Secrets Capri

Below is the review from our 2nd trip to Secrets Capri (February 23-26, 2006).
 

Background: I am a thirty-something female traveling with my mother on our 19th annual mother/daughter Caribbean get-away. I have traveled to the Caribbean approximately 30 times, staying in resorts that range from 3 to 5 stars. This was our third trip to a Secrets Chain, the first being Secrets Excellence in the Dominican Republic and the second to Capri in 2004. In our 18 years of travel, we have only liked one other resort enough to repeat a stay and that resort was the Wyndham in Aruba (before it went A/I). Once again, I would like to thank the chief concierge Ulises Guzman for his part making our stay a special event.
The original intent was to stay at SERC for 4 days prior to arriving at Capri. Unfortunately my mother tripped over a curb and ‘semi-fractured’ her ankle (long story as to the actual name of the injury). The Doctor didn’t want her traveling, but she REALLY wanted to go. We compromised and postponed our trip to SERC, left 3 days later, and ended up staying at Capri for 4 nights. Where appropriate, some of this review is a cut and paste directly from my old review.

Flight: We booked hotel and air separately and flew Spirit air non-stop from Detroit. Flight arrived and departed on-time. We arrived on a Wednesday and were through customs and baggage in no more than 15 minutes. I was really shocked at the condition of the Cancun airport. I had been to Cancun immediately after Emily (minimal damage) but I’m here to tell you that Wilma did a major number on the airport! The entire terminal building that we landed at was still a disaster. Roof missing. All windows missing. An old metal awning twisted and still sitting on the gate. It’s still really messed up. As a result, we exited the plane via roll-up stairs and boarded a bus which drove us clear across the airport to the terminal that is in working order. Same procedure on the return flight. Not a big deal, but it did catch me by surprise because I had read that the Cancun airport was ‘fixed’.

Transfers: We had to arrange our own transfers. After doing much research, we decided to hire a cab rather than book a transfer company. I priced out a few of the services for transfers. They all ranged around $130.00 roundtrip plus tip. Cancunvalet.com is the most reputable, and they were $130.00 plus tip.

I couldn't find the cost of cab fare before I went, so I took a chance that cab fare would be less, and I was correct. It wouldn't be less if you were going into Playa or south though, so be careful.

The cabs FROM Cancun international are government regulated so they are more expensive. The cost is $62.00 to Capri. No bargaining. The cab from Capri back to the airport was $35.00 (for a total of $97.00 plus tip if you go directly to the airport); but we negotiated a brief tour through the Cancun hotel zone for an extra $5.00. Total cost for us was $102.00 plus a $5.00 tip there and a $20.00 on the return (because our cab driver was fantastic and really gave us a great tour). Still ended up cheaper than a transfer company.

One other note, you purchase the cab from Cancun International at a ticket booth INSIDE Cancun international. The cabs don't pick up anyone without a ticket. The booths are clearly marked "Taxi". It was really easy :.

Check-In: We checked in around 1:00 and were greeted with campaign and cold towels. There isn’t a check in counter with lines at Secrets Capri. Instead, there are mahogany desks with plush chairs to sit in and relax. Due to the lack of a check-in counter, each check in experience is very private and comfortable. The check in staff was knowledgeable, courteous, and the language barrier was non-existent. Our room was not ready, so we went to have lunch. The room was ready when we returned at 2:30.

Service: I can not discuss Capri without mentioning the outstanding service we received. However, I do feel that service was ‘slightly’ better on our first trip. One example of a subtle difference: While the ‘host’ or ‘hostess’ asked for our name when coming into a restaurant; they didn’t pass our name along to our server. On our first trip, our servers would address us by name. Didn’t happen this trip. Not a biggie, just a little different. However, we did receive outstanding service from one woman working the steakhouse (forget her name ugg…). But we ate breakfast and lunch and one dinner in the steakhouse and had fantastic service from her every time!

