We stayed at Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen over Christmas. It was our first time at this hotel and we had a great trip!
We haven’t traveled for the holidays since 2019 when we stayed at Riu Palace Costa Mujeres on a last-minute trip. We booked in July, although I would recommend booking earlier if possible. Prices are definitely higher at Christmas.
Secrets Moxche is in Playa del Carmen, about 40 minutes south of the Cancun airport. It’s a fairly new hotel, opened within the last two years. There is also a second hotel section on the property called Impression Moxche by Secrets. It has butler service, additional restaurants, and amenities, the guests can access all areas at Secrets Moxche. Secrets guests do not have access to Impression.
Secrets Moxche in an adult-only, all-inclusive resort. It has 485 suites, with about half of them being Preferred Club suites. They have tropical view, ocean view, and swim out but it’s actually a private pool. Preferred Club guests have additional amenities including access to the lounge where you check in and check out and the rooftop pool and restaurant. The rooftop bar is also open at night. This is on the 8th floor in the main building and is accessible by key card only.
Arrival in Cancun
We arrived on December 21 and I expected chaos. It was the quickest and easiest trip through the airport we’ve ever had. We were off the plane and waiting in baggage claim 5 minutes later. Our bags came within about 20 minutes and we headed outside. I snagged a margarita at Margaritaville as soon as we exited and then we found Amstar for our private transfer. I always recommend private airport transfers but the deluxe private transfer, which is an SUV, is a nice upgrade! Side note, that margarita was $54.
In the summer we waited 90 minutes for bags, it was a different airline and terminal though.
Check-in at the resort
Check-in was fairly quick, they had one of our rooms ready so we were able to get changed, grab lunch, and head to the pool. There’s a bar and snacks in the Preferred Club lounge. They also have playing cards, a few games, and books.
Preferred Club Junior Suite Swim-out Tropical View
The swim-out rooms here are private pools. There’s a wall between each pool but it’s not completely closed off, you can see your neighbors. There’s a cabana bed, table, and chair on the patio. The cabana bed is a great spot for an afternoon nap. Each room has an iPad that you use for room service, housekeeping, maintenance, and other needs.
The room is large, with a wine fridge (wine included), a Nespresso coffee maker, snacks, and a stocked fridge. The bathroom is closed off and there is a sliding door separating it from the room. Inside the bathroom is a glass-enclosed toilet and shower, with two sinks and plenty of storage under the counter. The room has two closets with a sitting area in between. This room only comes with a king bed.
Restaurants, bars, and entertainment
The hotel has 11 dining options plus a grill, coffee shop, and room service. They have a sports bar, which was full almost every time we visited. It’s football season!
There is a theater and we went to a few shows. The entertainment team is fun and interactive, we played poolside bingo one afternoon.
Secrets Moxche has a speakeasy bar called the Gypsy Club. It’s inside the Pharmacy and you need a password to enter. You get the password from the entertainment staff or at the end of the evening show. There are two swim-up bars, seven pools, three man-made cenotes plus the rooftop Preferred Club pool.
The pool concierges here are outstanding. I think the service was top-notch. The concierge will help find chairs, bring more if needed, they will introduce themselves, give drink suggestions, and overall add value to the vacation.
The food was really good, breakfast is my favorite and the breakfast buffet here might be the best one I’ve encountered. It was big, never felt crowded, with lots of options and really good food. I ate an embarrassing amount of quesadillas for breakfast. They had homemade corn tortillas and a cooked-to-order station. After the first morning, it was all I could think about.
We spent a few days at the rooftop pool but Mantarray was also a favorite. We got lunch nearly every day from the Barefoot Grill, you can walk up or order from your lounge chair and have it delivered (don’t forget to tip).
Going for a morning run
If you like to run or walk, this hotel is in a great spot for that. If you walk out the front gates there’s a sidewalk left and right. It’s a gated community with other hotels and condos, a golf course, and lots of people walking their dogs or walking to work as well. I ran/walked two mornings and Ally went a few more times.
Bucket list excursions
We decided on a private excursion for this trip, we booked with Living Dreams Mexico. It was perfect. I cannot wait to get some clients booked with them. We booked the Aquatic Turtle Dream tour which was snorkeling with the turtles in Akumal and then visiting a private cenote. We have never done either of these and didn’t know what to expect with the cenote.
The turtles in Akumal Bay are free, they are not in a pool or caged-in area. They swim out at night and back in the morning to feed. It’s difficult to access this area without a tour guide. I highly recommend a tour if you want to swim with the turtles here.
The cenote was semi-open, and we climbed down a flight of stairs. It’s more like a cave, it was dark and there were bats sleeping on the ceiling. They fly out at night to feed. We were a little unsure about doing this, we had no idea what to expect but ended up being glad we did! It was awesome!
It was a great vacation, the weather was nice, although a little cool at times. It’s much better than the summer and the high humidity.
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