Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay

Pulling up to the resort’s gate, travelers will see an entrance sign for the Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay on the left, while a sign on the right points to the Secrets St. James Montego Bay. The two resorts share most features, including the swish spa, beach, shopping complex, casino, and Promenade featuring several restaurants, bars, and a music lounge. In the end, what mostly sets the two resorts apart is decor -- Wild Orchid is slightly more contemporary in design, and also offers the coveted Preferred Club Swim-out Rooms. Rates are also nominally higher here than at the Secrets St. James.

The shared features and lack of reservations at restaurants can create crowding and long waits at times – especially during check-in/check-out – but the volume of options helps guests spread out. Visitors who opt for a Preferred Club suite will receive personalized check-in and check-out, additional in-room perks, and access to an exclusive pool, beach area, lounge, and all facilities at the trendy Breathless Montego Bay Resort & Spa.

Expect a modern design throughout the property, with lots of earth-tone decor and clean-lined furnishings that are attractive, though lack much local flair. On the plus side, the property’s “Unlimited Luxury” all-inclusive package is excellent, covering all dining, drinks, entertainment, and full roster of activities.

Travelers looking for a more intimate environment should consider the phenomenal Round Hill Hotel and Villas, which has a secluded location, beautiful villas with pools, and top-notch dining. Families wanting a massive all-inclusive resort with tons for both kids and adults should consider the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort & Spa, which has the largest pool complex in Jamaica.

The Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay occupies a secluded peninsula that allows guests to have over a mile of private beach. It’s conveniently located about a 20- to 25-minute drive from Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport. There’s almost nothing within walking distance, though most guests never leave the resort due to all of the on-site features. Travelers wanting to sightsee outside of the property may want to rent a car, and parking on-site is free. Golfers will find Tryall Golf Club a 30-minute drive away, while Half Moon Golf Course is 25 minutes away by car. Negril’s stunning beach and cliffs are a 90-minute drive, while the Dunn's River waterfalls is about a two-hour drive away.

The 350 rooms at Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay have sophisticated contemporary decor, and swish extras such as four-poster beds, iPod docks, flat-screen TVs, jetted soaking tubs, separate rainfall showers, and free daily restocked minibars. All suites have furnished balconies or terraces, with views of either the ocean or the garden. Quality standard amenities include free Wi-Fi, bathrobes and slippers, coffee- and tea-making facilities, hairdryers, steam press, electronic laptop-sized safes, and luxe toiletries. Entry-level units are the Junior Suite Garden View rooms, which are a spacious 559 square feet (52 square meters) and have sitting areas.

A popular option are the Preferred Club Junior Suite Swim-Out rooms, which have direct access to an exclusive pool, as well as a whirlpool tub on the balcony. Preferred Club Suites feature large whirlpools in both the bathrooms and on the balconies. Additional Preferred Club perks include more goodies in the minibars, upgraded toiletries, and access to a Club Lounge, exclusive and quieter pool, and area of the beach.

Couples may appreciate the “Secrets Box" in each room, which is essentially a non-moving dumbwaiter that allows guests to order room service without actually having to open the door for delivery. Rather, the meal is placed in the box and left for guests to access via a second door in their room.

Unlike certain popular strips along the northern shore of Montego Bay and Seven Mile Beach in Negril, the beach at Secrets Wild Orchid and Secrets St. James doesn’t share its views or borders with any other properties. Instead, the resort’s peninsular spot is secluded and serene, and guests have the run of the shore.

The beach has fine white sand and clear, warm water, and numerous lounge chairs are on offer, as well as umbrellas for shade. Activities on the beach include beach volleyball, badminton, and horse shoe. Certain sections of the beach are quite narrow.

Part of the beach is reserved for the Preferred Club guests.

The main pools for both Secrets Wild Orchid and Secrets St. James are open to guests at either property and they offer lovely ocean views. However, both can get rather crowded during peak season, though a good number of loungers and umbrellas are on offer. Each features its own swim-up bar and open-air restaurant.

There's also a quieter pool for Preferred Club guests, which features swim-up guest rooms, an interweaving river-like design, and super-close proximity to the beach. Placards stating that guests must prove their Preferred Club status (via their labeled room card key) upon entering this fancier pool area are scattered around the perimeter, ensuring everyone knows their place.

The 15,000-square-foot Secrets Spa by Pevonia's treatment menu ranges from traditional facials and massages to mud baths and hydrotherapies. Perks include a relaxation room with hot and cold pools, a yoga garden, a hair salon, and a boutique. Locker rooms also include saunas, steam rooms, pressure showers, and Swiss showers. Couples massages' and salon treatments are available.

Secrets Wild Orchid boasts a total of 10 restaurants covered by the all-inclusive package, but because they’re shared with the neighboring Secrets St. James resort, there is often a problem with crowds and typically a wait time for tables. Most of the restaurants do not accept reservations, so guests wishing to avoid a wait might want to eat early.

The food itself, however, is impressive for an all-inclusive. There are Mexican, Italian, Jamaican, Asian-fusion, and French a la carte restaurants, as well as the obligatory buffet restaurant and coffee shop. Unlike a lot of other all-inclusive resorts, the atmosphere doesn’t feel strip mall-esque; each restaurant is housed in its own freestanding structure and has distinct decor.

Guests can eat at the restaurants as much as they'd like, and free room service is available 24/7. Preferred Club guests get access to the restaurants at Breathless Montego Bay Resort and Spa, as well as a Club Lounge where free food and beverages are served throughout the day.

Secrets Wild Orchid has nine bars are lounges between it and the next-door Secrets St. James. They include the main pool’s swim-up bar, a piano bar, a music lounge, and a lobby bar. Drinks are covered in the all-inclusive rates, and that goes for the top-shelf stuff as well as the cheap rum punch and Red Stripes. Crowds jockeying for the bartenders' attention start to form in the late afternoon.

Secrets Wild Orchid shares its tennis courts and fitness center -- which includes cardio and strength-training equipment -- with Secrets St. James. Private tennis lessons are available for a fee.

Other activities are abundant, including free non-motorized water sports, dance classes, chess, darts, board games, croquet, billiards, yoga, aerobics classes, cooking classes, ping-pong, and jogging trails. There are also activities that come at an additional cost, such as scuba diving (first pool lesson is free), horseback riding, deep sea fishing excursions, and golfing at a nearby championship course.

Weddings are big business in Jamaica, and Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay is definitely in on the game, providing an exhaustive list of services ranging from on-site wedding coordinators to pressing and steaming the bride and groom’s gown and tux. A few packages are offered, and made-to-order weddings can also be arranged. All packages include a wedding cake, sparking wine, a bouquet and boutonnière, an officiant, and free nights that go toward a future anniversary stay.

While ceremonies generally take place in one of several wedding pavilions along the beach, a vast array of meeting rooms and ballrooms are available for cocktail hours, receptions, and rehearsal dinners.

Secrets’ website also features a registry option in which marrying couples can request gifts be given in the form of credits toward a honeymoon at the resort.

On-site planners can also coordinate events and meetings both large and small. There are nearly a dozen different spaces that can be used for cocktail receptions, banquets, performances, business retreats, or classes. Packages are available, and guests can also create custom events.