Regardless, Here are A few examples of the Outstanding Service Received:
1) Our 4th floor concierge Amanda was very accomdating. She even went and got us cream for our coffee (in place of the powered time). We rented a movie from her. She got the movie, and then came and picked it up the next day. The DVD movie selection, while free, needs some work (old movies).
2) Pool Side service for drinks and food was exceptional. This year we were offered the entire steak house restaurant lunch menu pool side. This means you could have steak delivered right to your lounger. I think pool side service was better this year. The servers were always coming around and one day he even kept bringing me a new drink without me even having to ask.
3) Pool floats were abundant and sharing was the norm. Secrets Capri has a sign posted near the pool asking that all pool floats remain in the pool. With only a few exceptions, everyone abided by the suggestion and we never waited extensively for a pool float to become available.
4) Same as last year: Beach side service for drinks and lunch was also available, although it appeared somewhat slow if you choose a papala near the parameter of the property. If you choose a papala near the beach bar servers were more readily accessible.
5) The beautiful teak loungers have gone through a hurricane and the stain is coming through in some areas. Regardless, each comes with its own pull out table and are comfortably fitted with plush cushions and an umbrella for two. No plastic here, and they folded completely down so that you could lay flat on your stomach (I find the other type of loungers that don’t fold completely down annoying).
6) No need for towel cards or wrist bands. They put towels out on each lounger around 8:00 a.m. Towels were readily available, and to my amazement, when I asked for a towel, I was given 2 saying that I might enjoy using the extra one as a pillow lol.
7) Pillow menus are available in all rooms so that you can choose the type of pillow you are most comfortable with. Having a goose-down pillow like home made sleeping much more enjoyable. Four other types are available.
A full breakfast menu is available outside at the steak house from 8-11 a.m., and while the inside buffet was incredible, there is something extra nice about getting breakfast cooked to order, while enjoying a beautiful view of the gulf of Mexico. I had a citrus vanilla French toast number that was to DIE for!
9) The Mexican party is on Friday night. Vendors came in. Overpriced. Here’s a hint. If you want to eat at a cooking station in the Japanese restaurant, do so on one of the nights with the pool or beach party. Everyone goes to that buffet, and you don’t have to wait for a cooking station table.
10) The rooms are appointed with a DVD player (you can get movies from the concierge) that piped into the bathroom. Channel 2 is a beautiful classical station that can be played during the evenings you wish to relax in the Jacuzzi.
11) 24 hour room service with a new menu is included for all rooms at Capri. See the photo section for the room service menu.
12) Hamburgers and steak are made from USDA Black angus sirloin. The same quality can be found in all of the food choices at Secrets Capri.

Room Amenities: All rooms come with a standard Jacuzzi for one. Jacuzzi works wonderfully though; almost too powerful . In addition, all rooms have a DVD player (you can get movies from the concierge), radio station on the TV (which can also be piped into the bathroom), iron/ironing board, mini fridge stocked with orange drink, coke, coke lite, corona, and water, outdoor patio table and two chairs (not the cheesy plastic type), indoor wooden table with two chairs, one set of dresser drawers (3), one luggage chest with a deep drawer, data port for your lap top (additional charge to hook into the internet), electronically programmed room safe, ample closet space, extra blankets and pillows, a writing desk, and two nightstands with additional drawer space.
Extras include: plush terry cloth robe and slippers, SPF 8 sunscreen, conditioning shampoo (no conditioner), shower gel, face soap, body soap, toothbrush/toothpaste, shaving cream (very nice touch), a potpourri bowl filled with scented soaps, incense, and rose petals for the Jacuzzi, and the standard shower cap, mending kit, shoe polisher, cotton swaps, and Q-tips.

In addition to the Jacuzzi, the bathroom has a stand up shower large enough for two, two sinks, and a separate toilet area. There has been some discussion about the lack of privacy in the bathroom. I did not find this to be the case. The shower and toilet have a frosted glass privacy door (granted, it is frosted glass) and there are a set of double louvered blinds which separate the bathroom from the rest of the room. The louvered blinds are nice because when open, the room feels very large. When closed they offer some privacy. If you are REALLY private about your bathroom set-up, place a towel over the louvered blinds and close the wooden bathroom door and/or hang a towel over the frosted glass of the shower or toilet area.

