Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun

This was our 3rd trip to Maroma; over 10 years since our prior trip. Bottom line: Some improvements and some setbacks. They are not a true "Luxury" product because of typical Mexican resort nonsense that they just won't refrain from. I give then a B+. Here's a quick rundown: Check in: I tipped the men who took our bags at arrival. Being told they (personally) would bring our bags to the room after check in, I gave them a nice tip. Sure enough, a different guy grabbed our bags and escorted us to room, ensuring them another tip. Likely an intentional/dishonest move on their part. We were seen quickly at the check in desk and upon being told where our swim up room was (which I knew was a particularly small and narrow pool, I asked them if they could put us in a different building. "Sorry, this is the only one available" was not surprisingly the answer (*no availability during hurricane season after 4th of July holiday? Ok.). Likely disingenuous of course. I then implied offering up some money if they could accommodate us. As she then had a quick word with an associate, which, based on what we heard, seemed as it would have resulted in the "miracle" of finding another room, I decided that I didn't have the stomach for this game (with my wife sitting next to me). I just said "thank you anyway- we'll take the room you have". Two minutes prior it's "oh, your 3rd visit with us- welcome home", then immediately they fell back to the business as usual hustle. Some welcome home! Oh, after getting to the room, we tipped him extra to bring us 2 extra pillows, He said "I'll be back in a few minutes." I sent my wife to the pool while I unpacked. After 20 minutes passed, I called it in and they were then promptly delivered, with additional tips doled out of course. Follow through! Pools: The lounge chairs have exceptionally thick cushions and there are an ample number of umbrellas. BUT: 1- they crowded the pool deck with more loungers (to accommodate more people of course), but it is now a parking lot of loungers (*update your online arial photos of the pool area Secrets) & it just had a less tranquil feel to me. *See traveler photos posted here on TA. 2- The pool with the swim up bar had some debris floating around during two afternoons. Your staff is passing by all the time. Take care of it as a "luxury" property would. 3- One swim up bar bartender had to look at the drinks menu when making 3 drinks we ordered. As the swim up bar gets lots of customer face time, I'm surprised they wouldn't assign someone a bit more buttoned up. This is management! 4- If you're a stickler about drink consistency, find a guy, tip, and stick with him bc the consistency wasn't as hoped. 4- they now have many more dining options at the pool. The convenience is nice, but I believe it also costs them less per person to feed them this way. The indoor lunch buffet has more costly/high end lunch items. Pro tip: Order the whole fried fish with some lime, pico & guac., take it to your lounger and have some fun. *5- POOL DECK MUSIC: American pop music! I'm guessing some suits up at Hyatt had their reasons to do away with Salsa/Latin music, but yes, many guests traveling to MX. would like to hear local music; it offers a sense of place and authenticity. Katie Perry (literally) just didn't do it for us. Public spaces: The buffet restaurant had been remodeled and is as nicely decorated a buffet space as you will find at an AI resort. The lobby bar had been refreshed and has a nice atmosphere at night (usually with live music) and being closed in offers a break from the heat outside. The grounds are as nicely kept as always and the gym was quite sufficient. FOOD: good overall. The French was the best, followed by the Italian. While the Japanese had nice decor, (we ate there twice ), the food was as follows: A- Teppanyaki table: good quality overall. B-Menu offerings: a mix between Japanese and some other regional asian selections (a thoughtful idea). We tried a variety of items and my asian wife and I agreed that while the presentation was nice enough, the taste and execution were off the mark. If you eat lots of asian food, I can not imagine you being impressed. Also, IMO, the quality & selection at the outdoor dinner buffets (we did one and looked at another) are never as nice as what will be experienced in the restaurants. Keep this in mind. Staff: most are very polite and cheerful; well staffed. Beach/Ocean: During Winter, turquoise in every direction. Warmer months: Sargassum, which they put forth great effort to only limit the effect. If the beach experience is important to you, be prepared for drastic seasonal differences. TO MANAGEMENT: *PLEASE DON'T FEEL OBLIGATED TO RESPOND HERE WITH YOUR STANDARD REPLY OF "WE ARE SORRY TO HEAR OF THE SHORTCOMINGS YOU EXPERIENCED AND WILL BE SURE TO PASS ON YOUR WORDS TO THE PROPER DEPARTMENTS/MANAGERS SO WE MAY IMPROVE OUR SYSTEMS."; or only cite the 2-3 positives while ignoring the rest. Secrets Maroma has been doing this a long time; catering to a clientele that is 95+% American, Canadian & W. European They know their customers expectations and they know what gripes people have. You will likely have a lovely time but just be prepared for some of the things that all of these AI's do.

This place was so very disappointing food worse than average, service adequate drinks watered down definitely not even a four star no way will we return

Everything was amazing & the resort made us feel welcome. Every staff member used our names & made us feel like family There was no trash anywhere. Clean & loved it

We had an amazing stay at Secrets Maroma! The resort is absolutely beautiful, and the staff was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and attentive throughout our visit. From the stunning grounds to the overall atmosphere, everything made for a relaxing and memorable experience. We truly enjoyed our time here and would highly recommend Secrets Maroma to anyone looking for a beautiful getaway in Mexico. We can’t wait to come back!

Celebrated our 10 yr wedding anniversary here and it was wonderful. This was our second time here and first time staying preferred club and we loved it. The swim out and soaking tub were perfect. We enjoyed the preferred bar and beach club. We reserved a Bali bed for a day and was perfect for a day of relaxing. Roberto, our concierge was so helpful and kind, he always kept us informed of activities going on and just overall checking in on us. Luz our housekeeper did an amazing job taking care of our room. The service at every point is amazing. Food is great, we enjoyed every meal. We cant wait to go back once the construction is completed.