Cancun/Playa Mujeres by Mickey Scalera (January 2018)

Cancun/Playa Mujeres Fam –

 

I spent 3 nights at Secrets The Vine, 4nts at Secrets Playa Mujeres and toured several other resorts in each area.

 

Cancun –Secrets The Vine – is a very attractive resort on a beautiful stretch of beach; we had a great view of the sea from our balcony. Unfortunately the Sea is not swimmable most of the time. The resort’s 3 pools are situated beachside, so you have a great view of the water from all of them.

 

Our only disappointment at the Vine, besides the beach, was the food; it really left a lot to be desired. We might have just caught if at an off time as I’ve had clients stay there who thought the food was fine.

 

Service at the resort was most efficient; they work hard to please.

 

Hyatt Ziva – Great  resort; excellent location on a peninsula;  beautiful sea views surround the resort.. There are two swimmable beaches; one has some surf, the other as calm as a bath tub.   They offer all kinds of water sports, water aerobics,

floating climbable rafts, water park for children, etc. This resort has something for everyone.

 

This is a family resort, but does have a new adult only beachfront tower (Turquoise) w/sea view rooms, it’s own VIP check-in, private airport transfers, private lounge, private roof top infinity pool, etc.

 

The resort has 8 restaurants, 7 bars/lounges, coffee shop, pastry/candy shop, etc .

The aromas and fresh scents everywhere in the resort are amazing!

 

You would never guess this resort is right in Cancun’s Hotel Zone; it’s a beautiful oasis surrounded by water, where everyone is having a fun. I can’t say enough good things about the Ziva!

 

We also saw the adult-only Hyatt Zilara , formerly The Royal Cancun. It’s a nice resort; with some renovating (upcoming) I think it will be very nice. You definitely know you’re in the city though!

 

Playa Mujeres – New upcoming resort area north of Cancun. There aren’t a lot of hotels there just yet, no shopping areas, restaurants, etc. Quite a few resorts are scheduled to open in the next year or so. The swimmable white sand beaches are very nice, the sea color not as spectacular as Cancun and the Riviera Maya though.  It’s a quiet, attractive area, almost seems like it was carved out of the jungle. All of the resorts are set way back from the road.

 

Secrets Playa Mujeres – We really liked this adult-only resort; food was very good; service excellent, grounds were  very nice and immaculately clean. They had daily entertainment by the pool which was fun and everyone seemed to enjoy.

 

You can use the facilities at their sister family resort, Dreams, located next door; I say next door, but it is a bit of a hike. Continuous transportation between the two resorts is offered via golf carts. Adults staying at Dreams can use the facilities at Secrets.

 

Dreams is a really nice resort; the grounds are lovely! Rooms are very spacious here also. There are a lot of activities offered for adults and children. Explorer’s Club for kids 3 to 12 is open 10am to 10pm; the Core Zone Teen’s Club is open 9am to 1am.

 

The Delphinus Dolphin Habitat at Dreams features an interactive program allowing guests to observe dolphins up close in their natural habitat; there is a fee for this.

 

We were able to see the play Rock of Ages at the resort, which we really enjoyed. It is playing there until at least the end of January; that is an add’l charge also.

 

Guests at Secrets and Dreams have special privileges at the Playa Mujeres Golf Course, an 18 hole Greg Norman course.

Transportation is included, golf rates are reduced, concierge service is available to make reservations for you, etc. Quite often the resorts will offer a few rounds of complimentary golf.

 

I also took a quick tour of Beloved, Excellence, and Finest Resorts in Playa Mujeres. Beloved is a 5star boutique resort, very low key. I really liked it; only negative to me is their narrow beach. Excellence is also quite nice, only negative to me was the toilet area with see thru glass in some of the Junior Suites. Beloved and Excellence are adults-only resorts.

 

Finest, their family resort, was too contemporary for me; thought it was stark. On the upside, they had a great clubs and play areas for kids of all ages.

 

 

All in all I really liked the Playa Mujeres area; just hope it doesn’t get too big or busy. There’s a lot of construction going on, but somehow the noise is kept to a minimum.