Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta

4 Elaina Genthe - 4 days ago

If you’re on the fence about staying here after reading the reviews - do it. What really makes this hotel special are the people working there. 95% are so friendly and welcoming. Some stand out staff: Johanna from beach yoga in the mornings, Hector from Blaze who escorted us with an umbrella to a covered space when it was down pouring, Alejandro at the adult pool bar who brought everyone a round even after the bar closed because we were all still in the pool, and Arturo at the front desk.
Others are right that the food is hit and miss. As a vegetarian, I found my best options for breakfast at the buffet, lunch at the buffet or at the adult pool near the turtle bar (order the nachos!), and Pureza (Asian) and Blaze (steakhouse) for dinner. Under no circumstances should you take food from the area near the Club Tower bar… it sits there for hours and is disgusting. For perspective, we met other people at this resort who are avid all-inclusive people and they said the food here is the best they’ve ever had at an all-inclusive. So it’s probably good to set your standards low.
The beach is incredible. We were able to swim 3 out of the 4 days we were there. One day the waves were too big because a hurricane had passed by the area. The day after that we had the best waves I’ve ever experienced in my life! And the rest of the days they were average. The beach vendors are annoying but if you just say “No thanks” they will move on.
We paid extra to be in the club tower with a jetted tub on the balcony and never used it because it looked so old and gross. It was clean but unappealing. It was also almost 90 degrees and muggy everyday we were there so we preferred to be in the beach or pool. The club rooms are worth it though for access to the premium liquor, but they don’t check if you are in the club rooms before serving you…
Overall, this place is amazing and we would return again. The staff are amazing and once you find your groove with the food choices it’s worth it.

1 Megan Little - 2 months ago

1. Room
After moving our trip twice to book a swim-up pool room we were surprised when we walked to our room and it was not a swim-up pool room. When we checked in the front desk staff did not tell us that there was construction happening and that we could not have the room we booked. Instead they 'upgraded us' and put us in a different room with a balcony, but slipped us a note that also said that we couldn't use the balcony from 8-6 every day due to the construction projects that were happening. Basically making our room a regular old room, with no view. When we asked to be switched to another room they said there was nothing that could be done, they were full. During our 5-night stay, we saw guests in swim-up rooms in the other tower, so we know at some point the rooms were available. There was nothing fancy or special about the rooms. They felt like a normal hotel room. On the third day, we were locked out of our room because our cards were not programmed for our entire stay. Security came within 30 minutes to let us in/ get us new key cards, but it seems like something that could have been completely avoided. The sliding door to our room wouldn't close, which made the noise from the construction even louder than it should have been.

2. Food
The food was mediocre, and multiple restaurants were closed during our stay due to construction happening. My husband and I both got food poisoning towards the end of our trip. I also follow a gluten-free/dairy-free diet, I contacted the hotel and let them know ahead of time, and still had trouble communicating with the staff at the restaurants. While they say they can accommodate these diets, they need to provide more education and training for their staff on what food allergies are and how they can harm someone.

Staff
Although tipping is included, it feels like they are working extra hard for tips. Whenever you get up to leave a table they rush to say goodbye and it feels like they are looking for tips. If you decide to spend time in the beach chairs you will not get frequent service unless you tip after every drink. We were fine to get our own drinks most of the time anyway, and the beach was not very relaxing with people soliciting/ trying to sell you stuff (jewelry, blankets, hats, drugs etc) every 15 minutes.

Overall
There is nothing special about this hotel. It is not worth the money, especially when you do not get the room you booked. When we contacted corporate we were offered points. We would have rather had a refund, but that wasn't an option. We have friends who were supposed to go in August for a wedding and after we shared our experience they canceled their trip.

3 Dan Wendorf - 4 months ago

First the bad..
The room we booked (swim up suite) online was under renovation when we arrived. The manager gave us a ocean view room and knocked one night off which made us feel a bit better, but the only reason we booked this hotel was for that room. Plus I'm sure they knew about this sooner but didn't tell us until we were there checking in which I thought was kinda shady. The room we got was okay. The shower was horrible and the TV speaker was blown out. The elevators didn't work half the time and when we went to check out they didn't work at all and we had to haul our 50+ pounds suitcases down 9 floors of stairs. Not ideal. The building itself needs renovation. The grounds were nice though some of the shrubbery was overgrown and needed tending. I wouldn't even bring up most of these things but for the price we paid to stay there I would expect better conditions.

