardo is the best bartender and will definitely take care of you! Our room was very clean with maid and turn down service every night. Our room was stocked with a mini fridge of soda and bottled water. A coffee/espresso machine is also stocked with coffee pods for the morning joe. The jacuzzi tub, separate shower, double sink vanity and seating area create a nice vacation room for anyone. The highlight is complimentary snorkeling with the sea turtles. They will provide the snorkel equipment sans fins since it bothers the turtles. We saw several swimming around just in the waters by the resort. Really an amazing experience! The fitness center, spa and 3 pools definitely kept us busy during our week stay. Now the important stuff~ Food. What I love about this resort is you don't have to make reservations at the various restaurants. They offer French, Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Buffet, Seafood and a Steakhouse. We tried just about everything since we were there a week. Amazing chefs and menus are at any of them. The steakhouse was probably our favorite being married to a meat lover. If you want a midnight snack, they have complimentary in room dining 24 hours. Yes the late night Chicken Club Sandwich and fries were awesome! This resort has only been open for a few years but I think they work like a well oiled machine! read more

See all

Very nice place, people who work here are great but for an all adult resort we expected a more fun place everything here closed by 5 including pool and bar. Music at the what is supposed to be loud pool is very elevator no fun music at all. They do have a Few activities goin on through out the day. Food is ok not great- although the day of Seafood was great . They only have one night time club style bar opens from 1030-130. The other bar that is open late til 12 has no music. Very quiet chill Resort . They do have night themed shows on some Days but they too are over by 9 or 10pm. I don't honk we will be returning To this resort but will seek another near by. If you are looking for Great service and chill time come here... read more

amazing service, professional and very friendl! They were very attentive to our needs! Oceania restaurant was exceptional. Chef Guerromo was fabulous! Victor & Di, fitness instructor were exceptiona! lots of energy and kind! Poolside service was fantasti! Daniel, Antonio, and Yvonne was very attentive and met all of our needs. All servers in all restaurants were friendly and attentiv. Martin, Augustine and Victory stood out. Our room was decorated for our birthday and all the small details were noticed. Fun entertainment each night! read more

Don't stay here! Save your money and arguments. Horrible horrible horrible I'm here right now and I don't even know where to start. Just save your money the service is worse than the horrific scene on the beach with bulldozers that start at 4am to clean the beach and they are still here at 5pm There is rotten egg smell and they burn dead fish or seaweed all day. Listen, it's a nightmare and they say...too bad! That's the answer from vip or main lobby. They all lie on each other as well. Stay away from here. I was forced to leave a star! read more

Beautiful property, good food, atrocious room service. For the price there should be functional room service but there's not.

Overall had an excellent experience. The only part that was a closed was desire (nightclub at the resort) and the gym had moved free weights outside. Was not planning on working out anyway and we aren't into clubs so it was not a big deal at all. Renee from the entertainment staff was awesome. They do a great job engaging the guests in a way that was not pushy. Renee was a standout as a leader for a lot of the activities and was awesome to chat with in the pool. Very insightful to local culture and trends at the resort. Lots of fun. At the pool where we grabbed chairs everyday, Grisell was our most memorable poolside server and was on point with all our food and drink needs. Great smile and excellent customer service. Always a step ahead in attending to our needs. We have been to Mexico 5 times before, at a few different resorts and this was on par, if not exceptional against other similar caliber resorts. We have, and would continue to recommend this resort to friends with confidence. Everything was clean safe and secure. read more

Wedding & Our Stay Review : Please read if you're considering going here! If I could leave a 6 star review I would! My fiancé and I booked this resort for six nights and bought the wedding package for us to get married there on day two. We were nervous about everything being coordinated and set up properly since we were getting married so quickly after arriving. After the fact we never should have worried a bit!! Check in was smooth, fast, and a friendly experience unlike these other reviews I see on here. The morning of the wedding we met with our wedding coordinator (Erandi) and she walked us through the whole game plan. She was absolutely AWESOME! All our stress and concerns were gone and she sure made it a big deal that we were relaxed and comfortable with everything going on! I don't regret one thing about getting married out there with just my fiancé and I. It was romantic, peaceful, and absolutely beautiful! Even after our big day, Erandi was occasionally checking in on us when she'd she us around the resort and really became our friend! This resort has amazing landscape and pools. We took a different trail through the thick greenery every chance we could and made sure to swim in all the pools but always ended up back at the activity pool right next to the beach! There was always a chair we could sit in near the pool and always a beach cabana we could sit in at the ocean. If you want to guarantee a spot get there early though! The food was the only part that slightly lacked in quality. By no means was it bad so don't think that. We also found all the good spots with the better food like the poolside grill, the hibatchi, the ham and cheeses from the 24 hour coffee shop, and more from the 24 hour free room service! Lastly, I saw other reviews whining about how things shut down early. Yes, the activity pool closes at like 8-9pm as well as the bar next to the pool. But things don't just stop then. There's dinner places open well later then that, other bars are open well later then that, and there's shows to watch from 7pm to like 10pm. The sports bar was open until 11pm every night. HERE'S THE DEAL- If you haven't had enough to eat or drink by the time that stuff starts closing then you're doing something wrong LOL. It's also a five star resort. Not a rowdy playground where people get loud and obnoxious around those trying to relax and enjoy the place. They also actually keep the pools clean which takes time. Lastly, I didn't care to stay up past midnight because I wanted to be up the next day by 7am to soak up every moment of it and that isn't normally how I am. I party on the weekends at home until 3am and wake up at 10am. I hope all this helps. I know how I felt when I was trying to pick a place to stay with all the options I had available to pick. DEFINITELY SATISFIED! read more

Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya - Hotels Near Me - Tulum, ROO

Arrived at Secrets with so much excitement, anticipation and left with so many unforgettable memories. We've been to Playa Del Carmen twice this year and decided to return with 47 other guests. By far the biggest event we've hosted but this was one we will never forget. We opted for Secrets Akumal to have our wedding destination which was by far the best decision we made. We picked this location because it had a mixture of everything we wanted. Scenery, ambiance, entertainment, food selections and one of the nicer beach we've been to in Cancun. Plus, this location is near Playa Del Carmen which is where we like to go out and explore the city. We worked with TripGuy who was our travel agent. They helped us coordinate all travel logistics with the resort. In order to better assist us in wedding planning, we worked closely with the resort's wedding coordinators to plan all the details. From what we've learned, you just have to trust in them to make it happen. Our ceremony was held at the beach, cocktail and reception was at the Ceiba Garden area. We wanted a small intimate all-white wedding with our closest friends and family and Secrets Wedding team, staff members and photographers did not disappoint. Everything was so magical and beautiful. For most of our guests, it was their first time in Cancun and first all-inclusive experience. Let's just say they did not want to leave upon departure date. And let's just say we plan to return soon! Pictures speaks louder than words so checkout our photos/videos uploaded for your visual. Hopefully you will get all the right feels and give this resort a visit. Food: The Market Cafe for breakfast. Return for lunch and hit up the grill station. Ask for flank steak, grilled shrimp and octopus. Lunch at Seaside (fish tacos, calamari), Oceanside for dinner. Portofino Italian restaurant for their desserts. French restaurant for Lamb, foie gras, escargot, duck. So delicious! Favorites: Definitely take advantage of the beach (swing bar) and infinity pool. The resort offers free snorkeling, kayak, bike tour, etc. so make sure to ask for more details. Checkout the Desire Lounge or head over to the theater for nightly entertainment. The spa area is pretty nice too! Recommendations: During our visit in mid September, there were way too many mosquitos. Definitely bring insect repellant and would recommend the resort to provide mosquito repellant/candles to assist. Would also recommend the resort to add more fans around the resort for better airflow/circulation. It was hot and humid especially sitting under the palapa top at some of the open restaurants. Overall, we will return! read more

See all

Excellent service! Fantastic resort and beautiful place. Everything was top notch service! I will definitely be back to this resort! The food was excellent and the Service was by far the best we have EVER experienced at any resort. This level of service needs to be admonished! They are doing it right at this place! read more

The service was exceptional. Our concierge Alonso really went above and beyond for us. The food was delicious. The drinks were copious! There was never a shortage of live music and events going on. The rooms were comfortable, though I can't fathom why anyone would think it was a good idea to put a glass door on a bathroom. There isn't much privacy. The grounds are lovely. We saw lots of iguanas, geckos, anoles, coatis, and even agoutis. The beach has fine white sand. You can snorkel just offshore to see green sea turtles and colorful fish. There is not a lot of light pollution, so the stars at night are wonderful to see. I have only a few minor complaints. It would be nice if there was an easy way to get cash. I know it's all inclusive, but we wanted some bills on hand to tip people at the end of our stay. There is only one ATM machine on grounds and it wasn't working when we tried it. Most of the guests are very pleasant. We met some nice folks and had some fun conversations. There was one group on the Friday night that was very loud and obnoxious, though. They were wasted and yelling and dropping f-bombs right and left. One guy loudly complained about the Hibachi B**tch at the Asian restaurant. It would have been nice if someone from Security had got them to chill out. They certainly ruined the nice dinner I was trying to have with my wife when we got seated next to them in the restaurant. Other than that, the whole experience was lovely! read more