Room Location: More information on room locations/numbers coming soon. In the meantime, There have been many questions asked about room locations, so I will try to give a detailed description. There are two wings to SC. The north wing is next to the El Mandarin resort. The south wing is vacant and overlooks some construction next door. Each wing has 3 floors. There is a fourth and fifth floor above the main lobby area only. There are three main types of rooms; ocean front, ocean view, and tropical view.

Ocean Front: On this trip we were in the Ocean View Room Number 420. Last trip we had the ocean front 3rd floor Milana Suite. The ocean front rooms are those that look directly upon the beach (not over the pool with the beach in the background) and have a lounger in addition to the patio table and 2 chairs. In each wing, there are 6 ocean front first floor rooms (room number 114-119 in the north wing), 6 ocean front second floor rooms (room 214-219), and 2 ocean view 3rd floor rooms (the Milana suite and the Roma Suite). These are where the presidential suites are located. We were not in a presidential suite, although our balcony neighbors did give us a tour of theirs. The presidential suites have a separate living room, full kitchen, computer area with a printer and fax machine, two bathrooms, a gorgeous canopy king sized bed, and an additional Jacuzzi for two outside on the balcony. BEAUTIFUL rooms, but be warned that the outside Jacuzzi has minimal privacy. Our two rooms were separated by only a gate which opened, and each balcony was literally only 5 feet from the other Jacuzzi. The first floor ocean front walk outs are very private (those above you can not see into your patio area) but those on the 3rd floor can see onto the 2nd floor ocean front balconies (shouldn’t be a big deal because there is only two rooms above you). If I were to make a recommendation of ocean front rooms, I’d recommend room 218 or 219 for 2nd story ocean views (these are closest to the undeveloped property and should provide excellent unobstructed views). I’d recommend room 114 or 115 for the first floor ocean front rooms (if you ended up in room 219 closest to the mangrove forest the view might not be as good because you’re on the first floor; room 114 and 115 would be closest to the gazebo.)

The “ocean view” rooms can be found in both wings and the 4th and 5th floor of the main building. This year ours was in the 4th floor directly above the Riveria restaurant. Great for in the evenings. Some people have complained that they could hear the lobby downstairs from the 4th floor, but we couldn’t. These rooms overlook the pool with the ocean in the background. Each has a balcony, although again none are considerably private. The ocean view rooms in the south wing have a view of the more turquoise waters south of the resort. The ocean view rooms in the north wing have a view of the peer and a wonderful sunrise. I’d guess that neither are overall better than the other. I did jot down some room numbers to request in the south wing. There are 7 rooms which I would consider prime in the ocean view wing. Room 313 would offer the best views, as it is closest to the ocean. Anything in 306-313 would have a very nice view of the pool with the ocean in the background. Same room numbers on the 2nd and 1st floor apply (113 and 213 would be the closest rooms to the ocean; anything in 106-113 or 206-213 would be very nice). I can’t comment on the room numbers in the north wing of those on the 4th and 5th floors of the lobby.
 

The ‘tropical garden view rooms” are not all equal. Some of the tropical view rooms WILL have an ocean view above the mangrove forest. I would highly recommend you request a 3rd floor tropical view room in the south wing because those in the north wing overlook the El Mandarine, and those on the 4th and 5th floor overlook a mangrove forest as far as the eye can see. The absolute PRIME tropical rooms (in my humble opinion of course) would be 318, 319, 320, or 321. These are high enough to get a view over the mangroves and are closest to the ocean. Those same numbers on the second floor might be high enough to look over the mangrove forest. If you are in a first floor tropical view room the mangrove forest will start approximately 10 feet off your balcony. It’s lush greenery, but certainly not what I would want on vacation.
The first floor rooms of both the ocean view and tropical view rooms are larger than the 2nd and 3rd story (but again, my personal preference is to go with the 3rd floor). You can see what I mean from the photos I’ve posted. The first floor patio starts where the 2nd and 3rd floor rooms balconies end. This gives you additionalarea for a couch/loveseat. Room preference is obviously a very personal decision, but my advice would be to splurge for an ocean view (ocean front is nicer, but it really isn’t necessary). I’d avoid a tropical view since a vast majority of the tropical views look directly upon the mangrove forest, and do leave something to be desired; but again, your choice of course.

