As someone who travels multiple times a month, I often struggle to keep my balance when I’m away from home and end up feeling exhausted when I return. But if I’ve learned anything from recent wellness and spiritual journeys, including a trip to the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, it’s the importance of consistency — especially when traveling.
Photo: Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
In Buzzy Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, This Resort Stands Out for Wellness
While the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen provides ample opportunities to laze on the beach or by the pool with a beverage in hand, I found it effortless to stay active and connected to myself and my practices, whether through yoga, the Headspace meditations you can stream on the in-room TVs, or a simple morning walk on the beach. The resort has everything you need to nourish your mind and body, making it easy to stay grounded without sacrificing the decadence of a luxury vacation and return home recharged. Simply put, it’s a wellness-seekers haven.
The rooms at the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
Photo: Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
My husband and I spent the week in a Swim Up King room and were pleasantly surprised. Some hotel reviews say it’s noisy and hard to relax at times, so before arrival, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But honestly, that was not a part of our experience.
The swim-up rooms, hidden in a quiet corner away from the main pools, offer an indulgent and peaceful way to start and end your day. Despite spending my mornings sipping coffee on the deck and evenings wading while watching the stars, I didn’t see one other person. It could have been that we visited in July, but even by the pool, we found it serene, calm, and a perfect place to focus on each other and ourselves.
Pricing varies by season, but you can enjoy swim-up rooms for around $375 per night in the low season or $575 per night in the high season. The property also offers a variety of other accommodations, including spacious oceanfront rooms and jungle-facing rooms with private plunge pools, so you can find the perfect fit for your travel style and budget.
Wellness activities at the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
The one thing that amazed me about this property is the sheer number of opportunities for getting movement. If you want to, you can move your body from the moment you wake up to the second your head hits the pillow.
Sunrise yoga takes over the pool deck once a week, or you can book a yoga class within the spa. Those who love a heated class should opt for the spa classes, as the natural humidity of the pools makes them reminiscent of a heated Vinyasa flow while still soaking up the natural light peeping in from the top of the cenote cover.
Three times a day, the hotel team transforms the most elevated section of the lobby into an outdoor spin studio, Rola, with arguably the best spin studio views in the region. They pull the bikes out from a hidden closet and give participants headphones like a silent disco so that hotel guests aren’t disrupted by class music. People come to take classes from local celeb instructors at home, and often, these instructors make the vacation for visitors, too.
If non-stationary bikes are more your style, the hotel offers daily bike tours of Playa del Carmen, or you can take a bike out and explore solo. My five-foot frame was too short for the on-site bikes they offer daily bike tours on. Instead, after asking what we’d like to explore, the hotel’s tour guide created a walking tour to find the best aguas frescas in the area. The chilled fruit drinks were perfect for a hot day. In my opinion, the best option for aguas frescas in Playa del Carmen is La Purhepecha, which is about a 25-minute walk from the hotel; maracuya, or passion fruit, is my favorite.
Back at the hotel, the activities calendar was packed daily with aerobics and water Zumba classes. I preferred this to the land-lover’s version of the popular dance class, as my two left feet were ideally hidden beneath the pool’s warm waters. The hotel also hosts guided kayaking tours that leave from the beach adjacent to the property a few times a week.
The best part about the wellness offers at Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen is that nearly all these activities can be booked by anyone, not just guests. So, if you’re visiting Playa del Carmen and don’t want to interrupt your routine, you can still book an activity on the hotel’s website. You’ll also find day passes for the hotel pools, which have some of the best pool views in the city, right on the beach overlooking the azure Caribbean Sea.
The Cenote Spa at Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
Photo: Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
It’s not a vacation unless you hit the spa — that’s my motto. And you don’t want to miss the Cenote Spa at Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen.
The spa’s centerpiece is a breathtaking replica of a cenote — the sacred natural pools cherished by the ancient Maya for their spiritual connection between the physical and divine. While nothing rivals the profound energy of an authentic cenote, this architectural masterpiece offers a serene, grounding experience that elevates your spa day.
