Hyatt with a "Z"


Hyatt Corporation's foray into the all-inclusive market began in Mexico and is now delving aggressively into other geographical locations, Jamaica being the latest.
They purchased the former Ritz Carlton, the grande dame of Montego Bay, and worked feverishly to transform it into their "Z" branded resort.
All good intentions aside, what has emerged is a mix of new and old, with enough categories to confuse everyone, including travel professionals.
First, let's distinguish between the names: Ziva is family inclusive, while Zilara is adults only. Simple enough, right? Well...not so much.

Hyatt Ziva occupies the physical space of the former Ritz Carlton. The decor is mostly unchanged, except an almost undistinguishable face lift.  The rooms are spacious, the bathrooms marble, but the furnishings along with the hallways and elevators are reminiscent of the past, rather than the future. With the addition of a brand new building offering more modern and therefore contemporary accommodations, it has created a new option which will please those like myself, who enjoy the modern and fresh, with lighter wall and furniture as well as fabrics in monochromatic and more subtle colors.
This new building faces a courtyard with comfortable lounge style seating , a bar in the center as well as the majority of the restaurants serving both Ziva and Zilara guests.
Zilara guests, therefore, have to ambulate to Ziva for most of their dining.

Hyatt Zilara, is mostly new construction, and is accessible from Ziva both via a maze of internal corridors and elevators as well as from exterior passages.
Any adult residing in Ziva has full access to Zilara, except for the scarce dining venues there, where one's room number will determine one's admittance.
I said mostly new construction, because inexplicably, one wing of Zilara is actually a part of one of the original older buildings and shares both Ziva and Zilara rooms.
Talk about confusing. You could reserve a room at Zilara, thinking this is the newest part of the resort, and end up in an older wing, with the more traditional furnishings!
A good travel agent ( get the hint?) can help you navigate through all this!

Ziva has two large pools  one with swim up bar, and the common areas are therefore more spacious and welcoming, while Zilara has a smaller pool, also housing the ubiquitous swim up bar. But when pool exercises are taking place, there is scant room for lounging unobstructed. Ziva, with its  more expansive pool areas is a better choice, despite the younger ones frolicking about.

Let's talk beach.....or what beach?
Unfortunately there are only two small beach areas. The one in front of Zilara is quite rocky and unpleasant to the feet. The one in front of Ziva is smoother, yet quite small and shallow....almost a very large kiddie pool!  When Ritz managed this property they gave guests the option of using a nearby beach club for a better swimming experience. Hyatt does not offer that option.

The branding of any hotel product is as important to both consumers and sellers as almost any other component being offered. Hyatt , just like Ms. Minelli, went with the "Z".
Every venue in the resort therefore must have a "z" incorporated in its name.
A few examples:  Bar Fez, Italian restaurant De Roza, French restaurant Petite Pariz,
Islandz pool bar, Stirz piano bar..... See what I mean? I won't bore you with the rest, but it all becomes a bit un imaginative and contrived....oops I just saw a member of the Z Crew walking by ( yes the resort workers around the pool wear  t-shits proclaiming  their allegiance to the Z!!!!)

Food was very good overall, particularly the Italian DeRoza with its wood burning pizza oven and fresh offerings of pastas, seafood and meats.
The Brazil restaurant, a churrasqueria, not as satisfying to my personal taste. Some cuts of meat good, while others not so much.
Breakfast buffet is varied in its offerings, but ordinary at best.
Drinks seem to be mostly mediocre and watered down. Premium liquor drinks are only offered at the afore mentioned Stirz Piano bar, located in the lobby of Ziva, and at  most Zilara venues.  For an upscale resort, that is unfortunate.

What makes this resort special, are the Jamaicans themselves,  who perpetually go out of their way to acknowledge all guests and make them feel at home. They all place their right hand to their heart as they cross your path, coupled with an infectious smile and a warm greeting.
It is because of them Jamaica will always remain one of my very favorite destinations in the Caribbean. YA MON!
Hyatt has a good concept, which once refined, will enhance their brand(Z

Club Med Punta Cana
"it Takes A French Village....."

I had not visited a Club Med resort in well over 25 years, so when this recent opportunity presented itself, I immediately accepted the invitation to spend a few days at their Punta Cana location.
Arriving at the Punta Cana airport can sometimes  be both daunting and frustrating. The seemingly interminable line snakes around in a hangar like building with no air conditioning , finally spilling itself into another building, this time a thatched roof one where unsmiling officials take $10 cash from each arriving passenger, dispensing a small paper receipt, which is then checked by another "official" who tears it in half and then directs you to passport control. A mad dash for your luggage and then the search for your transfer guide, one of dozens holding hand written signs. I finally found the one I needed, holding a sign that read CLUD (sic)MED, written in bold blue marker.
However, you may experience a much smoother arrival experience, if you happen to land when yours is the only flight arriving at that particular time, as many of my fellow travelers informed me.

