Sssh - it's a Secret

Linda Buckingham on 10 June 2016
Secrets Akumal – ‘Place of the Turtle’

After a whistle stop touring trip of California we needed a few days of relaxation in the sun – and like many Americans – headed straight for Mexico!

I have stayed at and loved Secrets and Dreams resorts in the Caribbean, so decided to head for the adult-only Secrets Akumal. This hotel is roughly an hour from Cancun airport and from the road all you can see is lush vegetation until you spot the gates. Once inside, the hotel follows the same recipe as their sister properties – a very slick champagne check in and we were escorted to our beautiful contemporary room with a jacuzzi bath.

This property has 434 rooms with 12 room types and offers several ‘swim up’ options where you can step from your terrace directly into a meandering pool. Because there are so many pool options, none of the main pools ever felt crowded – and the stunning beach runs the whole length of the property and off into the distance in both directions.

There are no wrist bands for the all-inclusive but there is discreet security making sure that only guests have access to the resort. They can’t stop people walking the beach, but they can stop and challenge people who cross the invisible line that marks the property boundary to the shoreline.

Dining at Secrets is always a pleasure as there are so many a la carte restaurants included in the all-inclusive package. When in Mexico (even having just come from California!) we had to try the Mexican ‘El Patio’ which was a lovely meal. We also enjoyed the Italian ‘Portofino’ but my favourites were ‘Oceana and the ‘Seaside Grill’ because they’re open sided and I’d rather be in the balmy warmth of the evening beside the sea than in the air conditioning of an indoor restaurant. I’m very partial to wonderful seafood and it takes a good few days to get through their menus! Each day we would stop by at the Barracuda bar for a sundowner on the swing chairs before getting changed for dinner and at the Rendezvous lobby bar for a last nightcap by the firepit. There was plenty of evening entertainment going on around the resort, but as we were on a wind down from our hectic road trip in the US, this time we were more than happy to just chill out.

Naming this hotel the ‘Place of the Turtle’ was no accident and this was one of the lasting memories from our trip – swimming with the turtles off the beach. Akumal is famous for its native green sea turtle population and they didn’t disappoint. We both love snorkelling but there was no need to get a boat or book a specific time – we just took our masks and snorkels with us each time we went for a dip and floated around above the turtles who were happily feeding on the seagrass meadow below us. Very relaxing for us and the turtles were too busy feeding to be worried about what was going on above them – the perfect end to a perfect trip!