Looking for a sleek, contemporary, adults-only all-inclusive that offers numerous amenities and excellent service?  Look no further than Secrets Silversands Riviera Cancun.  Located 20 min. south of the Cancun airport near the fishing village of Puerto Morelos, the Silversands caters to adults who enjoy Miami-chic ambiance in an oceanfront setting.  This resort is a recipient of the AAA Four Diamond award for its stellar amenities and service, and most recently has been Rainforest Alliance Certified given its efforts to reduce the resort’s environmental impact.

 

 

If you’re looking for a resort with a grand lobby, you will be disappointed.  The lobby at Secrets Silversands is understated and simple, yet its uber-cool sculpture of a school of swimming silver fish gives it an air of elegance.  Check-in occurs on the upper level, while the lobby bar below can be reached via a circular staircase.  The lobby bar is surrounded on several sides by floor-to-ceiling windows, olive green or orange sofas, and off-white daybeds, while most of the restaurants are located nearby.  Check out this bar at night when the surrounding pillars give off an amber glow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest rooms continue the contemporary style of the resort with a grey and silver color scheme, ultra-modern “mood lighting” surrounding the suspended bed (the bed is set on a platform or ledge rather than directly on the floor), and comfortable lounging sofa in the adjoining sitting room.  Each guest room includes a balcony daybed, large shower with rainforest showerhead, and Jacuzzi tub; when closed, the mirrored sliding panel next to the tub can either provide privacy while bathing, or allow views outdoors and conversations within when left opened (all lesser suites have this bathroom configuration).  While some of the original guest rooms are beginning to look somewhat “tired”, the resort recently finished several new room categories including the Over the Pool Cabana Honeymoon Suites and Rooftop Jacuzzi Suites with ocean view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No matter the room location at Secrets Silversands, there is a nearby pool–some are just a few steps away from one’s terrace.  Given the fact there are so many pools to enjoy, there happens to be more swim-up suites available here than at many other resorts.  Terraces do not step directly down into a pool as is common for traditional swim-up suites, but with resort pools being only a few steps away, grassy areas and private loungers grace the space instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a pool-lover’s resort–in fact, there is a whopping 43,000 sq. feet of total pool space with eight separate pools, an integrated pool Jacuzzi, separate beachfront Jacuzzi which seats 16, and a hydrotherapy circuit pool over by the spa.  In-pool flotation mats and poolside hammocks are provided by the resort, while overhead structures provide shade instead of traditional umbrellas.  For a Secrets resort, there are surprisingly few Bali beds/cabanas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While pools are the forte of Secrets Silversands, ocean swimming, alas, is not.  The beach itself is long and somewhat narrow with soft, white sand; ocean entry and ocean swimming receive less than stellar marks due to offshore rocks and quite a bit of sea grass which gets deposited on the sand on a rather consistent basis.  A visit to this resort necessitates water shoes.  Those looking for a better ocean entry and ocean swimming conditions may want to walk five minutes north of the resort; guests may wish to continue their beach walk in this direction until reaching the Desire Resort and Spa which is a “lifestyle” all-inclusive (the beach is closed off here).  Those who choose to spend time on Secrets Silversands beach will find natural shade and shade palapas, loungers, but few Bali beds/cabanas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dining well is the order of the day when vacationing at a Secrets resort.  This resort offers no less than seven a la cartes, a buffet restaurant, a poolside grill, and Coco Café, all for guests’ snacking and dining pleasure.  Although there is no dinner buffet option, the plethora of dining choices nicely fills in this gap.  Secrets resorts do not require dinner reservations (with the exception of the teppanyaki show tables), so there is no need to waste precious vacation time standing in line or on the phone when it comes to standard dining experiences.

Type of Resort:  Adults-only

Pro:  Eight pools, numerous dining choices, activities team, free WiFi

Con:  Ocean swimming, dated rooms, resort regulated guest room A/C

Best Suited For:  Couples typically between the ages of 25 and 40 (couples of all ages come here, however), honeymooners, couples celebrating anniversaries/birthdays

No. of Rooms:  441

Room Amenities:  King or two dbl beds, A/C, balcony/terrace with daybed, sitting room with sofa, coffee table, ceiling fan, and table with two chairs, mini-bar, digital safe, room service delivery box, flat screen TV, telephone, CD/DVD/MP3 player, coffee maker, alarm clock, iron/ironing board, robe and slippers, umbrella, hair dryer, dbl vessel sinks, Jacuzzi tub, separate shower with rainforest showerhead and body wand, toiletries, and 24-hr. room service.  WiFi as well as calls to the US, Canada, and local calls are complimentary if you download the Secrets app.  Here is a brief rundown of suite categories:

(Non-Upgraded Suites)

• Jr. Suite Tropical View:  Dbl beds
• Jr. Suite Pool View:  King or two dbl beds
• Jr. Suite Partial Ocean View:  King or two dbl beds
• Jr. Suite Ocean view:  King bed
• Jr. Suite Swim-Up:  King or two dbl beds in a ground floor suite with nearby pool access.

