We unfortunately booked this vacation resort based on Expedia and TripAdvisor’s 4 star review status. It has been nothing like that sort of a resort! Very rundown, no hot water in the showers (in our room, nor my sister’s in another hall/building). Yet, there was hot water in the bathtub! I was cold and went to blow dry my hair and put on the robe/slippers I was told about. None of these. I went to call the desk, and the phone didn’t work. No QR code to order room service. Terrible sewer smells around the resort, so they have candle warmers placed throughout the resort to “fix” the smell. Moldy and old tiles/water damaged ceilings, and the management will probably answer this and say they are so sorry, but when I went to complain, nothing can be done about anything including the loud/knocking air conditioning that keeps you awake at night. The food selection is limited/they are out of what you order! It is NOT a 4 star resort, and we feel we were not told accurately what we forked over thousands of dollars to stay at!…
First time visiting this resort with my husband and mother-in-law. Overall, I would definitely NOT come back here or recommend it to others because of how sick we got. Pros- beautiful views, staff was incredibly nice, drinks were good, never any trouble getting beach or pool chairs, room service food wasn’t bad, felt very safe, and you’re able to use the Dreams resort next door which is within walking distance. Cons - two out of the three of us got SO SICK from the food! We stayed Saturday through Thursday and I didn’t take a sip of alcohol and barely ate from Tuesday through Thursday. A big waste of money! The non-preferred rooms weren’t bad but definitely not the cleanest. Only 2 restaurants open for dinner each night and once we were told an hour and a half wait. For breakfast and lunch the only options for non-preferred guests is room service and the buffet. The evening shows were nothing compared to other all inclusive resorts we’ve been to - very low budget.…
This was my 10+ trip to the Caribbean, mainly staying in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Save for Secrets Huatulco, I have been to a different resort each time in my travels. Unfortunately, Secrets Aura Cozumel, has been the worst experience so far. I will break it down to the good, the bad and the ugly. First off, the GOOD of this resort: -ISABELLE at the Manatees pool was, by far, the highlight of our trip. Her service, conversation and overall great attitude was amazing! She got the most of my tips and deserves much more. Now, the Bad: -The APP didn't work our whole trip save for the last day. I kept asking for them to fix the app or my log-in and it wasn't until I sat in the preferred concierge lounge and wouldn't leave until I had a fix that they informed me the app was down for the whole resort. That would have been fine, but our phone in our ROOM also didn't work. So there was no way for me to contact any amenities unless I walked down to the lobby. No room service, no towels, no concierge. I had to use my AT&T phone's international service to call the Mexican number to the front desk one night just to order room service. -Our fan made a clinking noise rhytmically and no one could fix it. -We couldn't turn the fan off since our A/C barely worked. So it was either a super hot but quiet room or a *CLANK* every 3 seconds the whole night. -The Manatee "preferred" pool was a mess. One day they Power-washed half the concrete where the chairs are. They kicked everyone out of their chairs and then proceeded to power-wash for 3 hours during the day (11-2pm). And the NEXT day the did the other half and kicked that half out of their chairs. The bad part is they would kick you out of your chairs, then they'd do something else for an hour. So the whole side of the pool was empty, but nobody working. Then why move them so early? This wasn't an issue for me as my wife and I just sit in the pool, don't need chairs. -The chair game is HORRIBLE here. Not just "Get to the pool early otherwise all the chairs are taken" it's worse. Almost every chair is BROKEN. They won't sit up, the canvas is torn, they are lop-sided etc. If you found a sturdy chair on your first shot you should buy a lottery ticket. -The food is very inconsistent. We went to the pizza place at DREAMS for dinner one night. After a hour and fifteen minute wait for a table, the pizza was SUPER thin and crispy and delicious. We went back three nights later and the pizza was soggy, thick, under-cooked and just tasted bad. Such a HUGE swing in quality and the same could be said for every place. When all four of us got the Chicken Cordon Bleu some got three pieces of chicken, some got two and one of us got 5 pieces of chicken. And they weren't accounting for sizes, the person that got 5 pieces had the biggest pieces as well. And the ugly: -The staff...... oh man, they don't care. (Save for Isabelle at the Manatee pool) *I tried to get someone to fix the app log-in for me and they said, on more than 5 occasions, that they would fix it, they would find me to fix it OR they would call me when it's fixed. None of those things happened. *At Bordeaux we all ordered the chicken cordon bleu (4 of us) and everyone got their entree before I got mine. I waited 10min for my entree. One finished their meal and another was almost done by the time I got my entree. No explanation, no "Sorry for the delay" the waiter avoided me until the dish was done and the only thing they said to me was "Careful, hot plate". No care at all *Even in the preferred lounge the service was rude and short while checking in and out. No smiles, no friendliness at all. -THE FOOD GETS YOU SICK *50% of our group got nauseous and had bad diarrhea for 2 days. When discussing it in public MANY others said they too had the same stomach issues. Luckily, whatever it was only lasted 24-48 hours, but I counted over 25 people in our week stay that admitted to getting sick as well. We think it's sanitation of the fruits and veggies. The people in our group that did not get sick did not eat salad. -The pools all have bugs in the water. The first few days the water was cloudy in the pools, but when it finally was cleared up there were all these little black bugs in the pool and they would sit in your shadow in the water and not leave you alone. -The resort is run-down. Ripped decorations, GOHAN was closed the entire week we were here due to an A/C not working. At the sky bar the TOILET SEAT in the women's restroom was gone and the whole week we complained and no one fixed it. They just told us to use another one or have the women go to the men's room. …
