This is our second all-inclusive vacation this year, and was definitely a five-star experience…read moreoverall. We stayed 8 days/7 nights and had a blast! Secrets Silversands is an adults-only resort located in Riviera Maya, just south of Cancun and in a newer development (resort is 6 yrs old). I previously gave 5-stars to Omni Cancun back in April but Silver Sands is actually better in terms of food quality, night time entertainment, room size, pools, and powerful and free wifi throughout the property! Below is a more detailed write-up of what we experienced:
WORLD CAFE: Their main breakfast and lunch buffet. Huge selection and the food is surprisingly good here, especially braised and stir-fried meats. They also have a smoothie and omelet station. 5 stars.
BAREFOOT GRILL: Overcooked burgers made to order but their fried chicken wings were phenomenal. Little drums covered in seasoned, powdery bread crumbs and fried to perfection. The meat was so soft I couldn't believe it. 4 stars
SEASIDE GRILL: Another poolside casual place specializing in grilled fish, shrimp cocktail, and ceviche. Pretty decent and a good option for late lunch. You're surrounded by revelers playing pool volleyball in a Spring-break type atmosphere. 4 stars.
HIMITSU HIBACHI: You need reservations for this Benihana-style experience. The chef showed some nice knife juggling skills and created some nice special effects with a smoking stack of onions sliding down the grill (choo choo train) along with some pyrotechnics. They use butter, garlic oil, and tequila to cook Asian cuisine which came out pretty good! Fried rice, sauteed chicken/beef/veggies were incredible. They even had a nice soy sauce laced with green chili peppers to add some kick! 5 stars
HIMITSU: They have pretty decent nigiri options - rice was firmer than I liked but seasoned well. Toppings were tender and tasted fresh. Their hot dishes were underwhelming compared to the hibachi though - stir fried beef was over-sauced and too sweet, fried tofu appetizer under seasoned, and fried rice had a glutinous texture. I'm wondering if they used sushi rice. 3 stars.
PORTOFINO: Their Italian dining place was surprisingly our least favorite. They had decent seafood appetizers though - the seafood frittata was a huge plate of fried mussels, fish, shrimp, etc. that was good, along with their grilled octopus carpaccio. Their entrees were rather ordinary - pasta with some red sauce or basic grilled salmon. 3 stars.
SEASIDE GRILL: Outdoor restaurant converted to steakhouse. Octopus salad and hearts of palm salad were decent - both had tenderness and good acidity. Wife's veal scallops cooked medium were incredibly juicy while my NY steak cooked medium rare came out well, medium. It had a nice green pepper sauce but more chew than I liked. Desserts were great - a margarita mousse for her and a moist rich chocolate cake for me. 4 stars.
BORDEAUX: Their French restaurant - beautiful, intimate settings with great food. They had a nice foie gras and mussels Rockefeller appetizer and my wife's pork tenderloin was tender and juicy. I was disappointed by the Italian place previously so I got their mushroom-asparagus fusilli pasta - YUM! 5 stars
RATATOUILLE: At night the Buffet turns into a Mediterranean themed restaurant - which means more seafood! Seafood cippino, crown of shrimp entree, and the scallops appetizer salad were all light and refreshing. I went for the braised beef rib which was really good. 5 stars.
EL PATIO: We had some nice carnitas tacos and this amazing lime soup for apps. For entree wife got fish steamed in banana leaves while I got the grilled salmon. We don't see seafood frequently on Mexican menus but we were glad to try - both dishes were perfect. Extra point for the chocolate soufflé dessert! 5 stars.
NIGHT SHOWS: On most nights there were some pretty awesome shows. The most memorable ones were Glow Show (extreme juggling and dancing with props that light up with many colors), Urban Show (extreme breakdancing and music - good choreography similar to Michael Jackson One in LV), and the Rock Show - which is even more extreme juggling and Cirque du Soleil type stunts to the background of 80's rock from Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Starship, etc. 5-stars - easily better than anything we've seen on cruise ships and rivaling some of the Las Vegas quality shows.
SERVICE: Excellent - everyone super friendly and greets you with a smile. They will find you and get you drinks - frequently.
DAY ACTIVITIES: They have Zumba lessons, but I opted for Blackjack and Hold Em. One day they had a Paella cooking demo with plenty of paella and sangria to feed the resort - some of the best paella I've had!
POOLS: They must have like 8 pools of different sizes and a couple of Jacuzzis. They were all clean and well-maintained.
Will definitely recommend this resort! Only downsides are: watch out for mosquitoes and weak cocktails - so order lots of them!