Secrets Maroma Beach

We just got back from a week at Secrets Maroma Beach. Despite the ongoing construction and subsequent restaurant closures, the resort still delivered a great experience. While I can understand "dinging them" on the rating due to the construction and it is major construction (see pic), not the typical, lagged renovations that resorts do during low season. Apparently they had a lot of cancellations because of it. What I did not like is that you still paid full price for a resort that did not have all amenities. I think 2 or 3 restaurants were closed because of it. A modest discount might go a long way. That said, my 4 vs. 5 star rating was not due to the construction. It was mostly due to the Preferred amenities.

Why I would recommend Secrets Maroma:

• Food. I found the food to be one of the best for an all-inclusives at this price range. We never had a bad meal. That's not to say that everything was awesome (some dishes I found too salty), but overall I found this to be a plus. We went to all of the a la carte restaurants. Never did the buffet. If anything, the Teppanyaki dinner (the only one that requires a reservation) was a bit disappointing, but still not bad. No Saki included. A pet peeve of mine, as at other luxury AO/AI, you do get Saki at the Japanese restaurants. While that is subjective, what is not subjective is the fact that they are on top of food allergies. My wife has a rare food allergy, and they were on top of it. We mentioned it once and never had to mention it every time we had a meal. They would cook her dish separately if there was a remote chance of cross-contamintation . Once I ordered some pizza, and the waiter asked if we were sharing it. I said no, but asked what would be the issue since the pizza I ordered did not have the allergic ingredient. And he said: no, but he'd make sure the pizza guy making the pie would not touch anything else. We were very impressed.
• Service: I won't waste keystrokes on this. I can't recall anyone not being friendly. And, as mentioned above, they went above and beyond regarding my wife's food allergy.
• Activities: There is a wide variety of activities throughout the day. The Entertainment Team was very engaging without being overbearing.
• Smoking only in designated areas. Nothing worse that relaxing on the beach and someone lights up right next to you. You can only smoke in designated areas. While for the most part, guests complied, we did notice a few smoking poolside. Maybe more signage is needed (I didn't even see the sign prohibiting smoking on the beach).
• The new area under construction. Depending on who you spoke to, it will either be completed in November or December. So come 2027, it should be completed, and it looks to be a new, main pool area.

Why I might not recommend Secrets Maroma: No big reason to not recommend. The only minor observation, that might be a negative, is that there is no quiet pool. The main pool hosts the pool bar and activities. But the Infinity pool, that runs parallel to the main pool, also hosts pool volleyball and pool basketball. To find a quiet pool area, you have to go to the extreme end of either pool.

Preferred: Did I think Preferred was worth it...no. Would I go Preferred next time around...yes. If you spend most of your time on the beach and prefer premium alcohol (and we fall into that category), then you should consider it. The Preferred rooms are closer to the beach, and the Preferred Beach Club was very nice. It's open air, on the beach, and serves lunch. The bar is open until 11pm, and there is a fire pit where you can hang out. I also found the a la carte breakfast at Oceana to be a "preferred plus". We never hit the buffet at all for breakfast or lunch. That said, there is no Preferred pool. And the only other Preferred area was the Preferred lounge, in building 24 or 25. It was nice, but tucked away from the main building where all the action is. We went there the first day to check it out, and once before dinner, and it was dead. The bartenders, while very nice and provided good service, were not "mixologists", creating concoctions and entertaining the customers. At other resorts, the equivalent of "preferred" lounge would be in the main building, and thus more lively. I'm not sure if the Concierge service is Preferred only, but that was a non-factor for us.

All in all, we look forward to returning next year, after September. The new area will be completed and even more pool areas. Particularly given the seaweed situation (aka, sargassum). It seems to get worse every year and its less of a factor in the fall and winter months. They do a great job keeping it at bay on the shore, but when there is a lot in the water, nothing you can do. And while I can appreciate the cleaning, the constant back and forth of the "raking" truck is not very relaxing. The resort next door looks to not care at all, so if you're downwind from the Catalonia, you'll get hit with the smell. The resort after, implemented some form of a barrier which is not 100% but made a noticable difference in the amount of sargassum washing up.

I would shout out some folks, but honestly too many. From the Entertainment staff, I thought Angel (aka Brown Sugar) was the most engaging. And Alexis was the waiter at the Beach Club, that was on top of the whole pizza thing.

Tip: Book your own transfer. We used USA Transfers, and they lived up to their positive reviews. And were one of the least expensive options. Also, be sure to attend the "Ronquero". especially if you eat sushi. They take a 100 pound, fresh tuna, and carve it up while explaining where the different sushi comes from. And they then pass around freshly cut slices. Even if you don't like raw tuna, it was entertaining and informational.

What a great way to spend an anniversary, our room was beautiful and the views were fantastic. The staff made everything so easy and everyone was super friendly. We felt genuinely welcomed. This is the type of vacation you show up and truly relax for every minute of it which is so nice. Food was good and the pool was beautiful. Can't wait to come back!

I would give 10 to staff....Concierge ROGER, Freddy, Manny, Gabriella, Willian, Daniel, Antonio, Patrice - SO INCREDIBLE!!