Onsite Review: Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets

PATIO POOL CHAIRSImpression Isla Mujeres by SecretsBy Lisa SimundsonA private catamaran takes you to paradise. And brings you back to reality at journey’s end. It’s all part of a visit to Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets, an all-inclusive, adults-only hideaway fronting the Bahia de Mujeres, with Cancun on the other side.Seeing that ribbon of skyline, knowing you’re unwinding from the world’s fast pace, feels like a true escape and your clients will savor it.Make Room for LuxuryCancun itself is known for a laid-back emphasis on good times, but Isla Mujeres is its mellower sister, with white-sand beaches, natural reefs and cliffs, an underwater sculpture museum and a temple dedicated to Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of love and the moon. Add a friendly community of fishermen and women, professional divers, artists and musicians, and you’ll see there is plenty to do and see here, with your personal butler or hotel concierge ready to book you on one of many excursions. “The excursions are the things people remember when they travel. We don’t want you just to go there, we want you to be there,” says Ray Snisky, group president of ALG Vacations (ALGV). However, once you enter your suite at Impression Isla Mujeres, you might just decide to stay put. There are 125 suites, including the Oceanfront Signature Double Junior Suite with Hot Tub with ultra-private balconies featuring a hot tub, hammock and multiple seating areas. There’s, of course, in-room coffee and a minibar, but Impressions takes it a step further with hand towels featuring your initials, tablets for streaming or planning your activities, a hat, beach bag and yoga mat, and a complimentary welcome gift that usually involves wineglasses (though it could be shot glasses). Meanwhile—knock, knock, your private butler has arrived. This helpful attendant is at your service for booking time at the spa, arranging your 24-hour in-suite dining, or even handling your laundry. If you haven’t been spoiled before, you will be by the end of your stay.ARIEL VIEWDivine DiningWhen Hyatt acquired ALGV, the immediate goal was to bring more luxury to a lodging style that had traditionally been seen as mid-scale and geared to families or honeymooners. “There was a time when the all-inclusive was a base-level product,” Snisky says. “But we’re continually raising the bar on them; we’ve seen four times the growth in luxury. It’s such a great value proposition, pairing luxury with the all-inclusive concept because high-end travelers are also looking for value in addition to world-renowned chefs.” To that end, the pivot toward all-inclusive luxury is deliciously apparent when it comes to dining on property at restaurants like Spezia—one of seven onsite dining options—where a menu combining local ingredients with the cheeses and sauces of Italy and the Mediterranean was created by master chef Paolo Parlanti, a native of Tuscany whose career spans decades at Michelin-starred restaurants across the globe. Homemade pastas may tread lightly—pomodoro-style with olive oil, fresh tomatoes and basil—or go hearty in dishes like ossobuco beef ravioli, while seafood is showcased in the catch of the day, drenched in a lemon caper sauce or prepared using a method that goes back to ancient Rome—baking fish in a salt crust. Together with wines from the resort’s impressive cellars and a seat alfresco on Spezia’s terrace (with Cancun twinkling in the distance), it’s a dining experience to rival anything on the actual Mediterranean.Your dining adventure around the world continues at Sake, a Pan-Asian fusion restaurant that adds a dash of fun with two interactive teppanyaki tables allowing chefs to show off their culinary skills with flair; and the Wildfire Grill steakhouse blending surf and turf and offering a chef’s table and wine cellar where private events are welcome. The food fest doesn’t end there, but here’s a special recommendation for your clients: when they wake and before going to bed, tell them to head down to the Cacao Cafe, where French pastries and savory breads complemented by their style of coffee get them ready for the day, while a hot chocolate or ice cream ends the night on a sweet note. Also, whenever—and wherever—the urge for a cocktail, wine or frosty beer hits, Impressions Isla Mujeres has the bar/lounge for it, from a swim-up bar featuring a bartender who seems literally able to concoct any drink on the planet, to a rooftop sports bar where signature cocktails served outdoors come with balmy evening breezes and spectacular views of the bay and island, not to mention shallow pools for dipping your feet while you sip.SPARelaxed…or NotBeing built into the side of a cliff gives Impressions Isla Mujeres a vertical design (recalling a Mayan temple), which is responsible for all those incredible vantage points, but also for the resort’s uniquely tiered infinity pools, surrounded by lush landscaping and revealing a panorama of sea and sky. Chill under an umbrella by the pool—your only exertion the raise of a finger for another drink—or take the plunge via a 4-story pool slide. Complimentary morning bike tours are offered daily, stopping at points of interest across the island, while onsite activities also include yoga and crafting sessions throughout the day. There’s even a small beach fronting a lagoon bordered by the boat dock, which is dotted with cabana-style rest stops.If “rest” is the operative word, followed by “rejuvenate,” the resort’s spa offers exclusive hammam and flotation treatments while also opening onto a 30-person hot tub, available to anyone, making the perfect spot for a good group soak. Contact Information Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets: hyattinclusivecollection.com
COVERHAL GATE 1HAL GATE 2 & 3HAL GATE 4Table of ContentsSANDALSSANDALS SPREADEditor's NotesAMERICAN CRUISE LINESAdvisor Speak: Passion for Cruises Led Her Here— A $3 Million Travel AgencyIndustry Insights: Tour Operators are ‘Highly Confident’ About 2024Cruise: Swanky SailingsCruise: Multimillion-dollar Revamp for Windstar Sailing YachtsATLAS OCEAN VOYAGES SCATLAS OCEAN VOYAGESPRINCESS CRUISES SCPRINCESS CRUISESSCENIC SCSCENIC LUXURY CRUISES & TOURSSEABOURN SCSEABOURNDISNEY SCAlaska Cruise Season—Booking Options for 2024 & 2025DISNEY CRUISE LINEHOLLAND AMERICA LINE SCRECOMMEND EDU HOUSE ADALASKA RAILROAD SC ADOnboard Review: Discovery Princess—10 Reasons to Book for an Alaska VoyageOnboard Review: Celebrity Ascent Offers Elevated Experience for TravelersOnboard Review: Norwegian Viva—Cruising in Comfort and StyleMexico/Caribbean: Elevating Romance Through LuxuryPALLADIUM HOTEL GROUP SPREADATLANTIS SCATLANTIS PARADISE ISLAND BAHAMASINCLUSIVE COLLECTION SCINCLUSIVE COLLECTIONSANDALS SCOnsite Review: Impression Isla Mujeres by SecretsOnsite Review: Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort & SpaOnsite Review: Sandals Dunn’s River—Sandals 2.0 Looks Mighty FineOnsite Review: 3 Melia Hotels & a Theme ParkPALLADIUM HOTEL GROUPCUNARD