Breathless Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa — Hotel in Quintana Roo

LONG REVIEW - Oh my goodness, where do I start! We had one of the best vacations ever at Secrets Riviera. My husband and I are blessed to be able to travel a Lot! All over the world. What made the stay exceptional was the staff. This was mentioned among the guests repeatedly. ||RESORT- Close to the airport. Secrets is formerly the exhale club of Breathless. They have combined the resorts so you can enjoy both. There are good and bad aspects to that. ||The GOOD- is that you get a little bit of everything. Secrets is more laid back with some activities, like water aerobics, water and sand volleyball, some live music entertainment as well as music by the pool. More '70s and '80s type. There is no swimwear bar. They have pool service however for drinks and food. They have a very large hot tub which is actually hot and very bubbly! Beautiful pool and beautiful views. You will find your pool concierge staff, Danny and Mario exceptionally attentive and friendly. And the entertainment of Luis at the pool was so much fun and he kept everyone engaged! Halfway through the trip he began training an intern and as a business owner I found him to be a very kind and attentive leader. ||Just a short distance over you'll find a bit more upbeat atmosphere pool at breathless that offers music, activities like casino tables in the pool, surfboard contest and other fun things to participate in or just watch. They have a swim up bar as well as a restaurant where you can watch sports from the pool. ||This is where you will find amazing pizza. CESAR and FERNANDO at the Pizza bar are so friendly and Cesar definitely makes the best pieces I've ever had in a resort. They are full of fun information. Caesar will give you all kinds of history and fun facts about Mexico and the southern hemisphere region. He's a blast. He has a strong following! This is also where you find the swings at the bar. ||No, a few more steps over you will find the breathless ultimate party pool. Live DJ with dancers but he actually plays real music. Not like some other breathless where they only play techno music. Which can get really obnoxious after a Time. (Example would be Breathless Cancun Soul, hated the music there).||This pool is where the biggest partiers go. But also offers some great people watching. Champagne and bubbles run freely here. This is where you can get some poolside eats as well and they had the best onion rings! No kidding. If you like onion rings you have to have these!! Honestly, we didn't spend a great deal of time here as we're more laid-back Secrets type of people, but it was fun to go to a couple of times for a little bit. That's the benefit of the combined resort. ||So, the NEGATIVE - of the combined resort is that Breathless guests can be a bit much from time to time. Some can be very loud, obnoxious and uncouth at the restaurants. Some couples actually walked out of their hibachi and other restaurants because some of the guests made it so loud and uninviting for them. One gal got so drunk she was spilling her drink on other guests and started fighting with them. You can separate yourself from the breathless side at pool time and with the rooms, but unfortunately the restaurants are shared so you're kind of stuck in that regard. People can definitely ruin romantic dinners for others here. They had a romantic dinner under the moon one night with beautiful entertainment and a lobster and steak dinner that couples paid nearly $200 for and the night we were out there they allowed a very large group of probably 14 to have their dinner out there as well. Needless to say it wasn't very romantic. I don't think they should allow large groups to do this. I do want to mention that the entertainment they had that evening was a woman. Her name was Mary Pacheco (?). She was sooo good!||ENTERTAINMENT - We found all the live entertainment and shows to be very good here. I would say probably some of the best we've seen at a resort. My husband loves magic shows, I do not but I attended with him and they had me laughing. They were so good. ||For FOODIES- We have had better food. If compared to Secrets Playa Mujeres or Dreams Vista, the food did not meet those expectations. The Rosewood restaurant at Secrets was in my opinion, not very good at all. And their pool menu is very lacking. I think silk was our favorite. We ended up eating there twice. The buffet probably ended up being one of our favorites just because you could always find something to fill your belly. The desserts at the resort and the nook where they have the ice cream weren't very impressive. So if food matters to you, I'm not really sure what you would think of this place. The other things kind of matter more to my husband and I. We are not big drinkers but what little we did have the drinks weren't that good either. They don't know how to make a margarita here, but again, that's not a drink that they are ever really good at making in Mexico. I'd stick to a Paloma or the pina colada. Again, the pizza however was the best resort pizza we've ever had. Not the one at the buffet