Just returned from a super vacation at the Aura. We've traveled to many of Mexico beach resort areas and this was the best hotel and food we've encountered by far. Yes I've read the reviews and I agree with some of the minor issues and to me they were very minor. We had 7 days of the best food we've
eaten at an all exclusive hotel and it ranks right up there with the fine dining we do at home. I heard of no one getting sick from the food or water while we were there. The service was right up there with the food. Sure we waited a minute or two at times but for me it just made me slow down and enjoy myself more. Some times we get caught up in the glutany of the all inclusive life and drink way to much. I don't remember a time where we waited more than a couple of minutes for our service and many times nothing had to be said and the drink was at our lounge.
We had a 3rd floor room with a private lap pool to enjoy. No lounge furniture but I'd rather do my lounging down by the main pool anyway. I know some 3rd floor units had lounge furniture and I'll throw in my 2cents about this later. The room and furnishing were excellant but could use the added drawers someone mentioned previously. Our shower head needed to be cleaned or replaced because the water stream was less than what we liked. Yes there can be bugs and maybe a cock roach or two but you're in the tropics, it happens.
The beach was sandy but the first 10 yards or so of water was a bit rocky, then turned to sand. We found ourselves walking out on the Pier and jumping in the water. There's a nice ladder to climp back up once we were done. The pier's a great place to watch for fish. As an avid fisherman this was a treat. Saw a Manta Ray, Barracuda(one was close to 20-25#), Needlefish and other fish I don't have names for. Thousands of tiny bait fish would cause an eruption a few times a day.
We snorkeled at Chankanaab ($16/person) and were treated to hundreds of reef fish along with Grouper, rays and a little Moray eel. We skipped the Booze cruise/snorkel trip on our last day because it was our only bad weather day.
Here's my overall thoughts on the Aura. I believe this will become a shinning star resort if enough people or investors let it be. At this point they need either or both to make it work. I think
the hotel was half full(a guess) when we were there and some of those were transfers from the Sabor next door. The minor changes that need to be made are about money. More and better lounge furniture for the balconeys and roof top pools. Drawers in the rooms. For the amount of people at the hotel I don't think it was understaffed. Obviously more people will require a larger staff. They plan their daytime activities like it's a much larger resort. There's not enough people for beach volleyball and some of the other planned activities much less the under used Disco at night. Like I said there are some minor issues that need correcting but for what we received in food, room and service, I'd gladly pay their price.

First, a little about us...so you understand our demographic and opinions. 31/33 year old professional couple, who enjoy higher-end cuisine when we eat out (average meal out = $150+) and upscale places. We enjoy the "all-inclusive" resorts for relaxing vacations, but also take vacations that are pretty high action of our own will (advanced mountain biking, skiing, etc.) We tend to spend money to enjoy our vacations more. In locations like this, we enjoy snorkeling, but do not dive (sorry, divers...nothing to report...)

Second, let me address the "lifestyles" issue you might be reading about. While we are not part of the lifestyles culture, and while we do not have any opinions either way about the lifestyles culture, we did not witness any lifestyles activities. There was one couple who we met who seemed to have been misled into thinking the Aura was such a resort by their Lifestyles club - they seemed to also understand that this was not the fault of the resort.

Third, if you are upgraded to this resort...LUCKY YOU!

On to the resort itself:

The BEACH = A
Beautiful. Palm trees in a white sandy beach looking out on a tranquil, turquoise ocean. Lots of shade from the swaying palm trees. Getting into the water is a little rocky because this island is part of the second largest barrier reef system in the world. While staying at the Aura, you can check out snorkeling gear and snorkel right in front of the resort (We didn't see many big fish). They also have Hobi cats for sailing and lots of activities like windsurfing lessons, horse shoes, etc.

The POOL = A
(I am actually writing this poolside on the high-speed network while gazing at the ocean). Wireless is good here. Atmosphere is great! The poolside service was wonderful...we were always being asked if we needed anything to drink. Music varies and is pretty low-key. The pool has floats for you to linger as you cool down and many heavy cushioned lounges (you don't have to fight for a good spot, there are enough for all guests). It is true that there are only 4 umbrellas, but if you are resourceful you will notice that there are plenty of swaying palm trees with ample shade (they are right next to the pool and have a view of the ocean...). If the lack of umbrellas really gets to you, we suggest asking the folks at the resort for another one - they are great about addressing any needs you might have.