Food: This section is going to be long because quite frankly, Secrets Capri still offered the best food of any A/I I have visited! I didn’t notice any changes in the menus. I should mention that something the presentation is SUPER fancy. But, when comparing A/I food across the Caribbean, Capri Items are right up there with the best of the best.
Items like Shrimp and Beef Tenderloin can be found in almost all of the restaurants DAILY. There is no waiting for ‘seafood’ night. If you want fresh lobster, you go to the seafood restaurant. The food preparation is equal to what you’d find in a standard North American 5 star hotel (very unique for a Caribbean A/I). Extreme care is given in choosing foods of the highest quality and presenting them in a truly artistic fashion (again, sometimes a bit too artistic lol). If you’re looking for typical meals presented in Americanized chains such as outback steakhouse or the Olive Garden, this is not the place. If you appreciate leisurely elegant dining experience, Secrets Capri is wonderful. Service in each of the restaurants was impeccable. Bread crumbs are scraped from your linen tablecloth between each course (even if you’re just eating a burger outside on the patio). Beautifully decorated tableware, flowers, and candles are used to set your table in many of the restaurants. Great care is given in even the simplest of details (for example, I ordered jalapeño cheese stuffed poppers for appetizer at lunch one day and two types of hot spiced sauces were used to meticulously decorate my plate; no little monkey dishes are used here lol). All dishes are served with incredible attention to detail and by a professionally friendly wait staff. “It is my pleasure” is the standard response around the entire resort, and I had the feeling that the resort workers really did find it their pleasure to serve.

Three Choices for Breakfast
1) La Riviera: The traditional buffet complete with omelet station, fresh squeezed juice station, waffle station, and egg station. Not to mention all the cereals, fresh breads, toast (your waiter actually makes the toast so you don’t have to wait by the toaster, yogurts, ect… Really more than anyone could ask for.)
2) Room Service offered eggs to order, along with the typical assortment of fresh breads, fruit, teas, coffee, and juices.
3) Steak house: was open from 7-11 serving a full menu of made to order breakfasts with beautiful views of the gulf of Mexico. DON’T MISS THIS!! I had a citrus vanilla French toast order that was to DIE for!!

Three choices for Lunch:
1) La Riviera: Fancy lunch buffet consisting of a full array of items including shrimp, beef tenderloin, various fish entries, pork, all the mixings for a fabulous salad. Complete with full dessert station.
2) Steak House: Open daily 11-5 serving appetizer (shrimp cocktail, poppers, onion Rings, ect). Salad choices (spinach Greek, chicken salad, chef salad, ect..). Multiple sandwiches (tuna, grilled chicken, hamburger, hot-dog, Mexican club, Rolled ham, ect…) Pizza (several to choose from). They added some main entries to the steak house lunch menu (pasta and steak). And desserts (apple cobbler, hot chocolate cream puff, cheesecake, ect…). The Hot Fudge Brownie was YUMMY! So was the key lime pie.
3) Pool and Beach Side Service: The items available at the steak house were also available to order off a menu right from your lounge chair (or even better, right from the comfort of your pool float lol).

Dinner 5 choices:
1) La Riviera: The La Riviera is the typical buffet dinner option. One evening there is a seafood symphony which is a 6 course sit-down dinner. There is also a romantic evening on Saturday where every lady gets a rose, and the dinners are served to you as opposed to buffet style. There is a chefs cooking night, where you are also served. The Mediterranean Evening is the only typical buffet night that we saw. This had a shrimp grilling station along with beef tenderloin. We both agreed that this was our least favorite meal. Perhaps it’s because I’m not a fan of buffet service and much prefer the ala’ carte dining experience. I should note that the La Riviera had the most wonderful selection of desserts I have ever imagined! For those of you who have traveled, you know might know what I mean when I say that A/I desserts often look wonderful but are lacking in taste? This dessert station had absolutely delicious chocolate moose with chocolate fudge swirled in, Chocolate covered strawberries and kiwi, Various cheesecakes, pound cakes, the typical carrot cake, english cookie station, ect. The thing worth mentioning is that all desserts tasted absolutely wonderful! Nothing bland. Unfortunately, I’m a chocolate connoisseur, But I can attest that only the finest chocolate was used for the white, dark, and milk chocolate desserts. Sinful
On Friday they took the LaRiveria outside for a Mexican themed pool party where the buffet consists of a whole array of various traditional and Americanized Mexican dishes.

