Secrets Silversands Spa and Resort Review Summary

Time flew on this trip. I spent most of day 3 relaxing on the beach listening to the calm lapping of the Caribbean waves under the shade of a palm tree. I want to go back and comment again on the beach. Quite a few people have commented on the beach conditions that I mentioned in the day 2 summary. I took a few moments and walked down the beach on this day to see the conditions of some of the adjacent resorts. Not only were they just as saturated with seaweed and somewhat rocky sand, they had much fewer palm trees. Secrets Silversands has one of the prettiest beaches (photogenic) you will ever see. It is lined with palm trees which is one thing I look forward to seeing when I visit the Caribbean. So while it may not be conducive to playing in the water, it is a wonderful place to lounge and relax under the shade of a palm.

This resort gets an A+ when it comes to its outdoor areas. Silversands has an abundance of pools. If you like more of an active pool scene, they have a main pool with a swim up bar which is also the pool that the wonderful staff engages the crowd in afternoon games and exercises. If you want a pool where you can sit and take a view of the Caribbean as well, they have one amazing infinity pool where you can swim out to the edge and stare at the beautiful turquoise sea. If you are wanting a place to relax by the pool, read a good book in peace and quiet, there are several pool areas made just for you. The pools were absolutely beautiful.

I was also able to work out twice in the resort's gym and again I was quite pleased. They had adequate equipment with a good mix of machine and free weights. The gym also had a shower in the men's and women's restrooms in case you wanted to clean up before heading back to your room.

After a day full of relaxing it was time to decide on the last dinner spot of the trip. Since this trip was only 3 days, I would be unable to eat at every dinner venue so my choice was between the Italian (Portofino), the Mediterranean (Ratatouille) and the French (Bordeaux). After looking at the menus, I decided on the French. The food here at Bordeaux was fantastic. I started with a venison consomme and then opted for the filet mignon for my main. Then I finished the meal with a traditional French apple tartin. Food again was well prepared and beautifully presented and the service "excellente!" This would be my top choice for a romantic meal and evening. Bravo Bordeaux!

The night was capped off with taking in another show which was comprised of local dancers who took the audience on a tour of Mexico through traditional song and dance. This was by far my favorite show of the trip. The costumes were colorful and exquisite and their talent was superb.

Every night as well, the resort has live music near the main lobby bar which I enjoyed just sitting and listening to some of my favorite jazz classics being played.

So in summary...the resort gets a huge thumbs up from me. The staff was very courteous and friendly and always greeted you with an "hola" as you passed by. The restaurant service was fast and very knowledgeable of the dishes being served. I give all of the staff an "A+." The room was great and in an excellent location. The modern decor may be a turn off for some travelers, but I found it simple yet elegant. Food again overall gets a "A" from me as far as the dinner venues are concerned.

It is a resort specifically suited for couples. The restaurant decor is tailored towards romance with lots of heart shaped items and rose or red colored lights which are dimly lit to set the mood. This may not be my first choice for adult family gatherings, but it is perfect for a special couple getaway or celebratory event like a honeymoon or anniversary.

If you are interested in seeing more photos of this resort, please click on this link and you will be directed to my Flickr account.

Please feel free to ask any specific questions about this resort or add your own comments.

Secrets Silversands Spa and Resort Review--Day 2

Hola from Cancun and the Riviera Maya. This is the first full day here at the resort. You really have 2 choices when it comes to breakfast here at Silversands; the buffet at the World Cafe or room service. I chose to try out the buffet. It is your standard resort buffet which includes a variety of eggs, breads and meats with the addition of some Mexican breakfast items such as tacos, Huevos Rancheros and refried beans.

After breakfast it was time to get ready for my spa appointment. The spa here at Silversands is ran by Pevonia. I had scheduled an 80 minute deep tissue massage. Like most resort spas, this one includes a steam area and a dry sauna with the addition of a hot and cold plunge pool and individual water beds to relax on before your schedule appointment. Most spas, including this one, include quiet areas to also relax before your treatment that are separate from the sauna and pool areas. My criticism for this spa is mainly centered around these areas. The main quiet area is located directly behind the desk where everyone checks in and it not conducive to a peaceful setting. They should escort everyone upstairs to the other quiet area which also includes reading material. But this brings me to the second criticism. Even when escorted upstairs once you reach the 5 minute mark before your appointment, you are seated outside the quiet reading and meditation room and nothing is explained to you as far as if you can use that room or not. After my massage, I was asked if I wanted a bottle of water and the massage therapist went into that room to get it for me but that is all it seems it is being used for...to store the post-massage water.

