Review - Secrets Capri Riviera Maya (PICS)
FH and I just returned from 6 days at the Secrets Riviera Maya just about 40 minutes south of Cancun, Mexico. It was a great trip. I did keep a daily log with superfluous boring info that you guys surely do not want to know so I’ll do my best not to digress from the review too much.
Though I HAVE to tell you about the dimwit who sat next to me on the plane that filled in “Caucasian” as her nationality on her immigration/travel documents that they handed out on the plane. I was soooo tempted to ask her if “Caucasia” was North or South of the US. FH then proceeds to tell me that she was a teacher. I hope to G-d she doesn’t teach geography.
Now to the review. We arrived at the airport in Cancun very smoothly and had no issues with immigration. Beware of men in white shirts and ties that are trying to sell you time shares under the guise of being a “taxi service”. We walked right through the barrage. We arranged our trip through Apple Vacations. They had a van waiting for us that was completely air-conditioned and transported us to Secrets Capri in a timely fashion. Upon returning to the airport, they provided the same such transportation making stops at resorts on the way back towards the airport. It was a very pleasant experience with Apple.
Upon arrival at Secrets Capri, (as opposed to the Secrets Excellence which is a little closer to the airport), we were greeted by a lovely bag handler who showed us to a waiting area in the beautiful lobby. There we were given a glass of champagne and I got drunk within seconds (I have zero tolerance for alcohol - I mean ZERO). We went to our room on the 3rd floor. I recommend the third floor as the floors in the resort are marble and you could hear anything if someone was above you. With a place full of honeymooners – you want NOBODY over your head when you are trying to sleep. Our room had a lovely assortment of flowers there with a note from the resort manager welcoming us, Mr. and Mrs. S (though we aren’t married yet), to Secrets. Our bed was a lovely tall four-post bed with a sort of canopy on it. The bathroom was large with a tub; shower and toilet all separate from each other – two sinks. The air conditioner worked very well.
I suppose I should talk about the food. Secrets Capri has 5 restaurants. There is the Riviera Restaurant, which serves mainly buffet (breakfast, lunch and dinner) all week. They do also have an a la carte menu. Only on Tuesdays and Fridays are they close inside to do an outside Caribbean Buffet complete with a show. Though when we arrived there, it had been overcast and they kept everything inside. The Capri Restaurant serves Italian food. OMG DELICIOUS!!! My favorite for sure. They do not serve your typical Itlaian fare but more exotic dishes. Himitsu serves Pan-Asian cuisine. Mostly Chinese and Thai with sushi. They also have hibachi tables like Benihana or Shiro. There is the Oceana restaurant which serves seafood but we didn’t eat there. Finally, there was the Seaside Grill which serves all three meals a la carte.
The beach was lovely. They had little grass huts to act as sun shades all over. Some people say that the beach had too much seaweed. I disagree. The resort employees were out at the crack of dawn taking away any seaweed. It is the Carribbean sea people!!! COME ON!!!! The temperature of the water was great – like bath water! Down to the left of the resort by the beach, is where they have the water sports. Anything that has a motor, you got charged for but things like Kayaks and Hobie Cats were free to use as long as you signed up in advance. FH did that each day. I did it twice – that’s twice more than I thought I would. I am not a boat person.
The pool area was great too. There was a big pool – not too deep and certainly not too cold. They had lounges with cushions and umbrellas surrounding the pool and many floats in the pool. People did hoard them though. They had a swim-up bar and for the most part, the waiters and waitresses served you non-stop. Let me say this, never have I seen a staff of people keep a place so nice and clean. They work so hard to make sure that you have everything you need. For some reason I think there must be staff living quarters there because you see the same people working day in and day out. FH and I brought a wad of singles with us. It is an all-inclusive resort and we knew we wouldn’t be buying souvenirs to bring home. To give a hard working person a dollar here and there was fine for us. They appreciate the American dollar so much and they are gracious upon receiving tips.
There was a “business center” with 4 computer terminals inside the lobby area. They allow you to access the internet at no extra charge as long as you don’t abuse the time you are there. I had to have contact with my family because of my father’s illness and to call the States would have cost us $5/minute. If you MUST use a phone, they suggest a pre-paid calling card. I would agree.
Each night at Secrets, there is some sort of performance or show. It is kind of campy and cheesy but entertaining nonetheless. Afterwards, there is a bar called Desires and twice a week they have karaoke – once with a live band and once with a machine. The live band is great. Pity they don’t do weddings. Sometimes they perform in the lobby before dinner while people are waiting to be seated – the restaurants offer pagers that vibrate. There is also a game area with pool tables, air hockey and many board games. The one thing I did not like, and I suppose it is because I am a fan of Bloomberg on this one, is that there was a LOT of SMOKING with NO restrictions. I never realized how much people smoke when there are no limits. I was completely turned off by this. Sorry smokers, but smoking on a beach or by a pool is simply GROSS!!! JMO!!!
