Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta Review

By Ramon

Ramon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. ​​

Downtown Puerto Vallarta

Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta Overview
Our first trip together to an all inclusive was a mixed bag. The views and beach experience at this resort were spectacular though the all-inclusive experience at this resort didn't meet our expectations.
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Pros- Spectacular ocean views, private beach, suites with outdoor jacuzzi, outdoor dining, complimentary room service, strong drink selection, large selection of activities, huge selection of pools, swim up bar

Cons- Inconsistent service, tasteless and bland Mexican food, pricey rooms and suites, expensive transportation and spa options, high humidity, poor elite recognition

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Booking
We​ travelled to Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta in March 2020 about one week before most of the world shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic. We didn't know it at the time but it was our last trip for about a year and a half until vaccines were widely available. 

In February 2020 we booked a Garden King for $350 per night. We chose the Hyatt Ziva because it was an all-inclusive and we were looking for an escape to warm weather and relaxation after a few stressful months. The AAA rate ended up being the same as the member rate and the member rate was less than the promotion rate so we just booked the member rate. We also decided not to book a private transfer since it was just the two of us and it would have cost $125 for two people. 

Eight days before our arrival I received a pre-arrival upgrade offer with various options to request an upgrade to a room at a reduced price. The options ranged from $59-$83 but did not include an offer a suite or junior suite. This meant that is I accepted any of these offers I would be accepting something I was already entitled too as a Hyatt elite member so we passed. 

​I was really looking forward to this experience since I had a great stay for the bachelor party at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun though this ended up not being as solid of a stay as the Hyatt Zilara Cancun because of the difference in the quality of the food.

Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta Entrance Sign

Check In
​We arrived at the resort via Uber and when we pulled up to the resort, we were required to give our names to the guard who cross checked our name on the guest list and then asked for the name of the driver and her license. 

​This definitely added to the sense of the privacy at the resort since not only were we behind a gate but the resort was locked in a private cove with a private beach. 

Lobby

When we got out of the car, I gave my name to the bellhop who matched it to his list and sent us to check in at the Hyatt elite status desk. This is the desk used for all Hyatt elite levels and was less grand than the separate area at the Zilara Cancun. One of the benefits given in Cancun was a welcome toast, however, we were not offered a beverage at check-in here. We were given the full list of amenities for elites which included access to the club lounge, a preferred room within type booked, a 10% discount on room upgrade to another room, 10% discount on tours, 10% discount on upgraded wines and lobster.

​As part of the check-in process we were given the opportunity to upgrade from our base level Garden View room to a Jacuzzi Suite for an additional $90 a night versus the normal cost of an additional $150 or to upgrade to a swim up suite for an additional $120 a night. We decided to go with the Jacuzzi Suite because we heard bad reviews about the rooms in the old building. We wanted and ended up appreciating the privacy of the Jacuzzi Suite over the exposure of the swim up suite.

We ended up finding this to a be a good decision since the “garden view” rooms were essentially rooms with views of the parking lot. We ended up getting a lot of use out of our jacuzzi and enjoyed the amazing views from our room on the 17th floor. I also really appreciated that Hyatt recognizes even low-level elite as the resort sent us a bottle of sparkling wine for just being a Discoverist elite. Though this palled in comparison to the bottle of sparkling wine we received during my trip to Cancun. 

However, I was disappointed because in Cancun the worst room is still a junior suite and all have ocean views so there would be no need for the upgrade. Since we upgraded our room wasn’t ready yet but we were told to come back in about an hour. They held our bags at check-in instead of bringing them to the room and also it was weird that they did not allow us to check in at the other towers check-in desks since were now in the new tower.

Club Ocean Front Hot Tub King
Our upgraded room (1755) was in the newer club tower on the top floor. 

Old Tower

New Club Tower

When we walked off of the elevator we were already impressed by the amazing view. The hallways have windows which were left open during our entire stay to let in the cool breeze and right off the elevators give access to the spectacular view which I heard one guest describe as a postcard.  These views continued in our room as were one of the best features of the room. We were treated to amazing sunsets every day and on our last morning an amazing sunrise since the other mornings were cloudy. ​

Hallway in New Tower

The suite was really large and had a big flatscreen TV, we never used, a separate sitting area with a couch and table with two chairs. The suite itself had amazing decor and was in good condition. It had lots of wood paneling and a circular curved ceiling with a fan. While the room had air conditioning (AC), the ceiling fan proved critical for the very humid nights when humidity reached 96%. Even when we turned on the AC the humidity was still unbearable and we had to turn on the fan.

