Secrets Huatulco Resort & Spa - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9255 reviews

• 

  Secrets Huatulco - Amazing staff, relaxing vacation but some room to improve

  Secrets Huatulco. Our first trip to Huatulco, eighth vacation to Mexico, was taken Feb 25 to March 18, 2025. The weather was hot and sunny in the low to mid 30’s by mid-morning. We upgraded to a swim-out suite for convenience but whatever your room choice, a pool is essential to help mitigate the heat. Staff recommended guests who prefer less intense temperatures should travel between November and January. A private transfer got us quickly to the resort. The front-bell staff members were quick to assist with luggage. (They also provided golf-cart transportation to two more remote restaurants on the property (Castaways and Oceana Seafood), or to the Spa for those partaking. Check-in, as a preferred guest, revealed a very small preferred concierge area and sadly, a Club Lounge that consisted of couch seating for four, two arm chairs (comfortable but needed cleaning as the cloth covers had dried stains from spills), and a small shared coffee table. It lacked tables and chairs for guests who wanted the daily continental breakfast and small selection of afternoon d’oeuvres. This encouraged guests to stand and graze over the food counter. We stayed in Building 1, which offered first floor, preferred “swim-out” suites giving easy access to two long and narrow pools accessed by common steps at each end of the pools, and easy access to the majority of resort restaurants located one floor below the entrance Lobby. Each swim-out suite had a slatted parquet-style wood tiled patio with two loungers, two wicker chairs, a small wicker side table, and an umbrella. Unfortunately, the wood tiles were sun-bleached so that some of them lifted as you walked, creating a potential trip hazard. The sun also made the wood tiles very hot on bare feet. Surprisingly, the concrete around the pools was cooler. Restocking our mini-bar took a day or two for staff to adjust to our preferred options but 90% of the time, it was done perfectly. Building 1 is a good choice for guests with mobility issues. Building 5, first floor offered preferred “swim-out” suites near the quiet pool and Building 6 offered the same, only near the activities pool. Buildings 2, 3 and 4 offered a mix of rooms with either a small patio or balcony with mini hot-tub and chairs, or simply deck chairs. Breakfast options included Market Café (air conditioned, international buffet); Tamarindo (air conditioned, small buffet venue; and for preferred guests, Castaways (a golf cart ride away from Building 1, open air, a la carte). Our favourite was Tamarindo (more intimate, less noisy, and offered an excellent breakfast buffet selection). Lunch options included Market Café, the international buffet (a bit noisy depending on the clientele); Castaways, an open air, a la carte restaurant (excellent views but remember it’s warm there although the sea breeze can help}; and Barefoot Grill (by the pools) offering burgers, hotdogs, pizza and other snacks. Our lunch favourite was Castaways. Their calamari appetizer and fettuccini entre were excellent. Dinner options (a la carte) included Bordeaux (French); Castaways (grilled steaks and specialties); CinCin (Mediterranean and Italian); Oceana (seafood and steaks); Spice (Pan-Asian); and Tamarindo (Mexican). We found the food was of mixed quality at the restaurants. It could be because the chef who prepared a dish we really enjoyed one day at a particular restaurant would be followed by a different chef preparing the same dish but it was not as enjoyable. One guest said that you wouldn’t pick this resort solely for the meals, but you would never go hungry. Bordeaux was our favourite restaurant for its salmon and its Bordeaux salad. Guests raved about their steaks, but for us, they were a bit over-salted. Just ask that they leave the steaks unsalted and you can add salt from the table shaker. CoCo Café, a coffee and snack bar was opened early morning to late night. Room service was available 24 hours a day, but delivery time did take around 45 minutes and our hot meals did arrive cool. The Resort’s main gardens were well groomed. However, some bushes and flowers on the ocean facing sides of the guest rooms were not as well kept. In fairness, the terrain limited what was planted and how they could be accessed to be maintained. Spanish is naturally predominant. More northerly resorts in Mexico tend to hire more staff fluent in English. Here, some staff spoke only Spanish, some a mix of Spanish and limited English, and a few who are fluent in both. Usually someone nearby could help translate if needed. It’s great if you know some Spanish. You can meet them in the middle. Language aside, the staff at Secrets Huatulco were overwhelmingly amazing. They were kind, hard working, and made us feel welcomed and appreciated. A few standouts were: Carmen, a fantastic server in morning Tamarindo and afternoon Market Café. She is in our opinion, the top employee of the Resort. She was genuine, engaging, remembered our preferences, anticipated our dining needs, and was truly remarkable. (Ariana, who assisted Carmen in Tamarindo, was another welcoming staff member, albeit only in Spanish.) Itzel, our housekeeper, did an amazing job keeping our room tidy and, on a few days, freshened it with hand-picked flowers. It was easy to see that she and her colleagues took pride in the high-quality work they performed. She always had a beaming smile for us. Roberto Martinez, a front-bell staff member, was a stand-out. He was friendly, helpful, competent, engaging, on-time and spoke excellent English. Roberto greeted us every day and even helped to take photos of my wife and me, joining us for a keepsake memory picture. Ismael, a bartender who often worked the Preferred Lounge was friendly and could make a perfect cocktail when asked. He, like other bartenders, rotate to other bars at the Resort so if you visit Secrets Huatulco, watch for him at the refreshment stops. Enrique in the Oceana Seafood restaurant during the evening dinner was fun, funny, remembered our preferences, and was an excellent server. We highly recommend you ask for his table. Other staff deserving recognition include Yaribeth (Room Service) who went out of her way to make our in-room dining special and who recognized our special occasion. Austreberto (Bordeaux), Adilene (Spice) and Rodrigo Garcia (Castaway) were other stand-outs. And finally, a shout-out to Regina Ortega (UVC rep) for her care and kindness to us. While other resorts in the Hyatt family have beautiful gardens throughout the resort, some that offer higher quality or more consistently prepared menus, and offer more upscale Preferred Lounges, bottom line, Secrets Huatulco offers fair value for the money. It is a favourite resort of many returning guests. One couple indicated they were back for the 12th time. All guests seemed to speak highly of the Resort’s staff. We believe they are the reason people keep returning to Secrets Huatulco.

