Hyatt Ziva Cancun All Inclusive

The Hyatt Ziva Resort in Cancun truly lives up to its five star rating. It is a beautiful resort!! We stayed the second week of September. The occupancy was 40-50%, so it was fairly easy to find seats at the pools, spots at the beach and we didn't even need to make reservations at the restaurants. It was a great time of year to go. It stormed twice, but both moved in and out very quickly. The location is insanely perfect; two beaches and a very unique sea stroll connecting them. The water was clear up to our waists and sometimes our ribs! Definitely wake for the sunrise at least once. Worth it, like a kiss from God. A sunrise breakfast meal package would be an idea, if it doesn't already exist. The staff worked so hard to make everyone feel welcomed, comfortable and pampered. Jorge greeted us the moment we entered the lobby atrium from our Lomas van (Lomas transportation--perfecto!!). He was very helpful and knowledgeable. We have one suggestion we may offer here, although this is not a criticism in any way; Jorge did a great job! Maybe ask the resort guest, "Would you first like your resort tour? Or would you prefer to be shown your room? We can connect with you in an hour or at your convenience if you would prefer first to get settled in." After a long time of travel, our kids were tired and hungry from the airport run. We were rather travel weary and might have preferred our resort tour after seeing our room, visiting the restroom, washing our hands and maybe having a drink and a snack. Also, our kids, before this trip, had never seen the ocean and we were all eager to hit the beach asap. While the immediate resort tour was helpful, we personally felt a little impatient with it because of our own expectations. That may just be us, though. Again, Jorge was fantastic. The cleaning crew of our double room with sea view kept things immaculate. The room amenities, including an expandable drying rack on the patio were all helpful. We could have used another mirror in the main space to allow four people to get ready simultaneously, but we managed fine. The beaches, grounds and pool areas, too, were kept spotless. The falconers did a fascinating job of scaring unwanted birds away with their own impressive hawk. Amazing and impressive to watch. This resort is very large. We were glad we packed flip flops/beach shoes AS WELL AS tennis shoes because we walked a few miles a day. You will definitely get in your steps to compensate for all the extra calories! Haha! Speaking of calories...the food! Our family enjoyed each restaurant's offerings. They were tasty, perfectly cooked and presented. Our favorite restaurant was Lorenzo's. Ask for Marlene. We went twice, really just to return to her! Marlene is management material, in our opinion. Their hostess Dana was always so kind too. We ate dinner twice and breakfast once at Tradewinds. Waiters Bryan, Eleazar and Juan were top rate. Eleazar gave a great presentation making my husband's Carajillo (which was delicious) Cocktail. It was almost like watching a magic show. Oscar and Diego at Pasteles went out of their way to obtain helado de coco for me. Taste of Mexico!! It means so much when their eyes light up with recognition--you can tell they sincerely remember you and are glad to see you again. At Moongate, Efrain and Luis took good care of us. Definitely get the edamame and spring rolls for appetizers. Poolside beverages were fantastic and they're not shy about keeping them coming. Tell Elio to have a mojito+piña colada mix. Trust me, it's good. Our children enjoyed the obstacle course and the in-pool blackjack card game. Abraham and Michele from the entertainment crew became resort pals with our family and we appreciated their fun personalities and enthusiasm for their jobs. They were so fun! We highly recommend finding Alejandro and renting a beach front Cabana and do it as many times as you can afford--5 STARS!! Our Cabana day, our last full day at the resort, was our most special and memorable day. After enjoying the pampering and privacy of it, we wished we had done it more. Alejandro and Vanesa gave us the most relaxing facials and the pampering was so sweet. Take swim goggles because the seashells found here were intact and whole in many cases (airline Bag check only). Also a pool hammock was an enjoyable item we took. Our poolside days were an odd mixture of feelings, both positive and negative. I will explain. We loved the poolside staff--Juliana, Luis, Elio, Sarai, Ada! Sweetest, warmest, most hospitable people. The loungers, provided pool towels and umbrellas were perfectly comfortable. A background so this next part has context: Each member of our family is musical, classically trained and actively using those talents. (Not bragging, just stating the fact: our family is a musical family. So our opinion may carry more weight here or less, as our bias might be a reason not to listen to our suggestion here. You decide.) The only type of music played at the resort (very loudly) is techno. In our opinion, this was not relaxing in such a repetitive format. We can appreciate many kinds of music, including techno. But hearing it five nights and six days straight is like eating chocolate cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner for that long. We would recommend playing a wide variety of music, a flavor of the authentic Mexican music, soul, country, r and b (clean G or PG rated for family), classics from all the decades (not in techno format)....you get the idea. When the P.A. system was used at the pools, it was obnoxiously loud. We usually left. It seemed it was used more at the main pool, so we seldom swam and relaxed over there. While the local people and staff were the BEST, sometimes it was some of the other guests that many times soured our experiences. Between their loud conversations peppered with profanities and people's skimpy swimsuits at a family resort around our kids, we had lots of redirecting attention. However, we were prepared for this and had proper expectations in this area. Afterall, it is Cancun, and Cancun is party culture. What we did not expect, however, was a deliberate attack on the innocence of children. On the Sunday of our visit, in the Turquoize Tower overlooking a children's event at the pool obstacle course, a nude couple emerged on their glass balcony and performed a sexual act for all to see. We protect our kids from such things. The couple, no question, planned it during the busiest child attended event the entire time of our trip. I covered my kids eyes and my husband shouted at them to stop. The hotel staff responded immediately in the best way. Instantly, the staff reacted. The couple was confronted and asked to leave and never come back. The Management, Leonel and chief concierge, Roberto Bravo, manager on duty, kept in contact with us the remainder of our trip making sure we were okay. They continually assured us that Hyatt Ziva was a family safe resort and they did not condone such things. Leonel and Roberto were classy and professional. We repeatedly told them we knew that event wasn't their fault and we didn't need a thing from them. Yet, they continually offered their support and hospitality. First class job!! I almost did not mention that event in my review, but it and how the staff responded are very much a part of our Hyatt memory. They do not mess around. So, if you're a pervert who is into that sort of thing, pick a different resort. Overall, Hyatt Ziva gets a five star rating from our family. Everything they did and tried to do made our stay better.