What a former restaurant critic ate on an all-inclusive vacation in Mexico
Everything. The answer is she ate everything.
Every night of vacation I would wait for the doorbell to ring. But it wasn’t room service, it was my husband Adam, two Espresso Martinis in hand, having toted them precariously from the Preferred Lounge. Luis, the lounge’s bartender, had a reputation that preceded him on TripAdvisor for being the best on the resort, and it was no lie. Luis made fantastic cocktails (with premium liquors) and I must confess; he was the most impressive culinary aspect of the vacation.
By night two we had our evening routine — a nap, a shower, then Espresso Martinis on the balcony while we decided where to eat dinner, a simple task considering there were only five options at the resort.
While working as a restaurant critic I never discerned between high or low-end — I reviewed places that served foie gras and those that served chicken fingers (I love both equally), but when it came to all-inclusive resorts, I’ve been a snob. However, my overpowering desire to fully disconnect and relax overpowered the urge for a life-changing meal, so in February we went on our first all-inclusive vacation. Here’s what I ate.
Where we stayed
Having only visited three all-inclusive resorts with groups before, I did a lot of research but we opted for Secrets Riviera Cancun after recommendations about the Secrets brand and its above-average resort food and this one was the cheapest option for our dates.
The resort isn’t in Cancun but near the beachside town of Puerto Morelos, 40 minutes from Cancun Airport, which meant we were first off the charter bus to the myriad of all-inclusive resorts lining the Mayan Riviera. Overall, we loved the resort — it was modern, adults-only and had tennis courts. The beach was small-ish but the pool service more than made up for it, as did the fantastic Mexican food. Secrets is attached to another resort, Breathless Riviera Cancun, where the a-la-carte restaurants are located. Because of this, all Secrets rooms were considered Preferred, which gave us access to a lounge with drinks and snacks, as well as Rosewater, a restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I’ll cut to the chase before digging into the food — the Mexican fare was fantastic. Having eaten my way through Mexico City and experienced off-resort Mexican food before, I feel I can say the Mexican dishes were genuine, with tons of flavour. The problem was there wasn’t enough of it. It made up about 40 per cent of the culinary offerings and the rest was…. fine.
The level of service is what stood out, at the Secrets pool especially. By day two, Mar knew our names and our preferred poolside bevvy (Aperol Spritz), simply put she was fantastic and genuinely seemed to enjoy her job and chatting with guests. As did the baristas at the coffee shop where I had many mocha frappuccinos. Service at the a-la-cartes on the Breathless side felt more disingenuous and aligned more with what I’ve experienced before at other all-inclusive resorts — efficient, cursory fawning with staff was going through the motions.
Breakfast buffets and lacklustre lunching
We ate at Rosewater for our first breakfast, and I was impressed — it was the best dining option on the resort. When the server offered green juice in addition to my Cappuccino, I knew I was in the right place, and the Eggs Benny were solid, albeit served with Hollandaise much thicker than I like. Adam’s Chilaquiles — a traditional Mexican breakfast dish with fried corn tortillas, salsas and eggs — were fantastic. Another morning I devoured Huevos Rancheros so quickly the contrasting salsas barely had time to soak into the fried tortilla sitting beneath fried eggs and queso fresco.
At lunch, guests of Rosewater munch on a trio of salsas with tortilla chips while waiting for the main event. The menu had a great balance of pub favourites like coconut shrimp, chicken sandwiches and Caesar salads alongside fantastic shrimp aguachile, tuna tostadas and Baja-style fish tacos — we enjoyed it all.
The buffet, Spoon, was located on the Breathless side of the resort and was open for breakfast and lunch, from 7:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. I was annoyed it wasn’t open for dinner because sometimes you don’t want to dress up for dinner. We ordered room service for dinner one night, and it was mediocre with frozen fries.
