Sunshine, Sand, and Success: Highlights from Ascend 2025
- worththemilestrave
- Nov 11, 2025
- 10 min read
Do you ever have those moments where you sit and say, "How is this real life right now?" Well, my wish for you is to find that career that makes you say it more often and I don't mean because Patricia messed up everyone's files and you all have to stay late again for the 3rd night in a row. I mean the moments of pure aww that you are at a place in life where you love what you are doing and become overwhelmed with gratitude of it all...(it's ok you can cry too, you know I do). If not, well then read all about the time I had in Tulum and Cancun while attending ALG Vacations Ascend Pre-Fam and Conference, I hope you gain some inspiration to find your place in the world that will bring you those moments I talked about above.
I was not only lucky enough to be invited to Ascend, but I also signed up for the opportunity to attend a FAM (Familiarization Trip) before getting to the conference. We were given options of what resorts we wanted to stay at and tour, and knowing that Tulum is a destination I like to suggest to my amazing clients, I chose well with Secrets Tulum. So, let's talk about all of this newfound travel inspiration I found for myself and my clients.
Of course while sitting in Atlanta for my flight I got to meet one of my fellow advisors Sarah who was not only also from Louisiana, but would be staying at the same hotels as me throughout the entire week. Since we were staying in Tulum, I chose to fly into their brand-new airport (opened in Dec 2023) and what a way to start your vacation. I don't think I have ever gotten through Customs and received checked luggage as fast as we did there. Since I knew my amazing transfer service company AMSTAR was waiting for me right past Security, I had no problem walking by everyone else trying to get you to go with them. (If I book your trip to Mexico Amstar will be the transfer company I use.)
PRO TIP: DO NOT STOP....Pretend you're my Nana 3 days before Christmas and have to make a trip to the mall and will NOT be stopped by the kiosk people.
Just keep walking until you see the Amstar employees with their blue shirts and sign. They will confirm your names and resort. Once everyone is ready to go, you head to your transfer shuttle, a very comfortable spacious van where they will put your luggage up and offer water or coke. The drive is about 35-40 minutes from the airport to Downtown Tulum; you literally land in the jungle where there are Jaguar Crossing signs leaving the airport.
I know this is a big topic for everyone especially recently with Tik Tok videos of FALSE claims of targeted attacks towards American Tourists in Mexico. When you arrive at your resorts in Mexico you don't go further than the closed gates, until Security verifies information.
When you pull up to Secrets Tulum you are greeted at your transfer van with a cold towel and a warm welcome. They verify your names, take your luggage for you and then let the luxury that is this resort begin. Now not all FAMS are created equally and ALG knocked it out of the park on this one, as we were escorted to the Preferred Club Check In where they have a bartender ready to get you a drink and wonderful ladies who bring you over to their desk to personally check you in. If you know me you know my arrivals at conferences cannot EVER be boring, so the heart attack I had when she asked me for my passport and I look in my backpack to find I don't have my passport, I have my fellow advisor's Sarah's passport that Customs got mixed up, it could have taken me out right then. Thank God I was already half a strawberry mojito in. The second heart attack came when the lady informed me, I was going to be staying in a Preferred Club Swim Out Suite.
Alright, Calm Down act like I'm used to this kind of stuff. The Preferred Club also comes with a concierge and wonderful Liz did an amazing job giving us a little tour of the resort, then bringing us to our rooms. She made sure before she left us to get our phones connected to the Wi-Fi and her number saved so we could contact her if we needed anything. I didn't want to ask her to pinch me.
Now if you know when you arrive at a new destination you gotta keep moving, I know that bed looks comfortable don't do it!!
Since it was time to get a little something to eat, we headed to another perk of Preferred Club, The Grotto restaurant, and private pool area.
It was now time to get dressed and meet the rest of the group. I am a little biased, but we had the best group all lead by the best of the best Cheyenne.
Of course, Secrets Tulum knows how to make you feel special and they rolled out the red carpet for us. We were taken on a private tour of the resort...
Then they led us up to the rooftop private terrace where they had the most beautiful dinner arrangement set up for us to enjoy a 5-course meal. They also had Tarot Card readings, palm readers, and an oracle if that was your kind of thing.
I only had about 2 hours of sleep, so I was officially ready for the bed after dinner. Now this next part was quite the experience...every evening you have turn down service and before they leave, they turn on this channel on the tv. This channel will have you second guessing what you're watching...there's kids in rowboats and a man swimming with an elephant underwater.
We watch and we don't judge....for a little while at least until I had to text Cheyenne about my judgement, because WHAT IS THIS???? She assured me it's a Secrets Tradition.
The next day we got picked up by the amazing team of Amstar reps, featuring the amazing Jorge.
Again, security will not let you out of the resort either without confirming things, so high five for safety. We were off to see Dreams Tulum, Bahia Principe Coba, and Bahia Principe Akumal with our last stop being Secrets Tulum Beach Club...oh did I forget to mention there is a beach club, it's AMAZING!
Dreams Tulum Resort is a family friendly all-inclusive resort. The resort is intertwined with the surrounding jungle area, creating a secluded feeling while also maximizing that all-inclusive experience. Bahia Akumal and Bahia Coba are both family friendly options that boast an energetic pool area for the kids and plenty of beach chairs so no getting up at 5 am to secure your spot.
I am thankful that after walking all day our last stop was going to be the beach club. Secrets Tulum only drawback (if you call it that) is it is not beach front. There is a shuttle from the resort to their private beach club, and it only takes about 15 minutes to get there, but you don't have to worry about sargassum ruining your chance of getting in the water, since the actual resort has 16 pools, and the beach club also has a private pool.
Sadly it was our last night so of course they sent us off with an epic show, amazing private dinner, the resort itself had a fireshow that night for all the guests, and of course your girl won Trivia in the lobby.
Now the next morning we had to be in the lobby for 8am, so I was smart and went on the app the night before to order me some room service. Don't worry that's not a Preferred Club benefit, that's available to all guests at the property. I never wanted to leave this beautiful resort, but alas it was time to visit 4 more properties and check into my host hotel for Ascend Conference.
Pro Tip: You will be handed a ticket when you check out, you need this to get off the property they will not let you leave without it.
The first resort of the day truly took my breath away. It should be no surprise it was another Secrets, this time it was Secrets Akumal, recently named the #1 Resort in the World by Travel Weekly. This resort had White Lotus Thailand vibes, with nature being a major design influence.
You walk around in total relaxation with options of a quiet pool, hammocks, serene walking paths under trees.
A true testament to this resort is they were at 92% capacity during our tour, guess how many people we actually saw? If it was over 7 people I would call you a liar, that is how this resort takes your precious time and makes the most of it.
Now you are more than welcome to head to the NOT quiet pool where the music is playing, the mojitos are flowing, and a good time was being had. The beach area was truly a pristine oasis as well having been voted into Top 10 Best Beaches. It's right on the reef barrier and since Akumal means land of turtles take your chance to do a little snorkeling while you're there. This resort would be the perfect spot for a honeymoon couple, an anniversary trip, or a celebration trip.
It should be no surprise when leaving this resort that this is where the tears came. They gifted us all turtles and cue the waterworks!
No one has time for tears, so we headed to the El Dorado Resort Complex featuring El Dorado Royale, El Dorado Casitas and Generations. The Royale and Casitas are adults only options while Generations can accommodate the whole family.
The Royale and Casitas are like a little neighborhood of room and houses. Each "neighborhood" includes a pool with a swim up bar, and grounds to explore. Although you are certainly not stuck there as guests staying there have access to Royale, Casitas, and Generations. This resort would be perfect for "Foodies" as this was the best Thai I have had in so long, along with something they call food happenings, where this nice man comes around on his bicycle and lets you try different foods daily.
Generations will facilitate all ages and if you have a bougie kid like me, a swim out option is available. The Penthouse can fit 12 people, and it is separated into 3 rooms all connected with private pools and an outdoor shower. These resorts would be the perfect place to have that destination wedding with the ability for ALL the family to come since you can have each guest stay at their desired property but come together to celebrate your new life.
This next part makes me sad; it was time to leave my amazing Pre Fam people to check into our host hotels for Ascend. I was heading to AVA!
We were dropped off at the conference entrance to check in with ALG Vacations. We were able to get our name badges, swag bags and meet some more familiar faces. That left us with about 2.5 hours to get dressed for the opening night festivities at the all-new Secrets Mirabel located right in the hotel zone of Cancun. Since the resort is not open yet for guests, we had the entire place to ourselves to discover what our clients will have in store for them. We were welcomed with a show of dancers and those big fancy lights that you can see in the sky. They had a fresh flower bouquet making station, little bites from each restaurant, performers, fireworks and so much more. I can't wait for clients to experience this hotel.
The next morning was the opening session of Ascend 2025! A girl loves a theme, and this year was The Future is Kind..of course a back to the future reference. I mean they had their own DeLorean. The highlight of the entire day though was listening to Spencer West give us some much-needed advice on asking for help. After listening to his story and drying my eyes I was able to attend classes on finding those hidden gems in Europe, and how to maximize your vacation while also minimizing the number of steps to go through. That evening, I was able to finally walk around AVA and see all the things you can do here.
AVA is literally a cruise ship on land. That is the best and easiest way to describe it for you. Every room has an ocean view..EVERY ROOM. I took a little stroll before dinner and here are some things I found: a bowling alley, escape room, make your own tumbler, a F1 racing simulator, laser tag, jewelry stores, souvenir shops, bars, restaurants, a crepe station... and that is literally only half of the resort. I personally tried the hibachi at Kita on site for dinner that night.
The next day we returned to the convention center to finish some more classes, and another day of supplier showcase. This is where we can check out hundreds of suppliers in the couple of hours they give us. It is my favorite part, because you get to meet so many amazing people. I did do a little shopping in Cancun showing everyone it was still perfectly safe. (I am using that as my excuse for shopping...leave me alone). It was then time to listen to another speaker Scott Zimmer who was a generational expert. It helped us better relate to our clients and also made me realize how old I am....(We used to have to call and listen to the movie times to figure out what was playing.)
ALGV threw everyone for a loop when the grand prizes were given out by....... checking under your chairs. It was a wild time...but alas it was time to get ready for the farewell party at THE HARD ROCK!! Of course like I said everyone loves a theme so we had to dress up in a favorite genre of music or band t shirt.
I partied the night away with some amazing people and I had one too many cervezas and headed back to the hotel to order room service and call it a night!
The next morning, I had to sit on all of the luggage to close it, get more than a couple of cups of coffee and head to the Cancun Airport, it was sadly time to leave from my not vacation -vacation some people like to call it. This kind of event is what I get to experience when you guys pay your planning fees, this first-hand knowledge and experience helps me help you have the best vacations.
This amazing conference was one for the books and I hope to be back next year! Thank you ALGV and Thank You Cancun!
As Always Take the Trip!
-Samantha Cooley
Owner/Agent Worth the Miles Travel
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