REVIEW: SECRETS PLAYA BLANCA COSTA MUJERES
Visit: April 2024
Overall: 6.5 out of 10
Would I Return? Yes
Lobby Roof Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres
Property & Location
Secrets Playa Blanca is a brand new Secrets resort that opened in Feb 2024. It’s situated 12 miles north of Cancun and a few miles north of Playa Mujeres. It is about a 45 minute drive away, depending on traffic. So if you think just because it’s only 12 miles away and thereby closer than Playa del Carmen or Tulum, the drive is actually about the same amount of time as if you were driving south to Playa del Carmen.
The resort boasts 507 rooms, has 3 main pools, and on a stretch of white sand beach with not much around. The resort feels modern and has a hacienda style decor. The overall resort has an airy feeling yet is laid out in a way that makes everything feel accessible. There are various paths to get to different parts of the resort, comfortable places to sit, places to gather for a small group, and still not feeling as though you are crammed together. When we visited, the receptionist told us the resort was about 80% occupied (which is high for a hotel) but it certainly did not feel that way during our stay.
Isla Mujeres is visible on a clearish day and is in a relatively quiet part of Riviera Maya, for now. It seems as though development is actively occurring in the area as evident by another resort or hotel being built right next door.
Because it’s brand stinkin’ new, the resort is obviously beautifully constructed and does not feel worn or dated. The foliage since being newly planted feels a bit sparse but certainly once it’s fully grown, it will feel lush and tropical. From what I can gather, this is the same owner, developer, and operator as those that own Secrets Akumal and Secrets Maroma Beach.
When we visited in April 2024, the gym, Oceana restaurant, and theater were still under construction with a tentative opening date of July 2024. Even with these not being open, it did not necessarily detract from our experience and we generally didn’t even notice.
Did you know? Secrets/Breathless/Dreams/etc branded hotels are actually not owned by Hyatt and are independently owned, developed, and operated but are “managed” by Hyatt.
Check-In
As you get out of your transport, my favorite greeting of, “Welcome Home” is always a delight. As usual, a cold towel and sparkling wine was offered, even at 8:00am when we arrived (we took a redeye).
Check-in was a fairly standard affair. The usual paperwork, acknowledgement of hotel rules, and general explanation of “Unlimited Luxury” and amenities of the hotel. Our receptionist, I unfortunately forgot his name, was very helpful. We found out what building we were in and we requested to be moved (due to other reviews we read about hearing construction noise) and he kindly helped us by doing everything he could to accommodate our request. We were there for a friend’s birthday and had some decorations we were hoping to be placed in their room ahead of their arrival. The concierge was helpful and assured us it would be taken care of. Spoiler alert: it was.
The customer service was on-point at check-in and we started the day on a positive foot.
Of course at 8am, our room was not ready, but we were prepared and had a change of clothes in our backpack handy so we could immediately find a spot by the pool and begin to enjoy the day.
Lobby at Secrets Playa Blanca
Room
Since we are part of the Unlimited Vacation Club (UVC), we were fortunate enough to be upgraded to a Preferred Club Junior Suite Tropical View. We originally booked the normal Junior Suite Tropical View; according to UVC this was considered a 3 level upgrade.
We were originally supposed to be in Building 4, but as mentioned above, you may hear construction since there is some occurring immediately adjacent to that particular building.
We were moved to Building 3 which is on the opposite end and closer to the Preferred Pool.
The room is certainly spacious and has a very open feeling. It is very similar to most of the Secrets resort rooms. If this is not your first time at one, you will know what I mean. A nice surprise was how big the bathtub was.
While a very open feeling is nice for a couple, it can immediately feel weird if you are sharing a room with a friend or family member as the toilet and shower doors are glass. There is faux wall that slides out to separate the bathroom and sleeping area for some privacy if needed.
We didn’t book a swim-out as we generally like our privacy and feel swim-outs affords you less of that, the swim-out rooms we saw looked great. I liked the fact the pools the swim-out rooms shared were only about 3 rooms. Really not a fan when the swim-out room pools are like a moat with lots of shared rooms. I would highly consider booking one of these in the future.
Pools
In my point of view there are 3 main pools at the resort versus the 4 they advertise. There is the main “Infinity Pool”, Preferred Club Pool, and Jungle Pool. The resort would say the 4th pool is the activities pool, and while it technically is a separate pool, it is so close to the “Infinity Pool”, that one could argue it’s just an extension of either.
All pools have very comfortable pool loungers. No plastic/rubber loungers that feel cheap. Padded, beautifully coordinated with the overall vibes of the resort, and most have a small pillow attached. Probably some of the best loungers I’ve experienced at a resort.
The “towel game” was a bit hit or miss during our stay. Certainly, if you didn’t “reserve” a space before 8:30-9am you did not have a “prime” location right on the pool’s edge. Would say at some points, the pool concierges were keeping an eye out and removing towels, but majority of the time that was not the case. The most attentive pool concierges that would most likely remove your stuff if you were gone for too long were at the Preferred Pool.
All the pool were very cold. So much so, no one was really in them at all.
The “Infinity Pool” is the one with a swim up bar and is probably the most lively of all the pools due to the bar, the music, and mixture of activities that occur both at the activities pool and even in this pool. It certainly has a nice view, although it’s not a direct view of the ocean.
The Preferred Pool had more padded/cushioned loungers and was supposedly heated. Was the pool that much warmer than the others, I really couldn’t feel the difference. It certainly is more quiet but you are a stone’s throw away from the “Infinity Pool”.
The Jungle Pool had just recently opened when we visited. As a result, it didn’t feel very much like a jungle, but once the foliage grows in, I could imagine it will have that vibe. It is the pool closest to the lobby, certainly the quietest, and the most private.
Beach
The beach was certainly a highlight of this resort. We’ve stayed at multiple resorts along the coast of Playa del Carmen where the seaweed accumulation can get so bad it really makes you not want to be on the beach or go in the water and they are constantly trying to clean it up.
This beach was very pristine. From what I understand, it’s a result of where the beach sits, and so the seaweed does not accumulate.
I’m usually not the type to enjoy hanging around the beach, but I highly considered it here.
The beach had soft white sand, beautiful blue water, and perfect views of Isla Mujeres. Also, because of the general remoteness of this resort, no vendors were there to disturb you to sell their good.
If the beach is your vibe, this is certainly one to check out and visit.
Restaurants & Food & Drinks
One should never expect food at an all-inclusive and especially when they are trying to do cuisine that is globally minded, to be what you’d get at a fine dining establishment or michelin rated. If you are expecting this to be the best pasta, sushi, or beef bourguignon you have ever had, I would lower your expectations.
We are very fortunate and recognize the privilege of living in a large metropolitan city where we can enjoy any cuisine in the world right in our backyard and so understand there are perhaps different expectations.
Overall, I would say the food was as expected. We’ve certainly been to some Secrets resorts where the food is amazingly delicious and some where the food is very subpar.
At Secrets Playa Blanca, I think the food was middle of the road. Not the most amazing we’ve had at an all-inclusive but not the worst. There are definitely dishes where we were very impressed with and others that we not good at all. It certainly is not enough where it would deter us from returning.
The restaurant layout at Playa Blanca is generally convenient. The main dinner restaurants: Portofino, Himitsu, El Patio, and Bordeaux are all next to each other. Even to the point that because there is no signage, it’s hard to distinguish which door belongs to which restaurant.
The restaurants that are in a separate area or place are Seaside Grill, Market Cafe, and Oceana.
All of the restaurants are beautifully decorated and have small touches that add to their ambiance. They certainly hold nods to the country of cuisine you are enjoying that add to the experience.
During our trip, we had the opportunity to try Portofino, Himitsu (Hibachi Grill), Seaside Cafe, and Market Cafe.
Our favorite restaurant there was Portofino.
