What it is like on the all-inclusive Secrets and techniques Moxché Playa del Carmen

What is Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen?

Secrets Moxche opened in 2022 on Mexico’s Riviera Maya along with the other resort on the same property, Impression Moxche by Secrets. For those not familiar, Riviera Maya typically refers to an area along the eastern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula that’s south of Cancun and that includes cities such as Playa del Carmen and Tulum.

The Impression side of the resort costs more than the Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen and guests over there can use all of the amenities of the Secrets Moxche in addition to the ones at Impression, though the reverse is not also true. But we’ll get back to that point in a bit.

Best way to book Secrets Moxche

This resort caught my eye initially because you can book it with World of Hyatt points. And using Hyatt points will probably be the best way to book it most of the time for those who like to travel on points and miles.

Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen rooms

Rooms at Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen are relatively oversized at an impressive 668 square feet for the base-level room. In fact, the standard room you can book with points is actually a junior suite with either one king bed or two double beds.

The styling of these rooms is dark, moody, contemporary and, according to the hotel’s website, takes inspiration from the natural beauty of the Yucatan with rough-hewn wooden elements and handsome dark stone floors.

We found the bed to be very comfortable, the Wi-Fi did the job just fine and the air conditioner was responsive and kept us cool despite the high Riviera Maya summer temperatures.

The minibar was stocked and its contents were free since this was an all-inclusive. If you’re after soda, there’s a pretty good selection of three different versions of Coke, along with Sprite, but the selection of snacks and beer included only Pringles, M&M’s and Amstel Ultra.

Room service is also free … and it can be delivered into what they call the “secrets box” that is attached to your room. This means you don’t need to have any face-to-face interaction with another human to receive your order.

The bathroom was a treat with its double vanity, separate room for the toilet, oversized shower and big soaking tub in the shower area all stocked with high-end Le Labo and Pharmacopia products.

If I had one thing to giggle at about our room, it was the balcony view.

The website describes the entry-level junior suite as one where you can “enjoy spectacular views.” I suppose if you enjoy a view of a parking lot, dirt construction zone, break area and storage lot all in one, then maybe it’s a spectacular view, but more likely it’s not widely thought of as a selling point.

We were offered a paid upgrade to an ocean view at check-in for around $300 per night but declined, so I suppose this was our “punishment” for making that choice.

Since we hardly wanted to enjoy the view we did have, we just closed the blinds and that solved that issue, but it was a pretty abysmal situation if you were looking forward to making full use of the balcony. To give a sense of different options at the resort, here was the ocean view from a room we toured on the Impression side of the resort. So, if your view is truly important to your experience, you may want to try to take them up on some sort of upgraded situation.

The pools and beach at Secrets Moxche

If you want to play “musical pools” here — and I absolutely did — you can keep rotating for quite some time before you’ll need to start over. Depending on how you count, it’s fair to say there are about 10 pools at the Secrets Moxche, and they are all excellent.

My favorites were the rooftop pool, which we had access to by having a Preferred Club booking, the crown jewel lagoon pool (shown above) and the zero-entry pool that was somewhat closer to the beach with the swim-up Sugar Reef bar.

I give especially high marks to visiting the rooftop pool during sunset and sunrise (shown below), though note that the pools all closed around 6-7 p.m., and we didn’t find any true hot tubs, except in the spa area.

The pool closest to the beach also had a swim-up bar and was home to festive games and activities in the afternoon. I’m a wimp, and this water was a little too cool for me to get in fully. For reasons that were not totally clear, some of the pools here were noticeably warmer than others, so give them all a try to see what works best for your preferences.

There were also multiple manmade cenotes, or grottolike areas, which may be perfect if you want a calmer pool potentially all to yourself.

And that doesn’t even count some of the other pools, many with private-ish nooks and crannies that you could explore.

As for the beach … it’s fine, but not necessarily the best in the area, especially compared to the postcard-worthy beach you find in Cancun’s hotel zone.

The resort does a valiant job battling sargassum seaweed, but it’s an uphill battle. We didn’t use the actual beach at all, and I’d imagine most guests don’t, just based on how empty it often was. I’d say just enjoy the view of the water from a distance, from which it looks close to perfect.

Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen restaurants

Some of the food we enjoyed at Secrets Moxche was so delicious it was easy to forget we were at an all-inclusive resort … and that was a good thing.

It felt like we were just at a really nice bar or restaurant and magically never got a bill. Of course, we had our favorite spots we liked more than others, but with so many places to eat, we had a lot of very solid choices.

