Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya
Secrets Akumal is the resort people describe as the one they would return to forever, and in 2025 Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards named it the #1 hotel in the world, not just the top all-inclusive. The draw is specific rather than flashy: you walk off the sand into Akumal Bay with a snorkel set the resort gives you for free and swim over wild green sea turtles. Nothing else on this coast offers that without a boat and a tour fee. It is adults only at 18 and up, 434 suites across low buildings on dense, jungly grounds, and the look is classic Caribbean rather than modern. Guests comparing it to newer builds in 2026 regularly say parts of it read slightly dated, and just as regularly say they do not care.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Sea turtle snorkeling straight off the beach. Green sea turtles live in Akumal Bay year round, the resort hands out standard snorkel sets at no charge, and you wade out 50 to 75 yards to find them grazing on the sea grass. No boat, no tour, no extra fee, and it is the reason the repeat-guest rate here is so high.
- +Named the #1 hotel in the world in Tripadvisor's 2025 Travelers' Choice Awards, and it also holds AAA Five Diamond and Travelife Gold. Unusual company for a resort that is not priced like Le Blanc.
- +Nine restaurants and seven bars, all included, with no reservations, no wristbands and no cap on how many specialty dinners you book. Bordeaux (French) is the most formal and the one guests rate highest, Oceana has the best ocean views, El Patio does Mexican and Yucatan, and Portofino, Himitsu and the poolside Seaside Grill fill out the week.
- +Every room is a junior suite or larger, starting at 544 sq ft, and every one has a whirlpool tub for two, a rain shower, a daily restocked minibar at no charge, and 24-hour room service ordered on an in-room iPad that arrives through a privacy hatch in the door, so you never have to get dressed for it.
- +Three pools that each do a different job: the main infinity pool with the Manatee swim-up bar and afternoon DJ sets, an activity pool for water games and volleyball, and a genuinely quiet pool with enough loungers that you can read in peace. Two hot tubs as well.
- +A protected cove rather than open Caribbean. The water is calm and clear with no real current, which makes it one of the few Riviera Maya beaches that nervous swimmers actually enjoy.
- +Service is the single most repeated compliment in traveler forums, and it has held up through 2026: a concierge in every building, staff who greet returning guests by name, and pool and beach attendants who track down chairs and keep drinks coming.
- +The included activity list is long and not padded: kayaking, paddleboarding, free bike rentals, archery, tennis on two courts, yoga, CrossFit, cooking classes, cocktail workshops, tequila tasting and Spanish lessons.
Cons
- −One of the longest airport runs in the Riviera Maya, roughly 65 minutes and 57 miles from Cancun, and transfers are not in the rate. If your airline serves Tulum (TQO) it is only about 30 minutes away, which is worth checking before you book flights.
- −The beach is legally public, so non-guests and the occasional vendor walk through. It is not constant, but it does chip away at the private-resort feeling you are paying for.
- −Sargassum is the real risk and 2026 was the worst recorded season for the Mexican Caribbean. Quintana Roo hauled about 125,000 tonnes off its beaches between April and August, with out-of-season surges in January and March, easing through late September. Crews rake daily and the resort keeps the sand presentable, but a heavy landing beats them, and no month here is reliably clear.
- −The disco is the weakest part of the resort. Desires Music Lounge runs 10:30pm to 1am with a DJ and a dance floor, and the room is simply too small for 434 suites of people who want to dance after dinner. If nightlife matters, this is the wrong Secrets.
- −The fitness center is small and the equipment is dated, which is a jarring thing to find at a Five Diamond property. The included yoga and CrossFit classes are the better workout.
- −Preferred Club buys you a lounge, better room placement and a la carte breakfast at Oceana, but no pool of its own, which several other Secrets properties do give you.
- −Sit-down dinners run long, and the popular restaurants back up if you turn up after 7pm. A la carte dinner service is 6pm to 10:30pm, so going early is the whole fix.
- −Swim-out suites are fun but they are a trade. The plunge pool is semi-private and shared with the walkway, and most of these rooms face the garden and pool rather than the water, so you give up the ocean view that is the best thing about the building.
The practical experience holds up. Nine restaurants and seven bars are included with no reservations and no wristbands, which removes the nightly scramble that defines dining at most luxury all-inclusives. Bordeaux is the standout and the room to save for an anniversary dinner, Oceana has the views and does a la carte breakfast for Preferred Club guests, and the Market Cafe buffet is the weak link rather than a highlight. Himitsu, the pan-Asian and teppanyaki room, is the one most guests rank last. Cocktail quality swings by bartender, so find one you like and remember their station. Every suite runs 544 sq ft or more with a whirlpool tub for two and iPad room service through a privacy hatch, and the three pools split cleanly into social, active and quiet, which is why chair competition only really bites at Christmas and spring break.