2) Steak House: The steak house restaurant opens at 6:30 daily (except the evening of the pool party). We went at 7:00 and had absolutely no wait. Selections include tenderloin steak, baby backed ribs, various fish, ect… Mom had shrimp cocktail for an appetizer and the ribs which were served rolled into a ball with garlic mashed potatoes in the middle (you had to do a double take to make sure it was ribs lol). I had the beef tenderloin which was wonderful. We skipped dessert here (amazingly lol), but they had a variety of selections similar to the rest of the restaurants.

3) Oceana: Seafood Restaurant located on top of the steak house with views of the ocean. This restaurant only has 14 tables, and fills up quickly. We were advised to go to the restaurant at 6:15 (they open at 6:30) to be assured of getting a prime table. This was the slowest meal we experienced (two hours from start to finish). We weren’t in a hurry, and I’m not complaining; just be advised that both the wait to get in, and the meal itself can be time consuming. I ordered a shrimp salad, scallops and baby lobster and a delicious chocolate mousse for dessert. Absolutely wonderful! My mother had vegetable soup, tenderloin with shrimp, and a strawberry whipped moule’ dessert. We both agreed that our meal here was fabulous but portions were somewhat small.

4) Capri (now called the Portofina on some maps): Italian restaurant located on the first floor near the lobby. We went at 8:00 and had an Hour and a Half wait to get in. We opted for the steak house restaurant instead. But appetizers here included minestrone soup and asparagus salad. Jumbo shrimp and scallops in a white wine/garlic sauce along with traditional lasagna are on the menu. The white and dark filled pastries were probably the best dessert I had the entire trip last time.

5) Himitsu: Japanese grilling station. We went at 8:30 and had absolutely no wait, but we went here during the Friday Mexican Pool party, so a majority of the guests were eating buffet outside. I strongly suggest waiting to sit at an actual grilling station, although you can order off a menu if you sit at a regular table. Our chef was wonderful (although not as fancy with the knife show that you’d experience in a large US city). The standard meal at a cooking station was shrimp, beef, and chicken; complete with all the vegetables and rice. Prior to the grilling experience, you are served sushi, rice wine, a salmon salad, and soup. Desserts were an assortment of ice creams and rice puddings which we passed on.

6) Room Service: The menu is larger than my first trip. See photo reviews for the room service menu. Available 24 hours a day. No charge.

Beach: Much has already been mentioned about the beach. It is not the turquoise water found at other areas in the Caribbean; but I have to say that I think the sand has shifted post Wilma. There are new sand bars that run parallel to the Capri shoreline. This gives the water depth a variation, and thus the turquoise color is BETTER than it was post Wilma. The beach bottom is still silt/clay. The sand at Capri is imported and spread around the entire property. Regardless, if you’re looking to wade in the beautiful clear waters of the Caribbean, Secrets Capri should not be your destination. While the beach is perfectly fine to lay on, the water clarity just wasn’t there. If you walk to the south of the resort, there is a fabulous beach, but again; if you’re looking for beach as a number one priority, who’d want to make that hike?

Pool: The temperature of the heated verses non-heated sections of the pool was very noticeable. Needless to say, the heated pool was our favorite place. If you’re looking to go to playa during the winter months, a heated pool really is a fabulous benefit! Like I said, the non-heated section was down right cold. Read through trip advisor and you will find a very common theme. All of the pools in the Riveria Maya that aren’t heated have lots if complaints regarding pool temperature. Just look at winter photos. Not many people in the pools! Well, having stepped from a heated section to a non-heated section I can tell you why!
 

