This is the blunt TRUTH about our trip to Secrets Riviera Cancun. I'll start with the main point here.....this is NOT a 5 Star resort!! It is advertised as a 5 Star Resort, but its more like a 3 Star Resort. My wife and I went here in July 2024 for our 18 yr anniversary. We stayed in a Preferred Club Ocean view suite at Secrets, thinking we were getting a 5 Star experience from what we could see on the website. They also advertise that this Secrets resort is located "next door" to Breathless, but that is not accurate. Secrets is ATTACHED to Breathless!!! They are one and the same, regardless of what they claim. Secrets is simply a single building of suites with a pool and one restaurant in a small corner of the property. If you want to go to any of the other 5 restaurants or 2 other pools, you are going to BREATHLESS. They do state you get "access" to the Breathless Resort next door, but its not next door.....ITs ON SITE!!!! You get charged to stay at the Ritz Carlton, but if you want to eat or enjoy any entertainment and night life, you have to go to the Holiday Inn. I was unimpressed immediately upon walking in to this place. Actually, upon driving up!!! On your drive up you will pass by a 30-40 foot pile of garbage/trash in front of a closed resort that other sites are using as their personal dump site (SEE PICS). If you think your going to a 5 star resort, you would expect to be around people that would also attend a 5 star resort. NOT the case!!! Low class, low budget, low quality!!!! We did attempt to try and leave the resort, but they REFUSED to refund anything or even cancel and allow us to move to another resort. We would have lost our money and had to re-book at another resort and pay for that in addition to our reservation.
******* We paid $2680 to stay at this Secrets in an Ocean View Suite. We could have paid the SAME price and stayed at Secrets Maroma which is a LEGIT 5 Diamond Resort******* This place was a joke!!!!!!
**GROUNDS/RESORT - (SEE PICS) - Advertised as 5 Star....more like 3 Star!!! Dirty exterior and the beach was distgusting. I gave them the benefit of the doubt b/c there was a Hurricane 3 days prior to our arrival. That did leave a lot of sea weed all over the beach. When we went to see Secrets Maroma, and also went on a cruise around the area, it was clear that ALL other resorts cleaned up immediately.....even the public beach!!!!! This resort didn't do anythinng until people began to complain!
**ROOMS/ACCOMODATIONS: We walked in to a WET room! The floor was soaked, as if it was just mopped....but it wasn't!!! The mirrors, sliding glass door, FLOORS, lamps.....all covered in condensation! To be clear....this was immediately upon walking in and reamind this way overnight. We used towels to dry the entire room! It also reaked of mildew. We demaded another room and wanted to cancel our reservation and relocate to another resort. THEY REFUSED!!! We were move to a larger suite, but it cost $200 more per night....which we negotiated down to $80/night. They were at 40% occupancy.....they could have (and should have) comped this charge!!!!!
**Restaurants: The one at Secrets was very good. The others were good food, but again, your going to Breathless. That means your now at the lower end resort....and the its easily reflected in the clientel. Sorry....this is the honest truth.
*******IF YOU MAKE MORE THAN $80K A YEAR, YOU SHOULD NOT STAY HERE******
**STAFF: Aside from the issues I had with the room and reservation team, the wait staff service was good.
**BOTTOM LINE: This is advertised as 5 star, but its not even close!!!! If you have ever stayed at a 5 star resort, this will be well below your expectations in every way. To prove that point, we paid $2680 to stay here. For the SAME PRICE we could have stayed at Secrets Maroma (5 Diamond Resort). I Didn't realize this until we were at the resort and looking to leave. I then looked at Maroma and realized this. To say I was angry would be an understatement. I would not suggest staying here. There are too many GREAT resort in Cancun to waste your precious vacation and money at a place like this.
