Years ago I decided it was a best practice to spend early December in a warm sunny beachside locale where I could spend my days next to a pool, existing on Bloody Marys and cerviche.
Enter Impression Moxche.
BACKGROUND
I first heard of this resort in February of 2023. There was a buzz in several of my online travel hacking groups that points awards had suddenly become available. The recommendation was BOOK NOW!!!
Experience has told me that when opportunities like this arise in the Travel Hacking world it is best to BOOK NOW and think later... so that's exactly what I did.
Impression Moxche by Secrets is a resort within a resort. It opened in Playa del Carmen, Mexico in December of 2022. It is contained within the Secrets Moxche Resort. What this means is that Impression guests have access to the entire Secrets resort but they also have their own exclusive building with its own restaurants, pools and beaches which are only accessible to Impression guests. Every room in the Impression building is a suite. There are 198 of them.
So why is this important to me?
I enjoy laying by the pool. Quiet pools.
I very much dislike having to jockey for a pool chair and then have a bunch of screaming people (kids) nearby while I'm trying to either read or rest. Secrets is an adult-only all-inclusive resort. There are a multitude, and by multitude I'm talking 10+, pools at Secrets, plus another three Impression guest only pools... which I felt would give me a pretty good chance of finding a quiet pool chair without much competition.
The next point that sold me was the food.
Travel hacking has really spoiled me.
I'm a foodie. I love pretty food. Tasty chef prepared food. Interesting unique food. NOT buffet food.
Best of all, I love this food when it's free...
Granted, I know it's not really free. It comes with the all-inclusive price. However, if you're not paying for your all-inclusive experience with real money then, ya, it really is free.
Don't get me wrong. I have and will pay for good food too, it's just more fun when it's free.
THIS place had fabulous food!
Late in 2021 Hyatt acquired the Apple Leisure Group (ALP). ALP is the owner of a number of well known all-inclusive resorts such as Secrets, Dreams, Zoetry... just to name a few. The beauty of this acquisition was that it made all of these properties bookable with points, that is, if the availability could be found.
BOOKING
Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points transfer to Hyatt 1:1 so I transferred UR points to Hyatt for this booking.
When this property originally entered the Hyatt portfolio it was bookable for an incredible "standard" 25,000 points per night. Off-peak rates were 21,000 points and peak rates were 29,000. This was an incredible value for rooms that typically cost $1000+ in real money. The challenge was finding points availability as most participating properties will only allow a portion of their rooms to be available to book with points.
February 21, 2023.
I found three nights available for 21,000 points per night for December 11-14, 2023. This was for the entry level Signature Suite King room. Arrival was on a Monday and departure was on a Thursday. I considered adding more days but the weekend rates were higher at 29,000 points so I figured three nights would suffice and I figured it would be less crowded during the week rather than on the weekend.
I went ahead and confirmed the 3 nights and spent 63,000 Hyatt points. All points availability disappeared within days of my booking.
March 28, 2023.
Hyatt announced their yearly hotel category changes. Secrets moved up several categories. No surprise as it was originally an insane value. New chart shows that it's now 42,000 per night for the same nights I booked in February!
About a week prior to check-in I received an email from the resort asking if I wanted to "bid" on a room upgrade. They give you a suggested range of what you would be willing to pay for an upgraded room and you place a bid with the price you're willing to pay. If they accept your bid you can get the room upgrade at that price. I was fine with the room we had, plus I have status with Hyatt (I'm currently an Explorist) so I decided to do nothing.
December 11, 2023.
Upon check-in we received a complimentary upgrade to a Signature Ocean View Suite on the 4th floor.
Cash price for our room for those night would have been $4427.96 ($1475.99 per night).
GETTING THERE
This was a case where securing the location was more important than securing the flight. Once we had the dates confirmed for our resort, it was a foregone conclusion we would be flying Southwest into Cancun. My husband and I have a Southwest Companion Pass. Since each pass is good for the year you earn it and the following year, we trade off on being the primary pass holder every two years and, of course, we travel hacked it with credit card points so it didn't cost us anything.
Truth be told, since Southwest uses dynamic points redemption, meaning the points have a fixed value (right now they are worth about 1.2 cents per point) that is multiplied by the actual price of the ticket, you really aren't getting a deal when you use Southwest points for flights... meaning, if a Southwest flight is $120 it will cost 10,000 points whereas if a flight cost $240 it will cost 20,000 points. In comparison, other carriers may have an actual "chart" where it costs a fixed number of points to get from Point A to Point B no matter the time or day.
In 2024 you will have to earn 135,000 qualifying Southwest points to earn a Companion Pass. All you have to do is earn the points. You do NOT have to redeem them for the Pass nor do you have to have all 135,000 points in your account at the same time. All you have to do is earn those points in one calendar year. My husband and I earn all our points through Chase Southwest credit card sign up bonuses. We meet our spend requirements on stuff we would have had to spend money on anyway so we really aren't spending any extra money to get this Pass. A Companion Pass allows your designated companion to fly FREE anytime they fly with you for as long as you have the pass. What we do is redeem the points we earned to get the Companion Pass for a plane ticket, then the other person flies for free. Generally we have enough banked Southwest points that we never pay for a flight.
June 15, 2023.
I decided today was as good a day as any to look for flights.
Ugh. Flights from Indianapolis to Cancun priced significantly higher than I remember. I finally settled on a flight that left Indy at 5:20 am, 2 hour layover in Baltimore, than arrival in Cancun at 1:10 pm. I was more concerned about the times than the cost. It was 18,675 points for one ticket plus $44.23 in taxes x two as the second ticket was free but you still have to pay the taxes.
Getting back was a little less expensive. Departed at 3:30 pm, 2 hour layover in Kansas City, then arriving back in Indy at 10:30 pm. Cost was 8,217 points plus $68.97 x two.
September 27,2023.
It pays to keep on eye on your tickets. The price of the outbound Indy to Cancun tickets dropped over half price to 9,130 points. I quickly canceled the original tickets and repurchased at the lower price. The beauty of using points is that when you cancel a ticket the points are automatically redeposited into your account and the taxes are refunded. All you have to do then is rebuy them. You DO have to cancel them first because Southwest will not let you hold two tickets for the same route on the same day. I saved 9,545 points by doing this!
Impression Moxche is about 35 miles south of the Cancun Airport. Since we had no plans to leave the resort I decided to arrange transport to and from the airport through a private shuttle service. We used USA Transfers; cost was $140 round trip. In the past we have taken the local bus from the airport into Playa del Carmen but I tend to get motion sickness, plus we would then have to get a taxi from the bus station to the resort so I decided it was worth the money to use a private shuttle. It was well worth it.
Day 1 - Monday December 11, 2023
We got up at a Gawd awful time.
3am to be exact. All of our flights went smoothly.
Immigration at Cancun Airport was a zoo. It's as bad as I've ever seen it. All the lines were backed up all the way to the stairs leading to the arrival gates. We got in the E-passport line as it was about half the length of the regular line but it still took us over an hour to exit the airport. Once outside, we found the USA Transfers agent who called our shuttle (they have shuttles that constantly circle the airport so you don't have to worry about what time you actually get out; they won't leave you) and I was thankful to be on our way!
45 minutes later our driver dropped us off at the Secrets Moxche entrance. Bellhops took our luggage and someone handed us cold cocktails. Another staff member walked us a short distance to the Impression building and seated us in the lobby lounge to check us in. It was 4 pm by now and I was absolutely starving. Thankfully there were small sandwiches and other appetizers in the lobby next to the bar for self service. I had a snack while they checked us in.
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| Entrance to the Impression Building |
We were escorted up to our room. Minutes later the bellhop showed up with our luggage and offered to set up our luggage racks. We declined as all we wanted to do was stretch out on the bed for a minute before doing anything else. Moments later however, our butlers arrived. Each room comes with two butlers. Our butlers were Mariela and Maili, plus they had another guy in tow that they explained was in training. Mariela explained that she would be available from 9am to 5pm, then Maili would take over from 5pm to 11pm. They showed us around the suite and explained how all the lights worked, how the blinds worked, the tablet we could use to peruse the resort amenities, the privacy button and as well as a "secret box" that was in the wall by the door. If you have the privacy button lit up but need something from room service or housekeeping, they will deliver it to your "secret box" in the wall so they don't have to enter the room or disturb you. They offered to unpack our luggage and put all our clothes away. We declined. They also told us they would be available to help us with any restaurant reservations or any other service we needed help arranging. I looked over at my husband. I could tell by now that he was totally overwhelmed by all the people we had had to interact with so far. He's the type that likes to just get to the room, shut the door and relax.