At the breakfast buffet, while others waited in line at the omelette station, we had the run of the make-your-own huevos and chilaquiles station. Again, the Mexican fare stood out for its quality and variety — I’m still thinking about the tiny cheese empanadas. The American-style breakfast options were as good as expected; I always love a hashbrown and some crispy bacon, but the lunch buffet was disappointing. Overcooked pasta swelled in chaffing dishes, while undercooked pizzas sweat underneath the heat lamps. It was dominated by American-style dishes and not a taco to be found.
A La Carte
As we sipped our nightly martinis on the sixth night, Adam made a point about the a-la-carte offerings at Secrets Riviera Cancun. He said, “It’s not that the food is bad here, but if I was served this food in an actual restaurant I would think “this restaurant sucks.” and I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since.
The flavours are mellowed for the masses, toned down in a way intended to please all palates, but in the end, it creates a one-note menu across all the restaurants that lack any of the gusto or flair one desires when dining out. The French and Italian restaurants were so similar in vibe and flavour that they were almost indistinguishable. That said, the plating at the a-la-cartes was great — if my eyes were the only ones eating, I would have been quite pleased.
I enjoyed the Pan-Asian a-la-carte most, Silk City. We ate there twice, and no we did not do the teppanyaki tables, I had to draw the line somewhere. The sushi was the star; it was mostly American-style rolls, but they were made to order by the sushi chef, and I loved the deep-fried spicy tuna roll (we ordered those five times over). The main courses were good though there were some odd interpretations — our yakisoba noodle dish came with a side of white rice.
Picante, the Mexican a-la-carte, was enjoyable, despite the DJ set up right outside for the neon paint party which made it hard to hear anything. Adam’s Carnitas Michoacanas, slow-cooked pork, came with warm tortillas while my tri-colour enchiladas were piled high with panela cheese, avocado and pickled onions.
Speaking of cheese, it was the downfall of French and Italian a-la-cartes. Throughout the week I devoured queso by the boatload — fresco, cotija, panela — you name it, I ate it, but this resort couldn’t serve a good Parmigiano or mozzarella if their lives depended on it. The broth of my French onion soup at Coquette (French a-la-carte) was tasty, but fell short without a layer of gooey cheese, while my Carbonara at Spumante (Italian) sat in a cream sauce with mushrooms making it indiscernible from an Olive Garden’s Fettuccine Alfredo. Ironically both nailed the dairy-based desserts — a perfect creme brulee and giggly peach panna cotta, respectively.
The Last Resort
When it comes down to it, there are a few things I need to consider when summarizing our all-inclusive eating experience, or at least when picking my next resort (if we ever decide to go that route) — the demographics, the volume, the cost and the country.
I understand these spots are making a lot of food for a lot of people, with a demographic made up of middle-aged Canadians and Americans so the flavours need to be mellowed to keep costs down to appease the majority but what I can't understand is why there needs to be so much American food — give me more Mexican! I did some quick research on all-inclusive resorts in Italy and Greece and much of the food on offer was from the respective country, if there was another type of restaurant usually it was Pan-Asian. I would assume, having stayed at many hotels throughout Europe that many offer American-style breakfast choices like scrambled eggs along with their continental offerings.
In the end, I was happy we chose an all-inclusive, if only for the fact that it was the first true vacation I’ve ever had — I left feeling more relaxed than ever, a feeling which endured a solid three weeks after we got home to the snow.
You might recall in my newsletter about our trip to Las Vegas last year that the restaurant decision paralysis was real and threatened to ruin my vacation, but at Secrets not having to make dinner reservations, figure out how we were getting to the restaurant or what their Yelp rating was the best vacation of all. I truly vacated my life as someone who always decides “what’s for dinner” whether it's a busy Tuesday evening at home or a night out in Rome, something I do not only for Adam and myself but for everyone in my life whether they’re a family member or a newsletter reader.
The flavours may have been mellowed for the masses but by the end of the week, I was mellow too, a break from making decisions about where to eat — by the time we deplaned in St. John’s I was craving a real restaurant meal and a nice glass of red wine. For the next vacation, the goal is to balance the holiday vibes with some solid restaurant experiences.
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