Secrets Moxché Playa del Carmen - Adults Only - All Inclusive

The resort itself is beautiful, and we appreciated the friendly staff, great service at the bars and restaurants, and daily room cleaning. The light outside the door showing whether housekeeping was needed was a nice touch. We were a group of 10, though, and check-in took about an hour. Nobody showed us to the room or explained the amenities, and our luggage arrived 30 minutes later. The TV gave us trouble every day, so maintenance had to come several times. The bathroom could use brighter lighting, and when I tried calling room service one afternoon, I couldn’t get through after four attempts. Compared with other resorts that cost less, we’ve had better stays. It feels like you’re paying for the name "Secrets".

The resort grounds are fantastic, with several pools, including some that feel private and suited to a small group. The speakeasy nightclub was great, and I also liked the 24-hour coffee shop with pastries and ice cream. The food was very good. There are five dinner restaurants, but I was there for only three nights and got to try two. The wedding meal catered on the rooftop was very good too. Aside from the pool bartenders, the staff were outstanding. The pool bar was badly understaffed. With just two bartenders serving everyone, restocking, and washing glasses, one drink took 15 to 20 minutes. I still tipped, but it made no difference when I came back. The pools also close at 6 PM. The beach was a letdown: it’s small, has lots of seaweed that workers remove all day, and the four wheeler and tractor make a constant racket. The water is rocky and not good for swimming. For a better beach, I’d go to Aruba, Bavaro Beach in the Dominican Republic, or seven Mile Beach in Jamaica. I was there for four days as the solo occupant of a room for a family wedding with a group of 30. They wouldn’t guarantee my room preference, so I asked for a king bed and got two full size beds. I also found it only partly all-inclusive, with extra charges for steaks, beach cabanas, wine, and special restaurant experiences. There aren’t any water activities. By 10 AM, beach and pool chairs were mostly taken by people who’d reserved them but weren’t using them. I had a couple of maintenance problems in my room, and they were fixed in a timely way, but they should have been taken care of before I arrived. The mini fridge only had am still ultra, the worst beer I’ve had on my four trips to Mexico. I didn’t like having to use my phone as a room key or leave it unattended at the pool. I wasn’t told at check-in that a key card was an option. The resort app wouldn’t let me order room service at night, and the phone didn’t work either. It took them a day to fix it. The resort map also misplaced some facilities out in what looked like the jungle or parking lot. The location is just okay. For $720 a night for a single occupancy room, I’ll never return, and the experience has put me off going to a Secrets again.

I’ve stayed at hundreds of five-star hotels around the world, and none has come close to the service and attention to detail here. The staff training could set the standard for every five-star hotel. The property is a huge, impressive luxury hotel with so much to offer. From beginning to end, the service was flawless. Thank you for making my holiday in Mexico unforgettable. I’ll be telling everyone in Australia to come and see what real luxury feels like.

The rooms don’t have enough light, and we also had trouble with the power and the TV. They fixed both issues, though the TV problem never actually went away. The newer resort is generally in good shape, but for me the experience didn’t reach four stars, let alone five. Food was the biggest disappointment. The breakfast buffet is huge, but unless you get food made at a station, it’s cold and pretty bland. We tried every restaurant except the French one, and none impressed us. Ember was the worst, and I’d avoid it. The steak had a strange texture, almost like a Salisbury Steak. There are upgraded options for purchase, which we skipped. We bought wine with a couple of meals. Order it as soon as you sit down, since our bottle took a while and once arrived almost at the end of dinner. At checkout, we were charged too much for the wine. I didn’t have time to dispute it, so check your bill carefully and leave extra time for checkout. It’s a nice place, but it didn’t feel like a four or five star stay to me.