Hyatt Ziva Cancún, which debuted in November 2015 as the newest addition to a distinguished collection of Hyatt all inclusive resorts for guests of all ages, has thoroughly re-imagined the all inclusive experience from the ground up. From its unrivaled location at the tip of the Yucatan peninsula to its luxurious Ziva Sky Swim-up Suites, Hyatt Ziva Cancún stands apart from the rest. Unquestionably, the resort’s greatest distinction from other all inclusive properties lies in its cuisine. Hyatt Ziva Cancún is fully committed to authentic gourmet dining, seasonal flavors and fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Guests can curate their own gastronomic journey at Hyatt all inclusive resorts – one might start the day with a pastry from Casa Café, try fresh ceviche for lunch by the beach, reminisce over a private candlelit dinner in the sand and cap the day with a sweet treat from our fantastical, sugar-themed dessert parlor, Pasteles. Best of all, it’s entirely unlimited and fully at the guest’s discretion.
Pasteles – A Sugar Themed Heaven
Redefining the all inclusive resort by satisfying every age, taste and style, whether traveling as a family, couple or group, Hyatt Ziva Cancún provides the typical All You Can Eat bonanza and a world of à la carte options to suit every palate. Nine distinct restaurants offer full menus to ensure that guests’ taste buds never tire:
· La Bastille, presenting timeless French cuisine in an elegant, yet relaxed setting for adults only
· El Mercado, a bountiful buffet of gourmet international cuisine with both indoor and outdoor seating
· The Moongate, offering a variety of Asian specialties, from dim sum to an interactive teppanyaki table
· Tradewinds, a casual oceanfront grill by day and a classic steakhouse by night
· Lorenzo’s, serving Trattoria-style favorites for lunch and elegant Italian traditions for dinner, including brick oven pizza
· Habaneros, featuring tacos and fresh ceviche beachside
· Chevy’s, a classic all-American diner with burgers and milkshakes, and even a ’57 Chevy convertible that guests can dine in
· Pasteles, a delightful dessert parlor
· Casa Café, specializing in all things coffee, plus scrumptious pastries and snacks
In addition to the restaurants, mobile food carts roam the pool and beach areas with tacos, burgers, fresh fruit, sweet crepes, and cool refreshments. Plus, in-suite dining, is available 24-hours a day. This is something appealing to families because other all inclusive resorts like Club Med Cancun don’t offer this.
Tres Cerveza’s – Onsite Microbrewery
Choices abound at Hyatt Ziva Cancún, not only for dining but also for nightlife and libations. Adults can enjoy unlimited signature cocktails and a wide selection of beer, wine, tequila, and premium spirits at seven distinct watering holes:
· Juana Margarita, a tequila tasting bar offering local tequila varieties and an onsite tequila sommelier
· Tres Cervezas, a sports bar and microbrewery featuring handcrafted microbrews and an onsite brewmaster
· Sassil Bar, a contemporary lobby bar inspired by the region’s Mayan heritage, featuring both indoor and ocean-view outdoor seating
· Punta Vista, a rooftop lounge with panoramic views by the adults-only pool
· Dips & Sips, featuring both outdoor and in-pool seating at the swim-up bar
· 24 Horas, a lively 24-hour lounge
· Bar del Mar, the exclusive Hyatt Club Level lounge overlooking the infinity pool, offering both indoor and outdoor seating
Tapas at the Oasis Granada Hostel – Lisbon, Portugal
Our friends at The Daily Meal love to keep us informed on the best of the best when it comes to food around the world. This time, they’ve done a great 20 best hostels around the world for food (since we know hostels can get a bad rap, and most of the time, that reputation isn’t unfounded). If a hostel serves any food at all, the best most backpackers can expect to find is some cheap white bread and bad coffee. For many travelers, this lack of decent food is hardly a point of contention. After all, eating pricey gourmet meals often isn’t an option for those traveling on a budget, and as long as the hostel is well located, safe, and free of bedbug sightings, what more could a backpacker ask for? A lot more, apparently, according to recent research.
Plus Berlin All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
A hostel meal will likely never reach the ranks of Michelin-starred dining or compare to the breakfast buffet at the St. Regis. However, some establishments are offering culinary delights such as barbecue, ceviche, poutine, and a burger that even the locals clamor over, and these are just a sampling of some of the excellent dishes found in hostel dining rooms around the world.
