TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Check In - after a long flight/journey we arrived tired and more than a little hot. Really nice to be met with hand sanitiser, a cold towel, and a glass of bubbles which was downed immediately. Check in was fast efficient and Reuis on the desk was great. No hard sell on “preferred” and even ordered us a beer while luggage etc was sorted. We were in our room in no time with a promise of an upgrade after 4 days to celebrate our anniversary. And then it all went horribly wrong !! The transfer was a nightmare. We were left without a room for a day and no one knew where our luggage was. Concierge were less than helpful but eventually we managed to speak to a manager who apologised for everything, resolved the situation quickly and upgraded us to preferred for the inconvenience. Room - initially allocated a tropical view with whirlpool bath and in a good location down towards the beach so very quiet. Room was a good size and spotlessly clean. Bathroom large too with a really good shower. Hair dryer and clothes steamer in room so no need to bring your own. Bed was really comfy with lots of choice on pillows. Later moved to a room with a pool view. Large tv with small number of English language channels but it was easy to connect my iPad using an HDMI cable and watch whatever we wanted. Having said that … tv is always pretty low on the priority list when on vacation !! Mini bar well stocked with beer and soft drinks. When it did need replenishing we just called housekeeping and someone was there in 5-10 minutes Plugs - seen a few other posts about needing power banks etc but our room had 3 normal plug sockets and 6 USB slots. Not sure how many more you would need !! Pools - main pool was great. Large enough for a decent swim and just taking a dip. Read loads about not being enough sun beds and having to get up at 6am but the reality for us was very different. We saw a few people reserving at a ridiculous hour but most just wandered down around 8 ish. By 11 majority of sunbeds were taken so yes they do need more. Pool didn’t seem nearly as busy on our second week and beds available most of the day. Preferred pools were quieter and we did see them remove towels where people had reserved. Main advantage were the sunbeds … much more comfortable. Bar service around preferred pool was also a little better. Lots of activities going on during the day and the aqua aerobics was great fun. Alternatively just lie back, relax, and enjoy the cocktails. Beach - fabulous beach and you can literally walk miles. Yes there is seaweed on the beach but that’s nature and it plays an important part in sustaining sea life. Having said that the hotel clear their own beach area every day so it really isn’t a problem. If you like watching the sun rise then this is the place to be. Yes a few vendors but they really weren’t a problem. Might help that I’m a big guy but a polite “no” and they would move on. Restaurants La Riviera - buffet serving extensive choice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We found the food to be good and liked trying all the various salads and local dishes. Occasionally maybe some dishes not as hot as you would like but we just moved on to something else. Rosely was excellent as a host and Felix one of the waiters was lovely. Olio - predominantly Italian and we had a couple of nice meals here. Service was excellent. Check out the chefs specials. Himitsu - good choice of Asian food. Delicious sushi and some nice options on the main menu. Phad Thai was my favourite. Also a very lively teppanyaki station so not the place for a quiet romantic dinner for two. The teppanyaki is the only place you have to book but we had no problems getting in. It was great fun with beef, chicken, shrimp stir cooked in front of you. All very showy but tastes nice too. La Patio - Mexican style. Great service and really enjoyed our meal. Tortilla soup to start was delicious. Angus tacos also very nice. Bordeaux - had our best meals there. French onion soup was very good and both the steak and salmon were delicious. Service was excellent and many thanks to Adrian for making our anniversary meal very special. Bluewater Grill .- I’d avoid the steak here as not the best but everything else was good. Staff - loved them. Everyone was so friendly, happy, and engaging. Service was excellent from start to finish. Some real characters too with fabulous sense of fun and just wanting to ensure everyone had the best possible experience. Seems a little unfair to mention anyone in particular as they all deserve a massive thank you but Chiqui and Fanny by the pool were great. My only complaint was with the concierge staff who were less than helpful on a number of occasions. Preferred or Not Preferred ? - it really is a case of you pay your money and you make your choice. The concept of having a butler didn’t sell it for use as we are very independent, always research, and like to do our own thing. The rooms are the same (ours was actually in a preferred area) and we don’t feel there was anything to really be gained by having a different pool, or the other benefits. We certainly didn’t feel like second class citizens. Tipping - being a Brit, the concept and culture of tipping is somewhat different in England compared to my US friends. We took lots of small denomination US dollars and tipped when and where it seemed right to do so. It definitely wasn’t every time and we weren’t made to feel uncomfortable if we didn’t tip. Trips - we booked a couple through TUI our tour operator rather than Amstar in the hotel. 1) Althos de Chavon and Caves 2) Bacardi island & Los Haitises National Park. Both were really good and a great way to see and understand the history, culture, landscape and wildlife of the Dominican Republic. Overall - we had an amazing time made even more special by the people who work in the hotel. They work so hard but have the biggest smiles and will do whatever they can to help you see the very best of their country.

I would say to avoid this hotel if you can, the rooms are incredibly unclean. At the time of check in my tub had what appeared to be throw up dried on the inside of the tub. Also there were dead bugs on the wall and the bed was broken. I called the front desk to try and get these issues resolved. The maid came and put shampoo on her finger then wiped the tub and said it is stained. In regards to the bed, the maintenance guys came and replaced the foundation as the foundation on the bedframe was broken. The floor of the room was so dirty, it was covered in long hair, I shave my head so the hair was clearly not mine. In addition to this the front door did not close all the way so I could look outside through the large cracks in the door. These are things that should be addressed prior to a new guest checking in. Overall this was a very dissapointing room quality for the cost.

We came here on our Honeymoon and had the time of our lives! The service was absolutely incredible. Our butler, Marcos, was amazing. He handled all reservations and made sure our stay was perfect!! All of the staff members from the bartenders, servers, beach staff, housekeeping, were all amazing. The service here really sets apart this resort from any other resort. The food and drinks were also amazing! I would highly recommend Secrets Royal Beach for a honeymoon!

It is 16 months elapsed since we stayed at Secret Royal Beach resort. December 27, 2022-January 3, 2023. Credit card was stolen from closed safe in hotel room and was used on December 30, 2022, in DO in the furniture store. Charge was $3. 550. We stopped credit card and as soon as we came back home spend ed two months disputing charge with Cardmember services at the bank. Beware of this resort, because environment not safe, manager Rosalba Cordero keep responding with information that contradict his previous answer. Surveillance camera everywhere on the premises of the resort, but they did not find any evidence of theft. Information from credit card not plausible enough for the resort as evidence. We monitor reviews on Tripadvisor, theft from the rooms happened before us and after. Do not relay on their insurance. Resort did not provide insurance information. Secret Royal Beach pretend they filed claim on your behalf than closed case because of lack of evidence. Tripadvisor do not go back to the 2022.

First time here, very large beautiful resort with many pools to go to. Our butler Eddie took care of what ever we needed, also was on the property checking in with us a few times a day. When we did need something we would text him on WhatsApp, he would text right back or run right over always with a smile and a fist bump! Every morning he would send us the Secrets activity sheet with times and descriptions of what was going on at the resort for that day. All employees on the property were all very nice and very helpful, from the time you get up to the time you go to bed. You see smiles all day long which makes you trip that much better!