This past weekend Mike, Mazzy, Harlow and I had the awesome opportunity to spend a long weekend at the all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva Cancun resort for their grand opening.
If you told me six years ago that blogging incessantly about my nine-month old’s sleep and poop habits would eventually get me a free family vacation in Cancun, I would have thought you had lost your mind… but MY GOD, I feel pretty lucky I had the foresight to overshare diaper changes.
Mike and I have been to Mexico a couple of times before but neither of us had been to Cancun. I thought of it primarily as a Spring Break location, so honestly it never even entered our consideration set as a vacation destination.
Well, that proved to be a huge mistake.
You see, there is a reason that Cancun is so popular and that reason is because the beaches are INSANE. And by insane, I mean stunningly gorgeous. Bright white soft sand and water in all directions in every shade of blue and green.
Hyatt Ziva Cancun is located on the tip of Punta Cancun so there is ocean on almost all sides. When you arrive into the grand lobby, you are met with an impressive main pool with two tiers and the ocean behind it.
The beach feels private and exclusive to Hyatt Ziva Cancun since the tip of the Peninsula puts you around the corner from the main Cancun hotel strip. When it wasn’t windy, the waves on this stretch of beach were tame and the water was pretty shallow.
This was the first beach I have been to where I wasn’t afraid for Mazzy and Harlow to play in the surf while I sat and watched. On Long Island, I am always afraid a big wave will come and whisk them away if I’m not holding their hands. In Jamaica and Turks & Caicos, there seemed to be more of a current and steep drops in the ocean floor when you didn’t expect them.
It also helped that the sand was soft and white and you could see exactly what you were stepping into.
I do not know if all of Cancun is like this. I imagine a lot of the mildness came from where the hotel was situated.
But just like at any beach, Mazzy and Harlow spent a large amount of time covering my legs with sand.
From our hotel room, we faced the beach on the opposite side of the peninsula. Equally beautiful but not much bigger in scale with other hotels lining the distance.
Down on the beach, there is a little dam built with big blocks of concrete. There is ocean on one side and a little pool of sea water creeping through the rocks on the other.
I spotted it from our window and it proved to be an excellent place to play in the water for kids.
Harlow loved it there in particular.
Hyatt Ziva Cancun property is truly spectacular. And I say this as someone who was really spoiled travel wise back when I worked in advertising. Every area is designed impeccably from the lobby to the restaurants to the coffee shop to random seating areas throughout the hotel.
Clearly, someone thought very long and hard about how to deck out the space in a way that would blow an Instagrammer’s mind. There were so many cool backdrops to photograph, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself. Every time we turned a corner or entered a bathroom, I was like— Ooooooooooooh. What I could do with that yellow patterned wall behind the sinks…..
Mazzy noticed the design too which was pretty cool. She would point out interesting chairs and choices of color, asking me to take a picture of things she found interesting.
In Lorenzo’s the Italian restaurant, she asked to come over to the fancy tables in the back to take a picture of her.
“It so pretty, Mommy. You should put this on Snapchat.”
The decor prompted a long conversation about how there are different ways for artists to earn a living— you can paint pictures, but you can also decorate a room or design a piece of furniture.
Our room was very comfortable with cozy white beds, modern bathrooms and furnishings.
The highlight being the view, course.
I’m not sure if all the bathrooms are the same but ours only had a shower so something to consider if you are thinking of bringing kids. I actually relished the opportunity to force the girls into the shower with me— it’s so much easier and I feel like they get so much cleaner!
The KidZ Club is another huge selling point. It’s for kids four and up which used to piss me off when Mazzy was younger but now I totally understand. In order for the older kids to want to go, it has to be geared towards them.
The KidZ Club is designed beautifully so it doesn’t feel like you are throwing your kids in daycare while you have fun at the beach.
Plus (and this is the most genius part), the KidZ Club has it’s own little water park that kids only have access to if they are staying in the club.
This meant that Mazzy ASKED TO GO. When we picked her up for lunch, she was sad to leave and even though we were planning on spending the afternoon with her, she asked to go back. This was HUGE considering she totally rejected the kid’s club in Jamaica.
The staff at the KidZ Club is lovely and they hand out beepers to alert you if your kid is having an issue and wants you to pick them up, which is pretty great for peace of mind.
