Secret Bay

There are places you visit, and then there are places that change you. Secret Bay is firmly, unforgettably, in the second category. Some destinations are simply too special to capture in words, and Secret Bay is the finest example of that. Nestled within the lush rainforest of Dominica, this is not just a resort, it is an entirely immersive world, one you tumble into and never want to leave. The staff are nothing short of extraordinary. Attentive, warm, and genuinely caring, they anticipate needs you hadn't even thought of yourself. That rare quality — where hospitality feels personal rather than procedural, runs through every single interaction. The dining experiences are phenomenal. Each meal feels considered and crafted, a true extension of the extraordinary surroundings. And those surroundings, the rainforest, the sounds, the light filtering through the canopy — create a world of their own. Getting lost in it isn't just easy, it's something you actively crave. If you're building your list of the top three places to stay in your lifetime, stop deliberating. Secret Bay belongs on it.

Secret Bay - Ylang Ylang 1 Secret bay had an offer of 30% off if you booked 6 months in advance... so we took it! After checking out all the villas on the site we decided to go with Ylang Ylang 1. This is a review of the resort, villa, dining, and travel experience. Airport / Getting to Secret Bay We flew direct from Newark into Douglas Charles Airport. After a very quick pass-through customs you come to a small table with a Secret Bay sign on it. A 7 day stay gets you free transportation to and from the airport, which is nice. You are greeted with a small carrier with some waters and snacks. The ride there took about an hour and ten minutes and the ride back was just under an hour. It depends on how cautious your driver is. The roads are extremely winding, but the views are incredible. Both of our drivers were great. You are introduced to one of the concierge team who gives you a quick tour of the main building and restaurant, then taken via golf cart to meet your villa host. Ylang Ylang 1 Upon arrival at Ylang Ylang 1 we were greeted by our villa host who was waiting for us. We were given a quick tour of our villa and an iphone with What's App installed on it containing contacts for both our villa host's direct line and the concierge team. This is a very efficient way of communicating with the Secret Bay staff. We were welcomed with all the property restaurant menus, wine selections, etc. as PDFs on What's APP. Previous to our arrival I was obsessed with trying to find out what the food menu was and could never find it on the Secret Bay website or anywhere online... at first. I found it through their partner company. Spoiler alert if you just want to be surprised by Bwa Denn's menu. https://www.relaischateaux.com/us/restaurant/bwa-denn/ I'm sure if we emailed them and asked, they would have gladly sent us the PDFs we received on arrival. We did all our reservations, excursion set ups, music through Sonos, and contact with our villa host through the iphone. Our villa was by far our favorite part of the trip. The flow and design of it is perfect. Going through the gate you can choose to either take the stairs up to the main living area or bypass them and go directly to your bedroom area through the pool area. The pool was amazing, and they will set it to whatever temperature you like. We went 10 degrees warmer which was fabulous. The main bedroom is open concept with the bathroom sink area and tub. A note about the tub and shower. We initially thought the tub would be separate from the shower. While in other villas this may be the case, in this villa it is not. Since the shower is in the tub, they have to put foot slip traction pads down which in my opinion is off putting if you wanted to use it to soak. There is no outdoor shower in the villa. There is a small handheld foot shower when you first enter through the villa gates though. Check the voltage requirements on your devices, some will likely be incompatible even if you have a converter. The kitchen has literally everything in it you would ever need to make anything. If you can't find something it doesn't mean they don't have it. Look in every single cabinet. We found our glassware on day 2 by me curiously wondering if the space above the oven was a cabinet and it was... with any kind of glassware for all occasions. The espresso machine was delightful. Our refrigerator was also pre-stocked with all the items we asked for on our preference sheet. My wife also asked for some greens, peppers, and onions to add to our eggs in the morning which were also there. The villa comes pre-stocked with a white, red, and bubbly selection of wines. If you drink one you are charged, and it will be replaced. The daily breakfast basket is a lot of fun. It's never really the same each day in terms of fruit. You get whatever is in season the time you are there. One day we got an avocado mixed in that we turned into some amazing guacamole. They also give you a full spice rack and I even juiced a pineapple to use in it. You also get some fresh bread, eggs, jams, granola, yogurt and more. I recommend getting tortilla chips on your preference sheet seeing they have some delicious local salsas. One other perk of Ylang Ylang 1 is it is directly across from the Vetiver Sunset Deck. This is perched directly above Secret Beach and is a great place to watch the sunset... if it's not booked for a fancy sunset dinner or other celebration of some sort. One night there was a saxophone player there for some occasion which made us giggle out of surprise when we heard it out of nowhere. Dining Towards the end of our trip, I asked one of the staff where everyone ate lunch and dinner seeing we rarely saw anyone at the pool bar for lunch and the dining room was usually half full for dinner. I was informed that