Fiesta Americana Cozumel All Inclusive — Hotel in Isla Cozumel

My husband will tell you that I'm super picky when it comes to hotel/resort accomodations. The staff at this place were amazingly welcoming! The bellhops greeted us with fresh cool towels and a welcome drink. But my initial read of the hotel wasnt positive.

If asked at the beginning of my stay, I probably would have said I wouldn't want to stay here again. But, this review is a quick recap AFTER the vacation. To be fair, I think it would be best to rate by category:

Staff (5): The concierge staff (particularly Angelica, Ricardo and Miguel) were amazing! Each day, they treated us like family. Angelica does a great job running the place. Whenever we needed a taxi, or even if we decided to rent a car on a whim (to sightsee), they were always very helpful and pleasant. But really, the staff overall, was very accomodating.

Room (3): I wasn't super impressed with the room. We had a one bedroom (Rm 512) and to be able to wake up and walk out onto the balcony to a view of the ocean was a God-send. Despite the renos, the rooms could still use some updating. It had a moldy smell and the room furniture looked dated. They also had these somewhat old (but powerful) air conditioning units. But, they worked! Our room was always cold when we came in from outside. The bed was also super comfy and the room was kept clean and was very well maintained. You could actually smell the bleach that they used to sanitize the rooms.... which was very comforting to us. One day, the young ladies actually cleaned our room twice!! The rooms don't have a cooktop stove or refrigerator like other resorts we've travelled to. But, who wants to cook while on vacay anyway?? Haha. Hilton should really consider investing some real $$ into this place. It could be a gem!

Facility (3.5): The property and views of the ocean at this resort were unbelievably beautiful. The outdoor bathrooms and pool were always kept clean and oceanside cabanas were a nice touch (Note: The cabanas are free, but you have to get out there early to reserve one). The gym equipment was old and a bit rusty. The front office and travel offices had a musty odor and are in need of renovations. The smell can a bit overwhelming when you walk into the door for the first time. Maybe its because the facility is so close to the ocean. Good thing we didnt have to stay in there too long. Chuckle.

Restaurants (4): They have 6 restaurants, but we only frequented Vino del Mar, The Grill, and LaCevecheria restaurants. We ate made to order omelets and pancakes at the main restaurant for breakfast. Breakfast wasn't great. But we always looked fwd to lunch. We either frequented The Grill or the seafood spot for the shrimp tacos (fried and grilled) or cheeseburgers/fries. They were both DE-Lish!! Lucio, Marco and Edgar took very good care of us! We were so full from eating...and drinking long island iced teas, mojitos and rum punches throughout the day, we just couldnt bring ourselves to eat anymore after 5:00!! So were we never able to make it to the other restaurants for dinner. Oh!! They also had a coffee bar with many desserts and ice cream cones. If we werent drinkers, the mandatory fees wouldnt have been worth it. But since we are, it was money well spent!

Spa (3): We had some time to kill so we decided to pay $15USD per person to use the spa facilities. They only allow you spend 30 minutes in the spa. But, neither my husband nor I could use the hot tubs because they were both scalding hot. Omg! But they were apologetic and made up for it by offering a body massage for my husband the next day.

Activities/DJ (4): If you want to party, this place is not for you!! You'll need to take the 40 minute ($20) ferry to Playa del Carmen or Cancun. But they had daily activities at the resort throughout the day (pool volleyball, tequila tastings, sushi making classes, etc.) The musica was tempered and relaxing in the morning and 'turned up' in the afternoon and evening!! The DJ was great! Very appropriate for the environment!!

So... there's my update. I stand corrected!...

