Secrets Aura: Cozumel

We first stayed at Secrets Aura back in 2018, pre-pandemic, and while the beauty of the island hasn't changed, a lot of other changes have happened since then. If you want to check out the post about our last visit you can read this one or if you want some other recommendations for all inclusive resorts, click here!

Same Beautiful Island and Beaches

The reason I love traveling to Cozumel over Cancun is that I feel 100% safe leaving the resort. While I am sure it is fine to travel by taxi on the mainland, we had no issues running off the resort, taking a Jeep to the South and East side of the island, and our friends even ate breakfast at a bakery in town one morning. We received several recommendations for local restaurants and site-seeing and not a single one disappointed.

If you are looking for some excursions on land, I highly recommend checking out Punta Sur and the Mayan ruins and then making your way to the most beautiful beach we have ever visited and trying some amazing margaritas and guacamole at Chen Rio. From there, you can continue North and loop around the island, or back South, along the coastline.

Changes Since Our Last Trip

The biggest difference that we noticed since our last visit in 2018 was the food. My favorite meal of the day on these resorts is breakfast. Specifically, the breakfast buffet...which was no where to be found. There were two restaurants that were serving breakfast and one had an omelet station and also other stations that had pre-wrapped muffins, fruit plates, and pastries, but the days of the breakfast buffets are long gone. Nick still ordered two orders of the chilaquiles every time and I got my toast and eggs, but it just wasn't the same.

The other difference in the food that were noticed was just the overall quality. Our favorite meals were at the Caribbean restaurant (get the chicken and pineapple skewers!) and the Mexican restaurant (everything on the menu was delicious), but other than that, it was just ok. However, if you are looking for authentic cuisine, definitely hop on a Jeep for the day and check out some of the local food!

Covid Protocols and Travel Information

There was really only one restaurant that required the guests to wear masks even though all eating areas were open air. However, the employees all wore masks at all times, even when they were leading outdoor activities. On our way to the resort, our driver shared that over 93% of the residents on the island were vaccinated (wow!). He said that it was a requirement for those who worked in the tourism industry, which the majority of the business on the island is built on.

At the time time of our vacation, the US was requiring a negative COVID test prior to returning. The resort made this so easy for all visitors! You scheduled your test on the first few days after your arrival and then showed up to the room where they were being administered at your designated time. After the test, you went to your room and waited for 20 minutes for a call. If you did not receive a call, then you were free to go about your day. We also picked up a paper copy of our results that night from the front desk. From there, we used the Verifly app to upload our results, which we then showed during check in at the airport.

Overall, the process was very smooth and should not be a deterrent to travel at all!