Background: My husband and I stayed at Secrets Aura resort in 2019, and have also stayed at three other Secrets resorts in the past. Until this most recent trip to Secrets Aura, we have always had an amazing time and have had zero complaints. The Good: The beach is consistently amazing. Right before our visit, there were strong winds which caused coral to come ashore. There were several workers who worked all day in the heat digging holes and scooping up the dead coral to make sure the beach looked nice. Snorkeling right off the beach is great too. The Bad: Our first night we were placed in a room (1123) with a great view, but there was no hot water, the TV did not work, and there was no dresser. This was not to mention there was paint chipping off all of the walls/doors. We requested a new room (1023), which had hot water and a working TV, but the view was not as good, we did not have a tub, and again the paint was chipping off the walls/doors. Our new room also had stained sheets which were not even fitted to the mattress. The pillows were also not great quality. My husband's side of the bed was totally uncomfortable and felt like he was sleeping in a hole. On our second full day, my husband got very ill after lunch. He was up all night with fevers, chills, and vomiting. A couple of days later we found out at least 8 other people were also ill around the same time. Some of these guests even had to call the overnight doctor for IV fluids, antibiotics, and antiemetics. This put a serious damper on the rest of our trip. The whole time we were so nervous to eat anything other than bread or rice. Compared to when we came in 2019, this resort has become so rundown. The rooms we were in both had paint chipping all over, and tiles falling off. The pools and lazy river also had many tiles missing throughout. Both rooms we stayed in did not have a dresser. We have never stayed at a Secrets (including this one in 2019) that did not have a dresser. The rooms had a bed and a couch but basically nowhere to set your belongings. Most of the staff was friendly, although there was a very rude, unfriendly bartender in the lobby bar. I also have to say that the entertainment staff when we came in 2019 was top-notch. This time, I think we maybe saw the entertainment team once during our week stay. Other than the lobby bar bartender, we did not get to meet many of the other bartenders due to my husband being sick. Maybe worse of all was the food. I am not a picky eater by any means, but it was near impossible to find something to eat at the buffet. The room service was also terrible. I would say the best places to eat are Windows, The Pizzeria (at Dreams), and Bordeaux. Bottomline Secrets Aura DOES NOT meet the standards of Secrets resorts. I met people who said this is their first Secrets experience and they were absolutely not impressed. I did tell them that this resort is not on-brand with the other Secrets resorts we have stayed at. We would not ever stay at this resort again, unless they did a MAJOR renovation. This is so sad to us, because we absolutely loved this resort in 2019, which is why we came back. We will most likely continue to stay at Secrets resorts, but definitely NOT this one. …
There are clear divisions between guests. The elite status that follows preferred room selections does not stop at their designated pool, as we originally thought. It also takes away a section of the beach, restaurant availability, certain sections within restaurants and more. We were not made aware of the beach division (+ no signs indicating such) and encountered a very interesting request to relocate. When you’re paying extra, I totally get being entitled to perks. However, that leaves this particular resort limited to 2 restaurants. Both have very clear preparation practices, mass plating with a quick zap in the microwave. The 24 hour cafe that promises a sandwich selection is truly only reliable for the coffee. Secrets is connected to Sunscape and Dreams. While the map may make the single property seem vast, it is actually quite small - as is the beach front availability especially after the preferred guests get their designated chunk. The rooms have a strong stench of mold. We learned early on to not let the AC unit pause. In addition, it’s very clear duvet cleanliness is not important with the rotation of guests. Weirdly the glow of the AC temperature lights up the room at night, we ended up putting tape over them the last night. The pools have very slick tile. Almost like it’s not treated enough to rid of potential algae. We witnessed quite a few close calls amongst individuals of different age groups. Staff is as attentive as they can be. Bartenders were friendly and memorable. The buffet was always reliable and the decorative slides added a hint of excitement. Overall, our experience could have been worse. I mean, we didn’t end up with food poison like the rest of the people we talked to 💁🏼♀️…
