Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana — Hotel in Higüey

Last month, we had the joy of going on holiday to this resort. While there were a few small niggles that I will come on to, I would say the holiday was very good value for money, and the staff were absolutely amazing. The holiday simply would not have been what it was without them.

Most days, we made an effort to be in Lady’s section of the main pool. She always went above and beyond to look after us, but more than that, she was so full of life, funny, and happy. She brought a smile to our faces every day. Around the pool, there are some people affiliated with the hotel who try to sell excursions. When they realised I was recovering from surgery, they were still lovely, wishing me the best and having daily conversations with us. They were super friendly, despite knowing we could not take part in any activities.

At the Showtime bar, we were looked after by Dionicio and Franklin, both absolute gentlemen who, again, were funny, happy to serve us, and made great drinks. When they were not too busy, they enjoyed chatting and getting to know guests, and you could tell they had built good rapport with many of them. The majority of the staff were excelente, although we found the bell boys on departure to be less friendly or welcoming. It felt like we were a bit of a nuisance to them.

Food: Overall, the food and selection were good. The breakfast buffet was vast and tasty. Our favourite restaurant was the Asian one, we ate there twice. I would say that while the food was good, it was not amazing. If the French, American, or Mediterranean restaurants were in my local city, I probably would not return, but I also would not be dissatisfied. I would say the standard was below what I have experienced on a Celebrity Cruise, but much higher than in many all inclusive hotels.

One night in the Mediterranean restaurant, we stated we had no allergies, as the menu displayed allergen information. My girlfriend is mildly allergic to nuts, it does not require strict separation or workstation cleaning. She ordered a salad that was not listed as containing nuts but had a reaction immediately after eating it. She felt unwell for about an hour, but it settled down. I reported this to the hotel, and they said they believed the chef had used a substitute dressing. So, just a word of caution, the allergen info on the menu may not reflect what is actually served.

Pools: The pools were clean and well maintained. However, some guests are clearly either illiterate, egocentric, or both. Every day, we saw sunbeds reserved for hours at a time. I think the staff should be more proactive in enforcing the posted poolside policies, as sunbeds, especially those with umbrellas, are limited. This would increase guest satisfaction.

Room: Our room was clean and tidy. It did, however, smell of mould, and the WiFi did not reach. I am sure that had we raised these issues, we would have been offered another room, but after unpacking, we could not be bothered to move. The mould smell hit as soon as we opened the door but faded quickly. Unfortunately, our unworn clothes that had been hung up had to be washed when we got home due to the smell.

Beach: The beach was very clean and tidy. It was a lovely space, and the vendors were not annoying. Some wore ID and uniforms and were allowed within the sunbed areas; they were respectful and no bother. There is a clear line closer to the sea where other vendors, who are not allowed in the sunbed area, operate. We never went into the sea, but I imagine those vendors might be more persistent if you walked further down the beach. The hotel had security on the beach, and I saw police patrolling, so we felt very safe and enjoyed our beach days.

Overall, like I said, it was a great holiday. I would absolutely recommend the hotel to anyone looking to holiday in the area. We were not in the Preferred Club, but some friends were. After comparing experiences, we were glad not to have paid extra, as they did not seem to get any services we felt were worth the money, but perhaps they just did not make...

I am writing this review from my hotel room while on property because I'm so annoyed by what transpired today on 10/14. And I just couldn't wait until I leave 10/16 in hopes this helps someone else.

We arrived 10/12 and everything that day went very well no complaints. We were supposed to go by the amstar desk and book our transportation to the airport for our return flight on 10/16 within 24 hrs.

10/13 we are heading to the lobby to make sure we get the transportation setup. We meet a gentleman named Juan in the theater area just before the lobby. He's friendly asking questions and offers either 200 dollars in coupons or a free couples message if we come have breakfast and listen to the presentation at 9 am on the 14th. Ok fine we agreed and took the messages. Juan gets our free messages booked and everything is seeming ok. He did ask if we had anything planned the day of the 14th and at the time we didn't. We go to amstar and make sure our transportation is booked which it already was he knew what flight we were taking home. Our friends go to do the same thing after us listening to Juan and going to the amstar and everything is great. They see an excursion they are interested in and want us to join. We reconnected after that and talked about the excursion and decided we all wanted to go so later on 10/13 we book it with amstar and we had to be in the lobby at 10:55 on 10/14 am no issues so far.