CLUB MED PUNTA CANA is located just a few minutes away from the airport and is located on a long stretch of pristine beach, shaded by tall palm trees and blessed with sea breezes which make the hours lounging poolside or on the beach much more tolerable and pleasant.
Unlike the Club Med resorts of yesteryear, and by that I mean the 1950's through the 1990's, the brand has evolved, modernized and upgraded in order to compete in this new world of all-inclusives  that did not exist when Club Med was busy creating the concept.
What was once a young adult camp filled with booze purchased with beads, and continual parties is now a brand that offers deluxe accommodations, private villas and activities for families and children.
In Punta Cana, you will find such a family centered resort, offering safe and organized activities catering to all ages, from 4 month old infants, to teens, divided into "baby club"  (4-23 months), "petit club"( 2-3 year olds)  "mini club" (4-10 years olds) , "pajama club" (4 month to 10 years old ...late night , at an extra fee) and even "passworld" categories for 11-17 year olds which is further subdivided appropriately by age.
The activities for children and adults seem infinite and provide something to do at every hour of the day and evening. Aside from the ubiquitous water sports, there are opportunities to play or learn to play tennis, soccer, bocce,archery, basketball, fly on a trapeze and also try other circus centric actions and contortions !  A new "Cirque du Solieil" activity center is in the works and will be completed by June, 2015.
Salsa dancing classes went on all afternoon on a deck, beachside, while others just sunbathed in tranquility under a palapa or a palm tree reading a book, sunbathing or people watching.
Last week while I was there, 69% of the visitors where almost evenly divided between French and Canadians, followed by Americans, Italians , Belgian, Swiss, and representatives from all parts of the world. That said the predominant language used throughout was French, closely followed by English and Spanish. I had fun using my French in communicating with the GO's as well as French speaking visitors.
The very large pool is the epicenter of the resort, flanked by a beautiful and large bar with lounge style seating perched several steps higher than the pool deck. This is the gathering place every evening before and after dinner, with piped music as well as lively DJ action with nightly line dancing straight out of the Club Med play book ( I remember those line dances a few decades ago when visiting a Club Med in Playa Blanca, near Puerto Vallarta).... Not much has changed. The Euro beat music is newer, the moves updated, time seems to have stopped but the fun is still universal!!
Of course there are nightly shows, which I confess did not have a chance to see.
Those who did, seemed to have enjoyed them tremendously!
Meals are all buffet style, served in one of two restaurants . I must say there were surprisingly exquisite dishes offered nightly, with enough variety to please all tastes and culinary expectations. One particular evening, chefs were making fresh pasta, cutting it into perfect ribbons of fettuccine and cooking it al dente ( unheard of at any buffet I ever saw before) , and the delicate choice of sauces were not over salted and delicious. At times one could find whole grilled fish, stir fry made to order, an array of meats and seafood, soups, salads and of course desserts.  There is no waiter service, except to offer you wine, beer , water or coffee; all else is self serve.
The rooms are basic and certainly not as luxurious as those one can find at other resorts. The standard rooms are motel grade and therefore basic. They seem to be located a bit further from the pool, beach and restaurants, while the deluxe rooms were better located and seemed to have a fresher feel, with upgraded amenities, a  mini refrigerator stocked with bottled water and soft drinks, also robes and slippers.
All room categories had a sitting room and small balcony or deck with seating.
There are also 32 beachfront villas with two bedrooms , in a mini gated area which boasts its own bar, snack offerings throughout the day and an infinity pool also beachfront. **** they have Nespresso machines with  a variety of pods !!
For me, personally, a super amenity!!!
The concept of this resort, unlike most others is that it is designed horizontally, alongside their private beach. If one should walk from one extreme side of the resort to the other, always beachfront, it could give you a nice aerobic workout!
While many other branded resorts may also be beachfront, their structures usually are built more inland giving clients less horizontal beach space.
All resorts have pluses and minuses. Club Med Punta Cana has many many pluses including an incredible beach, super friendly staff, tons of activities, great food overall and a real feel of European style hospitality albeit in the Caribbean.
I left out many details, but I want to leave some surprises for you to discover for yourselves on your next visit.
There are special offers periodically, so feel free to ask me and I can certainly help you become a part of the Club Med family!