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Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos View

If you’re a World of Hyatt member and you’re looking to maximize your Hyatt points, the Hyatt Ziva is arguably the best value out there. We booked this room last minute, using our Hyatt Chase card and 20,000 points per night.  Overall, you get a comfortable room, great amenities and really good sushi! We really enjoyed our stay at the property and can’t wait to share our thoughts, so read on!

Location: 4/5

The Hyatt Ziva is located just 20 short minutes from the main international airport in San Jose del Cabo, which makes it incredibly easy to get to. As a side note, our preferred transportation is Cabo Premium Logistics. I would highly recommend them if you’re looking for friendly, efficient and high-end transportation in Cabo.  The staff are absolutely incredible and all speak perfect English. Ask for Alan if you reach out – he is an amazing person and a very honest business owner. We used them a few times in Cabo and had excellent experiences with Daniel and Rene as our drivers.

Now back to the Hyatt Ziva! Like most beaches in Cabo, the sea is rough and swimming is not recommended. However, we definitely went a few feet in and it was worth it. But keep the current and riptide in mind. There are lifeguards there to warn you and watch you, but as you can tell, I didn’t go far and the waves were huge:

The Hyatt Ziva is located on a long stretch of beach, called “Zona Hotelera”. The beach is great for long walks (or runs, if you’re into that) and hotel scouting. Max and I went on a walk to see some of the other properties and wandered past the new Viceroy, which was a real treat. Beaches in Cabo are public, so you’ll always see people selling jewelry, sarongs, bags and horseback rides. Before we went to Cabo, we heard a lot about how the sellers on the beach could be real “pests”, but we didn’t have that experience. Most people waited respectfully outside the boundaries of the resorts and walked up and down the beach. If you were interested, you could approach them and they were very friendly. We did not indulge in any of those activities but we did see a lot of people bartering for jewelry or riding horses during sunset.

Cabo Transfers

Lobby & Check in experience: 4/5

The lobby of the Hyatt Ziva is an open-air pagoda that overlooks the large property. It’s a gorgeous space and the view of the ocean is even better.  A bellman greeted us as we exited our SUV and we were escorted to the check-in desk and handed a cold margarita, which is my favorite kind of welcome.

As a Hyatt Explorist, we had a separate check in lane (Discoverist and above gets this benefit), but at the time, there was no line so I can’t speak to how long the lines normally are.  As I was checking in, I did what I always do and asked for an upgrade.

Pro tip: Always ask for an upgrade!

Depending on availability, Discoverists are entitled to a “preferred room” in the room category booked and Explorists are entitled to an “upgraded room, not including suites”. Globalists are entitled to full upgrades including standard suites.  I tend to find that hotels do not automatically grant any upgrades so I always ask, just in case :).

During check in, I inquired about an upgrade, and was given a standard, one-category bump to an oceanview, high floor room. Unfortunately, our room was not ready yet (we were thirty minutes early) so we were sent on our way to get some lunch before check in time. We returned at 3:30 (check in time was 3pm) and the room was not yet ready, so after a few more margaritas, we were finally in around 3:45.  Slight annoyance aside, we were happy to be in paradise with a cold drink and the sound of the crashing waves all around, so we got over it.

Rooms: 3/5

The room was a nice size. There is a hallway upon entering, with an adjacent bathroom to one side, complete with a separate tub and walk-in shower. There were ample towels, toiletries and everything you needed. If you forget your toothbrush or other items, they can send these amenities to your room.

The room itself has a large sitting area with a sofa-bed, two chairs/table and a large decorative mirror.

The balcony had ample space with two chairs and a side table. The view was the real winner here!

We ended up booking the Hyatt Ziva the day before we left for Cabo and all I could book on points was a 2-queen room because they had no king beds left. Well, turns out this was the way to go.  It was slightly hysterical because they combined the two queen beds in the room to create a mega-bed. It was actually incredibly comfortable and also gave us a good laugh. Frankly, I think I prefer this to a standard king now!

Overall, it was a solid four star room. Everything you needed was available and we had an incredible oceanfront view. It’s worth noting that pretty much every room had a connecting door. This could cause issues if you’re a light sleeper as there is not great sound insulation between the rooms. However, we didn’t spend much time in the room and neither should you on vacation ;).

Facilities: 4.5/5

As I mentioned earlier, the Hyatt Ziva property is quite expansive. There are 16 bars and restaurants, a spa, kids club, beach service and a long list of daily activities you can do, included in the cost of your room. There is absolutely no way you would be bored at this property, unless you want to be.

