By Mark and Clare, Pack With Purpose. We haven’t stayed at Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos ourselves yet, so this is our researched guide, not a firsthand review. Everything below comes from the resort’s own information and recent guest reviews. When we get there, we’ll come back and tell you how it really felt.
The photos make it look like the kind of place you wade into the sea from your beach chair. That part isn’t true, and it’s the first thing we want you to know. The ocean in front of Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos is beautiful and almost never safe to swim in. This is a resort where the pools do the swimming and the beach does the walking, the whale watching, and the sunsets. Once you know that going in, a lot of the reviews start to make sense.
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos is a five-star, all-ages all-inclusive on the sand in San José del Cabo, and guests rate it highly, usually around 4.5 out of 5. It draws people who want the Baja coast, a big pool scene, and food they don’t have to leave the property for. This guide covers what’s included, what costs extra, who it suits, and the honest trade-offs, so you can decide if it’s your Cabo trip or not.
Getting there
Getting to Los Cabos from Canada is straightforward. Through the winter, seasonal nonstop flights run from cities like Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Toronto, and outside that season you’ll usually connect once through a US hub. One heads-up before we talk numbers: every price in this guide is in US dollars.
Once you land, it’s one of the easiest arrivals in Mexico. The resort sits about nine miles from Los Cabos International Airport (SJD), and the drive is roughly 13 to 15 minutes. You’ll barely settle into the seat before you’re pulling up.
A private taxi or transfer runs about US$50 to US$65 each way. A pre-booked private shuttle is similar and worth it if you’d rather have a name board waiting and a car seat sorted for kids. There’s a cheaper local bus for a few dollars if you’re traveling light and don’t mind a longer, less direct trip. One tip: book your transfer ahead rather than sorting it in the arrivals hall, and skip the timeshare booths that try to catch you on the way out.
The setting and who it’s for
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos is a big, lively, all-ages resort. Families are a real part of the crowd here, and the property is built for them, with a kids’ club, a kids’ pool, and connecting room options. At the same time there are adults-only pockets, including an adults-only pool, the Baja Bar, and a sports bar, so parents and couples aren’t stuck in the splash zone all day.
It suits families who want everyone covered in one place, couples who like some energy and don’t need total quiet, and travelers who want Cabo’s scenery without renting a car or planning every meal. The location in San José del Cabo is calmer and more relaxed than the party end of Cabo San Lucas, which most guests count as a plus.
Who should think twice: if your idea of a beach holiday is floating in the ocean off your towel, this isn’t that, because the surf here is too rough to swim most days. If you want a small, quiet, adults-only boutique, this resort is too big and too family-friendly for that. And the nightlife and marina of Cabo San Lucas are a 30-minute drive away, not on your doorstep.
What does the all-inclusive cover?
The price covers a lot, which is the point. You get all your meals across the buffet and the à la carte restaurants, snacks, room service, and drinks including cocktails, beer, wine, and a solid range of spirits. The kids’ club, the nightly entertainment and theater shows, the gym, non-motorized water activities, and use of the pools and beach are all in as well. Tips are included too, though plenty of guests still tip for standout service.
What costs extra ($): the spa is a genuine treat but a real upcharge, with an 80-minute massage landing around US$290. Cabana rentals run about US$80 a day, horseback riding on the beach is roughly US$50, and some activities like scuba diving and certain premium experiences are billed separately. There’s also a small environmental or service tax of a couple of US dollars a day that doesn’t always show up at booking, so budget for it. Premium top-shelf liquor and specialty wine pairings can carry a charge at a few venues.
There are no separate room tiers that gate the whole resort the way some brands do. Everyone gets the same all-inclusive access, and the main differences are room category and view rather than a wristband that unlocks better bars.
Amenities
Rooms. There are more than twenty room types, from Master Kings and doubles around 590 square feet up to suites and swim-up rooms with direct pool access. The rooms are comfortable and well equipped, and the swim-up options are the ones guests get most excited about. The honest note: some reviewers find the standard rooms a touch smaller or more dated than they expected for a Ziva, and a few “ocean view” rooms have a small walkout terrace or a Juliet balcony rather than a full sit-out balcony. If a proper balcony matters to you, ask before you book.
Pools. This is the heart of the resort, and it’s where the swimming actually happens. There are multiple pools, including a large heated infinity pool with a swim-up bar and hot tubs nearby, a separate adults-only pool for a calmer afternoon, and a kids’ pool. On busy weeks the main pool fills up, so early risers get the better loungers.
Food and drink. Dining is a strong point for range. You’ve got a Baja California buffet at La Plaza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a 24-hour coffee house for pastries and gourmet coffee, a beachfront Baja restaurant, and a lineup of à la carte spots covering Japanese teppanyaki and sushi, Indian, French, Italian, Mexican, and a Latin grill. The honest read from guests: the à la carte restaurants generally outshine the buffet, the French restaurant (Bon Vivant) is a frequent favorite, and quality can be inconsistent from night to night, with the occasional slow service on a busy evening. Room service exists and is convenient but gets more mixed reviews than the restaurants.
