Overview

The Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun was an adults only property (Secrets Silversands) until it was rebranded by Hyatt as a family property. They added some kid (and adult) friendly features such as the kids club, splash pad and water slides, updated some areas and made an adult only pool close to the spa and gym area. The resort itself is super close to Cancun airport which is great after a day of flying to hit the resort within 25 minutes after getting on the transfer.

Rooms

The rooms were very large, big showers and tubs with some decent views. I mean you can get lucky with the garden or water park view and get an ocean view but if you need that ocean, make sure to book appropriately! This brand also has a bedding guarantee, so if you book a double, you will get a double and the same goes with a king size bed. The rooms had daily snacks, beer, pop and cooler type drinks that were stocked in a timely manner. Also they have Nespresso machines in the room, good coffee but just small cups!!

Food

The meals were great, we just had some bad luck for the a la cartes as the busy season hadn’t hit yet and two of them were closed. The French, Mexican and Japanese all had amazing service and great food. They were accommodating as best they could. We like the reservation free dining, but may be a miss to others, just a note if you are coming here! The Buffet had fresh cooked food to order as well as buffet type food. We were mostly here for breakfast and one dinner and had good meals each time! The lunch bar was a great little spot. Burgers, hotdogs and pizza. It can get busy with the pizzas as they are made to order and fire baked so they can get backlogged! Now our favorite was the Taco restaurant… Open late morning to late afternoon and had great tacos!! Also a great view of the sea to go with it! We ate here almost everyday!

Pools

They are in plenty. We spent most of our time by the volleyball net when we were in the pool, a little quiet corner for the kids to jump and play. They do have a couple pools sound the sides of the resort that were totally empty and good for a quiet spot to throw the ball around. We also spent our fair share of time at the waterslides, they do have an area to swim in for the kids, but the downfall would be the lack of shade in the area. We may have broken the rules and pulled an umbrella over, but with tipping of the wait staff for our drinks, it seemed to be a non issue! They did allow little tubes and double up down the open slides, but the two closed slides were a little quicker. They also had a lifeguard sitting at the top the whole time. We did also walk around and found the adults only pool which was super quiet, and then there is a pool where the ledge is perfect for chairs that seemed to get busy.

Entertainment

The shows were geared mostly to families, which is super for us. The kids loved the nightly show and we went every night, some being better than others for sure! They did also have an activity during the days, mechanical bull, reverse bungy etc, that was included which was great for the kids. The kids club had a set schedule which was nice for the kids to come and go, as well as a weekly movie night, no parents!! They loved it! Not much for the adults, the resort pretty much shuts down at 11pm, although they did have a sports bar we never made it to, as I am too old! A couple other cool things they did, was have a big screen for the World Cup, again we didn’t partake but cool they do that. I am sure for big events like superbowl etc they would do it as well! They did have little acoustic bands and singing around in the evening as well as a karaoke a couple nights but again shut down at 11pm.

Beach

A little bit of a downfall here, but we had some great afternoons on the beach! The wind would stir up the bottom making it murky but not the fault of the resort. On the days the wind was not straight east, the water cleared right up and we got some snorkeling in, which was great for the kids as it was nice and shallow for them to practice. The sea grasses get some fish and conch which is cool for them to find and explore! Mostly, if you come in expecting an amazing beach you will be disappointed, but if you know what to expect, you can really enjoy it!

Things to do!!

We went out with the kids to Puerto Morelos, and wanted to fish and snorkel. We found a good price, on a date we can work but our bad luck, it was super windy and made it super rough… Only a couple of us survived without feeding the fish so we turned back early. If you can stay within the reef in the area, you would have much better luck for some snorkeling, so that is a great option. You can also get out to the “parks” or I would recommend a Cenote visit and to see the Ruins which can be accessible from the resort, just a longer day! You have some great options around, just all depends on what you want on your vacation!!

Final Thoughts

We had an amazing time, great food, and were never bored, Our stay was great. It is definitely a viable option for family vacations as well as multigenerational and weddings! I personally would look elsewhere for a couples trip as the price point is such that you can get a nice place without the kid geared resort!!

By Scott Harvey