This was our first time staying at a Secrets and it will be our last. This property has all the potential in the world but, they have let it fall apart. It is a beautiful location and the wait staff works very hard. The first room we were given had water running across the floor from a leaky air conditioner and smelled of mold/mildew. I don't understand how anyone could have thought this was an acceptable room. It took them two hours to get us a new room and by time it was almost 9 PM. They were suppose to move our luggage for us which they never did so we had to go retrieve it from the first room. The new room wasn't much better - at least it didn't smell. It had a broken ceiling fan, multiple outlets that didn't work, stains on the furniture, and the shower water spontaneously changed from hot to cold. We were suppose to have a banner on our door and a fruit basket and wine in our room when we arrived and that never showed up. The rest of the property wasn't much better. The women's bathroom at the rooftop bar was missing a toilet seat and the faucet wasn't attached to the counter top. The Desire disco bar had what looked like cigarette holes in the seating and water stains on the roof. The Sushi placed was closed and it looks like that is now where they do the vacation ownership sales. They were short pool towels almost everyday. They also don't clean up the chase lounges in the evening therefore it is hard to tell which were available and which are taken in the morning. Several of the chase lounges were broken, especially around the back pool. The worst part was my husband and at least 10 other people that we met around the pool the next day all got sick with some sort of 24hr bug. It is as if Secrets/Hyatt has given up on this property. I found it very ironic that they were trying to sell us a vacation ownership membership into their resorts and this is the example of what they have! The good points are the location, the wait staff, the food was good (what I expect for an all inclusive), room service was reliable, drinks were fine, and the special occasions department had very reasonably priced, excellent service. We did a private bonfire on the beach and rented a day bed for the day, both which were really worth it. Unfortunately, the rest of the place is awful.…
We thoroughly enjoyed the resort. We upgraded room after the first night. Don't get us wrong, the first room was good, we just wanted a swim up. Here only for sun, sand, and drinks. It was perfect for that. Would come back with family and do tours and diving. Service was excellent, special mention to Miguel Sanchez at Oceana, and Adrian our beach/pool attendant. The only thing we didn't care for was the sales pitch for vacation ownership. Should have said no up front rather than receive resort credit. However, our presenter Gustavo was very personable.
Good Beautiful location near scuba diving sites, water scooters kept their distance, west facing (shady in morning, sunsets over water), professional staff at most restaurants and bars (Miguel Sanchez was best), short waits at most restaurants, local seafood, spa services, frozen drinks, mojitos, daily seaweed cleanup, dinners at Windows and Bordeaux, hammock on patio, smoking area designated by law, room fridge stocked with drinks, scheduled activities Bad Chaotic check-in, slow luggage delivery to room, non-preferred pool-view room was old and rundown, trash off the beaten path, crowded beach and pools at peak hours, sharp coral and murky waters near shore, baked goods, quality of fruit except pineapple, weak drinks, too windy for catamaran sailing Ugly Room was not clean, no hot water and strong smell of bleach (not beach)/sewage for days near building 41, sushi at Gohan was truly awful…
We are currently staying here and last night we ate dinner at the Windows restaurant. The view was wonderful but our waiter, Garni, made it extra special! He was busy with many tables but he went above and beyond to make sure we had an amazing dinner and experience! He outdid himself! Thank you Garni!!❤️
Well......... I was very excited to stay at a Secrets resort. I have heard how wonderful they are. The one in Cozumel must not be up to the same standards as other Secret resorts. When we opened the door to our room, I could smell the musty smell in our room. The corner behind our bathroom door was complete filth. The toilet paper holder was rusty and dirty. On the floor by the door a piece of the trimming was missing. There had been some touch ups of paint, but it looked very sloppy painted on. The pillows on the couch looked worn and soiled. This resort definitely needs some attention and renovating. On the plus side we had a great time. We went with friends that we have a great time with no matter where or what we do. For the most part the food was good. Some restaurants we had to wait longer than we should have. Didn't like the fact if you were not a preferred customer you could not eat at certain restaurants. The staff was very friendly and helpful if we needed something. The snorkeling was great off of the pier. The beach was nice. Could use more chairs and umbrellas. Had to get up early to grab a towel (if there were any in the box) to save a chair on the beach. The bathrooms near the beach smelled of sewer. There were not many bathrooms available around the beach area. There was no evening entertainment. We work hard all year to get away a week during the winter. I'm sad to say we will never be back to your resort. There are too many other resorts to choose from. Please do something to improve this resort. As we visited with people during our stay everyone had the same experience as we had. The best advertising of your resort is word of mouth. Sorry but you won't get it from us.…
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