1. The check in process takes way too long. After traveling for several hours, most people just want to get their key card and get to their room. The process needs to be more efficient.
2. When we booked online, there was not Preferred Club available, so we booked a regular room. Upon entering the room (2433), the first thing you notice is the view, which was beautiful. The second thing we noticed was the huge water stain on the wall from ceiling to floor. I then noticed a horrible repair job on the shower frame which then led to an extremely moldy base around the shower. The bed was uncomfortably hard and the pillows were hard and barely stuffed. I called for the front to bring me a new pillow from storage and no one ever brought it. I called the front desk over 5 times and never received a pillow of any sort. The next day I called and asked for a manager. He came to our room and I explained to him the bed and pillow situation, along with the wall and shower issues. I also explained to him the poor quality of food. He was able to move us to Preferred.
Upon arriving in the Preferred room (1204), I immediately noticed the bed was softer and the pillows were better. I also found the pillow menu on the smart pad tablet, which no one told me there was a pillow menu. I have 3 herniated discs in my lower back, so comfort is my main priority when I am away from my own bed. The Preferred room was no better than the building 1 room. The room was very humid which is a breeding ground for mold and mildew. The curtains were moldy/mildewy, the night lights (bedside lights) were filthy dirty and had mold/mildew on them, along with the wall in the bathroom area which had mold/mildew on it. The scale in the bathroom didn’t work either, which isn’t a big deal, but if it is there, it should work. One of the night lights by the bed had a broken lampshade and was hanging by the wires and the other one had faulty wires and worked half the time if you wiggled the wires.
The noise level outside of the Preferred Club is ridiculous. Whoever designed and engineered the buildings did not think that through. Not every one is a night time, party person. The piano bar and evening entertainment is so loud outside of the Preferred and lasts well until 11:30/12 at night. My husband and I like to be in bed by 10, and we struggled falling asleep.
3. The food is horrible. For being a five star resort, we expected much more. We chose an all-inclusive resort, not for the all-inclusive alcohol (we don’t drink), but for the all-inclusive food and adults only. The food is bland and has no flavor.
4. The beach and pool were the best part of the trip. Everything outside was well kept and maintained. However, the servers at the pool are slow. It took 30 minutes for them to bring back a Coke.
Overall, we were extremely disappointed in the Secrets Wild Orchid. We stayed at the Secrets The Vine in Cancun, Mexico and had the best time there. We were expecting more from Wild Orchid and were let down. Needless to say, we will never be visiting this resort again, nor will be we recommending it to anyone in the future. I am attaching pictures for you to see what we experienced.
Demographics:
Male (33) Female (31)
White, American, Married