Before my wife and I took our honeymoon back in October ’07 I did a ton of research. Some of the more detailed reviews we found on TripAdvisor were extremely helpful. Based on the reviews we found the most useful in making our selection, we decided to give back and put together our tips and suggestions. We hope you found this helpful and have a wonderful trip everywhere you go.

--Secrets Capri Facilities--

The resort overall was beautiful. The motif was done very well using stone, dark word, and marble that incorporates the surrounding environment, with beautiful decorations, art, and furniture. We particularly loved the evenings when the lighting and candles really showed the place off.

We had an “Ocean View” room on the 2nd floor with an amazing view. It was a nice size room with tile floors throughout. The bathroom was gorgeous with a jacuzzi tub, two stinks, and a separate shower and toilet stall with glass doors. The TV was a standard tube 27in with satellite service and pay-on-demand movies (~$12 per movie); not many channels or movies to choose from, but most were in English. The room also had a Shaper Image alarm clock with an iPod connection.

As for minor critiques, our room was very quiet but it seems that we lucked out with quiet neighbors. One of our neighbors did call us on our first night to request we turndown our TV, which we did not believe was that loud. In talking to others it seems the walls are thin, but not the ceiling or floor. Another small critique, the mini-fridge did not hold much and did not keep drinks that cold.

We spent most of our time on the beach reading and watching the ocean. The beach is thin and fairly small, so find a chair and umbrella to claim after breakfast. The staff keep the beach very clean and free of objects that might hurt guests. The thing we loved the most was the wait staff who come by to take you order for drinks and snacks from the bar.

The pool is huge and beautiful. There seems to be two types of resort goers, though who like the beach and those who like the pool. The pool attracted more people while we were there so we never had any trouble getting chairs on the beach. The guest who preferred the pool generally sunbathed and got involved with the water sport games in the afternoon. Another nice feature of the pool was the bar in the pool that serves snacks and drinks.

--Secrets Capri Services--

The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. Most of them spoke English and were from the local region. Unfortunately my wife and I developed strep-throat before we left the States but luckily the resort had a doctor on call. He was knowledgeable with good bedside manner, and has worked with US insurance companies on reimbursements. His service and the prescription drugs were comparable to US prices.

The room service was not as good as the food in the restaurants. We found the simple dishes (e.g. burgers, ice cream) much better than the fancy stuff (e.g. pasta, cheesecake). It took 30 to 40mins to receive our order. We should add that the menu in our room was incorrect or dated. When you call you have to ask what’s available to order.

They do have internet for $15 dollar a day in your room by ethernet only. If you don’t want to pay there are four computers with internet access in the business center that anyone can use for 15 minutes at a time for free. In addition, there is a wireless router in the business center that has range in the main lobby, which you can connect with your laptop for as long as you want for free too.

--Secrets Capri Restaurants--

There are 5 restaurants at the resort but they are open on different days of the week. We really enjoyed restaurant La Riviera’s breakfast buffet and Himitsu’s Asian dishes and sushi the most. Seaside Grill restaurant had nice lunches too. We only had to wait to be seated one night when trying to get into Himitsu on a Monday night. Service was generally very good but be prepared to wait for your food. The house white and reds were free, along with any cocktail. The only extra cost (for both the restaurants and the bars) when it comes to drinks was for wine other then the house red or white wine, and the expensive liquors. Overall, the food was not as fancy or amazing as you would find in a major metropolitan fancy restaurant in the States, but it was better than we expected and we were kind of foodies. We should add that we took a tour of the kitchens which we found very clean and well managed.

--The Guests at Secrets Capri--

During our stay we saw a good mix of young newly weds, retired folks, gay couples, and middle age anniversary types. Most people kept to themselves unless they came in a group or with another couple. Most people were Americans, but there were a good number of Europeans, Africans, and Latin vacationers as well. We were pleased to see that resort staff seemed very welcoming and treated everyone the same.

As for the crowds, the resort is smaller then most, but we went in the off season (September to November) so we had little to no wait for dinner at the restaurants, or in getting chairs on the beach.

--Tips & Suggestions--

*Tipping*
Though not required, we highly recommend tipping the wait stuff at least a dollar each time for service. The best advice we got beforehand was to bring 100 one dollar bills.

*Dress code*
Do not wear gym or beach clothes inside the lobby unless you’re going out to the beach, pool, or gym. Dress nice in the evenings (e.g., linen pants and button shirt for guys). We suggest you bring a lot of linen since this part of Mexico is very humid.

*Noise*
Bedroom walls are thin so AVOID playing your TV or radio too loud, as well as slamming doors. Also, avoid talking too loud in the hallways. Things generally turned down after 10pm.

*Internet*
If you bring your laptop just use the free wireless in the lobby instead of paying. However, given they have computers with internet access and printers it’s really not necessary to bring your own computer.

*Bad Weather Entertainment*
Bring music CDs and DVDs for the DVD player in your room in case the weather works against you. Our bathroom had speakers in the ceiling which connected to the TV so you can listen to a music CD in the DVD player while you’re in the tub. For skilled computer users who bring their laptops, you can use the component connections in the front of the TV to either play movies or music.

*Breakfast*
Pass on the room service for breakfast. The breakfast/brunch buffet is just too good to pass up.

*Watch your step*
The tiles in your room are slippery when wet! Lay down towels in your bathroom and your hallway when coming in from the beach or pool.

*Day Trips*
Take the day trip to see the local Mayan ruins. We took a day trip to Chichen Itza and had a great time. Not to mention our tour guide was very knowledgeable of the region and Maya cultural. On a side note, do not buy or give any attention to the people selling fake souvenirs within the Chichen Itza national park. First, it’s illegal to sell those items in the park. Second, if you acknowledge any of the people (particular children) selling stuff they will hound you until you buy something. Third, the items they are selling are not actually Mayan, but Aztec (especially the calendars). Basically, the only traditional Mayan souvenirs are colorful hammocks and silver jewelry.

Avoid the day or evening trip to Playa de Camera, it’s not worth it. Basically downtown is a tourist trap and the prices are ridiculous, and most if, if not all, of the items and souvenirs for sale were made in China. Even the items in a local pharmacy were the same price, if not more than in the States. Another example, we tried a restaurant and ended up getting a bill for $100.


--Summary--

We had an amazing honeymoon, and we hope our tips and suggestions prove helpful.