Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana

My husband and I had visited Secrets resorts on Riviera Maya multiple times and loved it. Truly an exceptional experience every time. And so when a friend booked a stay at Secrets Royal Beach in Punta Cana, we joined them without hesitation. First; the good. The airport is large and modern, and you can get through their immigration process pretty quickly. The resort is very lush and beautiful and the rooms large and comfy. The workout facility was gorgeous and well appointed. There were plenty of palapas and chaise lounges to be had on the sand, but the water immediately offshore was a HUGE disappointment. We knew there would be sargassum, and they do a good job of hauling it off every day; but everything within swimming distance from the shore looked and smelled like sewage, and there was visible trash in the water. After the first time, we never entered the ocean again. Which brought most everyone to the pool (which was vastly more appealing). Over the course of 5 days, we were never able to get chairs, and there was zero shade to be had if you ventured more than 2 feet away from the bar. The feels-like temp given really high humidity: 120-125 degrees F. Given the heat, production shows in the evening—which are all held outside—were oppressive, and so we didn’t go. There was a karaoke bar that was well air-conditioned, and so we hung out there playing darts, pool and Jenga. Don’t expect much from the pool table (which is far from level) or the cues (very cheap) or the balls (all chipped). And do NOT accept any invitations for a “special gift” or to submit your “departure info” to the main desk. All are veiled sales pitches for either Preferred Club upgrades or vacation club memberships. There are MANY salespeople lingering about, and they are all hungry. As for restaurants, other Secrets resorts we’ve been to had AMAZING food and a wide variety. The buffet here had a wide variety, but is mediocre at best. My husband spent the better part of 3 days in our room nursing a trashed stomach. As a tea drinker, there were two choices (only green or black), and it took 3 requests to have a pot delivered to our table. Employees seemed universally sullen and unfriendly, and my less-than-perfect attempts at Spanish were met with ridicule. The three wines that one can order by the glass are truly bad, which serves as incentive for them to sell you an overpriced bottle or pay to access the Preferred Club collection. And the best “top shelf” bourbon for my friend turned out to be Jim Beam. You also cannot get a quality rocks margarita because there is no agave syrup on property, and the mixed drinks were very weak throughout. Do NOT leave the resort under any circumstances. We found the surrounding areas to be pretty rough, and on a “luxury snorkeling excursion”; we encountered blatant dishonesty, drug dealing off the back of the boat, distasteful music that blasted throughout, poor-quality and unclean equipment, zero fins and not enough snorkels. They initially shuttled us to a larger, overpopulated boat on a small, trashed-out skiff but left us stranded on the sand in a bad neighborhood on the way back to fend for ourselves. Ultimately, one of the tour employees took pity on us and offered a ride, which we were SO grateful for, but it was all a lousy experience and a total waste of both money and time. On our way back to the airport (we paid to leave early), there were 3 seriously injured people on the side of the main road. Two weren’t moving and the third was really bloody. There were no paramedics to be seen. We will not—under any circumstances—return to the Dominican Republic. And I would be cautious about Secrets resorts as well….

Resort Review The campus is absolutely beautiful and very well maintained. Our room was spotless throughout our entire week-long stay, and housekeeping did an amazing job every day. We upgraded to the Preferred Club and really enjoyed having access to the private pools. Our butler was, without a doubt, the best we have ever had at any resort, attentive, friendly, and incredibly helpful. The Preferred Club check-in was also easy but we arrived at 2:00 and our room wasn’t ready until 4:30 so we toured the resort while waiting. We enjoyed relaxing with drinks in the lounge during check-in as well. The nighttime entertainment and shows were great, and the coffee shop quickly became our favorite place to stop in the evenings. The beach was clean, and the staff throughout the resort were friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, the food was the biggest disappointment for us. The room service food was some of the worst we have ever experienced, so bad, we didn’t eat it. The restaurants were hit or miss, but we had excellent meals at Oceana for breakfast and the Mexican restaurant for dinner. The Barefoot Grill on the beach was also really good for quick easy lunch by the pool. Overall, we had a wonderful stay and would definitely return. In fact, we’re already planning to visit Dreams, the sister resort, with our kids in June. Despite the food being a disappointment, the beautiful property, exceptional service, entertainment, clean beach, and amazing butler made our stay a memorable one.

We have been to Secrets Resorts in multiple locations over 10 times. This Royal Beach Punta Cana location probably had the least amount of staff available at the pool and for concierge purposes. However, the staff that was available was responsive and courteous, and we enjoyed the activities. The spa did not have a relaxation room, which was a big disappointment to me.