though. The one where the swing bar is! ||Our favorite waiter in spoon was Lusein||Housekeeping- Spot on. They did a great job. Clean rooms, Amenities were good, water pressure and temperature were great. We did get room service a couple of times. They got everything correct and were prompt. We don't usually have that kind of luck so we were pretty impressed by room service. They do have turndown service as well. Our refrigerator was stocked with our drinks, Pringles and M&M's daily. ||BEACH- The beach is very pretty. The sand is nice, however the water is kind of murky and of course seaweed. We are not ocean people so it doesn't impose on our vacation. We like the pools and the pools and hot tubs here are wonderful. All of the pools have views of the beach and ocean. It's really beautiful. ||I do want to mention the check-in. Very efficient and quick at least on this trip.|| Xavier, the gentleman at the luggage and welcome desk is one of the friendliest people we have ever met! ||Janneth at the preferred lounge that checked us in was very nice and helpful. We did purchase an upgrade at the time of check-in and she was so sweet and pleasant about it. She even showed us the rooms before she moved us. ||Lorena was our UVC sales rep, She was nice, but too pushy for our taste. We did not want to do a presentation on this trip. My best friend had just passed away a couple of days before arrival and I was not in a good space for that and really just wanted to relax and recover for the week. And she didn't seem to understand that and she pushed every time she saw us to do it. She would not take no for an answer. We did promise to do a presentation on our next stay and we would honor that but it would have been nice to have had our "no" this time respected. I think as members who have purchased and upgraded twice and have done presentation after presentation. One time saying no should not be that big of a deal. Especially given the circumstances. I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to come and enjoy myself. But we did and we did have a relaxing and wonderful time because of the staff that made it so. ||I especially want to thank, our personal Butler/ concierge, DANIEL He went above and beyond to make our stay relaxing and very special. He knew that we had booked this for our anniversary but also had heard about my loss. If not for him, we probably would have still had a nice vacation but definitely not one so healing. ||Also, the pool staff, concierge Danny, Mario and Luis the activities employee (He would make a great Butler 😉). They gave exceptional attention to my needs for shade due to a medical condition so kind and made our stay more fun than I was anticipating! I thought I'd be in my room grieving the whole week! Instead they helped me grab Life by the horns just like my friend would want me to do! ||In the end, I can't get back here soon enough! The staff was top notch! I hope management reads my review fully so that the staff is acknowledged. It really was the best trip because of them. So...

We booked this vacation with couple-friends of ours. This was our first time traveling with friends and our second time in the Cancun area. We can compare this Breathless resort to Secrets Punta Cana and Melia Playa del Carmen.||First, we did not control the travel plans and would not have chosen a Breathless resort had we known it was a party-oriented resort. From now on the reference is Secrets = adults-only relax and Breathless = adults-only party and Dreams = family!||Second, it is good to know the hierarchy. Secrets guests can visit the Breathless resort, but Breathless guests cannot wander to Secrets.||On to the trip. . . ||The room: We spent 7 days in an Excelerate Junior Suite, Oceanfront room. The rooms are kept well. Clean, airy, bright and set up is familiar to most resorts. The neat thing was the all-glass two-rainshower head shower in the middle of the room. The beds were very comfortable, the pillows were fluffy, and there was enough furniture and seating to make us feel at home. ||The view, well, it was oceanfront. But it does not look like the picture. We were on the second floor, and the palm trees were right in our line of sight. We could see the ocean in the background, but the horizon was obscured by the trees. Still a beautiful view.||The food: Again, we have two other resorts to compare to. This food was by far superior! The Asian restaurant was terrific, and the sushi was outstanding (restaurant side). They had ramen and Pad Thai; so many options! The hibachi was entertaining, and Chef Eric had 6 years of experience with knives, spatulas and fire. It was the best talent I have seen for a hibachi experience. ||The steakhouse was phenomenal. The carrot and potato soup, especially. The steaks were huge and perfectly cooked, served with sauces that the Chef spent a total of 60 hours creating. ||The Mexican was that. And it was good. The appetizers were top-notch and not what you would expect. The special drink was a pleasant surprise. ||The Italian restaurant was out of this world. The only one that had slow service. They tried hard, but for some reason, our meal took over an hour to arrive. This was the consensus for other guests we compared experiences with. BUT, I would wait an hour again to have another plate of the spaghetti with the garlic, buttery sauce and spice.