Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort Review
If you're looking for a resort that has mountains, perfect weather, plenty of activities to keep you busy, space to let you relax away from others, and a short drive from a major airport. Tough combination of requirements, right? If you're in or around Albuquerque, New Mexico, all of those features are possible. In our Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort review, we outline many of the features of this property and highlight why it is an oasis in the New Mexican desert.
Location
The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort is located approximately 30 minutes north of Albuquerque International Sunport and just to the northwest of the beautiful Cibola National Forest. The resort itself is in Santa Ana Pueblo and is 2.5 miles from the main highway. Given the distance from the highway, I recommend a rental car for your visit.
If you are visiting the area for the world-famous balloon festival, this location is perfect. One of the shuttle bus park and rides is only minutes from the property. Additionally, traffic arriving from the north is better than coming from the city itself. Overall, you can arrive or depart the fiesta in 30 minutes or less, absent unusual traffic conditions.
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort Review: The Property
The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa is a Category 4 Property, meaning a standard room costs:
- 12,000 (off-peak),
- 15,000 (standard), or
- 18,000 (peak) Hyatt points per night.
A Standard suites costs:
- 21,000 (off-peak),
- 24,000 (standard), or
- 27,000 (peak) Hyatt points per night.
Lastly, premium suites are:
- 24,000 (off-peak),
- 30,000 (standard), or
- 36,000 (peak) Hyatt points per night.
To accumulate Hyatt points, you can sign up for any of these cards:
- World of Hyatt credit card,
- World of Hyatt Business,
- Chase Sapphire Preferred,
- Chase Sapphire Reserve,
- Chase Ink Business Preferred,
- Chase Ink Business Cash,
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited,
- Chase Freedom Flex, or
- Chase Freedom Unlimited.
Unlike many Hyatt Regency properties, this resort does not have an executive club. The agent that checked us in said the Club closed “[around 2015].” The resort has 5 restaurant options: the Santa Ana Grill, Rio Grande Lounge, Plaza Grill in the pool areas, Trading Post (the marketplace), and Atush Bar & Grille in the golf course clubhouse.
For activities, the resort has a championship golf course, 3 heated outdoor pools and a whirlpool, bicycles for adults and children, bike/walking paths, skiing, hot air balloon rides, horseback riding, a full-service spa, yoga classes, and a 24-hour gym.
Our Stay
The Room
In advance of arrival, the Hyatt app showed an upgrade to an executive suite. Once we arrived, we were upgraded to a King Executive Mountainview Suite. The downside to this upgrade was that our room was not ready upon arrival (approximately 1:30 pm). We received keys to access the pool area and would receive a text when our room was ready. We ventured off in search of the pools and to wander the property.
Less than 2 hours later, our suite was ready and we were told our bags would arrive momentarily. Within 5 minutes of arrival, our bags arrived and the porter asked if we had any questions about our room. He was polite and very helpful, which was a theme for our stay.
Overall, our room was spectacular. Almost 800 square feet, with a full couch, kitchenette, large king bed, multiple flat screen TVs, and 2 private balconies with views of the nearly 11,000 foot mountains a few miles away. It was very peaceful and serene.
For our stay, cash prices were $560 (including taxes) per night for a standard room. We used 18,000 Hyatt points per night for 2 nights and 2 Free Night Certificates. This equaled around 3.1 cents per point and $560 in value for each of our Free Night Certificates. Regardless of the cents per point (cpp) valuation, this Executive Suite (and any room at this resort) is definitely worth 12,000-18,000 Hyatt points per night when cash prices are high.
The Perks
As a Globalist, we received free valet parking, which was $18/night if not a Globalist. There was ample self parking located less than 150 yards from the front entrance and was free, so this did not seem like it was worth $18 per night if paying for it. Additionally, late arrivals and early departures for the Balloon Fiesta were somewhat chaotic, as valets were oftentimes not immediately available or present. Many times, we just left our keys in the vehicle and went inside the hotel.
