On Location: Hyatt’s luxe revival at Secrets Playa Blanca & Hyatt Vivid in Cancun

STORY BY DOUG WALLACE 

I am not three steps into the new Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres but I’m handed a flute of sparkling wine, which brings an instant smile to my face. My bag has been whisked away somewhere, but I’m sure I’ll see it again.

Then I’m instinctively drawn through a cavernous, thatch-roofed lobby to the edge of a grand archway that yields a view of the whole property at once. It is breathtaking – a natural beachscape of tiered gardens verdant with native trees and plants, hidden cabanas tucked through winding pools, firepits ringed with trickling ponds and the glittering sea beyond. 

I snap to, realizing that I’m subconsciously nodding my head in silent approval. This will do perfectly.

I’m here on the Yucatán Peninsula to witness the official openings of two new adults-only, all-inclusive Hyatt hotels, both part of the Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection – this Secrets in relatively-quiet Costa Mujeres, about a half-hour north of Cancun, and the Hyatt Vivid Grand Island, overlooking the mangroves of the Nichupté Lagoon at the south end of the city’s Hotel Zone.

“We are selling an experience,” says Philippe Frey, senior vice-president operations Inclusive Collection Latin America & Caribbean, a statement very much in line with my first impression. “This is an exciting time, because the demand for all-inclusive resorts is growing, moving toward a more defined and a more personal travel experience. Our portfolio is managing 10 brands now – really, one for every segment of the market – and we have a chance to be trend-setters, to define what the future of all-inclusive really is.”

For advisors, Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection has their Confidant Collective, an advisor community platform, complete with information, tools and resources to help agents get to know the Collection better.

Points gathered can yield benefits like free stays and gift cards, with incentive programs offering extra commissions. “We value the relationship we have with our travel advisors,” Frey says, “and we want to reward them for all they do for us.”

Secrets: luxurious & locally-inspired experience

Fully operational from February 2024, Secrets Playa Blanca has eschewed the usual hyper-manicured style, instead weaving natural beach elements through everything, including the central bar, two expansive oceanfront infinity pools and 10 secluded swim-out pools, each serving six suites.

The beach itself has been left with its natural dunes and vegetation intact, creating secluded sandy nooks for the ample palapas. A beach bar has wooden-swing seating and a yoga pavilion is simple and serene.

Natural beauty continues in the 507 suites, filled with locally-made artisanal wood and jute furniture and furnishings, amped up with luxuries like jet tubs and privacy considerations like butler boxes for the 24-hour room service.

Elegant dining rooms cover all the favourite international foodways, yet take them a step further: the Mexican restaurant El Patio features an astonishing tequila-tasting room, and a sexy, private teppanyaki room sits adjacent to the pan-Asian Himitsu.

At the seafood-forward Oceania, we ooh and ahh over delicious ceviche, lobster bisque and sesame-encrusted tuna steaks. The service is flawless.

In fact, the service everywhere is surprisingly solid for a new resort – and I am a very fussy customer. It makes me wonder how they found so many great people all at once. There are no newbie mistakes here – everything is right on the money.

El botones at the front are razor-sharp. My building’s concierge introduces herself in the hall. I’m not at the pool one minute before I’m ushered to a shaded poolside lounger and set up. A bartender takes the time to caramelize orange-peel oil into my martini. Even the gardeners—normally a quiet, head-down bunch – are all smiles.

“Our guests spend a lot of time in the hotel – some do not even go out,” Frey says, “so we need to make sure that those experiences really answer what they’re looking for and amaze them – the quality of everything, the food, the entertainment, the activities – everything they experience in our resorts.”

Pastime pleasures can also include the 2,700-square-metre Secrets Spa – the last building to open. It’s claim to instant fame is an elaborate hydrotherapy circuit set within a tranquil courtyard. We steam and soak, then are buffeted by bubbles and shocked by icy plunges. Bucket showers supply a rustic and refreshing cascade.

We end our Secrets stay with a dazzling and colourful party, piggybacked with the annual Cancun Travel Mart and attended as well by travel professionals also in town for the ASCEND Conference.

Bold lighting and dramatically costumed performance artists make for a real show, while I lose my mind over oysters and paella, sushi and duck tacos.

Hyatt Vivid: a young-at-heart, convivial ambience

The celebratory atmosphere continues at Hyatt Vivid Grand Island, which opened in April 2024, catering to modern, younger travellers for whom travel is a definite priority.

This is the debut of the new Hyatt Vivid brand, the tenth in the Inclusive Collection. The 400-suite hotel is part of a dual-resort project, connected to the Dreams Grand Island, which is still under construction.

“This market is evolving,” Frey says. “We identified the fact that there was an opportunity in a niche market to cater to a younger generation. They are well-travelled, looking for an offering that is more within their budget, but also wanting more cultural experiences.”

He also says he is proud of the way Hyatt is “leading from the front, setting new trends to what is relevant for today’s traveller.”

The casual Hyatt Vivid Grand Island manages to walk the line between modern and Mayan-inspired, its sleek lines and polished concrete propped up with Indigenous and natural motifs, a sort of dreamcatcher-chic.

Two massive pools right off the lobby lend a quiet, laid-back vibe, while the fun can be found on the hotel’s top floor, which features the longest rooftop pool in Cancun at 90 metres. I sink into the water up there and set to eavesdropping immediately, hearing mostly American and a few French Canadian accents wafting over the cool beats.

I begin chatting with a friendly woman who I think is a travel advisor at first. But she has been celebrating her 40th birthday at the resort with a group of friends, all of whom have returned home, leaving her with a couple of solo days to chill – an agenda she cooked up herself.

“We could really create our own party in whatever area of the hotel we wanted,” says Catherine from Kamloops. “The staff all knows that my girlfriends have gone home, and they’ve really rallied around and taken care of me.”

The rooftop is home to delectable Japanese restaurant Oishii, one of five throughout the property, as well as a large fitness centre that looks out onto a section of the pool set aside for aquatic spin classes. Group fitness also includes HIIT and yoga.

Frey feels that wellness is a big priority for the Vivid traveller. “Well-being is not only about the spa, it’s about having the right balance of everything – the food and the experiences, too.”

There is mention of wheel-throwing pottery and macrame sessions, as well as off-site excursions like underground-river exploration and eco-sports adventure.

I attend a sound bath experience to work a little meditation into my day. It’s a kind of sensory immersion, using crystal singing bowls to promote relaxation. Though I am slightly skeptical in a too-woo-woo way, I completely and peacefully zone out for the whole 45 minutes.

When the instructor Fernanda starts speaking again, bringing us back to earth while she continues to create sounds, I have trouble locating her voice at first or even understanding what she is saying. It’s like my mind has fallen down a well.

I carry on with my relaxation plan at the nearby Ennea Beach Club. As the Hyatt Vivid is on the lagoon-side of the Hotel Zone peninsula, a 15-minute shuttle bus takes us to the golden sand of Playa Delfines, where the all-inclusivity continues.

A refreshing jump in the waves is followed by frothy drinks lounging in the shade, and then luncheon – so civilized.

I’ve always had a suspicion that I was meant to live the boho-chic resort life. Now, I’m convinced.

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