everyone usually had lunch and dinner delivered directly to their villa. We were never informed of this, and I think it greatly affected the way the dynamic of our day could have been different. Either way, we enjoyed walking down to Bwa Denn and Zing Zing for dinner. Something to maybe consider for packing is there is no dress code for Bwa Denn, you can wear whatever you want. Quick note. Your first dinner is complimentary! with the exception of alcohol (which is expensive). You can expect most cocktails to hover around the 20-dollar cost. 2 drinks plus the 10% percent service charge and the 15% Dominica VAT tax makes 1 round of drinks over 50 dollars. Our favorite cocktails were by far the Coco Refresher (Refreshing Coco?), Summer for Real and Mary Jane. Dean, the Mixologist is amazing. Limes were not in season when we were there, but he was still able to make a mojito by subbing out pineapple instead. Delicious. The pool bar is great for lunch. I had the fish and chips on day 1 and had to order it every day after that. (apart from trying the burger one day, the fish and chips was better) My wife loved the caeser salad or the heirloom tomato with grilled chicken. Bwa Denn is where we ate all our dinners except for one night at the newly opened Zing Zing. The menu is large and versatile depending on what you are in the mood for. The fish of the day and catch of the day are always a great option. This was the first time I ever had lionfish and now I'm sad I likely won't have it again anytime soon. The lobster ravioli appetizer was also notable, and we had it multiple times. Dinner can take a while sometimes, but we never cared. Bwa Denn Brewery… just a heads up, this is kombucha only. No beer is brewed on site. There are 3 beers offered, all island lagers. They come as 255 milliliters bottles, which is just over half a normal pint. Zing Zing was the STANDOUT for dinner. The seven-course menu is different every night and depends on what the chef finds in the local markets. The reservations go fast and once the chef has finalized the menu for that evening the concierge texts you the menu to your iphone. I can't begin to describe how amazing our meal was... definitely a highlight of the trip. One other note is that while Secret Bay says there are no children allowed under 16 this is absolutely not the case. One day we were told to wait to be seated at Bwa Denn while a large group of children made their way down the restaurant stairs and another day we had to wait for lunch at the pool bar because one entire side of it was occupied by kids. Gym, Beach, and Excursions Part of our daily routine was hitting the gym in the morning. The gym is in the main building under the restaurant and behind the pool bar. There are 4 cardio machines and all are Assault Fitness (human powered). There is one seated row, one treadmill, and two fan bikes. There is a full free weight set as well as a squat bench rack. Onto the beach... There are rarely more than a few couples there and more than enough beach chairs are available. The water sports team is incredible and are always very helpful setting up a chair, providing water and cool towels, and a cocktail service. There is a swim platform that is 135 yards offshore. I know it's that far because of open water swim on my Garmin :) You can take a kayak out there and tie it off, but we swam it every day. The beach / watersports area is also where you are picked up for the Indian River Tour with Fyre. The Indian River tour is complementary and a must do in our opinion. Fyre is the tour guide specifically contracted by Secret Bay. The river tour was great! Be prepared, they really love their Pirates of the Caribbean in Dominica. You'll hear why. You make your way up to a rum bar at the end of the river but get to see all kinds of fun trees, wildlife, and jungle canopy along the way with a million fun facts from Fyre. Secret Bay also sends you off with a goodie bag full of waters and rum punch and whatever else you might want. The concierge contacts you to make sure if you need anything else. I suggest bringing sunscreen and a hat. It seems like they manage to contract the best guides for each excursion as was clearly evident with Fyre and then Dr. Birdie for the Bird Tour and Syndicate Falls. We bundled the Bird Watching Tour and Syndicate Falls with Dr. Bridie, and it was another highlight of our trip. The concierge sends you off with another goodie bag... since ours was early we only had towels and waters but again I'm sure they would send you off with whatever you like. They really want you to take water shoes for the waterfall. If you have sneakers that you don't mind getting wet, then that is totally fine. We're not water shoes people. The Dr. Birdie tour was early, and he hits you with jokes right off the bat. You are fully entertained the entire duration of the tour. Unfortunately for the bird watching tour portion it was raining hard so most of the birds weren't out. We did manage to see some amazing hummingbirds and a couple jacko parrots. Dr. Birdie's knowledge depth is incredible not only with birds but also with local biology and botany. Our rainforest tour was amazing and incredibly informative. After the rainforest tour, you are taken to Syndicate Falls which happens to be on the same “trail” as the rainforest tour. There is a small fee you pay at the trailhead and it’s an easy 5–10-minute walk through some small streams and trails to get there. The waterfall and walk were fantastic. I can't recommend this excursion enough. Staff and Experience The staff and experience you get at Secret Bay is second to none. No matter when and where you are walking you are always happily greeted by staff who are constantly attending to either guests or the property. The staff at the pool bar and waterfront were exceptional. We left feeling completely relaxed and disconnected from the outside world.

