Island of Dominica, Secret Bay Resort

9 years ago my husband and I made a stop in Dominica on a Norwegian Cruise to the Caribbean from NYC. We only had a few hours to explore the island so we saw some of Roseau, Trafalgar Falls and the Sulfur Springs. We had to rush and there was so much we wanted to see. We had never been to an island like Dominica before and we always dreamt of going back.

When Secret Bay first opened approximately 6 years ago I had been watching it intently. It looked like the perfect place to go to make our return. It took many years but this past May 2017 we finally had the time and the means to book Secret Bay. The booking process was a simple phone call and every question we had was answered immediately.

The trip to Dominica is long since they do not have an International Airport. The mountainous island makes it very difficult for them to construct one. What we love about this is that it helps keep Dominica untouched and beautiful yet more tourists would bring big business to the island. We flew Jet Blue out of Newark, NJ to Puerto Rico and then took Seaborne Airlines to Dominica. We took off at 7 am and arrived in Dominica at 5:45 pm. From the moment we grabbed our luggage a driver, hired by Secret Bay, whisked us to the property with snacks and water to revive us. It was a good hour drive on windy roads in the dark and we were very exhausted yet so happy that our journey was almost complete. We were welcomed to Secret Bay and brought up to our villa Zabuco III which is to the left and on top of the cliff overlooking Secret Beach. There we were given dinner, wine and a short overview of the villa for our first night. We were then left to rest and recover for our next day on property.

SaraLee was our villa attendant for the first few days. She came over around 10 am to talk to us more about the resort and to show us the menu for dinner that night. We placed our lunch and dinner orders in the mornings and what times we wanted them served. They were always hot, delicious and on time. The food on the entire Island is amazing and Secret Bay’s chefs are top-notch. We ate on property most nights. Sara lee kept our villa clean late morning, washed dishes, brought up meals, did our laundry and was simply amazing. All the things I needed a vacation from at home! Bianca took over for her the second half of the trip and was very good too. She was always smiling and helpful.

We then needed to plan our excursions so Lenita the concierge came to our villa and helped us plan what we wanted to do in Dominica. We wanted to see waterfalls, the Indian River and the Cabrits National Park. We also wanted some good local foods and to see the Saturday Market in Roseau. Lenita created an itinerary with how much everything would be, what to wear and bring on our excursions, tips and ideas for more things to do and so much more! She was so organized and helpful, we never had a concierge go through that much effort to plan our trip for us. She was good. She also scheduled us for a massage. Everything was very reasonably priced. We also ate at 2 off-property restaurants the Iguana Cafe, which was a little shack with the most amazing food on the Island and The Lobster Palace at Sunset Bay Beach Club. We ate a lot of lobster and it was always amazing in different ways. Ryan was our cab driver and tour guide for the day we went to Roseau and the waterfalls. He expertly guided us through the market and to the most beautiful waterfalls I ever imagined.

Spanny Falls we had all to ourselves. The water cascades down the mountain and the water is cool and deep. We spent quite a bit of time there before visiting Jacko Falls and then the Emerald Pool. Emerald pool had a food stand where we had a little snack. There were also facilities there to get changed or use the bathroom. This was a little more crowded but we still had an amazing time. We went during a month where there were no cruise ships in port so we had so much to ourselves. There is nothing like swimming in a freshwater waterfall in the middle of a rainforest.

Another excursion was the Indian River Tour with Fire. He picked us up at Tibay Beach at the bottom of Secret Bay property and took us up the coast to the Indian River. He told us so much about the history of Dominica, the plants and animals and his life growing up there. At one point he pulls leaves off of a tree and starts scrubbing himself. A natural soup! He was fun. The Indian River is where they filmed a scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where they go to meet Calypso. It was neat being on that beautiful river. Again, we mostly had it to ourselves. Fire took us to a little shack bar a ways from the river. We had a coconut punch and a "dynamite". Whoa! Both were small but strong. We stuck to one because it was hot and then walked back to the river. Fire told us we could continue on to look at some plant life and visit another bar if we wanted and he would meet us downriver. We weren’t going to drink anymore but we met this great bartender Sherry from Queens and had another round of drinks talking with her for a while. This time I had the Lime Punch and he had the Peanut Punch. Both were delicious. The peanut punch was the consistency of pina colada but taste like peanuts. The lime punch was a bit more watery and refreshing. Soon we were back on the river and taken to a cab for lunch at the Iguana Cafe.

