The Pixie Planner team recently spent 5 wonderful days at a Secrets resort in sunny Playa Mujeres. If you have not heard of Playa Mujeres, it is a resort community just north of Cancun. Bordered on one side by the Mexican Caribbean and the other by a protected wetlands wildlife preserve.
This area offers some beautiful white sand beaches as well as stunning views of the natural landscape. The area is also home to one of the best golf courses in Cancun, the Greg Norman-designed Playa Mujeres Golf Club. This area is designed for luxury travel and is far from the spring break “party crowd” of nearby Cancun.
In this blog, I will be highlighting each part of our trip, the cleaning procedures, tips, and more.
When arriving at the Phoenix airport, we had already checked in online and were not checking any bags so we headed straight to our gate. We arrived 2.5 hours before our departure and were able to find distanced seats at the gate. When boarding, we received a packaged bag with a water bottle, pretzels, and sanitizing wipes. In-flight beverage service was not offered on our flight with American Airlines. Our group all wore K-N95 masks during our flight and felt very comfortable. All passengers and crew wore masks for the duration of the flight.
Upon arriving in Cancun, we were required to fill out a COVID-19 questionnaire and immigration form and proceed through customs. After we passed through security, we walked through a temperature screening for even more safety and precaution.
When staying at a Secrets resort, your transportation is almost always included in your package through AmStar. When exiting the airport, we were greeted by the AmStar representative who offered us hand sanitizer and helped with our luggage. Before loading, the driver sanitized and marked our suitcases right in front of us. Masks were required on our 45 minute drive to the hotel, but the van had great air conditioning, music, and Wi-Fi. Our drive was smooth and quick.
When we arrived to the hotel, the concierge took our luggage, sanitized them again, and brought them straight to our rooms. We then proceeded to check in by sanitizing our shoes, hands, and then a quick temperature check by the staff. Our check in process was quick and touch-free with a QR code that included a COVID-19 questionnaire and everything we needed to know about the resort.
The resort offers a unique layout in which the main check-in area, spa, and some of the shops and restaurants are located at one end of the nature preserve and the main resort grounds, rooms, more shops, and restaurants are located a short walk or golf cart ride away, on the other side of the preserve. Golf carts run continuously, and we never had to wait more than a few minutes for one to arrive and it was sanitized each time before loading. We personally loved this layout as it made it feel like we were “going out” without actually leaving the resort.
When we arrived to our rooms, we were more than impressed with the amenities, beds, and views from our swim-out room. Our bags were already in our room sanitized and ready to go. Our tv remote was sanitized and bagged, all bathroom amenities were sealed, and our room was spotless. One of the things we love about AmResorts is their Clean and Complete Verification procedures. These procedures and the very low capacity at the resort made it very easy to distance from others.
Our room was serviced by housekeeping once in the late morning and once again during dinner. Each time our mini-bar was restocked, our room was cleaned, and bathroom amenities were restocked. Rooms also feature a touch screen tablet that show dining options, hours of operations, and more.
At booking and check-in, we made sure to note that I was celebrating a birthday during our stay. We were surprised to learn that we were automatically upgraded to a preferred club suite. With the resort below capacity, it never hurts to ask what is available and what the extra cost would be for an upgraded view or room. We ended up in a gorgeous ocean view swim out suite. When booking a preferred club suite, you get a bunch of different upgraded amenities. Some of these upgrades include:
Private Preferred Club Lounge
Upgraded bath amenities
Access to Oceana for a private breakfast experience
Complimentary in-room newspaper every day (English or Spanish)
Upgraded mini-bar service
Access to the Hydrotherapy Pool area at the spa
Discounted Spa Packages
When on-resort, guests are not required to wear a mask, but it is recommended with signage around the resort. All employees are required to wear masks and sanitize their stations often whether they are a bartender or a golf cart driver. Pool and beach chairs were also spread out across the resort with enough distance. We felt very safe and secure during our stay.
At the very edge of the large infinity pool were private cabana beds available for rent during our stay. Instead of waking up early to find chairs at the pool, we decided to take advantage of reserving two of these cabanas during our stay. This made it easy to drop off our things, grab a drink from the bar and relax. The cabana rental also included a bottle of champagne each day which was an awesome perk. The service attendants take great care of you with any drinks, food, or requests you may have.
At Secrets, you have 6 a la carte restaurants that rotate each night to choose from as well as a poolside grill. We were able to experience a few different restaurants during our stay:
Himitsu - This Asian restaurant offers a hibachi grill or traditional style restaurant.
Oceana - Oceanfront and open air seafood and steak restaurant.
Seaside Grill - Poolside restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Barefoot Grill - Poolside grill with hot wings, nachos, and burgers.
Coco Cafe - A gourmet coffee shop with hot pretzels and bakery items.
Each restaurant has a QR code menu available at the front of the restaurant and at your table. Servers deliver your silverware individually wrapped and sanitized, and are always wearing gloves. We were so impressed with the precautions taken at each restaurant at both resorts. Even without a buffet, we were very happy with the choices available each night.
One big perk of staying at Secrets Playa Mujeres is that it is located next door to its sister resort Dreams Playa Mujeres. Guests of Secrets are allowed free access to Dreams, a family-friendly resort. This doubles your pool and dining options!
We were also able to experience a few different restaurants at the Dreams resort during our stay:
L'Etoile - A gourmet French cuisine restaurant reserved for guests 13+ years old.
Dolce - A gourmet ice cream and coffee shop open even late into the night.
Mezés - This fresh Mediterranean restaurant offers flavors from around the world.
Tides - Poolside grill with hot wings, nachos, and burgers.
Again, each restaurant was amazing with safety and cleaning precautions throughout the dining experience.
On our first night at the resort, we opted for an additional cost experience for a romantic dinner on the beach. This experience was more than we could have ever asked for and is a great upgrade for couples. With prefixed menu, our food and service was beyond amazing for the price we paid. This and many other upgraded experiences at the resort create memories that will last a lifetime.
Secrets Playa Mujeres also has an impressive white sand beach. The water is that Caribbean blue that you have to see to believe. They do a magnificent job on keeping the seaweed cleaned up and walking into the water was nice soft sand. The resort also has jet ski rentals and parasailing available at a cost down by the beach.
When we were upgraded, our room also came with a free 1 hour session at the hydrotherapy pool at the Secrets spa. We were given lockers for our belongings and lead to the pool. There was a steam room and sauna, hot tub, ice pool, and a large pool with different water massage features. This was a very relaxing and secluded experience that we loved enjoying and recommend a spa day to all of our guests.
We are so glad we had the opportunity to review and visit this amazing resort and bring this information to our guests.
Some tips for all-inclusive resorts:
Bring your own tumbler or cup for drinks to keep them cold
Experience the Spa if possible
Bring tip money for servers, bartenders, golf carts, housekeeping, etc.
Ask for an upgrade at check-in
Have a blast!
Overall, if you are looking to travel now or in the future and want to feel safe and secure, Mexico is showing great pride in their amazing procedures and policies and we are very impressed. Reach out to your previous planner or click the link below to receive a free quote: