Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana

Great family resort all around. Highlights were meals at the Mercado and the kids club! Kids club was amazing. Yaya, Mariel and Yeti were wonderful. Our kids were begging to go back and it was an awesome break for the parents. We would do the water park in the afternoon and then drop them at the kids club afterwards. Every afternoon had a new activity (treasure hunt, Olympics, etc). In the evenings they will take your kids to dinner and then have another activity - pajama party, movies with desserts and pop corns etc. This allowed us to go out to dinner without the kids and know they were having a blast. I generally like to visit different resorts but I’ve never been to such a family friendly place before. Huge shoutout to the team at the kids club for a job well done.

This was our 4th stay at the Hyatt Ziva in Cap Cana. I'm usually a huge advocate for this hotel. My friends and family used to joke that this was my "beloved Hyatt" since I haven't wanted to go anywhere else for the last 5 years. Ever. I'm positive I'm responsible for at least a dozen families booking here over the last few years based on my recommendations. We've always come as a larger group consisting of several families. This time, we went with two other families and were 13 people (Six adults and seven kids ages 4-9). This place used to stand out above all of the other all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean we've ever tried. It used to be luxurious perfection. It comes in at a higher price point, but it used to be worth it. I'm not sure it can command these prices anymore. We had an Ocean View 1 bedroom Master Suite in room 3517. The price tag for 9 nights was close to $18K CAD. (I'll note that next year, the package price is a whopping $28K for the same timing and room category). We believe in tipping well for service- the staff work so hard, and my family of 4 spent about $400 extra USD on tips. The rooms are now looking a little tired and dated. 2 doors were broken (repaired quickly when brought to the hotel's attention). Our biggest issue was that when we walked in, the room smelled like urine. We noted that the couches had just been spot-cleaned as there were very specific wet stains on several areas across two couches. It was gross. The room never really did lose that urine stench. We mentioned it to the club staff and our butlers, and nobody did anything about that. We tipped cleaning staff $5-6USD both morning and with turndown service, and I don't think the rooms were overly cleaned like they used to be. The hotel doesn't offer the same in-room candy bar for the kids that they used to. (It's not a big deal, but my kids missed this.) The evening entertainment starts way too late and isn't the same great calibre that it used to be. You get music playing on repeat from about 7-9 pm on the main stage most nights with another show after 9 pm. This is a bit late for most young families. These shows used to be much more entertaining; they seem to have cut a lot of corners and aren't that great anymore. The hotel used to utilize the front lawn for an earlier kids' show (magic, circus, clowns, etc) with bar service for the adults, but this time, they seemed to favour that space for big corporate events and weddings. We also used to get drink service at the shows; they don't seem to do that anymore either. (Not a big deal...but something extra that customers used to get at this high price point). The hotel used to bring in characters in the evening to walk around and engage the kids (Transformers, off-brand Disney, etc). I no longer see that either. The food was excellent everywhere. I think the staff could use a little help with the pacing of the food. They served all of the apps and mains at once. The mains would get cold while we ate the apps. There wasn't enough room on the table etc. This was consistent at every restaurant except the French restaurant on the Zillara side- they executed that meal perfectly. *chefs kiss* The service was great everywhere except The Chinola...the waiter at our dinner was very bossy and assertive with us. We wondered if he was joking and kid amongst ourselves that we were scared to ask for anything. My kids used to love the kids club for a few evenings while we were here, but it's gone downhill a little as well. Perhaps my kids are just in the in-between ages and are aging out, but other families agreed. I overheard one family we don't know bribing their kids with their video games to take since the staff said the "wifi was down" and the kids couldn't play the games at the kids club. The hotel did nothing to acknowledge or reward our 4 year loyalty. We inquired about a cabana, and I was told they were $199 USD per day. I only wanted one for a morning or two. Nope. No deal. The cabanas were empty for the most part during our entire 9 day stay. Nobody wanted to pay $199 USD. That pricing is ridiculous. ***My overall takeaway is that this has become an average all-inclusive in Punta Cana. It's still very nice, and we had a great time, but the little things that made it stand out were not obvious on this trip. If the vibe was the same over-the-top luxury we used to receive here, it would be worth the price. The experience we just had (which was good but not exceptional!) doesn't command this price point, in my opinion.** Sadly, our group will try somewhere else next year. Just a safety note: The waterpark is super fun! A definite bonus in staying here. It's sort of silly the way they police it, though. It's very inconsistent. For example, there are signs everywhere that state the kids must be 10 years old to ride the bigger slides. This was never enforced; our kids using the slides were 6-9 years old. This was fine. I think the age limit of 10 was being overly cautious. For the first 5 days, nobody measured the kid's heights, and then on day 6, the guards were telling a few of the boys in our group that they were too short and couldn't ride even though they'd been on the slides for the whole week up to that point. There were lots of tears and pleading and negotiating. I'm a stickler for safety. But be consistent. The "lazy river," which can get a little dicey near the rapids, is only policed at the entrance. There are no guards or supervision anywhere at arguably the most aggressive part of the river. I had to help two strangers who had fallen off their inner tubes. A big deal? No. Just inconsistent safety practices. I think the hotel could have a potential safety issue there.

Look somewhere else for your vacation. We arrived in our room to find a broken foldout couch with Screws sticking out where kids could hurt themselves. It was as if the room hadn’t been checked in weeks. While my children and wife slept from a long day of traveling, I had 3 different visits from staff - none of which resulted in a fix or more ideally, a replacement couch. The hotel knew we were traveling with kids, yet no sheets were found in the room for the couch. Three calls later to the operator (first call at 10pm - “the sheets will come shortly”, second call at 10:30 - put on hold for 15 minutes so we hung up, 3rd call at 11:30 - rudely told it would be 10 to 20 more minutes , again, for sheets!). At 12:45am, still no sheets. I slept on the couch under the largest towel I could find in the bathroom. The Club Staff had no follow up the next day and when I lodged my complaint, it was ignored by them and eventually, the onsite manager. A total disappointment, especially for the price. Oh, and they sell the pool cabanas and beach umbrella spots in advance, so people book the full week and half of them sit empty while those families do other things. So, prepare to be roasted as the rest of the chairs offer so-so sun protection or none at all.

Okay, here’s a review of a hotel, aiming for a slightly positive tone (4/5), human-like writing, and within the 100-200 character limit: “Great experience overall! The service was attentive, and the facilities were well-maintained. Definitely recommend it for a relaxing getaway. Only minor issue was the wait time at the restaurant, but otherwise, fantastic!”

Jeffery is the boy. We love him he made my day and made my vacation awesome. This vacation couldn’t have been better. Ocean is awesome with friends to play with. The entertainment is awesome and the worker Jeffery made my faction awesome. It wouldn’t have been the same with out him