We had a group of 24 to celebrate my father's 95 th birthday. This was not our first all inclusive stay, and our group consists of seasoned travelers and serious foodies. Every one of us agreed that Secrets Akumal is the best resort we have ever experienced. The food was very good at every location we tried, and certainly exceeded our expectations for an all-inclusive.. There is plenty to do, even if you never want to leave the resort for an outing. The resort has a great variety of daily activities and events that are really enjoyable. 24 people from mid 30's to mid 60's and not one complained about a lack of things to do. We all had a blast. Great swim-up bar, by the way. The staff was simply amazing, charming, attentive and thoughtful. Excellent service from each and every person. Especially notable were: Marcial, the pool concierge. The entertainment team, especially Fermin and Gisele. And the group booking manager, Anabel, was absolutely fantastic! She and Rubi put together two fabulous events for us, a cocktail party, and a private birthday party dinner. Both events were beautiful. Can't thank them enough! The staff adopted my father, and treated him like royalty. Must have been fifty of them who wanted to make sure to say goodbye to him when we left, and wish him happy birthday one last time. This resort is beautifully laid out and landscaped, and the whole place is super clean. The rooms are great, with many amenities. We had a very comfortable stay- and the place is Quiet!! Because of the layout, it always feels like there are only a hundred or so guests in the whole resort. An amazing place! We will be back! read more

See all

The resort is beautiful the second you walk in. Check in was easy and quick. We were prepared for the sales pitch after hearing about it on here, and other websites, but the woman who approached us was very friendly offering us a tour, we declined, and she thanked us for our time. Very easy! Our room wasn't ready yet since we arrived early, but we spent our time walking the property. We went to the beach and Victor greeted us and gave us water while we sat in chairs to wait for the room before we knew it was ready. We stayed in building 7 with a junior suite walk out pool view and we loved it! The view was beautiful, the room was clean, and had everything we needed! Our building concierge, Chio, was there when you needed her and always had a smile on her face. The pools were awesome, beach was beautiful, and the food was good! Room service all hours of the night! We rented the cabana for 3 days of our stay. Well worth it,my man is a red head fair skin. Perfect for him! Victor and Erik was always there with beer,pina coladas and water. We had tacos for lunch which was awesome! The snorkeling right off the resort was an amazing experience. Eric from the cabana let us use his snorkel gear, super nice! We saw turtles every time we went out. We also swam around the reef and saw lots of colorful fish! This was our first trip to Mexico and at an all inclusive resort. We had no complaints. Every employee was friendly, helpful, and seemed genuinely happy to be there. Special shout outs to Cecelia at the lobby bar. Santiago at the sports bar, who remembered my birthday and gave me tequilla chocolates. He was awesome!! Secrets Akumal definitely exceeded our expectations and if we get the chance we will definitely return! (Hopefully soon!) read more

See all

Last year we stayed at Secrets Maroma at the same time and loved it so much that we decided to try another Secrets property to enjoy our Christmas and my daughter's birthday. We also brought friends who had never experienced Secrets all-inclusive. In October we found out that Secrets Moxche wouldn't be ready and we're offered choice of another property. After reading reviews, we chose Secrets Akumal. We were assured that reservation would be exactly as we had booked it. The reservation agent read the accommodations back to us when the update was made. They were for 3 rooms -2 king and 1 double. That was the requirement for our group and it was booked that way on purpose. When we arrived at Secrets Akumal, we were told that this room combination was not what was reserved and we would have to just accept the situation or pay $900 for an upgrade to a Preferred because that is all that was available. There was NO apology, no concern on the staff's part that a mistake had been made by Secrets-nothing. Just the privilege of paying $900 so that we could have the rooms that we reserved in the first place. Unfortunately this was not the only issue. Restaurant service was extremely slow and quality was average. We waited exorbitant amounts of time for food. We even had to chase servers down to get our water re-filled. We left one dinner early. Staff service at the pool was marginal, especially compared to the experience we had last year. When the 3 people staying in the Preferred room tried to eat at the Preferred restaurant, staff would not let them because they were told that there were only 2 people on the room that we were forced to upgrade to and pay extra for because we had 3 people in that room. Finally when two members of our party did eat there, their food was undercooked and returned. None of these experiences live up to the quality that we experienced last year and expected this year. Last year we wanted to extend our stay. This year we were ready to leave. If this was our first trip to Secrets, we definitely would NOT return and will hesitate to refer any friends. This was not in keeping of the values of Secrets luxury service and we would like to remain customers. read more

We are currently there. Staff tells you one thing and does something else. You make reservations through the concierge and have it printed out and show up at the restaurant and they say you do not have a reservation. Ask about beach chairs and get the price and then the price is suddenly 20% higher. Avoid at all cost read more

The resort is beautiful and the staff is amazing...However...it is absolutely horrible that this company makes their employees wear long sleeve polyester long pants and some a bowtie in this heat. There is absolutely no reason these amazing employees should have to wear polyester with this heat. A nice set of shorts and short sleeve breathable shirt would make so much more sense and more comfortable for them! Please change your requirements read more

