Secrets Aura Cozumel

If you are considering going to Secrets Aurora Cozumel, go elsewhere. We had the first issue when we were checking. The couple we were traveling with did not have a room and thus was placed at their sister resort. They were told to drop off their luggage the following day by noon and they would try to get them a room at Secrets sometime the next day. There were many other concerns that came up during our time there. One, the pavement is extremely uneven, even broken in places which makes it unsafe, especially in the evenings. We only had one friendly server at all of the restaurants and bars we went to. No smiles, no greetings, etc… This was very surprising, as every other place we have vacationed at had very friendly staff. Though they have a preferred member pool, etc… DON’T waste your money. There are no wrist bands so everyone accesses the preferred pool, etc.. Plus, they did not have enough chairs at the pools or beach area. They literally brought out folding chairs for people to use.

The main theme of our entire trip was "fine." The room was great, spacious and cold A/C, attended to wonderfully daily. The bars were good, drinks seemed to be mostly top shelf liquors. The grounds of the resort were clean. The beach itself didn't seem to be cleaned well. There was sharp shells and trash each morning we came out. Upon check-in, which took well over an hour and a half, we were immediately ushered into a sales pitch to try and sit through a time-share type of presentation. Ugh...no thank you. It took many times of saying "no thank you" to finally get the point across. After paying for an all-inclusive, this is definitely not appreciated. The resort is marketed as an adult's only, but there were children from the sister resort next door at the beach daily. When this was brought to the attention of staff it was met with shoulder shrugs. We stayed in the Preferred Club - NOT WORTH IT. There is no way to differentiate who is and isn't a member of the Preferred Club. Don't waste your money. The food was just fine. We've been to many other all-inclusive resorts and this is definitely the bottom of the list. The menu is the same every day at all of the restaurants. Some restaurants were closed on some days, seemingly due to a lack of staff. We didn't starve, but nothing wowed us.

Extremely dissatisfied with the food, bars that close at 5pm with very little after hours access to same or late night food. Property control over who should be accessing "preferred ammenties" did not exist. Shops that were poorly stocked or not open at all.

Great service, excellent staff, gorgeous setting and great food. Rooms were clean and well taken care of. The beach was a bit rocky but was well taken care of and beautiful scenery.

We stayed at Secrets for a six-night vacation and were extremely disappointed by day two. Shortly after arriving, we had a wildlife issue in our room that required immediate attention. We called the front desk and clearly explained that it was an urgent situation and that we were frightened. After receiving no assistance, we called two more times and made two separate trips to the front desk. During our second visit, I requested to speak with a manager. Only after asking for a manager did staff finally send someone to our room. In total, it took approximately 50 minutes to an hour before anyone arrived, and the housekeeper who came was not equipped with the proper tools to resolve the issue. Since then, we have also experienced a significant ant problem in our room. Our room has had several maintenance issues as well. The bathtub initially ran yellow water, the cold-water faucet did not work at all, and when I attempted to open the bedroom balcony door, the heavy glass door came off its track and struck me on the head. I was fortunate not to be seriously injured. I immediately contacted maintenance to repair it. A balcony door falling on a guest is a serious safety concern. Dining has also been frustrating. My travel companion and I follow gluten-free and vegan diets, and despite this being a luxury all-inclusive resort, there have been very few options available for us. I had to specifically request gluten-free bread, which took about 10 minutes to locate, and when it finally arrived, it had an unpleasant taste that reminded me of paint, making it inedible. Most of the restaurants are open-air, and during one meal we observed a bird inside the dessert area along with flies around the salad bar, raising concerns about food sanitation. We also chose this resort because it is advertised as an adults-only experience. However, we have repeatedly seen children from the neighboring Dreams resort on the Secrets side, which has taken away from the adults-only atmosphere we expected. The pools also close incredibly early at 8pm and the “night club” seems to have no one attending it, which makes the evening entertainment feel very limited. The excursions booked through the resort were not the best in terms of equipment, but the staff on the excursion were wonderful. One of the most disappointing experiences was the so-called “VIP presentation.” We were told it would be a 90-minute opportunity to learn more about the resort. Instead, it became a high-pressure sales presentation for a Hyatt membership costing nearly $30,000. Rather than lasting 90 minutes, it lasted approximately three hours. When I finally said I was leaving, I was made to feel guilty for not purchasing a membership. I explained that the sales tactics felt overly aggressive, and I was told that meant they were “doing their job very well.” The presentation felt misleading and disrespectful of our vacation time. For a resort that markets itself as a luxury, adults-only destination, the response to guest concerns, room maintenance, food accommodations, cleanliness, and guest safety has fallen well below expectations. I sincerely hope management takes these concerns seriously, addresses these issues promptly, and works to improve our stay. Positives: The housekeepers, restaurant hostesses, wait staff, and entertainment crew made the trip. The room has a really good steamer for ironing. The mini fridge is well stocked, and since we are not heavy drinkers, the staff recognized that and catered the options to us. ❤️ Peanut M&Ms were a nice touch. Connectivity is available, but it is scarce and spotty. The Preferred Club area has very comfortable loungers. The snorkeling off the resort beach was enjoyable, and they provide equipment.