Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets

Beauty, but with no soul Impression Isla Mujeres is undeniably beautiful. The architecture, décor, landscaping, and setting are exceptionally well done, and it’s easy to understand why the resort has earned the reputation of being one of the “most Instagrammable” resorts. Unfortunately, its beauty, inherent in its location was the only thing that we felt wow’d about. It was otherwise a disappointing and underwhelming experience for the price point. The good: Our experience started wonderfully at the marina, where the reception and service were excellent. From the moment we arrived, our butler, Erick, set the standard. He was the perfect combination of informative, humility, and sincerity. Nothing about his interactions felt forced or scripted, and he made a wonderful first impression. Carlos at the pool/bar was another favorite. He was incredibly down-to-earth, warm, and genuinely willing to help in any way he could. In fact, the first time we met him, we were simply walking by, yet he immediately made us feel welcomed and cared for. He always made eye contact and greeted us with such a sweet, warm smile. Those small interactions are exactly what hospitality is about. We also had wonderful experiences with Carlos at Vista, Wilma, Matilde and Ruby at the pool and Edwin, and Marcello at Wildfire. These individuals brought the warmth and personality that we wished had been more consistent throughout the resort. We also enjoyed several of the activities and entertainment offerings. The fire show and traditional show were very good, and the mezcal tasting was especially enjoyable. The instructor was knowledgeable, engaging, and genuinely interested in teaching and sharing his knowledge. Housekeeping deserves especially high praise. It was genuinely some of the best housekeeping we have experienced at any resort. Our room was consistently immaculate, including the balcony—even though we rarely used it. At many resorts, areas that clearly aren’t being used tend to get overlooked, but that never happened here. The attention to detail was exceptional. The room itself had many positives. The bed was very comfortable, and we loved having extra pillows and blankets available. The shower was beautiful and very sexy in its design. We also loved the “magic box,” appreciated the high-end Le Labo bath products, and thought the additional amenities such as toothbrushes and other toiletries were a thoughtful luxury touch. Room service arrived promptly, although our order was incorrect. Now for the bad: The room was noisy. A rooster began crowing around 5:30 every morning and continued for hours. Beyond that, sound insulation seemed poor—we could hear doors slamming, activity above us/on the roof, and people in neighboring rooms. The water pressure was also surprisingly weak for a resort of this caliber. Unfortunately, we also had noticeably poor interactions with Guillermo, a young man working at the beachfront bar, and Eric, our breakfast waiter. We felt at times that we were bothering them, and I felt tinges of disdain from several of the employees. The contrast between the exceptional employees and the less welcoming ones was significant enough to affect the overall experience. The Jacuzzi was more like a lukewarm bath. Breakfast was repetitive. The resort could improve in offering more quick, casual options, especially at breakfast. Not every morning needs to involve sitting down for a full restaurant breakfast. Something as simple as a morning fruit bar or grab-and-go area with fruit, yogurt, pastries, coffee, etc. would make a significant difference. The cocktail-making class needs reworking. It felt disorganized, and unfortunately the bartender could not communicate and the translation setup wasn’t effective. More importantly, a luxury-resort cocktail class should offer more than a recipe. Anyone can Google the ingredients in a cocktail. What would make the experience worthwhile is having a knowledgeable bartender explain why a drink works—how changing the spirit, acid, sweetness, bitters, or proportions changes the final taste and balance. That would turn it from simply following a recipe into an actual cocktail-making experience. There are also several relatively small changes that I think could significantly improve the guest experience. Staff name tags would be extremely helpful, particularly when you want to recognize someone for excellent service. I would also suggest having the assigned butler make a point of physically checking in and saying hello at least once each day. It doesn’t need to be lengthy—the personal contact itself reinforces the feeling that someone is looking after you. Another fun touch would be for each restaurant or bar to have its own signature cocktail unique to that venue. Ultimately, it was the lack of warmth and customer service that left us feeling empty and apathetic towards this resort. Impression Isla Mujeres is a visually spectacular resort with beautiful rooms, excellent housekeeping, overall good food, and some truly wonderful employees. However, even with those things taken into account, the surroundings set the scene, but it’s the people that make the experience. And the personal touches just fell flat here. It felt scripted and insincere. There was none of that lovely Mexican hospitality that we love this country for. Luxury hospitality is about more than beautiful architecture, expensive finishes, blue water, and photogenic spaces. It is about how a place makes you feel. And that is where they fall short. Just like Instagram, it’s pretty to look at, but at closer inspection, it’s all just a facade with nothing underneath. It’s too bad because it has so much potential. But with so many other options in the area, we won’t be coming back here again.

