I (a 50 year old man) took my 11 year old son (yes, just the two of us) to the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach in Cancun in late August 2009. The hotel was recommended by my travel agent. it was affordable for the quality of service but not
more +inexpensive. My son has been to Hawaii, Alaska, Jackson Hole, Snowbird, London and Italy - and he thought this was the most fun hotel he ever stayed in. A few highlights:
- In late August Cancun is HOT! And back to school is starting so the hotels are pretty empty. I guess the hotel was 30% occupied. To some this might sound boring. To us, we felt as if we were treated like kings. Some examples. Picked up at the airport in a limo with bottled water and cold towels. Barely made it into the lobby before we were served a "welcome drink." Were double upgraded to a 2-room suite. Were given club level access. Really made us feel special. Now, don't expect this during peak season, but since we were just off-season, we were made to feel quite special.
- The pool. - is hard to describe. It spans the length of the hotel, drops three levels, has three swim up bars, and is probably 750 feet long. Very impressive.
- The beach. - White sand that is not hot to walk on. Parasailing and snorkeling right off the beach. The parasailing was A+. The snorkeling was a B-. The boat had 10 people on it and the guide made us follow him around in the water, while wearing life preservers. Made it hard to dive down 10-15 feet to look at the reefs up close.
- The food. First of all kids ate free off the kids menu at every meal. That was a deal! Our favorite restaurant was an open air venue overlooking the beach. There you could pick your fish on display and they cooked it fresh for you. The Sea Bass was amazing. After my son tried mine, the kids menu never saw the light of day again. The Mexican restaurant is also terrific with great evening entertainment.
- The Service. I travel a lot for my job, and stay in Hyatts, Four Seasons, Ritz, Hilton, Marriotts etc. The service here was really over the top amazing. The concierges were great. Example - instead of sending us on the packaged tours, they showed us how, for not much more money, we could take a private car and driver for the day, who spoke English and could tell us about the history of the area, as we drove to various locations.
- The tours. My son really wanted to see the Mayan ruins. We went to Tolum (A+ for scenery), Chichen Itza (A+ for the grandeur and scale), Coba (Solid A for the fact that that the ruins are still being excavated - plus they are in the jungle where it was a bit cooler) and Ek Balam (A++ our favorite as it is only recently unearthed and a working excavation site.) Tolum and Chichen Itza are "look but don't touch" sites whereas Coba and Ek Balam still let you climb the pyramids (this is very scary - especially coming down - so be careful!) We also visited the Grande Cenote which is an underground cave system that provides water to the Yucatan. Here you could swim in the cave, snorkel, see bats, etc. Very cool for kids.
I didn't use any of the "kids club"; activities at the resort - as my son wanted to leave the resort. so I can't offer advice on them.
When we go back to Cancun we will stay here again for sure!
Date of Stay: 08/22/2009
Children in Party: 1
Dining 
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