My girls and I just got back yesterday from Mexico and we stayed at this resort. I cannot emphasize enough about how great the service was here! Karen Castillo and her wonderful staff treated us like we were VIP. We went to celebrate a bachelorette party and the bride felt like a princess. Karen was full of surprises. She had the brides room decorated, bought her a cake, picked us up in her golf cart, lol and took us to a private table on the beach for dinner so that we can enjoy the sunset. We also had two cabanas. This trip felt so magical. This was our first time in Mexico and at an all inclusive resort. All I can is that I will be back here to celebrate my own bachelorette party someday! I have never seen such great customer service, communication and expedited service in my life! So professional, friendly and efficient. My best friend accidentally broke a glass and cut herself, Karen and her staff were there within 5 minutes to provide medical care and clean up the mess. They were genuinely concerned for her safety and wanted to make sure she was okay. Better than any ambulance service I've ever seen in the US lol. Angelica was great too. She helped us set up Massages and facials. She called up so many places to make sure that they could accommodate our group and that they had reasonable pricing. She got us a taxi and we were on our way within 30 minutes. She also called to check up On us and made sure we were safe. The resort was beautiful. They have so many restaurants, bars, lounges and a variety of daily activities. They took care of us and treated us like family from the beginning of the trip until end. We were all so sad to leave. I will definitely be back next year and every year after that. I highly recommend this place. Thank you so much for making this trip special and giving us such a great experience! read more

See all

Where do I start? Well let's start with the food.. the food at this all inclusive is absolutely awful and I mean awful. Every single meal tasted worse than the meals that you would imagine school lunches to taste like. It's almost like they are trying to go for the "plastic food" taste that you would normally never find in a really bad fast food joint. I would probably eat McDonalds or Burger King over any meal I have had here. I tried the French restaurant my first night and was absolutely disappointed, my steak tasted like garbage, the appetizers were also flavorless... ok so maybe it's a one off right? Well I tried the Italian place the next night to an identical experience.. I figured at least the one place you make a reservation to has to be good right? Well I made a reservation to the Hibachi place and got the steak and chicken and shrimp. Well since all those meats cook at a different temperature you would think they would cook some more thoroughly than others. Nope they didn't, and my girlfriend ate the steak (which I refused since it didn't look cooked) and ended up with Rotavirus (food poisoning). Yeah folks she got food poisoning in Mexico from this place (most likely but we didn't leave the resort so either the Hibachi place or somewhere else on the resort). Now on to the rotavirus.. she wakes up to a fever and pain and I ask her if she wants me to call the doctor which I do. The doctor charges $150.00 to come see her (real classy upscale resort charging for this). The doctor who was nice and knowledgeable recommends we go to the hospital but in an ambulance since my girlfriend is dehydrated and has low BP. I opt to do so and it cost me $700.00 up front!! Then when I get to the hospital they give her meds and admit her then charge me $1000.00. Bottom line I feel like I got ripped off, not only because she the food was awful, but the whole place was overpriced. One more thing I asked the doctor to call the management and tell them we would have to stay another day. She called in front of me but when I got back from the hospital my room key didn't work and management was not aware of it and said my room type wasn't available?? I yelled at them and then paid them another $600.00 to stay for another day. If you go to this resort make sure you get trip insurance because if you end up in a situation like me you're going to be out a ton of money. Also I would never come back to this resort and it has turned me off to Secrets in general bland I have stayed at like 8-10 secrets resorts in the last 5 years. Also as a slap to the face I ordered a beach view, they put me on the top floor but at the front of the resort, I couldn't see the ocean at all, all I could see was the resort out of my balcony so I feel I got ripped off there too. read more

BEST RESORT EVER! Seriously amazing experience. Typically when you go to an all inclusive resort the food isn't great, but at secrets all of their food/restaurants are AMAZING! Drinks were AMAZING! and all the staff was AMAZING! overall you can't go wrong coming here. the scenery was beautiful, 3 different pools, so many bars. there is always an itinerary of things to do each day from 9am-11pm. There is on beach yoga, paddle boarding, snorkeling, pool activities, and live shows! the fun is truly endless here. I would recommend getting preferred club so that you are closer to the pools and get your own private club for food and drinks. We had the swim out pool and it was a beautiful room. The pool wasn't heated but it still was nice to wake up right to a pool. The sushi/hibachi restaurant was definitely our fav. We really enjoyed the spa as well. And the night club was too fun! We will definitely have to come back here! Thanks Secrets Akumal Riveria Maya! read more

My wife and I loved this resort! We celebrated our honeymoon here and the property, staff, and overall experience was first-class in every way! We will definitely be back very soon. And special shout out to our concierge, Victor! Also, if you're able, go ahead and spend a little extra for one of the preferred club rooms...Worth. Every. Penny! Food was great too. Especially the room service secret box - such a great concept/offering. And all the restaurants had their own flavor and great choices. Also, lounging on the beach with good food and drinks flowing as much as you desire was the icing on the cake. Again, we'll see you again soon Secrets Akumal! read more

