Ever since the Hyatt Ziva Cancun opened, I’ve been anxiously wanting to go! I’ve heard awesome things about the resort and the fact that I could use my Hyatt points at a well done all-inclusive hotel was extremely appealing. Well, I was finally able to experience the resort with my family of 4 and it was amazing! Since this was a family trip with my baby and toddler, I want to share with you the best things about this resort for families. Since this first initial trip, we’ve actually been two more times since we loved it so much.
If you are planning a trip to the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, here is my review of the 10 best things for families:
Food, food, and more food!
This is an all-inclusive resort and there is no shortage of food! I love that we were able to get food for my toddler on a whim and didn’t need to have backup snacks on us at all times. The rooms are filled with snacks and drinks which are free and replenished every day. The pool has a food truck and grills along with guys pedaling carts around offering delicious ceviche and other Mexican snacks. The restaurants range from casual to fancy with a ton of kid friendly options and no waiting for a table. There are also two buffets if you want something quick with more options than you’d know what to do with. And of course a late night snack area for those that still complain they are still hungry.
I love not having to take out my wallet when paying for any meal! That sits well with me mentally as I do not need to worry about what I am spending throughout the vacation. And since kids can sometimes be unpredictable with their meals, if they do not like (i.e., want) what they ordered, they can get something else with ease. I really feel like they did an unbelievable job offering food/drinks and not being stingy with the all-inclusive aspect.
My daughter also had a field day with the Pina Coladas! While I would never buy them for her if I had to pay full price, I love that they were included and such a novelty for her. I also had way more then I would have otherwise if I had to pay for them!
Room service
Room service is also included in the all-inclusive and the food was really good! We got breakfast delivered to our room almost every morning. It was so nice being able to wake up, call down for breakfast, and eat our food while we were all getting ready for the day. Being able to eliminate another sit down meal with the kids and was great and instead we could head straight to the pool. While we only took advantage of room service for breakfast, you could order it at any time during the day, or middle of the night! While we kept our kids out late at night, for families that have an early bed time for kids, ordering room service for dinner could come in quite handy!
Candy store
This might have been my toddlers favorite part of the trip! And actually, it might have been mine too! There is a full fledge candy store at the resort. One might assume that a candy store is a great way for the resort to earn some extra money, but NOPE! There is no charge for any of the candy. Have as much as you want! There is candy, ice cream, cookies, chocolate fountains, you name it!
Kids Club
There is an awesome Kid’s Club for children 4-12. It is open from 9am-9pm and you can drop your children off as much as you want for no extra charge! There was an awesome pool area with slides and water fountains and a relaxing indoor play space with toys and activities. I also saw some of the babysitters playing soccer with a few kids on the side.
Since my children are too young for drop off, we didn’t use it too much, but did attend the family hours. For families with younger kids or for those that want to hang out in the Kids Club with their age appropriate kids, they have hour long family slots three times a day (on Sundays instead of 1 hour slots, 3x a day, they offer 1 three hour slot in the morning). I saw kids begging their parents to take them to the Kids Club and never wanting to leave when they were there. The babysitters seemed attentive and overall great.
Great pools
Since the Hyatt Ziva Cancun is on a peninsula, there are really two different sides of the hotel with both of them having its own separate pool and beach. One of the pools was more lively with music, water volleyball, games, etc. The other pool was a little more mellow, which was perfect for those wanting a little more relaxation. Both pools, however, were great with kids.
The resort allows you to have floats, balls, whatever you want in the water. This allowed kids to have a blast in the water with no strict rules. They actually even provide a ton of lounge floats so you do not need to bring or buy your own. Both pools also have a ton of shallow areas where toddlers can play and sit and not drown. The more lively pool also had a swim up bar which was fun for everyone! The pools are large and you never felt on top of anyone.
Calm waters
Going to a beach with massive waves totally can be quite scary for my toddler. While my husband would totally prefer jumping in the waves (and I am sure so would many older kids), I love that my daughter was willing to go into the ocean since there were no waves that would knock her down. Keep in mind though that there are little fish in the water, but that did not bother my daughter and instead we would “feed the fishy” with the sand.
The resort also provides kayaks, paddle boards for guests, and snorkels (no charge), but you do have to be at least 10 years old. That part was a bummer as my husband really wanted to take my daughter out on a kayak.
Evening shows
Every night at around 8pm there was an evening show. My daughter loved them and quite honestly if when my baby wasn’t sleeping through them, he enjoyed the music and lights as well! While they were not up to the Las Vegas caliber of shows, they kept us entertained and gave us something to do. This was much better then sitting in the hotel room and watching toddler friendly shows!
Cabanas and huts
Since we had my 8 month old son with us, the option to have a cabana at the pool and hut on the beach was great. There is no fee for the cabanas or huts, which means they are first come first serve. There is also no reservation system. While the cabanas are limited, if you get there early enough (which isn’t hard to do with a baby!) you can probably snag one. I also saw people leaving throughout the day as well, so getting a cabanas for some portion of the day is feasible.