Iguana Cafe was a little shack on the side of the road overlooking the ocean. There were two tables and some bar stools. We had wine, conch, tuna, water and a whole mess of lobsters! The most delicious sauce was covering them. We ate everything and lingered for a while before going to Cabrits National Park where we hiked on our own to see a fort, wildlife, crabs, the view of Secret Bay from a distance and more. After a few hours, we went back to Secret Bay and relaxed in our villa for the rest of the day. I was too full for my dinner that night and Bianca got upset but I assured her I would eat my dinner for lunch the next day…and I did!

The days we stayed on the property we spent a lot of time in our villa because the view and our infinity pool were very relaxing. They have a hammock for two that we relaxed on for a great deal of time. There were hummingbirds abound and so much wildlife. In Dominica, they are very self-sustaining. Everyone grows something! It wasn’t unusual to see someone picking herbs or plants to use for that night’s dinner. The balcony overlooked Secret Beach and you’d occasionally see a sailboat. On clear days you can see Guadeloupe. It was hot and sunny most days but you can even sit out during a downpour and relax to the sounds of nature. Everywhere you looked there was a view.

The interior room was where the living area, a television and the kitchen were located. The breakfast basket was delicious! We had so many fresh fruits, teas, the most delicious homemade granola I have ever tasted, unique coconut bread and in the fridge some papaya juice, rum punch and homemade yogurt that I couldn’t get enough of. I’m going to try to make some at home now. We also had our villa stocked with some eggs, butter, bacon, etc. So we could make a heartier breakfast. The breakfast basket lasted us the whole week. It was well worth the $95. I also have to mention that the cocoa tea is unique and I wish I had more. The lemongrass tea was also very soothing and I saved it for my last day to linger over in the morning while looking at the view.

The beaches: Tibey beach is a walk down to the bottom of the property. We saw 2 others there one day and the other days we had it all to ourselves. I swam in the gorgeous water and we relaxed under shady trees. To get over to Secret beach we called security and they had a kayak waiting for us on Tibey Beach for the 3 minute paddle over. The views were amazing. We could see Zabuco III on the top of the cliff as we approached Secret Beach. I would argue that it is the most beautiful beach in the Caribbean. We had it all to ourselves and after a few hours, we kayaked back to have lunch and relax in the villa. We never needed to leave that villa! It had everything we needed.

The bedroom has air conditioning. It worked well but we tended to take hot showers and baths at night so it took a while to cool back down. Although, we were never hot while sleeping. We slept very well. The bed was low to the ground and the mattress and pillows were very comfortable. The closet was enormous although we really didn’t need a lot of clothes at all. I lived in my bathing suit and robe most of the trip. I would pack half as much next time. The bathtub was free-standing and fun to bathe in. The shower had 2 shower heads and units so you could have water shooting at you from all directions. Very luxurious. The shampoos and soups were all-natural and did wonders for my hair and skin. My hair gets dry but the cactus conditioner made it soft and easy to comb through. It smelled really good too!

On the last day we had to leave at 5:30 am to get to the airport for an 8 am flight. It wasn’t hard waking up and having a cup of coffee on the deck while watching it get lighter out. I was able to see some stars. It was very difficult to leave paradise but they made it as smooth and easy for us as possible. Security came to get our bags at 5:20 am and we slowly walked down to the front of the property to leave. It was a windy drive but we got some nice views of the sunrise. You have to pay a $32 departure tax each when you leave Dominica. Make sure you have the exact change. We had to pay to leave paradise! Too funny. The wait was short in the air-conditioned airport. It was very jarring to get home and not have dinner waiting for us or a magnificent view. Secret Bay was the best vacation we ever had and we will be back!