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| Can't wait to stretch out on this bed! |
The butlers finally left. We stretched out and rummaged through the snacks because, seriously, we were hungry! Initially we had planned on arriving in time for lunch but since immigration at the airport took so long we missed lunch. We had a full mini-bar, fruit and several bags of snacks at our disposal. We were discussing where we'd have dinner when the phone rang. This time it was someone from VIP services. He wanted me to meet him downstairs so I could "activate" my discount coupons. He told me I was entitled to $200 worth of coupons to use at the spa or restaurant, but I had to activate them before 6pm. I knew from reading reviews that there was always some kind of vacation club pitch at check-in and I figured this might be it. I had read that some people had gotten the pitch during registration and that this had been incredibly annoying as they weren't even given an option of declining but that someone had just started talking to them. I figured they had changed this by now but that this was now going to be the pitch. I, personally, was interested in what they were going to offer as I had heard that others had been offered free stays at another resort for listening to the pitch.
So... we met the guy from VIP services on our way to dinner. This was in fact, not the pitch, but the pre-pitch. I got a coupon book with (3) $40 coupons, (2) $20 coupons, and (4) $10 coupons, good for use at the spa or restaurants. Although this was an all-inclusive resort, spa services are not included and there are special restaurant experiences or high-end bottles of wine that are not included. Finally, the pitch. We were offered a $350 resort credit if we were willing to listen to a 90-minute presentation to "tell us more about their resort" tomorrow. We were assured it was not a time share presentation. I agreed to meet for breakfast. My husband was not thrilled.
We had dinner at the Seaside Beach Club. This is one of the Impression guest only restaurants.
Unless you have reservations for a specialty dinner, all of the restaurants in the resort are on a first come basis. I had read a couple reviews where people had to wait upwards of an hour for a table, but I think that was for the general Secrets restaurants during a busier season. Thankfully, none of the restaurants were very busy while we were there and we were seated immediately.
We sat outside and had a beautiful view of the ocean.
We settled on Crab Claws and Scallop Tiradito as our appetizers.
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| Crab Claws |
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| Scallop Tiradito |
I got the Carribean Lobster as my main course and my husband got the Crusted Octopus.
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| Carribean Lobster |
I got the Cacao and my husband got the Pineapple and Coconut for dessert.
My husband always jokes that the pretty food looks like elf food but the portions actually work out quite well for the number of courses. We were full but not stuffed.
It was dark by the time we got back to our rooms and we were exhausted. I noticed though that there was music playing and then I heard voices so I went out on our balcony and discovered there was a wedding reception in progress by one of the pools. The voices were members of the wedding party giving their toasts. It was actually sort of fun witnessing all of this from the balcony and I noticed I wasn't the only one eavesdropping as many people were out on their balconies. A small light show followed and then there was live music. I was slightly concerned the noise was going to go on all night, but everything went quiet promptly at 10pm and I pretty much passed out as soon as the music stopped.
Every night there is a show at the Moxche Theater. The show tonight was a Cirque de Soleil type show that I was interested in seeing... however, the show didn't start until 9:45 pm and I was simply too tired to go.
Day 2 - Tuesday December 12, 2023
We met a representative from Unlimited Vacation Club (UVC) for breakfast at the Market Cafe. The Market Cafe is a huge buffet open to all Secrets guests. There were a variety of made-to-order hot breakfast stations so I ended up with some tortilla/cheese/meat dish and fresh fruit. We then proceeded with the presentation. We were first asked about our recent vacations and what we estimated we spent on those vacations, as well as some of our favorite vacations. After learning we had spent points for our current room and received a complimentary upgrade, as well as learning we had also been to Alila Ventana Big Sur and Miraval Austin on points, our representative quickly realized her chances of making a sale were slim. She let out a big sighed. Well, I can't compete with free.
She did go on with her required presentation though and I found it quite interesting.
