Written By: Geoff Millar, Owner – Ultimate All-Inclusive Travel Inc.
This month we will continue our tour of the Fiesta Americana Resorts. We are going to look at the up-scale Grand Fiesta Americana Resorts. There are 3 Grand Fiesta American Resorts located in Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos. The two in Cabo and Puerto Vallarta are All-Inclusive while the Grand Fiesta American Coral Beach is an EP plan Resort. These resorts are a step up in the quality level from the Fiesta Americana Resorts. They are all 4 & 5 star resorts.
We will start with the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach located in Cancun. As stated, this resort is not an all-inclusive resort. It is located in a great area of the Cancun hotel strip, right at the elbow of the 7 very close to the shopping and nightlife of Cancun. It is also located on a very swimmable beach. This is a great AAA 5 Diamond resort and the grounds are beautiful. I do have to say that this is the first resort in Mexico, I have seen, that is now charging a $25 per room per night resort fee.
As far as accommodations at the resort the standard rooms are all Jr. Suites and are either Ocean View or Ocean Front. They do have their concierge level which they call their “Grand Club”. All rooms come with either a king bed or 2 double beds. As far as their suite level rooms they have what they call “unlimited experience”. This entitles the guests to 3 meals in select restaurants, a selection of alcoholic drinks, private section on the beach, 1 six course dinner, free access to the kid’s club, butler service, included items in the minibar, free round trip ferry ticket to Isla Mujeres, free transportation to the 2 upscale malls in Cancun, and one ½ hour jet ski rental. Other than the Presidential Suite all the Suite level rooms are expanded Jr. Suites and are Ocean Front. The Presidential Suite has 2 bedrooms.
Dining at this resort offers a wide variety of choices. The choice are Mexican, Seafood, a buffet, Italian (This restaurant is rated 5 Diamonds), Casual savory snacks and sandwiches. There are 3 bars, the sunrise pool and swim-up bar, the lobby bar, a casual beach bar, and the Bikini serving drinks and small snacks. Remember that this is not an all-inclusive resort and food and drinks are not included unless you are staying in an “Unlimited Experience” level room.
Activities include a Kid’s Club, a fantastic 40,000 sq. ft. spa, a beautiful swimmable beach, a very large lagoon style pool, a variety of water sports are available at an additional cost. There is a daily activities list that changes on a regular basis providing a variety of activities as well as nightly entertainment. You are also within walking distance of shopping and the top Cancun nightclubs.
This resort is a great resort for families and couples looking for an upscale non-all inclusive experience in the heart of the Cancun hotel strip with great accommodations, dining and activities.
Next, we will look at the Grand Fiesta Americana in Puerto Vallarta. This great adult only all-inclusive resort is located in the area between downtown Puerto Vallarta and the Mismaloya area just South of Puerto Vallarta in what is known as the Romantic area. It sits on a beautiful beach with a rock reef just offshore. It is close to the downtown area of Puerto Vallarta and sits just in front of the beautiful Sierra Madre Mountain range. Just south of this area is where the movie Predator and Night of the Iguana, as well as other movies were filmed.
Accommodations consist of all Ocean Front Rooms & Suites. Standard rooms at this resort are all Jr. Suites which come with one king bed or two double beds. At the Suite level all suites other than the Governors and Presidential Suite all other Suites are enlarged Jr. Suites. The Master Suites, Governors Suite, and Presidential Suites have separate bedrooms as well as larger balconies.
Dining offers a variety of choices. It starts with a fantastic buffet and then goes to Mexican, French, Seafood, Oriental, A deli serving sweet and savory fare, Italian, and a grill with grilled items. As far as bars there is the sky bar with its fantastic views, a martini bar, a tequila bar, a pool bar, and a beach bar.
Activities include a fantastic spa, a huge free form pool, a beautiful beach, and activities throughout the day including nightly entertainment. There is a DJ at the Skybar until the wee hours of the morning. The included watersports are not as prevalent as they are on the East coast of Mexico and the Riviera Maya. You are just a short distance from downtown Puerto Vallarta with its charm, shopping, and nightlife. There are a ton of very interesting off-site tours including the movie locations and one of my favorites, Sayulita, an eclectic surf town about 1 hour north of Puerto Vallarta.
This resort is ideal for adults and couples who are looking for an upscale relaxing vacation. It may not be ideal for clients who are looking for a very active resort. Most activities take place utilizing off-site tours. The last resort we are going to look at this month is the Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos All-Inclusive Golf & Spa Resort. This beautiful smaller resort, 249 rooms, sits in the Cabo Del Sol area of the corridor between Cabo san Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo. It sits on a beautiful beach but, unfortunately, like many of the beaches in the Los Cabos area, it is not swimmable. There is access to the two beautiful golf courses in the Cabo Del Sol area and Golf Club. This hotel is number 10 of Golf Digest’s top 50 Golf Hotels in the world. It is a short drive into Cabo San Lucas.
Accommodations at this resort consist of Standard rooms with one king bed or two double beds. These are either Ocean View or Ocean front. Suites are made up of Villa Master Suites, Grand Master Suite, Governor Suite and Presidential Suite. All Suites come with a separate bedroom and the Villa Suite has its own kitchen. The resort has a Villa category which includes a one bedroom King Master Villa and 2, 3, & 4 bedroom villas. The villas contain dining rooms and kitchens.
Dining includes Mexican, Seafood, Italian, Mediterranean, a grilled serving grilled items, a great buffet, and a coffee shop serving a wide variety of specialty coffees as well as sweet and savory snacks. Also, don’t forget that the Villa category accommodations come with full kitchens.
Activities are made up of, of course, golf, at an additional cost, a fantastic wineSpa that uses wine in its treatments, a full kid’s club, a Gym, daily activities including nighttime entertainment. And a great pool. It has a very nice beach, but it is not swimmable. Watersports are limited to the pool area because of the rough and unswimmable ocean conditions. There are great fishing, snorkeling and other water activities included in a variety of off-site tours.
This resort is great for families, especially extended or generational family groups. It is also perfect for that golfing client. As well as the two golf courses close to the resort, Cabo has total of 10 championship golf courses.
Well that is it for another month. Until next month, Safe travels and good selling.