The pool float situation is great at SC. A couple signs posted asking guests to leave the loungers IN the pool meant that loungers were always available with minimal wait. When people finished lounging, they’d just pass the float onto the next guest, and so on, and so on. What a difference from Secrets Excellence, where people not only removed the floats to put then next to their chairs, but also took them back to their rooms! Honestly folks, leave the lounger in the water and pass it on! They are not YOURS for the entire day just because you got to the pool early. One word of advice, nearly the entire portion of the pool is zero entry, but it can be very slippery! Use caution or enter via the steps.
 

Some differences in the pool: A handrail has been added since our last trip at the zero entry portions. Also, they have added some padding to the tile loungers that are in the shallow area of the pool.

Bars: There are multiple bars throughout secrets. The most popular during the day was the pool bar, where the wait was no less than a few minutes. The bar next to the beach was also very busy during the day; again minimal wait. The lobby bar was the most popular at night. I’d recommend the Secrets Preferred (a Collins type drink made with mandarin orange absolute). The fruity blended drinks were not made with top shelf automatically, you did need to ask; but top shelf choices were visible at every turn. I’m a big absolute mandarin orange fan; they had it at every bar. The also had 4 other types of flavored absolute and flavored Bacardi (the Bacardi limon’ and Bacardi O were wonderful too, ask to have your pina-colada made with one of these; yummy). The drinks weren’t always consistent though, so it was possible to order something like a Miami vice and get two totally different drinks depending on the bar. Overall, the drinks were fabulous, and again a testament to quality. The mud slides were made with swirls of Hershey’s chocolate and real bananas were used to make all banana drinks. Each blended drink was made to order, and although I did see the ready made frosty type of machines at the outside bars, these were only used for the smoothies. All blended drinks with alcohol were blended individually to order. A nice touch indeed.

This year they have added about 7 new types of flavored tequila. Orange, watermelon, green apple, lemon, etc… This means you can have margaritas made with flavored tequila. OMG…… the orange margarita is my all time favorite drink!!

Comparison to Secrets Excellence in the Dominican Republic: I have a full review of Secrets Excellence in PC on my web page, but here’s a somewhat brief comparison between the two. I stayed at SEPC in August of 2003 and again visited SEPC for an evening in June of 2005. Having been to Capri twice now, I feel fairly confident that my comparisons are accurate.
Service goes to Secrets Capri. SC had more polished service. Each room comes with a concierge at SC, and only the excellence club has a concierge at SE. Overall, we found the service outstanding at both, but just more polished at SC. Example: The pool side drink and food service was a really nice touch at SC. It was available at SEPC, just not the extent that it was available at SC. Other touches like the promptness of room service was simply better at SC. The check-in procedure was much more polished at SC. Some of this may be due to the fact that there is less of a language barrier at SC than there is at SEPC. Without a doubt, I believe that SC had the best service of any A/I I have visited.
Quality of Food and Beverages also goes to SC. The food was better here in terms of quality and presentation (although there is absolutely nothing wrong with the food at SEPC). The ability to order breakfast off a menu overlooking beach is a very nice touch at SC. Again, pool and beach side food availability is a nice touch. The addition of a Japanese restaurant with cooking stations is a definite plus for SC. At SEPC, there was a buffet salad bar at the Italian and Oriental restaurant. At SC, you ordered salad off a menu at every restaurant except La Riviera. The desserts were also fabulous at SC, which wasn’t the case at SE. The availability of premium alcohol was also extensive at SC. Again, I have been to the Caribbean 30 or so times, and I firmly believe that SC had the best food and beverages of any Caribbean Vacation I have ever been on including several cruises and various other 5 star resorts like Sandals.

The pool is nicer at SEPC. Quite frankly; I believe the pool at SE is one of the nicest in the entire Caribbean (certainly the nicest of any I have visited). In fact, I believe that the pool at SEPC was voted the nicest pool in the entire Caribbean in 2005 by Fodors. The pool at SC is more crowded because of the size (the main pool at SEPC is more than twice the size of the entire pool at SC). With the addition of palm tree islands throughout the winding pool design, the pool at SEPC never felt crowded (although the pool float availability at SC is much better than SEPC). The pool at SC has somewhat of a stamped concrete feeling, although I didn’t have trouble spending 6 hours a day in there. The edge definitely goes to SEPC: Finding a pool nicer than Secrets Excellence would be a major accomplishment.

