Our Parent Get-Away Trip To Mexico
Secrets Maroma Reviews
SECRETS Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun
Three children at home, full time for 1 year+ due to a pandemic which limited our outdoor activities…. Needless to say my husband and I were ready for a parent getaway to reunite and have a little R&R! When my best friend revealed she was planning a tropical destination wedding I could not have been more excited. I’m pretty sure I had my bags packed that night – even though it was still months away 😆 I’m sharing all of the dets – these are all of my personal Secrets Maroma reviews — save this for later!
Secrets Maroma is an adults only all inclusive resort tucked away on a secluded beach. It has been voted World’s Best Beach by Travel Channel and Best All-Inclusive Resort in Mexico, Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best and Best Romance in Mexico from TripAdvisor.
It offers a pure white sand beach, elegant suites with 24-hour room service, daily refilled room mini- bar service, top shelf drinks, several pools along with an infinity pool, nightly entertainment, gourmet dining and chic lounges.
The resort size is intimate making walking to all offered amenities like the beach or dining very easy. (I’ve been to resorts which have you get a full workout in walking from one location to another)
Every encounter with staff members was pleasant and friendly. Always asking if anything was needed and promptly responding to resolve needs or concerns! Each building has a personal concierge – who can be reached at any time.
Our trip was 6 days and 5 nights from April 29th – May 4th. My husband and I learned this time of the year is the dry season for Cancun. Our trip was graced with gorgeous weather every single day!
We were very impressed with our entire experience and the beach itself is breathtaking! It has the purest and softest white sand I’ve encountered in all of my Mexico vacations.
I’ve never vacationed at an adults only resort and I was excited to have time with my husband to rekindle our marriage without the constant interruption of our little ones. An added bonus which was an unexpected surprise was an aspect I had never thought of. Not only were my children not around but there weren’t ANY children in sight.
An unspoken rule amongst all parents is we keep our eyes out for each others children – strangers or not. Without any children around it was the first time in years I was solely responsible for myself. To truly let my mind relax was a gift I didn’t know I was in need of!!
Something we did experience which I did not find noted anywhere on the internet through my pre-trip research is how there is a slight difference in service depending on which site you book your room through. Whether you book using a third-party versus booking through the actual resort website. I’ll be touching about what I mean and on specifics a bit later on in the post.
Here's a bit of insight so you will know what to expect if you stay here - Along with some highlights from our trip!
VIEW FROM THE MAIN LOBBY
TRANSPORTATION
Our flight landed at the Cancun airport and we pleasantly found it was only a quick 20 minute trip to our resort. The resort makes it very easy to schedule your shuttle to and from the airport. We scheduled with the resort ahead of time before we left home so there was a car waiting for us at the airport. The trip to the resort cost $50. At the time of our trip, the resort used the transportation company Amway.
Once on site, we heard from other guests it was a bit cheaper to schedule your own transportation to the airport. Because of this information we scheduled our own car ride back to the airport using the company USA Transportation and the cost was $40.
Tipping the drivers was an extra fee on this price. We found our drivers to be friendly and spoke English well.
Offering My Personal Advice Here: Have your transportation figured out before flying into Mexico. I remember my first visit to the Cancun airport gave me a real wake up call. Walking out of baggage claim into a loud frenzy from mass amounts of taxi drivers trying to get your business is real. It honestly can be VERY overwhelming so be on the safe side and use your hotel to schedule your shuttle!
If you forget to do this and have to grab a car/taxi from the airport to your resort — ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS NEGOTIATE YOUR FULL TRAVEL PRICE FOR THE RIDE BEFORE GETTING IN!!!
ROOMS
We booked a Junior Suite Tropical View Swim-Up room and we really enjoyed it!
The only downfall was the pool is not heated. During the day the sun warmed it up enough to be comfortable but a late night swim was not as friendly as we had hoped.
The swim-up room pools are connected with 4 or 5 other main floor suites but you do have a private patio right outside of your room.
Room service is available 24-hours a day and we noticed our average drop off time was about 30 minutes from when the order was placed. Every morning we sipped a yummy vanilla latte on our patio!
The rooms offer a service door which is a small lockable cubby right next to your main door. The food can be placed inside the cubby and you have access to it from inside of your room. When you finish you can place the dirty dishes inside this cubby and it eliminates any food odors which might normally linger.. It was an awesome feature!!!
Room service downturns your bed and refreshes the room with towels every morning. There is a free option for another downturn service right before bed which we loved since afternoon naps were our regular!
I found the bed to be a bit firm so room service brought a bed topper which made all of the difference and I was thankful!
The room had a surround sound system with different sections throughout the suite and all had the ability to work independently. It was nice to get ready in the bathroom while listening to music or play some tunes when taking a dip in the swim-up.
The suite’s aesthetic was updated and modern with automatic motion sensed floor lighting. There was a set of doors right next to the bathtub which acted as a dividing wall from the rest of the room. The neat part is these could be opened to create one large room and they allowed you to hear the ocean when taking a bath if your back patio door was open. Also, the bathroom had the most romantic lighting options 💖 Just note the floor gets REALLY slippery when wet!
Entertainment and Pools
All day and night, Secrets Maroma Beach Resort had endless events and activities for guests to do. Whether it be exercise classes (in water or on land), games in the pool, an assortment of all different kinds of live shows multiple times a night (every night), snorkeling off of the beach, parasailing, you name it this place offered it. Not to mention the swim up bar in the main pool was a party no matter what time of day you were there!
