Secrets Aura Cozumel

I have to agree that this is not the normal Secrets experience. Maybe it was the timing - end of November as service improved starting in December. The location is nice and the hotel is very close to the beach. The resort is not huge and the beach was large enough for the number of people. I was in Preferred Superior (#1240) which was definitely not Superior. There are major water/mold issues and the building was closed and clients forced out just after we moved. Pablo at the front desk was kind/responsive enough to move us to another room. I moved to #921 ocean front and this was a more normal preferred room. The restaurants are not as visually impressive as other Secrets and the food was just OK with a few high points. Food was much better over at the Dreams. Staff was younger and seemed more responsive also. We were a group of 6 and it was always difficult to get a table unless we were willing to buy wine starting at $80USD per bottle. On the upside, I found that some of the house wines were drinkable - not like many other places. The beach and water were nice. There are places to enter the water without watershoes if you are careful. We did find some jelly fish on a few days. All in all, don't expect this to be like the other Secrets - I've been to Akumal, Montego Bay, Punta Cana, etc. For the price of Preferred, you may want to shop around a little.

This resort was so disappointing that we left within 24hrs. We saw good reviews when we booked a few months ago, but the recent reviews tell a better story. This is not a normal Secrets resort… Secrets has a good reputation for luxury feel. This resort is so so run down, it is in desperate need of an update and better maintenance. For the amount of money you pay to stay here… this was extremely frustrating. The pools are dirty and not well maintained (didn’t see one person cleaning any of the pools), we had a junior suite swim out and the tile was in bad shape and dirty and the bottom of the pool was loaded with debris, our room had a bunch of issues: floor was dirty and damaged all over, the room had a bad smell, there was mold on the walls in the bathroom, bugs in the room, dirty decorative pillows on the bed, stains on the chairs in the room, completely rusted ceiling fan, ceiling was leaking in the bathroom. We told this to the front desk and they said they did not have another room to move us to, but we just knew we couldn't stay there. The food was mediocre, and not all the restaurants are open right now so they seriously lack options. Bordeaux was at least decent, only place I’d say to eat at. No good liquor, all very low end. The breakfast buffet food was all cold and not good at all. Atmosphere wise, this is a very quiet resort. It is not very exciting, no music, minimal entertainment, and it definitely skews to an older crowd. So if you’re looking for more of a fun resort this is not it. All in all, we booked a 6 night stay and left after 1 night, we filled out paperwork for a refund so… we’ll see. I would not recommend coming here at all… try literally anywhere else. The only plus I will give is the staff is incredibly kind. Every person we spoke to and all servers were very nice. And the view on the beach is nice as well. But I would absolutely NOT recommend booking here and if you have booked, maybe think about changing to another resort until this place gets it figured out.

Stayed in 3 preferred rooms in one week. During a midnight rain some chunks of the ceiling came down on us in our bed, soaking us and our stuff. No hot water in one of the rooms, phones didn't work, refrigerator didn't cool, a/c loud and too bright, renovation power tools outside our room at 1 am. etc... Very run down. Nowhere even close to Cuban hotel facilities which we've been to many times. We're not picky travellers, but this was unbelievable. We met some great people though that made a horrible week somewhat more tolerable. Bartenders, servering staff and Moises the concierge were great.

It was ok, I felt it should have been above average, but many other places we have stayed are lower in cost and would be above average. The food was not all that good, example the sea food restaurant really should have more sea food less other foods and it should be fresh and good tasting.

Property is showing it's age, but staff were fantastic and food good. Water shoes are a must if you plan on going into the sea.