Hyatt Ziva Cancun Review: our Honest Opnion

We just returned from a week at Hyatt Ziva Cancun. We had been wanting to try this resort for a while to see how it compared to some of our other favorite options.

Hyatt Ziva Cancun is a family resort in Cancun’s hotel zone. Sitting on a beautiful white sand beach overlooking the turquoise Caribbean Sea, the resort has comfortable rooms, delicious food, and lots to do for everyone.

This vacation was more relaxing at the beach and snorkeling than exploring the Cancun area (as we’ve done on previous trips). We had a great stay. Read on for more of our Hyatt Ziva Cancun review.

Overview

We love the Ziva branded resorts and have previously stayed at the Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana. There was a lot we liked about the Hyatt Ziva Cancun during our week-long Mexico stay:

• Location: The hotel is located in the busy Hotel Zone. It is about 20 minutes from downtown and the Cancun International Airport. 
• Beach – Multiple beaches with clear, calm, swimmable water. 
• Rooms – Modern decor with lovely views; some have swim-out access, though it’s limited to kids 13 and up. 
• Pools – Huge main pool, activity pool with swim-up bar, separate adult pool
• Dining – Many restaurant choices, from casual to upscale cuisine
• Activities – Daily schedule of family-friendly activities like painting pottery or sandcastle building.
• Service – Friendly and attentive staff throughout the resort. Some of the best service anywhere we’ve been in the last few years!

Getting There and Check In

There are great views of the Cancun coastline just before landing.

The Hyatt Ziva is only about 20 minutes from the Cancun International Airport.

Booking

Booking the Hyatt Ziva can be done directly through Hyatt, Expedia, Booking.com, or other online booking options. Rates vary from around $600 per night for two adults in the low season to around $1000 per night during peak times like Christmas.

This property is also a great use of Hyatt points, though the price per night has increased in the last year.

Arriving at Hyatt Ziva Cancun, we were greeted with cool towels and luggage assistance. Walking through the open-air lobby, you’ll have one of the best lobby views of any resort:

Facilities and Grounds

The hotel has an attractive modern lobby and common areas with lots of seating and relaxing areas—a separate check-in area for club members. 

This spacious beachfront resort is on a massive plot of prime beachfront real estate. We consider this resort to be located on the best property in Cancun. The Ziva’s location at the end of the peninsula gives it water access on three sides of the resort, with two beaches. 

There are many pools with bars where adults can relax and drink cocktails. Our children were often found at the swim-up bar, ordering smoothies. 

Large beautiful pools, including:

The main two-story activity pool with a swim-up bar. Along with cocktails like pina coladas, kids can swim up and order their own strawberry smoothies.

Large activity pool on the south side. Closer to the public beach and club lounge, this pool is where kids’ activities like pool volleyball are found.

Rooms on the resort’s rocky east side feature their swim-out pool area.

Additionally, there is an adults-only pool on the rooftop. 

Beaches at Hyatt Ziva

There are several different beaches at Hyatt Ziva Cancun. Our favorite was near the main pool and lighthouse. This beach had great snorkeling near the lighthouse, cabanas, and drink service.

The more extensive beach on the south side of the resort is a public beach, which was more crowded each time we visited.

The beach on the north side (from the hotel lobby) is one of the nicest beaches we’ve been to. There’s clean white sand, clear water, and good snorkeling near the lighthouse.

The resort grounds are expansive, yet everything is central and easily walkable.

The resort is much more compact than our favorite Hyatt Ziva resort, Ziva Cap Cana. The pools have different options and enough seating and shade for all guests.

Guest Rooms

We opted for a junior suite in the dolphin tower right off the kid’s pool, with great ocean and resort views.

Right below our room balcony, you could view the dolphin swim attraction. Even the basic junior suite guest rooms are big enough for four people.

Our room had a modern, minimalist decor with neutral tones. It was a good size at over 500 sq feet plus 100 sq foot balconies. The balcony features a small table and two regular chairs.  

The room had a king-platform bed plus a pull-out couch. (According to our kids, the sofa bed was uncomfortable).

The rooms feature a stocked mini fridge containing Corona, Corona Light, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Cristal Soda Water, and peach fruit juice. A snack draw includes potato chips, Oreos, and peanuts.

A liquor dispenser is included in some rooms, such as club-level rooms. All this is included as part of your stay.

The rooms also feature an oversized rain shower. Suites include extras like jacuzzi tubs on the balcony. Do you feel like dining in? Hyatt Ziva even has room service, 

Family Friendliness

Hyatt Ziva Cancun differs from other resorts in the area because it’s one of the top-quality resorts that still caters to families and children. Some of the family-friendly features are:

• Adjoining rooms available
• Pack n’ plays available
• Kids activity center for ages 4-12
• Supervised kids camp for kids ages 4+
• Family-friendly pools with play structures
• Many dining options with kids’ menus
• Many activities daily for both kids + parents

Some highlights during our stay:

• Kids loved the organized pool games like Marco Polo and volleyball. The kids club had daily activities like a kids’ swimming pool party and mini golf. 
• Arts and crafts with painting pottery and sand castle building

Food and Drink

Hyatt Ziva Cancun proves that all-inclusive resorts can have great food. They offer creative, detailed, and delicious dining experiences with high-quality ingredients.