The facilities all feel very updated and new, including the fitness center. The fitness center is a bit small for the number of people who were using it, but it did have all the machines you could need as well as an outdoor patio, where we trudged through our cardio workout in the early morning heat. The fitness center has towels, regular water and a special chlorophyll water, which adds a nice touch after your workout. The view from the fitness center is beautiful and you can run on treadmills while looking out over the beautiful pools and sea.

The pool area has ample seating and cabanas and I never saw it completely full. We never had to run down at 6am to put towels down, which was a nice experience. The beach in front of the property has ample seating as well, but the beach chairs lack cushions so it’s not as comfortable for long stretches of time. However, the bartenders do serve food and drinks on the beach, so that’s always a plus.

There were ample activities to choose from all day, every day, to entertain yourself. Max had a great time playing volleyball with several other guests for over three hours. The activities coordinator kept the game going well beyond the scheduled hour because the guests were having so much fun.

The first night we were at the Hyatt Ziva, they even hosted a big party and buffet dinner for “Canada Day”, complete with a live band and lots of Canadian flag decorations.

The kids club is tucked away behind one of the buildings at the property making it safe and separate from the rest of the resort. There is also an adults pool on the other side of the property so if you’re looking for a secluded experience, I’d recommend heading over there.

I loved all the seating areas around the property. There are several lounge areas with ample seating as well as a beautiful bar located in the center of the property with fire-pits at each table and it was gorgeous to sit there and enjoy the sunset.

Dining: 4/5

All inclusive resorts are notorious for having average food and drinks. The Hyatt Ziva definitely ranks higher than average, at 4 stars. The food was good and you could get a delicious cocktail at any of the bars. There are 16 bars and restaurants and there is truly something for everyone. I appreciated the fact that there was no upsell at the Hyatt Ziva. What you saw was what you got and everything was included (unless you decided to spring for a fancier bottle of wine or a spa treatment, for example). I never felt afraid that I was going to end up with a big bill at the end of the trip. Speaking of wine, the wine was average. They have the same brand as most all-inclusives in Mexico, called Linaje.

Of all the food we tried, the sushi bar was absolutely the winner. This was the shining light of the property and Jorge, the sushi chef, was a master of his craft.

We ended up going to the sushi bar at DoZo two nights in a row because we had such a good time with Jorge and ate some of the best sushi I’ve ever had! My recommendation is to go sit at the sushi bar and ask the chefs to make you whatever they want. You will not be disappointed. It’s an incredible value as well, because everything is included, so there is no upcharge.  DoZo also has a hibachi experience that is included in your room rate and that was a fun experience. If you plan to go, make reservations earlier in the day as they do fill up the hibachi and sushi bars pretty quickly.

My other favorite spot was the café, located just off the lobby. The café offers espresso drinks, coffee, frappé’s and treats all day. We frequented the café once…ok, maybe twice…a day for a frozen drink and pastries 🙂 They also have to-go breakfasts if you wanted a quick parfait or croissant on your way to the beach.

We did try their room service one evening for a late night snack and it was good, especially the quesadilla. They did take about 45 minutes to get there but the food was warm, and I personally believe there’s not much better than room service in a mega-bed.

Service: 4/5

The service overall was very good. Staff were eager to help with anything you needed and the front desk remembered who we were when we walked by. We were particularly impressed with restaurant staff, who were so kind and really wanted to make sure we had a great stay.

It’s interesting to note that different World of Hyatt status levels had different colored wrist bands at the Hyatt Ziva. For example, Globalist (highest tier) had black wrist bands, Explorist (second highest tier), had gold wrist bands and Discoverist (lowest elite member) had green wrist bands. The rest of the guests had a yellow wrist band (which may change seasonally). I did notice that at certain restaurants, the restaurant managers would come up to us and make sure we were having a good time and had what we needed, but did not ask the others around us. I imagine they were paying special attention to “elite” guests. However, I didn’t see a big difference between staff interactions with other colored wrist bands. The staff wanted everyone to have a good time, regardless of their status.

Style: 4/5

The style in the public areas of the Hyatt Ziva were very well done in terms of theme and character. Each space had its own theme and it made every dining experience different. For example, the café really felt like you were in a hip café in San Francisco. There was even a sports bar that was decorated much like a fun pub. The World Cup was going on while we were on property and dozens of people flocked to the bar in the early hours to watch the game on the big screens.

The room style was a bit boring, but we didn’t spend much time there so it didn’t matter. All that mattered was having a comfortable bed and nice, clean room.

Overall: 3.92

Overall, the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos is an incredible value for the amazing vacation you are going to have. At 20,000 Hyatt points a night or, often, around $300 per night, you cannot go wrong. The family-friendly, adults-only all inclusive is a great option if you’re looking to relax at a beautiful resort with endless dining and activity opportunities. We had a great stay and would 100% come back for a weekend getaway in Cabo.

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