Secrets Tides Punta Cana

Secrets is one of our favourite brands having been to Mexico, Jamaica and Europe. This is our third visit to the Secret brand in Dominican Republic and it left us a little underwhelmed. On arrival we were quickly met and given cooling towels and fizz, and directed to reception. (we were checked in at the Privilege Club, not sure why as we were not doing this upgrade) anyhow we were quickly taken to our Swim Up room and shown around detailing how everything worked etc. We were impressed with the layout, and the cleanliness. Our room was serviced excellently, early each day by Elizabeth Bombon and nothing was too much trouble. A member of staff to be appreciated. We also had turndown service most evenings on our 12 night visit. The swim up room was in a good position with sun until about 2pm each day, however the pool was a little grubby for the first couple of days but after making a comment about this it was cleaned. The concierge in our block 1156 had a sign saying 9am-5pm but it became a running joke, that he was the Invisible Man, as we never saw him the whole of our holiday!!! We had to ring or go to reception to get a response to any query. The location of the hotel is wonderful and has one of the cleanest beaches we have seen in the Dominican Republic. The restaurants are situated some at the main lobby area and some further down towards the beach. The buffet restaurant is open breakfast, lunch and dinner which was a bonus. Breakfast was very good, with fresh omelette station, fruit, bread, cereals and the expected breakfast items. The service at this restaurant was excellent and we were always greeted with friendly smiles. Felix and Daniel did an excellent job. The a la carte restaurants were hit and miss unfortunately with cold plates and underwhelming food. However, Tierra and El Patio were excellent with good ambience, hot plates, good food and service. Oceana was also a good spot with good food. On one occasion we ventured to the one and only Barefoot Grill, for a late lunch at 2.20pm . We were given a buzzer and told it would be 20 mins, however as we walked away the buzzer went off and we were then seated. Unfortunately they clearly were not ready, as we waited for 20 minutes before our order was taken. Then 20 minutes later one beer arrived, although we had ordered two, our order then took another 20 minutes to arrive. The food was ok, fish and chips, and pizza. The pizza was good, the fish ok and the chips stone cold, by this time we had given up as the service was horrendous and we didn't return again. Disaster No 2 the Sports Bar, we ordered a sampler dish which came out cold, how difficult is it to cook chicken wings, mozzerella sticks etc and get them hot to the table. The bars were excellently run and efficient with friendly staff who remembered your order each time you visited. The Coco coffee shop was run by lovely staff, with decent sandwiches, cakes and excellent coffee and tea. I hated the Unisex toilets, especially near the Buffet restaurant. Ugh, Ugh, Ugh. The spa was excellent, but pricey but use you $40 coupon. Had a massage which was very good, and the facilities were clean, and looked very inviting. Took a horse riding trip arranged by Amstar to ride on the beach and swim with the horses which was a great experience, and highly recommend. The unsung heroes are the gardeners and the cleaning staff who keep the resort looking lovely. All in all we had a very relaxing time but would have to reconsider returning unless the food situation in the a la carte restaurants is significantly improved. Secrets Cap Cana and Royal Beach would be our preferred choice.

I had the best experience with Yulian as our butler he made our stay amazing and was always there when we needed him and helped us with dinner reservations every night I highly recommend him.

Secrets Tide Punta Cana was AMAZING. the entertainment staff was TOP TIER!!! Teddy & the rest of the group were so kind, sweet & kept us engaged in everything we did, I love how they made us all feel included in activities even if we weren't the best at it. I love how they also updated the app with all daily activities happening! Especially the pool activities!!

Transport from airport took 40 minutes. Such a beautiful and clean resort. Staff very friendly and helpful. Room was very clean and well maintained. No problem with noise from Breathless next door. Food was totally acceptable to us but everyone’s palates are different. The bars, entertainment, sports bar, and lobby bar staff were great. I enjoyed all nightly shows. My favorite was the Queen tribute. Top notch resort and looking forward to returning. Our Butler Shadai went above and beyond.

Beautiful location, beautiful hotel, and fantastic team. Would absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a fabulous and relaxing honeymoon. Jaime was our butler and he was awesome. Would definitely return!