Secrets Moxché Playa del Carmen — Hotel in Playa del Carmen

I truly don’t get what the draw to this hotel or chain is. First no one wants to say your staying at a resort called “Secrets” that’s adults only unless your a swinger because that’s the first thing that comes to mind, secondly they are trying to sell you time shares so immediately that’s a red flag.

The rooms are VERY nice, large, quality tile and wood (throughout) and they have an outdoor tub and sunning bed. The only critique I would have about the room is the glass doors they are too low in the bathroom and shower be careful when opening and closing so you don’t cut your toe like I did (also watch the little metal square shower diverter knob it’s extremely sharp on the corners) and you can’t put the bath mat in front of the shower or the glass doors gets caught on it. You have to download two apps to your phone one for the hotel and one for the key to the room that never works so then you have to make multiple trips down to the front to have them give you key cards and test it on thier door to say no it works here so should work there even tho the guy who showed you the room also said yes it doesn’t work

The food is just ok, it’s nothing special and neither are the drinks so what you think you are saving at the all inclusive (unless your a big drinker and eat a lot) you could go anywhere and just pay and get better drinks/food.

This is ADULTS only yet the pools close at 6! You can stay at a Marriott and the pools are open later makes zero sense as to why at an adults only -the pools would close at 6 well until you find out that they have a very limited number of restaurants and that only one or two are open during the day then they close at 5 and the others open at 6 -no reservations so everyone leaves the pool at 545-6 when it closes and rushes to stand in line at the restaurants making it seem like they are all the rage and in demand, LOL if your not in line when they open then your going to have to come back in an hr or so to get seated.

The Italian was the best but again it’s not over the top it’s just the best out of the limited options. There is zero to do at the resort other than The pool until 6 then rush to stand in line for dinner then they may have a show that’s 30 min or so at around 10pm by that time your asleep in bed out of boredom.

Oh and the room numbers if you have traveled frequently you know they ask your room number for everything and at every property I’ve ever stayed it it makes sense 3102 that’s the 3rd floor and so on NOT here they have two buildings and the room number starts w the building number instead of the floor number, so every time you leave or going to your room or asked the room number your completely confused. For example your room number would be 2310 here doesn’t sound like an issue until your staying at a place that does this then your realize how stupid it is.

The elevators again another weird let’s created demand and lines like it’s the “in thing” to wait at an elevator they have half of the main elevators closed for “maintenance “ we have been here for 4 days so far none are getting worked on and the ones that do run get stopped on the 7th floor and just sit there until you finally realize it’s not coming and take the stairs.

Oh and getting off the elevators or trying to fine the couple of restaurants they do have good luck signage is almost non existent accept for way out at the pool telling you the direction of the restaurants are toward the main building good luck trying to figure out what floor your on or where the restaurant is unless you can see if from the outside your self.

Now let’s talk about the buffet don’t go to the middle stations those people completely ignore you then leave to go on break or just leave and you are standing there waiting to put in an omelet or lunch order has happened multiple times. Again I can’t understand why anyone stays here other than the multiple pools the costs for what you get is not worth it and the fact it’s adult only “secrets” and trust me it’s not that “crowd” or at least not anyone you would want to be in...

DO NOT GO TO THE TOUR THEY ASK YOU TO GO ON OF THEIR “NEW HOTEL” NEXT DOOR! They will tempt you with like a “free” spa experience and other things, JUST SAY NO. They are trying to sell you a time share or something like that. We ALMOST fell for it but did some research to find out that it was kind of trick they have to get people into these meetings.

Instead… enjoy your time at this ADULT only, all inclusive resort! No kids = much quieter and relaxed atmosphere.

Great location, decent selection of food, although you do need to make a reservation DAYS in advance for the Japanese Teppanyaki grill. We tried to make a reservation and they were booked 5 days out!

Our room was GORGEOUS, BUT was always uncomfortably humid. They do have decent a/c in the rooms, but our windows and mirrors were always foggy. And the view was underwhelming because it was just the hotel next door.

Customer service was average and sometimes underwhelming… it seems as this is a newer resort they’re still developing their employees? It felt kind of weird, servers and service people seemed to not want to talk or make eye contact? You could recognize the few servers/employees that were super personable and smiling, but that was definitely just a handful of employees.

Pictures speak for themselves~ We had a pretty good time.

Their cocktails were not the best, but they do have a huge selection of beer. My wife and I don’t really drink, but all the pool bars were always poppin.

The Bamboo (Asian) restaurant was pretty good, but they have pretty small portions. The mango sticky rice was the only thing that wasn’t very good. The octopus and shrimp was super fresh and the phad Thai, didn’t taste like traditional phad Thai, but was ok.

Loved the different pools, but by the afternoon, the pools were SUPER warm and kind of uncomfortable because it was so hot and humid outside, so I recommend swimming in the morning where the temperature (they’re heated pools) is much more comfortable. And plus, you’ll get a good cabana location as they fill up pretty quick!The water sports pool was the best pool.

