I've been to a other Secrets Resorts and loved them! However, this resort is more in line with the RIU, rather than Hyatt. The only reason I'm giving this resort 2 stars instead of 1 is because the food and drinks were good at each place we went.
The rooms are nice, I'll give them that. It's nice to have every room with an ocean view, walk-in shower, balcony, and large bath area. The service is strange though... morning service is done around 11 I think, because we went to and came back from breakfast everyday, and never found our room to be made up afterward. Turn down service was done sometimes, but not everyday, and very early too, like around 4 or 5, which is also strange. We never found the floor to be cleaned, it always had sand on it, even after I asked them to please sweep for us.
Restaurant service was excellent! We were always tended to often and quickly. All of our needs and requests were met quickly, and all of the time while dining in the restaurants. The breakfast buffet is by far their best service. All of the food we had while dining was prepared well, with plenty of variety. My only complaint to them was some of the classier restaurants had very small portions, but you as a side note, remember, you can always order more than one of anything.
By far, my biggest complaint is constantly being harassed by sales people while staying here. We were solicited 4 separate times by a Hyatt representative in an attempt to get us to attend their time share presentation. We were solicited several times by their spa reps anytime we walked by and so much as looked at them. And then, God forbid you want to go to the beach, or anywhere near the edge of the beach, you will be solicited every 30 seconds by a different Mexican local to purchase their knock off goods. Unlike other resorts I've been to, the resorts in PV don't seem to own or have any control over their section of the beach in front of the resort. As such, from 8am to dusk, there are no less than 15 local vendors patrolling the front of the property, weaving in and out of the beach umbrellas and chairs, selling sunglasses, blankets, excursions, massages, toys, horseback rides...you name it! You would think that once you say no, they leave you alone, but NOPE! They will come ask you over and over and over, whether you're napping, enjoying a book, or talking to someone else, they don't care. And if you ignore them, they will get rude with you to elicit a response. We were so sick of being harassed, we just stopped going to or near the beach, and would only go out to swim, and then hurry back into the resort to get away from them. This, alone, would prevent me from ever returning to this resort, or any other in the PV area. I go on vacation to adventure and relax, not to be constantly harassed to purchased scams and junk.
A quick comment about the PV beaches. The beach chairs and umbrellas are very nice. The sand in PV, if you're wondering, is very coarse, and very rocky once you enter the water, it tears your feet up pretty good, if you're not at swimming depth. This is NOT the same as the soft Cancun beaches.
Inside the resort, there's only one pool you can actually swim in. The bar pool is so dirty and nasty, it was just gross, and the other pools are only ankle deep. While outside, there are entertainment activities, but not nearly as up to par with other Secrets resorts we've been to. The entertainment staff aren't very lively, and have the music up so loud, you'll feel like you're at a club, rather than a relaxing resort.
Most Secrets resorts are generally for couples who want to enjoy a romantic getaway and have some fun. However, make no mistake, this is a party resort. We saw very few couples, mostly large loud groups that were there for corporate gatherings, a wedding, or groups of friends. In addition to that, Secrets Vallarta Bay, which is adults only, is attached directly to a Hyatt Dreams Resort, which is family friendly. Thought you would get away from the kids? Not here; and mostly because majority of the restaurants are on the Dreams side; there's only 2 on the Secrets side. They do allow you to go between the resorts and use all facilities, and the kids are restricted to Dreams side, but you will still have them on the beach, and hear them screaming around their pools, just on the other side of a wall between yours.
All in all, I would like to give them a higher rating because of the restaurant service and food, but all of the bad stuff was just so overwhelming, we really felt more like we were at a budget RIU Resort, rather than a Hyatt resort. This resort is in need of new management, and they really need to do something to form a cooperative with the other resorts and PV town to restrict the solicitors on the beach. read more