After closing a year ago for 250 days of renovations, the all-inclusive Secrets Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort in Cancun is back in business.
"The renovation, completed in early 2026, was extensive and added several major new features across the property," said Obed Canche, marketing manager for the resort. Among the upgrades are a new two-story Preferred Club, an Amazon Rainforest-themed restaurant and an upgraded spa.
I had a chance to see the enhancements as a guest of Secrets, which has more than 25 locations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and Europe. There are four properties in Cancun alone, including the nearby Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres, which is a short drive north.
All Secrets resorts, part of Hyatt's Inclusive Collection, are adults-only and all-inclusive. Secrets Playa Mujeres has been marginally less expensive than the other three Cancun properties, but with the facelift and additions that may not hold. The resort is also distinguished from the others by its location inside the Playa Mujeres gated community and by its 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed golf course.
It is also sister property to the 502-room Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort next door, which is a member of Hyatt's family-friendly all-inclusive brand. Secrets guests have access to various restaurants and facilities there.
The bedroom in a Preferred Club suite at the Secrets Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort in Cancun. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
A beachfront centerpiece
The big news for returning guests is the newly constructed Preferred Club, which was moved to a beachfront location more convenient to many of the designated Preferred suites. As its name suggests, Preferred Club comes with a premium -- both in cost and in service -- and is "designed to offer an elevated experience, including premium locations, exclusive lounge access, upgraded amenities and private areas," according to Canche.
Arriving Preferred Club guests are whisked on electric carts to the new clubhouse for check-in. They can partake in an all-day buffet of hot dishes, cheeses, charcuterie, desserts and salads, and there is a service bar for drinks enjoyed on sofas and chairs grouped around the lounge.
Outside, an exclusive patio and pool offers Bali Bed loungers facing the sea. Upstairs is the Ki' Ki' Che' gourmet Mexican restaurant, which is available to all guests of the resort but free to Preferred Club guests once during a minimum three-night stay. It serves breakfast and a seven-course set menu for dinner.
The Preferred Club is a bit like having lounge access at the airport, and I found it to be a very convenient home base. I often walked to it from my Preferred suite, either on the pool deck or through a sky-lit tunnel corridor, which would be welcome on a rainy day.
My suite included a large living room, a dining area with a guest bathroom, a large bedroom with a king-size bed and a bath area that includes clothes storage, a vanity, dual sinks, a stand-alone bathtub and a large walk-in shower with dual rain and hand-held showerheads. There is also a Bluetooth speaker system that guests can connect to their phones.
My shaded balcony was long, with a cast stone hot tub and a big corner lounger where I saw the full moon rising over the ocean on one memorable evening.
Coastal influences
One of the pools at Secrets Playa Mujeres, which reopened in January following a renovation. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
In the renovation, all 424 guestrooms were given "a complete aesthetic overhaul with a contemporary coastal design," Canche said. Most are in a series of five-story balcony buildings arrayed around a large pool deck. Many of the Preferred rooms are recessed into an area below the pool deck, fronting the beach.
The rooms and pools by the beach are separated from an area near the entrance that houses the resort's restaurants, nightclubs, meetings spaces, spa and sports facilities. In between is a large conservation area, crossed by several concrete golf cart concourses, that features naturally occurring dune vegetation and native species. There are educational signs related to the animals that roam the area (foxes! iguanas!) and bird-watching towers.
In addition to stabilizing the coastal area, the property's design also serves to keep motor vehicles at the front of the property, away from the guest experience.
My most memorable meal was overlooking the ocean at Ki' Ki' Che', where I dined on an appetizer of thin yellowtail slices cured in miso butter, tiger's milk, creole cucumber and other ingredients. The hard-bound, decorated menu is full of descriptions of the food in both English and Spanish, and I found that service and the chef's visit to the table added a dash of charm.
At the time of my visit, final touches were still being added to Ayara, the Amazonian restaurant featuring "bold, jungle-influenced flavors," and to the enhanced spa, which have since been completed. A massage at the spa at Dreams next door was a highlight of my stay.
One evening, I enjoyed an hour or two at the airy piano bar, where one member of a bridal party with a beautiful voice was inspired to take the mic and belt out Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," with a piano accompaniment. I also spent an enjoyable lunch at the pool grill listening to a singer-piano duo cover a nice mix of old and new, pop and jazz, Latin and all-American tunes.
Canche said commissions for travel agents vary by booking channel, adding that any advisor selling Secrets should register with the Confidant Collective platform, which is the dedicated resource for advisors working with Hyatt's all inclusive properties.