||The coffee shop was open 24 hours. The beach grills were great!! The buffet was filled with a variety of choices all day long. The food was just the best we have had, and I was so pleasantly surprised. ||The service: I cannot say enough about the service. From the moment we arrived (where's the white towels, guys?) to check out 7 days later, the service was out of this world. I cannot say enough. Friendly, engaging, and swift service from every staff member on the property. Manuel and Esther from Sin City, and Juan Carlos from the beachfront stood out for sure!||I can't do it justice with my explanation, but I can tell you that the service is what made this experience. There were at least four instances (we were so surprised we started counting) where the staff read our minds and carried out our wishes before we could ask. ||Our gentleman friend who traveled with us looked down for a spoon and said, "Well, how am I supposed to....." And from behind, I saw wait staff bringing a spoon, wiping it to be sure it shone, and placing it beside him before he could finish his sentence. ||I sat at the breakfast buffet and said, "I ordered juice and water, but I should have....." and wait staff popped up beside me, pouring out a cup of coffee I was hoping for. ||I saw a couple struggling from a seated position to open their umbrella. I said, "5-4-3-2-1...." and a pool concierge hopped into action, opening their umbrella. He came from the excursion cabana!||It was truly remarkable how exceptional the service was.||The pools: There were two pools. One was LOUD music with themes that changed each day. The decorations changed to fit the theme, and there were activities, contests, dry ice smoke, bubbles, and dancers. One swim-up bar. It looked fun, but it was not what we were looking for. ||The main pool had music. Some days live violinists or guitar players. It was not as loud. There was a pool and a beach volleyball court, and two bars to choose from. One you could walk up to at the steakhouse, poolside. And the other was the traditional swim-up. This pool was huge, and although it was always full, it didn't seem too crowded. ||There were also two jacuzzi pools. They were kept at a higher temp and were a neat changeup, especially if it had rained or if there were clouds, and you wanted to warm up without leaving the fun.||The beach: Seaweed. I don't think it's the resort; it's the time of year we go. There was a lot of it. BUT, the staff was out there all day gathering it up and hauling it off by hand. No big machinery. They had breaks set to help deter it. The beach seemed a little small, but how much do you need? There was ocean, it was safe, and you got to swim. You will not be writing home about it. Just decide what is most important.||UPGRADING TO XHALE: Unless there is something I didn't understand, the Xhale guests did not have a private pool. They only had a side of the pool that was not accessible to other guests. No private bar that I could see. And we did not upgrade because the cost was excessive. For this resort, it's the service and food that make it stand out. And that was offered to all guests. Save your money. I know I said multiple times that I was glad we didn't upgrade. We usually do. I would have been very disappointed. ||Pro Tips:||Don't leave food on your dishes at night. The little stripe-tailed critters are very adept at opening the little service cubby. I couldn't believe the service would come and gather dishes at 3 am and then sort them!!! But then I realized it wasn't the staff; it was the wildlife. Oops!||We moved the circular table to our balcony and had breakfast served there when we ordered room service.||Order the Turndown service before 5 pm, and then write a note indicating that you would like it later. The request option for turndown closes at 5 pm.||Be sure to request the trip perks listed in your itinerary. You can do this at the concierge desk or by calling that desk from your room. ||If you need something, ask. Don't assume it isn't offered. Don't spend your whole trip wanting for something. It is probably available. Just ask.||And I must say, unless you're interested in what's offered, don't take the trip to the other Secrets location, which is "20 or 15 minutes" away and will take 90 minutes for a "no pressure" presentation. We spoke with a few guests who did. It was 30 minutes away, and they had to talk with multiple staff before they were brought back. No alcohol (you can't sign a contract having been served drinks). Is it worth the $250 they offer? You decide.||Will we go back? No. The resort was wonderful, but the atmosphere was not what we had expected. That was our fault, not the resort. But will we continue to search for exceptional service and food to match this Breathless experience from here forward? YES.||We have great pictures, lasting memories and an experience to hold others to. Thanks, Breathless, and ALL of the staff who made...

