ehallison

We found the same to be true at our visits in September to a Zoetry and a Secrets. The included wine was undrinkably bad. (the white wine selection at one restaurant smelled & tasted of acetone). The wines by the bottle were marked up ridiculously - I don't remember anything less than $100 (and this was for a bottle I knew I could get at the grocery store for $17). At the restaurants we tried (a total of 3 over 6 days), there was no wine by the glass available for purchase. I gave up and drank martinis.

CLEguy

The number of points a property costs for redemption has nothing to do with how much the property is reimbursed by Hyatt. It's based on occupancy and ADR.

The points cost to the member allows Hyatt to 1) recognize revenue based on its internal accounting valuation of the points and 2) relieve the points liability it carries on its books (also based on the internal accounting valuation). This part is separate from the hotel reimbursement, though it's in Hyatt's interest to find the places where its reimbursement and revenue values are out of whack and bring those into alignment by adjusting the hotel's category or peak/off-peak dates.

SanDiego1K

Appreciated the comprehensive review, particularly the summary positioning it against other brands. It helped me understand whether I might find a stay here satisfying.

need a vacay

Just got back from an 8 day stay on points. Snagged it when they first opened up for point bookings. Best AI I have ever stayed at. Was upgraded to an ocean view room. Do not know if this is because I was a Globalist or not. They welcomed me as a World of Hyatt member, but the check in agent asked what my status was. So don't know how that played out. No further benefits received. An ocean view room gives you about a 60% view from balcony from the far left. From half of the balcony you do not have an ocean view. I would not pay extra for an ocean view as it is very limited. The views from the Impression pools are great and from the Moxche Observatory restaurant which you have access to. The hotel and rooms are done very elegantly in a wood, stone and rock style. Not in an over done tropical/rattan motif. Really liked the food. It was all very high quality and presented beautifully. Most thing were presented in a healthy manner. Think served with fruit, alpha sprouts, chia seeds. Lots of ceviche. Think California healthy. Pools and hot tubs were cold. On overcast and cooler days, 79 degrees, water was just to chilly. Of course some items of food I did not like, but that is at any restaurant, but the quality was excellent for an AI. Did the 7 course tasting dinner as it was free. It was a nice change and you could get a reservation. The room where it was served was very nice and overlooked the water so go early for the view. Laundry service was included and used it twice. Items returned same day. Butlers very nice and took care of any room problems immediately. Only saw two shows and did not think they were the best. The night club that opens at 10:30 was good. One night it was live. So they do have evening entertainment there until 1am. After doing the Impressions side I don't think I could just stay on the Moxche side. I would miss the extra pools and the restaurants. On the Impressions side they wanted to make you happy and I like to be happy!

downinit

Thanks for the comprehensive review. How much do you recommend tipping here? I have seen a few generic guides for tipping at AI resorts in Cancun, but I was not sure if this place is any different since they are going for the 'high-end' feel. I have only stayed in one AI resort before, and that was 20+ years ago. The standard advice I have found so far seems to be P20 for a drink, P50-100/meal and housekeeping (every guide has the fun quirk of breaking the tips down in USD while telling you to tip in pesos ). I don't mind tipping in principle, but having to break out some cash every time I order a drink or snack seems to defeat the whole purpose of 'all-inclusive', which is one of the reasons I tend to avoid these places.

need a vacay

I tipped in USD only. Your comment about high-end feel had me wondering about that when I was there. A lot of people did not tip at all. Looked at the tables. I saw more people tipping on the Impressions side for drinks. We tipped $2-4 for maid service everyday. Tipped for mini bar service twice at $2 each. We only had water refilled. Left $2-3 for breakfast, $3-5 for lunch and $5-10 for dinner. We tipped for drinks at the bar $2 if the drinks were special, but not every time. We tipped the server $1-$2, but not every time. If they brought a bottle of water we didn't tip, but if they brought drinks, chips and dip, or other food we did tip. We did tip $8-$10 for lunch a couple of times when we thought the service was outstanding. Basically we tipped for most meals and increased it if service was good. A few times we didn't tip when we had problems with our orders and thought service was lacking. Like I said I saw a lot of tables with no tip. My big question was how much to tip at the $500 tasting dinner that was included. I tipped $40, but I could not see what others had tipped. Based on my prior experiences with AI resorts I don't think people tipped any more and a lot of people did not tip at all here. I personally see it as rewarding those who provide good service and go out of their way. Those who don't, get nothing. Hope this helps .

downinit

Thank you. That all sounds quite reasonable.

WaterBottle18

Hey all,

Looks like Secrets Impression Moxche now has tons of points availability for standard rooms throughout the next year, yay!

I've been heavily debating SIM vs. Ziva Cancun for a January 2024 trip. I understand that they're in very different areas and geared towards different travelers, so here are some of my initial thoughts:

• SIM is a fantastic redemption, and I fully expect the points cost to go up from the current 21k-29k range, which is why I feel like I should book it now before it goes up.
• I've never been to the Cancun area, or a Mexican All-Inclusive resort, and I feel like Ziva Cancun would be a great introduction to AIs.
• I have a SUA to use, and it looks like SIM's SUAs don't really get you much, whereas I can get an ocean front corner suite at Ziva Cancun.
• I will be traveling with my partner, we're both in our early 30s.
• SIM sounds like it's more geared towards a romantic, low-key couples vacation, whereas Ziva Cancun is much larger and has more entertainment options. Honestly, both sound appealing to me, so I think I'd be happy with either one.