Massage cabins line the spa’s exterior, with floor-to-ceiling windows that invite lush vegetation inside, seamlessly blending nature with your bodywork experience. After your massage, head back to the cenote to unwind in the hot tub or soak up the sun by the lap pool. You can also order food to this pool to indulge in a full spa day without having to leave.
Those committed to their wellness routine may want to take a few laps in the pool to invigorate their bodies before relaxing. Adjacent to the spa, a fully equipped gym and Pilates studio offers everything you need for a pre-spa workout. I wasn’t that serious; instead, before my massage, I sipped on the minty iced tea offered in the resting space with hanging woven chairs and peaceful spa music.
The dining at Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
As with the other aspects of the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen, the on-site restaurants make it easy to stay healthy or indulge. The sushi restaurant, Sushi N Raw Bar, is the only one in town with ocean views. If you’re going the healthy route, build your own poke bowl. If you want to try something exciting, get the fire roll, filled with salmon and tuna and topped with sweet chili and soy. It arrives at your table engulfed in decorative flames for a vacation-worthy dramatic display.
The Grill, the property’s Kosher restaurant, offers an elevated dining experience with Kosher wine imported from Israel and a weekly Shabbat dinner that follows all customs. Try the beef carpaccio with black forest truffles or short rib taco bites to start, and choose from the perfectly prepared USDA cuts for your main.
La Cocina, the hotel’s Mexican restaurant, stages a breakfast buffet each morning. The buffet includes an omelet station and some delicious chia seed pudding. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s a waffle bar and a make-your-own chilaquiles station. My husband and I took a guacamole class there, which the hotel organizes in the afternoon and can be booked online or with the front desk.
While you can stay all-inclusive at the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen, I recommend a standard stay, so you can walk around and try some restaurants downtown. The resort’s dining options cater to both options, though, offering an all-inclusive menu and an à la carte selection. From my experience, the specialty dishes and premium cuts of meat tend to be more elevated on the à la carte menu, making it well worth the extra splurge. You can also upgrade to a Club Level room to access the Grand Club for breakfast and afternoon happy hour snacks for the best of both worlds.
Exploring Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Photo: Elzbieta Sekowska/Shutterstock
For those on a spiritual and wellness journey, there’s so much more to Playa del Carmen than what’s right in town, so I’d recommend booking an excursion (or two) with Kaeru Private Tours. This locally owned tour company is the brainchild of Alejandra Gonzalez, a Mexican native who’s passionate about showing the real, natural, and spiritual side of this distinctive region and its culture.
While traveling with Gonzalez, just before a cool swim in a hidden cenote 45 minutes from downtown, I was lucky enough to receive a blessing from a shaman in the jungle and hike around the turquoise shores of Punta Laguna. We then visited a local Maya family for lunch. They shared their traditional way of living, teaching us about how they connect with the land, the animals, and the natural resources that we sometimes take for granted.
Gonzalez can also arrange experiences that bring you back to yourself while helping you connect with Mother Nature. Her favorites are a private cacao ceremony in a cave in Playa del Carmen or a traditional Mexican temazcal (sweat lodge) at a pristine lagoon near Tulum, just a short drive away. You can send Gonzalez a DM on Instagram to start dreaming up your ideal adventures based on your spiritual and wellness goals.
How to get to the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
Photo: Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen
One of the most magical things about Playa del Carmen is how easy it is to get to from nearly anywhere in North America. It’s conveniently nestled between two international airports: Cancún (CUN) and Tulum Airport (TQO), which opened to international flights earlier this year. It’s easier to get direct flights to Cancún, but because the Tulum airport is new, there have been a lot of flight promotions offered in recent months.
Since the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen is in the heart of the city and most excursions include transportation, there isn’t a need for a rental car. Book a hotel transfer via the front desk before departure, or book directly with a company like Amstar. 