Amazing trip. The resort was stunning and service was excellent. David and Angel were perfect and made sure it was a truly great trip

We just finished a 5-night stay at Impression Isla Mujeres to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, and overall, we had a wonderful experience. We’ve stayed at several Secrets, Breathless, Palace, Valentin, and Riu resorts throughout Cancun and Riviera Maya, so we had quite a few resorts to compare it to. First, the resort itself is absolutely gorgeous and incredibly romantic. It’s a smaller property with mostly couples, honeymooners, and anniversary travelers, which creates a very peaceful atmosphere. The views are honestly some of the best we’ve experienced at any resort. The staff went above and beyond to make our anniversary special, with thoughtful extras throughout our stay. We stayed in an Oceanfront Jacuzzi room, and it was absolutely worth it! We had considered upgrading to one of the more expensive suites, but after seeing their locations, which is more closer to the rooftop pool- we were actually happy with our room. The butler service was exceptional—better than any we’ve experienced at other resorts. Wedinzon and vianey were amazing. Every whim Was catered to- made our trip so special: Room service was also the best we’ve had at a resort: fast, great selection, and delicious. Housekeeping was good -although certain things weren’t replaced and we never got our wine fridge to ever work. The food was very good overall. Wildfire was our favorite, especially the tenderloin, and we ate there twice. Carlos was great here. Restaurant service was probably the weakest part of the stay. The servers were friendly and service was usually quick, but orders were frequently missed or items brought that we hadn’t ordered or didnt get what we ordered. Beach service was also inconsistent—one day it was excellent, another day we waited quite a while for drinks/food. If you want faster service, the main pool has a swim-up bar. Bar service is fantastic and so was the roof top pool service. Carlos was always right on it. Pools are beautiful. The spa was truly world-class. We travel quite a bit, and this was one of the best massages we’ve ever had. The facilities themselves may not be the most impressive we’ve seen, but the quality of the massage and service was outstanding. Jan and Jesus couldnt have been better. For us, the beach was the highlight. We are beach people, and with the sargassum issues we’ve encountered at so many other resorts lately, we really appreciated this beautiful, unique little beach. The water was gorgeous, snorkeling was pretty good when the weather cooperated. A few things to know: dinner reservations are required each night and you need to make those with your butler, although the dress code seemed very relaxed. The resort is small and quiet, not a ton to do besides beach and pool. although there are evening shows and a few nights a week they get loud. They typically ended around 10:20 p.m. so not a huge deal. The water slide was fun, but the bottom is rough—don’t wear a white swimsuit- it will stain it. We also highly recommend the wine tasting or cocktail class—both were a lot of fun. And if you want to explore the island, we rented a golf cart directly from the resort. Having visited Isla Mujeres more than 10 times, we thought these were some of the best carts and best pricing we’ve found. Yes, this resort is significantly more expensive than many of the other resorts we’ve stayed at. However, you’re also paying for things that would typically cost extra elsewhere—butler service, premium liquor, Bali beds/palapas, a beautiful catamaran, and incredible views, along with a much smaller, uncrowded atmosphere. There are only 134 rooms, and during our stay the resort felt very uncrowded. Every staff member we encountered was incredibly friendly and genuinely seemed to want to make our stay special. Will be back!

My husband and i stayed here for two nights and had a great stay! The amenities were lovely and the customer service was incredible, would like to thank Wedinzon and Vianey for such great care of us while we were there. Rithik was also incredible and made sure we had a great time. From the Catamaran arrival to all the great food, pools and incredible beaches and beautiful ocean view rooms, it was all incredible. Hope we can come back soon!

We just got back from Impression Isla Mujeres and I can’t say enough great things about the resort, the food, the staff and the overall experience. We went for our 10 year anniversary and they made it incredibly special. On our anniversary night they decorated the bed and left chocolate covered strawberries and also had some special chocolates upon arrival. The location and the resort itself are incredibly beautiful but for us I think the staff is what will keep us coming back. Our butlers were absolutely the best! Zelma and Amy were super responsive, always ready to help and were just fun to be around and have conversations with! Matilde was amazing- I was never without a coconut margarita :) Eric from the rooftop restaurant (Unik) was also a favorite- we loved all our morning chats with him about NFL teams. And you can’t forget Isaac who handles the entertainment- he’s great, much fun! The size of the resort is perfect, nothing ever felt crowded and you never had to fight for a spot. The food was delicious, to me all of the restaurants are equally good in their own way but Spezia and Wildfire were our favorites for dinner. Overall we had the best time, I think the resort is 100% worth the cost and we can’t wait to go back!