See all

Just came back from a 4 night couple vacation and it was absolutely wonderful. Let me start of by saying that I read over 100 reviews of this place before visiting, and I do not know how people can even complain about anything here. For an all-inclusive resort, this was seriously top notch. Now let me tell you why: Service: Impeccable! Everyone was super friendly and went above and beyond to help you. It just made you want to tip more. Reception/check-in was so simple. We arrived EARLIER than 3pm check-in and our room was ready immediately. No standing check-in lines; sit down at a desk with someone. No towel cards or wristbands, they just ask you what room you're in everywhere you go. Pools: 3 pools, one quiet (with relaxing spa type music playing), one medium loudness in between, and one by the beach with the swim-up bar with the nicest view, but more rowdy. Still not very rowdy compared to many places I've been to. Beach: My favorite part. White white sand, turquoise waters with calm waves most of the day (calmest earlier), and best of all, TURTLES! You don't have to snorkel out far to see them. I went snorkeling there twice and I saw at least 15 turtles altogether. Wow they are amazing. I wish I had some better pictures, but I didn't want to get too close or follow them for too long. Let them be in peace. Room: Spacious luxury room with Jacuzzi. We didn't get preferred, and had a standard junior suite tropical view, and it was beautiful! Woke up every day to grasshoppers on our balcony, but it didn't bother me. The amenities in the room were great too. No mini bottles of shampoo or conditioner-- large ones! 24 hour room service-- GET THE COCONUT ICE CREAM. BEST EVER. Food: Very impressed for resort food. We tried the Mexican el patio, French Bordeaux, Italian Portofino, and seafood Oceania for dinner. Yes, no dinner buffet options, all a la carte restaurants. The only one we didn't try was Japanese, because I'm super picky about my Japanese, having lived in japan when I was young and being from NYC area. The 4 restaurants we did try though all were good. Not everything was spectacular that we ordered, but many things were from each place, and I can't really complain. Oceania had amazing appetizers. Everything was fresh. El Patio had the best service for us; our waiter gave us several hot sauces to try that were not on the menu-- one with scotch bonnet peppers and one with habaneros. I loved it! That's also the first place I tried the coconut ice cream-- to die for!! I asked for it at Portofino too, but they said they didn't have it there. Yet, the waiter came back with one from Bordeaux and said he brought it for me from next door! Awesome! Buffet breakfast at Market Café (kind of got sick of their omelettes every day but its your standard buffet breakfast), and for lunch we loved Seaside the most. Shrimp tacos were really good there. Nearby activities: The location of the place is perfect. Close to Tulum (definitely worth a visit to the Mayan Ruins and also the beach in Tulum is BEAUTIFUL). We went to Playa Maya in Tulum and the water was simply breathtaking. So turquoise. Stronger waves, no snorkeling, but a great place to relax and enjoy the scenery. We took a boat trip there snorkeling, but it wasn't preferable for us to snorkel there. Also very close to Yal-Ku Lagoon for some excellent snorkeling with lots of fish. In addition, cenotes. You can't visit mexico and not go to the 5 million year old underground caves!! We went to Aktun Chen and snorkeled with catfish and bats flying around us in the underground caves. It was an amazing experience. I'm so glad we chose to stay in Akumal over Cancun or Playa del carmen, even though its over an hour away from Cancun airport. Well worth it. I would definitely return. Turtlessssss !! read more

See all

I'll be upfront about the fact that this was my first all inclusive, and I didn't know exactly what to expect. However, I've heard a lot of negative things about all inclusives, so I was slightly wary. Still, I got a really good deal on five days at the resort, and I was traveling solo, so I felt like an all inclusive would be my best bet. I was not disappointed. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted with a glass of champagne and a cool washcloth, and a valet whisked away my bags. At check-in, they offered me an upgrade to a swim out room, which I accepted. I'm still waffling on whether it was worth the upgrade cost, but more on that later. The check-in process was one of the very few downsides of this resort for me. After check-in I was handed over to a resort rep, who went over a little about the resort (which, I didn't care, I had researched it extensively before I arrived) and then started in on their other resorts. I nodded and smiled politely throughout, waiting to be released, when she started pitching the "welcome breakfast" the next day where I could get a resort tour and would get resort dollars for doing so, and I declined. This is where she started to get a little snippy and impatient with me, which made ME snippy and impatient, because I'd already spent a hefty chunk to be there, and didn't want to waste a precious second of vacation time for "resort dollars" I knew I wasn't going to use. When I was finally released, a valet showed me to my room, which was stunningly beautiful and clean. I immediately started exploring the resort. It took me three solid days to figure out my way around without getting lost. I got a lot of steps in that week, we'll say. I wasn't there long enough to try every restaurant on the resort, and believe me, I would have. The first night I got in late, and was beat from travel, so I got a light room service meal. While I didn't use room service a lot, I loved the "secret box" for drop off and pick up. I thought the breakfast at Market Cafe was pretty impressive, honestly. They had a very wide range for breakfast/lunch, and everything I had was good, fresh, and kept at the appropriate temperature. I went there most mornings, and sat on the patio to enjoy the fresh air and the huge iguanas that hung out by the tables. I had dinners at Himitsu, Oceana, and Portofino. Of those, Oceana was my favorite, but I enjoyed my meals at all of them. The night I tried to go to El Patio, they were closed because they were throwing an outdoor fiesta with a taco bar, and I was more than happy to do that instead. Every server I had was beyond polite, sweet and helpful. I've never had such consistently good service anywhere, and I tipped liberally to show my appreciation. The food wasn't stellar, necessarily, but it was solidly good, and I think that's impressive for such a huge resort trying to keep a wide variety available in quantity. The drinks at an all inclusive are wasted on me, because I don't drink that much. I didn't have an issue with things being watered down; at dinners I had wine or beer (or in one case, shots,) and when at the pool bar, I honestly didn't care how strong my margaritas were. The beach was absolutely lovely and the resort worked absolutely tirelessly to clean up the unending amounts of seaweed that were washing up. There were always plenty of clean loungers available with tables and umbrellas. The outdoor showers near the beach were also clean, with warm water, and foot showers also available. I borrowed snorkeling gear a few times, and in hindsight, I would have brought my own as you don't get to keep the gear too long. I did see several sea turtles while snorkeling, but there wasn't much to see. One of my waiters told me the snorkeling was better at Cozumel; if there's a next time, I'd definitely take an excursion there. The pools were incredible. I loved that they had three; they were perfectly spaced and each had their own vibe. I would usually start at the Infinity pool nearest the beach, then work my way back to the lagoon pool as the day went on. There were always plenty of chairs and towels available, I never felt crowded or uncomfortable. (Granted, it was low season.) My swim out: unnecessary with all the pools available, but very appreciated. I swam first thing in the morning; I swam last thing at night. Only on my last day, Friday, was there anyone else in the swim out. It was almost like having a private pool. All of the pools were immaculately clean, and the swim out pool was no exception. I didn't do many activities, I booked my own excursions before arrival, and I went off resort for a massage. My concierge for building 7, Juan Carlo, was fantastic. Next time I might skip the all inclusive, but it was a wonderful way to be introduced to Mexico. read more

