As my husband and I made our way along the wide stone path lined with lush ferns and approached the grand wooden doors that marked the stately entrance to Impression Moxché by Secrets, I knew we were in for a treat.
Indeed, as soon as we crossed the threshold into the modern and airy lobby with its marbled floor, natural stone accents, cozy seating area, full bar, and an array of beautifully presented snacks, sandwiches, and desserts available to guests all day long and into the evening, I turned to my husband and said, “We need to extend our stay by another night.”
Thankfully, the adults-only all-inclusive resort just a few miles north of downtown Playa del Carmen, Mexico, had room for us, and we had the flexibility to tack on one more night at this secluded beachfront haven that caters to couples.
While I’d highly recommend a week’s stay at the 198-suite property to fully decompress — not to mention sample all of the incredible restaurants available to Impression Moxché guests — my husband and I made the most of a three-night visit that featured plenty of relaxation, romance, and, atypical for us, late-night revelry.
Impression Moxché by Secrets opened in December 2022 as the sister property to the next-door 485-room Secrets Moxché Playa del Carmen, both part of the Hyatt Inclusive Collection. Guests who upgrade to the smaller, quieter Impression Moxché building not only have access to exclusive restaurants and pools, but they can also dine and play anywhere on the collective Riviera Maya property.
The added services that come with a stay at Impression Moxché elevate the guest experience. We felt pampered by our assigned butlers, who kept us apprised of daily activities via WhatsApp messages every morning. Since we’d already been traveling for several nights before our arrival, we gladly handed over a bag of dirty laundry that was returned to us 24 hours later, clean and folded in a neatly wrapped package.
Our attentive butlers also made our spa reservations: Every Impression Moxché guest receives a complimentary 20-minute wellness experience. I opted for a quick foot massage and lamented not having paid for a longer treatment to make full use of the spa’s comprehensive outdoor hydrotherapy facilities and relaxation areas. (Next time!)
Our favorite place to spend the day was the Impression Moxché rooftop pool deck. Comfy cabanas with flowy drapes and plush lounge chairs under broad umbrellas flanked a long rectangular pool, while another infinity pool overlooked the turquoise Caribbean Sea. Accommodating staff served us gourmet burgers and tacos poolside, while other friendly folks stopped by to spritz us with cooling facial mist, clean our sunglasses, and whip up custom cocktails served in hollowed-out pineapples. The acoustic duo playing music at adjacent Cielo restaurant set a tranquil tone in this serene setting.
Another afternoon we lounged at the ground-level Impression Moxché main pool with its huge deck and still more spots for kicking back in cabanas and chaise lounges. Nearby Seaside Beach Club — with a small beach area and yet another pool — is one of the two restaurants exclusively available to Impression Moxché guests. A la carte breakfast here was stellar, with healthy options like açai bowls and veggie omelets. The roving pastry and doughnut cart was a huge hit, too. All food and drink are included here, so why not sample it all?
Impression Moxché guests would be remiss if they didn’t venture over to the Secrets Moxché property to experience its plethora of fine-dining restaurants, serving everything from French and Japanese to Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine. The core group of indoor-outdoor eateries are set next to each other facing a manmade swimming lagoon. At night, just off the sandy beach, food carts serving tacos al pastor and pop-up bars with aqua del dia (and cocktails) are set up for a street scene reminiscent of a traditional Mexican town plaza for grab-and-go quick fixes before or after dinner.
While all of the food we experienced at the two resorts was excellent, the most memorable was a small-group, 7-course tasting menu at Dos Almas, the Mexican restaurant. At bar seating, just five of us watched as our personal chef prepared three-bite tacos in homemade tortillas. Each was filled with delicious items like lobster, pork belly, and short ribs accompanied by traditional ingredients such as squash carpaccio, tamarind adobo, and pumpkin seeds. Each taco was paired with a sample of a beer, wine, cocktail, or non-alcoholic beverage. This premium experience is an additional cost outside of the food and drinks that come with the all-inclusive package.
Returning to our suite each night — slightly sun-kissed and with full bellies — was always a pleasure, as accommodations feature modern decor in beiges and browns, with plenty of earthy textures like rattan, jute, and natural wood. Though all suites are spacious, starting at 947 square feet, we felt especially spoiled in our Oceanfront Panoramic Suite with its corner location on the sixth floor. The wrap-around balcony offered expansive views of the ocean and the next-door resort grounds, as well as the Impression Moxché pool deck below.
It’s typical for all-inclusive resorts to have drinks and snacks available in each room’s minibar. But here, those in-room offerings are taken up a notch. In our full-sized fridge were natural fruit juices, still water, Coke, Diet Coke, and Dos Equis. Our wine fridge housed full bottles of red and white as well as a half-bottle of Moët & Chandon. When we got peckish, we nibbled on gourmet peanuts, crunchy corn, and gummy candy. A bottle of aged rum, sparkling water, and Nespresso coffee rounded out everything we could eat and drink in our room. While we naturally didn’t finish it all, it sure was nice to choose from all the options.
That’s the beauty of an all-inclusive vacation, especially one as comprehensive as the dual-property offerings here: Options abound. We chose to kick back by the exclusive Impression Moxché pools and generally keep to ourselves, but we could have sought more activity next door with Spanish classes, pool biking, and beach volleyball. Other lounging spots we might have checked out were sheltered swimming nooks designed to look like freeform cenotes.
All-inclusive resorts are also opportunities to try new things without dishing out extra money. One night after sunset, we slipped on silent-disco headphones dancing with other guests on the sand, grooving to our own beats and giggling a lot.
The live music offerings are great: Each night, a series of singers and bands performed chill background music at one of the centrally located outdoor restaurant venues, and one evening we listened to a moving candlelight string quartet concert at the spacious indoor theatre
Perhaps most entertaining was the on-property speakeasy. A working pharmacy by day and a hidden dance club by late night, Gypsy was packed with not only couples but also wedding parties, extended families, and multiple generations tearing it up on the dance floor that pulsed with loud music and never-ending light shows. In the upbeat atmosphere where drinks flowed, everyone seemed to have such fun — including me, who’s typically in bed by 9 p.m.
Unsurprisingly, we saw three wedding celebrations during our short stay at this luxe resort that’s popular among engaged couples who don’t mind excluding children from their guest list (recall, all Secrets properties are adults only). Similarly, Impression Moxché would make a splurge-worthy honeymoon, anniversary, or milestone birthday celebration destination.
Indeed, this secluded haven for grownups does not come with a low price tag. But for an ultra-indulgent getaway at a remarkable adults-only, all-inclusive resort on the Riviera Maya, Impression Moxché by Secrets is a stellar choice.
For more information visit Impression Moxché by Secrets.