We just got back from a week-long stay at Fiesta Americana. Our previous experience at an all-inclusive resort was a stay at Iberostar in Dominican Republic. Compared to Iberostar, this hotel was much smaller. It was also 3 stars - that is something to keep in mind for some people who prefer higher-level accomodations.

Rooms:
Our room was clean and reasonably good. My only complaint would be that there was no net on the windows, so we could not open the windows at night and had to use the air conditioner.

Food:
We went with an all-inclusive option for food. Overall, I would rate the food as OK. They have 1 buffet and 2 restaurants there, but one restaurant is was being renovated. So, we would go for breakfast and lunch to the restaurant, and for dinner to the buffet. The AI option also allows you to eat twice at the restaurant for dinner. As far as the food quality, breakfast was my favorite. I really liked the food that they served - many choices, and all of them tasty. Lunch was not bad either, but I liked it less than breakfast. Dinner was usually nothing special. The meals at the restaurant were not bad, but nothing too exciting either.

Beach:
The hotel does not have a natural beach - the sea shore is rocky because of the coral reefs that are right there. It is hard to go in the water if you're not wearing booties and/or fins. But the good part is that there is tons of fish right at the shore.

Pools:
The pools were nice. There is a very nice swim-up bar, and a small pool for little kids. Which was great, because our 3-year-old daughter was with us, and she loved swimming there.

Diving:
Both of us are certified scuba divers, and we signed up for a refresher dive with the Dive Shop right on the hotel premises, as well as for a dive with Martin Dive Shop. The hotel recommended Martin to us because it was a little cheaper, but if I had to choose again, I would probably stay with the Dive Shop. Martin was good, but dealing with the shop on premises is easier, and the price difference is not that significant. Our refresher dive instructor Alfonso was very nice. And the actual dives were lots of fun as well.
There were many divers at the resort, many with their own equipment. Judging by our dealings with the Dive Shop, all its operations seem to be pretty well organized and run smoothly.

Other:
The hotel staff was very nice. The hotel has a babysitting service, and we left our daughter twice with a babysitter that the hotel provided (her name was Blanca, and she was great). The cost was $10/hour, which is pretty reasonable. They also have a kids' club (Fiesta Kids), and Yasmine runs it. Even though only kids 4 and older are allowed to participate, she took our daughter in for a couple of hours while we went snorkeling. The hotel does not have much entertainment at night. Pretty much the only thing you can do is hang out at the bar, or play ping pong. You could also take a taxi into town (about $6-7). We never got a chance to go out at night, but we did walk around the town one morning.

We went kayaking in a clear kayak (to see the fish below). That was more for our daughter's benefit then ours. If you're a scuba diver, skip the kayak - overpriced ($80 for about 45 minutes), and you'll see all the fish you need to see while snorkeling.

We also took a trip to the mainland (Riviera Maya). Beaches there are beautiful. We went to Tulum (Mayan ruins), and Xel-ha. Tulum was interesting, but Xel-ha not so much. It is a fresh-water lagoon with lots of fish, and it has been developed as a water park (--) I personally thought it was overpriced and way too crowded (and again, after scubadiving and snorkeling in Cozumel, not that exciting). Could be fun for kids though. All the trips can be booked though the hotel or your travel representative.

In conclusion, I'll say that we had a fun vacation. I would definitely recommend this resort for divers, with kids or not.

We just got back 4/22 after a week at Fiesta Americana....great time...perfect weather...super service...Kids had enought to do to keep busy....everyone, both employees and guest were very nice/helpful.....only downside was the meals (we were AI) which were generally "Mexicanly" but that's what you would expect.

The hotel stay was wonderful. It is situated close enough to town for a 10 minute cab ride yet isolated enough to feel that you have the area to yourself. The staff and food were both great, although I ate most of my meals in town. I also finished my PADI certification at Fiesta's dive house which was wonderful - 1 on 1 instruction but no added fee. Overall, the vacation was great. I would recommend it to anyone.

I will only comment on points not touched by others.
(We were all-inclusive.)

BEACH: No beach, hard to get into and out of the water unless you are athletic and/or have thick soled beach shoes.

POOLS: Small.

BICYCLES: No longer exist at this hotel.

KYAKS: Not available.

SNORKELING: Near the hotel Wilma took the reefs apart. There is scattered coral all over the bottom. If you swim well and are willing to look all around you will find some pretty places, but it is hard. Plenty of pretty fish.

FAMOUS REEFS: Most of the colorful coral has been destroyed, but at least the reefs are still there.
Major reefs are quite a ways from the resort, and it can take over an hour to get to them by boat.

FOOD: The specility resturant was very good. In the all inclusive plan you get to eat there 2 times in 7 days. Otherwise the dinner buffet was very meidocre. One of us was a vagitartian and there were NO good choices for the dinner buffet - no cheese or any sort for 7 nights. Deserts were terrible -- not even worth tasting most of the time. Lunch and Breakfast were OK.

DRINKS: 2 out of 7 mixed drinks tasted the way they should have, the rest were unrecognizable. You would be well advised to order rum and coke or beer.

BEDS: VERY HARD.

PEOPLE: Scuba types. Generally athletic, and not around during the days since they are out diving. Easy to please as long as they can go diving which is very easy to do since the dive boats dock right at the pier.

HOTEL: They are still working on it, about 80% done after Wilma.