Secrets Royal Beach

If you are searching for a quaint adults only all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana.  Look no further.  The Secrets Royal Beach resort in Punta Cana will not only impress you, but will also allow you to escape into a world of luxury.  

Paradise is just one beach away… Anonymous

We had the opportunity to travel to Secrets Royal Beach in December for New Years.  We found a fabulous package with Costco Travel – which gave us  a Preferred Suite Tropical King Room with Private Transfer to and from the airport.  We read the reviews on Tripadvisor and each review checked off all of the boxes we loved – excellent service, beautiful property, outstanding beach and great food.  We couldn’t wait to arrive.

Sidenote:  Booking via Costco travel will give you rewards – depending on the type of membership you have.  We have a business membership so we get a cashback incentive with booking.  We will receive a cashback cheque about 3 weeks post travel.  Amount varies on your membership and package costs.  

Itinerary:

We flew out of Montreal – again – with Air Transat and their Option Plus package for a 5 night vacation package over New Years.  To read about the benefits of Option Plus with Air Transat – click Here. Option Plus does give you great benefits and perks. It’s worth considering when travelling with Air Transat.

When we arrived in Punta Cana, we quickly found our Costco Travel representative upon retrieving our luggage and we were directed to our Private Transfer.  The transfer to the resort was seamless and within minutes of receiving our luggage and locating the representative,  we were on our way to our resort. 

The Resort:  Secrets Royal Beach is located approximately 25 minutes from the airport. We were greeted upon arrival and led into the Preferred lounge for our private check in. Within the preferred lounge were light snacks and specialty drinks for any tasting pleasure. Check-in was efficient and since our room was ready, it wasn’t a long wait before we were on our way to our fabulous room. 

Side note: The Preferred option benefits include many perks like a private check-in, separate lounge, upgrade in drink options etc. Click HERE to read more about the benefits of upgrading to Preferred Club.

The Grounds: Gorgeous! Manicured gardens, sparkling pools, and sprawling greenery are at every corner of this resort. From fun pool activities to private quiet areas, you will always find the perfect spot for your relaxation or adventurous needs.   

The Beach: Impeccable. The famous Bavaro beach is a 10/10. White fine sand stretching for miles along the Atlantic Ocean will have you refreshed and sun kissed as you take in that ocean air. Plenty of room to relax at the palapas or play catch on the beach. 

The Pools: Plentiful. From their main activity pool to many of their private quiet pools. You’ll certainly find one to suit your liking. The preferred club has 2 pool options to choose from as well. Each with their own bar and whirl pool sections – with one including an infinity pool and waterfall. 

The Room: Our preferred tropical view room was excellent – and it came with a great beach bag. The decor classy, the location perfect (close to the beach) and the preferred rooms come with a butler to assist you with any requests or desires you may need. Our Butler’a name was Manny and he was fabulous. 

Dining: The food here at Secrets was great. Overall, we ate plenty of 5 star dishes. 

Main buffet:  The buffet offered an amazing variety for any of your culinary desires. We found their breakfasts were outstanding and the one dinner meal we ate there was delicious. 

Bordeau: Their French restaurant option does require men to wear long pants and closed toe shoes, but you will dine in luxury. From delicious salad options to scrumptious main dishes, your palate will be satisfied. 

Bluewater Grill: Their steak restaurant was so good we ate there twice. The team will serve you with whatever your needs or wishes may be. Simply fabulous. (The rib eye steak a favourite of ours). 

Olio:  Seafood and Mediterranean. This restaurant is for Preferred Members during their lunch hour and was outstanding. Their jerk chicken was simply delicious. We did not experience it for dinner – open to all guests – but from speaking to other patrons, each had a great experience with it. 

Other restaurants within the property (we did not get the pleasure of eating at all of them) include: Japanese (where you can experience their amazing hibachi dinner) and El Patio – Mexican. 

There were also BBQ style lunch options as well, where you can choose from a variety of salads, burgers, hotdogs, or nachos. A great option even for that later afternoon snack. 

The Spa: We had the pleasure of treating ourselves to a 80 minute couples massage. Included in this was their hydrotherapy pools where you experience a mixture of cold and hot pools either before or after the massage. We decided to skip this option since we have done it before, however it is an experience one should try. Our massages were simply exquisite. I’d highly recommend treating yourself to the spa if able to and there are plenty of spa options or packages to choose from.

