Just returned from Fiesta Americana, stayed April 12-17 with kids ages 10 and 13. We got a great deal by booking through Continental Vacations, which included round trip air, hotel, transfers to and from the airport, free buffet breakfast, and kids eat free. ($2,500 for 4 people).

The hotel-so/so. Rooms were plain, beds hard, bathroom small, minibar expensive, room service limited choices. Design of hotel makes it very hard to get from one area to another quickly. Palapas are beautiful, especially in the lobby.

The grounds: gorgeous and very well maintained.

The beach: non existent while we were there, but all of the hotels seemed to have the same problem. We were there 1 year ago and there was a great beach...we were told that 3 weeks before there was a beach...thank goodness that our hotel had fantastic pools, hot tubs, swim up bar, and pool vollyball...our kids didn't miss the ocean that much.

The food: Pretty good, affordable, drinks very reasonably priced. You have to ask for the kids menu, they don't just bring it out. Breakfast buffet was really great! Everyone can find something they like and get as much as they want. We are vegetarians and there was plenty of choices every day. They have an omlette station and french toast and waffles and pancakes everyday that are fantastic. Milkshakes and fresh juices for the kids, mimosas and screwdrivers for adults...very nice. Otherwise, the restaurants are ok-but there are so many choices outside of the hotel that we just had the breakfast buffet and went out for dinner every night. There is a great italian restaurant called la Dolce Vita that is within walking distance of the hotel-its affordable and nice and right on the lagoon-alligators can be seen from the outside deck.

The staff: service all around was very good, the staff tries hard to get you what you want, great pool side servers. The best experiences we had were with the concierges that we consulted daily on all kinds of things, restaurants, directions, where to shop, what to see. They are very good, they will give you maps and directions. They have all of the menus of the local restaurants in their desk and will let you browse them. In case you want to change money ( which I highly recommend because the dollar is very strong against the peso right now) the hotel posts the daily rates at the front desk and they will change money for you with no fees. I have read many people doubting this is true, but I can assure you that its all legit and you can change as much or as little as you want and they will give you a receipt.

There is a excursion representative stationed in the lobby that can help you book activities. We thought about Xel-ha or Xcaret, but they are so expensive and all we really wanted was to snorkle. We ended up booking the snorkleing adventure full day- which I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it was! Much cheaper, food and drinks and transport included. You get to see 2 dive sites, come back to the beach club for lunch and drinks, and then there's an option to go back out for one more dive or you can stay on the beach and relax.

We spent our last day in Isla Mujeres, and it was amazing!!! Highly highly recomend the Sunset Grill on the North Beach... wish I was there right now drinking a Hurricane!

Overall the hotel was very nice and by the end of the trip it felt like home to us. Honestly, I just wouldn't chose it again because I know there are much nicer hotels in Cancun and when you are on vacation, you want to stay somewhere that makes you feel pampered...

We spend 11 nights at the Fiesta Americana Condesa March 19-30 with our 18-year-old son. We were looking for a great deal to Mexico and we found it with Orbitz. I knew from reading some of the reviews that most of thethe beach was rocky and small but I figured my son could walk down the beach until he could find a place to swim.

Check in was quick and fast. We had booked a standard room and were upgraded. Room was a typical hotel room but it was nice that the sink was separate from the rest of the bathroom. I thought the beds were pretty comfortable for Mexico. We got the free breakfast buffet like the other reviewers mentioned. It was very good -- made to order omelets, potatoes, chilaquiles, eggs, french toast, waffles, breads, yogurt, cereal, fruit and juice. There was also always a bottle of champagne/vodka/tequila with mixes if you so desired.

I usually didn't eat lunch but my husband and son did. The beach restaurant was pretty good. They loved their burgers -- they were huge! Other food that we had were quesadillas, tortilla soup, chicken sandwich, pizza, chicken fingers and chicken wings. The only thing I didn't like were the nachos -- they didn't use chihuahua cheese but some orange Cheese-Whiz type cheese. Sometimes we ate in the restaurant, but usually would eat on the pool deck. We would order a round of drinks and then bring our own down from the room. A previous reviewer said they were stopped one night when they were returning to the hotel with outside food/beverages and told that was a no-no. Every night we would stop at the OXXO store across the street and bring back water, pop, chips and beer. The first night we even bought a styrofoam cooler to keep it in and we were never stopped and told we couldn't do that.