Hyatt Ziva Cancun is all-inclusive which means all food and drinks were included and unlimited. Mike and I aren’t really all-inclusive hotel people because to us, this usually means the food is not that great, but the Hyatt really has their restaurant situation figured out.
Our favorite was Moongate which is their Asian fusion restaurant. There is a hibachi grill set up on one side, there are dumplings delivered by carts and there is a Thai menu at the regular tables. We went twice to try both menus and everything was great.
Also, the hibachi chef had way more tricks up his sleeve than I have ever seen at Benihana. The kids were incredibly impressed.
Chevy’s was great for kid-friendly hamburgers and hotdogs, not to mention the restaurant centerpiece— a convertible with a booth inside. Very Pulp Fiction.
Mazzy and Harlow loved the breakfast buffet obviously (as many bread products as they could eat!) and Mike had fun teaching them his famous breakfast buffet strategy.
We also loved all the snack options during the day. Mike and I got coffee religiously at their impeccably designed coffee shop (with really good coffee!) and could count on a place called 24 hours for extra pancakes in the morning and chicken nuggets during the day.
Also, much to Mazzy and Harlow’s appreciation, there were various pastries and dinner rolls available for the taking all over the hotel.
Pastelles is the Hyatt Ziva Cancun’s dessert bar with assorted candy, cookies, chocolate fountains for fondue, gelato and cotton candy.
Let’s just say we visited Pastelles a few times and might have lied to Mazzy and Harlow about how much candy and cookies we were allowed to consume.
At 8pm each night, they have a show in the main lobby by the pool. On the last night, we were treated to some circus performers which was really fun. We mainly kept the kids out late but the first night, when the kids were dead tired, we used their babysitting service which worked out great.
In the mornings we watched the sunrise and ordered room service (when we weren’t at the buffet).
Harlow approved of the waffles.
During the day, we played at the beach and swam with the kids in the pool.
The girls could have spent all day in there if we let them, especially since they could swim up to the pool bar for free virgin strawberry daiquiris.
I also got a massage at the Spa Zen which was out of this world. The relaxation room alone is worth the price of admission.
Meanwhile, Mike spent a lot of time going for runs and taking advantage of their sizeable and brand new fitness center. (I have no pictures of the fitness center because I only glanced in briefly, said “wow,” and never went back once.)
In the afternoons, Mike or I would walk Harlow around in her stroller until she fell asleep.
On the rare moments that Harlow was asleep and Mazzy was in the KidZ club, I actually was able to sit and read a book.
Do you know how long it’s been since a read a book?
That alone was worth the trip.
Thank you Hyatt All Inclusive Resorts for inviting my family to your grand opening of Hyatt Ziva Cancun. We wish you so much success with your beautiful hotel on one of the nicest stretches of beach I’ve ever seen.
And now… for the really exciting part!
In partnership with hyatt all inclusive, I”m giving away a four day stay at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun (airfare not included)!
All you need to do is subscribe to my daily or weekly email to enter. Then leave a comment below telling me what part of Hyatt Ziva Cancun you are most excited about it. Tough choice with the free alcohol, KidZ Club water park and the ocean views! If you follow me on Instagram, you can leave a second comment on my Instagram photo for a second entry.
I’ll pick one winner on February 1st! Read the full rules here.
See? You didn’t think I’d go to Cancun and come back without a souvenir, did you? Just don’t tell Grammy. We didn’t bring her anything.
Hyatt All Inclusive Promotion:
All Hyatt Inclusive properties are currently up to 55% off plus a 5th night free. The offer is valid when booking from now until February 29, 2016 for travel anytime from now until December 23, 2016. Just make sure to book through the Hyatt All Inclusive site and look for the offer tab after you input your travel dates.
Winner Update:
Congratulations to Brittany Laws who won the most coveted giveaway in Mommy Shorts history! Please contact pam@mommyshorts.com to claim your prize.
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This post was sponsored by Hyatt All Inclusive, but my love of our stay there is 100% my own!
We just need a break. As a family. We haven’t had a real vacation, where there wasn’t an event we had to attend (i.e. Wedding or funeral) since our son was born over two years ago. Our daughter (mine from a previous marriage my husband has raised as his own since she was 3) is going to be a teenager soon, and we just never get away now that we have an almost 3 year old. We’re over worked and under paid and just need to get away from it all for a few days and find our happy again.