The ROOMS = A
Clean, elegant, with great mood lighting. Our unit had its own private rooftop pool (with lounge chairs) and looked out on the beautiful ocean. The bed was great (pillowtop) and the flat-screen was a nice touch. The closet had a plenty of California-style shelving for storing your clothes. There were lots of toiletries provided. And, for those of you looking for confirmation about bringing your laptop, there is a computerized safe in the room where you can safely store a mid/large laptop (it probably goes without saying...but you should probably leave your jewelry in the safe if you are going to leave it in the room). Wireless access was a bit intermittent from the room, but who really cares...do you really come to use your computer in your room? The 2nd level rooms are probably similar, but without the rooftop pools. The 1st floor rooms all have direct access to the lazy river style pool. Our rooftop pool had two lounge chairs, an additional bathroom and shower. All the rooms have porches with ocean views and nice lighting at night.

The OVERALL RESORT = A
The Aura is fantastic. It is a wonderful, upscale, peaceful, glorious resort. It may be physically small, but it is big in relaxation. The staff is friendly and has been trained extremely well. Everything is maintained perfectly right down to the machete-edged lawns. The food is wonderful. Neither my wife nor I got sick in any way. We worked out every morning - the gym has all newer equipment and is stocked with bottled water and towels, two dueling flat-screens, and a great ocean view. (It could use some dumbbells - Raul, if you added a few Selecttech dumbbell units it would be perfect). We watched the sunset every evening from Brissa's bar on the rooftop. It has two "cool-tubs" to relax in while having a drink.

The LOCATION = A
Fantastic location in Cozumel. We didn't really like to leave the resort because it was such a serene place. We did go to Chankanaab (National Park) for snorkeling. It was a bit commercial, but the reef was outstanding and a fun snorkel.

The SERVICE = A
We ordered room service the first night - it arrived in exactly 30 minutes and was hot, classy and tasty. We ordered bottles of water at 1 AM - arrived in under 2 minutes wrapped in a towel. My wife called down for a hairdryer and they brought it to the door in under 5 minutes. We would get up to leave after lunch and the entire staff would hold open all the doors for us - anticipating our departure. We never waited on food or service - even on the night when a massive wedding was sapping the staff's reserves. We were always greeted with "hola" and a smile. (all service we received was without any tipping...)

The FOOD = A
We only ate at the Aura Restaurants = Hava Grill and Isola Restaurant (you also can go to the neighboring Wyndham resorts - but why would you?). Everything was delicious at the Aura and delightfully presented. Perfect portion size and wonderfully fresh. (Some reviews we read complained of "everyone getting sick" and while we don't think it is fair to generalize about things...we did not witness anyone "limiting" their intake...personally, we both made it through without any incidences and feel it is hard to get sick on the wonderful grilled meat selections at this resort)

Here are some examples of the meals we enjoyed:

1. For lunch - grilled vegetable, provolone and warm prosciutto sandwich served on lightly toasted foccacia, barbecue pork ribs service with a light honey glaze over sweet potato puree, seared tuna sashimi with toasted sesame seeds.

2. For dinner - grilled rack of Colorado lamb, ostrich, duck medallions, filet mignon, osso bucco, etc. This is not like typical restaurants in the all inclusive world. And, if you are into the "all-inclusive" buffets, this is not the place for you. Everything is made to order and served full course style. You can tell the chef's take pride in their menu. When we were there, no guest were visibly sick or complained of getting sick. We did hear of other guest experiences dining out at the neighboring Wyndham resorts (Sabor, Reef?...I don't even know what they are called...that is how little we wanted to leave the resort), and the comments were not very positive. We were very happy that we ate all our meals at the Aura's Hava Grill or Isola Restaurant.

My only suggestion for a way that the Aura could improve would be in the area of "tipping." This is partly due to the economics of the situation, the actions of the American guests bringing money for tips and the US reliance on tipping as a means to get "better service." To me, at an all-inclusive resort, it is a bit annoying to carry cash or have cash on hand. (I would suggest to management that they institute a "no tipping" policy to give us (Americans) a break from constant tipping. Then, at the end of your stay, you could be given the opportunity to recognize those folks who really made your stay exceptional by leaving your tips at the end of your stay.

My husband and I just returned from a six night stay at The Wyndham Aura and felt it only fair to contribute to this review board, since we used it extensively in choosing a vacation destination. Here goes.

Overall, I will say that we would not return to this resort for a repeat visit. We are well traveled and know there is better out there. I read a few negative reviews prior to booking our trip, but discounted them as people with either an ax to grind or those who can’t be pleased no matter what. Let me assure you, we are neither of those kinds of people. You don’t have to read further if you don’t want to, but I will give specific examples below.