Also, thanks to Globalist status, we received free breakfast in the Santa Ana Cafe. There was an a la carte menu or a buffet. The buffet included coffee and juice. We opted for the buffet, which with tip totaled almost $75 for 2. Definitely not terrible for resort prices. We loved our breakfast. Along with the traditional breakfast fare, the buffet offered beans stewed with red and green chilies, fresh red salsa, roasted green chilies, and other traditional New Mexican fare. I highly recommend the buffet.
The Amenities
Pools
We spent time at the adults-only pool and explored the two other pools on property. The adults-only pool was crowded and has no shade whatsoever. Luckily, each chair comes with a foldable shade umbrella, so you can shield yourself a little bit. While the temperature was fairly mild for August (highs in the low 80s and lows in the upper 50s), the sun is brutal at over 5,200 feet in elevation.
Golf Course
I opted to play golf at Twin Warriors Golf Course, which is an easy 2 minute walk from the hotel. The course is incredibly long, tipping out at almost 8,000 yards from the back tees, and is a very unforgiving desert golf course. It is incredibly beautiful and well maintained, as one expects for a $130+ golf course on Thursday and Friday afternoons. Pro tip: The sister course, Santa Ana Golf Course, is only a mile or so away, has 27 holes, is equally nice and is only half the price ($73 on a Sunday morning). Overall, the golf course was a great experience, though the pro shop charges were not earnings eligible on our final Hyatt bill.
Other Amenities
During our stay, we watched folks play horseshoes and golf, run and walk on the trails and paths, and adults and children use the resort's bicycles on the various paths. The resort seemed busy, but there were plenty of bicycles for everyone and the paths did not seem crowded at all.
Lastly, we ate dinner at the Rio Grande Lounge, which has ample indoor and outdoor seating. We opted to sit outside and observe those gorgeous mountains. The menu had traditional “pub grub” and lots of New Mexican entrees as well. We opted to split brisket nachos with red and green chilies ($16) and it was more than enough food for two and quite delicious.
Cost/Earnings
We used 18,000 Hyatt points per night and Category 1-4 Free Night Certificates to book a standard room and received an upgrade to an Executive Suite. We could have booked that Executive Suite directly for 27,000 Hyatt points per night. Honestly, if we return and don't have a Suite Upgrade Award to spare, I would use 21,000-27,000 Hyatt points per night to book the Executive Suite directly. It is worth the extra points for 1) the extra space, 2) a mountain view, and 3) the two private balconies. As this was a points booking, we did not earn any points for our room.
Interestingly, we did earn Hyatt points on our food & beverage bill, which is calculated at 5x plus any elite bonuses (Globalist is a 30% bonus). While food & beverage charges are suppose to earn points, the Hyatt terms & conditions suggest this is not the case at all properties and alcohol purchases should never earn points. Earning points on these charges is always hit-or-miss. In contrast, we did NOT earn any points on any charges from the golf pro shop.
At check out, we spotted various errors on our bill. First, the breakfast charges were not correctly subtracted from the final total, despite our Globalist status. Second, the bill showed that our stay was not an elite qualifying night and we were not receiving elite credit for it. While that is not important to some, it is very important for those chasing status or Hyatt's lucrative elite milestone rewards. Luckily, we resolved both issues quickly with an email to our Globalist concierge. If we did not have access to the Globalist concierge, we would have pointed these issues out during check out to get them fixed.
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort Review: ToP Thoughts
The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa is a wonderful respite from real life. Hidden away from the main highway and the nearby town, you feel secluded and private. The weather in August was absolutely perfect, although the sun was intense, and the mountain views make for plentiful photo opportunities. We highly recommend this resort and cannot wait to return. It offers fantastic value for 12,000-18,000 Hyatt points per night in a regular room. If you want to or 21,000-27,000 Hyatt points per night in an Executive Suite.
Have you stayed at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa? Do you have questions about the resort. Head over to our Facebook group and talk about it!
