Trip Report - Secrets Excellence - Punta Cana

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leopardlady

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Secrets Excellence in Punta Cana is an all-inclusive (NO KIDS ALLOWED - yippee!! ) couples-only resort. ;) We were only there a short time and it was our second trip to the Dominican Republic so we did not have time to venture off the resort.

We arrived at Punta Cana airport and the drive to Secrets took roughly an hour, maybe a bit more due to stops at other hotels along the way. Upon arrival, we received two citrusy flavored cocktails while we were checking in. Check in was fast, polite and our bags were brought to our room within a half hour.

The room was very nice. The only negative thing about the room was that it had a mildew-ish smell. We mentioned this to the front desk and they had someone come up and spray something while we were out. The air conditioning in the room was great. It also had a ceiling fan. There was a jacuzzi in the room with the bathroom sink and the shower stall and toilet in the adjoining area. Very nice bathroom. There was also a balcony in the room and a mini bar which was included. Mini bar was stocked with Presidente beer, various sodas, juices, and plenty of bottled water. Hotel room has a blow dryer, coffee and coffee maker, magnifying mirror in the bathroom for shaving. (Hung a bit too high up for some).

The amazing thing is the pool. It is huge. Winds around and goes from one end to the other. There is a separate "cascade" pool on one side of the resort that is separate from the main pool. The main pool has a swim up bar and the entire pool is no deeper than say 4 or 4.5 feet; so no diving is allowed. There are these floats in the water that people get up real early in the morning, take them back to their room and use them all day. This was one annoying thing. If you want to use one of the floats to float around the pool, you either have to take one when no one is looking from someone's lounge chair or try and get one late at night or early in the morning. The hotel should have a stricter policy about using floats. People would have them stashed under their lounge chair and I heard a lot of guests complaining about this. After a day there, we got annoyed and simply took one from someone else when they weren't looking, left it in the pool at dinner time and looked for another one the next day. The same issue is with the lounge chairs under the shaded "palapas". People would come down to the pool early in the morning, put their towels on these lounge chairs and then leave. So it was hard to find a shaded one during the day.

The drinks were made well and the staff was very nice, friendly and eager to please. What annoyed me was the tourists! I heard some 20 something female in the giftshop giving the saleslady a hard time because her English wasn't all that great and my husband who speaks Spanish interrupted to help. I gave that girl a real nasty look - if you don't like foreigners, then either stay home or learn their language before you go!

There is a disco on the property that opens every night at 11pm. We went there three times during the week and heard the same music, but oh well, we had fun anyway. The staff gets involved to get people up and dancing and participate. There is a small casino on the property with a few slot machines and card games going on. Twice a week there is a candlelight beach buffet which is really nice. The food was great, they had a Dominican band playing merengue, bachata, etc. The other restaurants are good too. There is the breakfast buffet which serves basically the same selections every morning but there is plenty to choose from. Whether you are into omelets, cereals, yogurt, fruit, etc., there is something for everyone food-wise so if you don't like ANY of the food on the property, then I think there must be something wrong with you. We ate at the other restaurants and the food was equally good. There is one restaurant near the pool that just serves grilled seafood. We ate their twice - it was delicious. During the day near the pool, a lovely woman walks around with a large bowl of fresh fruit. I ate the most juiciest mango's and pineapples there. We were hooked and couldn't stop eating all this delicious gorgeous fruit; we looked for her every day by the pool.

The best thing I loved was the horseback riding. This was the best horseback riding I have had in my life. They take you up a narrow trail throughout all these lush tropical plants and trees and then you end up galloping on the beach where the water meets the sand with the wind whipping in your hair. I felt like I was in a movie or something and I couldn't resist so I had to yell out a few loud WOO-HOO's!!!! I was grinning from ear to ear after this fantastic ride. The only thing about the horseback riding there is you should make a reservation the minute you arrive at the resort. It books up immediately and the only reason we got the ride is because another couple canceled. We would have booked it every day the entire week if we could. There is a room near the shops with Internet access and it was busy most of the time. I only had to use it a couple of times to send an e-mail emergency and found one computer hog there who looked like she was researching and writing a thesis!! That pissed me off after waiting for her to get off the terminal for 15 minutes so I told one of the workers passing by and then she got up and left. Why do people hang out on the computers all day while they are on vacation when a gorgeous beach and resort awaits you?

There are shows every night in the open auditorium. We saw a fantastic Dominican variety show, great dancers, costumes, music. There was a different show every night. After the show you can either go to the disco, casino or a stroll on the beach, etc. or back to your room for some "hubba-hubba" ;)

There are some shops and a spa on the property. The spa is not included in the package. There is also a fitness center, which is on the small side but sufficient enough for a good workout. The resort has activities all day every day so you are never bored. Whether it's a show or activities by the pool, there is always something going on, something to eat, something to drink, something to do, or just do nothing if you prefer.

The beach is on the Atlantic side so the water is kind of rough and they have out a red flag if it's not safe to go in the water or a yellow flag. The yellow flag was out all week, so we went to the pool all week because it's so spectacular, but I would have liked to have gone in the ocean and splashed around a bit since the beaches where I live are gross. That was the only major disappointment. I think I've covered it all but if not I will post more later.

All in all, I give this resort a five star and would definitely return in the future.
 
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Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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Your Report CARD

You get an "A" for that.

Chickening out on the ocean kept your from an A+

HB
 

XanaduRanch

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Sep 15, 2002
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Sounds Marvelous!

I need a vacation and that sounds like a possibility.
Upon arrival, we received two citrusy flavored cocktails while we were checking in.
I mean, how can you argue with a hotel that serves you drinks while you're checking in! Now that's class! What a great idea!!
 

FireGuy

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Excellent report leopardlady.

Just wish it was on the North Coast.

BTW - XR you don't have to go that far if all you want is a cold drink while checking-in; we got friuty punch type drinks at the Riu Bachata, the Iberostar Costa Dorada and the Bahia Principe (Club Hacienda) while checking-in.

You are already amongst them.

Gregg
 

leopardlady

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Apr 30, 2003
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But I don't know how to swim...

...so I played it safe. Besides being in the pool put me closer to the drinks and food. :D
 

leopardlady

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Apr 30, 2003
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I forgot....

The popular drink of choice while we were there seemed to be "The Dirty Banana"

I asked for mine extra "sucio" :knockedou: :bunny:
 

Art Covey

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Great Trip Report

Thanks for the GREAT Trip Report, This is one of my favorite forums especially when the reports are written this well.
Really enjoyed it.
Art
 

XanaduRanch

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Sep 15, 2002
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Extra Sucio?

leopardlady said:
The popular drink of choice while we were there seemed to be "The Dirty Banana". I asked for mine extra "sucio"
I am not even sure I want to know how they make a 'dirty banana' even dirtier. I guess I'd need to know if the bartender had a banana of his own or not. And what was he stirring the drink with?

Argh! Too many unknowns here!

:confused:
 

leopardlady

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shame on you.....( hee hee hee )

The "dirt" in a dirty banana drink is nothing but chocolate syrup.

Get ya mind out of the gutta. :D
 

XanaduRanch

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Personally I like it down here. Otherwise I'd never get along with AZB, Crisco, and the like.

But what were you thinking? I just thought if the bartender was using his own bananas they'd be more likely to be hygenical than anything he bought from a street vendor! So I don't understand your post. What were you talking about?

:rolleyes:
 
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