Great overall review. We went in June 2023 and loved it. I'm in agreement with you about the lack of shade around the pools. After the first couple of days, I started scoping out the best shaded spots around the infinity portion of the pool and then I'd go down around 7:30 to reserve two chairs for us. Go to breakfast and then come back. Even though there are umbrellas, because of the angle of the sun, it can be a challenge to stay in the shade all day. We didn't spend any time sitting on the beach when we went, but it did seem that there were more chairs available there. But the beach chairs aren't padded as they are around the pool. Which we really appreciated the padded chairs. I will say that there is hardly any natural shade around the pool closer to the main building. There is a spot near the corner of the Seaside grill where the chairs we had were in the shade because of the natural shade of the palm trees. Especially during the hottest part of the day. Again, they did have enough umbrellas around the pool but it was a challenge to move them into the perfect position for maximum shade. The sun is no joke down there, especially for people who aren't in the sun all the time. One thing I regret not doing is getting up early to see the sunrise. We were there for 7 nights in a pool view room. We also loved how small the resort felt. You could walk to anywhere on the property in minutes.
Is there a height restriction for the bigger waterslides? Wondering if my 4 year old would be able to go down them. Also, do adults need to accompany or can kids go independently
If I’m not mistaken there are height restrictions! So I’d say it all depends on how tall your little one is. Kids can go independently assuming they’re tall enough to get on them!
I don’t remember the total! BUT if you download the Hyatt inclusive app it lists out the prices for the different services. I just checked and it says $229 for a 50 minute massage for example. I have not been to secrets royal yet!
I would say yes. All the restaurants are on the same level and have ramps with the exception of coco cafe but that building has an elevator. All guest buildings also have elevators however I would make sure to have them book you in a first floor room if possible. It’s just more convenient. The elevator in the building we stayed in was sort of hidden and not centrally located in my opinion.
I didn’t use the hair dryer so I can’t speak with 100% certainty on how well it worked BUT from the looks of it, it seemed like the standard dryers you find in hotels!
Thank you! We brought our own so I’m not 100% sure. They have a little shack near the beach that has water sport activity equipment that’s included. It’s possible they may have snorkeling gear but don’t quote me!
Sorry didn’t see this! They do have a little shack near the beach where you can get some equipment for some water sport activities that are included as part of your stay. Unfortunately I don’t remember all the equipment they had.
Did you see a lot of teenagers there? I’m wondering if there is any fun entertainment geared to teens other than the teen club, like beach parties, pool activities, foam party, movies on the beach?
I didn’t see a ton. They had that kids club during the day but it was for younger kids. At night they would do entertainment for the kids but I’d say it felt more geared towards the younger kids than teenagers. Outside of the small water park there wasn’t any pool activities or foam parties.
Hi! The cabanas were on the preferred club side. I’m not sure which room category it was but I want to say it was most likely the swim out rooms! Hope that helps!
On the preferred club side the swim up rooms looked pretty nice. Some even had daybeds but the swim up rooms on the non preferred club side didn’t really feel like swim up rooms. They had little paths to the pool but really it just felt like you were in the main pool. It’s a bit hard to describe.
@@TravelHeavyPackLight great review, thank you. Am I right in thinking that the non preferred swim ups area the lobby end of the resort opposite one of the swim up bars?
I’m here right now. Absolutely beautiful but and it’s a big but. The food is terrible. Like really really bad. Scale of 1 to 10 it is easily a minus 4. I’m not a picky eater but I’ve lost weight down here. Breakfast is just hot garbage and lunch is a crap shoot then dinner is just small portions of weird combinations. When I get back to the states I’m gonna fix me some mashed taters and cornbread with maybe some fried chicken with green beans and a side of brown gravy
I hear you! Like I said in the video the food is just ok in my opinion. I can’t say I’ve ever had amazing food at a resort if I’m being honest. During our stay it wasn’t the worst food but definitely nowhere near the best. I don’t know if you noticed this but during lunch at the buffet it’s like they had more desserts than actual food! We visited dreams la Romana and their buffet was wayyyy better. At least now you can say you lost weight on vacation!
I think they can fix a lot of the problems if they choose to address them. It’s also things like the rock hard beds. Unfortunately the beach is just a seaweed paradise. Nobody was getting in. That being said the grounds and pools are beyond perfect. Just need a few tweaks here and there
Yep, that was our experience too. Can't understand why Hyatt would invest millions in a major makeover and skimp on the catering. At one stage in PortoFino, after being served raw pizza, I though about going into the kitchen to show them how to make pasta and pizza - aka Gordon Ramsey "Kitchen Nightmares" style 🙂
Ooooff raw pizza does not sound fun! I hope they address the food at some point! It’s still such a new resort that I’d like to hope they can make some improvements!
That’s a great question! So I do remember they had trash cans with ash trays on top of the trash cans sprinkled throughout certain areas of the resort. I remember there being one like right outside our building and I remember this because the ash trays had sand and they’d stamp/imprint the dreams logo in the sand and every morning I’d notice the imprinted logo that was prefect but by the end of the day the logo wasn’t as clear because it was being used to put out cigarettes. I say all that to say I believe smoking is permitted but I think it’s like designated areas where you can smoke if that make sense!
Thank you! This is the sort of information I want to know when I travel which is what inspired the video so I’m so happy you found it helpful! There’s lots of room for improvement but I really appreciate the feedback. If you visit let me know how you like it!