(Upgraded Preferred Club Amenities)

• private check-in/out
• private concierge
• premium guest room building location (lots of oceanfront views)
• access to the Preferred Club Lounge with continental breakfast, afternoon hors d’oeuvres, desserts, premium liquor, and complimentary computer use
• upgraded mini-bar with small bottles of liquor and extra snacks
• upgraded toiletries
• daily newspaper
• shoe shine service

(Upgraded Preferred Club Suites)

• Preferred Club Jr. Suite Pool View:  King bed
• Preferred Club Jr. Suite Oceanfront:  King or two dbl beds
• Preferred Club Rooftop Jacuzzi Ocean View:  King bed, large sitting room, TV lift cabinet, balcony with Jacuzzi tub, daybed, and table with two chairs.  This room category is by the lobby and not beachfront.
• Preferred Club Jr. Suite Oceanfront Swim-Up:  King or two dbl beds in a ground floor suite with nearby pool access.
• Preferred Club Honeymoon Suite:  Separate bedroom with king bed, chaise, small flat screen TV, walk-in closet, separate living room with large sofa, flat screen TV, dining table and four chairs, large desk and chair, second full bathroom with shower-only, terrace with Jacuzzi, daybed, and table with two chairs.  Oceanfront.
• Preferred Club Master Suite:  Separate bedroom with kind bed, chaise, small flat screen TV, walk-in closet, separate living room with large sofa, flat screen TV, dining table and four chairs, large desk and chair, second full bathroom with shower-only, large terrace with daybed, Jacuzzi, table and two chairs, two full loungers.  This suite is very similar to the Honeymoon Suite except it has a larger balcony.  Oceanfront.
• Over the Pool Cabana Honeymoon Suite:  King bed, settee, 60″ flat screen TV, coffee table, walk-in closet, large bathroom with etched glass shower and Jacuzzi tub, large overwater terrace with plunge pool, round daybed, and stairs which go down into the pool below.  Ocean view.  These suites are located on the far south end of the property terraced over its own private pool.
• Presidential Suite:  Separate bedroom with king bed, chaise, walk-in closet, separate living room with large sofa, dining room table and four chairs, work area with computer and fax, two full bathrooms (one with shower-only; the full bathroom off the bedroom also has a flat screen TV), full bar, terrace Jacuzzi.  Oceanfront.

NOTE:  For those wanting to know guest room building numbers, here is a small “map” I found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Physically Challenged Rooms:  Available

Resort Amenities:  Eight separate pools including the main pool (with swim-up bar), infinity pool (no swim-up bar), and six additional smaller pools to accompany guest room building locations, one pool-integrated Jacuzzi, one beachfront Jacuzzi, spa, beauty salon, fitness center, tennis courts, nine-hole putting green, giant checkers, bicycle tour to Puerto Morelos, dive center, aqua spinning, motorized and non-motorized water sports, use of snorkeling equipment, complimentary greens fees at Grand Coral and El Tinto Golf Courses, open-air theater, outdoor movies, music lounge and sports bar, pool and beach wait service, pool flotation mats, poolside hammocks, kitchen tour once p/week, concierge, gift shop, cigar shop, clothing shop, tour desk, car rental, medical services, laundry, and ATM.

Restaurants/Bars:  One buffet restaurant (World Café–not open for dinner, however), and seven a la cartes including Pan-Asian (Himitsu–teppanyaki show tables), Mexican (El Patio), Italian (Portofino), Mediterranean (Ratatouille), French (Bordeaux), and two open-air seafood restaurants (Oceana and Seaside Grill).  Reservations are only necessary at the teppanyaki show tables (start lining up at 2:30 p.m., one person p/room–even with groups traveling together).  Guests can guarantee a place at the teppanyaki show table by paying a fee ($30 p/person) which also provides better wine and lobster.  The resort also offers a poolside grill and snack bar (Barefoot Grill), a poolside BBQ, and a café for pastries and coffees/teas which is open 24-hrs. a day (Coco Café).  There are eight bars including a swim-up bar at the main pool, a beachfront bar, pool bar, music/sports bar, lobby bar, theater bar, the Veranda Outdoor Lounge, and spa bar.

Entertainment:  There is a nightly show in the open-air theater, live music in the lobby, movies projected onto poolside building walls, and DJ and dancing in the music lounge/sports bar.

Website:  http://www.secretsresorts.com/silversands-riviera-cancun