Secret Jewel Beach Villas — Hotel in Quintana Roo

After countless hours shopping for a reasonable priced beachfront home for a family vacation for 18 people, we were very fortunate to come across the Secret Jewel. I was a little apprehensive from the lack of reviews from travellers from Canada or the US, but I am pleased to tell you, this place did not disappoint. It is everything the listing says and more. The house is loaded with character...stone walls, patterned wood doors, seashell faucets, tree trunk posts. There are 3 bedrooms with king beds on the second floor of the main house and there is a great family suite on the third floor with a king, 3 singles and an amazing patio. The separate casita, which is literally ON THE BEACH, has 2 large bedrooms with multiple beds and it's own kitchen. There is also another bedroom with a king on the top level of the casita. Lots of room and sleeping options.|| On over 2 acres of beautiful palm tree covered space, you can explore for days. We only ventured off the grounds once since there was so much to do right at the house:||The pool: a tropical setting with comfortable loungers. The kids loved it's beach style entry, jacuzzi area, and island to float around. Nice shade on hot days. Pool floaters included. Not heated, so on the chilly side in February.||The game room: ping pong and pool table in great shape. Also a basketball, volleyball, and net, and bocce. Fun.||The beach: amazing! right out front is a rocky shore area with great beach combing. There are great tide pools for small children to explore and play in. Water shoes a plus. Some of the kids even snorkelled right there. Down a short stroll is an wonderful white sand beach great for boogie boarding. The water was warm, and such a beautiful aqua colour. Kayaks, boogie boards and lifejackets are also provided...such a great bonus.||The hammocks: a great place to relax||The cenote: a beautiful underground natural pool to explore.|| The owner, Daniel, makes you feel right at home. He is around to answer any questions and make sure everything is running smoothly. His recommendation for the villa chef was out of this world. Ismael prepared and served 2 meals a day and they were outstanding. We have been to 7 all-inclusive resorts in the area and this experience made us never want to take that route again. Those of you planning a beach wedding...we saw one in action. This is THE place for you....the beautiful, private setting can't be beat at a resort. Contact Daniel...you...

Just came back from 10 days at this place. We were 4 families (10 adults and 8 kids under 10yrs).. The place was ideal for this setting. We have stayed several times in Mexico before, - Puerto Vallerta, Cabo, Cancun etc.. Was a fantastic place!||||- Premises: 5 stars! Big area with lots of stuff to do..Pool, game room, different eating/lounging areas, direct access to the beach (very good!), lots of stuff to play with (volleyball net, boards, kayaks etc etc), coconut trees etc..The property is really well thought through.. Daniel (owner) has really put his soul into it..||- Location: 4.5 stars...best location on a long amazing beach with a great view... Quiet, safe, super nice.. The reason I dont give 5 stars is that you will be dependent on a car (20 min drive to get to super markets etc) and that the last minutes in from the highway is a bumpy dirt road with huge puddles.. you need a rental car... We went scuba diving from the hotel (Valentin) down the beach (was great. we went shark diving further down south and saw 10-15 large bull sharks), ||- House: 3.5 stars.. The house (its really two houses, which made it even more ideal for a large group) was built 25 years ago (when I'd think it was 5 stars). It's very nice, but it's getting close to needing a real round of maintenance and upgrades.. It's clean an has everything... It's just not as modern as some of the newer houses available at the same price (but I am yet to see a place with similar premises!).. Wifi didnt work when we were there (not the owners fault...something with the provider)... Beds were fine, not great...Kitchen is pretty basic, but has everything..No hot water for the first couple of days (until we realized it was simply not turned on...).. Air condition is a bit cranky in some of the rooms etc etc.. All in all a very nice place, just getting a bit outdated for a five star label (we have a high bar for this)...You will not spend any time in the house though given the premises and location...||- Staff/ food: 5 stars!... Best we ever had at any rental in Mexico before... It was REALLY good food.. We had Ismael and his team cook breakfast, light snacks and dinners every day...He's a gem...All of them were super nice, non-intrusive, seemed to enjoy working together... Daniel Diamant, the owner, is also a super nice guy.. He clearly loves this place...

We have been most pleased with our stay at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. However, very displeased with Payless Car Rental just outside Cancun airport. We had a printed reservation with a price quote of $9.70. When we picked up the car, we were told we would have to pay $348. to cover uninsured motorist insurance (despite having this coverage on our own policy in the USA) - or we could pay a fee of half that if we agreed to pay for the car (a deposit of $15,000!!!! on our credit card). As we asked more questions to justify the unexpected charges, our agent's English got worse and worse. A TOTAL SCAM.||The hotel is terrific. The grounds are well maintained; the rooms are comfy and clean. Food in all the restaurants is great and the nightly entertainment has been very, very good. There is so much to do on these grounds that there is barely a need to leave the grounds for a week. They do a wonderful job of offering variety of activities for all ages, and giving adults plenty of options to escape vacationing families if desired. This place delivered above and beyond all expectations! Excellent, helpful and hard...