Secrets Akumal Weddings

Adults-only luxury in the “place of the turtle aka Akumal”

Secrets Akumal is a new, AAA Four Diamond award-winning adults only resort. Set on the beautiful Akumal Bay in the Riviera Maya, the all-inclusive resort is convenient located halfway between Playa del Carmen and Tulum; 30 minutes drive to either. Secrets Akumal is an hour and a half transfer from Cancun airport.

The resort has 434 elegant suites and is built around a maze of pools, not to mention access to the incredible Akumal Bay Beach of course! “Akumal” means “Place of the Turtle” in Maya, and Akumal Bay is known for its incredible snorkeling. Step out of the resort and into the water and swim with huge green turtles that come to munch on the seagrass.

One of the most unique features of Secrets Akumal is it’s location. Though the beach is public, access is now controlled and has an entry fee to protect the turtles. That means there are fewer visitors on the beach, and even fewer who make it all the way down the bay to Secrets. As a guest of the resort, you have the advantage of being able to enjoy the bay and easily walk out and explore. Akumal Bay feels like a charming village with cute shops, restaurants, and bars. We highly recommend Turtle Bay Icecream and the Buena Vida for some Dia de Los Muertos style! Akumal is a tiny dot in comparison to even Tulum and it feels cozy. Other activities include swimming in the beautiful cenotes close by.

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Contact us to plan your travel. Our Del Sol Travels team will assist with maximizing the benefits to you when booking a room block for your guests at Secrets Akumal. They will also assist with travel for all of your guests, letting you focus your attention on the details of your celebration. Their services are complimentary, and their expertise is not limited to weddings. Our team is available to assist you with travel planning around the globe!

Secrets Akumal Wedding Venues

Secrets Akumal is relatively compact resort which makes the wedding day logistics a breeze. While the beach is an obvious choice for a wedding ceremonies, Secrets Akumal have a variety of wedding venues. The way the pools and gardens meander through the resort creates a surprising selection of charming terrace and garden wedding venues. The lush gardens and the twists and turns of pools and paths also keep the locations private. Though Secrets Akumal has obvious appeal for beach boho style weddings, it also offers some really chic and contemporary options like the Akumal Plaza and the Lagoon Arch.

We always recommend a real or virtual site visit before your wedding day. Check out our Secrets Akumal Wedding Walkthrough video below to get a sense of the wedding venues.

Jump to our Secrets Akumal Real Wedding Archive

Secrets Akumal Beach Weddings

The Secrets Akumal beach wedding location is towards the south end of Akumal Bay. The beach is public, but has restricted access via the CEA (Centro Ecologico Akumal.) The beach has also recently been protected by off-shore barriers which restrict sargassum seaweed from entering the bay. Hooray for clean beaches! The wooden beach pergola is permanent, as is the wooden walkway which provide a wonderful base for as much or as little decor as you choose.

“We thought about getting married at the Jersey shore, but we wanted a new beach to love and remind us of this new chapter we were taking together. Besides, who doesn’t want a beautiful blue ocean and white sand as their backdrop when saying your I dos?!” – Jennifer

Secrets Akumal Lagoon Arch Weddings

Arch Real Wedding Archive

The Secrets Akumal Lagoon Arch is a unique, terrace wedding venue. Set at the back of the resort, the arch has garden views and a decorative pool. The arch structure itself offers both shade and a surprisingly cooling wind tunnel effect! With the Plaza Akumal and the Lagoon Pool Terrace next door, the Arch is a chic wedding ceremony location for couples who don’t want to walk on sand or grass and can accommodate up to 150 guest for ceremonies.

“Our coordinator, Carolina was fantastic, and the day of our wedding was seamless. From the time the ceremony started, I never worried once. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day and are so grateful for the wonderful staff that helped with our wedding!” – Lindsey + James Arch Wedding

Secrets Akumal Ceiba Garden

Ceiba Garden Archive

The Secrets Akumal Ceiba Garden is a popular reception venue. The circular, grassy area around the central “Ceiba” tree is extremely private and is magical with pretty reception lighting. We love Lo and Chris’s fairy light tent. The Ceiba garden is also available as a wedding ceremony venues for small groups. There is a permanent wooden pergola with a solid floor. You CAN wear high heels to your garden wedding! The Ceiba Garden accommodates up to 20 for ceremonies, 70 for receptions and 150 for cocktail hour.

“We had a vision for our dream wedding: a natural setting with a beautiful beach. Our Akumal destination wedding is exactly what we envisioned. The landscaping and surrounding jungle set the most beautiful backdrop for our reception and our guests stay. The beach was endlessly beautiful, with the white sand and turquoise waters.” – Morgan + Clint – Ceiba Garden Wedding Reception

Secrets Akumal Oceana Garden Wedding Venue

Oceana is the a new garden wedding ceremony and reception venue at Secrets Akumal. Poolside and close to the beach, the location feels more airy and open than the Ceiba garden. Despite being less secluded it remains surprisingly private for nighttime events. We attended an evening event recently and didn’t notice any passers by.