The beach is nicer at SEPC. Neither beach is great for swimming. SEPC is very rough. SC is somewhat cloudy. Each are fine to lay out on, but I give the edge in beach to SEPC due to the tall palm trees! The sand at SEPC is very deep, and there aren’t any boats or jet ski’s whizzing by to detract from the natural beauty of the water. The color of water is also more pleasing at SEPC. Couple this with the sound of crashing waves, and I give the edge to SEPC. Although, if you’re interested in water sports, SC is clearly a better choice because the water sports are often cancelled at SEPC due to the condition of the ocean.

The spa goes to SEPC. Both spa’s are state of the art. At SC, there is an indoor and outdoor Jacuzzi set-up. But the spa at SEPC just felt plusher than the spa at SC. I’m not sure I can pin-point the exact differences, but I give the spa at SEPC the edge due to the two story waterfall feature.
Exercise Equipment goes to SC. Both have very nice gyms, but the gym at SC had newer equipment and a greater selection.
Entertainment goes to SE. The entertainment wasn’t fabulous at SEPC, but it was better than SC. The casino at SEPC is a nice touch for late night entertainment (gambling is illegal in Mexico). Neither had entertainment teams that were overly present, but the open-aired stage with plush loungers at SEPC was much nicer than the banquet set-up at SC.

Rooms go to SEPC. We were in a Secrets Excellence Club room in SEPC, so it may not be fair to compare, but the set-up with the two person Jacuzzi makes the rooms at SEPC nicer. Our room was also larger at SEPC. Although the data-ports in each room are not available at SEPC, there was more drawer and closet space. The mini-bar at SEPC had a larger selection (the extras included gator aid, alcohol, and candy bars lol); but again, this is only available in the Excellence Club rooms. I believe the ocean view rooms at SEPC are nicer than the ocean view rooms at SC simply because the ocean view rooms at SC are partially blocked by the steakhouse and seafood restaurant. Our ocean view room at SC was unobstructed and absolutely beautiful, but again, I give the edge in rooms to SEPC.

Excursion availability goes to SC. Simply put, there twice as many excursions available in PDC. SEPC is tucked away from everything (as is most of Punta Cana). Although excursions are available from SEPC, the selection is limited. The town of playa is only 10 minutes away from SC, with great shopping. This is lacking in PC. The snorkeling is better in PDC. The variety of trips are more extensive (everything from ruins to eco-parks to dolphin discoveries). The island of Cozumel is only a 20 minute ferry ride away with some of the best diving in the Caribbean. If you’re looking for lots to do off the resort, SC is positively the way to go.
Internet Café’: There are four computers set up in the business center. Access to the internet, a printer, and a fax are free of charge. The internet café’ is air-conditioned and the speed is very fast. They ask that guests limit their time to 15 minutes, and for the most part everyone abided.

Spa and Exercise Equipment: The spa is wonderful here. I have pictures of the spa and exercise room on my web page, along with a price list for the spa. If you get a spa, several other things come free for the day. The Swedish shower is absolutely fabulous as is the viche machine. If you do not purchase a spa package, the additional spa amenities (sauna, outside mineral bath, Swedish massage shower, ect) can be purchased for $20.00 per day or $50.00 per week.