So with that said and those criticisms out of the way, I want to move on to the positive which was my massage therapist. I have had several massages at resorts, on cruises, etc and I have to say it is difficult to get a deep tissue massage that is just right. Well this one was just right. Not too firm to the point that your eyes watered and not too soft to the point that it was no longer a deep tissue, but instead more like a Swedish. The therapist was also quiet and focused on making it a great spa experience. A+ to her.

Now here is something everyone needs to understand when it comes to resort credits. I received a $200 resort credit that can be used for specific items at the resort including spa treatments. Upon check-in, my credits were given to me in the form of coupons with dollar values of $20 and $40 totaling $200. Each coupon can be applied to one item such as a massage. So you don't get to apply all of the credit towards one thing and some may think $200 credits would at least get them a free massage. Nope..you can apply $40 to a massage of 50 minutes or more. The average spa treatment seemed a little high in comparison to other spas so my 80 minute massage was priced at $160 before applying the coupon.

I also noticed that the spa runs daily specials (i.e. 15% off of selected treatments) that may equal the credit coupon so check with the spa before redeeming a coupon in case you want to save one for some other resort purchase.

I spent the rest of the day touring the facilities and beach. The beach here at Silversands is highly criticized. It is loaded with seaweed and the sand is not near as soft and powdery as other resort beaches. If you are looking for a resort where you can also get in the Caribbean and walk along the soft sand beach, this may not be the place for you. There are lots of lounge chairs available on the beach under LOTS of palm trees and this is mainly due to most guests deciding to hang out at the pools due to the issues I have mentioned.

Tonight's dinner was at Himatsu which is Silversands Asian restaurant. I love this restaurant. Food portions were not huge, but you did not leave hungry. The atmosphere was excellent and the service was again stellar. My main course dish was called Bangkok Beef and it had excellent flavor and came with a side of steamed rice.

I have been very pleased with the dining so far. I had read other reviews and it seemed so many had critiqued the food, but I have found it well prepared and nothing has been bland by any means.

The last thing I will touch on tonight is being in a "Preferred Club" room. Is this something I would pay for in the future? The simple answer is probably not. The only true benefit you receive is the free internet in your room. The Preferred Club lounge offers free internet from 7AM to 11PM everyday, newspapers and reading material, 2 TV's and your own bar and bartender. The bartender leaves around 7PM every night. The TV's are ok, but you have a TV in your room and every guest gets 15 mins of free internet every day in the business center so I really can't see paying for the upgrade for what little it offers. You do get your own check in area which may have its advantages during crowded times, but there were no check in lines at all when I arrived in the main lobby.

Stay tuned for more from Silversands in Cancun...

Secrets Silversands Spa and Resort Review--Day 1

Couldn’t have asked for things to go any smoother as far as logistics to get to from the airport to the resort. Plane landed early…got through customs fairly easily and walked outside and was greeted immediately by the U.S.A. Transfers representative. Within 10 minutes I was on my private shuttle and on the way to Secrets Silversands Spa and Resort. Manuel has been with U.S.A. Transfers for 2 years now and his service was A+.

The hotel staff greeted me as I walked in and I was surprised to learn that I had been upgraded to the preferred club. Preferred Club guests get escorted to a private lounge where you check in and have access to your own beverage bar, TV lounge and internet computer center with unlimited internet access.

I will give the resort and the transfer company huge props for going above and beyond. As soon as we started walking over to the Preferred Club area, I realized that I had left my sunglasses in the seat of the transfer van. I let the resort representative know and she called our transfer company for me to let them know that I had left an item in the van. To be honest…I had written the sunglasses off. I had a feeling I would never see my "Maui Jims" again. But before we left the Preferred Club check in area, I was told that the sunglasses were on their way and then within 10 minutes they were already at the concierge desk of the resort.

That level of service stands out in this day and age and I am becoming a quick fan of Secrets Silversands.

The dinner choice the first night was “The Patio” which is Silversands Mexican cuisine restaurant. The food was excellent and leans more towards what you will find in the region of Mexico including fresh fish, grilled chicken and steak. Eduardo or “Brad Pitt,” as he preferred to be called, was our server and did a wonderful job. We were served quickly and the food was well prepared.

First night’s entertainment was a mixture of juggling and acrobatics and left a little to be desired. I have found cruise entertainment better choreographed than what they had put together, so I give it a "C-" as far as grade goes.

This pretty much wraps up day 1. Stay tuned as I continue to blog live from Cancun.