Hyatt Ziva Cancun Review
It was the middle of a long brutal South Florida winter (insert sarcasm emoji here) but the truth was, I was on the hunt for the next trip with my wife and twin toddler daughters and had plans to review the Hyatt Ziva Cancun. The other truth was that I had spent 3 nights at the Hyatt Ziva Montego Bay last year and was eager to compare the two properties. Most points and miles enthusiasts claim the Cancun property is a notch better but naturally I wanted to judge for myself.
Airfare
You may recall that too-good-to-be-true #GoForthWithJetBlue promotion where JetBlue matched your balance of Virgin America Elevate points to JetBlue TrueBlue, allowing you to earn as much as 75,000 TrueBlue points after you took one roundtrip flight. Well, I maxed out the promo and was able to earn the full 75,000 TrueBlue points which easily covered the flights for the 4 of us, flying direct from Ft. Lauderdale Airport straight into Cancun in little more than an hour.
Lodging
Thanks to one of my favorite hotel cards out there, the Chase Hyatt, we used our 2 free nights from the sign-up bonus to cover 2 of the 3 nights. For the third and final night, I transferred 25,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points to Hyatt and booked an award. Given that rates were pricing out at a WHOPPING $1,020/night during this peak-period, this redemption was a no-brainer and a great use of our 2 free night awards.
Note: Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara all-inclusive properties cannot be booked online for award stays so you can either tweet them @HyattConcierge or call Hyatt at 1-800-228-3360 to use points or free night certs.
Room
After booking our 3 nights, I took the liberty of emailing the GM of the Hyatt Ziva in hopes of scoring a more spacious room for my family and I. He was gracious enough to tell me that because it was during high-season, he could not promise anything more than a standard room but to try back later.
A few weeks prior to our stay, I emailed him again and was delighted to hear that he had upgraded us to a Club Ocean Front Corner Suite that came with a dedicated Club concierge. Even as a lowly Hyatt Platinum member (Discoverist now), sometimes asking is just as good as having top-tier status.
Food
As a self-proclaimed ‘foodie’, I’m usually a glass half-empty kinda guy when it comes to expectations of all-inclusive resort food. The Hyatt Ziva Cancun was the exception to this. There are nine restaurants and seven bars on the property that offer an array of food choices for your picky toddler or indecisive spouse.
The pool areas always had several grill stations with burgers and grilled chicken while the restaurants ranged from very casual to some fancy choices. All were very child-friendly. There are also two buffets, one titled ‘El Mercado’, which is where we did most of our eating since it had the largest selection of items ranging from lobster, steak, chicken, ethnic dishes, Mexican dishes and more.
A few highlights of our dining were:
- For breakfast at ‘El Mercado’ buffet, ask for a table outside with ocean views or sit in the ‘family’ area where it’s less congested and surprisingly, calm.
- Dine at Chevy’s where you can get that classic car dining booth experience (think Pulp Fiction) with mostly all kid-friendly favorites such as chicken tenders with honey mustard dip, mini burgers and fried chicken.
- After dinner or anytime really, stop by Casa Café for an espresso macchiato from your favorite Hyatt Ziva barista.
- For dessert, visit ‘Pasteles’ for the ultimate sugar rush. A sweets bar full of pastries and a free flowing chocolate fountain with marshmallows and strawberries. My twins wanted to eat here for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Burgers on a lounge chair inside the pool. Sit in the shallow entrance of the pool where lounge chairs reside and eat. Servers come by every couple of minutes to check if you need anything. Order a mojito. Tip your pool server.
- Lorenzo’s Italian restaurant is surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because I don’t go to Mexico to eat Asian, Italian or French food and again, my expectations are usually low of an Italian restaurant at an AI property but the pizza and pasta dishes were very good.
Kidz Club
The Hyatt Ziva Cancun Kidz Club is free for kids ages 4-12. My girls are not yet 4 but luckily they allow under 4 to be accompanied by parents during certain hours and still enjoy the club. We had a blast with them in the mini waterpark with 3 mini slides and shallow water that even a smaller child could stand in (with supervision). The staff, mostly college-aged women, were extremely friendly and they spent the majority of the time interacting with the children and doing arts and crafts projects. They even offer babysitting services for an additional fee which is great for a romantic night out with your partner.
Pool and Beaches
This category is where I think Hyatt Ziva Cancun outshines its sister counterpart from Montego Bay. Cancun beaches are gorgeous with turquoise waters, warm temperature and sunsets to die for. Each of the three pools had plenty of lounge beds and chairs and never did I feel a need to arrive early in the morning to secure a spot. It was nice to be able to show up at anytime during the day to find enough chairs for a family of four.
A neat feature of the beach at Hyatt Ziva Cancun is the man-made rock formation that blocks the waves. This allows families to enjoy the beach without the worry of strong waves or current. We truly enjoyed the pool more but the beaches were breathtakingly gorgeous.
In-House Doctor
The Hyatt Ziva Cancun has a designated in-house physician. On one of the days, my daughter Olivia came down with a fever and wasn’t feeling well. We called the in-house clinic and the doctor was in our room within 30 minutes. She checked Olivia and prescribed us an antibiotic from the local pharmacy which the concierge facilitated with ease. I was also not charged for the doctor visit despite there being a fee so we were grateful for the care and the fact that the resort truly lives up to the billing of being family-friendly.