10/14 We head to the lobby for the agreed upon breakfast with Juan to listen to the presentation. We arrived and told them we had plans we didn't get specific but the breakfast/presentation was 90 minutes which means at 10:30 am we should be done. The lady who took us to the buffet for breakfast was nice and very pleasant the whole tour there wasn't really any presentation just a breakfast anyone at the resort can have. Ok all that I can deal with and it wasn't bad. We go into the unlimited vacation office and another gentleman joined the lady and explained the program and so forth. By that time it was 10:30 am almost on the dot. Again so far so good no real complaints. No one was pushy or anything and we like what they were selling. But we had to go for our excursion. We agreed to pay the 28 thousand dollars to join the unlimited vacation club. Gave them our IDs they started the paperwork promising it would be quick. Well it wasn't quick but again so far no real complaints I could understand. But we didn't want to miss our excursion and that office closed before we returned from the excursion. We signed a paper saying we had an excursion and had every intention on returning 10/15 to pay the 7k deposit and sign the agreement. They gave us our message vouchers all is good.

We go on our excursion everything is great. Talking to our friends about this club we are joining all the great benefits excited to join on the 15th that morning. We returned to the hotel from the excursion and heading to the room to clean up and hit the beach for sunset. Well Juan noticed us returning from the excursion and how we know this is he decided to call our room and tell us he saw us and ask why we didn't tell him we had a excursion planned for today 10/14. Well he was a little short and not very happy, we can only guess because we did sign up and pay on 10/14. Ok that's weird it's our vacation sorry we didn't clear our excursion with you. So that already had us feeling a little strange but so far we planned on moving forward. We have a good rest of the evening and return to our room. About 10:30 pm our room phone rings again. It's someone calling to cancel our messages since we did return to unlimited club and get our vouchers. Which we received before we left for the excursion. So now here I sit in this room prepared to spend over 28 thousand dollars since I was going to make payments with interest and feeling like I can't walk through the lobby without these guy's watching us because I was going to pay them the morning of the 15. And I really don't want anything from them or to join if this is how they...

We spent 5 nights at the fabulous Secrets Royal Beach. Simply splendid.

Location: Fabulous. About 25 min from the airport and since we booked via Costco Travel - we had a private transfer as well as a Preferred class room

Since we booked a preferred room - we were directed to the Preferred lounge for check in. This process went smooth and we were offered drinks and light snacks while we waited. Our room was ready and we were taken by Manny - our butlet - to our room. Along the way, Manny explained each location/dining area/entertainment area as we passed.

The Grounds: Gorgeous. Impeccable gardens, sparkling pools, and sprawling greenery are at every corner.

The Beach - Fabulous. On the famous Bavaro Beach which does not disappointment.

The Pools: Plentiful. From a main activity pool, so quiet private pool areas as well as 2 Preferred club pool areas - there is a pool for everyone.

The Room: Our Preferred Tropical View room did not disappointment,. The decor was classy, the location pefect - close to the beach and a butler.

Dining: Many dining options to choose from. Main Buffet - The food offered here had a variety to choose from. We found their breakfasts outstanding.

Bordeau: Their french restaurant does require long pants and closed toe shoes for the men, but you will dine in luxury. From delicous salad options to scrumptious main dishes - your palate will be satistfied.

Bluewater Grill: Their steakhouse was so goo we ate here twice. The team will serve you with a smile and help with what you would like. Our favourite here was the Ribeye steak.

Olio: This restaurant at lunch time is for the Preferred Club only but it is fantastic. Their Jerk Chicken was delicious! At night, it is a mediterranean/seafood establishment. We did not get the pleasure of eating here for dinner.

There are other dining options as well but with 5 nights and NYE in there, we did not have the pleasure to eat at all of them.

The Spa: We had the pleasure of treating ourselves to a couples 80 min massage and it was wonderful. Included is the hydrotherapy pools however, we did not partake in this option at this time.

Nightly Entertainment: Each night, their entertainment team wowed us. From a Pop night, Rock show, Madonna tribute and Movie night music - the singers and dancers were spectacular.

New Years Eve: 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 their buffet NYE option thoroughly enjoyed it. A minor setback, but we still enjoyed our time.

The night was filled with NYE decor in their theatre/plaza section. Each guest received a NYE gift bagged 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 however danced our hearts out until 12:30am, but we could not hear the festivities at all back in our room - all was quiet for another wonderful sleep)

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. Our butler was Manny and we thoroughly enjoyed him.

Overall - we give Secrets Royal Beach 4/5 stars - only because of some of the food issues. But - we would return in a heartbeat. Luxury accommodations, fabulous beach, perfect location, and terrific food (for the most part).

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