Secrets Aura Cozumel

Id like to first say that this hotel is very deceptive if you should look at it online and its reviews. When we checked in we had just left a gorgeous resort in Playa Del Carmen, and Secrets paled in comparison. We opted for an upgrade and paid $300 more. When escorted to our room the bell boy seemed to be over selling the room, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. As we settled in we noticed the smell of sewer. After using the bathroom, the smell worsened. We ran into our neighbor and asked him if his room had the same problem, he said it didn't, however his brother was checked into our room earlier and he reported the same issue and was room moved. Here's the deal, I am in the Hotel business and issues arise. You do not then ignore the issues and try and squeeze more money out of your guests without fixing or acknowledging the problem. We spoke to the front desk supervisor, Carlos who was rude, didn't apologize for the HUGE inconvenience and secondly wouldn't admit to knowing about the issue. This gentleman claimed he was the highest level of management at the hotel at the time, which I'm sure was also a lie. We were moved to a room that didn't stink, and for the next two days spent the least amount of time possible at the resort. Very run down property, food and beverage was sub par, and rude staff. NO THANK YOU. We will never return to a secrets resort. SO many better options. Oh, and BTW we got all our money back from corporate, again not one single person from this company apologized. TERRIBLE customer service, PS. That's your only job Secrets!

This was our 7th time at Secrets Aura. We love the resort and love having the same great staff year after year and they remember us. Ramon in the Preferred Section bar area is awesome-always a warm welcome and great smile! Other great staff we love: Margarito in Oceana and Marco has a great sense of humor, Jesus in the Skybar, Leonardo in the bar at Sunscape and Antonio. Francisco is great too. The activities there are so much fun with Hugo Winnie the Pooh, David sweet vanilla, Hot Chocolate and Seri! We missed Fernando in the valet as he was on vacation. Our room was always clean, thanks to Guadalupe. We can't wait to go back!

Room was great, Food was great, Entertainment staff was OK, drinks were ok but swim up bar was understaffed. Grounds crew was ok except for the manatees pool. Very dirty with stuff floating on top, most of time! We had taken our son & future daughter in law as they are considering a destination wedding but the wedding planner acted like she did not want to help. Still has not emailed them any details, as she suggested. They have since emailed Secrets Capri & already heard back with lots of info. I can only figure Secrets Aura did not want to host a wedding for our group??

We stayed June 21-26. This is the 3rd Secrets that we have stayed in so with that being said my expectations were high. We had also stayed in several other resorts like Royallton, Excellence and Sandals. Comparing to those that we have stayed in the first impression of the hotel leaves a lot to be desired. I did not get that "wow" factor when we arrived. Yes the bellman was out there to get our luggage but there was no champagne, no cold towels, no "welcome home" as we previously experienced. Not a deal breaker but just something I noted. We elected to stay in the preferred section and walked to another section for check in. There we were offered champagne. Check in was very quick and easy. Our room was ready and we were taken there within 10 minutes of arrival. Our room was beautiful. Very spacious and had an great view overlooking the preferred pool out to the ocean. Our room was 534. Be prepared to walk upstairs as there was no elevator in this building. At first I was shocked but it was fine after the first day as the stairs are not that steep. Besides no elevator I can honestly say that the room was perfect. It was also very quiet as we couldn't hear our neighbors or outside at all. It was also centrally located so we could get to anywhere within the resort within minutes. If you want to relax and enjoy the pool, the preferred pool is the best. It was never crowded and the wait staff are very attentive to your needs. They were always there whenever you needed. You never had to wait for them or call them over. Unfortunately I can't single one employee out because everyone at the preferred pool deserves recognition. For the preferred beach there are definitely not enough places for the amount of preferred guests to enjoy the beach and shade. We did look out from our balcony and see people putting their belongings out early in the morning one morning. The one day we went was not a problem. We found a spot and enjoyed the day. Wait staff at the beach were awesome too. The beach was very rocky. You definitely had to wear shoes. It was a challenge getting past all of the rocks but once past the water was perfect. Very clear and calm. Food choices were okay. We hit all of the restaurants except sushi and French simply because they aren't our choices of food. We also had meals on the adjoining Sunscape resort as well. The best meal was Oceana. Again must shout out the entire wait staff there. Awesome job. Entertainment was pretty good. They did a good job keeping the guests entertained during the day. Nightlife was basically non existent. The nightclub "Desires" was available. The downside to this was of the stairs. Stairs were steep and very short. Seemed a little dangerous for people partying and then have to tackle the stairs and it was also very dark. Things I liked: Staff very friendly. Worked very hard for the guests Resort small Rooms very spacious Many bar choices Different pool options Preferred lounge - ALL of the staff there need to be recognized. They ALL know how to make you feel welcome and they cater to your every need. They go above and beyond. Things I didn't like: Beach too rocky Resort does not use straws. Luckily I read this prior to our arrival so I brought our own Mosquitoes- the resort needs to spray more especially the rooftop bar. What a beautiful bar. If you don't have repellent I'm sure they will leave there with plenty of bites So many of the staff had limited English. I was really surprised of that when I would call down for assistance. Ex. We couldn't figure how to adjust the air, we needed an ironing board, slippers. We finally realized that the Preferred staff could answer ALL of our questions and help if we needed it. No hot tubs Suggest the preferred side, better rooms, better staff and better treatment Overall stay was good.

The hotel was very clean and staff was very professional. We loved our room and sandy clean beach. For an all adult club there was no nightlife at all. We also are members of the club and was disappointed that the club member section wasn't as awesome as the rest of the resort. As far as all inclusive goes, the liquor choices were perfect but the food was not so. It was good, but the only time we thought something was awesome was when our waiter Joseph made us a special bananas foster that wasn't on the menu for the previous night's generous tip. Many said the snorkeling was amazing, but we have definitely seen better. Overall we had a wonderful time and I wouldn't deter someone from staying here.