Secrets Aura Cozumel

We traveled as a couple and upgraded to Preferred Club (pool/garden view). Check In: This was so slick, we were brought to the preferred lounge, offered drinks and a snack while we checked in. Check in was speedy. We got the offer to meet with a UVC (?) sales person for a Free breakfast and free $$ vouchers, while we were pitched what they were selling. We firmly opted out of this. Our Room: We were in Villa 3. Which seemed to be updated. The room was large with living room separate from the bedroom and a huge bathroom. We got the King bed that we requested. Our room was cleaned daily (ranging from early afternoon to 4pm) we always had plenty of towels, Water was hot for the shower. We tipped our Housekeeper daily and also left a small amount of cash in the fridge for the person stocking our snacks and drinks. 1 small hiccup, our AC in the bedroom didn't seem to keep up, but the AC in the living area made up for it. Others have complained about the noise at night. This was never a problem in Villa 3. Restaurants/bars: We loved all the places we ate at with the exception of the Market Cafe' buffet (breakfast/lunch) Our favorite was Bordeaux, the salmon was great. And Creme Brûlée was delicious. We ate here 2 times. As a couple we only ever waited 30 min to get seated. We also loved Gohan for the sushi. Our favorite breakfast and lunch was at the Oceana. We were greeted each day by Rosana with a big smile and she always greeted us by name, loved this! And Sergio was our server and he remembered our menu choices each day. They just felt like friends. We ate at the sister resort, Dreams a few night as well. Taqueria' is SO good. Do not miss this. It's like a taco stand in the park. Also the Pizzeria is amazing. Pizza is cooked in a brick oven. We also ordered room service a couple times. It was just okay. One evening the food arrived nice and hot, as it should. But the other times it was cold or soggy. So it was a miss for me. Bars: we usually just hung out at the PC bar but enjoyed the lobby bar and roof top bar for a different atmosphere. No complaints other than seating was so limited and dated. Beach: This is what we came here for and it didn't disappoint!! Beautiful white (coarse) sand and clear blue waters. The PC lounge chairs were cushioned and pretty comfy. You need to save your chairs pretty early in the morning. (6AM) The sea weed was a problem while we were there. Maintaince did an OK job of raking it up each day. Our drinks and lunch were served beachside with a smile and friendly servers!! PC Pool: Due to the wind on a couple days we opted for the pool area. We never had a problem finding 2 chairs by the pool. If you need more than 2, you will probably need to get there early. The pool could use a good cleaning. It was never overly crowded. Drinks were refilled fast by the servers and always with a smile. We made friend with a few other vacationers while there so that was fun to visit around the pool and then catch up again in the evenings. As a BONUS: We were there during the Super Bowl. The resort knocked this one out of the park! A huge screen was set up out on the beach in the sand with tables for everyone. and a huge buffet style meal to enjoy while watching the Big Game. This was a fun addition to our vacation! Now the reason for the mixed review. The resort is very dated and in some places- dirty or smelly. The bathrooms by the pool, restaurants and lobby areas are very small, some only have 1 stall. They do not get cleaned and restocked enough throughout the days. And a lot of times you have to wait in line to use them. I did notice that some (pool area) have a wax melt burning to help with the smell, and it seemed to work. But the candles weren't replace when they burned out. The hallways were dark and dirty or with chipping paint or stones etc. Restaurants were small and outdated, furniture around the property was old and stained and not comfortable.

We returned for our 2nd time this year and overall things were as good as they were last year, We received the room that suited our needs, Preferred Club poolview bottom floor. The majority of the staff are amazing and do what they can to ensure your stay is great! We never had any issues with service or with the food. We did not go to the Market Place(Buffet) area for any meals and I can't comment on that. We also did not go to Windows, the menu on the App was very confusing and the food choices really did not appeal to us. The rest of the options at Secrets were very good. We did venture over to Dreams and had dinner at Olio. Last year this was our best meal, this year it was the absolute worst meal. Took 90 minutes from the time we sat down until we completed the meal, service was very slow. Food was not good at all and that was very disappointing. We are not food snobs but honestly it was bad! But that is a reflection on Dreams not Secrets. The things I think they need to improve on. There is no way to tell who are preferred guests and using the preferred beach & pool area. This area is small and I feel should be monitored better. If I am paying more for additional amenities and others are getting that for free using the preferred pool & Beach area is not fair for the guests who pay more to not have seats at the pool or beach when non preferred guests are using them. Especially when Dreams guests are also allowed on the preferred pool and Beach. I do hope that goes away when the Sunscape area is complete and part of Dreams. Yes you now need a key card to access the Preferred lounge which is great but now work on a solution to the pool & beach area. My only real complaint is directed to some of the guests that feel a sense of entitlement because they paid for a vacation. Rules are rules and all guests should follow them. The resort has a NO SMOKING policy except in a designated area which they have tables and chairs. You can meet some really great people. NO GUEST has the right to smoke a cuban cigar on their balcony or cigaettes and this also includes the beach area. If you can't follow the Resort rules go somewhere else. These are the new laws of Mexico. Other complaint is that there was no Myan or Fire show this year. They were down at Dreams and people with mobility issues that is a problem getting there. The live bands were good but having shows is a big benefit as well. If you are looking for a 5 Star resort this is not it. So many reviews reflect on the fact of the Secrets brand. You are on an Island nothing is readily available it is all shipped to the Island, food alcohol and such. Resort is older and is very laid back which we enjoy. But that may not be the case for everyone. We are happy we found this place and will continue to go back as often as we can. And if yu think this is a Party Resort you are wrong it is quiet and laid back...Island Vibe

They are going to remodel and change the entire Secrets / Dreams / Sun Scapes resort trio to one large, more expensive, more elite, Dreams Resort. This will price this resort out of many people's budgets. The biggest purpose seems to be selling the vacation plans. It's not a time share but a vacation membership to stay in Hyatt Hotels and resorts and they take a ridiculous amount of your time to attempt to sell you a confusing multi-faceted plan and if you buy in, you can't speak to a person who you can understand to ask questions. It's a bit of a turn off even though I can see the value. Most people we have met at the resort have said they had to get rude and finally just walk out on the sales staff. The Secrets Aura is a beautiful location with stunning beaches, snorkeling right on your beach, and friendly staff (the waitstaff at restaurants, housekeeping, etc.) but the front desk staff seem tense and overworked and often annoyed with the questions.

Better customer service. My stay started bad from day one. After our check-in we settled in and left for the beach. When we returned to shower, we noticed water pouring from the walls. I called the front desk asking to be moved and they told us that maintenance needed to look at our room, it took three hours for the staff to make a decision to move us. This is unacceptable as my husband, and I are both disable and with all the water pouring in the room we could had slip and fall. Our first room 1123 had a dirty bathroom with again the water coming in from the walls. Once moved to room 1023 we found ourselves with no wash towels and small towels. We also had a bath towel that was dirty. Staff need to know what is going on in the facilities. On Friday we wanted to dine at the French restaurant. The waiter at Ocean restaurant told us that the French restaurant was closed we later checked with the concierge desk and they told us it was open. We proceeded to walk to French restaurant to find it close. So basically, the left doesn't know what the right is doing.

This is a beautiful resort. Slightly out dated, food is not as great as other All inclusives with gourmet dining. Great if you're going to just lay on the beach and relax. Slightly less expensive that Sandals, but not necessarily worth the price. Seems very much like a timeshare, they try to sell you on activities and membership