TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Our stay at this resort left us impressed. It has easily become our favorite destination. Brace yourself for a detailed review! Some background: we split our stay for a 2 week vacation. Our first week was with our grandchildren at Hyatt Ziva Cancun. Our second week was at Hyatt Zilara Cancun. I will post separate review for Zilara. We arrived in Cancun on a Tuesday morning. Airport immigration was a breeze. No wait for us because we used the electronic fast-lane. If you have kids, you can’t use that service. Our son and his family (kids too) were flying from different location and didn’t arrive until day 2. So because it was just my wife and I, we were able to use the immigration fast lane. We didn’t check bags. We use laundry service at the resorts so were able to easily pack enough for one week and wash and rewear our same outfits for a second week at the Zilara. We each had a carry on and a personal item (backpack) which was enough for us. For this trip, we used Friends Travel Cancun for private transport. Our flights were early and they must have monitored cuz they were there when we got to the pickup area. They were waiting for us outside the airport with a ‘welcome home’ sign and our name. Made us feel special. We arrived at the resort around 10:30. We were greeted by bellboys who stored our luggage (our room wasn’t ready but we could use the resorts and eat at the restaurants. My wife had a small beach bag packed with extra set of dry clothes, our swim trunks, and sun block, so we grabbed that and proceeded to check in. We were escorted up the steps by a nice gentleman who welcomed us with some discounts. During the casual conversation, it became apparent that he was part of the timeshare presence at the resort. We declined and told him we already booked through a member and had no interest in buying into their club (more on that later). He said it would just be 30 minutes presentation, and we repeated that we were not interested. He was kind and escorted us to the check-in desk in club tower. We checked into our room around 3:10 after using the resort for the day. Club ocean front king. Wonderful room and great view. See pictures. The club lounge was a highlight, with 24/7 and a well-stocked fridge. The small bar in club tower was tucked in the corner and not busy during day. We enjoyed our evenings with the bartender and laughed a lot. The lounge bar remained open until 11 PM. Dining: there are several options for breakfast (room service, coffee shop, club snack bar, Tradewinds and the buffet). We went to all. Once our son arrived with his family the next day, the buffet became more popular since it had EVERY type of breakfast food available plus freshest fruit. Waiters were very attentive with refills and keeping the kids happy with helping with their plates and friendly interactions. For lunch, Chevy’s was popular. Habeneros was a great ocean front setting, but we weren’t as impressed with menu options. Food was very good, but I guess I’m simple and don’t venture too far from routine. The highlight was the grill by the pools, serving corn on the cob, grilled chicken, hamburgers, nachos, bbq ribs, and other grillers (all on different days). For dinner, there are many options and we tried them all. One of the meals at Lorenzos wasn’t my favorite, but the remaining dinner options were great. The food was way above average. Every plate was presented with perfection. Definitely check out each restaurant when you’re. No reservations, but we went early enough that we didn’t have to wait. Can’t forget the candy store. We stopped by for ice cream every day after pool or beach. The candy was generic taste as was most of the dessert. But ice cream was our winner for sure. They also had the best chocolate and white covered strawberries. There are 2 beaches: Norte beach, near Habaneros was beautiful. The soft sand made it an excellent spot for kids. Sahara beach was a few more steps (on other side). VERY calm, and soft sand. The kids club rented toys so we were able to use there for the kids. For the pools, we didn’t have any issues with finding chairs. We went out about 9:30. There is a lot of umbrellas so ask someone to help setup your chairs. Given them a few bucks as a tip. They work hard to please you. For cabanas, we rented one but with the umbrellas, you may not need one unless very little kids who want to rest. The kids were in the water most of the time anyway. Activities and entertainment are plenty throughout the resort but they flip flop to which pool they’ll keep busier. At the club pool, they set up a water obstacle course on two of the days we were there—a hit with the whole family. The kids were all about arts and crafts, but they also had wax hands, created masks, personalized beach bags and hats. On a rainy day, they spent hours at the kids' club, not wanting to leave. The staff in the kids club is wonderful. My daughter in law was very impressed. We all wished there was kids club stayed open later so parents could go do dinner, even just one night of extended hours. There was singers, dancers, and performers out by the norte pool every day. Music and just fun. There wasn’t a foam party there (that we could see). One thing I can comment about this resort – it’s impeccably clean and beautiful setting. Housekeeping deserves big kudos. Tip the housekeepers! Just in case you want some tips: 1-use the fast lane at the airport if no kids (electronic immigration scans your passport). 2-pack light as you are in your trunks or swimsuit for most of the day. 3-ask staff for help. Don’t settle; if something isn’t right, they will make it right (but don't be mean or overly needy, be respectful). The staff take great pride in their work and to please guests. 4-if you want to work out, the gym is one of the best we’ve seen. 5-go for beach walks early in morning or late in day; too hot in mid day. 6-Get best prices thru a member. Our friends referred us to a member of vacation club to book through and compared rates. HIGHLY recommend doing this! Saved us a lot of money (over $1000). I mentioned above that there were timeshare sales when we arrived. When we booked with the member, we specifically asked if we had to sit through membership presentation. We did NOT, so we were well prepared in advance that no sales pitch was required. The member is from Real Club Resorts (not the same as the timeshare at Ziva) and she has a Facebook group but you can send me a private message and I can give you her contact information, too. Her group is facebook. com/groups/allinclusivediscounts. We've done this a few times with her and also booked our Zilara trip (review coming soon) thru her. 7-we didn’t leave the resort for activities except shopping one day. If the kids asked for an activity, we contacted the entertainment staff to give us a rundown of what we could do. But rarely did they have to even ask. Playing in ocean and swimming was a lot of run. But between kids club and the entertainment crew, we were busy. 8-spa is expensive, but we did indulge for my wife and DIL. 9-gift shop is unaffordable. Walk a few blocks to the flea market or mall. LOTS of stuff available nearby (within a few blocks). Sunblock is crazy expensive and half the price at the pharmacy down the road. 10-they'll blow up floaties at the shop down by the pool 11-make sure you are booking HYATT Ziva CANCUN not HYATT Ziva RIVIERA Cancun. We met two families that originally thought they were same resort and iniitally booked at RIviera Cancun thinking it was Cancun. They are not. While Ziva Riviera is nice, the Cancun site is so much better. Using a member discount (see #6 above) makes Cancun more affordable. But the prices at Riviera are significantly less. Hyatt should consider changing the name!

