Secrets La Romana Resort & Spa
Secrets La Romana occupies a corner of the Dominican Republic that most tourists skip. Bayahibe is quieter, less built up and more genuinely Caribbean than the Punta Cana strip, and the natural reef right off the resort's beach is the thing guests talk about most: snorkeling here rivals anything in the region without leaving the property. Getting there is easy too. La Romana airport is a two-minute drive, Punta Cana about 45 minutes and Santo Domingo about 75, which makes this one of the shortest transfers of any Dominican all-inclusive. The Preferred Club upgrade brings private check-in, a lounge with food and drink, the infinity pool with its Soleil swim-up bar, and the Blue swim-up bar in the Preferred pool, and it turns a good resort into a noticeably better one.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Natural snorkeling reef starts close to the beach: guests regularly see fish, rays, squid and turtles without a boat trip, and snorkeling, kayaks, catamarans, paddle boards and a diving clinic are all included
- +Adults-only (18 and over) with a genuinely calm, sophisticated atmosphere, and the adjacent family resort Dreams La Romana is there whenever you want more going on
- +Preferred Club is the upgrade worth having: private check-in and checkout, the Preferred Lounge with food and drink, access to the infinity pool and its Soleil swim-up bar, the Blue swim-up bar in the Preferred pool, and swim-out rooms
- +Reservations are never required at the restaurants (only the teppanyaki table and sushi bar at Sakura take bookings), so dinner plans stay spontaneous
- +La Romana airport (LRM) is a two-minute drive and Punta Cana (PUJ) about 45 minutes, one of the shortest transfers of any Dominican all-inclusive
- +Full access to Dreams La Romana next door at no extra charge: its water park with tube slides and lazy river, plus Spices Market buffet, Azzurri Italian, Ausangate Peruvian and Coastal Grill
- +Bayahibe is quieter and more genuinely Caribbean than the Punta Cana strip, and the Saona and Catalina Island boats leave from the village
- +Tips, taxes and premium branded spirits are included, along with a 24-hour gym, tennis, pickleball and nightly entertainment; staff are consistently described as warm and attentive
Cons
- −The property converted from Hilton La Romana Adults Only to Secrets under Hyatt in 2025, and guests through 2026 reported work around parts of the resort during the handover; the resort's own site shows no closure notice as of October 2026, but ask what is open before booking if pool space matters to you
- −Beds and pillows draw consistent complaints: uncomfortable sleeping surfaces come up repeatedly in guest reports
- −AC regulation is finicky, with rooms running either too cold or too warm and guests struggling to find a comfortable setting
- −Excursions are not included and the resort's tour desk charges far more than the same boats booked in Bayahibe village; guests on traveler forums quote roughly three times the price for the Saona Island trip
- −Evening entertainment on the adults-only side is limited, and evenings can feel very quiet unless you walk over to Dreams, where the disco is
- −Spa treatments, cabanas, airport transfers, off-site tours and certain specialty wines and spirits are all extra, and the resort sells all-inclusive rates only
- −Standard Deluxe and Premium rooms are 411 sq ft garden-view rooms; the marble floors, rain showers, double vanities and swim-out terraces are reserved for Preferred Club categories
The practical picture is strong. Dining runs across Sakura (Pan-Asian with sushi and teppanyaki), the Caoba buffet, Mare Grill for seafood by the water, Noor for Indo-Mediterranean, Chinola for live-fire Latin American cooking and Aroma Cafe, with no reservations required anywhere except the teppanyaki table and sushi bar. Guests also get the restaurants and bars at the adjacent Dreams La Romana at no extra charge, which is where the water park, lazy river and disco live. There is a casino with blackjack, poker, roulette and slots, three spa locations (Main, Garden and Seaside), a 24-hour gym, tennis and pickleball, and a dive center for open-water diving and fishing trips at extra cost. The caveats: the resort converted from Hilton La Romana to Secrets under Hyatt in 2025, and guests through 2026 reported work around parts of the property during the handover, so ask what is open if pool space matters. Beds and pillows are the most repeated room complaint, AC is finicky, and tours booked through the resort cost far more than the same boats booked in Bayahibe village.
Secrets La Romana is best for couples who want an authentic Caribbean feel over the tourist-zone experience, snorkelers who want reef access without daily boat trips, and travelers who are happy with a quieter evening scene in exchange for days of natural beauty. It competes with Dreams Dominicus La Romana and the Catalonia resorts along the same Bayahibe-Dominicus coastline, and with Casa de Campo up the road for a very different golf-and-villa luxury vibe. Book Preferred Club if you are celebrating something, and book excursions in Bayahibe town rather than at the tour desk.
Common Questions
How is the snorkeling at Secrets La Romana?
Is there still renovation work going on?
Is the Preferred Club upgrade worth it?
How should I book excursions from Secrets La Romana?
How far is the resort from the airport, and is Bayahibe a good location?
Can Secrets guests use Dreams La Romana next door?
Restaurants (10)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Caoba, Spices Market (at Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa) |
| Italian | Maravento (at Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa) |
| Asian | Sakura |
| Steakhouse | Coastal Grill (at Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa) |
| Seafood | Mare Grill |
| Indian | Noor |
| American & grill | El Camino (at Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa) |
| International & fusion | Chinola, Ausangate (at Dreams La Romana Resort & Spa) |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
9 min walk · 0.4 mi
9 min walk · 0.4 mi
Bayahíbe Beach9 min walk · 0.4 mi
Altos de Chavón25 min drive · 12 mi
Higüey40 min drive · 24 mi
La Romana30 min drive · 14 mi
More things to do (13)
- Dominicus Beach · beach10 min drive · 3.9 mi
- Teeth of the Dog · golf30 min drive · 13 mi
- Dye Fore · golf25 min drive · 12 mi
- Cueva Padre Nuestro · nature11 min drive · 2.4 mi
- Playa Caletón · beach25 min drive · 13 mi
- Casa de Campo Marina · marina30 min drive · 13 mi
- Deep-sea fishing charter · excursion30 min drive · 13 mi
- Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia, Higüey · historic site40 min drive · 24 mi
- Juan Ponce de León Fort Museum · museum40 min drive · 20 mi
- Cueva de las Maravillas · nature45 min drive · 27 mi
- Boca de Yuma · town50 min drive · 26 mi
- Cueva de Berna · nature50 min drive · 27 mi
- San Pedro de Macorís Cathedral · historic site60 min drive · 39 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Bayahibe & La Romana gets sargassum, typically worst June through August, when it arrives at all.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.7 · 8,962 reviews
“Truly one of the most stunning location and beach I have ever been too. I really feel I should mention that has a ambulatory wheelchair users the resort felt very accessible and also very welcoming as a disabled individual (as long as you get a groun...”
“We had an amazing stay at Dreams and Secrets La Romana. Our rooms were clean, comfortable and very well looked after by the housekeeping staff. Yuliana (Mini), Maria R, Rene and Pablo Picasso and their colleagues made our vacation personal and memora...”
“I’m not sure what some people in the comments were talking about regarding cleanliness, because this is one of the cleanest resorts we’ve ever been to. I watched the staff constantly wiping down and cleaning everything you can think of—they really ta...”
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