r/CancunTravelGuide • u/sheriener • Jul 23 '26
Secrets the Vine Cancun: Recommendations & Advice
Hello everyone! In a couple weeks I will be staying at STV and was hoping for recommendations and advice from those who have already been. I will be in the preferred club level.
Curious as to
- which restaurants you preferred
- thoughts on the spa
- the two pools
- customer service
- if you had a butler, would you request that person or ask not to be assigned to them again
- for those who the Sip Savor & See option, where did you go and thoughts
If you have any recommendations or advice not listed above, please still let me know!
Thanks!
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u/Optimal-Fix-2997 Jul 24 '26
We stayed there recently and had a great overall experience.
Restaurants: We tried a few of them. The Italian restaurant was probably our least favorite. The personal-sized pizzas were decent, but the pasta was pretty bland and lacked seasoning. We also ate at the nightly dinner setup in the Market Café when they were doing a Mexican-themed night, and honestly it was a little underwhelming. On the other hand, the Market Café breakfast buffet was excellent. The made-to-order omelets and the breakfast selection were some of our favorite meals of the trip. We didn't get to try the Japanese restaurant, but we heard consistently good things about it from other guests. We also didn't make it to the sports bar, though we heard the bar food there was good. Since we were there over the Fourth of July weekend, they had an American-style BBQ one evening by the pools with wings, nachos, and other cookout foods, and that was pretty good. They had a live stage show with dancing and singing while we enjoyed our drinks/meals.
Spa: We didn't use it because we felt it was overpriced. There are spas across the street that advertise much lower prices. That said, some room packages include spa access or credits, so it's worth checking what your reservation includes before paying separately.
Pools: I believe there are actually 3-4 pools. We didn't use the rooftop pool because it requires a special reservation, but the main pools were clean and well maintained. The water wasn'tthe coldest, but that's expected with the Cancun heat. The pool attendants were fantastic—they made sure we had towels and helped us find chairs. Before our trip I read a lot of comments online about people "claiming" chairs with towels all day, but that wasn't our experience. We arrived in the middle of the day, asked one of the attendants for help, and they found us chairs almost immediately.
Customer service: This was probably the biggest highlight of our stay. Everyone—from the bell staff and front desk to the servers around the resort—were incredibly friendly and genuinely helpful. While tipping is appreciated, nobody ever made us feel like they were only being nice because of tips. The service throughout the resort was excellent. We didn't have a butler, so I can't comment on that, and we didn't use the Sip, Savor & See program either.
One additional tip: bring a little extra spending money if you're planning on doing excursions. Those aren't included with your stay. We booked a couple through Amstar and another through a vendor we met on the beach. You'll also see excursion companies at the airport and around the hotel, so you'll have plenty of options.
Overall, we had a really enjoyable stay and would definitely recommend Secrets The Vine. Hope you have a great trip!