Secrets The Vine Cancun

Superb. But... There are private functions at the main pool area every other day meaning you have to vacate your sun bed at 3. As there aren't enough sunbeds to go round this is awful and cut so many days short. They should advertise that the hotel facilities aren't always available. This is so disappointing and for this reason I wouldn't go back.

The first sight of the hotel is a bit off putting as you drive off the main road and its quite bumpy. The security gate to the hotel looks awful but we realised later its part of the decor. As soon as you stop staff appear to help with luggage and upon entering there is an enormous fresh floral display which takes away the first impression. In fact the fresh flower displays were a real feature of the hotel. Stairs to the next level take you to reception where you are greeted with a drink. It would be a good idea here to have a non alcoholic choice for those of us who don't drink alcohol (just me!). The formalities were soon sorted and we went to our room. Was a bit disappointed that we were on the 11th floor - guest rooms start at 10 - as we had requested a higher floor after reading reviews that mentioned how noisy the lower floors could be some evenings but, apart from Super Bowl evening and the Valentines and Casino nights, we weren't bothered in the slightest. The room itself had a banner over the door in recognition of a special event for us and about 2 mins after we arrived a small birthday cake was delivered which was a nice touch. It was a large room with a sitting area at the balcony end, huge comfortable bed also plenty of drawer space and 2 large wardrobes. The only things that let it down were the electrical fuse box cover left on one wardrobe floor and wires exposed on the wall and a large mark on the shower glass wall which stayed there the entire 2 weeks. Other than that it was spotless. The glass walls to the shower and toilet were a bit off putting but we soon got used to them. Would have been nice if there was a mirror near where the hairdryer would plug in but managed by using the plug by one vanity unit and carrying a small chair there each morning! Other than that there was everything you needed and - major plus for me - plenty of hangars. This is the first hotel we have used in years that I haven't had to ask for extra. The fridge was filled each day if items had been used and if you asked for something in particular that was sorted. Had to request a kettle - wanted cups of tea - and used to get fresh milk every other day in a coffee up from the coffee shop. Nice sized balcony with a table and chairs but where were we supposed to dry swimwear or any small items we washed. Admittedly the Americans and Canadians were usually only there a few days but if you went from the UK it would usually be for 2 weeks. Didn't actually hear a lot of UK accents though and usually in the water aerobics class each day I was the only one. The attitudes of the staff are an absolute advantage to the hotel - best of any staff we have met worldwide. I see from reviews that people raved about the food but I would say it was good, not superb. Loved the breakfast buffet but the scrambled egg was consistently rubbery. I like a latte coffee and gave up on getting a decent one at breakfast apart from when Esmerelda was our wonderful server. The solution was to get one at the coffee shop to take out to the pool first thing but unfortunately this was when the great selection of Danish were out so I had 2 of those each morning! The fruit drinks and smoothies were very good. The selection of fruit was always good. The steak restaurant on the 12th floor was very good and loved the meal at Olios. Other items available at the coffee shop were sandwiches and rolls, biscuits, cakes, ice creams and tubs of fresh fruit. The ladies, and gentlemen, who man this area are so thoughtful and helpful and always cheerful despite barely stopping serving during their open times. Unless you have never seen a Mariarchi band I didn't think it was worth paying the extra for the Mexican night - I also couldn't have sat in there with the volume of noise during their performance. You can see some from the buffet restaurant and when we left we were invited to sit and watch anyway. The chefs table was a big disappointment - this was our celebration night - the cuisine was ok but the duck was too tough and overdone to cut into and the steak was very, very overdone. I know there are a lot of reviews about what a great night this is but honestly, if you are used to a high level of cuisine, this isn't great. The evening was saved by the lovely group of 3 other couples and we all had a good evening. The main server was also very, very good and made sure that items I couldn't eat weren't given to me. We had mentioned in advance that I didn't drink alcohol and asked for alternatives but this hadn't been passed on. As soon as the main server was made aware of this he sorted suitable alternatives for me. Something the hotel should be aware of is that, for what is pushed as an up market experience, it isn't good to access it via a scruffy corridor that we were then asked to avoid spilt food on the floor. The actual room itself is lovely. I must also say that when we spoke to the Concierge team, they booked the evening, they immediately got the Restaurants Manager - Luis -to come to see us and he resolved the situation immediately. It's very much the mark of a good hotel that when problems occur they resolve them to everyone's satisfaction. At the Concierge counter there is a representative for Amstar booking trips. We wanted to return to Cirque Soleil for the Joya show on the Riviera Maya - we had been before and wanted the unique dining experience again. They sort this out including pick up and return to the hotel. It's a great evening and well worth the cost. Re the restaurants it appears Americans and Canadians eat very early so if you go to wait at your chosen restaurant you can queue for sometime to find that there may be 15 plus tables ahead of you and obviously there is no idea then of how long it will be before its your turn. If you go later you miss the entertainment - some of which is very good indeed. Melissa in particular is such a bubbly performer with various evenings - quite a talent plus a total chameleon. If you have the hotel app on your phone they will message you to let you know its your turn. I would say that the main problems with the hotel are the sunbed situation and booking restaurants in the evening - people are reserving sunbeds before 7am and then not using them for hours and we were aware of people keeping some by the pool, some in a spot overlooking the beach and some on the beach! So unfair. Overall though the question is would we go again and the answer is definitely yes - thank you Secrets, The Vine.

Food at Blue Water Grill was excellent and service from Manuel was top notch. We were taken care of and he made excellent recommendations. Restaurant was clean and staff were friendly.

We had an amazing trip to secrets the vine. It was a perfect couples get away. Highly recommend getting the premium package to get rooms on a higher floor, the infinity pool, and breakfast/lunch access to olio. Of those, for us olio was the real win—thanks to Michelle, Rosa, and William.

The food and location was amazing. I liked the layout and size of the resort as everything was easily accessible. The staff was very kind and Sebastian was by far the best concierge ever!! My only complaint was the cleanliness of the pools, pool area and the pool bathrooms. In addition there needs to be more seating at the pools. We were always able to find a seat but it is definitely a job!