Conclusion
We loved the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, much more than its sister property, Hyatt Ziva Montego Bay. The resort staff was more polished, the food was very good, the Kidz Club was special and the aesthetic beauty was breathtaking. If you’re truly looking for a relaxing family vacation without a worry in the world, Hyatt Ziva Cancun is your place.
In conclusion, it was muy bueno!
Have you been to the Hyatt Ziva Cancun? If so, how does your experience compare?
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Thank you for sharing your review!
Funny, being a native of Mexico, I have seen the various iterations of these precise locations over the years, both in Cancun and in Puerto Vallarta. (First Camino Real, then, Dreams, and, now, Hyatt Ziva.) They have meticulously polished the facilities, overall, it is an improvement, although I have a slight beef with the fact that in Cancun they stole away from some of the most amazing sand beaches in the world to pour concrete and expand the platforms around the pool.
Agree wholeheartedly. The food s amazing, and the service, impeccable.
My pleasure. Thanks for reading.
When you contacted the GM, did you mention or do you think he was aware you are a travel blogger?
I don’t mention being a travel blogger nor do I hint at it. I simply tell them that I am traveling with twin children and could use the extra space to be a bit more comfortable. I leverage my status and politely request a more spacious room. That usually works but YMMV.
Staying at the ziva Cabo now…first time visiting the chain. Question: did you notice at the Cancun Kidz Club a “No Adults Allowed” policy for the 4-12 year olds? 4 under needed adult supervision. I ask because this is the 5th AI I’ve visited and the 4 previous ones allowed parents to stay with their child while they did arts & crafts, projects, etc. The reason we were given here at the Cabo location was because of the size of the club and small chairs, there was no room for adults. As such we had to wait outside. As a side, it’s off/low season now and our child has been the only one there for the past 3 days. Not sure if this was a policy across all Ziva locations or just this one. Thanks.
Didn’t see any signs pertaining to “no adults allowed” for 4-12 at Hyatt Ziva Cancun. Might be individual resort policy and pertaining to the size as you mentioned. Definitely not the case at Hyatt Ziva Cancun.
The article mentions you cannot book online. I booked online with points earlier this week. Also I was not charged extra for a child or third adult when I booked online.
Interesting. My guess is the extra charge part is one of their typical IT problems. Good news though. Thanks!
Do you have a review of the Ziva Montego Bay? I’ve been to the Ziva and Zilara in Cancun, and was thinking of trying the Ziva or Zilara in Montego Bay. Any thoughts?
I haven’t written a thorough review of Hyatt Ziva Montego Bay. I did write this though: http://doubledutydaddy.com/our-love-ly-weekend-in-paradise-for-under-500/
Ok thanks! But what are your thoughts? Its just my gf and I and we are im our 30s. Should we go to the Ziva/Zilara Montego Bay or go back to the Cancun ones that we enjoyed.
I would say do the Zilara and check out Jamaica to compare.
I thought it cost more (point-wise) to get a room if you have more than 2 people? Did they let it go because you booked your first 2 nights with certificates?
25,000 points per night for double occupancy. Children 3+ 12,500 extra points per night per child.
Exactly. After double occupancy, it’s 12,500 extra per person 3+ older. Prior to trip, I called Hyatt GP Platinum line to ensure no additional charge for my UNDER 3 years old twin daughters. They said resort charges 12,500 per night per each of my daughters (25K extra/night). Had to have GP supervisor contact Hyatt Ziva to ensure that the policy child age policy was in fact THREE and UNDER are free, no additional charge.
Dang, my twins are 6-year-olds now.
Thanks for the note, otherwise I thought the redemption was non-existent, lol
can you share contact info for gm? or where you got his info? my family is planning a 4 night stay soon, and i’d like to reach out and ask for an upgrade.
You can search for it online or contact Hyatt via twitter.
I am looking at this property for redemption for next year. Do you have to pay any additional resort fee/service fee to use the free night certificate?
No extra fees with free night certs or points redemptions.
my family joined another at the Hyatt ziva this past christmas break and were very happy with the resort. We loved the tequila bar, sports bar, the organized morning bike ride, and the constant awe of admiring the dolphins (but sort of feel bad about their “captive” status). Although I’ve never had “gourmet” quality food at all-inclusives, this was our 3rd Hyatt ziva (PVR and Cabo were the last two Christmas breaks), and the ziva is definitely a cut above. The employees were tremendous, and I only have positive memories of all of our Hyatt Ziva trips. Heading back to PVR Ziva this Christmas (I think). Haven’t been to Montego Bay yet (but the other family we travel with has), but I hear that it’s not quite as nice as the Mexican Zivas. Although you mentioned it briefly in your review, figure on about $10-$20 a day in tips. A dollar for a margarita or service at dinner goes a long way to helping the workers and providing much needed American good-will in Mexico. Are any additional Zivas being planned ????
No plans for a new Hyatt Ziva/Zilara that I know of.
Larry-to follow up on your post, I’d love to hear your feedback re. the differences you have noticed between the 3 Mexican resorts you have visited, and how they compare to non-Ziva brand AI you have tried as well. This trip to the Ziva Cabo was my 5th AI overall (3 Hiltons, 1 Crown Paradise Club) and it was the best as far as the quality of the food & beverage and upkeep of the resort property and rooms. (Individual items such as beach access, kids pool, activities do vary but for us food and room quality was key). This was also the most expensive of the 5 so we definitely got what we paid for. Because of the overall positive experience, we would be totally open to visiting the other Ziva properties in the future…though was considering the Hard Rock for example. Love to get your thoughts on each of the 3 and where it ranks among non-Ziva AI’s. Thanks.