On the positive side, there is everything you expect at a 5-star resort in the caribbean, beautiful clear turquoise water; while in short supply, friendly and helpful staff; clean beautifully landscaped grounds; large comfortable rooms; and beautiful beach. No disappointment there.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of deal breakers and a long list of minor annoyances which, had we known about, we would have gone elsewhere. Deal breaker # 1: There are no permanent shade structures and only FOUR umbrellas for the entire resort, three at the main pool and one at the smaller pool. We are redheads and our friend with us has had skin cancer in the past. Pool-side shade is required. If you wanted a chaise lounge near an umbrella, you better get outside at 7:00 a.m. to grab one and you better not leave your chairs the rest of the day or lose your place with no hope of finding more shade by the pool. Add to that not nearly enough rafts for the demand and it quickly becomes an “every man for himself” environment. We made sure we were up early and snagged an umbrella, but ended up being the subject of a lot of hateful remarks and attitude from the rest of the shade seeking guests.

Deal breaker #2: rampant stomach issues. Everyone we talked to either was sick themselves or someone in their group was sick. My husband got sick on day three and never really recovered the rest of the trip. Might have been the heat, might have been something he ate, we can’t be sure, but too many people had stomach issues to discount.

Deal breaker #3: I hesitate to even mention this because it will be an instant turn-off for most readers. It isn’t my intention to hurt Wyndham, but ultimately I feel people need to know. One evening as we were dressing for dinner, my husband picked up the half can of Sprite he’d started drinking the night before, took a big gulp, felt something fuzzy and leggy hit the back of his throat, and spat it all out as hard and fast as possible. If you guessed cockroach, you win. It had evidently crawled into the can (which was not removed by housekeeping). To be fair, this was one of only two insects we saw the entire week, but in your can of soda isn’t where you want to see it. Management attempted to make amends with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries delivered to our room that night and cute towel animals and flower blossoms the next day. Nice gestures but ...

Deal breaker #4 was our private plunge pool on the roof. We paid for an upgraded room in order to have this perk. Unfortunately, the pool motor and gurgling/draining water noises could be heard, not just in our room, but for miles around. After talking with neighbors, it became obvious that sleep was pretty much impossible for all of us with these upgraded rooms. The management’s answer to the problem was to unplug the motor, which could only be done by maintenance staff. There is no on/off switch and the motor runs 24/7. In addition, there is not ONE stick of furniture on the patio with the pool, and no shade. So you really couldn’t enjoy the private pool area unless you want to sit on the tile floor and bake. When we asked for chairs or loungers, we were told there weren’t enough to go around and none were available. Swell.

Minor annoyances included no dresser or other furniture for clothes in the room, no hair dryer as is customary in almost any hotel anywhere; loud wedding reception outside our room on the beach until 2:00 a.m.; no menu variation the entire week; apparent staff shortage (turn down service coming at 10:00 p.m. after we were in bed; one poor guy serving food and drinks for the entire pool and grill area); and actually being told we didn’t belong and told to leave the bar during a grand opening party for the resort. Excuse us, but we thought we were paying guests and no one had told us anything was off-limits during our stay.

We managed to enjoy ourselves regardless of the resort issues. It is hard not to, given the beautiful waters and environment. By writing this review, we only hope to help others make an informed decision before shelling out thousands of dollars on a dream vacation. The Aura has some ‘bugs’ to work out.

WARNING*******ALWAYS TRUST YOUR GUT - Consider this about the "Aura" Wyndham and their customer "care" or lack therefof. We returned to our room after being gone for about 1 hour and found 2 guys in our room with black Wyndham uniforms. It struck us as odd to see that even though we waited until after 9PM to eat dinner that there were 2 people in our room at almost 11PM so obviously after we left for dinner on the property. My husband and i heard these "WYNDHAM" employees giggling in our room. Then as we approached the door the "employees" were VERY suprised to see us as they were exiting OUR ROOM. FYI: THERE ARE COMPUTER CARD KEYS SO EVERYONE CAN BE TRACED WHEN THEY ENTER A ROOM . These 2 guys acted noticably bizarre, laughing as they were leaving our room with a FOUL ODOR IN IT as if they had used the toilet! UGH! GROSS! Then the next morning we got up to pack for check out and my husband's wedding ring that i gave him is gone! Right out of his ziploc in his Bath Kit along with my necklace!!
This is strange b/c we had these items in our bath area before dinner and then there were these two bozos. THIS GETS BETTER: so we inform the property guest room services manager "daniel" and get no response. He took my information and got my number b/c we talked at least 3 different times. WE EVEN CALLED FROM THE AIRPORT TO SEE IF ANYONE KNEW ANYTHING. Got no response or supprort .... just a lot of conversation going no where fast - SUCKS! They said they would call me when once they figured who used the CARD KEY to get into our room- THEY HAVE NOT CALLED US!
After paying $464 per night not unlcuding the tips we generously gave ----- we got JACKED! There is some kind of racket going on there and they obviously don't care about client retention or CRIME ON THEIR PROPERTY. You have been warned.