We arrived at Secrets Vallarta Bay at noon, and as we stepped out of the van, we were immediately greeted with “Welcome Home,” and given a cold washcloth and a flute of champagne. We were whisked away to the private check-in area, and after doing a little paperwork, we were informed that our room was ready and Carlos, our butler, would show us around and to our room.
We arrived at the large, spacious room with a nice balcony with a pool view but also a nice partial view of the ocean. The room had everything we needed: A comfortable bed, a ceiling fan, and a soaking tub for Miranda. It had a desk that was positioned where I could work and watch out the large glass doors.
We went and had lunch at the market cafe. There were plenty of options but the best was the sirloin and pasta station. There was a large charcuterie-type area with all kinds of meat and cheeses to choose from. Plenty of bread and desserts were also available. After lunch, we went back to the room where I went to work and Miranda got ready and headed down to the beach.
After I was done working, I went down to the beach where she saved me a chair, and we sat and enjoyed the sounds of the waves crashing for a few hours before dinner. We then headed up to the room to get cleaned up from traveling and dressed up for dinner. We went to the French restaurant Bordeaux. We were seated immediately and were offered wine. We ordered French onion soup, and I had the bacon-wrapped filet, and she had the mahi-mahi over asparagus puree. The soup was amazing, and the filet you could cut with a fork. The fish was cooked perfectly, and the puree made the dish. After dinner, we were too full for dessert, so we headed up to the lobby where we listened to a little karaoke until we decided to get some coffee. After coffee, we stumbled across the ice cream and crepe shop. So of course, we had to try it. It was so good, vanilla bean ice cream and a caramel and strawberry crepe. We were worn out from our day starting at 2:30 am we went back to the room and crashed.
Friday morning we ate at the restaurant open for just preferred guests, Oceana. She had the croissant sandwich with turkey, bacon, egg, and avocado on a croissant. I had the chilaquiles, and we split French toast. The food was good, and the service was quick. I think we had about 5 cups of coffee while we sat and listened to the ocean. From there I went back to the room to work, and Miranda found her way to the beach to get ready and enjoy the day. For lunch, I met her back at Oceana where I had the flank steak, and she had shrimp tacos. The salsa was so good, but boy, would it set you on fire. After lunch, I went and sat on the beach for a bit with her before heading back up to work. After I finished, I went back down to the beach and just sat and watched the volleyball match and the sailboats across the horizon. For dinner, we decided to try the fusion night at the buffet. It was just okay, nothing really special, so we just ate a few bites to try a few things then decided to go to the Himitsu, where I had spicy edamame and Miranda had a spring roll. I had the teriyaki ribeye, and she had the trilogy fried rice. The ribeye had great flavor but too much fat and gristle for my liking. After eating, we walked around the family resort next door, Dreams, and just checked it out. We listened to the band that was providing the entertainment for a bit in the lobby then stopped by and grabbed a coffee and of course had to stop and get a bite of ice cream. We stopped by the preferred lounge and grabbed a drink before heading up to call it a night.
Saturday, we woke up early, and Miranda went to the spa for her hydrotherapy treatment. Then after we ate breakfast at the buffet, we headed to the beach to our Bali bed for the day. Daniel was our waiter for the day, and we never wanted for anything all day. We had drinks and then ordered lunch from Oceana and ate right there on the beach. I went and enjoyed the ocean for a while then came back to spend the rest of the day relaxing and just enjoying the sounds of the waves crashing. Since it was our last night, we decided to eat at Oceana since we had such great food from there and also with the sun setting we could watch while we dined. Miranda had the spinach dip, and I had the Argentine empanada. They were both great, then she had the lobster bisque soup which she said was also good. For the main course, she had the surf and turf, which was a filet and grilled shrimp, while I had the filet with gnocchi with mushroom and truffle sauce. It was so good and tender that I could cut it with a fork. We enjoyed our dinner while the sun set, and when we finished, we decided to go to the lobby and sit and enjoy the breeze while taking in the view of the vast ocean. We enjoyed the area for a while then headed back to the room where when we arrived we decided we were a little hungry so we ordered room service. A chicken quesadilla and a pepperoni pizza. Of course, as usual, I fell asleep while waiting on room service. The pizza was, well, frozen pizza but at midnight it was perfect, and the quesadilla was good and was enough to hit the spot.
Sunday, the departure day. Miranda got up and went to hydrotherapy again, and I headed down to the beach to take some pictures while everyone was still sleeping the previous night off. I then met Miranda for breakfast where we enjoyed a peasant omelet, chilaquiles, a croissant sandwich without the croissant, and waffles with fruit. Of course, can’t forget the 5 cups of coffee. After we ate, we headed back down to the beach to make sure to squeeze every last minute possible of this great place. When it was almost time, Miranda headed up and got ready to leave and finish packing while I soaked up just a little more sun. Then I headed up, and away we went on our way home.
My take on Secrets Vallarta Bay: It is a nice resort with plenty of food options. The beach is large enough with plenty of chairs for everyone to enjoy. I like the Bali beds as they are comfortable with just enough shade to enjoy the whole day. The people are all friendly and would do anything we needed. The room had everything we needed, the bed was comfortable with the soaking tub inside the room and jetted tub on the balcony. The only thing I see that could be improved are the deck boards around the pool area are old and tattered and really need to be replaced. Other than that, this resort is worth a try.