The restaurants and the kidzclub we went to cancun as an adult vacation last year and I my daughter would love the kidzclub our hotel was also not this nice and did not have these food options. This place looks amazing!!!!!
Getting my kids to really get in touch with the beauty of those beaches while at the same time indulging on some (well deserved, ahem) pampering and relaxation! Your pics are amazing!
Most excited to feel my toes in that beautiful sand as I watch my girls play in the ocean!
My name is April. I’m 23 years old. I just returned home to Wisconsin yesterday from a week long mother daughter trip to Playa del Carmen, MX. My mum and I don’t have a lot of money. In fact, neither of us have been in vacation in over ten years which is why we were psyched for our trip. We really shouldn’t have been. When we arrived at the airport, we were both exhausted and thrilled at 5:00a.m. We boarded our first plane to have a pipe frozen on it. We then unboarded only to board a second plane that had a malfunctioning engine. We then unboarded. We finally left Minneapolis, MN over two hours later, already missing our connecting flight in Charlotte, NC. Once we landed in Charlotte we were shoved into another plane given no details about our trip. We somehow wound up in Houston and arrived in Cancun TEN HOURS LATER than scheduled, losing a whole day.Once we landed, we learned our luggage was lost and we’d have to wait a few days to receive it. Can you imagine wearing clothes made got -20 degree weather in Mexico? It’s awful. We were then taken to a hotel in Cancun and dropped off, even though our registration was in Playa Del Carmen. After our luggage finally arrived the days later, all of our clothes, jewelry, and toiletries had been stolen. Everything!!!!!! Out of our seven days of vacation, only two of them were enjoyable. Please.
I am most excited about the views and spectacular beaches the property offers!
All-inclusive, kids club, white sand beaches. Count me in!
I think the kids club and the beach look amazing! I have three boys under six and I would love to take them! I especially love that the waves aren’t too big or rough – I know Cancun can sometimes have big waves! Thanks for the opportunity! 🙂
The beach looks amazing!
The memories my family will create there!
I had to look through your photos 3 times! What a GREAT place for kids!!! I love the Kid’s Club and I can see how Pastelle’s was such a hit! What a great idea! Close to ocean, accommodations look spacious with amazing views, lots to do if you want or have fun doing nothing! Sounds perfect to me! Would love to experience this 🙂 Thank you for sharing your pictures – I think you captured it well 🙂 Great memorirs!
The beaches! I could spend all day on the beach. I really like the all inclusive. It’s nice to not have to keep track of all the expenses. Thank you for sharing your experience. It looks like a blast!
The beach there looks amazing.
Hotel looks amazing- those beaches!! The Kidzclub is most exciting to me – love to spend vacation w the kids but also love a little alone time w my hubs! Perfect mix!
Impossible to pinpoint what I’m most excited about as I sit here in the literal most depressing weather on this planet. I’ve had endless bad new thrown my way. Is it January? Post-Christmas depression? Something toxic in the air?! I don’t know, but I DO KNOW that my sweet husband and kids need/deserve a vacation. They need a break from this sad bubble that seems to surround us right now. We would just love to win.
Everything looks so wonderful. I think I’d find the all inclusive meals so relaxing, no worries! It looks like an amazing resort.
I would totally love the pool and beach and the no worries of out everyday routine. Being able to just hang out with my kiddos and hubby!:)
Allllll of the blue water, allllll of the white sand and allllll of the free alcohol! ????☀️????????
Great photos! I loved the kids water park but mostly that they had their own swim up bar!
That beautiful beach looks outstanding.
Too many things I’d look forward to! Beach looked perfect, all inclusive meals, and mostly just to be away and relax with my hubby and kiddos (if we chose to include them!) I’d never really considered Cancun either, but now I’m enticed ☺️
It all looks amazing, but I would be most excited about a vacation at all!
The thing that appeals to me most is the all inclusive food and drinks! Then I never have to worry if I can splurge!
I would love to relax on those beautiful beaches!
That beach! The water and sand look gorgeous!
Spending time with my kids then sending them off to enjoy the water slides @ z kids club so I can enjoy the free drinks!!