Horrible inclusive resort experience ... the chekc in personal was horrible , they were rude:.. the resort advertised no kids but everything closed at 1030 pm even the bar .. the pool close at 8 pm ... they mess up our room giving us one king when we choose two queens and they stayed that it's by availability... they never said that while you are booking your room ... the alcohol was very cheap and make a lot of us sick ,,, Water down ... room are great ... swim out are nice but you can't invite more than 2 people in your room ... !!! Not much activity to do in the day ... read more

Overall bad experience, for an adult only resort, pool closes at 8pm, bar closes at 10:30 , mess up my room reservation by given us a king size where we specifically said 2 beds , food was not that great ,alcohol was cheap ...and to top it off the turn off your swim out light outside read more

All inclusive is not my choice. I wanted adults only so I went with it. Food was terrible! Staff very accommodating,and try to please.My room was nice swim out pool ok. Beach was highlight for me! Clear calm aqua blue water , fish swim with you, great snorkeling. Most of my meals were undercookedand orders were incorrect. We did go to playa de Carmen looking for a good meal , and found it at Harry's steak house! But had to leave resort. Disappointed read more

Warning! Stay away! Close to $2000 of extra charges for unrequested and unused services charged to the credit card. When trying to straighten out the over charges we were given the "circular" run-around and told what the charges were for, but they were for things we never requested, never used, didn't want and they have yet to return the money, basically stolen, from us. Extremely disappointed and we had thought that this was a reliable and responsible hotel. Stay Away!!! I also see that others have had pretty much the same experience or experienced worse. There are plenty of other hotels in the Riviera Maya, don't risk staying at this one! read more

I have been to some pretty amazing resorts, but this is now my favorite. My wife and I stayed for 8 nights in a ocean view suite in building 9. The grounds of the resort are truly beautiful and pictures can't do justice. The Staff is 2nd to none, everyone really put the customer first. The food is the best I have tried at an all inclusive and spend a little money for beach cabanas and the chefs table. The highlight is snorkeling with sea turtles. Great place and Great staff! read more

The hotel is very nice. Much room for improvement being so new. Many punch list items that need to be completed. This resort is going to be gorgeous in a year once completed and settled in. They opened 11/3/15. We went 11/11 - 11/16. PROS: LOVED, loved, loved our room! My favorite so far of all Secrets resorts we've stayed at. Their decor is lovely. The rain shower was amazing. Enjoyed the huge jacuzzi tub several nights. The private hallway entrance to rooms was lovely (though one con regarding that.) Food and service was outstanding at Seaside Grill in evening. Portofino was good. Bordeaux was good. The morning buffet was our favorite part of the day. Beach side service is great. Decent snorkeling in one area with coral and fish. Saw several turtles a sting ray and manta ray. The Secrets staff was very professional and polite. CONS: Thought the resort was more secluded than the impression the main picture provides. There are hotels or local eateries on either side so people traffic on beach. Our neighbors were up every morning at 4:00am or 5:30am. (UGH!!!) Their door would slam closed waking us up every single morning. We could hear their loud voices in the entrance hallway. Walls are thin. Was disappointed with food at Himitsu and slow service. We were there for almost two hours. Entertainment was not up to par compared to let's say Secrets Montego Bay, Jamaica entertainment. Then again, they are still new. Beach water was not as clear or calm as hoped. Tried to order breakfast for 4:45am delivery morning we departed. We checked out at 5:30am. Was told kitchen (for breakfast only) was not open until 6am though they had all other food options available. (??) When coffee was delivered we were told the kitchen opened at 5:00am so not everyone was on same page. read more

