Trip Report Trip Report, Fiesta Americana Feb 4 to 10
- Thread starter Guitarcrazy
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Redfoot
Contributor
Thanks for the report, glad you had a nice trip & good diving!
Blues Runner
Contributor
Thank you for sharing! Great report and pictures.
Thanks for taking the time to share your trip report with us. Much appreciated!
Great report and pictures! I have a TG-6 and a Sea and Sea YS-01, no video light. I, too, am fiddling with underexposed or overexposed photos. It takes time and practice.
drrich2
Contributor
Since you've also stayed at Cozumel Palace and Grand Park Royal, would you compare and contrast how they stacked up against each other? If you went back and were picking amongst the 3, how would you order them and why?
Any thoughts on how topside on-resort entertainment compared? Evening shows, anything like that?
I ask because A.I. resorts may have a degree of selective appeal to divers who bring along non-diving family, such as a spouse and/or kids, and wants a fun, safe place with a fixed food budget to leave them at half the day, then everyone have a good time while keeping the logistics simple.
Cozumel Palace's location is more in town, as I recall, and so I doubt they have the nice 'sandy beach that slopes into the sea so you can wade out' (I've passed it multiple times on the street; haven't seen it from the sea).
I figure these threads might get seen by divers with families to think about.
Any thoughts on how topside on-resort entertainment compared? Evening shows, anything like that?
I ask because A.I. resorts may have a degree of selective appeal to divers who bring along non-diving family, such as a spouse and/or kids, and wants a fun, safe place with a fixed food budget to leave them at half the day, then everyone have a good time while keeping the logistics simple.
Cozumel Palace's location is more in town, as I recall, and so I doubt they have the nice 'sandy beach that slopes into the sea so you can wade out' (I've passed it multiple times on the street; haven't seen it from the sea).
I figure these threads might get seen by divers with families to think about.
morecowbells
Contributor
Great report! We just returned from a wonderful week of diving in Cozumel. We saw a couple of eagle rays, but only from a distance. Envious of your video encounter.
jbjclj
Contributor
We have stayed at all 3. Fiesta Americana before the renovation, so no real comparison. Cozumel Palace was fabulous. We bought the week thru Amazon and a timeshare that saved a lot. Park Royal (4 x) was great. Both properties have ocean front rooms. The biggest difference is the price...The Palace is pricey.
If I was with family and kids I would chose Park Royal because of the kids club and several pools
If I was with family and kids I would chose Park Royal because of the kids club and several pools
OP
Guitarcrazy
Contributor
We have stayed at GPR twice and Cozumel Palace and Fiesta American once each. It is hard to really judge Fiesta Americana since it is post-covid, and the others were pre-covid. Coz Palace is definitely the poshest resort, and I thought the food there was probably a tad better than the others. The service was excellent, but they did push hard for a time-share presentation. It does not have a 'beach' area per se'. They have dumped some sand on the terrace by the water, but it is definitely not a beach. I am melanin challenged, so I don't spend a lot of time laying in the sun, but my family does like to have a bit of a beach. They did have shows, and they were mostly good. Location is good, you can walk to downtown, Mega, Chedraui, etc. without too much trouble. We really liked the resort overall, but I am sure they have made some cutbacks now due to Covid. The price was almost exactly double that of GPR and 1.5 times the cost of Fiesta Americana.
GPR has a great little beach area. You walk through an underpass below the roadway and reach the waterfront seafood restaurant, beach, and pools. You can walk down the sandy beach to a shallow area for snorkeling and wading, and you can swim out further to snorkel in the deeper water. There is a nice bar between the pool and the ocean and they have a beach volleyball court. We took our two adult kids both trips to GPR, and we spent a lot of after-dive time playing volleyball and trivia games by the water. They also have an outdoor theater in back of the resort, but we only went once to see the show and it was a quiz show thing that wasn't the best. I am sure they have other shows, but we didn't go to any others. The food was probably just a tad below that at the Coz Palace and FA. Breakfast buffet was large and food was good. We usually ate lunch at the seafood restaurant by the water which was excellent, and the dinner meals were always good, but not spectacular. Rooms were nice and overall layout of the resort was great. One advantage for GPR is they have a coffee shop that serves beverages, sandwiches, postres, and best of all, ice cream. Their coconut ice cream is fantastic. We did walk to town from GPR, but it is more of a hike than the Coz Palace and not something I would do with small kids.
Fiesta Americana was very good. A little run-down as mentioned in the trip report, but food is good and a little better than GPR. The same artificial beach as Coz Palace, but the overwater beds and access to the water is better. They only run 2 restaurants in the evening due to low occupancy, so you have to plan ahead if you want to eat at a specific restaurant. They would rotate the restaurants so that the same restaurant was not closed two days in a row. The location is furthest south of the three, which made for shorter boat rides to the dive sites. I would not try to walk from FA to downtown as it is a much further distance away. Cab rides were $10 each way and easy to get. They have a sister resort behind FA called the Explorean. It is a 'jungle' resort, and they are able to use all of the facilities of FA. We walked back to take a look, but I would not consider staying on that side of the property.