The bathroom was also very nice with marble countertops a closet and four shelves one of which had a safe. The bathroom also had sliding doors. In additional it also had a separate toilet room for privacy which I really appreciated. The room also had two snacks in a drawer which looked really sad and we did not touch. 

The shower was also really nice and had both a handheld and rainforest shower head. The water pressure was very good. Though I think the Kenneth MD (Zilara/Ziva shower amenities) were only average when compared to other hotels. 

Shower

The really amazing part of the room was the jacuzzi, which we used three times and found well worth the upgrade. It was on the balcony along with another table and set of wooden chairs. The hot tub was definitely only big enough to only fit two people. It filled up with turn dials and we found it easy to use as it had a button to turn on jets. The only issue we had with it was that on the day we were checking out we woke up and found that it was leaking water through the faucet and seemed to have been leaking for hours. It was amazing to be able to view the sunset from our deck and get warm when it got chilly late at night. ​​

Amenities and Activities 
Beach and Pools
The resort is located directly on a private beach and offered stunning views. During our time there we jogged along the beach and swam on one occasion. However, the water was still a little too cold in March to enjoy the ocean. Because of the cold water most of the other guests also swam in the pools over the ocean. The biggest frustration of the beach and our stay were the beach vendors. Every day that we went to the beach there were vendors bothering us and trying to hawk items. I was really surprised that the vendors weren't kicked off of the beach since it was a private beach and security knew each person staying at the resort. 

The hotel also featured four infinity pools, a kid-friendly pool, and a swim up bar. We enjoyed these multiple times a day and they were refreshing because of the very humid climate in Puerto Vallarta. I once again loved the swim up bar and I think it may be my favorite amenity at all-inclusive resorts. During our stay the pools were full of people during the middle of the day but quieter in the early morning. The pool also offered stunning ocean views. 

Gym, Salon, and Spa
The resort also had a gym, salon, and spa. We used the gym once during our stay and we were the only people there. It had a wide variety of equipment including ellipticals, treadmills, and weights. We didn't try the gym or the salon but the wide variety of offerings seemed expensive relative to the lower cost of living in Mexico. 

Resort Activities
The resort offered a wide variety of beach and water activities during the day and at least one activity each night. The beach activities included beach volleyball and kayaking. Though we ended up wanting to relax and didn't try any of these beach and ocean activities.

Activities Center

During our stay other activities included a movie night, dance party, and multiple shows. The fun part about the movie night was that it was set up with a projector on the beach. When we walked by no one was watching the movie but if we had a young child with us, I think this would have been a fun activity

Movie on the Beach

Dance Party

One night the show featured fire and on another night, it featured acrobats by the pool. Both of these shows were packed with people and entertaining. 

Visiting Downtown Puerto Vallarta
Because we were staying at an all-inclusive and looking for a relaxing vacation we only ventured out once to Puerto Vallarta. My overall impression of the city is that it was a sleepy beach town with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and expats. As is often the case on our trips I was saddened by the significant development downtown and in the tourist areas, contrasted with the poor conditions on the outskirts of town where I assume many of the workers live.

Dining
​During our stay the resort had vast array of dining options including five restaurants, a coffee shop, sports bar, club lounge, and room service.
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Blaze (American and Mexican)
This was the resort's seafood restaurant where we went for lunch on first day and later for breakfast. It had a blend of Mexican and American seafood and I found the food wholly unimpressive.

When we got there the first day Christina ordered a fish taco and while the fish was good the tortilla wasn’t tasty and they automatically served it on a flour tortilla instead of a corn one without asking. She had to ask afterwards specifically for corn which came back and tasted much better.  

I ordered the steak tacos but they were boring and flavorless. Everything at this restaurant felt like it was made blander for the American pallet to be non-offensive to any American or Canadian pallet since there were many Canadian tourists. 

Also, the service here was terrible. When we sat down, we were asked if we wanted anything to drink before we even had a chance to look at the menu. I asked for more time and that server never came back and instead another server came by our table.

The same bland food and terrible service continued as breakfast which showed this restaurant continually delivered bad food and service. I ordered the Huevos y Asada and found it again to be very bland. Christina ordered some Mexican breads and was given three croissants and a turnover once again showing how they served inauthentic and bland version of Mexican food. 