The Hyatt Ziva resort has plenty of food and drink options. We tried almost all of them except several that required reservations. We especially like these.

El Mercado

El Mercado offers a wide range of international dishes in a buffet-style setting. There’s something for everyone here, and it’s a great choice when you’re short on time.

We typically only ate here when we were in a hurry, though we ate here for some Thanksgiving turkey.

Lorenzos

At Lorenzo’s, dive into the essence of traditional Italian cuisine. Open for lunch and dinner, watch some delicious food cooked from the open-view pizza kitchen.

Tradewinds Steakhouse

Tradewinds Steakhouse offers made-to-order breakfast and dinner. 

We could get in for dinner without reservations, though we had a 30-minute wait.

For breakfast, we ate at Tradewinds most mornings, and it was our favorite breakfast restaurant. Tradewinds offers made-to-order breakfast and a small buffet with pastries and more.

Tres Cervezas

Tres Cervezas was one of our favorite restaurants—a lively sports bar with a wide selection of craft beers and tasty pub grub. They even brew their own beer here (though honestly, it wasn’t the best beer we’ve ever had)

We liked this restaurant because it doesn’t require reservations. We could show up even at peak dining times and eat without a wait.

There are two pool tables and TVs everywhere to watch your favorite game. There’s also an outdoor seating area where our kids can watch the nightly entertainment show nearby.

Chevys

A 1950s American diner-themed restaurant, Chevys is a good option if you don’t want to leave the pool area. With outdoor seating, eating lunch without drying off and going inside to eat is easy.

While we ate at Chevy’s once for breakfast, we preferred Tradewinds, which also offered made-to-order food and a buffet area.

This was also our kid’s favorite for lunch. From the milkshake pictures below, you can probably guess why.

Pasteles Candy and Ice Cream Shop

While not really a restaurant, Pasteles was our kid’s favorite stop for food. Pasteles is a candy, sweets, and ice cream shop, and it’s all included.

Habeneros Taqueria

One of the best restaurants for authentic Mexican food is Hyatt Ziva. Unfortunately, during our November 2023 stay, Habeneros (located on the beach) was closed for remodeling.

To make up for this, some small taco stations were set up in the outdoor area of the El Mercado buffet.

Casa Del Cafe

Casa Del Cafe offers made-to-order specialty coffees and smoothies. There are also pastries like croissants and donuts and premade brewed coffee.

Casa Del Cafe has a large seating area with things to keep you occupied, like board games and books.

Club Lounge

The club lounge is at the bottom of the club tower and requires a club-activated key card.

This lounge features light snacks, premium drinks, and a ping pong and pool table.

While we had club access included during our stay, we wouldn’t advise paying extra for it. It’s a great addition, but plenty of other options are included already, and we don’t see the benefit of the extra cost.

Entertainment and Activities

Daily activities provided plenty of things to keep our kids busy, from mini golf competitions to pool volleyball.

The entertainment staff was some of the best that we have met anywhere!

Our kids even got to try out the full-sized golf simulator.

Nightly Entertainment

Nightly entertainment is held in an open-air theater. The resort has limited space, so the steps from the lobby also serve as seating for poolside entertainment.

Each night of our week-long stay, we had a different show. One night, we had fire dancing. Compared to other nights, this one entertained our kids for the whole show.

The nightly shows are the one area we’d like to improve. While the entertainment was entertaining enough for kids, the quality is nowhere near what you’ll find on cruises.

For example, the inflatable castle barely stayed afloat on this Disney-themed night.

Part of this is due to space limitations. Since this resort is on some of the best real estate in Cancun, there’s no room to add a large, dedicated theater area.

In comparison, the Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana covers a much larger area. This gives it room for its stage with video and sound.

Excursions

There’s plenty to do nearby if you’re looking for excursions. Our favorite excursions are cenote snorkeling and a ferry trip to the nearby island of Isla Mujeres. You can also go deep-sea fishing, visit historical sites, or explore tropical islands.

The Could Be Better

We had a great time at Hyatt Ziva, an all-inclusive family resort. However, some areas could be improved.

• Nightly entertainment: The entertainment staff couldn’t be better; our kids loved them. However, the quality of the nightly entertainment options doesn’t compare to what you’d find on a cruise. This is typical of most all-inclusive resorts and is not specific to the Hyatt Ziva.

The Bottom Line

We highly recommend Hyatt Ziva Cancun because of its endless amenities and activities.

The rooms were modern and comfortable. The grounds were immaculate. The pools and beach area were top-notch. The staff were friendly and attentive.

If you’re planning a family trip to Cancun, we suggest booking Hyatt Ziva; it’s a great choice! Feel free to reach out with any specific questions.