Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta
Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta sits in its own cove on Las Estacas Beach on the southern side of Banderas Bay, with 335 suites that all look at the ocean. Playa Hotels & Resorts finished a $20M renovation here in April 2025 that went straight at the old complaint about tired rooms: all 244 North Tower rooms got new AC, woodwork, Smart TVs, Nespresso machines and new glass doors and balconies. The same project refurbished the lobby and the pickleball courts, rebuilt the KidZ Club, and added Tamari, an Asian-fusion restaurant with teppanyaki tables. Hyatt bought Playa itself in 2025, so this is now a Hyatt-owned operation as well as a Hyatt-branded one.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Its own private cove with 1,250 feet of beachfront on Las Estacas Beach, so the swimming is calmer than the open-ocean stretches most Puerto Vallarta hotels face
- +A $20M renovation finished in April 2025 redid all 244 North Tower rooms with new AC, woodwork, Smart TVs, Nespresso machines and new sliding glass doors and balconies
- +Tamari, the Asian-fusion restaurant added in the renovation, has teppanyaki tables, sushi and its own bar, and Melanzane now adds Italian with an antipasto bar by day and fine dining at night
- +Ten bars, restaurants and lounges for 335 suites, plus 24-hour in-suite dining included, which is a lot of choice for a resort this size
- +Swim-up suites and an adults-only swim-up room category, plus two adults-only pools and an infinity hot tub, give couples real breathing room at a family resort
- +Every suite has an ocean view, and whales are often visible from the beachfront restaurants during the winter season
- +KidZ Club for ages 4 to 12 was redesigned in 2025 with a jungle theme, and there is a separate kiddies pool
- +A short taxi ride from the Malecon and Zona Romantica, so a night in town is easy in a way it never is from Cancun's Hotel Zone
Cons
- −Food consistency is the recurring complaint outside the headline restaurants: some meals impress and some do not
- −Cabanas are a paid extra booked through the concierge, and traveler forums describe a visible two-tier feel around the pools as a result
- −Spa treatments at VitaMar are priced well above what the rest of Puerto Vallarta charges, and the upsell is persistent
- −Service swings between excellent and indifferent depending on who you get, which stings more at this price
- −This is the Pacific: stronger surf, cooler water and none of the Caribbean's turquoise, even inside the cove
- −Lobster, tomahawk steak, spa and excursions all cost extra, so the bill is not as all-inclusive as it first looks
- −Some restaurants close on certain days, so the full roster is not open every night
The dining is deeper than the resort's size suggests. The operator counts 10 bars, restaurants and lounges: Tamari, the Vivaz buffet, Blaze (a seaside grill doing American and Mexican), Melanzane for Italian, Fresco grab-and-go by the activities pool, the Deli coffee shop and The Terrace rooftop, plus Playa Bar and Bar Tortugas for adults, the Pool Bar with swim-up seating, and Hyghlightz Sports Bar, which goes adults-only after 10pm. In-suite dining is included around the clock. There are four infinity pools and a kiddies pool, two of the pools adults-only, and the gym runs 6am to 10pm with daily classes. The weak spots are the familiar ones: service quality depends on who you get, some venues close on certain days, and cabanas, lobster, steak upgrades and the spa all cost extra.
This resort suits World of Hyatt members who want to earn or burn points on a Pacific beach, families who want a kids club without giving up adults-only space, and couples drawn to the swim-up suites. It sits at the upper end of Puerto Vallarta all-inclusive pricing, so compare it with Dreams Puerto Vallarta nearby and with the Caribbean Zivas if water color matters more than a town worth visiting. From here the Malecon, Zona Romantica, whale watching in winter, sea turtle releases and jungle trips up the coast toward Mismaloya are all close.
Common Questions
What changed in the 2025 renovation?
Is the beach at Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta good for swimming?
How many restaurants and bars are there?
Does it work for families and couples at the same time?
Can I use World of Hyatt points here?
What is there to do off the resort?
Restaurants (5)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Vivaz Buffet |
| Mexican | Casa Grande |
| Italian | Melanzane |
| Asian | Tamari |
| American & grill | Blaze |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
Zona Romántica5 min drive · 2.0 mi
Los Muertos Beach6 min drive · 2.0 mi
5 min drive · 1.7 mi
Marina Vallarta13 min drive · 7.0 mi
Conchas Chinas Beach3 min drive · 0.7 mi
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church5 min drive · 2.2 mi
More things to do (24)
- Whale watching (December to March) · excursion13 min drive · 7.0 mi
- Sunset sail from Marina Vallarta · excursion13 min drive · 7.0 mi
- Las Caletas beach day trip · excursion13 min drive · 7.0 mi
- Splash Water Park · water park25 min drive · 12 mi
- Camarones Beach · beach8 min drive · 3.2 mi
- Playa Palmares · beach4 min drive · 2.1 mi
- Mismaloya Beach · beach11 min drive · 5.7 mi
- Playa Colomitos · beach13 min drive · 7.9 mi
- Boca de Tomatlán · town14 min drive · 8.5 mi
- Puerto Vallarta Malecón · town6 min drive · 2.4 mi
- Amapas Beach · beach3 min drive · 0.9 mi
- Isla Río Cuale · nature5 min drive · 1.9 mi
- Los Arcos snorkel trip · excursion5 min drive · 1.7 mi
- Olas Altas Beach · beach6 min drive · 2.1 mi
- Faro de Matamoros · viewpoint6 min drive · 2.2 mi
- Las Gemelas Beach · beach6 min drive · 3.2 mi
- Museo Histórico Naval · museum6 min drive · 2.5 mi
- Mirador La Cruz · viewpoint7 min drive · 2.8 mi
- Los Arcos Viewpoint (Mismaloya) · viewpoint8 min drive · 4.6 mi
- Playa Los Tules · beach9 min drive · 4.5 mi
- Playa Las Glorias · beach10 min drive · 4.3 mi
- Playa de Oro · beach11 min drive · 5.5 mi
- Vallarta Zoo · wildlife12 min drive · 6.2 mi
- Palo María Waterfall · nature12 min drive · 2.9 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Google Reviews★ 4.5 · 3,939 reviews
“We had an absolutely incredible experience at Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta, and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect place to celebrate our wedding. From the moment we arrived, the staff went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and cared fo...”
“This hotel is truly amazing! The service, the food, the location, the beach, and the hotel itself are all top tier. We really loved this hotel and would love to go back again. We really appreciated the amazing service we recived from all the staff, i...”
“Their beach dinner experience (raw bar) was exceptional especially bcz the sunsets in puerto Vallarta are amazing. The pistachio ice cream and the tiramisu desert at their Italian restaurant was so good it reminded us of our visit to Florence and the...”
