A beautiful location and a good bed are definitely important when traveling—but there's so much more to it. 

At Hyatt Ziva resort (all inclusive) in Cancún, Mexico, you’ll find yourself enjoying a lot more than just the beach. When I first arrived at the resort, I was welcomed by many kind people who showed me to the check in and even offered me a fresh damp towel in case I was warm (which smelled incredible). 

One of the first things I noticed when I got out of the taxi is that there weren’t any doors. It was all open–the entrance was like walking through an outlet mall but instead you’re walking into heaven.  You walk up a set of stairs and are overlooking two big bright blue pools with a line of palm trees and the restless ocean behind it. 

I particularly love this resort because every morning I woke up, stepped on my balcony and was in awe. The beach, pools, and palm trees clash together in such beauty. I would step out of my room and immediately be looking at a forest of palm trees inside the resort. But it just got better; the dolphins jumping around and the live music really accentuate the attraction of Mexico.

Generally, vacations at the beach are spent tanning in the sand or swimming in the ocean. But not at Hyatt Ziva. Of course you can still lay on the beach and swim but there are also opportunities to participate in class zumba, water aerobics, sand and water volleyball, and even yoga with its own white pavilion overlooking the ocean. 

The resort also offers many culturally diverse restaurants. For example, French, Italian, Mexican, American, Japanese, an all day cafè, and a 24 hour desert store. What's nice about the restaurants is that you don’t have to make a reservation, you show up and it's first come first serve. You can order as many dishes as you want given they’re all included with your stay. The restaurants aside, there are popup taco trucks, lunch buffets and fruit stations all around the resort. 

At the Japanese restaurant, my family and I ordered spring rolls, every sushi roll they had, and miso soup. They had the best spring rolls I had ever had in my life, and the sushi was very fresh. At the Italian restaurant there were many different pizza, pasta, bread, and drink options to experience. We ordered three kinds of pizzas, five appetizers, and two desserts. The portions were small but I liked that we were able to share them and try more foods. 

 The only downside of this (and any) all inclusive resort is that they tend to be pricey–especially because this resort is in a top location for Spring break and traveling in general.