Brandon Crooks
Worst dining experience we've ever had at an all-inclusive resort.
The Good: The room was pretty good, the resort and pool area were nice, and the shows were enjoyable.
The Problem - Dining:
Night 1 - Asian Restaurant: Service was mediocre. We had to flag down our waiter multiple times for drinks and water, and food took forever to arrive. The food quality was decent, at least.
Day 2 - Lunch at Rosewater: The only restaurant with consistently good service throughout our stay. Food came out quickly.
Day 2 - Pool Service: Always great staff, but food orders took approximately 90 minutes to arrive every single day.
Night 2 - Italian Restaurant: Our waiter was nowhere to be found. We couldn't get wine refills or even a single water refill. I got up multiple times to search for our waiter and request help from other staff members. The food was fine, but the service was subpar.
Night 2 - Room Service: The late-night menu was very disappointing with no Mexican food options. Our order arrived 45 minutes later than expected and was not good.
Day 3 - Breakfast at Rosewater: The kitchen was backed up badly. Food took an hour from ordering to arrival, though service was acceptable.
Night 3 - Mexican Restaurant: We arrived at 7:30 for a table of six and were told there would be a 50-minute wait. We returned at 8:20 and were told another 15 minutes, then another 10 minutes. At 8:45, we were finally seated—at a 4-person booth meant for 6 people. We were cramped and sweating in the corner. I had to get up and argue with staff to move us to one of the several available 6-8 person tables. Once moved, it took an extreme amount of time to get our food, and we struggled to get drink and water refills. The food was not worth any of the hassle.
One Bright Spot - The Buffet: The buffet was fine, and drink/water service there was actually fast.
Day 4 - Pizza Place by the Ocean: It took over 45 minutes to get a personal pizza. Other guests would walk up, skip the line, and grab pizzas waiting at the counter for delivery. We went offsite for dinner that night at Harry's (highly recommend).
Bottom Line: This was probably the worst dining experience at any resort I've ever visited.
Danielle Jean-Gates-Desharnais
First time ever going on a down-south vacation, and I can honestly say Secrets Riviera Cancun completely spoiled us! I was nervous before the trip, but from the moment we arrived, everyone was so welcoming and kind. Our room was beautiful, spacious, and had an amazing ocean view.
I’m a super picky eater, but the food was incredible at every restaurant. The catch of the day at Rosewater was hands down my favorite meal. We loved being able to pop over to the Xhale side for the lively party pool and then come back to the peaceful Secrets side to relax.
The nightly entertainment was amazing (the Neon On show was unreal!), and we had so much fun joining activities like paint and sip, karaoke, and the silent disco. Mani and Erik were awesome—so friendly and made us feel comfortable getting involved.
Huge shoutout to Urbano and Cruize for keeping the drinks flowing and the laughs coming by the pool. But the real MVPs of the trip were Andres and Louis from the entertainment team. They brought the best energy, made everyone feel included, and somehow got us into a pool dance competition (and we actually had fun doing it!).
They made the trip unforgettable. We left feeling like we were saying goodbye to friends. I’d come back in a heartbeat and recommend Secrets Riviera Cancun to anyone—it’s truly something special.
Jennifer Spray
Honest Review of Our Stay at Secrets Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa – Preferred Club
September 11–20, 2025
This was our first experience at a Secrets resort in Mexico. Secrets Riviera Cancun is located about 25 minutes from the Cancun airport.
The resort itself has more of a boutique feel compared to some of the larger, grander properties we’ve stayed at in the past. Staying on the Secrets side gives you full access to the Breathless side of the resort.
The food was the best we’ve experienced at any all-inclusive resort so far. If you’re staying on the secrets side, the Rosewater restaurant will likely become your favorite dining spot. Out of the à la carte restaurants, the Italian and steakhouse restaurants were our favorites.
They had great entertainment with daily activities and nightly shows.
The staff at this resort were awesome and definitely helped make our experience enjoyable and memorable.
A few special shoutouts:
Rosewater Restaurant: Yesenia, Jose, and Lino
Activities Staff: Angel, Luis, and Erik
Pool Service: Charlie Boy
Bartenders: Eduardo (Preferred Club Lounge) and Fernando (Energy Pool)
Note for beach lovers: If your main priority is a wide, walkable beach or swimming in the ocean, this resort may not be the perfect fit. The focus here is more on the pools, service, food, entertainment, and intimate vibe rather than a long sandy shoreline.
Overall, Secrets Riviera Cancun delivered a wonderful blend of relaxation, excellent dining, great entertainment, and outstanding hospitality.
Sara Restani
Spent 5 days at this resort Oct 8-12. Food was great at the Rosewater restaurant. Room service food was just ok. Swim-out room tropical view was nice to have but not super private. There was a main walkway right along the edge of the pool so everyone walked past, but the room itself was really nice and comfortable.
Staff was fantastic - Pedro in entertainment, Urbano, Daniel, and David by the pool, Ana Maria in housekeeping.
You can visit the Breathless side of the resort for the restaurants and nightly entertainment, but we found it very party focused. No 'in-between' spots to hangout in the evenings - it was either party or sit in the quiet. Would be nice to have a space to sit, drink, chat with new friends that had a casual vibe (Rosewater in the evenings was too quiet for us). Food was good at the Grill, but the buffet was mediocre.
Beach was disappointing.
Jennifer Melendez
We came to this secrets for a wedding. We had stayed at the Secrets on playa Mujeres and it was the worst experience we have ever had. So when we saw our friends booked their wedding at a Secrets we were apprehensive about attending. We'll i can say that we were pleasantly surprised. What a great stay. The room, swim up was amazing, the food at Rosewood fantastic. This was over all a really great trip. I would book this resort again. A special shout out to Danial and William and Papi. And especially to Eduardo at the desk he was so kind and helpful when our flight got super delayed. We cant thank him enough.
My Booking
