Secret Bay

I am a little reluctant to write a good review as the magic of Secret Bay is that it is in an unspoilt location in a stunning country that is unspoilt by tourism. If you want a buzzing resort, do not come here - it is very quiet and that is the beauty of the hotel. The stay was magical. Great villa with a view of the sea and beach, with a spacious balcony and plunge pool. Well equipped villa with a kitchen. They cook your breakfast for you in your villa. We loved the restaurant for lunch and dinner; the chef comes out during each and every meal asking for feedback and making recommendations. One night we did the discovery menu where he designed the menu for us. The food was truly excellent. The main pool is pleasant. Good selection of unmotorised watersports (though would have loved it if they had a hobicat / sailing dinghy). Service is personable and very friendly throughout. The concierge could be a little sharper but the friendly service compensates for the short comings in terms of efficiency. Excellent massages in an unfussy spa. They offer a good selection of excursions / activities; we really enjoyed a visit to the forest and seeing waterfalls. The Indian river excursion was good. My only gripe - not unusual for the Caribbean - is the costs of drinks / snacks that are pre-stocked in your kitchen. A basic Lindeman’s Sauvignon Blanc that costs GBP7.95 in my local supermarket in the UK which was in the villa kitchen cost US$75 plus taxes etc etc! In any event, a really special place. I am really looking forward to going back.

Perfect location for some peace and quiet! The thing that sets Secret Bay apart from other locations is the staff! Everyone from the general manager to our Villa Host (Hi Fania!) to the golf cart drivers were so attentive and friendly. We had to adjust our schedule due to a hurricane that affected travel in the US and the staff was very accommodating. We had to change villas because of the schedule change but we never skipped a beat because of the way it was handled. The food here is amazing. Fania, our villa host, cooked breakfast every morning in our villa and it was better than anything I could have cooked in our kitchen at home. The restaurant has a wide variety of options for anyone, including a fantastic beef tataki for land lubbers as well as plenty of local options for those that wanted to sample the local culture. One night, we had the private chef Hilroy cook dinner in our villa and he treated us to one of the best meals we’ve ever had. What made it great was not only the amazing food but hearing about him, his family and island history made the experience one of the best of the trip. After our check in, the first staff we met were Dane and Chelsea at the pool bar. They were quick to point out the local rum infused flavored drinks and we were hooked for the rest of trip. Johnny (JJ) at water sports was knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating to all our needs. Craig, the general manager, was on site the entire trip. He had great information the history of the resort, local culture, and his primary concern was making our experience was the best it could be. We can’t wait to go back and see our new friends.