All in all we had a great time. I am going to embed pictures rather than link because my computer is like a menopausal woman – temperamental. If anyone has any questions, please let me know or FM me. I left out quite a bit. Maybe in Caucasia?
Though I HAVE to tell you about the dimwit who sat next to me on the plane that filled in “Caucasian” as her nationality on her immigration/travel documents that they handed out on the plane. I was soooo tempted to ask her if “Caucasia” was North or South of the US. FH then proceeds to tell me that she was a teacher. I hope to G-d she doesn’t teach geography.
Now to the review. We arrived at the airport in Cancun very smoothly and had no issues with immigration. Beware of men in white shirts and ties that are trying to sell you time shares under the guise of being a “taxi service”. We walked right through the barrage. We arranged our trip through Apple Vacations. They had a van waiting for us that was completely air-conditioned and transported us to Secrets Capri in a timely fashion. Upon returning to the airport, they provided the same such transportation making stops at resorts on the way back towards the airport. It was a very pleasant experience with Apple.
Upon arrival at Secrets Capri, (as opposed to the Secrets Excellence which is a little closer to the airport), we were greeted by a lovely bag handler who showed us to a waiting area in the beautiful lobby. There we were given a glass of champagne and I got drunk within seconds (I have zero tolerance for alcohol - I mean ZERO). We went to our room on the 3rd floor. I recommend the third floor as the floors in the resort are marble and you could hear anything if someone was above you. With a place full of honeymooners – you want NOBODY over your head when you are trying to sleep. Our room had a lovely assortment of flowers there with a note from the resort manager welcoming us, Mr. and Mrs. S (though we aren’t married yet), to Secrets. Our bed was a lovely tall four-post bed with a sort of canopy on it. The bathroom was large with a tub; shower and toilet all separate from each other – two sinks. The air conditioner worked very well.
I suppose I should talk about the food. Secrets Capri has 5 restaurants. There is the Riviera Restaurant, which serves mainly buffet (breakfast, lunch and dinner) all week. They do also have an a la carte menu. Only on Tuesdays and Fridays are they close inside to do an outside Caribbean Buffet complete with a show. Though when we arrived there, it had been overcast and they kept everything inside. The Capri Restaurant serves Italian food. OMG DELICIOUS!!! My favorite for sure. They do not serve your typical Itlaian fare but more exotic dishes. Himitsu serves Pan-Asian cuisine. Mostly Chinese and Thai with sushi. They also have hibachi tables like Benihana or Shiro. There is the Oceana restaurant which serves seafood but we didn’t eat there. Finally, there was the Seaside Grill which serves all three meals a la carte.
The beach was lovely. They had little grass huts to act as sun shades all over. Some people say that the beach had too much seaweed. I disagree. The resort employees were out at the crack of dawn taking away any seaweed. It is the Carribbean sea people!!! COME ON!!!! The temperature of the water was great – like bath water! Down to the left of the resort by the beach, is where they have the water sports. Anything that has a motor, you got charged for but things like Kayaks and Hobie Cats were free to use as long as you signed up in advance. FH did that each day. I did it twice – that’s twice more than I thought I would. I am not a boat person.
The pool area was great too. There was a big pool – not too deep and certainly not too cold. They had lounges with cushions and umbrellas surrounding the pool and many floats in the pool. People did hoard them though. They had a swim-up bar and for the most part, the waiters and waitresses served you non-stop. Let me say this, never have I seen a staff of people keep a place so nice and clean. They work so hard to make sure that you have everything you need. For some reason I think there must be staff living quarters there because you see the same people working day in and day out. FH and I brought a wad of singles with us. It is an all-inclusive resort and we knew we wouldn’t be buying souvenirs to bring home. To give a hard working person a dollar here and there was fine for us. They appreciate the American dollar so much and they are gracious upon receiving tips.
There was a “business center” with 4 computer terminals inside the lobby area. They allow you to access the internet at no extra charge as long as you don’t abuse the time you are there. I had to have contact with my family because of my father’s illness and to call the States would have cost us $5/minute. If you MUST use a phone, they suggest a pre-paid calling card. I would agree.
Each night at Secrets, there is some sort of performance or show. It is kind of campy and cheesy but entertaining nonetheless. Afterwards, there is a bar called Desires and twice a week they have karaoke – once with a live band and once with a machine. The live band is great. Pity they don’t do weddings. Sometimes they perform in the lobby before dinner while people are waiting to be seated – the restaurants offer pagers that vibrate. There is also a game area with pool tables, air hockey and many board games. The one thing I did not like, and I suppose it is because I am a fan of Bloomberg on this one, is that there was a LOT of SMOKING with NO restrictions. I never realized how much people smoke when there are no limits. I was completely turned off by this. Sorry smokers, but smoking on a beach or by a pool is simply GROSS!!! JMO!!!
All in all we had a great time. I am going to embed pictures rather than link because my computer is like a menopausal woman – temperamental. If anyone has any questions, please let me know or FM me. I left out quite a bit. Maybe in Caucasia?
