Intro
I came across Secrets the Vine resort a couple of months ago when it was about to open. I was really intrigued with the modern design which is what I typically prefer, and we had never been to an all-inclusive. So this looked like a good candidate to try. We both had also never been to Mexico, and after our last Kauai trip, we agreed we need to change it up a bit and visit a new place altogether. Mexico was close enough, relatively inexpensive, and we got to try this brand new resort. I booked a 4 night stay, and we were really excited to check out this place.
The resort was located in the Cancun hotel zone, which is a long strip of road where the vast majority of hotels were located. It reminded me of the Vegas strip or the hotels all along Waikiki beach in Honolulu. Each resort was pretty big, so we couldn't just easily walk from one to the other. And it looked like most of the hotels were self-contained. Since Secrets the Vine was one of the newest resorts, the downside was that it didn't actually have that much land. The resort only had a small strip of beach area and the hotel was built upwards (tall) to maximize the space. The good thing though was that all rooms had at least a partial ocean view.
Unlike other resorts which appear to have huge gardens with beautiful landscaping, we passed by a small apartment community before entering the gate/entrance to our hotel off of the main road. Upon pulling up to the entrance, the bellboy came to grab our luggage and we went up the stairs to the lobby area.
Lobby
The lobby area was beautiful and grand. It had high ceilings with multiple glass floor-to-ceiling windows which made the area open. There were different seating areas, a cafe, and a bar.
Check-in
The check-in went pretty smooth; there were 4-5 counters and they had fruit and cookies available on the side if we wanted. We were offered an upgrade to the junior suite for an additional $50 per night. We actually declined although now thinking back it probably wouldn't have been a bad idea. Strangely, there was no wristband or anything like that. The check-in agent then instructed us to the "VIP Services" area where we were to collect our resort coupons. We were given $200 value of resort coupons, and were invited to a 90 minute breakfast/presentation for an additional resort credit discount. We politely declined.
Room
We booked a deluxe ocean view room and were assigned to the 10th floor, which was their lowest floor (one floor up from the lobby). Even though this was considered an entry level room, it was still spacious and beautiful. The king size bed was huge and comfortable.
The mini bar was stocked with water bottles, juice, soft drinks, and beer.
I loved the modern look of the bathroom, the spacious dual sinks, and the glass showers.
We had a pretty big balcony overlooking the pool and a side view of the ocean. A lot of people on Tripadvisor commented on the lack of privacy on the balcony. But I understand why they would do that to extend the openness and the view of the ocean.
There was a turn-down service every night where they replenished the mini bar, set chocolates and left the list of activities for the next day. Overall we were really happy with our room.
Pool
There were 3 main pools and plenty of beach/lawn chairs. We didn't feel the need to come early and grab a spot, though we saw many others did right after breakfast. The pool attendant walked around to take drink orders. They could also set up an umbrella for shade.
The pool was heated, so the water was nice and warm. Even though there were plenty of people around, the pool itself was never really over crowded.
Beach
Down the steps from the pool was the beach area. There were chairs set up as well for those who chose to be on the sand. The beach area was pretty clean. I didn't see any vendors selling stuff on the beach, which was nice.
I came across Secrets the Vine resort a couple of months ago when it was about to open. I was really intrigued with the modern design which is what I typically prefer, and we had never been to an all-inclusive. So this looked like a good candidate to try. We both had also never been to Mexico, and after our last Kauai trip, we agreed we need to change it up a bit and visit a new place altogether. Mexico was close enough, relatively inexpensive, and we got to try this brand new resort. I booked a 4 night stay, and we were really excited to check out this place.
The resort was located in the Cancun hotel zone, which is a long strip of road where the vast majority of hotels were located. It reminded me of the Vegas strip or the hotels all along Waikiki beach in Honolulu. Each resort was pretty big, so we couldn't just easily walk from one to the other. And it looked like most of the hotels were self-contained. Since Secrets the Vine was one of the newest resorts, the downside was that it didn't actually have that much land. The resort only had a small strip of beach area and the hotel was built upwards (tall) to maximize the space. The good thing though was that all rooms had at least a partial ocean view.
 |
| Secrets The Vine |
Unlike other resorts which appear to have huge gardens with beautiful landscaping, we passed by a small apartment community before entering the gate/entrance to our hotel off of the main road. Upon pulling up to the entrance, the bellboy came to grab our luggage and we went up the stairs to the lobby area.
Lobby
The lobby area was beautiful and grand. It had high ceilings with multiple glass floor-to-ceiling windows which made the area open. There were different seating areas, a cafe, and a bar.
Check-in
The check-in went pretty smooth; there were 4-5 counters and they had fruit and cookies available on the side if we wanted. We were offered an upgrade to the junior suite for an additional $50 per night. We actually declined although now thinking back it probably wouldn't have been a bad idea. Strangely, there was no wristband or anything like that. The check-in agent then instructed us to the "VIP Services" area where we were to collect our resort coupons. We were given $200 value of resort coupons, and were invited to a 90 minute breakfast/presentation for an additional resort credit discount. We politely declined.
Room
We booked a deluxe ocean view room and were assigned to the 10th floor, which was their lowest floor (one floor up from the lobby). Even though this was considered an entry level room, it was still spacious and beautiful. The king size bed was huge and comfortable.
 |
| Deluxe Ocean View Room at Secrets The Vine |
The mini bar was stocked with water bottles, juice, soft drinks, and beer.
I loved the modern look of the bathroom, the spacious dual sinks, and the glass showers.
We had a pretty big balcony overlooking the pool and a side view of the ocean. A lot of people on Tripadvisor commented on the lack of privacy on the balcony. But I understand why they would do that to extend the openness and the view of the ocean.
There was a turn-down service every night where they replenished the mini bar, set chocolates and left the list of activities for the next day. Overall we were really happy with our room.
Pool
There were 3 main pools and plenty of beach/lawn chairs. We didn't feel the need to come early and grab a spot, though we saw many others did right after breakfast. The pool attendant walked around to take drink orders. They could also set up an umbrella for shade.
The pool was heated, so the water was nice and warm. Even though there were plenty of people around, the pool itself was never really over crowded.
Beach
Down the steps from the pool was the beach area. There were chairs set up as well for those who chose to be on the sand. The beach area was pretty clean. I didn't see any vendors selling stuff on the beach, which was nice.
Here's a breakdown of our trip to Cancun:
