Hyatt Zilara Cancun

My husband and I had a fantastic week at Zilara Cancun. Easily the best vacation of our lives (so far). Apologies in advance because this is gonna be long. TLDR: Hyatt Zilara Cancun is perfection.

We booked direct with the resort vs booking a package with an airline (a first for us) and we found it to be a much better experience. Lots of communication and tips from the resort sent via email. They even included a map on how to avoid the time share people at the airport. A week before check in we received an email from Daniel, the culinary concierge, describing the restaurants and extras available. We booked the Casa Adelita cooking experience and a pool cabana in advance which was super convenient.

We booked airport transfers through the resort when making the reservation. They use Amstar and it's a private transfer. $120 round trip, we were very pleased with the service. Very easy to find them when you exit the airport. What a difference from group transfers, we were in a van immediately and were at the resort in 30 mins. Our driver was very friendly and there were drinks available.

Check in was quick. You're greeted with a cool towel and a welcome drink. Very tasty! I was thrilled when they didn't tag us like cattle with the tacky wristband you usually get at AIs. We were given options for room upgrades, a swim up room or room on a higher floor with a better view. We opted for the latter and had room 828, gorgeous view, we were glad we upgraded. Room was cleaned twice a day, there were lots of towels and a pair of robes and slippers. Full range of decent toiletries, including a shaving and dental kit. The bathroom has doors and sliding panels so you have full privacy. Super comfy king bed. Fully stocked mini bar with snacks.

Beach was amazing, lots of chairs are always available, and drink service was great. Not a lot of sargasso, it changed by the hour. It didn't stop us from getting in the ocean every day. Great pool, it's heated but not too hot. Thought we would hate the heated pools but I do see the appeal now. There is a separate hot tub that gets very warm. It can be challenging to get poolside chairs if you're not up early. But they're great chairs - they have very thick padding and are ultra comfortable. Bar and poolside service are excellent, you are never wanting for a drink. Recommend getting a poolside cabana, that was one of our favourite days. Our server was incredible, the gold package is worth it.

The food is outstanding, everyone we talked to all said the same thing, best ever food at an AI. We are at all the restaurants and our favourite was Silú. The tepenyaki experience was so much fun, we loved our chef, he was hilarious, and the food was delicious. The wonton soup was especially good. Sushi in the main restaurant was delicious and fresh. Stand out dessert is the fruit soup, get it, it's spectacular. Mexican restaurant was another favourite, the Sonoran Rib Eye in Aguachile and Tortilla Soup were fantastic. We ate at the buffet every morning. Great selection of dishes, we did not find it repetitive. They have fresh orange juice that is delicious, but its only available at breakfast as every other time we ordered orange juice we got this tang like orange mix. It was the only disappointing aspect of the food.

The highlight of our trip was the Casa Adelita cooking experience. We read about this in advance and were super excited to see what it was like. AMAZING, simply amazing, exceeded our expectations by a kilometre. Brenda and Carlos were wonderful, the menu was delicious and we learned a lot. The Mexican coffee changed our lives haha. Our only regret was booking it for only the one night. The menu varies by day and we wanted to try them all. If we're ever fortunate to stay at Zilara Cancun again we're doing three nights of Casa Adelita.

We had a great experience at the spa. We did the hydro therapy circuit (amazing) and my husband had a massage from Xochitl and I had a manicure from Elisa, all stellar experiences. The room attendant even helped me back into my clothes so my nails wouldn't get smudged. It was our first time using a resort spa, no regrets, but it set the bar very high.

The resort is gorgeous, the pictures and videos you see online are accurate. Was pleased to see they have a bank issued ATM that dispensed pesos and a US dollar bank machine. The peso ATM does not accept Amex. The vibe is very relaxed, age range seemed to be mid 30s to 50s, mostly couples. Mild evening entertainment in the lobby, we thought it was the perfect mix of relaxation and fun. Highlights sports bar seemed to be where the party was, it was bumping in the evening. We enjoyed drinks at the lobby bar, great menu, very low key, very classy, it was perfect. Every staff member seemed to be genuinely happy and relaxed. We spoke to a few people who mentioned working at other resorts prior to Hyatt and preferred working for Hyatt. You can see it in their attitudes, no one seemed stressed out, nothing felt forced, everyone was pleasant. The staff truly made our experience shine that much brighter. The service was unlike anything we had experienced before. It was everything I imagined a luxury resort would be like, and more.

I'd like to address some complaints I've read online as they gave me pause before booking:

The sargasso situation: Full disclosure, we live on the ocean and have a high tolerance for sea grass, its nature and simply part of the ocean. We stayed at the end of September and there was some sargasso in the ocean, but nothing like the crazy videos you've seen online of Tulum or Playa Del Carmen. There was some that piled up on the beach but it was cleared every day. There was nothing rotting on the beach. We swam in the ocean every day, it is quite simple to avoid any sargasso patches as they tend to clump together, were small, and were easy to see. Please do not let the fear of sargasso stop you from booking, you'd only be doing yourself a disservice.

Food: the vast majority of reviews praise the food, rightly so, but some say otherwise. Even if you are a really picky eater, like chicken nuggets and french fries type of palate, you should have no problems with the food. Both room service and Highlights have more Americanized items like burgers and sandwiches. We had room service once and got the clubhouse and fries, it was really good. The buffet has many "picky palate" items. I truly can't see how anyone, even very picky eaters, could be disappointed in the food. My only food complaint is the orange drink stuff they serve outside of breakfast, that stuff is awful.

The heat in open air areas: Yep, the lobby is mostly open air and is not air conditioned. We travelled during the hot, rainy season, and are used to a cold climate, it was not too hot or uncomfortable. There is a wonderful breeze at all times from the many fans and the air coming off the ocean. The check in area is fully enclosed and air conditioned. The Italian and Mediterranean restaurants are open air. We had lunch at the Italian and supper at the Mediterranean and both experiences were pleasant. It was warm but there was quite a bit of breeze, like the lobby. We were not uncomfortable or sweating, it didn't appear that other guest were uncomfortable either. These areas were warm but we didn't find them uncomfortable in any way.

We usually stay at Marriotts but this experiment has us on the Hyatt train now. It exceeded all expectations, we hope to return soon ❤️❤️❤️

This was our second trip back to Zilara since the renovations, we were there in May as well. The renovations were needed and it is absolutely beautiful. Service as always is top notch. The staff honestly make you feel like this is your second home. This was our 17th trip to Zilara and already looking forward to returning in January.

Casa Adelita is a must. We participated both visits. The food is very good with many options to choose from. The new Italian restaurant is amazing! Their pizza is oh so good. Make sure you ask for Roberto as your waiter. Jose (coffee shop) is always so friendly and I love the iced mochas, which I ordered every single morning during our stays. Alexa, the hostess at Bugambilia and Spices has a smile that will light up the room. I look forward to seeing her move up with Hyatt, she has so much potential.

I have searched and searched and cannot find all the names that I wanted to give a shout out to. Let's just say, I have never met a staff member that wasn't on point.

Some of the "old" staff are still at Zilara and it is always a pleasure to see them. Rey's is now in the new Sports Bar. David, the pool manager has always been like family and will take care of your every need. We always opt to get a cabana during our stay so we don't have to play the chair game, to me it is worth the money.

What are you waiting for???? Go see my family/friends at Zilara. You won't regret it.

We returned to the Hyatt Zilara Cancún to see phenomenal renovations! Great food, brilliant service, the staff is awesome, Levi one of the beach servers is phenomenal! Gave 5 star service! We got an awesome couple message at the Zen Spa it was ridiculously good! Paola & Martha did a great job! High recommend them! Great time so far & we are finished yet!