Quick Tip: If you want to make reservations for the hibachi grill at Himitsu, you will need to make reservations in the Hyatt Inclusive Collection app. You can only make reservations for 2 people per room. If you have multiple rooms that will be joining you, make sure to input that in the comments/notes in the reservation.
We did order room service and we usually enjoy a late night snack. The room service food was not very good at all and nothing was appetizing unfortunately.
Again, the drinks are as expected of an all-inclusive and what we’ve come to expect from the Secret Brand. I do think Secrets Playa Blanca had a great and wide variety to choose from that you do not typically see. Spirits like Maker’s Mark bourbon, Ojo de Tigre mezcal, and Jose Cuervo Cristalino tequila were nice to see. In general, their overall choices were typical to what you’d find at most Secrets brands (such as Don Julio, Belvedere, Ketel One, Jack Daniel’s, etc).
The Preferred Bar certainly tried their best to have “mixology” type cocktails. Just like other things and probably just like any other bar, they were certainly hit or miss. We usually go for an espresso martini as our pre-dinner ritual and those did not necessarily disappoint.
Row of Restaurants. at Secrets Playa Blanca
Overall Service
We were overall satisfied with the general service we received.
We’ve come to enjoy the service at the Secret brand and usually find all the staff members to be polite, kind, funny, and usually attentive.
At Secrets Playa Blanca, the service was not very different and still why we frequent these brands of resorts.
The only feedback I would have are: at times the pool servers were a bit slower than we are used to (but very much “first world problem” and think they have one of the hardest jobs at the resort so this is being very nit-picky) and we only had one rude encounter with a manager at one restaurants.
That quick tip I gave about putting in the notes/comments if you are part of a group was a lesson we had to learn the hard way. During our trip is when they converted from making physical reservations with a person to needing to make reservations via the app. That was in itself a hassle as no one knew what was going on and depending on who you asked, you got a different answer. But we were a group of 7 and so in order to make a reservation for one of the rooms that had 3 people we had to go through a concierge. When we arrived at the restaurant we got into a little bit of an argument with the manager because they were fighting us on the desire to sit together as a group because we didn’t put a comment/note in the reservation. However, no one told us we had to and it was as simple as shuffling the reservations around. In the end, it all worked out, but was certainly not a pleasant interaction as the blame was placed on us for not knowing to make a comment in the reservation.
I’ll chock it up as them transitioning to the new reservation system and still in its early days of opening.
Preferred Club
This was probably the strangest of all things here. At most other Secrets resorts, the Preferred Bar or “amenities” are generally separate and distinct enough where you feel there is some exclusivity.
At Secrets Playa Blanca, that line is very blurred. While there is a separate Preferred Check-In, Breakfast Restaurant, Bar, and Pool it seemed more of a free-for-all. Perhaps the Check-In and Breakfast Restaurant were “exclusive”, I definitely know the Bar and Pool were not.
I think anyone and everyone could take a chair at the Preferred Pool and anyone and everyone can grab a drink at the Preferred Bar. I’m not a complete stickler, especially since we get access to those as part of our UVC membership, but could feel a completely different way if I paid additional for “exclusive privileges” and saw just anyone could take advantage as it’s not a small sum of money for those category of rooms.
Do you need to pay additional money for Preferred Club at Secrets Playa Blanca? I’m not sure as I don’t think you would be able to tell since you’ll be able to take advantage of most of the privileges as a regular guest anyways.
Overall Thoughts
Secrets Playa Blanca is a brand new resort that I think has potential. The resort has only been opened for a few months so I imagine if I returned next year, some of the hiccups we experienced will have worked themselves out.
It certainly doesn’t provide the “wow” factor like Secrets Moxche but think can certainly be in contention with Secrets Akumal and Secrets Maroma Beach. Just give it a a few more months.
It’s a beautiful resort, with a beautiful beach, wonderful service, and a great vibe.
The food could be a bit better, some of the service kinks worked out, and perhaps I wouldn’t pay for Preferred Club out of pocket.
But I’ll be back at some point in the future to give it one more chance before I decide if it’s a resort worth repeating over and over again.