See all

We just used the free week. Totally different experience. Top knotch service in the rooms, the swim out pool was excelent, the big infinity "noisy pool was fun". , next pool over was perfect to relax, and listen to some very good guitar music and singing.Pool staff and entertainment staff very good. Food was good, very good service in the wait staff. Best restaurant was Italian with Mexican a close second. Market Cafe for buffet breakfast at 10AM was good, had lots of different national foods, Mexican, European, standard American and even bagels and lox. Mosquito invasion in room required exterminator last two days. Reef snorkling was down from last year, reef is sand covered and no fins allowed due to damage, maybe from over use. Entertainment was just ok, although the " magician was good". The Divos were nothing much. read more

Hubs and I are coming to Secrets Akumal right after Easter, 2021, and will be celebrating our 44th Wedding Anniversary. Holy smokes, where do the years go? I'm still publishing some write ups for different magazines, and I can't thank all of you enough for sharing your experiences, photos, etc., about this resort. It's been a year since we've travel freely, and are more than ready to be moving around the planet again. I'll do an indepth update of what we all the aspects of Secrets Akumal, so please stay posted for more information, and our experience. Love and hugs to all you happy travelers. So happy to post soon! read more

My wife and I went to Secrets Akumal for our honeymoon. When we first got there, everything was great. We were in awe of the beauty and welcoming atmosphere. Everyone was friendly and accommodating. With that said, the very first thing that the resort had us do was an orientation of the property and how everything worked at their resort. They were very kind, but strongly suggested that we attend their seminar the following morning to discuss membership, and that if we spent 90 minutes at this orientation, then we'd receive one of 3 free offers, which included a free couples spa treatment, which is what we ended up choosing. Keep in mind, we came there with no intention of doing this seminar. All we wanted was to sit by the pool or on the beach and enjoy ourselves. Once the seminar started, we fully intended to listen to everything, but expected it to really only last 90 minutes. In reality, it lasted more like 2.5-3 hours. And when we'd finally had enough, we finally cut them off and expressed that we just wanted to collect our free spa certificate and go enjoy ourselves. After that, all was good.... or so we thought. Fast forward to the checkout day, and we were bummed to have to leave. After all, we really did enjoy ourselves, but we knew it had to come to an end. We gave ourselves about 20 minutes to check out, which would have been ample time to sign out and meet the shuttle to take us to the airport. What would end up happening caught us by complete surprise. As we were checking out, the receptionist, Aron, informed us that we owed $185 for our spa treatment. You can imagine our surprise, given the fact the only reason we sat through that seminar was to receive the free spa treatment, and the only reason that we went to the spa was because we thought it was free! When it was apparent that Aron wasn't able to handle this situation on his own, another representative, Lezly, stepped in and she only made matters worse. She told us that if we didn't pay this fee, then it would come directly out of her paycheck. This was her attempt to make us feel bad. Of course this didn't sit well with us. Can you imagine a multi-billion dollar company taking money out of their employees' pockets if they don't collect $185??? Keep in mind that we had already spent a few thousand on the resort already! Needless to say, we were not willing to pay this fee, as we felt that we were getting taken advantage of, and rightfully so. Finally, Lezly got her manager, Amaury, who we thought would FINALLY sort this out for us. Nope. Amaury took matters even further. He threatened us with extortion if we didn't pay. And for those of you who may not know (because we didn't), it is resort policy to actually sign their guests out with a little slip that they have to then give to the shuttle driver before the shuttle driver will take you to your location. So Amaury's tactic was to threaten us by not signing us out, which would cause us to miss our shuttle and therefore cause us to miss our flight. CRAZY RIGHT?! I know things are done a little differently in different countries, but this was a bit scary for us and my wife was in tears at this point. Here was a guy that was literally willing to force us in to missing our shuttles, and our flights if we didn't pay the fee that we did not owe them! So I reluctantly gave them what they asked for. The last thing I wanted to do at this point was to spend any more time in front of these people. We are still in disbelief over what happened to us. Instead of just doing the right thing, they chose to take extreme measures and cause a scene. We reached out to their upper management to give them an opportunity to resolve this issue before posting any reviews online. After all, while employees should always be aware of how they're representing the company they're working for, there's always going to be some bad apples. Despite giving them this opportunity, they still are not willing to refund us the money that they extorted us in to giving them. Their only offer was to give us one free night in a VIP room, which was only good for one year. What a joke. The last thing we want to do is spend any more time or money at one of their resorts. In conclusion, I had every intention to write a great review of the resort until this chain of events happened. Overall our stay was a lot of fun and we really did enjoy ourselves, but the way they treated us at the end was absolutely illegal and completely wrong. As a company, one would think they would be doing everything they can to make this right. It has been made apparent that their goal is money first, guests second. read more