There is a little music bar called Desires with swings which hang from the ceiling and it was always the place to go late nights. Dancing and crazy shenanigans were sure to be taking place!
An indoor theater hosts shows every night and we watched a fabulous 80’s rock band performance! We also saw Burlesque, impersonation acts and tradition Mexican dancing. In addition, outdoor performances were an option which was always accompanied by a buffet dinner. Each night hosted a different international themed course.
We had the concierge at the front desk order us a Taxi and we snuck away for a day time shopping trip to Playa del Carmen on 5th Avenue. The taxi cost us round trip $45. The taxi driver set up a return time and meeting spot with him before he left – which was a huge peace of mind!
We usually vacation with our children so I’ve never been off resort and traveled into a town. I’m so glad we did because the energy from the vendors on the streets radiated. It was a very neat experience and the shopping was fabulous! After a couple of hours we were hot and hungry so we decided to snag a table at a local restaurant. We people watched as we devoured our drool worthy street tacos and guac.
DINING and DRINKS
There are six a la carte gourmet restaurants on location along with a buffet, café and 24-hour room service. We did not even come close to trying all of the options offered but we thoroughly enjoyed the dinners we did have. Our favorite was the French dining. We went with a group of people and basically ordered every item on the menu. The entire dinner – every dish was exceptional!
Another favorite of ours was the morning breakfast buffet. Yum! This spread of food was honestly one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. Be sure to wake up by 11am in order to enjoy it!!
If you enjoy Ahi tuna you must order the Raw Ahi Tuna Tostadas at the Seaside Grill. They were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!
Waiters continuously circle and the pool has full coverage offering the ability to order pool side. You can order drinks and food without having to get out of the water! Nachos were a favorite with almost everyone!
Top Shelf drinks freely flow and the bartenders were attentive and fun. Do yourself a favor and ask for a double in your drink!! All of the drinks came with cute garnishes which really screamed vacation and we enjoyed the little touches!
Reservations:
The restaurants do not take reservations nor are they needed with the only exception being the Hibachi table at the Pan Asian restaurant. There are only two tables of 16 available for this experience and reservations are a must.
I would try to reserve your seat in advance on that first night you check in.
NOTE– Also, because we were at the resort with a large group from the wedding, there were always a lot of us who wanted to eat dinner together. All restaurants do not offer tables larger than 6 seats. Just a tid-bit of information to keep in mind if going to dinner in large numbers.
Dress Code:
Men MUST bring pants in order to enter any dinner dining restaurants. Not even dress shorts are allowed. I overheard someone saying the resort can offer a pair of pants on loan for a fee. Be sure to check Secrets Maroma Beach Resort website for specifics on all dress codes.
We visited during the COVID-19 pandemic and face masks were mandatory for entry into any dining area but were not required outside of these times. The staff wore face coverings at all time.
Preferred Club
As I mentioned earlier there is a slight difference depending on how you book your stay at the Secrets Maroma Beach Resort.
My husband and I booked our stay through a third party site. (Priceline, Travelocity, Expedia, etc.) The preferred club was not available as an option to me when I was checking out and paying for the reservation. This is only available when booking through the resorts home website.
The preferred club is offered as an upgrade and per the website it includes:
- Private Preferred Club Lounge
- Preferred status and amenities
- Daily continental breakfast, afternoon hot & cold hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and fine liquors in the lounge
- Complimentary in-room newspaper every day (English or Spanish)
- Upgraded mini-bar service
- Upgraded bath amenities
I should preface all of this by saying that within the group of guests I was with – some had booked with this upgrade and some had not. What I came to learn is the guests who chose the PC upgrade received a welcome golf cart tour of the facility and a never-ending bottle of champagne in their room. Along with access to a private little lounge with all top shelf liquor.
I personally feel like this upgrade could easily be omitted.
Even though it wasn’t on a golf cart, my husband and I did still receive a personal tour of the resort grounds – we were just walking (HAHA) and all of the bars had top shelf liquor available to me. Also, if I found the urge for drinking champagne in my room I only had to make a quick phone call. Room service would bring me as many glasses of champagne as I requested.
I would absolutely recommend this all inclusive, adults only resort to anyone 21+ who is in the market for a tropical vacation! I hope all of my Secrets Maroma reviews helped shed a bit of light onto the resort staying experience.
If my friend had not decided to hold her wedding here (which was absolutely breathtaking) I’m not sure I would have looked into staying here because my husband and I are used to a slightly larger resort. Boy, that would have been a shame!
I honestly do not have a single negative experience from our entire week trip! Feel free to email me if you have any questions about staying the the Secrets Maroma Beach resort or leave your own reviews in the comments.
We absolutely will be headed back for another stay and I’d love to hear about anything extra we could do which we may have missed!
XoXo,
Christy
SECRETS Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun
Mexico
Address:
Secrets Maroma Beach
2 comments
Thanks for your review, we go in February…
question, was the dress slacks not shorts for men at dinner, enforced ?
Yes! Men’s dress slacks were required and it was enforced! There are restaurants that do not require a dress code and allow men to wear shorts like the event dinners in the middle of the resort or the buffet. Have a great time!