The good... the view. The view made the problems of our room and hotel in general bearable. The location right on the beach was amazing and hearing the waves as you slept was awesome. The food was amazing. I'll say that again.. the food was amazing with exception of the Mexican restaurant which we didn't care for as much. The Italian and Asian restaurants were amazing. The staff was the most friendly staff we've encountered on our travels. Amazing people! The drinks were great! Well mixed and balanced. Even the people on the beach selling their wares were amazing! Say hi to David and be sure to talk to Eazy if you go! All in all it was a great place to visit even with the confusion of the room and some of the conditions of the hotel. We enjoyed our stay and will probably return at some point in the near future!

3 Peter - 3 months ago

The good are the location and service. Awesome beach with wildlife and activities. It was beautiful and a lot of fun.

The food was okay. The Mexican food was always excellent, but honestly I'd shy away from just about everything else. The Asian restaurant was plain bad, the Mexican restaurant and steakhouse were pretty good depending on what you order.

A majority of the service was great. Front desk workers and most of the waiting staff were awesome. Occasionally you'd get someone who was a little rude or short but overall pretty happy with that.

We stayed in a standard king, not the club side of the resort. It's pretty run down. The room was fine overall but nothing special. Needed paint and renovations. Tiny TV not that we really used it. The air conditioning is ridiculously loud and blasting 24/7 because it's unable to keep up with the heat. Our room would be 25-26*C much of the day and into the night even though we had the thermostat set lower.

The elevators though... I didn't know I could hate elevators as much as I hated those. Most of the time it seemed like only one was functional for the whole building, and the one that worked was small, incredibly slow, and liked to close on people as they run through the doors, even if you try to hold it open. We spent a lot of time waiting for an elevator or climbing 8 flights of stairs because there was always a huge queue of people waiting. Wished we didn't get "upgraded" from our ground floor room we booked.

We honestly never used a pool. They looked packed and small, but luckily the beach was excellent so there's no reason to, unlike Cabo (our other Hyatt all inclusive experience).

All in all, I wouldn't mind spending a few days here again but would like to see some upgrades before coming back.

5 DJ Sharma - 2 months ago

I have traveled a lot but this place hands down gave me the best vacation of my life. Traveling with kids and a senior citizen is a lot to manage but the super friendly and helpful staff made the whole experience extremely smooth. From the amazing views from the room to the quiet beach which is just 5 steps away, from the world class spa to the authentic restaurants, from the infinitely pools to the numerous bars every step of the way this place offered more things than you can imagine.

I read a review which talked about tipping so I’ll go ahead provide my view point on it. There were times I didn’t have my wallet on me so I couldn’t tip and there were times I so appreciated the extra touch the staff provided that I did tip them. However, regardless of being tipped or not their commitment and service was beyond expectations. From my perspective if I have spent thousands of dollars for this then spending another $100 over my stay on tips is nothing but it can definitely make someone’s day, specially when they feel appreciated for their job.

I would give 7 stars if provided an option.

4 Bojana Korach - 5 months ago

I gave this hotel 4 stars because my family and I had the best time. The hotel’s location is superb. It has its own private beach. Views from the rooms are breathtaking. Pools are heated. Staff is warm and friendly. Entertainment during the day and night is fun. The hotel is only a ten minute drive to Zona Romantica which is very convenient when you decide to venture out. I gave the hotel 4 stars because there were a few minor things that could be improved. For example: elevators were on and off, the building itself seemed a little run down, plastic cover under the sheets makes the bed very uncomfortable and food overall has room for improvement. Our favorite restaurant was Pureza which has an Asian inspired menu. Overall, waking up to an ocean beneath your fingertips and sound of waves crashing is priceless. It makes any hotel’s flaws seems so petty in comparison.

5 Nancy Harm - 5 months ago

Wedding planner, VALENTINA was so incredibly accommodating and made our special day the most beautiful day of our lives!! She went above and beyond all of our expectations and was so professional!! Very organized wedding department and we couldn’t find one thing to complain about!!! Incredible service!! We will recommend to all of our friends to travel to this resort. Best service, food, and well ran resort. Just beautiful!! Loved our experience every single day!!!
If I could steal one person to work for me it would be Valentina in the Wedding department… She is obviously a great asset to your whole wedding department!!!! I will never forget what she did to make our 3rd booking (due to covid) do remarkable????????