LOS CABOS
Joel and I needed a little getaway so we planned a trip to Cabo, as everyone calls it. The destination as a whole is officially Los Cabos and is comprised of three main areas, San Jose del Cabo, located closest to the international airport, Cabo San Lucas, also often called Land’s End as it is at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, and the corridor that connects the two which houses a number of resorts and private residences. San Jose del Cabo is a more relaxed resort area with varying levels of resorts, though nothing ultra luxury as it is a bit congested. Cabo San Lucas is where the cruise ships tender into town and the party scene can be found. The corridor between the two is where you’ll find more high-end properties (see Los Cabos Part 2).
Cabo is an easy destination for us West Coasters due to it’s proximity and ease of logistics. Direct flights out of John Wayne airport (and LAX) run several times daily and is a quick 2-2.5 hours. Once arriving in SJD airport, it’s easy to get a taxi or shuttle if you haven’t scheduled transportation with your hotel ahead of time but private taxis can get quite costly, especially the further south you go. All good travel agents will have coordinated that piece for you. 😉
The drive into the San Jose del Cabo area takes about 20 minutes from the airport and with the new toll road that cuts inland, getting into the Cabo San Lucas area now takes less than 40 minutes. Hyatt Ziva is one of the first main hotels in the Hotel Zone of San Jose del Cabo and our taxi driver was in a hurry to get us there so we made it in just over 15 minutes. So far, no Uber or Lyft types available yet.
THE RESORT
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos is a 5-star all-inclusive family-friendly resort. The Ziva brand is Hyatt’s foray into the all-inclusive resort world with only three other locations – Jamaica, Cancun, and Puerto Vallarta. It is different from Hyatt’s all-inclusive Zilara brand as the Hyatt Zilara’s are adults-only and currently only in Jamaica and Cancun.
All-inclusives, like cruises, have a stigma tied to them. The negative connotations include bad food and cheap drink selection, slow service, massive complexes with kids running around, waking up early to claim a pool chair, and dilapidated accommodations, just to name a few. Though this can be true at middle-of-the-road properties, I’d like to dispel some of those stereotypes that don’t apply to higher-end properties with the photos and narrative below.
The resort had three main buildings, mostly suites and view facing rooms, 591 rooms compared to the several thousand at some of the mega-resorts.
We were able to snag two in-water, ocean facing, swim-up bar, pool chairs in the early afternoon. It wasn’t high-season and prime location chairs were hard to find but options were available. Pool attendant service was great – they were quick and came by frequently.
Adults-only pool which was pretty quiet. I forgot to take a picture of the kids pool and kids club but it was very typical, water slides on a play structure, and a game room for the older kids.
Beach cabanas that can be rented for reasonable prices – $25 to $50 for the day depending on inclusions.
Swim-out rooms on the right, also some on the adults-only pool side but no beach view
We were upgraded to a Silver Suite which had a sitting room area when you first walk in and a full bathroom with stand-up shower. The size was impressive but I wasn’t a big fan of the furnishings and tile work. It was very clean but not my style as I prefer either more modern, or more authentic and this was something in between that just didn’t quite work.
In the bedroom, there was another full bathroom with a rain shower but inside a bathtub. Joel loved having a his and hers bathroom and his own living room so I wouldn’t bug him while he was watching sports but we both opted to use only the stand-up shower.
Poolside lunchtime dining was interesting. At the entry-level all-inclusives, it’s just hamburgers and hot dogs but Hyatt Ziva had Brazilian BBQ one day, Paella another, and of course a taco lady and hamburgers and hot dogs.
This is the club lounge for those staying in Club level rooms which just have better views and some upgraded amenities. Some of the ultra-luxury all-inclusives have done away with wristbands as everyone gets the same amenities but Hyatt Ziva still has them and distinguishes between standard and Club. With the Club level, you get premium alcohol (i.e. Grey Goose) but with standard, the selection was still quite decent (i.e. Kettle One).
Breakfast and lunch buffets were just that, and not the Wicked Spoon/Bacchanal type – huge selection, a few standouts (chilaquiles, chicharones, made to order omelets, garlic crab), and everything else mediocre. Dinner, on the other hands, was more than good for an all-inclusive. The “steakhouse” La Plancha Grill, was located right off the beach and such a beautiful setting with the waves crashing in the background. It was a salad bar style for starters and sides but mains ordered from the menu. Joel had the flank steak per recommendation of the server and it was really good. I had the rack of lamb which was super rare since the one I had the night before at the French restaurant, Bon Vivant, was overcooked as you can see in the photo. That restaurant had a much fancier feel to it but with the exception of the scallops which were perfect, the rest was just meh. There’s also Asian, Italian, and traditional Mexican a la carte open for dinner.
Note on weddings: Pros – great view, paved ground, can seat large parties on the lawn for ceremony, only one wedding per days as some resorts will fit in multiple and then you might not get first choice on the locations. Con – the pool is right next to the gazebo so everyone in their Speedos could be walking by and taking photos. Also, and as a general con, there is little to no nightlife. If you’re wedding guests are looking for an after-party, they’ll have to make one. The sports bar, Spirit of ’68, is the closest thing to nightlife and they do an every other night DJ for 2 hours playing a mix of Latin and hip hop about 10pm-12am, and on the other nights, 1 hour of karaoke from 10:30pm-11:30pm. That is the extent.
And even though I brought workout clothes and had the best of intentions, I kept myself too busy making up for lost sleep and eating and drinking extensively. Below is me poignantly regretting not working out after seeing the view from the gym on the last day and realizing just how many calories I must’ve consumed.
Pricing: Starts at around $350 for two people in an entry-level category room, standard season. Low-season deals can be found in September during hurricane season. High-season late Nov – early April. Weather warm year-round, gets hot in summer months. Best time to go is May/June before it gets too hot but crowds have thinned, late Oct/early Nov when it starts to cool down past hurricane season and before the winter crowds return.
Overall feedback: The resort is a good value, easy destination, if you’re just looking to get away for a long-weekend and do nothing. Longer stays are necessary if you want to plan outside activities like sportfishing, ATVs, golf, etc. and won’t be at the resort much to enjoy the all-inclusive amenities. And in which case, my advice is to stay at a European plan resort (traditional hotel, not an all-inclusive).