My husband & I just returned from SMB yesterday. We had the best vacation of our lives!
We got married at SMB on the beach on 9/21. We had 22 guests travel to SMB to celebrate the big day with us.
The hotel is beautiful, surrounded by jungle in the back and beachfront to one of the most beautiful beaches ever. Sandy white beaches, beautiful turquoise waters. The staff sweep up the seaweed each morning to ensure the beach looks pristine every day. The beach is lined with thatched roof umbrellas & pool loungers which are free and easy to find. They have beach wait staff who is super attentive and brings whatever your heart desires (food & drink) upon request. The swing bar at the beach is amazing but I wish it stayed open a bit later.
The food was fantastic. The buffet breakfast every morning includes made to order crepes, smoothies, omelets & eggs. The breakfast enchiladas were great! There is an abundance of fresh fruit options; you won't go hungry! They also have a coffee bar upstairs that i discovered late in our stay, great coffee & to-go pastries. Lunch options are great as well. The barefoot grill is perfect when your already a few beers or icebergs (beer with a floater of frozen margarita on top) down. Hamburgers, grilled fish or ribs, papas fritas, nachos and more! Dinner options were also nice but mostly "casual elegance". The Italian restaurant Portofino was our favorite. The Mexican restaurant our least favorite. We had guests arriving everyday and the staff was extremely accommodating in getting us tables to seat our group. One night we took over the entire teppanyaki grill which was really fun & entertaining. We reserved the wine cellar for a special dinner date in which we could order from the French and Italian restaurant. We had to order bottles of wine to get the secluded room but it was very nice (ambiance, food & service). Thanks Armit!

We hosted a bonfire party and our wedding at SMB. Thanks to Cecilia Reyes and her team, everything was amazing & more than we could have expected. The bonfire was set up up beautifully with tall white pennant flags, our own private bar on the beach, chairs and tables and the Bonfire. We brought our own iPod speaker for music which worked well. The main bar attendee was Manuel who was extraordinary. Very polite, friendly and accommodating. At the time of pack up (our event was 3 hours only) our guests weren't ready to head in so Manuel left us a few beers, shots & chasers so we could continue to enjoy the beach and the amazing lightning storm on display. 
The wedding was held on the beach, Cecilia's team listened to all of our requests and executed everything beautifully. The canopy was dressed with white curtains. Tiki torches dressed with tropical flowers lined the aisle. Our officiant was great and it went better than expected considering we never met her before the vows were read. She knew every word by heart, spoke with clarity and passion and pronounced our names correctly. Cecilia was on hand to ensure everything went smoothly. We had to move the reception inside bc of the storm & Cecilia's team recommended the World Cafe terrace. We were a bit skeptical bc that is where we had breakfast each morning and we couldn't imagine the space transformed. We were so wrong! It was better than our original choice and each table was set perfectly. The food at the wedding was the best food we had in our 11 day stay! All of our guests raved about the stuffed peppers; which is a family recipe Cecilia got the chefs to make for us!! An example of going above & beyond!

One of the best parts of our vacation was our daily interaction with the entertainment team. "Big Willy" (Guillermo) was the first to greet us. He immediately became our friend over our shared love of the Raiders. Big Willy checked in on us everyday, greeted us with hugs or a handshake and would fill us in on the daily activities. He would come hang out with our group and chat. He was absolutely one of the nicest people we met in Mexico. Big Willy made SMB feel like home, a recognizable face, someone who remembers your name and treats you like family, not just a hotel guest. I only hope that when we come back for our anniversary that he is still there. But there were more, Bambi was also great. The youngest of the group, he also greeted us each day with hugs, kept us involved in sports throughout the week, volleyball, beach soccer (where Bambi excels) and more. JC was Lso great, very friendly & always remembered us. Mexican Elvis- another fav kept us laughing all week and taught us how to make guacamole! Diana was always a joy to talk with! Lorena- a ball of energy and so very fun! Each of these team members greeted us each day and added to our overall experience. Our stay at SMB wouldn't have been the same without them. 

Our room was nice, building 23, 4th floor. We had a full view of the ocean but were a 5 minute walk to the beach. We had our own balcony. Room service was great!! Food was good, buckets of beer- anything you need SMB delivers! After our wedding we got a "honeymooners" banner on our door (almost everyone at SMB is a honeymooner). On the day of my birthday our hotel building concierge Romina setup our wine cellar dinner And had our room decorated. The bed was decorated with a "happy birthday banner" and balloons. They left a bucket with an iced bottle of champagne and a delicious chocolate cake. It was over the top, but just another example of how good & personal the service is at SMB. My only room complaint is the wifi which is super spotty even if you pay for it. I would recommend skipping wifi and just go to the lobby where it is free when you need it.

Overall we loved this hotel and our guests all had a wonderful time. A lifetime of memories were created and we will always hold a place in our hearts for Secrets Maroma & Mexico. Thanks to our photographer Linkn of Moments that Matter who recommended this hotel to us!