Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall Resort Jamaica
Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall Resort Jamaica
Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall Jamaica is a luxury all-inclusive resort located in Jamaica’s second city, Montego Bay. It is a family friendly resort that opened in 2014, after the resort was converted from the former Ritz Carlton Hotel.
Staycations have become increasingly popular in Jamaica since the pandemic came swooping in and sending the world in utter disarray. Not to mention, I work a fairly stressful job as a medical doctor, so when my friends suggested a girls’ weekend at Hyatt Ziva, I all but ran to pay my share of the booking. Here’s my honest review of my 2-night stay at the hotel.
The luxury four and a half star hotel is one of two hotels on the massive beachfront property operated by Hyatt. Hyatt Ziva (family-friendly) shares its property with the adults-only Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall Hotel. The two hotels are separated by pools, bars and entertainment areas. You do however have access to the environs of both properties and can traverse from hotel to hotel sans worry once you are 18 years and older. Each hotel has its own entry point with a check-in/ lobby area, entrance bar and a cafe serving delicious treats and of course coffee.
How To Get There
Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall is situated approximately 15 minutes from the Donald Sangster International airport in Montego Bay from which shuttle services to the hotel can be arranged. The hotel offers complimentary shuttle transportation services to and from the airport, along with access to their lounge at the airport.
Considering I’m a local and had no reason to be coming from the airport, this was not my ministry and instead I made the scenic drive from Kingston to Montego Bay. If like me you’re coming from Kingston (maybe you arrived from the Norman Manley International Airport), then the drive to Hyatt Ziva is an approximately 2 and a half to 3-hour journey via the Edward Seaga North to South Highway. The trip is a fairly straightforward one. After reaching the end of the toll, you will be greeted with a round-a-bout; you take the first exit to head towards Runaway Bay. This exit leads you to Montego Bay. The journey will see you moving from parish to parish (a parish in Jamaica is like a state or province in other countries), passing through St. Ann -> Trelawny -> St James where Montego Bay is the capital of St. James.
Once in St. James, the hotel is close to the outskirts of the parish which I like to dub hotel haven because quite a few luxury hotels tend to be placed along this stretch on either side. Hyatt Ziva will be located on the right hand and has its own turning lane entrance to the property so as to not cause traffic disturbances.
There is plenty of onsite parking available for visitors who drive to the hotel and the parking is free of charge.
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Check-In
The check-in process was fairly easy and practically seamless if I’m to be honest. Once you’ve parked or the shuttle has dropped you off, you make your way to the entrance where covid-19 protocols are observed. Your temperatures are check, your hands and luggage are sanitized, and all employees wore masks.
The lobby area is large and spacious and features a receptionist/check-in desk, a help/information desk, comfortable plush couches to sit and wait if needed, a bar to grab a drink in a rustic-looking space and a café to grab some coffee, sandwiches or scrumptious desserts until your room is ready, or if you feel for a treat during your stay.
The receptionist desk is located to the right from the entrance point. Checking in was pretty smooth and lasted no more than 15 minutes in my estimation. There were no long lines or long wait as the staff expertly got us registered, gave us needed information, got us our cute ‘passports’ which held our keycards to the rooms and gave us our information packets which held map and list of the properties amenities and restaurants. We were then given a quick tour and shown to our rooms by our bellhop.
Check in at Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall begins at 3pm with check out being at 11 am. However, once checked out you still have access to the property until you are ready to leave so you can stay and have lunch, lounge by the pool, go to the beach and so forth; you just have to return your key so they can clean and sanitize the rooms to prepare for the next guest.
The Rooms
We booked using a travel company and got a pretty good deal on our stay. We booked 2 double occupancy rooms which cost around $160 usd per person per night at the time of our stay.
The property houses 387 modernly decorated rooms which come with WiFi access, a large flat screen TV, daily stocked minibars, room service, and a balcony with beautiful ocean views. On the first floor guests with ocean view also have access to swim out pools and recliners afixed to their rooms so there'sno need to go too far in order to just lounge around and relax.