I'm really mainly leaning towards Ziva Cancun because of its proximity to the airport, to a larger city (I might want to venture off and try some restaurants/go shopping in town), and because it's my first AI. The main pull for SIM is that it's a fantastic points redemption right now and I would love to try it eventually, but I'm worried that the points price will skyrocket to something like the other Secrets Impression property within the next year.

What're your thoughts/opinions on the two choices?

Thanks!

lsprice

I hope you'll share your own Impressions (hah) after you return - interested in hearing another perspective as I'm another AI newby considering SIM.

need a vacay

Just booked a stay on points. After I booked the same dates were no longer available on points. I jumped on this after I saw Waterbottle18 comment above. Thank you Waterbottle18. Book it now if you want this. Cancelation fee is only $50 and my return was 4.4 cents per point. I have stayed here before and it is the best AI I have been to. Hope to see you guys there!

ccqueenanne

We stayed at Ziva Cancun the last week of December 2021 (sans the kid). We have an upcoming stay at SIM. I think you have some valid reasons for being interested in Ziva, but in your shoes I'd probably still choose to book SIM while it's available at this rate. Like others here, I assume that SIM will eventually get moved to a higher category while Ziva will remain at the current pricing and you can always try it on a future trip.

• Yes, the proximity of Ziva to the airport IS nice - PDC is a bit of a haul.
• Ziva has a much, much, much better beach and better ocean swimming - no question. If beach is important to you, SIM is not the right place - it's all about the pools and the beach is pretty cruddy.
• There are certainly opportunities from Ziva to have fun in Cancun if that's your scene. However, should you wish to venture off property, many folks prefer PDC to Cancun.
• If your SUA gets you the suite at Ziva, the extra half bath at Ziva is fantastic for privacy - that's hard to argue. We were just in a basic room at Ziva, but hardly spent any waking time in the room. Base rooms at SIM look awfully nice to me.
• Not that you mentioned food as important, but the reports on food at SIM seem to be that it's about the best folks have seen at an AI. Food at Ziva varies from fine (most restaurants) to a few quite good and memorable dishes at two restaurants.
• For me, however, the biggest reason I'd suggest SIM over Ziva is that Ziva isn't adult only. Most of the activities and entertainment were kid-focused. Granted we were there over school holidays, so the place was swarming with kids, but regardless, from what I read, the entertainment still skews kiddie the rest of the year too. Even if you pay to upgrade to the Turquoize Tower (AO), that gets you a kid-free pool (little shade, if that matters) with much better drinks. I don't believe your SUA gets you a room in the TT, but I could be wrong. Either way, the rest of the resort is still a family resort. At SIM all activities and entertainment are obviously 100% adult focused, and while SIM is quieter/romantic, most nightlife is shared with Moxche including the theater shows and (reportedly bumping) nightclub. And there are daytime activities on both sides, but if you are joiners you'll probably have fun at the main activity pool at Moxche.

For us it's a no-brainer - we'll get the SIM adult-only experience with Impressions pampering like lunch brought to your bali bed, free laundry, better food and drink, and enjoy the activities and extending dining options at Moxche.

But I'm sure you'll have fun with either option!

need a vacay

I would pick SIM. It is available on points. The drive is only 20-25 longer. I saw plenty of single/none couples there. Great night club at night. Doesn't start until 10:30. The night club is really nice. Hyatt has plenty of AI's in Cancun. The Vine is one that comes to mind. You can always return to Cancun anytime. You can also head over to downtown Playa del Carmen if you want to see some activity. I would pick the Ziva another time. You will have great ocean views from SIM at the two roof top pools and the main pool. I received an Ocean view room which was fine for the amount of time we spent there. Note, in January the sun sets early so you will probably be at the pools/beach most of the day light hours.

doenutt

What are the spa options here? Is it some that are complimentary? Does anyone have the spa menu with pricing?

Also, what are the transportation options from the airport to the resort?

stvr

Every time I see this thread I think someone is posting about their "secret impression" of a property and I think: "Dummy, it's not your secret impression if you're posting it on the Internet!!"

krazykanuck

I'm sure the hotel is willing to charge an exorbitant amount to arrange a car, but excluding that you have four options: taxi, rental car, shared shuttle van, or bus + taxi. I was there with a fellow FTer recently and we did the bus + taxi as you can take a bus from CUN to downtown PDC. The cab is about a 300 peso, or $15 ride from there. Bus is like $10. A taxi from the hotel back to CUN was 1200 or 1500 pesos, I don't remember. Unfortunately there is no Uber in PDC, so you're subject to the taxi mafia fares. You can look up the prices for shuttle van transfers, USA Transfers and Canada Transfers are both generally well regarded.