Secrets Playa Esmeralda Resort & SPA

We had an amazing trip 6/19-6/26. First off and most importantly the staff are beyond incredible. We spent most of our time at the Sugar Reef bar during the day and Mildred (what a queen), Pedro, Daniel, Negro and Joan were incredible. We had great drinks and lots of laughs with them and were sad to say goodbye. Benjamin Franklin with the entertainment team was so great and we had so much fun interacting with him and playing the pool games during our stay. His sense of humour is something else. The staff at the piano bar- I’m so bad that I cannot remember the man’s name but boy he makes a great cocktail especially my go to amaretto sour- and had one on the counter nightly before I even had to order it (the staff are so attentive). Yanery and Yonaida at the piano bar were also fantastic and we enjoyed interacting with them during our stay. The ladies at the market cafe are also so friendly and amazing to interact with- Stephie would put her arm out for you to lock it to walk to your seat every morning. The staff are 10/10 and pro tip- interact and get to know them- they have such interesting stories and are such hard working people. The resort itself is beautifully laid out with a great selection of restaurants- also super helpful that secrets guests can go between both sides so it helps with the variety. Our favourite meal was definitely the hibachi so make the reservation! We got lucky that there were empty seats available one night without booking but we were unable to get another reservation before we left. I will say some of the food was not the best but we usually know to expect that at resorts. The cook on steaks was not always accurate so just forewarning on that. The breakfast buffet was always great especially the omelettes. Some of the finishing on the buildings looks older than what it is (maybe rushed) but we are very easy going and minor things like that don’t really bother us much. It wouldn’t warrant us leaving less of a review when everything else was so good. So if you are someone that will nit pick things apart then you may not feel the same. We also felt that the dynamic here with shared areas between secrets and dreams was a bit different than what we are used to and having the sports bar on the dreams side where the kids are was a bit different. A sports bar on the adults only side would be a nice amenity to have. Again not the end of the world for us just something we noticed. The nightly entertainment was enjoyable. I wouldn’t say it was the best we’ve experienced at other resorts but again some was different with it being held in the square so having children present is not what we are used to. The resort is still so new and I’m sure will grow and improve with time as there’s still some things that are a work in progress. The beach is beyond stunning. Right outside the resort is choppy most days but we enjoyed jumping the waves on multiple days. To the left of the resort is a calm lagoon like area that is also lovely to just have a relaxed dip in the sea. You can walk for miles along the beach. The saddest part for me was seeing the litter and why people are unable to pick up after themselves. This beach is virtually untouched but I dread to think in 5-10 years with how it will be. We did the parasailing while we were there and other activities are offered there too such as fishing, banana boat, tubing. We used Benji tours VIP for our transfers and our driver Alberto was amazing. Would highly recommend. His vehicle was new, clean and comfortable (essential for the 90min journey), he was safe and played great music. He spoke great English and we spoke a lot about the country with him and learned some interesting things. The drive is beautiful. Overall we had an incredible time. We would definately return here. We are extremely grateful to be in a position to travel and enjoy a vacation like this and so we make the most of everyday and not try to pick out negatives and dwell on them. So enjoy paradise while you are there and you are sure to have a great time.

By far the best vacation experience I have ever had and I’m 70 years old! The preferred club experience is over the top in customer service! Everyone makes you feel special- just sit back and they do the rest. I can’t even begin to say enough about our butler Fernando the best customer service everyday he was ready to give us his best ! He really made the difference for us! The poolside bar Kelvin Luis Paola Emily marvelous . The Rosewater preferred restaurant Nayeli Nairobi Juan Carlos Maria Miguel were great ! And we can’t forget our activities director Brenda! The most delightful young lady and full of energy!!

My brother belongs to UVC. This is the first Secrets resort that we’ve been to——and we’ve been to many——-that has a UVC Concierge and a UVC-only restaurant! Our concierge was Joel Rijo. Joel greeted us at check-in and made us feel very important to him. He was at our disposal! If something wasn’t right with our room, he made it right! Joel is a definite asset to the UVC Concierge team! Thank you, Joel for all your attention to us!

The staff and property were fantastic! The staff will do anything they can to make sure you have the best trip possible. Everything is clean and in good shape. Our butler was Juan Carlos and he was great! Will absolutely request to work with him again if we make it back in the future.

Secret's Playa Esmeralda was better than I imagined, this is the first time we ever stayed at a Secrets, typically we go to the Dreams resorts. This beach was absolutely phenomenal, you could walk for miles on it with little to NO seaweed at all. There was one day there was a couple of little sticks washing up on the beach and the staff cleaned it up and carried it away in buckets. It was fantastic. One issue with the beach is that you cannot have your chairs up near the water. It's protected for the turtles but I wonder if the turtles are out year round, because we did not see any. I would have really liked to bring our chairs up near the ocean. You can see it at spots, but it's about a 20 foot walk from the chairs to the barrier and another 30 foot walk to the water. Worth the walk! 😁 Every night we would sit at the piano bar and they would either be playing a saxophone or the piano and it was very relaxing and enjoyable. The piano bar bartenders were also excellent! Food - EXCELLENT! 12 times to the DR, so we know what to expect, great food, great service. There were a few occasions that the Catch of the Day fish was out of stock so hubby had to choose something different. We do like to eat late though. 1 exception, we went to 1844 at the Dreams, service was incredibly slow, they acted like we were not even there. They attempted to take our silverware before we even ate, once they realized that we were being ignored, then it got better, food was fine. One day we got an nice free (we tipped $5 each and she was very happy) 5 minute massage by the pool. I know they were trying to sell the spa but it's still a great perk. We had full service lunch at the Barefoot Grill every day, the staff at the pool bar was excellent! Joan made the best Bloody Marys. Bloody Mary's can sometimes be hard to come by in comparison to the ones we get at home, but his were excellent! Mildred & Arianna are very sweet and helpful and so is Pedro. All the drinks were very nicely made, not watered down like some people like to claim. The entertainment team out by the pool which included Midnight and Benjamin Franklin wow baby, we're very fun, they kept us entertained every day and also did aerobics in the pool. They made my birthday very special by having everybody sing to me, it was great. Our room was absolutely beautiful. The bathroom was huge with a nice walk in shower. The bed was very comfortable, there were ample fluffy pillows, we had a great partial ocean view. Room service was super fast, and Santa & her team did a great job cleaning our room every day! Please tip them, they work very hard! The pools are wonderful, the entertainment team is so fun, aerobics daily in the pool, fun music, not vulgar like at the Breathless, not too loud to talk or hear your mate, perfect! I guess the only complaint I would have is they didn't keep toilet paper stocked in the ladies room by the outside (pool) Seaside Grill Restroom. I told people a few times, still, didn't get stocked daily. I don't think they understood what I was saying. At least there was paper towel every day 😉. Plus, there were times when all of the bathrooms would really stink, almost like a men's urinal, yuck! One day the entertainment team offered us a tour of the kitchen, they took us behind the scenes of the buffet and the room service kitchens, they were absolutely spotless, the tour was so fun. They ended it with a full Hibachi lunch at himitsu, it was incredible! Overall this was an excellent resort and we would absolutely come back!! I am a travel agent and I have already recommended and quoted this Resort now that I have experienced it. Thank you all for a great experience, we will see you again someday.