Our rep explained the "Hyatt Hierarchy." UVC is part of the Apple Leisure Group (ALG). ALG is a resort management company. ALG also manages other vacation and travel services. Now that Hyatt owns ALG, they own everything under the ALG umbrella.
UVC brands include Secrets, Impression, Dreams, Breathless, Zoetry, Sunscape, Vivid, Ziva, and Zilara. All of these all-inclusive properties are now Hyatt brands. Some brands are party resorts, some are family friendly, some are more tranquil and spa-like. They are looking into expanding into Europe. A UVC membership allows members to book at highly discounted rates. They also had additional perks such as 72-hour room guarantees for up to 20 rooms and rebates on airfare to and from their resorts. You can use your discounted rate to book rooms for other people and you will get credit for those stays. She even mentioned that she has heard of vacation club groups where members advertise booking discounted rooms for other people.
My husband challenged them on how they could guarantee up to 20 rooms within 72 hours and I learned an interesting fact. Their resorts will max out their bookings when they reach 80% capacity. Therefore, the resort is never full. This gives them some wiggle room if they need extra rooms on short notice, plus it makes the resort appear "less busy" for their guests.
Another interesting fact which we already suspected but she confirmed is that there are very few all-inclusive resorts in the US due to laws disallowing unlimited free alcohol. This would explain why alcohol is always a separate charge at resorts like Ventana Big Sur and Miraval.
We were shown samples of some of the UVC flash sale rates where some rooms went for $48 over Black Friday at some of their resorts. The airfare rebate was $500 back per person on roundtrip airfare to and from their resorts. Actual cost of the airfare itself didn't matter. All you needed to do was provide the boarding passes. I was told that even if we flew free on points we could claim the airfare rebate.
Membership included discounted room upgrades. Knowing we had already received a free upgrade due to my Hyatt status, she took us on a tour of their oceanfront and penthouse suites. While the views were breathtaking, I would never pay $10,000 a night for a two-story 3-bedroom penthouse suite.
There were all number of other discounts and then it was time for the price.
There were two other plans above the one we were shown but we were told we probably wouldn't be interested in those since we paid so little for our vacations to start.
The initial offer was $99,900 for a 40-year membership.
My husband's brain oozed out of his ear and he croaked dollars?!!
Seeing that that wasn't going to work, we got several other offers.
The final offer was $12,900 for a 10-year membership.
This only included one roundtrip airfare rebate per person per year... but that amounted to a $1000 rebate per year...times 10, that's $10,000 back.
You could make monthly payments with the first 48-months interest free. It was some ridiculous interest rate after that.
My brain set into motion on how I could actually hack a free membership out of this. Like could you make payments with a credit card, book discounted rooms for other people ...
I could have sat there and discussed the details of this for quite a bit longer as I found all the information about how these clubs worked fascinating, however my husband was DONE.
Ok, ok...I'm leaving.
He thought I was wasting the poor girl's time. My take on it was they were paying me $350 for my time. Plus, it was an overcast day and my only plans for this vacation were to lay by the pool and eat, and now I had spa money. I collected my resort cash and left. The resort cash could be used for anything I charged to my room.
Next order of business was making a spa appointment.
I decided on an 80-minute Tension Relief massage; essentially a deep tissue massage. Cost was $269, however I was also able to use one of those $40 coupons from my VIP coupon book so final cost was $219. Included with the massage was access to the Hydrotherapy Circuit and I was told to come an hour early if I wanted to do this.
After securing my massage appointment for the afternoon I proceeded to the Impression Rooftop pool. This is the pool pictured on their website - a long central pool with a separate infinity pool overlooking the ocean and an adjacent hot tub. There are cabanas next to the central pool and lounge chairs inside the edge of the infinity pool. I got comfortable in a lounge chair and cracked open a book.
I stayed there until it started spitting rain and I decided it was time for lunch.
We had lunch at Cielo Impression Rooftop which is the restaurant adjacent to the rooftop pool.
I wanted EVERYTHING! Pina coladas to start, Bloody Marys with my meal.
We got Baha Oysters, Aguachile Rojo and Corn Ribs to start.
I got the Octopus & Castacan Tostada for my meal and my husband got a Lobster Roll.
I got the Berries Tart for dessert. My husband had to go back to the room to take a work call so he decided to order room service for his dessert.