I would love everything- but especially the beach and that pool!! We would never want to go back to the room! What a gorgeous place.
The beautiful beach. It’s negative temps where we live and I’ve been dreaming of a beach vacation!
The beautiful beaches!
The amazing beach!!
So excited about trying a new vacation place and of course KidZ Club
Oh man it all sounds fabulous! I think I would most look forward to the kid friendly aspect to the whole hotel. It looks like you could take the whole family and not have it be stressful. My kids would love that kids club area!
Kidz club + margaritas!!
I would easily be most excited to show my son what a beautiful beach looks like for the first time and take our first-and much needed-family vacation together! We very narrowly avoided him being a micropremie by me having a very long and grueling hospital stay and now he is a healthy and wonderful little man. It would be amazing!
Kidz club!
Thank you!! For showing us working moms that it CAN be done!! Hyatt most likely worked their butts off to create a memorable experience for you & your beautiful Fam. Hospitality is long hours just to get the glimpse of excitement from our guests. I work in hospitality & have taken some time off to be with my kiddos (5 yr old son & 3 yr old daughter) and my family would LOVE for our first family vacation to be in This beautiful hotel!!
The food and views!! And the kidz club
My family and I just started to think about something super special that we would like to do for my daughters 21st birthday which will be in July. We all agreed Cancun is the place we want to go! My daughter works so hard and attends community college, my husband hasn’t had a relaxing vacation (ever) and I just want to soak up the sun and family time, not do laundry, cook or clean! Our 11 year old would also have a blast there. Having the hotel, food and drinks covered would be the only way we could afford this trip after paying for airfare. I will be crossing everything I have hoping to win this trip. It could also double as the honeymoon we never had 22 years ago!
I’d love to relax in the spa and read a book while my toddler has fun in the kids club!!
It’s a luxury vacation where we could feel absolutely spoiled for 4 great days!
The beach looks amazing! My son would love the kid club with the water park. It all looks incredible.
I am a fan of pools where you can drink fruity drinks and watch your kids enjoy themselves just like at the resort. Never been Hyatt. Pretty sure I could even get my hubby to take leave to go!!
Sunshine, warm weather and relaxation away from my job!
Love the beach and kid’s club options. Looks amazing!
I would never be able to afford this kind of vacation for me & my kids on my own. This would be a dream come true.
I am most excited about having a clean family friendly, all inclusive resort that also caters to adults & all needs when traveling with children–various options for the kids for activities, dining & swimming plus great good, atmosphere & relaxation options for the parents who need it!!
I absolutely love the photos! I’d love to be able to take my two girls and husband on a tropical vacation where the oldest can appreciate the kids only water park, while Mommy and Daddy can just dig our toes in the sand and actually close our eyes for 5 minutes without any worries! Thank you for this amazing opportunity for one lucky winner!!! 🙂
The sun and the sand!!
Spa…..
Well, since we live in Seattle we suffer from Januaritis which is a serious condition that affects the mind and body with the constant rain. I think a dose of that sunshine on that fabulous sandy beach is just what the doctor ordered.
Definitely the ocean views….would love to spend a few days in this paradise
The view! The Kids club! The beach sand! The pool bar! All of it!!
Enjoying the view while sipping my coffee!
That beach!!
As an artist, the colorful decor and beautiful views are pretty inspirational!! As a mommy, the free drinks and kids club has me hook, line and sinker!
Unlimited bacon? Plus time to read by a pool?! SOLD.
Being able to have a family vacation, and really relax and enjoy the warmer weather.I think a couples massage would be much needed!
Those beds look reeeeaaaally comfy. The room itself is what I would be the most excited about. And I love that it is family friendly.
the food, fitness center, and beach sound pretty awesome!
The beaches and pools look incredible! My girls and I would spend sun up to sun down there. And my husband would probably be most excited about the all-inclusive food/drinks. 🙂 Would love to win this!
The beautiful white sand beaches!
My kids would have so much fun at this wonderful resort! The beach, pools and just everything look so amazing!
The white sandy beach!
The beach is amazing! Never been toba beach outside of texas! Never even been out of texas! Id look forward to the white sandy blue beach and the amazing sun set!
The ocean views and relaxation with my family.
Looking forward to the beautiful beaches and spending time with my kids and hubby away from work!
I’d be most excited for the beach and the food! This place looks amazing!
Everything looks amazing- beach, views, décor, food, kids club!
Oh my god this is a paradise. I can almost imagine that silky soft white sand squishing in my toes! That is what I am most looking forward to! I would LOVE to stay here with my three year old!
The warmth of the sand on my toes & seeing my 4y/o with the biggest smile because he loves the beach
Most excited about all the incredible spots to enjoy family time together! First vacation in 4 years!!
It all sounds amazing!! I love the beaches, food, drinks…. This would be perfect for my honeymoon in April!
I love how close to the beaches you were. We live in Houston and the closests beach is Galveston. I have never seen blue ocean water!
The quality, views, the fact that it’s family friendly and amazing beaches!
The beach always the beach lol or maybe the pool or just the away part in general lol
Beaches, sun and a beautiful all inclusive resort!
I am excited to see a beautiful Wedding there… Hubby & I are looking for a place just like this, especially after what you described, to renew our wedding vows after 10yrs in August
I’d love the chance to relax and enjoy the sunshine! Cliche, I know, but oh so true.
Relaxation time, the food, the beautiful rooms and the safe beaches!
The ability to let the kids play in the water without so much worry!
Everything looks amazing compared to my horrific experience in cancun I am having right now!!! The kids club looks amazing! The “kidz” club at our hotel is terrible and our son wouldn’t even go in unless I stayed and played with him!! There went any mommy time!!!
Those beaches are amazing! I am so in need of beach time!
Beautiful, white beaches! I would love to go there on my honeymoon!
The beach and pools!! Need to get away from NY in the winter!
I am most excited about (i couldn’t pick one) the jetty which allowed for a little water to play in safely, tapered beaches for more water play…and eating in an old car. that looks so fun!
I would look forward to just relaxing and soaking in all the beautiful views. The Vacation looked amazing and like you said, Cancun has never been on my list of places to visit but after seeing your pics….
I’m sold!! 🙂
I could sit and look at that view all day!
The views are so beautiful and it seems so kid friendly. We went to Mexico for our honeymoon and I would love to take the kids.
That beach is to die for!!! The kids would love it!!! I would love the beach and freeze booze!!! And food!!!
The beautiful beaches! My kids would love it…they miss the Beach so much ever since we moved off Long Island. I never thought they’d talk about it as much as they do.
The beach and the beds look heavenly to this mom of a newborn, twins, and a six year old 🙂 beautiful photography thank you for sharing
The beach with that super soft sand. Yes, that would be amazing. As a side note, I love going back to read old blog posts that you reference in your new posts. Seriously, the one about Mike’s breakfast buffet strategy is hilarious and spot on!
I would relish the all inclusiveness of the resort by sitting by the water and relaxing… Well, as much as I could sit and/or relax with 2 little ones. Hubby loves road trips, so most of our trips end up having multiple destinations and involve packing/unpacking multiple times. So I would also look forward to only packing and unpacking once.
if this comment even publishes, it’ll be a miracle! I’ve been following you for a long time on FB (in a non-creepy way) but apparently hadn’t signed up for the daily/weekly email – hmm. So in trying to do that while my husband sucked up our precious bandwidth looking at hilarious memes on the Men’s Humor FB page (I’m guessing…) I don’t even know if I completed the process so this may be all for not! Not to mention, I figured I’d try double dipping via Insta but it tried making me log in, and who really knows their login and PW!? Oof .. Regardless… My small town Alaskan tush wouldn’t believe this place to be real unless I actually put my tootsies in that sand. And the best part? That calm water you mentioned… That you weren’t afraid to let your babes play in while you sat back and watched. And the random seating areas. Yes please..
The view, quiet stunning beaches, gorgeous pool!
I just want to swing all day at the bar
Being on vacation somewhere with beaches and a cool kidz club sounds wonderful!!!!
The beaches look amazing. The food sounds heavenly. The warm sun and a break from the cold winter rain would be priceless.
The beaches!! We would lose our minds at those beaches!
There are so many things! I think I would choose the beach. I like how you mentioned you felt safe letting your kids play in the surf while you relaxed (a little).