Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya

Just got back last night from 4 days at Hyatt Zilara for our 20 year wedding anniversary. Thursday - Sunday. It was a lovely resort! We were very impressed by the service of all staff, standouts were Juan at the Coffee shop and Alexander for poolside service. The food at this resort is top notch - really good quality. We loved that we never had to fight crowds to make dinner reservations, or get a table or a poolside chair - ever....always lots of room. It's the beauty of a smaller resort. They made our anniversary special with door banners and free champagne to our room - very sweet. The gym facilities were great too....perfect time to go is between 7-7:30am - gym was empty... it does get busier later morning. We were lucky to get up early in order to make that work. Some areas for improvement - there is not a whole lot of entertainment in the evenings...because its a smaller resort, without a big theatre... there isn't a ton to do, with the exception of the sports bar, where they have some activities at night. If we weren't into the sports bar at night, we didn't really have anywhere else to go for entertainment. You can always sit at the lobby bar, but not much going on. We got to bed early most nights since it was only the 2 of us, without the vibe of a crowd of friends to keep us drinking into the early hours :) And the biggest disappointment was the beach. It seems that Mexico is suffering from insane amounts of seaweed right now. We walked to the beach on day one only to discover a bad smell and about 15 feet of built up seaweed along the shore - there is NO WAY you could walk through it to get to the water. its thick and rotting in the sun, giving off a smell that is really unfortunate. its bad enough that you can't even lay on the beach, because the smell would turn you off quickly. While we were there it didn't seem like any progress was made to remove it, so we didn't get to spend anytime on the beach as we love to do. The staff was very helpful when it was time to head back to airport. our tour shuttle wanted to pick us up 5.5 hours before our flight....so the staff arranged for us to get a private taxi to the airport directly close to flight - which was great - we got to use the facilities much later this way and enjoy our last few hours. Overall, great resort!

The hotel and service is expectacular. The employees learn your name and treat you like family. Every day feels like a blessing and you never want to leave the hotel. The food is phenomenal and has significant variety. There are also numerous events in the hotel to keep you occupied.

Very nice all inclusive resort. Limited food options if you don't like Mexican or Asian food. Italian restaurant was average. Buffets were good and could find enough to eat. Loved the daily water aerobics and evening activities. Bands and entertainment were very enjoyable. Weather was hot and the pool was a great way to spend the days. Wait staff very attentive. Beach was empty because of seaweed but it was still nice to look at. Good breeze most days.

Wonderful all-inclusive, smaller resort. The Zilara used to be Secrets Capri, but was rebranded when Hyatt bought Secrets. It's a small resort, but this month it seemed only half full -- which meant easy access to pool/beach chairs, towels, dinner times, spa appointments, etc. There are daytime activities and nighttime entertainment every day. Food is absolutely outstanding: buffet breakfast, lunch by the pool/beach any time, and (for dinner) excellent Asian and Italian restaurants by reservation. Coffee/ice cream shop is always open. Gym is aging but quite adequate. Spa is excellent if quite expensive: if you want awesome massages, try Anayela. Service is impeccable throughout the resort, with drinks brought poolside or on the beach. The beach is gorgeous, but unfortunately was mostly full of seaweed the week we visited -- apparently it's worse in the summer months. It was really only swimmable one day. Highly recommend this resort if you want a low-key, very relaxing experience with great food and great service. The value proposition is unbeatable.