Ceviche at La Hamaca Hostel – San Pedro Sula, Honduras
For a minimal fee, guests at PLUS Berlin Hostel can enjoy an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and dinner in the hostel restaurant. The restaurant’s manager, Diego, is Italian and takes pride in the quality of the food. Options range from pizza and pasta dishes to German specialties. The hostel’s well-stocked bar also serves cocktails to get you ready for a night exploring the neighborhood’s nightclubs.
The Green Tortoise – San Francisco, CA
So what makes a hostel’s food stand above the fray? “Food is part of the cultural experience you get when you visit a foreign country,” explains Andres Poveda Solano, co-owner of Hostel Pangea in Costa Rica, while Green Tortoise Hostel in San Francisco provides hearty and healthy free breakfast every day of organic oatmeal and fresh fruit, and free dinner three times per week including dishes like pasta primavera and Thai curry.
The Menaggio Youth Hostel’s Cooking Classes – Lake Como, Italy
Good food at a hostel enhances the backpacker’s experience. One of the charms of staying in a hostel is the opportunity it offers to meet people from all over the world, and for these hostels, the dining room is one place where the magic happens. Whether you’re enjoying a hearty breakfast on a terrace overlooking the scenic French countryside or participating in a free tour with fellow travelers of a Spanish city’s tapas bars, the food at these top 20 hostels will create memories you won’t quickly forget.
Yucatan’s capital is famously called “the white city”, but if you look hard enough, you’ll find a mosaique of strong, passionate colors all around it. A walk along its famous Paseo Montejo is a trip within a trip: from Parisian-style mansions that will transport you from French classic architecture to traditional Mexican ice cream parlors that evoke the last remains of the golden years, the variety is exhilarating, specially because it all fits and matches. This is, at the same time a strong Mayan capital (Yucatan is home to Chichen Itza and Uxmal, and to more than one million people who still speak Mayan language), and the neat colonial city where visitors will find the boutique hotels of their dreams at quite affordable prices.
We are particularly thinking about two colors of luxury:
Rosas y Xocolate
Rosas y Xocolate
The classic surreal dream about life in pink comes to life in Merida, covered with utter elegance, lots of roses and a velvety chocolate flavour. Two former colonial mansions located exactly at the Paseo Montejo were masterfully transformed into this sensual palace, where avant-garde design reigns. After a good sleep in their cozy, tastefully decorated rooms; wake up to their spa, specialised in choco-therapies that use 100% organic Yucatecan cocoa nectar (great for all types of skin). At the restaurant, go for the beautiful terrace and grab a lemon Margarita. Pair it with the exotic chicharrón de pulpo (crispy octopus with Mexican spices). On your way home, think pink and don’t foget to get some local chocolate for the people you love.
This very accurately self-proclaimed historic monument-hotel is a majestic homage to the classic blue. It’s forged doors open the path to the colonial glory of the past. If you are into antiques, or a fan of Gabriel García Márquez’s ‘Love in times of Cholera’, look no further. Only 8 rooms that recreate the magnificent grandeur of the Mexican XIX century are the perfect location to experience what it’s like to be the Hacienda’s owner: every detail is carefully prepared to achieve lavishness and beauty. Take your favorite novel and enjoy it in the patio listening to the water running inside the imperial fountain, take a dip in the backyard’s pool or enjoy an evening conversation sitting at the blue terrace, watching people passing by.
Our chromatic recomendation: You don’t have to choose between pink and blue to feel the daintiest combination of colors in the Yucatan Peninsula. Take a one-day excursion to Ría Celestún(check out the YouTube video), a biosphere reserve framed by the purest white of the sand and the strong turquoise of the Caribbean sea. The breath-taking azure of the sky is the perfect scenery for the pink flamingos that migrate there every winter. If animals and nature are your thing, be very alert: if lucky enough, you’ll find exotic birds (endemic ducks and pelicans are famous among the locals), crocodiles (watch out) or even turtles.
La Chaya Maya
Foodie tip: Merida is the best place to enjoy cochinita pibil, one of Mexico’s gastronomic treasures. Run to my personal favorite of the city: La Chaya Maya (Calle 62 x 57, Colonia Centro; just ask the locals, they know the way), where you can have great handmade tortillas to taste it. Also, look for lime soup and virtually any other Mayan specialties that sounds good to you. This is the Yucatan, no matter what you order, it promises to be delicious.
Jaunt Magazine Contributor – Jesus Catalan
Regular Jaunt Magazine Contributor, Jesus Catalan Meneses, ex-journo turned blogger (like me!) and very Mexican Taconnoiseur is back to give our readers a taste of Merida, Mexico. Whether he’s writing, researching social media, travelling, cooking or finding the greatest places for tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas, Jesus’s love for Mexico can only be matched by his love of Mexican food.
This week, Jesus Catalan Meneses, ex-journo turned blogger and very Mexican Taconnoiseur is back to give our readers the inside scoop on Mexico City’s best restaurants. Whether he’s writing, researching social media, travelling, cooking or finding the greatest places for tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas, Jesus’s love for Mexico can only be matched by his love of Mexican food.
Forbes Magazine says Mexico City is the fourth best city in the world to eat well.
Well, I say it’s the first one on the planet and I’m here to prove it. This is, after all, the complex, crowded and flavorful capital of the country whose gastronomy was the first in history to have been declared a world’s heritage.
The D.F. (acronym of Distrito Federal – Federal District-) is, therefore, home to hundreds of heroes who rescued traditions, ingredients and recipes out of every kitchen, mountain or fishing town. Undoubtedly, one of Mexico’s biggest treasures is its cuisine, so this is an open invitation to find them all and eat the entire city bite by bite. Here are a few tips on where to start next time you visit:
Azul Condesa
Azul Condesa (Address: Nuevo León 68, Colonia Condesa, www.azulcondesa.com)
The most imponent temple of Mexican fine food. Long live the absolute king of our cuisine, chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, who has thoroughly researched all over the country for years to create the concept. Fascinating like an anthropology museum, the ancient recipes served here are – thanks to the purity and quality of every ingredient – truly spectacular. Normally, you should go for the duck dumplings showered with black mole and blackberries; but August is an excellent month to try Chiles en Nogada, a dish that includes the three colours of the Mexican flag: it consists of a green pepper stuffed with meat, covered with white, creamy walnut sauce and shiny red pomegranate grains. It will explode in your mouth. For dessert, surrender to the chocolate tamal stuffed with almonds and raisins. It will take your breath away.
Dulce Patria
Dulce Patria (Address: Anatole France 100, Colonia Polanco, www.dulcepatriamexico.com)
While Azul Condesa’s atmosphere is happy blue, this cozy restaurant’s is bright pink. Planned with extreme detail and passion, absolutely everything here is beautiful in a Mexican colorful way. Part of the gorgeous boutique hotel Las Alcobas, pray to the Aztec gods that you run into chef Martha Ortiz Chapa: not only she is a feast for the eyes for she is sort of the embodiment of Mexican femininity, but also because of her evident dedication and obsessive perfection. Chef Ortiz is not only proud of her authentic Mexican cuisine, but her establishment, right down to the illuminator, decorator, architect, and art director (herself)… are all Mexican born and raised.
Beyond the pretty presentation of each plate (you will suffer to think you are to slice those gorgeously embellished, delicate creations with a fork), lie equally adorned unique Mexican flavors. Don’t miss the ‘tuna star with vegetables streamer bathed on spicy sesame oil’s rain’, and at the end have no fear: randomly pick any dessert you like from the menu. You can’t go wrong, they are all really marvelous.