Javier is the activity guy -- he tried to get you to do things but wasn't pushy about it. The activities were pretty low-key and music was just loud enough. I noticed that they were very diligent about not letting outside people who were walking the beach come onto the hotel grounds.

About the beach -- we were there for 12 days. The first several days there was a small beach, water was very calm, hardly any waves. Yes, there are rocks in front of the hotel but when I would walk up and down the beach, so did almost every hotel. There was a spot nearby that you could go in without worrying about the rocks. My son would usually go down by the Marriott or next door to the Oasis; they had no rocks in front. For the first 7 days, I was able to walk or jog on the beach; then it got very windy and the tide came in and as the previous reviewer said, there was no beach at all. The waves were coming right up to the seawall and they had the stairs roped off so you couldn't even go down to the beach. So I think it depends on when you come what the beach is like. If you have small children, you probably would want to stay at the top of the "7" where the beaches are bigger and calmer. But my husband and son love the big waves, so that's why we stayed where we did.

We rode the bus every night into downtown Cancun City where we had fantastic dinners, a lot cheaper than the hotel zone. Most meals were $30-$50 for three of us, including drinks.

My son brought his lap-top and bought internet time for about $3/hour or you could go to their computer center. He also used their fitness center which was about $5/day. If you bought more days, it was cheaper

Overall, we had a very relaxing trip and if we returned to Cancun, I wouldn't hesitate to stay at the Fiesta Americana Condesa.

My wife and I stayed there from 4/9 - 4/11. We were in the Sun Tower on the 6th floor overlooking the pool area and ocean. The room and view of the ocean was fabulous. Food was very good and the service impeccable. The grounds were very well kept and the hotel was very clean. The only downfall is the Vacation Club people at the beginnng of the stay and there was no beach. Unfortunately the area we were staying had very little beach to the left or right of the hotel. I would recommend this hotel in a heart beat to anyone looking for a great spot to vacation.

My hubby and I were given an opportunity to escape for a few days without kids. Cancun fit the bill--non-stop flight from Boston, great deal on Expedia, and warm. After reading many reviews, I decided to stay at the Condessa. During the shuttle ride from the airport, my first impression of Cancun was "Las Vegas meets the Carribean" (minus the gambling). Big long hotel strip, and a party reputation. However, the Condessa was at the "quiet end" of the hotel strip. There weren't many children or "heavy party-ers."

What struck my hubby and I during our 4 day stay was how hard-working the staff was. They really take great care of the property. All the staff was super friendly. Alejandra, the Concierge, was beyond helpful and friendly. We very much enjoyed the breakfast buffet. From years of travel, I feel that was probably one of the best breakfast buffets I've encountered (and the make-your-own mimosa was a FAB touch!).

Our hotel room was a very nice size. It was on the lagoon/garden side, and had a king bed. The bathroom seemed too small for me. And my hubby noticed that there was no art work in the room, but I thought it was OK due to the dark wood off-setting the paint/walls.

The lack of beach was a disappointment, but the pool was very nice (HUGE!).

I can highly recommend these restaurants in Cancun--La Habichuela (very romantic, great service)...but take a cab, not the bus. And La Casa De Margarita at La Isla Plaza. Hubby and I went downtown for some shopping, and a co-worker recommended El Perillo for lunch (a 10 min. walk from Market 28). OMG! What fantastic food. I wanted enchiladas, but they had just set up a buffet. I saw Grandma cooking in the kitchen, handmaking tortillas. I couldn't pass it up, and glad I didn't. We ate some **DELICIOUS** home-made authentic Mexican food. Yummo!

We also decided to take a catamaran ride to Isla Mujares. It was an all-day booze cruise. It was ok, not great. The host Edwin was a hoot. But our snorkeling was cancelled due to rough waters. Oh well. I got a nice tan on the boat and did some great shopping.

Overall, a very nice trip....mainly because of the hotel (and all the yummy food!). I saw Cancun, but can't say I'd go back. But I'd definitely recommend the Condessa.