We tried to do the paddle boarding/kayaking on the beach but didn’t get to because of the strong winds and waves… which was a bummer. Totally understandable because of safety reasons… but we were still bummed.

The outdoor meat buffet on the beach was really good! Although some of the meat and side dishes were overcooked, most of the food was great! I liked the brisket tacos and the ribs.

Most of the food was good/great!

My wife and I had a great time celebrating our second anniversary… but as some other couples had special things prepared for their anniversaries for their rooms.. nothing special was done for us. Although they asked us several times, even when booking, the reason for our trip (anniversary) nothing special was done for us.. which was weird and super disappointing.

Another thing that were disappointed about was their for-fun singing competition event. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun singing, and I must say that I’m a pretty decent entertainer, but the singers weren’t thanked or given anything for helping to provide hours of entertainment for the night (plus needing to do a long sound check a few hours before which made my wife and I miss eating at one of the restaurants we wanted to go to). The prize for the winner was two free nights (only with a future purchase of 5+ nights at the hotel!) and then second prize was one free massage. All the other contestants were just dismissed after… it kind of felt like a bummer. I gave like 4 hours of my time on my vacation to participate in an event (that was exhausting) that benefitted the hotel and their entertainment, but was not even thanked. I really wish I spent more time enjoying time with my wife instead of giving so many hours for the event. It felt like work!

So all in all, enjoy the restaurants, pools, and activities you want to do, NOT anything the hotel WANTS or ASKS you to do for them. Service was not really personable, but not bad.

Will try a different hotel next...

We just spent 20 days at this resort. I read a lot of reviews before booking so I’ll return the favor. This is a stunning property. The landscaping, variety of pools, and vistas are stellar. Here are some specifics of our experience:

Accommodations: I booked a Preferred Club Superior Ocean View suite because it was significantly larger than the Oceanfront suites. They only have five in this category and they are all on the 5th floor of the main building. It was a very nice room but not nearly as spacious as advertised. We talked to a wonderful Preferred Club Receptionist named Daniel who was extremely helpful. We upgraded to one of their two Master Suites which was spectacular! If you want to splurge for a truly amazing suite request #2801. It occupies half of the 8th floor in Bldg. 2 and has the best oceanfront view on the property!

The Preferred Club is a mixed bag. Suites in the PC have better locations and views. It also entitles you to a rooftop infinity pool which beautiful particularly at sunset. There is a small restaurant on the rooftop with limited hours and a limited menu. The guac is great as is the cucumber margarita which we couldn’t get anywhere else. Otherwise it is meh.

Food: The food is outstanding in some restaurants and so-so in others. The Boeuf Wellington, salmon, beet carpaccio, escargot, foie gras, and cauliflower foam amuse bouche in Bisou (French) are not-to-be-missed. That is tied with Allora (Italian) as our two favs. Their thin-crust wood-fired pizzas were amazing and the homemade gnocchi and fettuccini were to die for. Dos Almas (Mexican) was our next fav. The soups, almond beef filet, sea bass, and tiramisu cheesecake were memorable. The Asian restaurant, Suki was disappointing (even the Hibachi dinner which has to be reserved. And, Ember, which is supposed to be a steakhouse, was a one-and-done. Unless you wanted to pay up to an additional $200 for a steak, it was simply not good. Sea Soul was great for breakfast and lunch (carrot pancakes are a highlight) but did not appeal for dinner. They have an extensive multi-station buffet on Saturdays from 10a-4p which is not advertised and is very good. The daily (breakfast and lunch only) Market Buffet is also good with a wide variety of options including an avocado toast bar, smoothie bar, and omelets/french toast made to order. All of the restaurants are visually beautiful. The resort adheres to a strict policy of no tank tops or flip flops for men in any restaurant and if a man wears shorts to dinner he must be seated outside. Meanwhile, anything goes for women. A bit ridiculous.

Service: Very spotty. Sometimes excellent, others non-existent. We are consistent tippers even at an all inclusive. Even small tips are greatly appreciated. Our standard was $5 for breakfast, $10 for lunch, and $20 for dinner. Housekeeping was stellar throughout our stay and we tipped them every few days, both day and evening. You do have to reserve chairs at the pool, get your own towels, and adjust your own umbrellas. Drink service at the pools is spotty. There are two swim-up bar pools that are fun and efficient.

Events: There are MANY group events at Moxche: weddings (sometimes three per night) and corporate events. The wedding set-ups are beautiful and fun to see but they are also intrusive if you’re on vacation. The set-up and takedown is noisy and the party noise lasts until midnight.

One of the biggest problems is that the restaurants are small and can’t accommodate larger event groups. If you don’t want to wait (an hour or more) you must eat early (before 6:30pm). Some of the restaurants have beautiful community tables that seat 12 but they save them for up-charge dinner events and we never saw them used. Meanwhile, people are waiting to be seated. This is one of Moxche’s greatest failings.

Amenities: Public bathrooms are in short supply in this resort, both inside and out. Most days they are NOT well-stocked. Some days so toilet paper, others no soap, and/or no towels. This should not be in...