Food was amazing and there was non stop food supply everywhere. Hotel was very clean despite the fact that everyone was stepping back and forth from the beach :) However, service can be very unstable. Some staff have poker face that they wanted to prevent you from asking them questions (especially the concierge staff at main lobby) that they didn’t look welcoming and wanted to keep their ongoing private conversations. The buffet restaurant server Danny, however, was so welcoming and nice! He looked after our table very well & sent so much happy vibes! Kids club staff were sooooo sweet and welcoming! Hope they will have more younger kids programs soon.

My family and I have been coming here since 2018. I cannot say enough about the warmth and friendliness of the staff. The first part of our stay was in the Turquoize Tower. Joel and Ian were our butlers and could not have been more attentive. The Tower is adults only and a wonderful experience. After 3 nights we were joined by additional family members, so we moved to the Club Tower and were welcomed like returning family. Miroslava Miranda, the Club Tower manager, is joined by Cesar, Manola, Ernesto and Viviana. A super team. They could not have been friendlier or more accommodating. Always a smiling face asking what they could do for you. Many thanks to each and every one of these great people. In addition to the above team members, our thanks to Rene Perez and Sofia Gonzalez for ensuring a fantastic visit for our three families. It is an overused phrase, but again, Rene makes us feel like family. Our kudos go out to: Autoro (Aqua strong) Esperanza at the Turquoize pool Alexa in Tradewinds Tannya and Rodrigo of the entertainment staff. Bellmen Fernando and Benjamin For an all inclusive property, the food is really quite good. Of course, the kids love the sweets shop which opens at noon each day. The location at the end of the hotel zone is perfect. There are two distinct beach areas to go with the multiple pools and lots of activities run by a great entertainment staff. The rooms are quite spacious and very comfortable. For a treat, try the "mango on a stick." Delicious! What more can I say? Try Hyatt Ziva for your next vacation.

This is our second time coming to this resort. When my husband and I renewed our vows last year just the two of us, we observed the awesome kids amenities. For spring break this year we brought our 7 year old son. It was the PERFECT 6 day break we all needed. My son spent several hours each day at the kids club and he loved it! He would beg us to hurry up each morning because he couldn’t wait to go. All of the restaurants were delicious with great options for kids. We dined somewhere different every night and loved the variety. We rented cabanas each day and the service was excellent. There was a storm on our last day so we visited the spa and got great massages. And we loved the shows each night and swimming with the dolphins. We are already planning to go back for Christmas! Thank you to: Cristian - Server at Habaneros Santiago, Domingo, Eliot, Eduardo (my fave) - Cabana severs Uleses - Server at Lorenzo’s Laura - Helped with our reservations Lazaro - Server at La Bastille Alejandro - Server at Moon Rabbit And especially all of the wonderful women at the kids club!

We stayed at Ocean Front suite. Very good size rooms and bathrooms. Right in front of Blue color Ocean. Very comfy beds and air conditioning. Drinks and food outstanding. We visited 2 bars and 3 restaurants. Italian restaurant Lorenzo is great. Food very very authentic and tasty . Marlene did out of the world service. Breakfast was good. Worth mentioning people were Ivory, Marcelo and Daniel Cavallero. On top of all, Bell Boy Felipe Gonzalez. My sister-in-law unknowingly dropped $ 700 cash while she was pulling out her phone from purse, near lobby of the resort. Later, Felipe must have seen that wade of money. He immediately deposited that money to hotel management. What an honest person !!!!! In the evening when my sister-in-law realized about her loss, without any expectation, she checked at the reception. To her pleasant surprise , she got her money back. This an unbelievable event of honesty. Bravo, staff of Ziva.