  Mar 27, 2025
• 

  Would visit Secrets Huatulco again!

  Excellent service all around! Special kudos to: Jose (concierge), Deva (Nexus desk), Carlos (airport shuttle), Jaime (membership rep), Amayrani (Bordeaux server), Daniel (entertainment), Alfredo (entertainment), Julio (pool server), Monica (Marker Cafe), Matilde (Coco Cafe). Great accommodations, although some fixtures are showing their age. We took the 7 Bays boat tour with Mario and Captain Pollo, and saw amazing wildlife (including whales and sea turtles), and stunning scenery! Alejandro was fantastic during our tour of the local town and points of interest. The only thing about Secrets that I would change would be to not have the smoking area in such a central location. I would definitely recommend this resort.

  Mar 26, 2025
• 

  Fabulous week in Huatulco!

  We have been to. numerous places in Mexico (Gulf and Pacific) but never to Huatulco .. We loved it and can't wait to see more of Oxaca. Best resort we have been to. Rooms and view of the ocean were magnificent. So many pools that they were never overcrowded. The restaurants were generally excellent, The beach has coarse tan sand that is typical of the Pacific side of Mexico. If you want to be on the beach, one must get there early in the morning but this was not an issue for us. We were able to go into the ocean everyday but one had to be mindful of the waves and undertow. The snorkelling in this bay is not great .. but there are lots of other places not too far for that! The staff were helpful and welcoming. Special acknowledgement to Ivonne and Stefany at Castaways for breakfast (for Preferred guests only). Within two days they remembered us and made us feel welcomed each morning. We will go back, for sure.

  Mar 25, 2025
• 

  Lovely resort, fantastic staff

  We had a wonderful time. Excellent food, comfortable stay (beds are a bit firm). The chair game at the pool and beach gets tiring, but is necessary otherwise you’ll have no shade - which is much needed. Entertainment was very good, the band “chocolate cake” and other evening events were by fun. We hired a private boat from the beach that turned out to be a great experience, saw whales, dolphins and turtles. Caught some fish to boot, and had a good tour of the area. Would return.

  Mar 25, 2025
• 

  A hidden gem!

  We recently were at this resort February 11-19. Our wedding anniversary was Valentines Day and my birthday was also during this trip. It is a hidden gem in Southern Mexico- already have next February booked! We enjoy the delicious dining that we have experienced at many of the UVC resorts. Our favorite at this resort was Bordeaux- we dined there 5 nights out of 8! The service was impeccable and the food was so wonderful! We had Amayvani (May) as our server the 1st evening that we visited Bordeaux. She was excellent! She remembered us every time that we came that week and the hostess even remembered our names! The hostess was Mariana. My review would not be complete without recognizing the chef and kitchen staff: Betzaida, Hector, and Emannuel. We cannot wait until we return to our "home away from home" in February 2026!

  Mar 25, 2025