Everything was fantastic except for dessert. The goat cheese ice cream that topped the tart was artfully quenelled and very tasty. I think what I objected to most about the tart was that the crust was dense and the whole thing itself tasted like a mass produced dessert that had been reheated. It was pretty, just not flaky. I know, I know... I'm ruined and my kids claim I have ruined them too on eating out.
Returning to the room I found that our bottle of dark rum had been delivered. On check in our butlers had noted we had a complimentary bottle of liquor included with our room and gave us a choice of several different types. We had chosen the dark rum. We eventually decided to keep it sealed and bring it home as there was NO WAY we were going to be able to consume all the alcohol they had provided us. More on that later.
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| Our souvenir |
I sat out on my balcony for a short time after lunch and then it was time for my spa session.
The Hydrotherapy Circuit was amazing!
It started with a dry sauna. I was asked if I wanted to spend 5 or 10 minutes inside. I initially said 10, but then didn't make it the full 10 minutes. Next I was taken to the steam sauna. This literally took my breath away. The steam is infused with a blend of eucalyptus, rosemary, chamomile, lavender, rose and camphor. The smells are subtle but SO good, and it's so hot and steamy that, really, it takes your breath away. Next was a dip in the cold plunge pool. I was supposed to go to the jacuzzi next but I ran out of time. I seriously liked the steam sauna so much I considered booking a hydrotherapy session for the following day.
The Tension Relief massage was a deep tissue massage. It was one of the best spa massages I've ever had. I usually get a deep tissue massage from a local massage therapist who tries to kill me every time I see him. I'm a masochist like that. This massage left me sore for two days. It was a good massage!
It was almost 5pm by the time I got done at the spa. It had rained while I was inside so it was a good way to spend the afternoon.
On Tuesday nights there is a themed buffet at the resort called Roads Through Mexico. It features Mexican cuisine from different parts of Mexico along with live entertainment during the event. It usually takes place poolside however due to the weather it was moved indoors to the Market Cafe area. My husband wanted to go so that's what we had for dinner.
There are a number of themed nights throughout the week but this was the only one that occurred during our stay. On Friday and Saturday nights there are barbequed themed nights on the beach.
On Thursday nights there is a Rock Lobster dinner at the Seasoul Restaurant that is supposed to be fantastic. I was sad we wouldn't be here for it.
Seasoul also has a Mediterranean Night dinner on Wednesday nights but there is a $75 per person upcharge for it along with a limit of 8 reservations.
Every night there was a Teppanyaki Table Experience at Suki, the Japanese restaurant, but reservations are required with a limit of 8, and unfortunately it was fully reserved by the time we got to the resort. Interestingly, you can only ask for reservations for the Teppanyaki Table after you check in.
There are several other special dinners that have an upcharge that you can reserve prior to your arrival. Supposedly the premier dining experience at the resort is a 7-course tasting menu at Teodoro where you have a 7-course meal with wine pairings. Reservations are required and it is free if you stay 5 might or more. Otherwise, it's $500 per couple for Secrets guests and $250 per couple for Impression guests, Hyatt Globalists, or UVC members.
Another dining experience I was interested in was an Omakase Dinner at Suki featuring a multiple course nigiri dinner with sake, wine, beer and tea pairings. This too required reservations and a $100 per person upcharge.
Since there were So. Many. Choices. and we only had three days, we decided to forego anything with an additional cost.
Day 3 - Wednesday December 13, 2023
I woke up well rested and decided to go to yoga. Yoga is a free activity that takes place at the spa in a small outdoor hut. It is offered at 8:30am and again at 9:30am Monday thru Friday. I showed up at 8:30am and there was one other person there. There were only 4 mats laid out so I don't think many people attend. It was a nice vinyasa flow sequence. There were some wonderful wind chimes hanging in the hut and a gentle breeze blowing. The sound was so beautifully restful and I initially thought the instructor was playing recorded music before I realized it was a wind chime. It was a wonderful way to start the day.
We went to the Seaside Beach Club for breakfast.
Our server asked if I wanted cream for my coffee. She then brought out a small pitcher of perfectly frothed steamed milk so I made myself a latte.
We ordered an Acai Bowl and Bagel.
