If you want the most pampered, relaxing, delicious, sun-filled, fun and luxurious vacation then make your reservation right now at Impression Moxché. Among the many perks and rock star treatment you’ll receive is a personal butler. Need I say more?
My birthday and our wedding anniversary are one day apart in December. We call it “birthaversary.” Most years, we celebrate by throwing a big party but this past year was really hard due to our best friend losing his battle to cancer in December. Celebrating anything was the farthest thing from our minds. On our way home from the funeral service, we talked a lot about the importance of living every moment to the fullest. We also realized that we have a tendency to let life’s many demands steamroll us, leaving us too drained to appreciate spending time with each other.
As February rolled around, in an effort to emerge from our funk, we both agreed we needed to take those lessons to heart. We decided we needed to get away and recharge somewhere warm and sunny. We called our favorite travel planner Mandy McKaskle, founder of Creosote Journeys and asked her to pick a place she thought we’d like and that we could book on relatively short notice. She booked us at the all-inclusive Impression Moxché resort in Playa Del Carmen, and we will forever be grateful because it was more amazing than we ever dreamed and was exactly what we needed.
We’ve done all-inclusive vacations before and really enjoyed them but you have to be diligent to find the type of experience you’re looking for. Some all-inclusive will seem like a great deal price-wise, but when you get to the resort you realize the alcohol is all rail brands and the “all you can eat” food isn’t worth eating even a little bit. Most will require you to wear a bracelet to indicate your “level” of all-inclusive. Some resorts will also still create a tab for your food and drinks and require you to pay a tip on the final amount at the end of your stay. We didn’t want to hassle with any of those things. In fact, we didn’t want to hassle with anything. Our one request to Mandy was “we want the ultimate pampering experience, free of any worries or responsibilities.” She definitely delivered!
The Impressions Moxché resort is about a 45 minute drive from the Cancun airport. Mandy arranged for private transportation for us – if you’ve ever been through Cancun you know it can be a zoo. Upon arriving at the resort, we were blown away at how beautiful the grounds were. The resort is owned by Hyatt, who is really making a name for itself in the luxury all-inclusive market in recent years. The resort is enormous but doesn’t feel too big due to the cozy covered walkways, lush foliage, gorgeous architecture with warm woods and neutral-tone stucco. Within the resort, there are two levels of membership. You are either the Secrets level, or the Impressions level. Impressions is the highest status, allowing you access to all benefits of the resort. Secrets is a notch down, and does not have access to the Impressions-only areas of the resort. Impressions lodging is in a separate, smaller building than the main building (which houses Secrets-level lodging).
Drinks are in abundance at the resort, but unlike most all-inclusives, you will be given premium cocktails without having to ask. We were given mimosas as soon as we stepped out of the private transport from the airport. After check-in we were taken on a tour by our concierge while our bags were taken to our room by our butler. After touring the beautiful grounds, we made our way to the Impressions lodge where a happy hour was already in progress in the bar area. There was a wonderful assortment of charcuterie and cocktails available every afternoon and we took full advantage of it. We would typically leave the pool in the afternoon, swing by the Impressions bar to refresh our drinks and load up a couple of plates of charcuterie to take to our room. We would snack, shower, have a little afternoon siesta, and then get ready for dinner at any one of the amazing restaurants.
When you first arrive at your room, your personal butler is waiting for you. There are usually two per room who trade shifts throughout the day. You communicate with each other via What’s App. Your butler will send you a resort itinerary every morning, including a list of which restaurants are open that day, the menu and during what times, the special activities schedule, and the daily password required to gain access to the hidden speakeasy club. Anything you need during your stay can be arranged by your butler. Our suite included a jacuzzi tub on the balcony, so we arranged via our butler to have it set up for a bubble bath on our first evening. He was kind enough to include roses and a bottle of champagne. Your butler will make reservations for you for dinner or at the spa, arrange excursions into town or adventures like hiking, kayaking, etc. They’ll also ask for your favorite beverages so they can restock the in room fridge every day. It’s a ridiculous level of pampering, but we loved every single minute of it.
The rooms are BEAUTIFULLY appointed. I loved the decor and the amenities.
There are multiple pools around the resort, each with its own vibe. The main pool is huge, with a swim-up bar and an infinity edge that make you feel like you can drop right off into the ocean. We called it the party pool – there was always a DJ or a band playing poolside, and lots of people in the pool who were enjoying their cocktails. We opted for the smaller Impressions-guests only pool because it had a spectacular view and wasn’t as crowded as the main pool.
The food…..Oh My Heavens…the food at this resort is unbelievably delicious. I’m sure I gained ten pounds from the food alone, and probably another five from the yummy cocktails. We enjoyed breakfast every morning at the Seaside Beach Club. This hidden little gem is tucked away by lush landscaping. It has a cozy beachfront seating area and a small pool just steps off of the open-air bar area. While breakfast was by far my favorite, we also dined at their beachfront surf and turf outdoor grill night and that was equally wonderful. For dinner, we loved Dos Almas so much that we dined there twice. There are a multitude of restaurants in every genre, and we overheard guests raving about each one. When we return, we want to experience the 7-course meal with wine pairings at Teodoro (additional $). A neighboring guest by the pool told us it was the culinary experience of a lifetime. That seems like pretty high praise!
Well, now I’m depressed, thirsty and hungry – wishing I could go back to Impressions Moxché in Playa Del Carmen tomorrow! Seriously folks, I can’t recommend this place enough. We have friends who are going in October, and we’re doing everything we can to make the trip (our second) with them because we loved it so much. Give Mandy a call at Creosote Journeys and she’ll plan your travel for you. I hope you found this post useful. Before you pack, don’t forget to check out my post on Travel Like A Pro: 10 Must Have Travel Gear & Accessories to make preparing for your trip a heck of a lot easier. Remember, the goal is to spoil yourself rotten and enjoy every moment of your vacation.
You earned it, you deserve it!
Cheers, lovelies!