This is a resort for couples who want nature, water and calm more than nightlife or a photogenic pool deck. As of October 2026 lead-in rates sit near $380 a night for two, with peak-season weeks closer to $500 to $600 and holiday weeks well above that, putting it under Le Blanc or Xcaret Arte and clearly above Riu. Budget for two extras: spa treatments are charged separately and the hydrotherapy circuit can carry its own fee, and since February 1, 2026 Quintana Roo's environmental tax of roughly $2 to $9 per person per night is collected at check-in. Akumal pueblo is walkable for a taco and a look at normal life, the cenotes are minutes away, and Tulum and Coba are both easy half-days.
Common Questions
Can you really snorkel with sea turtles right from the resort beach?
Is the swim-out suite upgrade worth it?
How is the food, and do I need reservations?
How bad is the seaweed?
Is Preferred Club worth paying for here?
Is there a lot of pressure to buy a timeshare, and what else costs extra?
What's nearby
11 min drive · 6.6 mi
25 min drive · 15 mi
Akumal Beach5 min drive · 2.2 mi
Yal-Kú Lagoon8 min drive · 2.2 mi
13 min drive · 8.6 mi
30 min drive · 20 mi
More things to do (24)
- Xenses · adventure park25 min drive · 19 mi
- Cenote Azul · cenote12 min drive · 8.6 mi
- Xpu-Ha Beach · beach12 min drive · 7.5 mi
- Dos Ojos Cenote · cenote9 min drive · 6.6 mi
- Gran Cenote · cenote30 min drive · 18 mi
- Río Secreto · adventure park25 min drive · 19 mi
- Cenote Aldea Zamá · cenote25 min drive · 17 mi
- Cenote Cristalino · cenote12 min drive · 8.5 mi
- Cenote Calavera · cenote25 min drive · 17 mi
- Jaguar Park (Tulum National Park) · nature25 min drive · 15 mi
- Riviera Maya Golf Club · golf5 min drive · 2.8 mi
- Jardín del Edén Cenote · cenote15 min drive · 9.0 mi
- Puerto Aventuras Marina · marina20 min drive · 10 mi
- Cenote Chikin-Ha · cenote20 min drive · 9.2 mi
- Cenote Nicte-Ha · cenote20 min drive · 8.0 mi
- Caleta Tankah · beach20 min drive · 15 mi
- Tulum Pueblo · town25 min drive · 17 mi
- Half Moon Bay · beach6 min drive · 1.7 mi
- Xel-Há Ruins · ruins9 min drive · 6.3 mi
- Xcacel Beach · beach10 min drive · 5.3 mi
- Cenote Xunaan-Ha · cenote11 min drive · 5.1 mi
- Cenote Dos Palmas · cenote20 min drive · 7.9 mi
- Aktun Chen Nature Park · adventure park20 min drive · 4.8 mi
- Puerto Aventuras Golf Course · golf20 min drive · 11 mi
Amenities
Show 11 more amenitiesShow fewer
Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Riviera Maya gets sargassum, typically worst May through August, peaking in July and August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.7 · 4,757 reviews
“My family all went with our spouses and had on of the best trips ever! My mom is amazing at finding the best places and she’s outdone herself finding this resort. It was my partners 6 year anniversary and my brother’s birthday and they made it so spe...”
“Just back this morning, had the best time at Secrets Akumal, i miss it already, first from the lobby blows you away and from there it just gets better! The service, the rooms, the food and entertainment is perfect! What an experience always something...”
“My Husband and I visited the resort for our late honeymoon and were blown away by the service. Before we had even arrived, we were contacted by the incredible Cici who reached out to confirm any dietary requirements (We are both Vegetarians, and i ha...”
How It Compares
Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya vs Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun
Same adults-only brand, two very different Riviera Maya settings: the famous beach vs sea turtles and jungle.
Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya vs Atelier Playa Mujeres
Better food and less sargassum at Atelier; turtles, calm water and walk-in dinners at Akumal.
Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya vs Secrets Moxché Playa del Carmen
Same brand, opposite priorities: Akumal's turtle cove and calm vs Moxche's eight pools and late nights.
Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya vs UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya
Both in Akumal: wild sea turtles off a swimmable beach vs the food-and-cocktails pick with boutique rooms.
Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya vs Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres
Beach people or pool people: Akumal's turtle cove against Playa Blanca's brand-new infinity pools.
Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya vs Impression Moxché by Secrets
Turtle cove and calm at Akumal, or rooftop pools, a butler and Playa del Carmen at Impression.
Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya vs Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya
Valentin's jungle grounds and lower rate against Akumal's sea turtles, walk-in dinners and walkable village.
Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya vs Excellence Playa Mujeres
Sea turtles off Akumal's cove versus Playa Mujeres' sheltered sand, seven pools and a 40-minute transfer.