The room doors were sealed prior to entry to signify that the room had been deep cleaned and sanitized since it was last used. On breaking the seal and entering the room, the first thing you are greeted with is a mini bar that is empty but stocked with drinks, water and snacks on request.
The room design aesthetic could be described as simple elegance or classic modern or minimalistic chic. The sizeable room housed 2 full sized beds and a cozy seating nook which featured a small circular table with a mini couch and a plush chair. The bed was sooooooo comfortable. It was like lying in a field of clouds. I felt like I could stay and sleep for hours on end. On either side of the bed were nightstands with built-in usb ports, power outlets and lamps. I do think the lighting for the room could’ve been better as the lights were mostly behind the beds so the rooms were a little dark. Opposite the beds was a wall-mounted tv with cable and a welcome message when you first arrive.
The room also held an en suite bathroom, located closer to the entrance of the room, which hosted a bath tub for your bubble bath desires, a spacious walk-in shower and a toilet. In usual hotel fashion, the bathroom was stocked with toiletries such as soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion.
We got a great resort/ pool view on the fourth floor which allowed for fantastic natural light to seep into the room on sunny days. The adjoining balcony overlooked the expansive resort in all its glory. We stood mesmerized by the deep blues of the pools below and the turquoise mirrors of the ocean in the far distance. It was the perfect spot to catch some breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Absolutely stunning!!!
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The Property
The resort's property line is quite vast and extensive; stretching along the island’s North coast. Yet still the environment and atmosphere still feels quite intimate.
The beautiful beach front property is home to 3 and half pools where guests can lounge and relax to their heart's content. 2 and a half pools at Hyatt Ziva and 1 pool at Zilara. The pools at Hyatt Ziva are where the main activities are held and tends to be more lively and entertaining, whereas the 3-tiered pool complex at Zilara tended to be more relaxing and laid back. Each property hosted a pool with a swim up bar to keep the libations flowing while you splish splashed. Surrounded the pools were a myriad of lunge chairs to soak up some sun at the pool if you never felt like taking a dip.
As is customary for many Jamaican hotels, the property line kisses the shores of the Caribbean sea creating the serene landscape for instagram-worthy beach pics. I must admit the beach is a little condensed for the massive numbers that it serves as the beach is more wide than long creating one long stretch of sandy-salty paradise split into several sections. Fortunately, the lounge chairs are pretty well-spaced on the beach so you didn’t feel clustered and the beach doesn’t feel overcrowded. Within the water there is a built stone retention wall that breaks the waves and carves out an established swimming boundary so parents and nonswimmers can feel a little more comfortable in the water.
The beach also hosts numerous beach activities like sailing, kayaking and other water activities to keep guests stimulated and entertained.
On the property there are also numerous restaurants (around 8-10 I believe. Don’t quote me), bars and 2 cafes/ bistros to fully satisfy even the hungriest of bellies. Breakfast is usually held buffet style in the main restaurant, Choicez. Although, you do also have the option of ordering room service for breakfast - free of charge. Also available onsite is a spa with a full salon, tennis court and a gym/fitness center. Admittedly, I didn’t utilize any of these services so I’m not sure how they bode.
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The Experience
The first thing I’d like to point out is that the service was excellent. Truly spectacular. Not only did it feel like everyone I interacted with was warm, welcoming and genuinely pleasant, but they were also really efficient. Even ordering room service or asking for help from staff was a breeze. I felt so at home and cared for during my stay. It was wonderful.
We arrived on a Friday night which is the hotel's buffet night. This is set up as an around the world culinary experience where different restaurants and staff hosted tents featuring different cuisines. Culinary delights of Asian fusion, Indian, American, British menu items and of course the classic Jamaican cuisines were the main stays of the offerings. The culinary display was supplemented with a live show and performance which provided the backdrop and background entertainment as you moved from station to station.
I will say that I loved the concept. A truly great idea. But…. The lines were a little too long for my liking. Definitely not for the starving guest. The thing is that the meals were freshly prepared and done to order and depending on the item, it often took a little while for it to be prepared. The more popular stations had extensive lines and it is easy to miss out on things as your belly growls waiting on the different items to be prepared. And once you get an item you wanted, you have to then wait at another station for another item you may want to be prepared. If you’re in a group, you could divide and conquer by having each person ask for multiple items at the station but it still takes some time. Despite all this however, there were still so many food options that you are bound to have left the event full and satisfied despite the wait time.
Breakfast is usually served at the buffet restaurant daily, although you can also get room service if you so desire. One thing I have to commend Hyatt for with breakfast is their variety. There were quite a few breakfast options. From sweet to savory, local to international breakfast foods. There was truly something for everyone. They even had a good vegan selection too. By far the most popular and longest lines were the omelet and Jamaican breakfast lines. I can’t speak to the omelet because I don’t really eat eggs but I'm told it was great. I can however speak to the Jamaican breakfast and it was delectable. Mackerel rundown, ackee and saltfish, boiled food, fried food, porridge. It was so good. And better yet I loved that the menu was ever so slightly tweaked each day so the food never got too monotonous and bland.
Since I only stayed 2 nights, I didn’t get to experience all the restaurants that were available on the property. For our second night, my friends and I opted to go to the resort’s Asian restaurant called Fuzion. The restaurant offered 2 menus at the time, the hibachi-style or a traditional a la carte table service. We went with the a la carte service. The food was decent. The portions were a little on the smaller side. but I wasn’t disappointed. Admittedly, I’m really not a huge Asian cuisine fan so I would say it was a 3.5/5 for me personally.
Another restaurant I tried was Calypzo which was a beachfront/ poolside grill located just next to the Hyatt Ziva pool. They offered tables for dining at but also have a poolside service where they bring you the food to your lounge chair. There menu was basic grab and go type food such as burgers, quesadillas, pasta and so on. They did take a little while to prepare the food but when it finally came the food was pretty good.
Apart from the restaurants, the cafes and the bars were our favourite spots. The alcohol was abundant and the bartenders were entertaining. Not to mention the drinks were delicious. And when topped off with a tasty treat from the cafe. Yummy!!! My mouth is watering just writing this.
Apart from the food, I loved the interaction and activities held by the poolside. The DJ is world class. The music was soooooooo good. We had so much fun dancing by the poolside. Then when it came to participating in poolside games, it was so fun and funny. A lot of the guests were willing and it made for an interesting experience. Plus the host/event coordinator was really cool. She was engaging, entertaining and really tried to keep everyone involved even if you weren’t directly participating. I know sometimes these activities can seem boring or forced and you don’t want to participate during a vacation, but I enjoyed it and maybe you will too if you give it a try on your next vacation.
Things to do/try
There are quite a few activities available at Hyatt Ziva; a few of which I’ve mentioned earlier in the post. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend my personal favourite activity which was to go sailing. It was truly a great experience. Our sail captain was amazing and he would go only as far as your comfortable with while also being engaging and giving you little tidbits of information as you sailed along. Of all the things I’d say I definitely recommend trying sailing during your stay. You won’t regret it.
Overall rating & review
Honestly, this has been one of my favourite hotel stays in Jamaica so far. I love an all-inclusive experience but I love Hyatt Ziva even more for the intimate feel of its atmosphere while allowing guests to have the freedom to roam as they choose. It's definitely a great place for a family vacation or even a group/girls trip like I went on with my friends. Their staff is top notch, warm, welcoming and efficient. Their food/ restaurant options offered a good amount of variety but most importantly it was scrumptious. It was an absolutely relaxing and much needed escape and I’m definitely happy I went.
All in all I would say it was a solid 8.5/9 out of 10 experience of the delectable-experience scale. And I would probably go back and try the full Hyatt Zilara experience next time.