Top Secret Cancun

Cancun, Mexico

You can hardly describe the Secrets Capri Riviera resort near Cancun, Mexico, as truly secret – it’s one of the best known resorts in the Cancun area for providing luxury vacation accommodation at bargain prices. The Secrets Capri Riviera is located in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun proper. It’s also in the vanguard of two recent trends in vacation accommodation: everything, so far as possible, is covered by one ‘all inclusive’ pricing system, and the resort is strictly ‘adults only’ – the management, in common with that at many other international resorts, has decided that there is a market for vacation accommodation where adults can enjoy the peace and quiet that comes from not having excitable youngsters running around.

But the absence of kids is the only sense in which the Secrets Capri Riviera is not a playground: in every other way the place has been designed with enjoyment in mind.

The lavish, good-value hospitality begins in the resort’s rooms, of which there are 277. Each is designed to be reminiscent of a classic Mexican hacienda. This is no ugly concrete block parked on the beach: the architecture of the Secrets Capri Riviera is worth the trip in itself. The soft arches and curves of the buildings are offset and complemented by the range of pastel colors that have been chosen to decorate the rooms.

So what do you get, exactly? Round-the-clock room and concierge service, internet access and CD and DVD players are only the start of it. The rooms themselves, as you might expect, vary a little, but you can choose from a range of en suite delights including everything from marble baths to full Jacuzzis. Neither does the Secrets Capri Riviera skimp on the internal design of accommodation: each room and suite is perfectly furnished with local fabrics and stripped hardwoods, and has a floor of cool, genuine Travertino marble, mined in ancient Italian quarries and shipped all the way to Mexico for the ultimate in underfoot coolness and sensation. Additionally each room, depending on its level within the resort, has a balcony or terrace with guaranteed sea or garden views. If one room isn’t quite enough for you, and your budget permits, you can always upgrade to a Junior or Presidential suite – with up to 1900 square feet of floor space. In all, the Secrets Capri Riviera offers the perfect accommodation for a stay in paradise.

But of course, being on vacation doesn’t just involve lounging in your room or suite all day, no matter how luxurious or tempting they may be. There are lots of things to do at the Secrets Capri Riviera – whether you like watersports, golf, or simply relaxing by the pool, this resort almost certainly has some kind of activity on offer that you will love. Not all the activities advertised are available on site – for example, you may have to travel just a short way to enjoy a round of golf – but every care is taken by the resort staff to ensure that organizing whatever activity you’re interested in participating in is as painless and straightforward as possible.

In addition to the usual run of sports and water-based activities, the resort organizes or manages a range of activities in the nearby countryside and coastline – this part of Mexico is especially beautiful, and of great historic interest. If you’re interested in a guided walk along the coastal littoral, or a session of photography in the Mayan ruins that lie close to the resort arrangements can be made with a resort concierge or at the main reception desk. The resort is set in seventy-one acres of its own land, and is close to one of the world’s largest natural barrier reefs – so there is no shortage of natural wonder to admire.

Evening entertainment is also lavish. The resort has a live jazz club and piano bar, so you can enjoy the sound of some fine, relaxing music as you settle down to eat. The dining opportunities on site are varied and all of a very high quality. All the restaurants on the Secrets Capri Riviera site – there are five in total - are air-conditioned, and you have a choice of Mediterranean, Continental and Pan-Asian cuisines. If you like you dinner to be really fresh, you can choose to eat at the resort’s waterside seafood restaurant, where fresh local fish and shellfish – including the invariably fantastic local lobster – are served nightly. In keeping with the relaxed, all-inclusive spirit of the resort, no prior bookings need to be made by guests who wish to enjoy any of the restaurants.

The Secrets Capri Riviera offers something that it isn’t always easy to find – true luxury at a price that is within the range of many middle-income vacationers. Take the plane to Cancun, and learn what it means to be pampered!