Bars. Drinks are well covered, with a swim-up pool bar, a nautical-themed lobby bar, a cocktail and martini lounge, a tequila and mezcal tasting room with a view, and an adults-only sports bar with billiards and live games. Standard pours are included, and staff regularly come up in reviews as warm and generous.
Beach. The beach is wide, walkable, and genuinely beautiful, with plenty of chairs and umbrellas and good whale watching in season. It is not, however, a swimming beach. Strong waves and frequent red or black safety flags mean the ocean is usually off-limits for getting in. Treat it as a place to walk, sit, and watch the water rather than swim in it.
Planning to swim in the ocean on this trip?
Beach flags, currents, and waivers work differently in Mexico than most travellers expect. Read our guide to Mexico’s beach flags and currents before you go. It covers which coasts are calm, which are rough, and what that red flag really means.
Gym and spa. The fitness center is full-size and open early to late, roughly 6am to 10pm. The spa is well reviewed and full-service, with treatments and a thermal or hydro area, but it’s one of the bigger paid extras on the property.
Entertainment and activities. There’s a daily activity program and nightly theater-style shows, most of which are included, plus live music and a lively evening scene. A few special performances or a cabaret can carry a separate charge, so check the schedule at check-in.
Kids and teens. The kids’ club covers roughly ages 4 to 12 and is included. Families with younger children tend to be happiest here, since the club and the pools are well set up for them, while parents of teens sometimes wish there were more aimed at older kids.
Cleanliness and other. The grounds and rooms are generally well kept, and cleanliness rarely comes up as a real problem, though a handful of guests mention the odd missed housekeeping visit. Wi-Fi is available throughout, but it’s the most common gripe in reviews, with several guests calling it slow even on upgraded access. There are shops on site, and the resort is walkable and well laid out. If reliable internet matters for work, plan around it.
The verdict
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos is a strong all-inclusive for families and couples who want an easy, all-ages Cabo trip built around a great pool scene, plenty of dining, and warm service, and who don’t need to swim in the sea. That last part is the whole decision. If you go in expecting ocean swims, you’ll feel let down, and that’s on the expectation, not the resort. If you go in wanting sun, pools, good food, whale watching, and a 15-minute airport run, it delivers.
The real drawbacks are honest and small for the right traveler: the non-swimmable beach, Wi-Fi that struggles, some rooms that feel a little dated, and a spa that costs extra. Against that you’ve got a heated infinity pool, a genuinely wide range of restaurants, an adults-only side for quiet moments, and one of the shortest airport transfers in Mexico. For what’s included, most guests feel the value holds up, especially when it’s booked as a package or on a points deal.
Still weighing your Mexico options? We’ve also reviewed Dreams Playa Mujeres near Cancún and Hotel Xcaret México in the Riviera Maya, both on Mexico’s calmer Caribbean side.
If it sounds like your kind of trip, check current pricing and read a few of the most recent reviews before you book, since resorts change and your dates matter. Check current rates and availability for Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos on Expedia.
What to pack for Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Here’s the gear we’d bring for a pool-and-sun week in Los Cabos, matched to this trip.
Resort reviews: our star ratings
These ratings are based on aggregated guest reviews and the resort’s own information. Five stars is excellent, one is poor, and half-stars are allowed.
| Item | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rooms / Suites | ★★★★☆4.0 | Comfortable and spacious; some feel dated and a few ocean views skip a real balcony |
| Pools | ★★★★★5.0 | The highlight; heated infinity pool, swim-up bar, adults-only and kids’ options |
| Food & Dining | ★★★★☆4.0 | Great variety; the à la carte spots beat the buffet, quality varies by night |
| Drinks / Bars | ★★★★☆4.0 | Good range from swim-up to a tequila tasting room; standard pours included |
| Beach | ★★★☆☆3.0 | Beautiful and wide, but the ocean is usually too rough to swim |
| Service / Staff | ★★★★☆★4.5 | Warm, attentive, and generous comes up again and again |
| Cleanliness | ★★★★☆4.0 | Well kept overall; occasional housekeeping misses reported |
| Entertainment | ★★★★☆4.0 | Nightly shows and a full activity program, mostly included |
| Spa & Wellness | ★★★★☆4.0 | Well reviewed and full-service, but a notable upcharge |
| Family-Friendliness | ★★★★☆4.0 | Great for younger kids; teens are less catered to |
| Value for Money | ★★★★☆4.0 | Strong for what’s included, especially on package or points deals |
| Overall | ★★★★☆4.0 | A solid, easy all-inclusive if you treat the pools as the water and the beach as the view |
