You’re greeted with a cold towel and champagne, not a long line-up.
You sit at a desk to register, and you don’t get a bracelet, just a smile.
My new home for a week at Secrets Capri Resort and Spa, on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera, had all the goodies you’d expect in a five-star hotel. The air was fresh, no slightly musty tropical smell. In the beautiful room, the drawers were lined with monogrammed shelf paper. The bathroom was lovely, complete with a Jacuzzi bath, huge shower, and there was a screen door, so you could lie in bed and hear the sea at night.
Out I went to explore this small, 290-room, adults-only resort and get a bite to eat.

Fine cuisine ¦ I’ve never been to an all-inclusive resort where I could wander into whatever a-la-carte restaurant struck my fancy and immediately be shown to a table, or given a beeper. I could have a drink, enjoy the stars, or chat with other guests, and when my table was ready, the beeper beeped. I didn’t have to rise at dawn to stand in line to make a reservation; the details of eating were very civilized.
The Oceana Seafood restaurant had seven appetizers, including fresh oysters, shrimp and scallops, and a casserole of mussels and clams, a choice of two salads, two soups, seven entrees and five deserts… and that was just one restaurant.
The attention to details surfaces again during lunch in the Seaside Grill. Sit inside, or on the verandah overlooking the sea, and the pool. The minute you order, homemade nachos appear with a side of guacamole and hot spring rolls.
Did I mention the buffet? Not only do they provide more choices than you can get through in a week, there’s even peanut butter and cheese whiz.

Comfort at its best ¦ Want a towel? They’re on the padded loungers. No towel cards with threats of big-buck bills if you left one and it disappeared. Another detail that struck me was the sound of water flowing, no loud music, no microphones, and no animation director shouting. The music is quiet and peaceful.
Of course they’re all the activities you’ve come to expect in an all-inclusive resort but somehow they aren’t intrusive to guests wanting to simply read. And yes, the pool is heated in the cooler season so it’s filled with guests lounging on floaties.

Spectacular service ¦ Want something to nibble on? A friendly waiter will deliver it, and your drink, to wherever you’d like to have them, including in the pool or on the beach. Food? I It is simply delicious, from Himitsu, with Pan Asian Cuisine, to Capri serving Italian Cuisine.
And the room service is heavenly 24 hours a day. They’ll tell you how long it will take, the hot food is hot, the cold food is cold, and there are seven starters for all-day dining which runs from noon through 5 a.m. — six sandwiches, three salads, five entrees, two healthy choices, and a choice of four desserts.

Live entertainment ¦ Little entertainment touches I loved included a sax player whose romantic music wafts through the Oceana and the Seaside restaurants. In the lobby at cocktail hour there is different live music each night. There’s always a nightly show and in the Habana bar Ernesto Gomez tinkles the ivories of a grand piano from 8 to 11 p.m.
No wonder the Canadian guests I met during my stay offered plenty of editing advice: “Don’t forget to tell your readers the tennis pro is terrific.”
“Don’t forget to tell them about the gorgeous gym and the spa.”
Or, as Sharon and Jerry from Saskatoon said after a two-week stay, “The secrets are all in the details.”