One of my favorite treats is the Cronut, a delicious combination of two great things. The first part is the croissant, light, flakey and sophisticated; the second part is the donut, just a fun food … get it? Cronut. While the team at the new Hyatt Ziva Cancun didn’t use these words when they invited me to visit the property, that was their message. “Our new resort combines two great things, luxury and a family-friendly all-inclusive.” Two great things that are often thought of separately, and are very hard to combine.
I was intrigued and excited to check it out for myself. And as it was a two-pronged approach, who was I to assess the kids' side, so I brought my 10-year-old daughter for that perspective. Between us, we’d decide if the resort was indeed the elusive “Cronut”.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a resort say they are a “non-luxury” resort, so I take the claim with a grain of salt. Getting out of the cab, I could see that the claim is pretty much immediately justified. The new open-air lobby is grand and crisp with see-through views of the ocean from the get-go. Check-in was fast and easy and we were escorted to our room by a friendly staffer. The escort is needed as there are towers and the original building with a pyramid shape. We stayed in the pyramid in an ocean view double. The room was spacious, clean and modern. Our view of the ocean from the private balcony was transfixing, and the bathroom was “spa-like”.
Speaking of spas, the Spa at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun is one of the most dramatic ones I’ve ever seen. The common space has soaring ceilings above the soaking pools and lounges, and the treatment rooms are about as big as I’ve ever seen. And this is not a minor point. Often massage tables are crowded into small rooms where the therapist is bumping into things and you feel the crowding. Not here, the spacious rooms make for an even more relaxing experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZEmiegT8zc
The food also lived up to the high expectations. El Mercado buffet is where we ate breakfast each day and the choices seemed endless. Even my finicky daughter was able to find plenty of food to her taste. We had dinner at Tradewinds steakhouse where I had a surprisingly good steak, and Maddie enjoyed her chicken.
Based on our stay, I can report that the promise of luxury was fulfilled - the croissant of my Cronut was in place - halfway there. How about the donut? The family-fun and kid-friendly side of the resort?
One of the first signs of the thought put into the family-friendly aspect of the property is the sweet shop Pasteles. Did we mention this is included in the all-inclusive? Ice cream, cotton candy, chocolate covered treats, fondue and more mean that your kids may never want to leave. This place takes “save room for dessert” to extreme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKOLpydOFtA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKOLpydOFtA
Before heading to Pasteles, check out Chevy’s, a classic diner with a central booth that’s actually a Chevy. Fare is very kid-friendly with staples like burgers, chicken fingers, fries, shakes and the like. If your kids are old enough, send them here and head for one of the fancier restaurants by yourself!
We checked out the kids club, which looked great for the single digit set, but Maddie at age 10 declared herself too old. I think if there were other 10-year-olds there (as there are during school breaks) she would have been more inclined to hang out. We were also there a bit too early to partake in the Delphinus Experience with the dolphins. Based on what we saw, it will be a do-not-miss, family-friendly aspect of the resort.
Together, Maddie and I had a great time, so I’d say we can check off the family-friendly box and “donut” to make our cronut complete. As our trip wound down, I was checking my phone/email, and my daughter was looking at hers. As we were waiting for lunch to be served, my phone dinged with a new text alert. I opened it see a text from my daughter, with just two words … ”THANK YOU”.
