Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun – All-Inclusive Bars Review

The Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun is an all-inclusive resort located just south of Cancun in the coastal area of Mexico known as Riviera Cancun, Puerto Morelos. This is a set of posts reviewing this property from a visit in October 2021 shortly after the resort opened. Being an all-inclusive resort, bar availability and drink selection is an important factor. This, along with costs, location, and food quality, are some of the most important considerations when picking an all-inclusive resort. The Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun has four dedicated bars (and a specialty wine shop). All the restaurants at the resort also have bars; however, those are covered in the separate restaurant review for the resorts.

Infusions

Infusions is the main lobby bar at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun. This bar is located on the ground floor in the main hotel lobby. It is immediately adjacent to all the restaurant areas making it a great spot to stop by for a drink before dinner. Alternately, if you are waiting for a seat, it’s a great place to sit, wait, and enjoy the resort’s vibes.

Infusions has somewhat of a modern aesthetic and proclaims itself as a mixology specialist. While the majority of the staff can make the specialty cocktails on their menu and your common drinks, they don’t know the drinks that aren’t frequently ordered at a beach resort. Hopefully, this will change as the resort gets older and the staff gains experience. However, you can get lucky as the lead mixologist for the resort often works at this bar in the evenings. You can get some truly great drinks that are created on the spot based on pairings that they feel go well together.

Infusions Review

Due to the large space and lots of seating around Infusions, this is the area we most commonly visited after dinner. The drinks are well-prepared, and they had a wide selection available. The best selection at the bar is local tequilas and mezcal. During my visit, I often interacted with the lead mixologist for the resort. This individual was great and could make any drink you wanted. Even more impressive was his ability to mix up new pairings on the spot. While making your drink, he would provide notes on what was in it, how the flavors complimented each other, and the history on the base liquor (especially if it was tequila or mezcal local to Mexico). This experience transforms a simple hotel bar into another destination and activity itself.

Infusions often hosts beverage activities in the early evening. These beverage activities included things like mezcal tasting, tequila tasting, gin and jazz, martini night, tiki drink night, and Mexican mixology. I was able to experience two of these while I was at the property. The lead mixologist at the resort led these classes. These weren’t heavily advertised resulting in small and more intimate groups. All in all, Infusions was a great bar for anything from exploring new cocktails to getting a traditional drink and playing cards at a table around the bar.

Hours

• 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Menu

Breeze

Breeze is the outdoor terrace bar located just outside the main hotel lobby. It is located immediately adjacent to the theatre/stage area outside. It is also only a short walk (less than 20 yards) from Infusions meaning that it handles a lot of the night and dinner traffic as well. While Infusions has a more elevated ambiance (despite being nearly outdoors at a beach resort), Breeze embraces the outdoor atmosphere and the more relaxed environment. If you’re wanting to be outside and generally near the nightly entertainment program, Breeze is for you. Breeze also stays open till 1 AM (when COVID restrictions don’t require it to close earlier – It had to close at 11 PM during our stay).

Breeze Review

During my stay, I rarely went to Breeze. Most often when we were going to dinner or coming back after dinner, we were a little more dressed up and preferred the elevated experience of Infusions. The seating options and variety of drinks were also better at Infusions which probably had something to do with it as well. However, Breeze has a much better view due to its location outdoors and being slightly off the pool deck. Also, if you enjoy hookah, they did have it available at Breeze.

Hours

• 6:00 PM – 1:00 AM

Menu

Off Court

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Off Court is the sports bar on the property at Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun. All Hyatt Ziva/Zilara properties that I have been to have had a themed sports bar, and Riviera Cancun is no different. While Off Court is one of the smaller bars on the property, it does play sports from around the world. If you are wanting to watch a live sporting event while on vacation, this is the place to go. Off Court is located on the ground floor of the main hotel building. It is nearest the entrance to the Spa and next to the Mexican-themed restaurant Ki.

Off Court Review

While I only went to Off Court once during my visit to check it out, I think I should have gone more. I am generally not the type to go to a sports bar, and there weren’t any big sporting events during my stay that they carried. Off Court had a nice setup with several booths, a bar, and high-top tables spread throughout the area. Another positive of Off Court is the indoor location and air conditioning. The other two major bars that are open at night (Infusions and Breeze) are not air-conditioned. Breeze is located outdoors, and the Infusions bar is in the lobby that is open to the outdoors. These areas can get particularly warm (especially at some points of the year). Off Court can provide a way to get away from the heat, even if you aren’t looking for a sports bar.

Hours

• 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Menu

Delfin

Delfin is the swim-up bar located in the Ziva main pool. If you like to hang out in the pools, this will be a mainstay for you. While the bar will make mostly frozen drinks typical of tropical resorts, it is a full bar. Therefore, if you like your Johnnie Walker scotch while you are at the pool, you can get it.

Delfin Review

I visited the Delfin swim-up bar several times during my visit. The bartenders here are always playful and entertaining. They will make anything you want, and the service tends to be fairly quick. The bar has underwater stools that make great spots to come up to the bar and wait for a drink or even to sit there for an extended time and enjoy some conversation with other pool-goers and the bartenders. The bar is also nicely situated such that the bar area and stools are always in the shade. This makes it very popular during the middle of the day or later in the day when people are starting to feel the sun.

Unlike many other swim-up bars, Delfin does not have an area that is walk-up from the pool deck. Both Habaneros and The Corner are located next to the main pool and have bars. If you are on the pool deck, ordering drinks from a waiter or going to one of these two will be your best bet. However, while in the water, it is hard to beat the convenience of Delfin.

Hours

• 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Menu

The Red

The Red is a wine shop and deli. It is located next to the theater area and is accessible via an outside door on the resort property. It is a fairly small shop, but it hosts a large selection of wine and local liquors for purchase by the bottle. The Red also has snacks and appetizers in its deli including meats, cheeses, and charcuterie boards that pair well with the wine. All of the items in The Red are not included in the resort’s price and result in an extra charge.

The Red Review

Due to the extra charge involved in getting anything from The Red, I didn’t sample or purchase from this shop. However, I did look in the shop and while small it has a nice setup. You will not be able to stay in the shop to drink your wine or eat. It is designed as a grab-and-go place, which is just as good given that your room probably has a good view, you could take it to the beach, or any number of other great spots on the resort.

Hours

• 1:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Menu

Wrap-Up

The Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun has a variety of bars spread out across the property. During my recent stay at the resort, I was able to sample all but the wine shop. Remember, the wine shop isn’t included in the all-inclusive price, so most people will probably skip it. Each of the bars had attentive staff and ample seating. Hopefully, as the resort has more guests this will continue to be true. Finally, all the bars were family-friendly to match the Ziva brand. None had a club atmosphere, and mocktails were on each menu for those who didn’t want/need alcohol. All in all, I had great experiences at the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun all-inclusive bars.