Susan

Hi! My husband and I travel alot to Jamaica and stay at Sandals (which is wonderful). However, for something different this year I would like to try Cancun. After looking at the hotels, it appears that the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach is one of the best (if not the best)hotels in Cancun. Is that correct? We're going over New Years because its our anniversary and I'm surprising him with this trip. Because of the holiday, it's really expensive, so I want to be sure I'm making a good choice. Also, if you've stayed there, about how much $$ will I need after I get there for an average amount of food/drinks for 4 days? If anyone's been to Cancun over New Years, let me know too! My next option is to save $600 and go a week later! Thanks! <BR> <BR>

Shell

The Fiesta Americana Coral Beach is considered one of the nicest hotels in Cancun, along with the Ritz-Carlton, Marriott Casa Magna and Omni. In fact the first three were recently named in the top 10 hotels in the Caribbean by a magazine whose name I now forget. <BR> <BR>At any rate, after walking by the FACB on several visits to Cancun, we finally stayed there two years ago for part of our honeymoon (not the usual digs we can afford!). The rooms are huge, with a separate living area, in-room safe, big marble bathroom, good-sized terrace on some units. Gorgeous (huge!) pool and a view of Isla Mujeres across the bay. Check-in/check-out was a breeze, staff was fantastic. Maid service was excellent and never came too early or too late -- we'd return to the room and it was magically made up. It really was a nice experience. <BR> <BR>Good location, too, for the Hotel Zone. You'll be within walking distance of the Plaza Caracol mall, nightclubs, restaurants, etc. If you eat in the Hotel Zone, you'll pay more for meals than you would if you take the bus to downtown Cancun. I know a lot of people who eat a big buffet breakfast, skip lunch, then splurge on dinner. At one of the pricier restaurants nearby -- Cambalache in the Forum (Argentinian steakhouse) -- you can easily drop $75 for dinner for two. If you go downtown and eat at La Parilla or El Pescador, you'll drop $25-$40, so it all depends. <BR> <BR>Personally, if it were me, I'd save the $600 and go the following week. The FACB is nice, but I don't think it's THAT nice.

Pete

My wife Lisa and I just returned today from a awesome 10 day stay at the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach. We can't tell you how impressed we were with this hotel! It is absolutely gorgeous. Naturally, it is one of the top 3 hotels in Cancun, so you'll pay more. But the ambiance of FACB really added to our FANTASTIC trip. <BR> <BR>We really enjoyed the pools. You have 3 swim up bars. Another thing that is nice is that the kiddies pool is way off to the side! The beach is 20 feet from the pool's edge. Unlike Puerta Vallerta, there are NO solicitors on walking up and down the beach! <BR> <BR>The rooms are really large. We originally had a room on the first floor (no view). They bumped us up to the 5th floor for no additional charge! We got a king sized bed which was very comfortable. Both my wife and I slept very well. The maid service/room service was really outstanding. We did not eat in the hotel much because prices were a bit high. Make sure and find the market just to the left of the FACB. They make a very good premade sandwich for a few bucks each. We ate these for lunch and saved alot of money! By the way, the hotel allows you to bring back grocery items into the room. The frig was small, so we took out many of the prestocked items and stored our beer/water/pop. I started to drink the tap water near the end of our trip. No Montezuma's revenge (I did get it when we went to Puerta Vallarta). <BR> <BR>Some of our favorite restraunts were Cambalache (sp?) Steak House on the second level of Forum Mall, Hard Rock Cafe (had surprisingly good food), La Dolce Vita for Italian and Perico's Mexican downtown is a must! Our lone horrible dining experience was Senior Frogs. Yuk! <BR> <BR>In the entire 10 days we were there, we didn't go to any nightclubs (unless you count Senior Frogs) so we have nothing to report on that front. Coco Bongo seemed to be very popular. It's very close to the hotel. <BR> <BR>I hope you get a chance to stay at the FACB! Doing so will almost guarantee an amazing time. Travel Safe and have a blast!

Susan

Thanks so much for the great info!! I did go ahead and book the NYE package even though it cost a lot more. I really wanted to be there for our anniversary which is New Years Day. One more question - what type of clothes do I need to bring?? Do I need anything fancy or does he need long pants? I hate bringing those types of clothes if we don't need them. Also - about how much $$ per day did you spend on food/drinks so I know what to budget for? Thanks for the great info!!! <BR> <BR>Thanks!

Paul

I've never been there over X-mas or the holidays but have heard that it is a nice place to spend them. Perhaps someone else can help you out with those questions/concerns. <BR> <BR>I have stayed at the FACB and it is nice! You won't be sorry!