You also might be able to get a pool boy to hold one for you, but I do not believe it is an official policy. The bigger the tip, the higher the chances of getting one, maybe? I am not really sure. On the flip side, we found that getting a hut on the beach was extremely easy. There are a ton of them and no matter the time of day, we never had a hard time finding an empty one. Both the cabanas and huts are large and provide some nice shade from the sun. 
A huge resort for kids to run and play
The resort was enormous. For those that do not like to or are not able to walk a lot, this is probably not appealing, but we love it. My daughter is adventurous and likes to run around. There was so much space for her to do this both on the resort and on the beach — both at the private and public area of the Hyatt Ziva Cancun. It also allowed us to take nice walks with the stroller to get my son down for a nap without having to do circles around the same pool every single day. 
You do no have to leave the resort
Th Hyatt Ziva Cancun was made so you absolutely do not need to leave. Of course, if you want to experience Cancun there is a ton to do right outside of the hotel walls, but you really do not have to. For those with a family, this is probably a nice perk. For my family, we were perfectly content hanging out at the beach and pool all day!
Overall…
We absolutely love this resort and cannot wait to go back. While we did not experience Cancun at all, we did not really care. We actually could have been at any warm weather destination, but the resort was what really made it for us! We just found it to be a super easy vacation, especially with kids! It was a carefree vacation (as much as it can be with 2 little kids!) with sun, beach, pool, and a ton of food and pina coladas!
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Sounds like a lot of fun! I also have two kids (ages 6 and 4). I’m sure they’d love it. Are you able to use points to book for four people? Would the certificates you get from the credit card work as well? Thanks for the help!
The annual certificates do not work but we booked 4 nights at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos using the 2 nights anywhere sign-up perk and that worked fine.
Looks great. I highly recommend the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos as well. For all the similar reasons. Only drawback there is the ocean is less friendly. It is closer though from the west coast.
Thanks! I’ve read that you can use the certificates from the sign up bonus, so just making sure. Read that if using points it’s 25k plus 12.5k extra for each kid. Figured it would make for a good use of a certificate.
@Travis – You absolutely can use the free night certificates from the sign up bonus. The free night certificates includes 2 adults plus 2 kids I believe, you do not pay extra for kids when using the free night certificates. If you are looking to use points, it is 25,000 points (which includes 2 adults), then an extra 12,500 points per child between the ages of 3-12. This hotel is a great way to use the free nights from the sign up bonus!
You are correct, no extra charge for the children when using the sign-up bonus certificates.
You didn’t post anything about the rooms? How was the fit? I also have two kids, 9 and 2 year old girls.
Ziva Los Cabos has worked for us because all rooms have a sofa-bed and they are fairly spacious. Wondering about Cancun? We also got upgraded 3 of last 4 visits (we go a lot 🙂 ) thanks to the Hyatt credit card but that perk is going away thanks to the crappy new Hyatt program.
Thanks
Checking one more time…Anything you can share about the rooms? Tight for 2adults/2kids?
Thanks
@Brian – I am so sorry for not responding earlier. I have Diamond status so was upgraded to a suite, so unfortunately cannot say anything about a standard room. With that being said, I really think it depends on the family and age of the kids. I know there are some rooms with two double beds or a king room with a pull out sofa.
Hi- any recommendations on traveling with your 8 month old? Did you pack all your own food? Did you use one of their cribs or bring a pack n play? Can you put them in a float in the pool? I could ask millions of questions 🙂
@Andrea – Feel free to email me and I’m happy to answer all questions! But from the above, here you go:
1. I did bring with me my own food from home for my 8 month old. Just brought a ton of the squeeze packs and a box of oatmeal. I also feel like at that age they can skip meals easily as well.
2. I did use the hotels crib, but it is small! My 8 month old is tiny and I feel like he outgrew it. I’d personally email them and ask if they have any bigger cribs available (not only mini cribs). If not, I’d bring a pack n play (unless your baby is a better sleeper then mine and would do fine in a mini mini crib!)
3. You can put any pool floats you want in the water! I brought my own. At the hotel they charge an arm and a leg.
I was wondering about special things that kiddos might get at this resort? Some resorts stock the mini-bar with chocolate milk/kids snacks, have an xbox in the room, kids robes, welcome bag with sandtoys….can we expect anything like this here?
@Lesley – Not really. The mini bar was stocked with candy. In some of the lounge restaurants there were x-boxes and games available.
I know this is an old post, but I need help.
I’m looking at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun and was wondering if you had to add your infant (at the time) to the website reservation?
I have 2 under 2 and I’m having a hard time finding a room for a family of 5 but I read somewhere said that I only need to list children over 3.
Not sure if I need to list my 2 kids under 2 or not when booking.
Thank you in advance!
@Vanessa – I’ve been twice and never added any of my children on at the time of making my reservation. I would book and leave your 2 toddlers off the reservation.