Hyatt Ziva Cancun on Points

Pam

Last year, Alex and I went to Cancun on a mission. We wanted to compare the Hyatt Zilara and the Hyatt Ziva for our readers. The Hyatt Ziva was our favorite. This year we made a return trip to Hyatt Ziva Cancun on points. We knew it was the perfect place to bring Alex’s boys, so we couldn’t wait for it to happen. My husband and I went with all of them to Maui last year, so he got invited to come too. He’s the boy’s best playmate anyway, so that makes it fun for them too! If you want to hear more about traveling to Mexico on points and miles, listen to this episode of our PODCAST!

 

 

Flights

Alex used her Southwest Companion Pass for 2 people (they have two right now) and paid 43K per person in Southwest Rapid Rewards for 3 other seats. Her youngest was a lap child. She spent $34 per person going there in taxes and fees and $57 to return per person. 

 

We usually fly United with miles from one of our United Credit Cards. It is nonstop for us, and because we both have elite status with United, our economy class seats get upgraded to economy plus every time. This makes it a very comfortable 3-hour trip.

 

We used 28.2K miles and $93.72 in taxes and fees for each ticket. Hyatt Ziva Cancun on points includes some dollars too. Those pesky taxes and fees run a little higher in Mexico. Breakfast at the airport was free as we used our Platinum Card® from American Express to enter the Centurion Lounge in Denver.

Cancun Hyatt Ziva

The star of this trip is this all-inclusive resort. This resort will run you 25K points per night for 2 people. Additional people are 12.5K points a night. Alex needed two rooms because there were 6 of them. She paid 50K a night for 4 people and two rooms. Her youngest is under three and free, and she paid $110 daily for her 6-year-old. She booked one room for 3 (including the baby, so she was charged for two) and the other room for two. Then at check-in, she paid $550 for her 6-year-old. She could have used points, but her 12.5K points are worth more than $110, so she opted to pay cash. 

My husband and I used 25K points per night for our 5-night stay. We transferred those points to Hyatt from our favorite credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred. 125K points gave us a nice room, nightly entertainment, and included all our food and beverages for 5 nights. That is attainable by one couple each getting that one card – pretty sweet!

Sometimes people write to us and can’t find availability to book those 25K rooms. If you run into that problem, one trick is to not put a whole week in at a time. There may be one night of no availability, and it is kicking it all out. Check out one night at a time. You will find the offending night and can then adjust around that night. Being flexible in your dates increases your chances of finding award availability, as does booking ahead of time. We booked about 9 months out and had no problems. 

Unfortunately, Hyatt has raised the category level of this resort and it will cost 50K/night to stay here but it is still an unbelievable value!

 

Our Stay

Food

We all agree. The food is really good at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, and there are many options. There are three places you can have breakfast, but we opted for the buffet every single day so we could all get our favorites. I love the omelet station and crepe station. One grandson loves tacos and guacamole for breakfast. My husband loves all the fresh fruit options and the rib roast or ham carving station. Chilaquiles? You can find them there. Smoothies? Of course! Seriously, they have a HUGE variety of food available for breakfast there. Love churros? They make them fresh every day from a little stand!

Some of our favorite lunch and dinner places were:

  • Lorenzo’s
  • Tres CerveZas
  • Tradewinds
  • Chevy’s
  • Habaneros

 

We didn’t even make it to Moongate or La Bastille, and we heard they are both really good. Additionally, for lunch, they had popup restaurants around the pools serving burgers, salads, fruit, fresh fish, nachos, tacos, and so much more.

 

Hyatt Ziva poolside drinks

These boys loved the endless poolside drinks!

 

Our absolute favorite “restaurant” was Pasteles – so many sweet treats! The grandsons were in heaven grabbing ice cream, popcorn, gummy worms, etc., several times a day. I must admit that I found my way there a couple of times a day too! Getting all the food and beverages you want is one of our favorite parts of the trip! 

 

Young boy holding popcorn and candy

This little guy loved the trips to Pasteles!

 

Rooms

My husband and I paid 25K/night for our room, and Alex and Mitch got two rooms for 50K/night. Each room comes with a minibar full of drinks and some snacks, too (all of which are included in the price and restocked daily). You can also order room service any time of day for free. We got a few pizzas, guac, and chips a couple of times when the kids were hungry.

 

king room Hyatt Ziva

Alex’s room included a welcome back note and balloons!

 

view from room Hyatt Ziva

View from our resort view room

 

Service

The service is impeccable at this resort. They are so willing to help you in any way possible and are beyond kind. Tipping isn’t expected, but we tipped, and they were always so appreciative.

 

Entertainment

Nightly entertainment near the main pool is definitely geared toward families, and the children loved it. There was a 
Disney Night, Acrobats, 80’s Neon Night, etc. We also enjoyed sax-playing by the pool and singing groups during the day. One day they had a bunch of children’s games set out in one of the main hallways for the kids to play. “Swimming with the dolphins” is also available for an additional fee.

 

Bottom Line

Would I make a third trip to  Hyatt Ziva Cancun on points? Without a doubt! Of course, my grandsons would have a fit if they couldn’t come. There are many Hyatt All-Inclusive resorts, though, and I want to try a few of them. I need to start earning more Ultimate Rewards to transfer to Hyatt for sure!

 

 

 

 

Hr and beach with palm trees

Share this post

  1. Cassie Walls says:

    Good evening. I’m a little confused. How did you get the rooms for $25K?

  2. Victoria Hawkins says:

    Hey
    How was the beach at the Ziva in Mexico?

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