Fitness Facilities: We did not have the opportunity to use their fitness facilities this trip, however a quick look around and it would certainly satisfy many fitness requirements vacationers may have – cardio machines, free weights and machines, as well as a stretching room all completed their gym area. 

Nightly Entertainment: Each night, their entertainment wowed us. From a Pop night, Rock show, Madonna tribute, and Movie Music – the singers and dance team were spectacular. Within the resort there is also a Casino – complete with slot machines and many table options, a sports bar with darts, pool tables, and karaoke nights, and a fabulous rooftop night club so you can dance your heart away.

New Years Eve Events:

Upon check in, we were required to choose our NYE dinner option – Buffet or the al a cart  menu (occurring in their Bordeaux restaurant). We chose the al a cart – simply because we saw surf and turf with lobster. To be honest for this review, the al a cart was disappointing. Our main dish was undercooked and did require being sent back for a replacement. After speaking to other resort guests, we found this was a common issue, however those that went to the buffet NYE option thoroughly enjoyed it. A minor setback, but we still enjoyed our time and had plenty to eat.

The night was filled with NYE decor in their theatre/plaza section. Each guest received a NYE gift bag which included noise makers and hat options. The evening was filled with a variety of music – with one band being sensational as she rocked the resort. The evening wrapped up with another great singer as she helped ring in the new year with the countdown. Afterwards, she continued to rock the resort until the wee hours of the night. We had a blast!

Butler Service: 

Included with Preferred rooms. Your butler will tour the grounds with you pointing out all must see or interesting areas. He/she will then help you with any wishes you may have during your stay. This may include: 

• Booking any required reservations (only 2 restaurants require this – Bordeau and the Hibachi at the Japanese) 

• Booking and spa appointments 

• Providing any extras in your room – water, snacks, decorations if a birthday.

Simply ask and they will provide. Our Butler’s name was Manny and we thoroughly enjoyed him. 

Side Note:  Secrets is affiliated with Dreams which gives you access to their resort next door. We did not try any of their restaurants, but a short walk around showed a great resort option for families. 

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• Location. Less than a half hour from the airport
• On Bavaro beach – world famous for its soft white sand stretching for miles 
• Grounds were impeccable 
• Plenty of pool options 
• Fabulous food at many of there restaurants
• Butler Service
• Private transfer with Costco travel 
• Quiet rooms
• Terrific entertainment 

Cons:

• Their NYE festivities could have been a bit better. Another resort up the beach had a large beach party including fireworks and their al a cart dinner option definitely required improvement.
• Their wifi was not all that stable.  In the guest rooms – it was excellent, however at the beach there were many areas that were ‘dead’ zones.  We’ve been to other resorts where wifi was terrific throughout their entire resort and beach area.
• It was not explained at check-in that we – as Secret guests  – could use the Dream Royal Beach facilities as well.  This would have made for more dining and entertainment options.  

Tips:

Using the app ‘WhatsApp’ is necessary for communicating with your Butler and/or travel representative. It’s simple to use – just like texting – and you can freely – with no cost – be in contact with your Butlet.

Many of the resorts have their own app where you can log into (once checked in). This will provide you with information such as the daily activities, restaurant menus, as well as their resort map. Having this downloaded prior to arriving is handy.

Summary:

Overall, we would give this resort a 4.5/5. It’s a perfect location and resort for beach lovers as well as those who love a variety of pools. Food options were excellent once we discovered where to go for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (buffet for breakfast, Olio for lunch if a preferred member, and Bluewater Grill for dinner). This resort is a definite step up from last years NYE resort choice – Iberostar Punta Cana, but the Iberostar Grand and Majestic Elegance for an amazing all adults experience are still both a bit ‘classier’choice.

Would we return?

Yes. Secrets Royal Beach is most definitely rated within our top 5 all inclusive resorts for adults. If you’re looking for a fantastic beach, great pools, butler service, exquisite food, affordability, and a perfect location – you will find all of that here. 

For more information on Secrets Royal Beach – click HERE for the Costco travel link. Not a Costco member – Secrets can also be found on Air Transat vacations. 

To see more resort reviews, click the links below.