aselvy

I received an email from Playa Resorts (runs the Zivas and Zilaras) for 55% off and kids stay free. No matter what days I try to book the price for 2 adults is always much cheaper than when I add the 2 kids.
Pricing is the same on the playa resorts site and Hyatt.com.
I know they run these deals a lot. Am I wasting my time to try to get them to honor it. Neither Hyatt nor Playa Resorts phone agents seem willing to help even though I have a targeted email offer and it shows up publicly on the playa site.
Wondering is this is a scam that is already known? Thanks!!

josephstern

The 55% deal has been on the site for a while - months, I think.

Not sure about the kids part (mine are too old to qualify).

aselvy

I gave up on the kids stay free offer and pursued a BRG instead.
I just got a BRG first try on the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos in October. 2 adults and 2 kids was $481 on Hyatt and $343 on Expedia. Matched with 1 screen shot. Cancellable booking. New price is $274 a night which is just amazing. Looks to still be valid if anyone else wants in on it.

ajhun9

Can a DSU be stacked on the CC free night certs?

Also, can someone put the food quality in terms of a comparable restaurant chain? Like is it olive garden / red lobster level? Something better / worse?

Thanks!

ahcjar103

i was at the hotel during this incident, in the lobby no less getting our boarding passes printed out for our flights home.

the incident started in an area across the street (where the gunshots were fired), and one of the guys ran through the gate and into the lobby but was quickly taken down. everything was pretty much back to normal 30 minutes after the incident.

Jimgotkp

Regarding the food it depends where you eat. Personally, I think Loco Moco (the snack bar next to the pool that serves tacos) is best. The next best options are French and Spanish. The steakhouse isn't too bad but I really didn't like either the Italian or Asian restaurants. Room service is just decent, it's nice that they offer grilled skirt steak as a dinner option.

jstilley

Which would you recommend?

We have the option of choosing a club level room or a swim up room. Both seem to have their positives. Thoughts?

aegt123

Nothing special in the swimup room. I stayed for 4 nights in Apr and saw only two folks the entire time I was there using the pool in front of their room (it's not heated).

HoustonConsultant

I'm here now, but in neither of those room types, so take the below with a grain of salt (preferably with a margarita).

The club is in the main building just above the lobby, and that is a pretty good distance from the pools. Close to food, but far from the pools and beach.

While the club is nice and has a good view, the benefits of the club are a little lost at an all-inclusive. You can self-pour good liquor, but I'd have to be pretty dedicated to drinking to haul myself up to the fourth floor just for that.

The food in the lounge isn't much different than what you would find in the coffee house or deli on the main floor.

However, it is a nice club and it is quiet, and it might be nice for a pre-dinner or post-dinner cocktail while listening to the waves, but no one is going to leave the pool to run up to the lounge for a drink.

Was talking with my wife today about the swim ups, and she said she wouldn't like them because your room is essentially on the main pool. It is a little bit separated from the area where most people swim, but it certainly is not your own private pool.

I don't know if it a real reduction in privacy as much as it is a perceived reduction in privacy. Unless your curtains are open, no one sees in, and that is true of just about any room.

jstilley

Great points! Thanks so much. I may just book a regular king room and be done looking. I feel like I've spent a month trying to make sure I pick the right resort and the right room! Is the place nice? Are y'all enjoying it?

HoustonConsultant

The resort is nice. It doesn't feel very crowded right now, so no real problems getting chairs or service or things like that. I could see it being a bit different experience if the place was at capacity.

We have three kids under the age of 5, so our experience is going to be different from most. The kids' pool is fine for them, and they like the big pools too. The surf at the beach is really rough, and only a hearty (foolish) few venture in for swimming, but we can play in the surf up to our knees even with the kids.

No trouble getting into restaurants because we are eating at 6pm with the kids, and as a Glob, we could get reservations anyway.

I'm not a picky eater, and the food for me has been fine. Not 4-star restaurant quality, but good enough to keep my full. Our experience with the steak at the Italian place and the steakhouse is that the meat has not been tender, but it has been remarkably good tasting. Odd combination.

Not sure how different Globs get treated in terms of service (other than a private check in and restaurant reservations). I cannot imagine that the pool servers are really telling the bartenders to put different alcohol in our drinks - maybe if you specifically ask for it if you walk up to the bars in person.

We have a "Ziva Suite" and a connecting double as well as another Ziva Suite in building 2. We see the kids pool out one window and the main pool and beach out the bedroom windows. That location is perfect for us, and close to the snack bar and Italian restaurant.

I'll write more after our stay, but the Ziva Suite is nothing special compared to the to the other room (and in some ways it wastes some space if you are only here as a couple or don't need to block off the living room. The one-bedroom suites were not available for our full stay so couldn't get upgraded to that, and they didn't upgrade us in the very massive two bedroom suites (even though they are not booked during our stay).

javabytes

I also found the Ziva Suites to be inferior to the Ocean View Master rooms. Half the square footage wasted to a separate living room and bathroom you will never use unless traveling with kids who need a sofa bed... which also means the bedroom feels cramped. No jetted tub. The Juliet balcony is useless - you can't even really step out onto it, while the Ocean View Master rooms in Building 2 have chaise lounge chairs.

jstilley

I am using points so I wasn't offered anything other than a suite. I'll call and see if I can get an OVM. Fingers crossed..... Thanks for the info!

HoustonConsultant

If you do not need a separate living room and a second bathroom, even the double rooms are better than the suite.

Assuming the two of you can fit comfortably in a double bed (or want separate beds), the double room is laid out just fine.

The double room has the sitting area flowing from the bed area, so it feels bigger. The bathroom is great and it had the larger balcony with room for chairs and a table.

ajhun9

Quick update from my stay this past week.

We were upgraded from a standard double to an Oceanview one bedroom suite (not Ziva suite). The room was great. We were using free night certificates (not points), so interestingly they wouldn't let us TSU in advance but took care of us once there without us asking (we were checked in at the VIP reception area and the room upgrade was already done).

The only real Globalist perk other than the room upgrade that we used was getting premium drinks at the bars. We didn't need to make dinner reservations as the resort wasn't very crowded.

Re food, generally same experience as everyone else. Coco Loco tacos and ceviche were good. Italian was OK for dinner (they will do custom pizzas if you ask). The Asian place was not good. We didn't make it to French (its adults only), Spanish or the Steakhouse (we had vegetarians in our group and the menus didn't look accommodating). Breakfast buffet had plentiful options but by morning #3 , it was getting old as would any breakfast buffet. The coffee shop/ice cream bar was an unexpected positive that i had missed in my pre-trip research. They also rolled a crepe stand up near it at night for custom desserts. We didn't try room service.

One thing I will add is that the signage/accommodations for people with dietary restrictions is very poor. If you are strict vegetarian or vegan or have food allergies, this may not be the place for you. We got by, but didn't follow strict protocols. The staff try their best, but they just don't know if items have chicken broth, lard etc.

Regarding airport transfers, we took a pre-booked private shuttle there ($55). Taxis are flat-rate $30 back to the airport.

Ask any questions and I will try to check back and answer. Thanks to previous posters for their advice/intel!