Secrets Akumal

It has been a couple weeks since I last posted because we were on Vacation.  While most people think we are on vacation all the time, we are not.  Just like those who live in a stix and brix we have a daily routine of errands and chores like doing the laundry, cleaning, cooking, washing dishes and maintenance.  Since going on the road we have flown to Jamaica, Hawaii, Dominican Republic and Mexico (three time). We prefer all inclusive resorts where we are totally pampered and the toughest decision we must make is which restaurant to go to to enjoy a great meal. We have even bought into the Unlimited Vacation Club and really like their Secrets resorts because they are adults only.

We chose to fly from Tampa only because we could get a more direct flight to Cancun.  No matter how old I get or how many times I fly I still love seeing the land and water below.  This is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that spans the entrance to Tampa Bay. 

For this trip we chose Secrets Akumal, their newest resort.  It is so new that many of the rooms were not done.  All the restaurants were open, but we were disappointed that the spa was not ready.  While we could have had a massage in a room we wanted the full spa experience including the hydro-cycle.  Not to worry, they transported us to the spa at Dreams Tulum.  That is the kind of pampering we love. 

The lobby is a grand open area with the huge hanging lights.  When I say open I mean no walls so the lights are often swaying in the breeze.

The resort has seven restaurants to choose from for dinner each evening making where do we eat the toughest decision we had to make.  Here we are at El Patio, the Mexican restaurant.

There is great entertainment every day.  This was the fire show that was really neat reflecting off the pool.

Thanksgiving day was my birthday and I opted for a meal at Portofino, the Italian restaurant, rather than the traditional Thanksgiving buffet.  It was my birthday so I did a bit of spooning.

Secrets does have casual restaurants, Oceana and Seaside, but the others have a more formal dress code.  Nanc likes the dress up places the best.

Each evening they have entertainment in the lobby bar before and after dinner.  We loved the mariachi band.

All ready for dinner at Bordeaux, the French restaurant, for another great meal.  The best thing about an all-inclusive resort is that everything is included in your up front payment.  While tipping is not required we find a buck or two is really appreciated by the staff.

Saturday both Nanc and Linda were celebrating birthdays. So when Alberto learned this he brought a special treat to the pool and everyone sang happy birthday. 

The celebration continued through dinner.....

....and late into the night.  Not to worry we had plenty of time to rest up around the pool the next day.

Akumal has a wonderful beach on the warm Caribbean Sea.  It is also the home of sea turtles that are here year round.

Included in our cost was the use of snorkeling equipment so you can swim out just a few feet into the sea and see the turtles swimming and eating the vegetation on the bottom.  

I don't have an underwater camera but these pictures show exactly what I saw.  The turtles moved slowly along the bottom.....

......and every few minutes they come to the surface to take a breath.  This has to rank up there with one of the neatest nature experiences I have seen.  Unfortunately, Nanc does not like to snorkel so she missed out.

Another evening the entertainment was a Mayan warrior ceremony that told the story of war and sacrifice. 

Here is Nanc with one of the warriors.  We also visited the Mayan ruins in nearby Tulum to get a better understanding of their culture.  That will have to be another blog.

A view of the resort from the lobby.  It only opened November 1 and you can see the palms are all newly planted.  While not all the resort was open we could see a lot of progress during our 10 day stay.  When it is all up and running it is going to be fantastic.

All the Secrets we have visited have great entertainment teams offering a big variety of activities.  Akumal was no different.  Nanc took part in the daily yoga and pool aerobics.    

They even had live music around the pool.  If you don't like all the activities there are two other pools that are a lot quieter.

We spent all our time at the infinity pool where we had a great view of the sea.  We love Secrets and are already looking forward to where we will be heading for our next vacation.  They are opening more resorts in several different countries so we will have many to choose from.