Suggestions for improvement: I try to end every review with a list of suggested improvements for the management. In the case of Capri, this was difficult to do (both trips). Here are a few areas which could be improved (although they did not deter from our vacation in any way).
1) Turn Down Service. SC offers turn down service. Basically, your room should be made up twice a day. One large cleaning in the morning, and the replenishment of towels/toiletries and a turn down service with chocolates on the pillow in the evening. We missed turn down service 3 times in our 7 day stay the first trip, and once the
2) Internet Center: The internet center is large enough to fit two additional computer stations. This should eliminate any waiting what-so-ever. Also, there is a small vestibule when you enter the business center. I suggest placing a few chairs with a table with reading material to make it more comfortable for guests who are waiting for a computer.
3) Entertainment: I’m not sure if it’s possible to refurbish the evening entertainment room with chairs that aren’t banquet style, but in the very least; I’d suggest a greater variety of quality evening shows. While the casino night was a hoot, dance type shows the remaining 6 nights a week just doesn’t cut it for a hotel of this caliber. Also, the banquet room is indoors. An outdoor seating whenever possible is much nicer in the Caribbean.
4) Transportation to Playa: It would be nice if the hotel could provide additional transportation to Playa. Currently, one shuttle leaves at 6:00 p.m. and returns around 9:30 p.m. Adding a few additional departure times (For example: 9:00 a.m., Noon, 3:00 p.m.) would be a really nice extra touch.
5) More Tropical Plants: I know that some people say that Capri has a ‘concrete’ feeling. I don’t remember this feel on my first trip, but positively had this feeling post Wilma. I know plants need some time to grow, but in the meantime, adding larger and more numerous potted plantings could go a long way in helping to soften the edges.
 

Summary of Specific Changes in Capri since last visit:
1) New Massage hut on the beach
2) New Volleyball court on the beach.
3) New ‘seawall’ along the beach
4) Fewer palm trees after Wilma 
5) Better room service menu.
6) New railings for entering the zero entry pool.
7) New padding on the cement built in pool loungers.
More tables added to the steak house restaurant (on the bottom next to the beach bar).
9) Some of the areas are showing a little more wear than I would expect (teak loungers, bathroom mirrors, etc..)
10) I really appreciated that heated pool this trip!
11) Better tasting and more extensive dessert menus in the restaurants.
12) Front desk help was much more pleasant an organized.
13) Better Bar Service with larger drink selection.
14) Organized activities were participated in much more (actual volleyball games, bike tours, skeet shooting, etc…)

Summary of Changes to AMResorts:
Many of you know that there will be some changes with AMResorts. Secrets Capri will remain 'as is' and operated by AMResorts with the same amenity package and dedication to service. AMResorts plan to open Secrets Maroma in the fall of 2007 along with another Secrets (and Dreams or Sunscape) property near Runaway Bay in Jamaica.

SERC and SEPC are being ‘given back’ to the original owners. A new management group has been formed called the “Excellence Group”. SERC will be the first launch in October of 2006, followed by SEPC in January 2007. The next two "Excellence" resorts to open are Excellence Playa Mujeres, Cancun (Summer 2007) and Excellence Oyster Bay, Jamaica (Spring /2008)
So, basically once all the changes have been made, we will have two resort companies to choose from, both operated under the same adult-only concept:

1) "Excellence Group" consisting of SEPC, SERC, Excellence Mujais, and Excellence Oyster Bay
2) "Secrets Resorts Dreams and Spa" consisting of Capri, Maroma, and a new resort in Jamaica.

And to clarify we have other resorts that are not adults only operated by AMRESORTS
3) Sunscape (multiple properties)
4) Dreams (multiple properties).

The difference being Dreams is marketed as slightly more 'upscale' and closer to Secrets in amenities than Sunscape. BUT.... I'm here to tell you that Sunscape the Beach had nearly identical amenities as both Capri and SEPC; so the differences between Dreams and Sunscape appears VERY slim.

Conclusion: I have approximately 30 Caribbean trips under my belt. This was my second trip to the Playa area in 7 months and my 4th trip to the Caribbean in the last 10 months. Capri continues to be one of my absolute favorite destinations. This is a compact, high-end, luxury All-Inclusive with great attention to detail. Where she may lack in certain areas (beach quality, lushness, pool size, etc…), she shines in others (attention to detail, service, food, and amenities). This resort is particularily nice if you're traveling during the winter months (one of the very few with a heated pool; and believe me, it's needed!). If you're looking for laid back, refined, small, intimate, and very relaxed vacation, Capri is certainly worthy of consideration.