We recently spent 10 nights at Secrets Playa Esmeralda and overall really enjoyed our stay, but this is a resort where expectations matter.
The biggest highlight for us was the beach. It is absolutely beautiful, with a long sandy shoreline, easy entry into the water and plenty of room for long walks. During our August stay we experienced very little sargassum, although of course that can change at any Caribbean beach.
The resort itself is modern, attractive and much more compact and walkable than we expected for a 500-room property. We rarely felt the need to use the golf carts. The layout is also quite mobility-friendly, with elevators and ramps throughout the resort.
We stayed in 2 partial ocean-view king suites in Building 1. Our rooms were clean and comfortable, the beds were good and we loved being able to control the air conditioning properly. However, there were some design issues. Storage is limited, the shower water pressure was very weak, there is no dedicated makeup area, toiletries are really cheap and although the bottles says Pharmacopia, we have stayed at enough Hyatt properties to know that what was in the bottles in not their normal. The top-floor balconies are uncovered, which makes them difficult to use after rain. If we returned, we would personally request a third-floor room rather than the top floor.
Daytime housekeeping was consistently very good, although turndown service was hit or miss until we brought it to the attention of the concierge team.
The pools are attractive, especially the beachfront infinity pool and Preferred Club pool, but poolside drink service was limited during our stay. We often found it easier to simply go to the bar ourselves. None of the pools are heated, which is something winter travellers may want to keep in mind.
The bars were one of the strongest parts of our experience. Sugar Reef at the infinity pool was excellent. Yoan, Mildred, Pedro, Eddy and Daniel were fantastic and gave us one of the best swim-up bar experiences we have had at an all-inclusive. They were friendly, remembered what guests liked and consistently made excellent drinks.
We also loved Barracuda on the beach. It is a beautiful spot with swings at the bar and an ocean view. Roel was wonderful and made some really fun, creative and colourful cocktails for us.
The Piano Bar was another nice evening stop, and Emiliano took very good care of us there throughout the week.
Food was more inconsistent. Breakfast at Market Café was one of our favourites, and the coffee cart was a fun touch. Seaside Grill was also a very good lunch option. Neury provided excellent, friendly service there. Juana Rodriguez, whom we had previously met at Excellence El Carmen has brought her talents to Secrets Playa Esmeralda and she is amazing.
We had some very good dishes at the dinner restaurants, but also experienced overcooked seafood, inconsistent meat temperatures and occasionally slow service. Bordeaux had some of the more polished service, and Eddy, the restaurant manager, was very attentive. At Portofino, Yoel took good care of us. At Castaways, our second visit was dramatically better thanks to Awalina, who provided excellent, well-paced service. Shaquira, the Castaways manager, was also very helpful.
At Meraki, Santos was pleasant.
Kella, the evening restaurant and bar manager, was friendly and professional.
Justo, the restaurant and bar manager, who was visible and engaged in everything during our stay. He clearly runs a tight ship and has his eye on every restaurant within both the Secrets and Dreams properties. He is a real asset to the resort.
One thing international travellers should be aware of is that English is quite limited among many staff members. We completely understand that we are visiting a Spanish-speaking country, but at an international resort it did occasionally affect service and communication. If you have allergies or specific dietary requirements, we strongly recommend speaking directly with the food and beverage management team when you arrive rather than relying only on communication at individual restaurants.
Entertainment is probably the area that needs the most improvement. Daytime activities were fairly limited and repetitive, and the evening entertainment did not feel as polished as what we have experienced at other Secrets resorts. Much of the resort is also open-air, which is lovely when there is a breeze but can become uncomfortable in high humidity or rain.
We did not feel Preferred Club was necessary for us. The Preferred area is attractive and offers more attentive pool service, a private restaurant and lounge, but the regular bars already had a good liquor selection and there were plenty of dining options available.
One major advantage is the relationship with Dreams Playa Esmeralda next door. During our stay, adults had free-flowing access between both resorts, which greatly expanded the dining and bar options and made an 10-night stay much easier.
Would we return? Yes.
We would return for the exceptional beach, walkable layout, restaurant variety and some truly wonderful staff. We would simply return knowing that the resort is still working through some service and operational inconsistencies.
Special thanks again to Yoan, Mildred, Pedro, Eddy, Daniel, Roel, Emiliano, Neury, Juana, Yoel, Awalina, Shaquira, Santos, Kella, Justo and Eddy for helping make our stay memorable.
stevenmV2540ZW2026-08-12