I debated whether or not to get the bagel because salmon gravlax is one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast, hence that's what I always get. Perhaps I should get something different. I got the bagel anyway, and it was THE BEST salmon gravlax I've ever had. The seasoning on the cream cheese was perfect and the texture of the bagel was indescribably good.
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| Acai Bowl |
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| Bagel with incredible salmon gravlax! |
After breakfast I took up residence in a cabana by the pool at the Seaside Club. We were the only ones there for most of the day. It was heaven!
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| Ceviche |
I finally got enough sun and decided to go back up to the room. First though, I stopped by the lobby bar and made myself a small charcuterie plate... to go with the Moet & Chandon champagne we had in the room.
Included in our mini bar was a small bottle of champagne. Also included were bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Trust me, we had no shortage of alcohol!
At dusk some very mellow live music started in the pool area and a female vocalist sang to the likes of Elton John. It was lovely.
Balcony views...
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| There was a soaking tub on our balcony |
For our final dinner, we chose to eat at Allora, the Italian restaurant.
We got the Carpaccio and Trilogia Di Bruschette to start. My husband also got a mixed green salad along with basket of small assorted rolls with some oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.
The Carpaccio was fantastic. The bruschetta was three small pieces of bread, each with a different topping. The toppings were good. The bread was mealy and cold. The salad was fine. The rolls looked and tasted like something poured out of a bag.
I got the Ravioli Di Manzo al Funghi for my main, while my husband ordered the Risotto Ai Gamberi. My husband picked better. His meal was wonderful. I found my meal too salty for my taste and the pasta was tough. All the food was pretty though. Very very pretty.
I chose the Crostata di Fichi as my dessert. My husband stuck with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Again I was super disappointed. My crostata tasted like a mass produced pastry that had been reheated. There was no flakiness to it. The strawberry ice cream, quenelled and rolled in a crisp vanilla sugar topping, was the best part of the dessert.
When we returned to the room we discovered that our butlers had prepared a bubble bath for us!
Our bed had already been turned down and chocolates left on the covers.
Overall, the service we received during our stay was outstanding! We really did not have anything we needed our butlers to do. They did check to make sure we had transportation confirmed for our trip back to the airport. The housekeeping was impeccable. Our room was always cleaned while we were gone and they were never intrusive. The previous two nights we had already been in bed by the time turn down service came so they had just handed us the chocolates and left.
Day 4 - December 14, 2023
My husband wanted waffles for breakfast and insisted we go to the Market Cafe for breakfast because he didn't see waffles on the Seaside Beach Club menu. He got his waffles and I was pleased to find an Eggs Benedict station. I also noticed while waiting for my eggs that there was an Avocado Toast station right next to it with made to order avocado spread and a plethora of toppings.
I was sad this was our last day. SO many things (OK, restaurants really) yet still to do! There was Suki - the Japanese restaurant, Ember - the wood-fired grill restaurant, Bistro - the French restaurant, Seasoul - the Mediterranean restaurant. I wanted another Hydrotherapy session. I never went to the Main Impressions pool... didn't go to any of the other pools. There was a water fitness class at the Main pool at noon everyday. Still would have loved to see some shows at the Moxche Theater - they have one every night at 9:45pm. The list goes on and on. Oh, I definitely want to come back!
We walked over to the gift shop to try and spend down some of our remaining resort cash. We really didn't see much and ended up with a small ornament and a mug.
I decided I should at least go dip my toes in the ocean before we left so I went on a walk along the beach. On my way there, I also discovered the little "Cenotes" that were off the pool area of the main resort. More peaceful little alcoves!
We walked up to the front of the resort and asked one of the bellhops to take our photo before our shuttle came. Clearly this man has taken a photo or two before as he did an excellent job!
SUMMARY
We spent 63,000 Hyatt points for our stay. Cash price would have been $4427.96.
We spent 17,347 Southwest points for our flights + $226.40 for taxes. Cash price would have been $480. Not the greatest deal but over a 50% discount nonetheless.
Roundtrip shuttle was $140 so total cash cost for this trip was $366.40.
Would I stay again at a higher rate? Most definitely!
The new rates per night are 42,000 off peak, 50,000 standard, and 58,000 peak.
Given the fact that I spent 110,000 points per night for 3 people at Miraval 3 years ago, this property is most definitely worth those points.