The best part of the breakfast was the drinks including the Mexican hot chocolate and fresh juice which were really good and I found that to be a theme throughout the resort. The drinks were consistently really good while the food was generally bad or bland. The only other positive about this restaurant was its ocean views.  

Casa Grande (Mexican)
This was the resort’s flagship Mexican restaurant. It was really large with a bar and then a big dining area at the back with a stage at the center.  The restaurant had a lot of decorations and a thatched roof. Inside the room were Spanish clay tiles. Christina found the decorations to be over the top and tacky. In general, we found the Mexican food we ordered to be average and again bland. Also, we found the service to be average at best. Though once again we did really like our drinks which this time were margaritas. ​

Melanzane (Italian)
We visited this restaurant one day for lunch. The restaurant is right next to the main pool and open for lunch and dinner serving Italian food. It offered a range of pizza and pasta for lunch. We ended up sharing a margherita pizza which was really good. It was served warm, fresh, with a thin crust, and had flavor. It was funny that the Italian food was better than the Mexican food at this Mexican resort.

Vivaz (Buffet)
This was the busiest restaurant on the property and served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We found that this restaurant consistently offered above average food and better service than everywhere other than Puerza. Even though it was a buffet the servers offered to retrieve drinks and food for guests and constantly checked if anything else was needed.

Pureza (Asian)
We found this restaurant which is only open for dinner to be the most impressive. It is located next to Kids Club on the opposite end of the beach from Blaze. The setting is very sophisticated with no walls and a thatched roof and wood floors which allowed us to feel the great ocean breeze and hear the ocean.
 
The service here was excellent with our server having indulged us by asking every question in Spanish and correcting us if we got any words wrong. 

He also checked back in with us several times when our dishes took longer than he expected.

The food here was also really good and we felt that they were delivering authentic Asian cuisine. I really liked the Satay and it tasted as good as the one we had in Singapore. My beef ribs were also amazing and cooked to perfection so they fell off of the bone. This was the best dish I had during the entire trip. 

Christina's Pad Thai was also good but made with tomato sauce which is not typical for Pad Thai. We finally finished off with fried ice cream which was really good. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here.

Deli (Coffee Shop)
This was a good spot for warm drinks at the resort and we constantly found the staff to be friendly. Also continuing the theme at this resort, the drinks were good. 

It also offered a variety of pastries focused on breads and cakes. The cakes I had I found bland but the bread particularly the chocolate bread was consistently good.  The biggest disappointment here was that it did not offer ice cream which was one of my favorite deserts at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun. We were told by other guests that the Deli used to offer ice cream so I am not sure what happened.

Hyghlightz (Sports Bar)
This is the resort's sports bar and we stopped in briefly to check it out. It offered what you would expect from a sports bar. Beer on tap and lots of televisions with sports on every television.

Room Service
The resort offered 24/7 room service and one afternoon we ordered room service for lunch. The order took about 30 minutes to arrive. I ordered a burger with bacon and found the taste to be bland and not flavorful. However, I was annoyed that after it arrived, we got a call to ask how long it took. There has to a better way to make sure they are evaluating how fast their service is without disturbing guests eating.

Club Lounge
​At check-in we were told that with our room in the club tower we had access to a club lounge with additional food offerings and a separate bar. Since this was an all-inclusive, I was curious what would be offered at this club lounge and it was very underwhelming. It was located on the first floor of the new tower and included a very small additional buffet selection. 

Service
​The service here can only be described as remarkably inconsistent. In some instances, the staff were friendly and went out of their way to provide good service. However, in other instances the service was slow and not friendly. It felt staff were just going through the motions. One example of the slow service was at the pool bars. The resorts had multiple pool bars but the servers were slow and not friendly. Often, we had to go to the bar to put in or check- in on our orders which should be unnecessary. I would say the service at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun blew this service out of the water. It is amazing even through both are Hyatt all-inclusive and owned by the same hotel operator Playa Hotels & Resorts​​.

Take Away
​Overall, I enjoyed our very relaxing stay at the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta. My biggest disappointment was the food which generally did not live up to the quality I experienced at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun. This was hard since the food is one of the most important components of an all-inclusive resort. However, the resort did make up for this with a strong drink selection, stunning ocean views, a jacuzzi on the balcony of our suite, a large selection of activities, and a huge number of pools. I don't think we would come back to Puerto Vallarta because I don't think there are enough activities outside of the resorts. However, if I came back to Puerto Vallarta, I would probably choose to stay at a non-all-inclusive so I could experience good Mexican cuisine.