We spent 10 days at Secret Bay and while the property was beautiful and well maintained, we weren't blown away by what the #1 luxury resort in the Caribbean delivered, considering the high price point. Location: Beautiful setting with architecturally stunning buildings. We enjoyed the privacy of the resort as well as the natural surroundings they left intact. The two things to be aware of - there is a highway above the resort and the traffic noise can be quite loud at times and if you have mobility issues, this may not be the best place for you. While they have golf carts to take you around the resort, getting up to our villa was steep at 80+ steps. Food: We dined at Bwa Denn, Zing Zing and the Pool Bar - all the food was very well done and delicious (Tuna Tataki, crudos and Lamb were amazing!) for the most part, but expensive. For 2 people, Zing Zing was over $400 and meals at Bwa Denn plus drinks was over $200...seemed steep given how much one pays for the nightly rate to stay in a villa. They do offer a meal plan, which we declined, and when doing the math, we actually saved over $1k by not taking the plan. We get that things are more expensive on an island, but Dominica is so agriculturally rich, it makes one wonder why the high nightly rate + high food costs, compared to other luxury resorts we've stayed at... However, Big shout out to Hilroy, the private chef! He was a joy to spend the evening with and so talented! We thoroughly enjoyed this experience and would highly recommend. Villa/Amenities: Our villa was clean(ish), private and spacious. We enjoyed having a kitchen along with the complimentary eggs, bread, butter, yogurt, granola, jam and fruit bowl, refreshed daily. Really nice touch. We also really enjoyed our own private plunge pool, screened porch and outdoor shower. Where it fell short for a luxury resort was: -The bathroom amenities were not good. The shampoo was watered down and the soaps/lotions weren't luxury quality. -We understand we're in a jungle, but everyday we had to sweep leaves out of the outdoor shower and the patio around the pool. It would have been nice to have a daily sweep when morning service was provided. Beach/Pool: Tibay Beach (resort beach) is black sand and rocky. So don't expect the quintessential Caribbean white sand smooth beach. We enjoyed the beach chairs under shade trees many times while watching the pelicans dive bomb and crabs in the sand. Staff was great, offering cold water, coconuts and food/drinks to order, if one wanted. BIG shout out to the Watersports crew - they were all so friendly and helpful in getting us outfitted to kayak over to Secret Bay for snorkeling. They were fantastic! AND a Big Thank you to Dane, the bartender extraordinaire at the Pool Bar. He was professional, helpful and always friendly - we learned a lot about Dominica from Dane and appreciated the conversations and great service. Service: This is where Secret Bay has a big opportunity for improvement. Compared to other resorts we've enjoyed, it struck us that SB staff could be better trained and managed. Our villa host was very nice but service was inconsistent and lackadaisical, again for the price point. Also, communication - guests receive a cell phone with WhatsApp - you use it to communicate with your villa host and the concierge. We would often get several messages from both of them every day ( reminders, announcements, asking if we wanted to make dinner reservations, when we were leaving so cleaning service could be provided, etc.) which didn't feel all that relaxing. Perhaps an integration or better communication between the two could be explored. We really did enjoy our stay at Secret Bay and are glad we experienced it. However, for the amount we spent, we expected more.

Absolutely amazing hotel with cliff top villas and each with a villa host offering the best attention and service! The hotel pool and the secret beaches nearby are a must! The tranquility can be felt in endless waves especially with the morning yoga by the ocean.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hands down the best massage I’ve ever had. I booked a deep tissue massage with Gemma at Secret Bay, and the entire experience was top notch from start to finish. The setting was private, secluded, and intimate — nothing over the top, just beautifully done in every way. The open-air massage suite overlooked the Caribbean Sea, with the sound of waves crashing in the background. Gemma is incredibly skilled and attentive, and I left feeling completely refreshed. Highly recommend.