Overall, I would say Grand Park Royal is my favorite. The food was good, location and amenities great, and cost is very affordable. If money is no object, Coz Palace is definitely nicer. We like the convenience of all inclusive properties, but we do still go out to eat in town. At Coz Palace the cost was so high you felt like you should stay on the property more to help cover your costs. At GPR, we didn't hesitate to go to one of the restaurants we mentioned in the original post.
We have also stayed at the El Cozumeleno, Coral Princess, and Casa Mexicana a few times. Of those, the only one I would not return to is the El Cozumeleno. We had fun, but we went out for dinner every night as the onsite restaurants were not the best. The cost is almost the same as Casa Mexicana though, so if you want free drinks, breakfast and lunch, maybe it isn't a bad choice. Hope this helps. J
GPR has a great little beach area. You walk through an underpass below the roadway and reach the waterfront seafood restaurant, beach, and pools. You can walk down the sandy beach to a shallow area for snorkeling and wading, and you can swim out further to snorkel in the deeper water. There is a nice bar between the pool and the ocean and they have a beach volleyball court. We took our two adult kids both trips to GPR, and we spent a lot of after-dive time playing volleyball and trivia games by the water. They also have an outdoor theater in back of the resort, but we only went once to see the show and it was a quiz show thing that wasn't the best. I am sure they have other shows, but we didn't go to any others. The food was probably just a tad below that at the Coz Palace and FA. Breakfast buffet was large and food was good. We usually ate lunch at the seafood restaurant by the water which was excellent, and the dinner meals were always good, but not spectacular. Rooms were nice and overall layout of the resort was great. One advantage for GPR is they have a coffee shop that serves beverages, sandwiches, postres, and best of all, ice cream. Their coconut ice cream is fantastic. We did walk to town from GPR, but it is more of a hike than the Coz Palace and not something I would do with small kids.
Fiesta Americana was very good. A little run-down as mentioned in the trip report, but food is good and a little better than GPR. The same artificial beach as Coz Palace, but the overwater beds and access to the water is better. They only run 2 restaurants in the evening due to low occupancy, so you have to plan ahead if you want to eat at a specific restaurant. They would rotate the restaurants so that the same restaurant was not closed two days in a row. The location is furthest south of the three, which made for shorter boat rides to the dive sites. I would not try to walk from FA to downtown as it is a much further distance away. Cab rides were $10 each way and easy to get. They have a sister resort behind FA called the Explorean. It is a 'jungle' resort, and they are able to use all of the facilities of FA. We walked back to take a look, but I would not consider staying on that side of the property.
Overall, I would say Grand Park Royal is my favorite. The food was good, location and amenities great, and cost is very affordable. If money is no object, Coz Palace is definitely nicer. We like the convenience of all inclusive properties, but we do still go out to eat in town. At Coz Palace the cost was so high you felt like you should stay on the property more to help cover your costs. At GPR, we didn't hesitate to go to one of the restaurants we mentioned in the original post.
We have also stayed at the El Cozumeleno, Coral Princess, and Casa Mexicana a few times. Of those, the only one I would not return to is the El Cozumeleno. We had fun, but we went out for dinner every night as the onsite restaurants were not the best. The cost is almost the same as Casa Mexicana though, so if you want free drinks, breakfast and lunch, maybe it isn't a bad choice. Hope this helps. J
caseybird
Contributor
thanks for the helpful trip report. If you're planning to go to Fiesta Americana again you might want to explore staying in the Explorean section. This is sort of a mini-resort behind the main resort (jungle side) that is a little more geared to a quieter vacation.
All accommodations are in 2 story buildings. Room layout is quite similar to the rooms in the main building. The buildings are set into the jungle, surrounding a center area which includes the pool and a pavillion which covers the open air restaurant and bar. Overall, the effect is much quieter and more relaxed than staying in the main, oceanfront building. Of course, no ocean view.
You can eat in any of the restaurants in the main resort, or use the Explorean restaurant. The advantage is that it is quieter and less crowded, and after a few days the staff will start customizing your food.
Of course you still have access to the beach and pier, but there is more walking.
enjoy your next trip!
I just read your previous comments about the Explorean. I missed it when i wrote my reply. I left this post up if anyone else is interested.
All accommodations are in 2 story buildings. Room layout is quite similar to the rooms in the main building. The buildings are set into the jungle, surrounding a center area which includes the pool and a pavillion which covers the open air restaurant and bar. Overall, the effect is much quieter and more relaxed than staying in the main, oceanfront building. Of course, no ocean view.
You can eat in any of the restaurants in the main resort, or use the Explorean restaurant. The advantage is that it is quieter and less crowded, and after a few days the staff will start customizing your food.
Of course you still have access to the beach and pier, but there is more walking.
enjoy your next trip!
I just read your previous comments about the Explorean. I missed it when i wrote my reply. I left this post up if anyone else is interested.
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