Discover Secrets Royal Beach, Punta Cana

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If you haven’t been to Punta Cana, this is your sign to go.
If you have been to Punta Cana, this is your sign to go back.

Punta Cana is one of my favorite locations in the Caribbean. I visited for the second time this past December 2021. The first time I went was in March 2017, so it’s been a little bit and I was beyond excited to be going back!

My friend, Rich, and I booked our stay with Secrets Royal Beach. After we had booked, we spoke to one of his friends who, coincidentally, had also stayed at Secrets. She raved about how amazing it was, and this just added to our excitement. 

Arriving at Secrets Royal Beach

From​​ the moment you arrive, you are treated like royalty. We were greeted right as we stepped out of the taxi and given hand sanitizer and a damp towel to wipe our hands. This was very refreshing, since it was around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Our bags were taken to the side to be sanitized while we were escorted to the check-in desk. At the desk, we were handed some delicious tropical beverages, which hit the spot. 

Before we even checked in, we were told: “Here you are home. Be comfortable.”

Here you are home. 

What a lovely way to start our trip. 

Our Room

After a smooth and easy check-in process, we were escorted up to our room. On our door there was a banner reading “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.” It was not our anniversary – in fact, Rich and I are just friends. We laughed it off and said, “It is almost our friendship anniversary!” We asked if we could keep the banner up anyway and of course our new friend, Eduardo, let us. 

We had a balcony with a pool view, which overlooked the designated “quiet” pool. The view was incredible, and since we were at the quiet pool, it was never too loud. 

Our room had two queen beds, and next to one of the beds was a little sliding window. This sparked my interest immediately, so I jumped on the bed and opened it up. It was a window to… the bathroom? It overlooked the massive tub, which was so strange and so funny at the same time. Even if we were a couple, I would not want to watch or be watched in the bathroom. That’s me time. 

All-Inclusive 

Secrets Royal Beach is an all-inclusive resort, which means all food and drinks are included in your package. For this kind of vacation, all-inclusive is the way to go. We had no plans to leave the resort, and they offer some great restaurant options. 

Along with unlimited access to food and booze, we also had access to Dreams Royal Beach, the family resort next door. It’s easy to go between the two to access their restaurants and amenities.

We did not take advantage of the access to Dreams, so I cannot comment on their resort, but I imagine it to be just as beautiful – just with more kids. 

Exploring Secrets Royal Beach

The entire resort is modestly sized and very walkable. 

There are eight bars throughout the resort for non-preferred guests. Preferred guests get three additional bars. You can become a preferred guest based on the room/package you purchase. Rich and I did not opt to upgrade to preferred, as it didn’t seem necessary for our “plop by the pool and do nothing” vacation. 

There are four à la carte restaurants, a beachside grill, and of course the international buffet. If you skip the buffet, you can choose from a French restaurant, an American restaurant, an Asian fusion restaurant, and a Mexican restaurant.  

There are two pools on the resort for non-preferred guests. One of these is the quiet pool, where there is no music (and no fun). If you are a preferred guest, you also have access to the lazy river and infinity pool that overlooks the beach. 

There is also a coffee shop, spa, fitness center, tennis/basketball court, and even a wedding gazebo! 

The Food

Let’s start with the buffet. I generally have low expectations for buffets; especially since this was during COVID, I was skeptical. 

To my surprise and pleasure, there were servers at every single station and guests were not allowed to serve themselves. This limited the amount of people who were touching the serving utensils and the actual food. I presume this was a COVID protocol, but I’d love it if all buffets were like this. It was comforting that it was so clean. 

Aside from the cleanliness, the food was delicious! Rich became the #1 fan of the woman at the omelet station. To his credit (and hers), she did make the perfect omelet. They were loaded with your selected toppings and well done but not over cooked. Props to omelet lady! 

We visited the buffet for all of our breakfasts and lunch on the last day.

For dinner on our first night, we ate at the Mexican restaurant. We were given margaritas straight away along with some chips and salsa. I ordered the enchiladas and although they were delicious, I have to mention how spicy they were. I couldn’t finish my meal because towards the end, I just couldn’t handle the spice. I usually do enjoy spicy food but this was HOT, so proceed with caution! 

The second night, we decided to lay low and order room service. We ordered SO MUCH FOOD. It all came up within about 30 minutes of ordering. Each plate was covered with plastic for its journey to our room, so it was nice and fresh. The food was great, and this menu offered some different options than the buffet or the restaurants, so it was nice to have a mix of food.

The third night, we completely missed dinner. We had planned to go to the American restaurant, but we had too much fun at the pool bar that afternoon and passed out very early. 

On the last night, we ate at the Asian fusion restaurant, HIMITSU. They offer hibachi here, but you have to make a reservation for that. Unfortunately, we inquired too late and they did not have any reservations available, so be sure to book your dinner reservations as soon as you arrive. 

We sat at a non-hibachi table and still had an amazing experience. I cannot speak highly enough about the food at this restaurant. It was so satisfyingly yummy, from appetizers to dessert. A couple we met at the pool earlier in the day recommended that we get the fried ice cream when we went. I’m forever thankful for their suggestion. It was so good I could have eaten ten! 

The Beach

Secrets Royal Beach has its own private beach with security. There are chairs and straw-topped huts scattered around where you can sit and relax. These seats get claimed relatively early, so be sure to head there right away to secure yours! 

There are vendors that walk around on the beach selling various things, such as cigars, homemade items, jewelry, hair braiding, etc. Although it is a private beach, I’m pretty sure these vendors are licensed to sell on the beach because the security guards didn’t say anything as they walked up to the Secrets guests.

The Pool

As I said, there are multiple pools, but the main pool was the best spot. Specifically on the side closest to Barracuda and Freshco, the swim-up pool bar.

For our five-day trip, you were guaranteed to find Rich and I in this section. Our bartender was an amazing man named Angel. Angel was the friendliest human being I’ve ever met. He always greeted us with a smile, and after one day he would come up to us with drinks and greet us with a “hello my family!” He repeatedly told other guests I was his sister, and it was so heartwarming each and every time. He truly did make us feel like family! 

Angel never let us have empty glasses. Without us even ordering, he would come up behind us with a tray of refills. At one point he surprised me with a hollowed-out pineapple filled with a Miami Vice, which is a mix of a pina colada and a strawberry daiquiri. A true angel. Angel joked and chit-chatted with us, and became a friend. We even got to see some pictures of his adorable son!

Aside from Angel, I have to mention the rest of the staff at Secrets Royal Beach. Every single person had a smile on their face and greeted us with a friendly “Hola!” even if we were just walking by. 

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