Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya evaluation: High quality over amount at this Mexican lodge

What is Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya?

How to book Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya

During my two-night stay at Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya, I enjoyed an Ocean Front Private Pool King room. This 678-square-foot oceanfront room featured some notable amenities such as private pool access and personal butler service. I enjoyed beautiful views of the ocean from the personal pool and outdoor terrace.

While there are plenty of options beyond a private pool suite at this resort, this particular accommodation definitely created a more intimate and relaxing atmosphere for my partner and me. We loved soaking in the ocean views while lounging in our own pool, away from the crowds.

However, you don’t have to book a luxury suite with a private pool to have a noteworthy stay at this resort. Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya offers 12 different room types, ranging from tropical-view rooms that feature lush mangrove scenery to ocean-view rooms and suites with semiprivate pools.

Natural minimalist rooms feature dream-worthy views

Keeping with the hotel’s theme of incorporating natural elements throughout the resort, such as stone features and plants, the rooms at Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya have a minimalist style. You’ll find natural wood, beige and neutral tones and an organic feel.

Inside the 678-square-foot Ocean Front Private Pool King room, you’ll find a 55-inch HDTV, blackout curtains, a Nespresso coffee/tea maker, a hair dryer, an iron and ironing board, bathrobes and slippers, a couch, a small table with two chairs, an in-room safe and a minibar stocked with Tecate, water and sodas. I was surprised to find limited snacks in the room — my room only had one bag of plantain chips.

This room featured a full-size rainfall shower and Lanvin Paris bathroom essentials (shampoo, conditioner and body wash). Other notable bathroom amenities include bug spray, mouthwash and C.O. Bigelow dental and shaving kits.

When you step outside onto the terrace, you’ll see a personal pool and daybed, giving guests a great ocean view and a spot to relax. This is a notable perk, as the resort pool is set back and does not overlook the ocean. Additionally, unlike other rooms, there is beach access right outside your suite, which is great for those wanting to lounge at the beach without having to walk to the center of the resort.

Some suites, including this oceanview room, come with butler service. If you need help booking reservations, want an update on the activities for the day or decide it’s time to order a drink, you can simply text your butler with your requests.

One thing to be mindful of, especially for those staying on the resort’s ground floor, is that there are long-tailed, raccoon-like animals known as coatis that will open the back door of your room and rummage through your stuff, looking for food. There is a sign at the back door to always keep your doors locked, especially at night. Luckily, I did not have a run-in with any coatis in my room, but neighboring hotel guests did.

Resort amenities and activities

Delicious food options

Let’s face it — dining options at all-inclusive resorts can be subpar. Luckily, the food at Hyatt Zilara was a highlight of my stay. It tasted fresh, and there were plenty of healthy options when I didn’t want to dine on fried foods or a decadent dessert.

Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya has three a la carte restaurants, a buffet, a coffee bar (which also serves light snacks and sweets) and three bars, including a sports bar, a swim-up pool bar and the lobby bar.

During my stay, I was able to dine at most of the food options at this hotel.

Tempest

My favorite restaurant at this resort is Tempest, which features Asian cuisine and sushi. While you don’t need a reservation for hibachi, you do have to book a reservation in advance if you want to eat at the sushi bar, since there is limited seating.

Though the sushi bar menu was small, it featured tuna, salmon and white fish sashimi, as well as several rolls — plenty to provide a sushi fix.

While I could see the chefs preparing the sushi platter in front of me, I was still a bit hesitant about if it would be good. But I’m happy to report that it was more than good; this sushi dinner was excellent. Not only did the presentation feel elevated, but the fish tasted superfresh, and the sushi rolls had an ideal mix of heat and salt.

In addition to the sushi, I also ate shrimp and vegetable lo mein and spring rolls with coconut sauce. For dessert, I had banana and chocolate spring rolls and a chocolate brownie with nuts and berry sauce. On my next visit, I’d skip the chocolate brownie, as it was dense and a bit dry.

Lola Beach

While I didn’t have time to eat dinner at Lola Beach, I ate lunch at this poolside restaurant daily. As an a la carte lunch spot, Lola Beach definitely gets busy in the afternoon. While I didn’t have to wait for a table, be prepared to wait for your food and drinks. The sit-in restaurant also has a beachside patio, which serves more quick-service fare. However, both operate using the same bar and food stations, so it seems like orders can get backed up quickly.

During our first-day visit to the sit-in restaurant, it was packed with hotel guests. Since they were so busy, my appetizers came out before my drink. If you are short on time or are looking to dine quickly, you may want to grab a pizza or food from the beachside bar.

Lola Beach’s lunch menu features a mix of ceviche, salads, tacos and more. Some standout items included a fish tiradito, which was the “catch of the day,” with creamy avocado, onions and sunflower seeds.

I also could not get enough of the crunchy quesabirria tacos and spicy mussels in garlic, chile, butter and lemon sauce.

Capri Grille

If you want a more romantic dinner experience, Capri Grille features Italian and Mediterranean cuisine and an extensive wine list.

While the pasta dishes seemed to be homemade, the noodles were a bit thick for my liking, specifically the pappardelle with mushrooms and truffle oil and the shrimp ravioli, which had the consistency of pierogi.

However, I liked that Capri Grille offers a mixed menu of not only different types of pasta dishes but also steak, fish, pork and even eight vegetarian options.

