Returned on April 3th from a 7 day vacation at FA. Booked through Apple Vacations. Will have to admit that I am used to 5-Apple type of resorts, so I knew I had to lower my expectations since this was a 4-Apple resort. In reality, I think this is more of a 3-Apple. The Iberostar is rated a 4-Apple and is much nicer.

This resort is best suited for divers/snorkelers. Great location for a short boat ride to many reefs and good snorkeling off the shore. Not much else to do at this resort. The entertainment is sparse and lame. No non-motorized beach activites. Most people are in bed by 10pm in order to be ready to dive by 7:30 or 8:00 the next morning.

Like any resort, you have to get up early to stake out your lounge chairs at the beach or pool. 6am ensures the best spots. We liked the palapas at the beach. Bar service at the beach was really good. We tipped and the waiter was always making drink runs for us.

Service was spotty at best. I actually think most of the employees at this resort enjoyed saying "No". Beach service and service at the one reservation-only restaurant was good. Food was good at this restaurant too. The waiters were very attentive to the people not on the all-inclusive plan but tended to ignore or at least relectantly wait on those of us with the all-inclusive wrist bands. Funny though, when they wanted you to fill out a satisfaction survey, they were very friendly and attentive.

Food: at the buffets, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner, was OK. Could always find something decent to eat, but nothing to rave about. I echo everyone's sentiment about ordering off the menu during lunch. The waiters hate it (because they have to work a little harder) but it is worth it to get something fresh and hot fries. Bottled water flowed freely which is nice. While this resort calls itself all-inclusive, they don't quite know the definition. For instance, if you order off the menu you can't also go to the buffet and pick a few items. Champagne isn't an included drink as it is at other resorts. At the reservation restaraunt, the Miramar, you can only order one item from the left side of the menu (appetizer, soup, or salad) and one from the right (entree). Have to line up at 7am to make reservations at the Miramar and can only make reservations for same day. Silly procedure.

Rooms: we have a casita suite in the back. Occasionally smelled musty but not bad. Did appreciate that these rooms were bigger than the hotel rooms. Everything in the room worked, but it was a bit old and dated. Showers were always warm, but not much pressure. They tried to charge us for the safety deposit box, which is funny since we didn't have on in the room. People that complained about the resort being spread out or having to walk across the street to the beach are nuts! This resort is small by most standards; a 5 minute walk from casita to beach. Traffic, which is light, stops for pedestrians to cross the road.

Swim shoes or fins are a must if going in the water off the beach. Very rocky and saw some sea urchins.

If taking a cab into town, $6, confirm the fare with the cab driver prior to getting in. Some will try to charge you more.

A coffee pot was provided in the room, but buying a 4 cup coffee-pack costs almost $4. Bring your own from home! Mini-bar was a big rip-off. Room service was not included inthe all-inclusive package. I believe a frozen drink costs $7 at the bar. The all-inclusive option is worth it, if you plan on eating at the resort.

We did not dive with the hotel comnpany, Dive House. They boats were big and just to many people. We dove with Dive with Martin, who we have used before. They pick you up right at the pier on time...no waiting in long lines to pick up your equipment and then wait for the boat to come. They have your equipment all ready hooked up and ready to go. They will put it on you and make sure you are all belted in. No hassle which I love! I am a 2x year fair weather diver so I appreciate being taken care of. They are about 1/2 the cost of the hotel shop as well which is an extra benefit.

We were there 3/12/04 and can't wait to go back !! Honestly, we work very hard and look forward to relaxing and enjoying solitude. The meals were great, the staff more than willing to make you happy, the beach is just enough for us- private- no walk throughs. We aren't in to the wild/ drunken crowd and found this place for more mature quiet visitors. It was just right for us, we will return in a few weeks and can't wait !!!
We especially look forward to Juan bringing us cold beer and guacamole on the beach !!