We came here for our wedding on June 21, 2025. Our stay was 10 days. There was 50 guests attending our wedding who stayed various amounts of time over the wedding weekend. It was nerve wracking at first to plan a wedding over email, especially since we have never been to Mexico let alone this resort. ||||It all started with Emma. She was fantastic from start to finish. Organized and timely with her responses. She addressed every concern I had. As we got closer to the date our communication remained strong and she assured me everything would go smoothly. ||||Arriving at the resort, Emma met us at the front desk with a big hug and welcome drink. Our check in was smooth as can be. Although our room was not ready when we got there (we flew in very early arriving at 11 am) the front desk staff took our luggage and we excitedly explored the hotel grabbing drinks and meeting up with friends that had already arrived for the wedding. Of note - the hotel coordinated wonderfully to group our wedding guests near each other within their room categories. Everyone was so excited to have someone from the wedding be their neighbor! ||||The welcome party on the Xhale Beach (Friday June 20) had potential to be moved inside due to weather, Emma was diligent and watched the forecast like a hawk to assure that we made the right decision. We are so happy we stuck with our decision to keep it on the beach. The guests had a BLAST. The scenery, lighting, service and food was amazing. The Mexican buffet options were plentiful and tasty. The bartenders were slinging drinks and the wait staff were fun and enthusiastic about making our guests happy. The cigar rolling event was additional, but a huge hit with all the guys. So glad we added that on. Araly, another wedding coordinator, took over when Emma went home for the evening. She made sure that the speeches given by my husband and our MOH/best man went off without a hitch. ||||The wedding day left everyone speechless. Emma and Araly absolutely knocked it out of the park. Their experience and communication made sure that the group was escorted on time and that our music for the aisle was timed perfectly. The florals (though through the event company Floresta) were STUNNING. We made ourselves present for cocktail hour on the Picante terrace and it was great. There was a band playing at the bar behind the event area, but honestly with our speakers going you couldnt really notice. The reception was phenomenal. Best day of our lives!! The food was so good our guests are still talking about it! The only thing I think I would change is having the reception time be four hours included (especially since we paid for the highest level wedding package) as three hours made me feel rushed as the bride. Guests didnt seem to notice, but we skipped a lot of the oldies songs that the older guests wanted to hear for the sake of time. It went straight to party mode after dinner/cake cutting, which is fine but four hours for reception would have made it better bang for our buck. Overall, the wedding team killed it!! The wait staff, bartenders and of course Emma and Araly were amazing. The Dj/MC/florals were great too but were outside contractors. ||||Outside of the wedding, all the other staff members were so sweet and quick to say hola to any guest walking by. After only three days at the resort many of the staff knew most if not all of the wedding party by name. Andres is the sweetest kid and his dance moves are killer! He was a joy to talk to and hang out with at the pool. Ivan, another member of the entertainment team was my husband's buddy the whole trip. Laughing and joking and never lacking on style, he always made us feel welcome and gave us a shout out at one of the shows which had the whole room cheering. Angel from entertainment was one of the most memorable staff members. He was our bell boy the first day and we hadnt seen again him until the night of our wedding when we were all dressed up. While walking by he yells our first name and congratulates us. From that day on, we hung out with him daily at the pools. His upbeat energy and positive attitude was infectious. He had the water exercise classes going crazy. Shout out Angel Brown Sugar!! Victor, one of the pool concierges, was amazing from the moment we arrived. He made sure us and our friends and family there for the wedding were taken care of and greeted us daily wishing us well and congratulating our wedding. Other members of the pool service team included Emanuel, Juan Carlos, and Polo. They need roller skates the way they are back and forth making sure the whole party pool has drinks and lunch in a timely manner. Two restaurant staff members that really stood out to us were Jorge at Coquette, and Nicolas at Picante. Jorge kept that wine flowing and was so fun to dine with! Nicolas was the sweetest and was so apologetic for being busy but we didnt mind at all. We should have taken his warning about the habanero sauce he got us! ||||Overall, the resort is beautiful. We went during the height of seaweed season. We personally did not spend much time at the beach, but others in our party mentioned how wonderfully maintained it was despite the constant battle with Mother Nature. Every single person on the resort from housekeeping, bar staff, servers and entertainment team went above and beyond to make our stay safe and enjoyable. We will absolutely be back. We have been to many adults only/all inclusive and they tend to become redundant, which to an extent having the same themes every week kind of got old (but hey we were here 10 days most people wouldnt experience the same themes) but the parties are energetic and a great time. We did hear from some guests that stayed near the resort night club that it was difficult to sleep due to drunk guests carrying on well until 3am. Our ocean front room however was silent and we remained relatively undisturbed aside from some hungry beach raccoons that broke into our discarded room service one night. This resort was gorgeous and well maintained thanks to the lawncare staff that were out at the wee hours of the morning and through the hot sunny days meticulously grooming the landscaping. ||||Thank you to every single staff member at Breathless Riviera Cancun for making not only our stay but all the guests of our wedding amazing. ||||Much love from...