El Comedor

While some vacationers love a large resort buffet, I’m typically not a fan. Compared to a la carte restaurants, I usually find that the food is overcooked from sitting in a warmer for hours, has a bland taste and lacks quality overall.

When I walked into El Comedor, the resort’s international buffet, I was surprised by the size of it. The buffet does offer plenty of breakfast, lunch and dinner options with multiple cuisine stations. But compared to other Hyatt resorts, this buffet display is on the smaller side, and I welcomed not having a laundry list of fried food or hot plate options.

For breakfast, there is a make-your-own omelet station and a hot food line to grab bacon, potatoes, pancakes and hash browns. But compared to other resorts, I felt Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya really put an emphasis on giving guests healthier options with tons of fresh fruit, smoked salmon and tuna, several different parfaits and a juice bar.

If you have a sweet tooth, the buffet also offers a variety of pastries, donuts (a whole donut board, to be exact) and Kellogg’s cereal.

Though I didn’t eat at the buffet for lunch, instead opting for Lola Beach restaurant, you can swing by the buffet for salads, lunch meat, cheese and hot plate items.

For dinner, the Hyatt Zilara buffet served notable items such as salmon and tuna sashimi, a make-your-own fried rice station — at which guests could choose between steak, chicken and shrimp as the protein — and six dessert options including mango mousse, chocolate cake and creme brulee. The creme brulee was one of the best desserts I had during my stay at the resort. If you’ve had creme brulee at different restaurants, you know that it can be a finicky dessert — sometimes it’s not fully set, other times the custard is too thick. This buffet creme brulee was creamy without being overly sweet, and the caramelized sugar shell was crisp but not burnt.

Overall, I think the smaller buffet at this hotel lends itself to a higher standard of food and creates a better guest experience.

Other snack spots and bars

Though it changes daily, this resort offers a quick-service lunch option such as a panini station, taco bar or grilled seafood. My favorite pop-up lunch was the grilled seafood station, which featured large prawns and octopus. However, if you’re looking for this quick lunch service, like I was each day, note that they do not always set it up in the same location. So you may have to venture around the pool area — once I had to ask the staff where to find it.

If you’re enjoying a late night at Legends Bar, the sports bar also puts out hot apps and snack foods, such as popcorn, which guests can grab at their leisure.

Though you do have the option to brew coffee in your room or snag a cup at the buffet, if you want a craft coffee like an iced latte or cappuccino, you can grab one at the hotel coffee shop, Coffee Republic.

Aside from coffee and tea, you can also indulge your sweet tooth with a cup of gelato or a pastry.

As for drinks, I recommend ordering a craft cocktail from the mixologists at the lobby bar, Social.

If you want to enjoy a beachside drink, swing over to Lola Beach’s cabana bar, located steps from the beach and behind the sit-in restaurant.

If you’re enjoying the resort pool, order a drink from the swim-up bar, Olas. There are swing seats outside the pool as well as in-water stools.

Room service

Similar to other all-inclusive Hyatt resorts, this hotel offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night room service. Breakfast options include waffles, French toast, avocado toast, smoked salmon bagels, omelets, fresh juices and more. For lunch and dinner, you can choose between such items as fajitas, salads, soups, tacos and a smashburger. As for late-night snacks, satisfy your cravings with items like chicken wings, nachos, a Caesar salad, a quesadilla or dessert. Though I didn’t order room service during my stay, I was impressed with the amount of options. So even if you don’t feel like leaving your room all day or miss dinner and have a sudden craving for a burger at one o’clock in the morning, you can still order food and not miss a meal. Plus, no phone call is necessary; you can order your food through the Hyatt app.

Accessibility

While this resort does offer accessible rooms, which feature a roll-in shower and lower beds, the number of accessible rooms seems to be rather limited. When searching for an accessible room across several dates online, I kept getting the following message: “No rooms available with the selected criteria.”

When I contacted the resort via the online chat function, I was told that there are accessible rooms at this hotel but they must not be available for the dates I searched.

If you want an accessible room, I would consider calling the hotel to find out if your dates are already booked.

While this hotel does offer an elevator, it is a little bit out of the way of the main lobby and pool area. Additionally, there are no chair lifts in the pool area, though the pool is a beach-entry style, which makes it slightly more accessible.

Why Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya may not be for you

• If you enjoy having a sprawling property with many options, such as multiple pools and tons of dining choices — or are simply looking for a highly energetic, party-focused crowd — this resort may not be for you.
• Though I’m not a smoker, when you check in to this resort you’re told by staff that if you are caught smoking outside of the designated smoking areas, you will be charged $500. The designated areas are at two different corners of the hotel. One is on the beach, far away from the pool area, and the other is outside the hotel lobby, down a pathway. Overall, prepare to walk to get your nicotine fix.
• Tucked away in between Playa del Carmen and Cancun, this resort is between 20 to 30 minutes from each neighboring city. Therefore, if you want to hit the town, expect to pay at least $40 one-way for a taxi to Playa del Carmen (Cancun will cost you even more). While some may prefer to be away from all of the city-life action, others may want to venture off the resort each night and head to the bars and shops.

Bottom line

Tucked away from Cancun’s busy Hotel Zone, this adults-only resort is a great place to unwind and experience a Mexican beach getaway. With delicious food options and upscale amenities, I was impressed by how much I really enjoyed my two-night stay at this property. Although I don’t typically favor all-inclusive resorts, I found the Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya generated a paradise-like atmosphere with its luxury organic design style and beautiful beachside views, thus creating a serene environment for its hotel guests.

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