Pro tip: If you want the hibachi seating at Suki, request that booking with the concierge as soon as you check in to the resort. It was booked solid for the duration of our three-night stay, so you may need a longer stay than we had to get a spot there if that sounds fun to you.

The good news was that you could still eat in the other seats at Suki without a problem. Reservations were not taken for any of the regular seats in the included restaurants, so everything except hibachi was first come, first served.

For all of the restaurants, the best plan if you don’t like to wait is to get there a few minutes before opening (often 6 p.m.), and then you won’t have a problem being seated right away for anything other than hibachi at Suki. However, if instead you come during peak dining hours, there can be quite a bit of a wait on busy nights. In that case, you’ll be given a pager that will go off when it’s time to return, which could easily be 30 minutes to an hour, if not longer.

Restaurants and food at Secrets Moxche

Restaurants at the Secrets Moxche include:

• Allora: Italian, dinner only
• Bamboo: Southeast Asian, labeled as vegan but also has some animal protein add-on options, open for lunch and dinner
• Barefoot Grill: Walk-up counter grill near the pools open for lunch
• Bisou: French, dinner only
• Coco Cafe: Casual, 24 hours
• Dos Almas: Mexican, dinner only
• Ember: Grill/smokehouse, dinner only
• Market Cafe: Buffet, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Observatory Preferred Rooftop: Preferred Club only, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Seasoul: Seafood, open for lunch and dinner
• Suki: Japanese, dinner only

There were also walk-up tacos available outside each evening, or you could order room service, so you are not going to go hungry even if you aren’t in the mood for a restaurant meal.

We didn’t get a chance to try every restaurant, both because we only had a three-night stay and because not every option was open every night. This caused us to miss some venues we would have liked to try, such as Ember, so try and get a schedule of when the restaurants are open if you have a shorter stay like we did and strategize your meals.

Our favorite dinner restaurant was Suki. The sushi, crispy tuna, tempura and other dishes were fresh, substantial and delicious.

Our least favorite restaurant was Dos Almas, but that doesn’t mean it was bad; it just wasn’t as good as some of our favorites. It was elevated Mexican cuisine that tasted fine, but seemed to go out of its way to make things too fancy for their own good.

We really enjoyed a pad thai lunch at Bamboo next to the lagoon. This was listed as a vegan restaurant, but there were some dishes where you can add animal-based protein like chicken and shrimp.

Breakfast (or even lunch or midafternoon snacks) at the Observatory rooftop that we were able to access with Preferred Club status was an absolute treat for us each day. We tried the motulenos eggs with plantains, fried tortillas, beans and more, tropical fruit cocktails, French toast and basically anything else that sounded remotely interesting each day and we loved it all.

The open-air Seasoul restaurant next to the beach was a great choice for lunch. I especially liked the mixed seafood ceviche, shrimp tostado and fish tacos. Each dish tasted ultrafresh and flavorful thanks to the simple preparations and ingredients.

Don’t skip the Market Cafe just because it is a buffet.

It is a very extensive spread with some pretty unique and enjoyable options, such as sushi, an avocado toast bar, a poke bar and even a station where they fry up bunuelos (like powdered sugar donuts) right in front of you. If you’re craving something healthy, there are lots of salads, juices, fruits and more to pick between. And all of that is just the tip of the iceberg for what is offered at Market Cafe.

If you just want a quick, casual bite by the pools, Barefoot Grill is a great choice. We split a hamburger there one afternoon, and it was the perfect quick meal when we didn’t want to leave the pool area. At the end of the bar, there were also grab-and-go ice-cold waters and sodas, so remember that tip if you just want a quick beverage.

Last but not least, an afternoon green smoothie from Coco Cafe (open 24 hours per day) was a fun post-workout treat.

Drinks and bars at Secrets Moxche

In addition to the pool bars, there were multiple other bars at Secrets Moxche worth mentioning.

One of my favorites was again on the rooftop at the Observatory, where those with Preferred Club access can visit. I had some fabulous margaritas there made with Casamigos Reposado. If you don’t see the type of alcohol you’re hoping for out on display, then don’t be shy about asking if they have it behind the bar.

The most prominent standalone bar at Secrets Moxche is Dark Horse. This two-story sports bar got pretty lively in the evenings and is home to not only a bar, but also karaoke, a golf simulator, foosball and more. If you end up having to wait for a table at dinner, this is a good spot to bring your table buzzer and pass the time.

Not to ruin the surprise, but the pharmacy at Secrets Moxche was not just a pharmacy. Try to learn the secret password of the day (it’s often the name of a medication) from the staff members around the property, and then once the evening gets a bit later, go speak that word in the pharmacy and see what happens.