We've visited Secrets in MX (Akumal 1x, Meroma Beach 2x, Playa Blanca 1x), so this review is sort of a comparison to those. We've also been to the Valentin and Excellence Riviera Cancun (both very nice, love the Ocean Front room in the club area at the Excellence). We wanted to experience a different vacation destination, fell in love with Secrets in the past due to the high food and customer service levels. This location had the architectural style and decor I prefer, was close to the airport, had good reviews so that's why we picked this resort. Unfortunately, and I realize this is very harsh, but Royal Beach does not live up to the quality of Secrets we've experienced in the past (and expected) The exterior and interior of the buildings show some wear and age, though I could look beyond that. The grounds are beautiful. I enjoyed having most restaurants/theater/bars located in one area and was surprised how breezy and tolerable (from a temperature standpoint) the openair theater area was. After bypassing the front greeters/bellhops, I got an immediate taste of poor customer service. My husband and I have a routine where one of us checks in and the other fetches a drink at the lobby bar. I approached, stood at the bar, had to wait a while for staff to cease their conversation, still waited for eye contact, did not get a greeting until after I initiated one. This seemed to be the standard among most interactions. We're used to EVERY member of staff making eye contact and providing a greeting before we even have a chance to initiate it. I felt as if I was a burden to staff-like the waitress slowly wandering the theater area (long before the show with about 6 couples out there) and couldn't bother to come ask if we needed anything, groups of bartenders in the theater talking amongst themselves until you asked for a drink and then there was never any hurry to make it, wait staff standing around and not observant to when plates should be cleared after an appetizer, water filled, etc. I was surprised how often staff might see you coming but then cross paths in front of you without a greeting much less an apology. So many of the staff have such solemn/serious facial expressions that just made me feel unwelcome. We weren't sure if this is because of an ultra relaxed island vibe/culture or training or both. The variety and quality of food was our biggest disappointment. Much of the meats were very overcooked, apps and meals served cold, most items either lacked flavor or were more basic than I cook at home. The Barefoot grill only served hamburgers and hot dogs-every day, so you had to go to the buffet for any variety (which was refreshing to get some AC). Himitsu was the only ala carte restaurant that served us hot food. Download the Hyatt app and check out the restaurant menus as a reference, and you can even compare the different resorts' menus. I really had hoped that there would be more food options/variety when we were on site. If you want dessert, though, head to the buffet at lunch and dinner times to find all their options plus ice cream! The evening shows are good. Wish there was another relaxing entertainment option as the evening wound down-other Secrets have a singer or small ensemble in the lobby or bar area where you can chill and have some cocktails in the evening. Overall, Royal Beach seems to have a younger, more active group of guests, getting involved in the livelier beach games and activities, DJ music and dancing (compared to the MX Secrets we've been too). As a side note, we always tip the staff. I feel if we are blessed enough to afford such a trip then we can also share the love with others. These are the stand out staff from our stay: Daniel at the Barefoot Grill and then at the front lobby/bellman area when we left. Such a kind, loving person-he said he's training for a new position in the lobby. I wish him all the best-he's going to be a great first impression for the resort. Jaun B, the bartender at the Bar Marlin took great care of my husband and helped him learn all too much about rum! His partners Ruben, Jose V and Anthony kept us well hydrated on the beach. Franklin Benjamin (they're pretty creative with names on their nametags!) in the small bar in the corner of the theater area. He was very receptive, attentive, would create a different drink when you couldn't decide, would go out and bus nearby tables when not with customers. He's obviously a hard worker, takes his job serious and is good at his craft. Negro Perla (yeah, another creative name) from activities-it was fun to talk DR baseball with him Overall, John and I are happy that we were able to experience a different country and its people. We'll be headed back to MX next time though.

We had a beautiful stay here. We opted to upgrade and stayed preferred in a master suite facing the ocean with a hot tub on the balcony. Getting the upgrade was a great decision. We would sit in the hot tub and take in the view, or get room service and eat on the table outside looking at the water. The balcony and hot tub were worth the extra money spent. The staff here is so attentive and they strive to make guest happy. We loved Oceana, the sushi, and the Mexican restaurant the best, also loved the frozen drinks and mojitos! The room service was good - short rib was hands down my favorite! So so good! We never went without, the staff is very attentive. The spa area was pretty and the couples massage was a highlight of the trip. We came for a week because I needed a little R&R and it was my 40th bday. I’m glad I picked this resort. We will be back for sure.