This was my first time at an all inclusive resort and it was nothing short of amazing, memorable, a dream... The sand is soft and white, the water is gorgeous (catch the sunset from the beach!). There is so much to write but basically all I wanted to say that we felt spoiled rotten here. The service was amazing, the staff was more than accommodating. Perfect! I can't wait to come back! read more

See all

Loved this place!! Had an amazing time there! Staff were great, the resort was beautiful!! Food was amazing!! Can't wait to go back!! read more

See all

Best resort experience I've ever had. It was flawless, beautiful with excellent food and service. The beach is gorgeous, everything you could want. They made us feel safe and welcomed. read more

Vacation time and I picked another Secrets resort for some down time. I am always big on service and Secrets resorts are known for their excellent service and they did not disappoint. But the excellent service covered up a lot of short falls. Food and entertainment were subpar. First timers and people celebrating a special occasion will be wowed by the excellent staff. I have been to other Secrets resorts and this one is average. The entertainment staff is weak and non existent. I only see them at the shows and at some pool events. The rendezvous bar is under utilized. The desire dance club was empty for the five nights I been there. The music is so loud that people come to the door and they leave. The food was below average. I complained and the food manager offered me a special dinner the next night. It was very good but do people have to complain to get good food? Also the staff try to sell the incoming guests a time share like plan. Similar to timeshare but not timeshare. Three hours of my time. In the future I will try another resort. read more

Con: 1 - Biggest con was the predatory timeshare/package they were selling. To be completely transparent we went in knowing we would not be signing up for the package, but went along with the "tour" and sales pitch in return for a 80-minute set of massages. Please do not waste your time with this - what is stated as a 90 minute tour/presentation turned into a nearly 2 and a half hour presentation, and every time we said "no" to the crazy offer ($80,000 "deal" with $32,000 as a downpayment "today" and the rest paid over time at 16% -aka predatory lending), they would come back and lower the amount. The worst part was that we had to ultimately get very rude/curt for them to allow us to leave with our massage vouchers. As you can imagine, this soured the stay for us. After talking to several other couples at the resort, we found they all had very similar experiences which is particularly disappointing considering the amount of money we spent on our vacation stay. Do yourself a favor and say no to the presentation. 2 - Food was just ok at buffet, and was borderline terrible everywhere else (restaurants, beach, room service). For the price we paid we expected at least edible food, but unfortunately the quality of the food is lacking. A few examples: the Italian minestrone soup tasted like barbecue sauce, the mashed potatoes were glue-y, the lasagna was hard as a brick, as were the tamales. Nothing tasted the way it should (and I say this as someone from NYC who has traveled the world and tasted both the Americanized and authentic versions of French, Italian, and Mexican food. Again, for the price we paid you would imagine that they would at least train the cooking staff how to prepare basics like tomato sauce. Pros: 1 - We found staff to be very helpful. That said, we speak Spanish and could communicate with them easily, where we found other guests disappointed in the service due to the language barrier. That said, the white glove support (ie setting up your beach chair/towel for you, walking you around when lost, etc) was exceptional. Unfortunately, I don't think this level of attention makes up for the terrible food, particularly at an All-inclusive where we expect to be able to stay on premises to dine. We ended up opting to eat in Tulum or Playa del Carmen at least half the nights after tasting the food offered at Secrets. 2- The beach was well-cared for and there are plenty of opportunities to snorkel. All and all, we found this place very overpriced for what they offered, especially by way of food. I would not recommend it to anyone and had a better experience at Bahia Principe Grand Tulum or staying at a boutique hotel closer to Tulum itself. Do yourself a favor and rent a car, book a non All Inclusive and eat well in Tulum. You'll end up spending the same amount as you do here, but actually get to enjoy your meals. read more

My wife and I just spent ten days at Secrets Akumal. This place is Disneyland for adults. Great Preferred Ocean View room. The food was very good. We enjoyed all the Speciality restaurants, with the best being the special meal Gabriella had prepared for us at Oceana. Many very talented people provided daily and nightly entertainment. We particularly enjoyed Monday night's Pirate show. The violinist was spectacular. The staff was amazing in every way. Best all-inclusive Resort we have ever visited. We have highly recommended it tp our friends and will certainly return. read more

If I am able to get ZERO stars, I would! The people at the main Concierge was very rude when we told them that our building concierge is never there. The lady even secretly took pictures of us. Only reason I knew it was because her flash was still on. Then we went to the steakhouse right at 6:30 and was the first group there. We were there for 2 hours and our food still didn't come out. Keep telling us that it's because they cook everything fresh. People around us were getting their food way before us. read more