When we arrived at Fiesta Americana Cozumel, we were put on the 4th floor. We were not even told about the Fiesta Rewards member floor on 7. We were not told anything about coffee and pastries on the 7th floor every morning. We found out the 3rd day. We were not told anything about concierge. We were just directed to our room by the bellhop. We get to the room and the latch was completely broken off the door, screws pulled out, like someone had forced the door open. The toilet seat was also broken, twisting around. And orange stains on the pillow cases. We politely asked for another room and was told to wait until the next day because the 7th floor room King suite they were planning to switch us to was dirty and still occupied. So we waited and someone came and drilled new holes and a lock on the 4th floor door. They left the screws inside the door frame because they could not get them out . The next morning we were told to come down and get our new room. We were told the room was not ready and to check out and bring our luggage downstairs so another family could have our room on the 4th floor, so they wouldn’t get mad and complain. So very disrespectful. I just had a baby. I asked this hotel did they expect me to pump my breast milk in the public bathroom until my room was ready on the 7th floor?! This was at 7am. We did not get our new room until 2pm. And was finally told we could stay in the 4th floor room until the 7th floor was ready. Whatever they told us…someone else came along and told us different. Lie after lie. We were told the first day…yes, we will switch your room if you wait because they rooms are dirty on the 7th floor but we will put you in a suite king. When we came down the next day, that man wasn’t there and they wanted to put us on the 6th floor in a regular king room. After much discussion, we ended up on the 7th floor (718) in a regular king room. That was not what we were told. At that point, we should have left the resort. It was so disappointing and I felt discriminated against because they felt another arriving family should not have to suffer but we should? And wait with our luggage on day 2 after we reported a problem the first day? Unreasonable. The female front desk manager was argumentative and did not care to help, citing she was too busy to come out and fix the issue…having another woman tell us to bring our luggage down. My husband booked the romantic dinner 3…whatever that is..because no one could tell us exactly and we told all of this to the food and beverage manager as well as the front desk manager. So the chef came out the night before and personally asked us what we would like for the romantic dinner. I am vegetarian and pescatarian but no meat. He suggested shrimp and lobster and I agreed. My husband agreed on filet mignon and shrimp and the chef was awesome. He wrote it down and repeated it. The following night we came to our dinner, the waiter said I was only getting lobster and my husband was only getting filet mignon. We politely told him we had already discussed this with the chef. We asked to see the menu for the romantic dinner 3, in writing, and was told there wasn’t one. 60,000 points wasted because they wanted to argue with us. I asked what drinks were served with the romantic dinner. The waiter said red or white wine. Everyone in the restaurant had a choice of red or white wine. Why are we paying so much extra? Why would we be paying for a romantic dinner drink of red or white wine that everyone gets included at this “all inclusive” resort? It was so disappointing. Each time the waiter “left” the table to go speak to the manager, he would take something back with him. Like the champagne. Or the 2 small signature drinks with a tiny bit of juice a cherry inside. We ARE NOT THIEVES. It was insulting and rude to clear the table as we were sitting there waiting on an answer from whoever he went to speak to about our situation. The staff showed zero respect. Politely WAIT until we leave the table to remove whatever you felt was of value....

First, I have to say that we travel a lot, and this for sure was the best travel of my life until now.

I'll start talking about something very important to us: PEOPLE. And to anyone thinking to go to Cozumel, specially to Fiesta Americana: YOU SHOULD DO IT.

The best staff I ever had in a hotel. People there are just great! Everyone very happy, friendly and helpful. I'll tell some names here, if I forgot someone I am really sorry, but we loved every single person there.

Briana was so kind and helpful with us as soon we arrived, and also all other people in reception.

In the pool bar, Ramon, Julian, Jose, Miguel, thank you so much guys! Great drinks and always being kind and attentive with us.

Jose, the kitchen Chef, what an amazing person! Thanks for a so nice reception, my friend!

Antonio in the Asian area restaurant was the best best best with us! And the guy from the Japan Corner, the best sashimi I ever had in my life! If you like it, you have to try the sashimi with jalapeños.

Our room was always very clean, and they were very careful with every aspect... Thanks for the cleaning team!

People in the ceviche restaurant, the grill restaurant and the breakfast restaurant were very helpful too. The food in Cevicheria is just unbelievable!

And, of course, Irma, Emily, Sabina and Ramon, you guys made our days in the pool. Nice music, great pool games with a lot of fun! Girls, we never gonna forget the present with a so nice message