Once you get past the door, you might just find yourself in a trippy speakeasy that tends to be pretty popular, though it only opens late so I personally didn’t get there for drinks.

You can order drinks from just about anywhere on the property, though. Also, don’t be shy if you want it made in a certain way or with a certain liquor. Not every bar has everything, but they may be able to point you in the right direction … especially with the Preferred access.

Secrets Moxche spa and gym

Secrets Moxche Spa is one area where you will get an extra bill for services, but it might be worth it. There were 16 treatment rooms and five VIP double treatment rooms with plunge pools. There was also a salon and outdoor pool with a hydrotherapy circuit.

Before you book anything, be sure to pick up a packet from your concierge, as it likely has some coupons for the spa. (When you pick that up, that is sometimes when they try to pitch you on signing up for a ‘”vacation club tour,” so just be aware.)

You may notice some spa prices are a bit inflated, as they probably assume everyone is using those coupons to knock the cost down a bit. Example prices include $135 for a 25-minute express foot massage and $229 for a 50-minute relaxation massage.

We booked a couples “Moon and Stars” massage package for $435 that included an 80-minute couples massage. The menu said it was a 50-minute massage, but somehow, if you trade away some other inclusions the package could come with, it came out to an 80-minute experience. At $217 per person, it seemed to be one of the better deals on the menu. The regular coupons did not work toward this package, but the $350 in property credit we got by doing the “vacation club tour” (aka timeshare pitch) did count toward this treatment, so our cash cost was quite minimal.

The physical setting was beautiful with junglelike greenery, a cenote-inspired lounge area and cozy treatment rooms. The massage was … adequate, so I am glad we did it but might not book it again.

Hydrotherapy circuit

The pool at the spa was worth visiting just by itself — and had the only actual heated hot tub we found on the property. I recommend getting the day pass to do this if you have multiple days at the resort and want a slight change of pace. We were also told you get an included visit as a Hyatt Globalist, so that may be another option to keep costs down if you have that status.

The gym was located just next to the spa, and in my time there it was either totally empty or full, without much in-between. They did host some classes there periodically, but otherwise it covered the basics with some treadmills, bikes, free weights, machines and a stretching area.

Secrets Moxche Preferred Club

We were told at check-in that we had been given access to the Preferred Club by virtue of my Hyatt Globalist status, and there were some tangible perks and access that really elevated our stay as a result.

First, we could access this club lounge, which was used for check-in. It was nice for a quick snack or drink, but there’s no shortage of either around the property, so that wasn’t a huge deal to us.

What we loved, though, was the Preferred Club’s access to the Observatory on the rooftop. This meant we got to enjoy the rooftop pool, bar and restaurant. The views up here were outstanding, and I’d personally say if you are deciding between paying for a better room view or Preferred Club access, I’d take the Preferred Club route and enjoy the views up here as much as you want.

Secrets Moxche vs. Impression Moxche by Secrets

Accessibility

Secrets Moxche didn’t strike me as a resort that was designed with accessibility in mind.

I didn’t notice any pool lifts; the grounds were very spread out, and the main pathway between many of the pools and amenities was not a smooth surface … in fact, there were plenty of uneven stone stretches where it was very easy to stub your toes, let alone maneuver a wheelchair or walk with a visual impairment. There were some pools with a zero-entry feature, which may help with some accessibility issues, but not all, especially since some of those access points are sandy.

Additionally, I ran searches for wheelchair-accessible rooms on a half-dozen dates and didn’t find any with availability and cannot find an accessibility section on their website.

Checking out

In case you couldn’t tell by this point in the article, I loved our stay at Secrets Moxche.

It’s one of those places that made me happy that I collect points. Our three-night vacation booked with points (other than the trip to the spa, which was mostly covered by the vacation club tour we did) didn’t cost us one single cent from the time we arrived until we reluctantly headed back to the airport.

I’ve stayed at all-inclusive resorts that made you wear unsightly wristbands, felt overcrowded, had bottom-shelf liquor and served overwhelmingly mediocre food. This is not one of those places.

We very much enjoyed most of the food and drinks we ordered, and many times, we had entire pools to ourselves (though note we were there in the September offseason when the threat of hurricanes loomed).

The rooms and public areas at Secrets Moxche felt decidedly high-end and the service was generally very friendly and accommodating. I would absolutely return to Secrets Moxche, and staying at this resort has actually opened me up to wanting to try more resorts in the Secrets brand to see if they can reach the high bar set by this Playa del Carmen paradise.

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