Wife and I went for our 20th anniversary. We were looking for something quiet and secluded. Definitely fit the bill. The grounds were lush and peaceful, and the staff was always attentive, polite and pleasant. The villa is just as wonderful as the pictures online. Even though the 'forecast' said rain every day - we had a nice, sunny view every day we were there (7 days). We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, however there are some things to take into consideration when thinking about visiting this property: The ride from the airport: all the roads are treacherous and winding...if you are at all prone to car-sickness, beware. We actually canceled one of our tours when we found out it was over an hour car ride from the resort. It would be nice if the resort had a boat to do some transfers to and from the resort. The water seemed quite calm, and a boat ride would've been far more tolerable than some of these car rides! Everything is expensive! (all references to price are in US$) We were expecting luxury, as we spent ~$2k/nt on the villa alone. However I can't see the reason for a patron and club soda at the pool costing $27. The specialty drinks were more reasonably priced, and were quite good - with local natural ingredients, but sometimes I just wanted a simple drink. We did bring our own liquor for the villa, and a couple bottles of wine from home, but cocktails at the bar or restaurant were outrageous - even when considering that it is difficult to get provisions to such a remote island. We had a bottle of wine from the restaurant (my wife and I are not wine snobs) and we picked a pinot noir from the wine list in the $45 range, that ended up being a $3.99 bottle you would by from a gas station back home! With such 'lux' billing...why is a wine like this even on the menu? (I didn't think it was that bad honestly...just the 10x mark-up was a bit of a surprise) 2. most anything you ask for in your villa will be an upcharge. Can of club soda - $4, bag of almonds to snack on - $25, bottle of water for the cab ride - $4ea. Less that 1/2 the price if you have a cab driver stop off at a local bodega on the way back from a tour. 2. Seemingly unnecessary up-charges continue into the tour prices... even little sites we wanted to see came with a cab fare often in the $200 range. We would later find out from locals that these rides cost fractions of that when booked direct with a car service. I had the feeling that the resort takes a considerable fee for reserving these trips. Most of the tours were individual, and our driver was also our tour/hike guide, which was nice. We would spend the entire day with these gentlemen, and would always tip on top of the cost from the resort. We had a dinner 'included' as part of our reservation, and the 'set-up' for dinner on the sunset terrace was an additional $75...I didn't understand this either. Our villa host brought our meal up to the terrace via golf cart one course at a time, and the experience was lovely...however it wasn't like there was a staff of 4 waiting on us the whole time - we just used the resort's porch for an hour or so. (lovely view though...I recommend it). A yoga class was $160, casual dining/lunch was about what you'd expect at a Ritz Carlton-type property. We did a private chef dinner in our villa as part of a 'Lion Fish Hunt' which was the best. Hilroy the chef was a delight! (the hunt boat tour and private chef for the two of us was ~$1,000) Fine dining on the terrace was a fantastic prix-fix meal...with a couple drinks, it was over $400. The kayak/canoe up the Indian River was nice, and we spent time at the jungle Rum Bar chatting up the locals, our tour guide and the bartender. We did go to 'Keepin it Real' and the meal was great - but be aware, it's quite a ways from the resort. A great meal there was about $35US for the two of us. Locals are all friendly. No pushy salesmen type. Really wonderful people. This island is VERY poor however, and the effects of a Hurricane 7 years ago is still apparent. I had no problem tipping for great service and experiences throughout our stay, and a little money from tourists likely goes a long way to these wonderful people, since even prices in the local stores seemed higher than most of the residents could easily afford. Overall, very nice experience, but I gathered that the target clientele for the resort is the 'price-is-not-a-factor' crowd. We enjoy nice vacations, but I can think of more luxurious properties to drop upwards of 15 grand on a week vacation.

An amazing vacation with the most unbelievable staff! If you are looking for a special treat - especially without kids - this place is amazing. We were there off season so there were only 8 of us on the property - they can only hold around 90 people at a time - so never too busy. The drive to the hotel from the airport is about an hour - great way to see a lot of the island. We had the same driver - Tyrone - for the whole time we were there - he was amazing!!!! Our luggage did not make it the first few days and someone from the airport had already let the staff know, so by the time we arrived - they had our villa stacked with toiletries and got us dressed in stuff from their onsite shop until our stuff arrived 2 days later. They were so accommodating!!!! (and American Airlines reimbursed us for the clothes we had to buy!). Even the golf cart driver - Dwayne - went back to his house to get me some of his contact solution since they had none at the resort. The villas are beautiful, big, clean and have some amazing views. Our villa host was Martina, and was wonderful. The breakfasts they cook for you in the room are unreal. They will keep the room stacked with food you want and anything that was wrong was taken care of right away. Craig is the manager and was always available to talk to if necessary -- he was wonderful. The food is incredible!! You MUST do the fine dining when it is offered. The chefs are unreal, from France and take so much pride in what they do - was SO worth the money and I highly recommend it. The staff at the bar and restaurants were also beyond wonderful (especially Gyaile, Dane, Jamarley). Also -no happier person on earth than the golf cart driver Jacob! You have to spend time with him - he is amazing. Could not recommend this place more - go see waterfalls! Snorkle! Scuba! RELAX!

I have never been so amazed with the quality of service, amazing accommodations, and overall vacation experience. The website understates what a wonderful place Secret Bay is. Food, people, EVERYTHING was amazing. We can't wait to return.