“Secrets Akumal is top shelf. They keep the facility clean, the staff is amazing and polite, kind and courteous. The food is top of the line and the drinks are strong. The details are endless, the beach security had eyes in the backs of their heads and kept the resort free from any and all trespassing. Anyone who is nervous about Mexico, the resort does an amazing job to make it as safe or safer than home.” – Ellie

Secrets Akumal Poolside Wedding Venues

Real Weddings with Poolside Receptions

Secrets Akumal is all about water. There are real and decorative pools winding their way through the whole resort. There are a number of poolside reception venues all of which have high-heel friendly hard floors. They all stay surprisingly private since the shape of the pools creates natural zones semi surrounded by water that keep potential rubberneckers at a distance ;)

“The Secrets Akumal Plaza reception venue is gorgeous to begin with. We knew we would not need to do much to set the mood for the evening. We added some lighting and moved the ceremony panels to repurpose as a photo wall during the reception. Seeing the decor and setup for the event for the first time was memorable because it was so gorgeous and exceeded both of our expectations.” – Amber

Akumal Plaza Wedding Venue

See a Plaza Wedding Reception

Directly behind the Lagoon Arch is the Akumal Plaza. At the center of the courtyard is an island, surrounded by water and home to several large Ceiba trees. The space feels contemporary and lends itself well to chic and elegant events. With a little lighting the Plaza is epic for evening events. It’s also a unique location for couples who want a wedding ceremony “in the round” with guests surrounding them 360 degrees.

Secrets Akumal Ballrooms

Ballrooms are the ultimate blank canvas – AND they have air con! We were lucky enough to cover an event that showed off the Secrets Akumal Ballrooms to the max with beautiful reception decor and wonderful lighting design.

Secrets Akumal Real Weddings

Looking at real weddings is a great way to help previsualize you wedding day. For information about wedding schedules and timing check out our seasonal guide. Don’t hesitate to contact us for personalized recommendations for your day.

Secrets Akumal Destination Wedding bride with veil — Secrets Akumal Destination Wedding – Lauren and Christopher
/by Matt

Secrets Akumal Elopement Riviera Maya Mexico E+L — Secrets Akumal Elopement – Ellie + Luke
/by Matt

Amazing wedding portrait Secrets Akumal #TravelForLove — Secrets Akumal Beach Wedding – Morgan and Clint
/by Matt

Secrets Akumal Weddings Testimonials

“Secrets Akumal has a resort feel with luxury touches. Carolina and Elisa were amazing throughout the whole planning process. Although we had plenty of time to plan (two years!) they made the process stress-free! The ceremony was picture perfect (it was another reason I was so emotional walking down the aisle!) and the reception was amazing. The food, service, and accommodations were beyond perfect. We loved it so much, we are going back in November!!!”

Jennifer + JordanSecrets Akumal Beach Wedding

“We chose Secrets Akumal because of its style. The facades of each building don’t remind you of a hotel — they remind you of a tropical village. We also liked the idea of being able to snorkel and kayak just outside the resort. It’s not every day you can walk a few yards to the beach and swim with sea turtles! The staff was impeccable. They were very kind and went out of their way to do nearly anything for us. Miriam, our wedding coordinator, was extremely helpful in preparing our special day. She made sure everything was absolutely perfect.”

Lindsey + GregSecrets Akumal beach Wedding

We chose Secrets Akumal ultimately because it was the “place of the turtle”. We, especially me, love animals and nature and thought that the resort reflected and brought together both of those things so well. It was a beautiful resort on a beautiful beach and we had the most fabulous time. Plus, we got to snorkel with turtles right at the resort!!!”

Lindsey + JamesSecrets Akumal Arch Wedding

“Our coordinator, Carolina was fantastic, and the day of our wedding was seamless. From the time the ceremony started, I never worried once. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day and are so grateful for the wonderful staff that helped with our wedding!”

“We chose Secrets Akumal because we loved that the resort was new! The Riviera Maya is absolutely gorgeous and has the absolute friendliest people and the most beautiful beaches! We wanted something very intimate and small and a destination wedding was perfect for that! We also knew that the background to our pictures would be breathtaking!”

Jill + TylerSecrets Akumal Beach Wedding

“Our experience at Secrets Akumal was phenomenal! The beach was amazing and by far where we spent the majority of our time. Soft white sand, seaweed was nowhere to be found, exclusive to resort guests only, the color of the water was something we thought only existed in photos. Nothing but relaxation!”

Stephany + JoshuaSecrets Akumal Beach Wedding

“We had an idea that we wanted to have our wedding at a Secrets resort as we had attended one in the past and loved it. However, we did our research and visited several other resorts as well. Ultimately the beautiful resort, attentive staff, and amazing amenities at Secrets Akumal won us over. Abi in the wedding planning office was really on top of things and so very helpful all throughout the entire planning process. Everyone from the servers to the pool staff to the concierge could not have done a better job.”

“We have already recommended Secrets Akumal to friends and family and will continue to do so. We can’t wait to go back for our anniversary! We had nothing but a positive experience as a same-sex couple getting married at Secrets Akumal. Everyone was so welcoming and kind, and their wedding planner Abi was AMAZING all the way through the process. There was actually a groom-groom wedding the day after ours so it really made us feel that the resort is truly an accepting and supportive venue for same-sex couples looking to get married in Mexico.”

Jenna + JillSame Sex Secrets Akumal Wedding

“After lots of research, Secrets Akumal was the only resort we visited, but after spending an afternoon with Carolina we both felt very comfortable leaving the planning in her hands in a year to come. Jasmine and Abigail were both amazing for our wedding weekend. They were the leads who organized the rehearsal dinner and wedding day events. Everything was perfect. They did a great job planning ahead and communicating with us throughout the weekend which really helped alleviate all stress of managing the flow of events and the experience for our guests. Nick and I cannot express enough gratitude towards everyone involved in the planning process! A special thanks to the entire Wedding team at Secrets and all of the staff assigned to our events. The hospitality and special attention we received from the staff during our events was above and beyond.”

Amber + NickSecrets Akumal Arch Wedding