Our group stayed at the FA from March 19-25,2005. We had 21 people in our group aged 60-17. We had nothing but problems from the get-go. We booked our vacation with Apple vacation as they are one of the leading vacation providers. Our problems started in Milwaukee when our flight took off 1 1/2 hour late. We arrived at the FA at 11:00 pm. We all checked in I think in total there were about 50 people from our plane staying there too. The were no rooms available for some of our people as the hotel was overbooked so these people were given suites that they had to vacant in the morning. We were told our rooms were to be on the 5th and 6th floor found our later that was a lie. We were put on the first floor witch is the basement,where the sewer gas smell was outrageous. Talked to the night manager and he said he would fixed it in the morning. He never did and the front desk new nothing about it in the morning. We never got to change rooms. The people that had to vacant the suites were moved 3 diffrent times before they found a room for them. Very poor mangement. Now for the food I think hospital food is better. My husband rated the food about -1 1/2. I think it was banquet suprise every night. And to get any kind of service it was like pulling teeth and yes we tried tipping and it didn't help. And like the other reviews they always kept running out of things. even ribeye steaks in the special resturant. They always ran out of bottled water, they would say none available come back in a hour. And for the mini bar in your room boy was that a ripoff. one lady in our group had somethings off of it and when she checked out her bill was $274.00. Also we all had the safes in our room and they charged us all different prices. One of the couples that had to change rooms 3 times were charged $780.00 for there renta on there room and they were all inclusive. She told him different and he typed her out a different one. The hotel seemed like it wanted to charge you for everything even when you didn't use it.We even saw one family that was charged $2,800 for everything they ate and drank at the hotel of course they were not all inclusive. And for your people that arrive after the people that have checked out of their rooms watch out as you may be charged for some the dranks they drank, as they always ask your room number, and if you have the same room number as the person that has checked out before you,you could be paying for their drinks. Yes the snokeling was excellent but for any kind of swimming for small children there was none. There was no place to go for walks along the beach and look for seashells. There was no entertainment at night like most other resorts you go to. The only thing to do after supper was to sit and talk to the same people you talked to all day and drink when they waited on you and hope you got the right drink when you ordered it. The Apple reps at the hotel were no help at all they would say go fill a complaint with the hotel and I would say another one. Needless to say I would NOT GO BACK TO THIS HOTEL and would not tell anyone else to go there.I think if I go on vacation next year I will go back to some of the places I have already been as I have been disappointed now for the last 2 years.

First and foremost, the Fiesta Americana is a Dive Resort.

If you do dive, then the Fiesta is an excellent value. It is ideally located just south of town which means that it is a short $6 taxi ride to town and still close enough to the southern dive sites for a quick boat ride.

My non-diving family and I stayed there the week before Christmas, 2004. We had an excellent time. We did the All Inclusive package and that worked very well for us, especially with the kids. The convenience of being able walk thru the buffet on my way the catch the morning dive boat was great, as was having lunch available when I returned after diving. I thought that the food ran from OK to really good. I got the best food when I ordered off the menu at the Reef restaurant, the one down by the water, and the reservation only dinner restaurant. I would recommend ordering off the menu for breakfast and lunch. You might have to ask for the menu, but it is worth it. There was always something for my somewhat picky children could eat. Prices on the menu seemed a bit high, but since it was all inclusive, it didn't matter to us. The kids really enjoyed ordering drinks at the bar, and so did I. There was one thing about the food that was less than enjoyable. On a couple of day when there was no wind, the were some flies that bothered us at the buffets. There were covers on most of the food, and once you got your food and moved to where there was some breeze, they weren't a problem.

The first room they gave us was on the first floor, which is one level below the lobby. We could tell from the look on the kids' faces that this wouldn't do. I went back to the front desk and we were given new room on the second level, right off the lobby. This new room was fine, but that night it turned out to be too loud with noise from the lobby. The next day, while I was off diving, my wife got us a new room, still on the second floor, but at the end of the hotel. This final room was perfect. It was easy to walk to, had a nice view of the ocean, and was quiet at night. The room itself was a basic hotel with 2 double beds. It was kept very clean as was the bathroom.

My son enjoyed playing tennis with the resort supplied rackets on the resort's tennis court, but loosing the tennis balls cost us $2 each. It was our fault for hitting them over the fence into the forest. The second time we played using balls we bought at Chedauri, the superstore in town. BTW, Chedauri is an excellent source for almost anything you might need at a cheap price.

The service from the staff was at least fine, but for the most part, the staff was really nice. They were very nice with the kids. Nothing at all to complain about. Not everyone at the resort is on the all inclusive plan, so it doesn't hurt to tip a dollar or two at meals. I thought tipping did improve service, not that it was bad to begin with.

This resort does not have what most people consider a beach. There is a nice, large sand area along the shore, but the sand is held back from the water by a concrete wall. There are steps down into the water. The whole shoreline where the resort is located is rock. This means that the snorkeling at the resort is pretty good. Also at the "beach" is a bar, non-motorized water toys, one of the restaurants, and the on-site dive operator, Divehouse. Do not stay here if you want a sandy beach that extends out into the water, you will be very disappointed.

There are some activities during the day at the resort, but since a majority of the guests are gone during a good part of the day to go diving, it is also pretty quite there until the afternoon when they come back from diving. Also, it seems that many divers tend to go to bed early, so there usually isn't a lot of night life at the resort. If you are the kind of person who is looking for a party atmosphere, you will be disappointed if you stay here.

I didn't use the on-site dive operator except to rent a tank one afternoon to go snorkeling with my daughter, so I can't comment on them directly. I went diving with 2 different operators during my stay. The harbor master closed the harbor so only the large boats could go out, so the first 2 days I went out with Caribbean Divers because they have a big boat. The second 2 days of diving I went with Liquid Blue, an excellent dive operator with a small fast boat. Almost all the diver operators will pick up from the Fiesta Americana dock. The shore diving there is also worth the $6 it cost to rent a tank from Divehouse.

I can not imagine why someone who is not a diver would stay here. There are better choices more suited to people primarily interested in other activities, but if you are a diver or the only diver in the family like me, the Fiesta Americana is an excellent choice and an excellent value for what you get. I would definitely take my family back there.