Cafe de Tacuba
Café de Tacuba (Address: Tacuba 28, Centro Histórico – walking distance from Bellas Artes Palace-)
Great place for breakfasts. ‘Novia’ is the Spanish word for Bride. After your first visit to this place you will inevitably be delirious for a novia (!!!), as it’s also the name of a wonderful sweet bun covered with butter and sugar that is only served here. Founded in 1912, they say a nun’s ghost wanders like a fleeting shadow around this picturesque, exquisitely-decorated Mexican colonial building, moving tables and pulling tablecloths out. Worry not, unless you do not order the legendary Enchiladas Café Tacuba (chicken-stuffed tortillas bathed in a wonderful salsa made out of green pepper, spinach and corn with lots of cheese au gratin on top of it). Watch out, what you find on the table is not vinegar but strong Mexican coffee extract that will be blended (to your taste) with hot milk in your glass to produce one of the best café con leche‘s you’ve ever tried. http://www.cafedetacuba.com.mx
El Huequito
El Huequito (Address: Pennsylvania 73, Colonia Nápoles – near the World Trade Center -, www.elhuequito.com.mx) While in the city, don’t miss the oportunity to visit an authentic taco shop. This is – in my opinion – the one that offers the best Tacos al Pastor (‘Sheperd style’ tacos) of the universe. This iconic dish from the city consists of marinated pork cooked vertically in a similar way to schawarmas or kebabs (it is, in fact, a result of the Arab influence in Mexico), served on a warm tortilla and oftenly sprinkled with chopped onion, cilantro and even small pineapple slices. Taconnoisseiurs always add a bit of lemon juice and spoonfuls of salsa (be careful, it’s spicy). This informal yet pleasant place that claims to have invented Pastor’s recipe (go figure) is an excellent option if you’re somewhat concerned about eating at typical street stalls. If you’re a meat lover order the Pastor Especial, or the fried cheese filled with pastor. The tortilla soup is perhaps the best in the city and the melted cheese with chistorra is fabulously decadent.
Biko
Biko (Address: Masaryk 407, Colonia Polanco, www.biko.com.mx)
A fancy option in the heart of Mexico City’s shopping district that will blow your mind. From its impressive high-end elegant decoration to the grandeur of the dishes masterfully created by chefs Mikel Alonso and Bruno Oteiza, this is probaby one of the most exciting hot spots you’ll ever dine in. S. Pellegrino knows it and declared it the 46th in the world. Get ready to eat true works of art based on Mexican basic and traditional products reinvented using the latest culinary techiques and a touch of Basque cuisine. Lose your mind to the delicious lamb gorditas -an unforgettable delicacy- or the re-fried codfish. This is also an ideal place to experiment with Mexican wine, the people who serve are warm and friendly and will be happy to recommend you the best matches to your choice dish.
Other food cathedrals you cannot miss:
Charro (Address: Vicente Suárez 30, Colonia Condesa, www.elcharro.mx) This attractive concept gives Mexican street food a touch of sophistication and brings it to a trendy ambiance at the center of the city’s most bohemian neighbourhood. The green chiles stuffed with flank steak are unforgettable. If thirsty, order an exotic giant glass of mixed fresh fruit water (and the Margaritas are excellent).
JASO (Address: Newton 88, Colonia Polanco, www.jaso.com.mx) The fortunate result of the marriage of (American) JAred and (Mexican) SOnia is a remarkable feud of excellent taste, decorated to please every sense and with desserts to die for. Ask for Sonia’s artisanal ice creams and/or handmade madeleines. They’re good. SO good…
Tuna (Address: Moliere 42, Colonia Polanco) Don’t let its name deceive you: ‘tuna’ in Spanish means prickly pear. World-famous chef Ricardo Sandoval offers a powerful fusion of Mexican and Asian food: a festival of strong exciting flavors. Ask for the beef ribs, cooked for more than 8 hours. If you’ve got the time, come back the next day to the next-door neighbor Oca (located in Moliere 50, www.ocarestaurante.com) for the most innovative and original treats of the city. THIS JUST IN: TUNA IS NOW CLOSED 😦
Pujol (Address: Francisco Petrarca 254, Colonia Polanco, www.pujol.com.mx) Make sure you make a reservation. Mexican modern cuisine at its best. It already made the S. Pellegrino list, propelling the now somewhat haughty chef Enrique Olvera to a well-deserved celebrity status. Go for the tasting menu.
Pablo El Erizo (Address: Montes de Oca 6, Colonia Condesa, www.pabloelerizo.com) Small and simple with a sea-inspired decoration, the freshness of the seafood cooked Baja California style will seduce you. Perfect for a sunny day (beer in hand), the shrimp aguachile is magnificent. Order the grilled octopus with potatoes and oregano-scented black beans: the soft superb texture combined with the Mexican touch is unbeatable.
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