Dive House or Dive Paradise?

[diveborg]

I have to say that the dive lockers is about the only luxury you have at the Fiesta Americana!

Do ya think you could elaborate a bit on that. I was seriously considering staying there this December

 

[getwet2]

We had problems with a smell in our room (515) for the last two days of our stay, friends of ours on the same floor also had the same sewer smell in their room. I think it was the exhaust fan but they couldn't seem to fix the problem and of course they didn't have any other rooms.

The breakfast was good and the lunches were good but the dinners were pathetic, they didn't have a very large selection to choose from and they also recycled the food over and over again. By this I mean you could get lunch leftovers at dinner and dinner leftovers for lunch the next day, or they tried to make something different out of them. The one night for dinner they had a dish, don't remember the name of it but it was the left over beef from the fajitas with pickles in it, MMMMMM. Also if you asked for a Corona at the bar they didn't care what you asked for, you got a glass from what ever bottle happened to be open, you had to watch. I know, I know, all beer is good, it's just some are better than others but that's not the point, the point is it's not what I asked for.

The girl at the towel hut really liked elevator music and Brian Adams, the unplugged version, so she played them a lot, it basically put people to sleep around the pool. There were very few activities around the pool even though they would read off the list of what they were going to do for the day in the morning, I think it was more of what they were NOT going to do. Not much night life at this hotel either so if you don't dive it's boring unless you go into town.

We've been to a number of different places around the Carrbbean and this is one of the places that make it to the BOTTOM of the list, it was rated a 4 star in our brouchure but it's more of a 3 star. We talked to some people who were staying here and they said the Iberostar was a much better hotel, they stayed there last year. I would not recommend staying at the Fiesta Americana but it's totally up to you. I looked up the hotel on the internet before we booked and some of the reports said the food was bad and some said it was OK. We got the trip for $800 Cdn last minute as compared to $1550 Cdn from the brouchure. I'm glad we didn't pay full price!

So I hope it's clear now why I say the lockers are the only luxury!

 

[Scubadude]

We had problems with a smell in our room (515) for the last two days of our stay, friends of ours on the same floor also had the same sewer smell in their room. I think it was the exhaust fan but they couldn't seem to fix the problem and of course they didn't have any other rooms.

The breakfast was good and the lunches were good but the dinners were pathetic, they didn't have a very large selection to choose from and they also recycled the food over and over again. By this I mean you could get lunch leftovers at dinner and dinner leftovers for lunch the next day, or they tried to make something different out of them. The one night for dinner they had a dish, don't remember the name of it but it was the left over beef from the fajitas with pickles in it, MMMMMM. Also if you asked for a Corona at the bar they didn't care what you asked for, you got a glass from what ever bottle happened to be open, you had to watch. I know, I know, all beer is good, it's just some are better than others but that's not the point, the point is it's not what I asked for.

The girl at the towel hut really liked elevator music and Brian Adams, the unplugged version, so she played them a lot, it basically put people to sleep around the pool. There were very few activities around the pool even though they would read off the list of what they were going to do for the day in the morning, I think it was more of what they were NOT going to do. Not much night life at this hotel either so if you don't dive it's boring unless you go into town.

We've been to a number of different places around the Carrbbean and this is one of the places that make it to the BOTTOM of the list, it was rated a 4 star in our brouchure but it's more of a 3 star. We talked to some people who were staying here and they said the Iberostar was a much better hotel, they stayed there last year. I would not recommend staying at the Fiesta Americana but it's totally up to you. I looked up the hotel on the internet before we booked and some of the reports said the food was bad and some said it was OK. We got the trip for $800 Cdn last minute as compared to $1550 Cdn from the brouchure. I'm glad we didn't pay full price!

So I hope it's clear now why I say the lockers are the only luxury!

Sounds like a bust to me. So far away from town too. All inclusives, in my opinion, are overated and not worth it. Now you have paid for food, drinks, activities and it's all 2nd rate @ best. Listen to this scenario; Barracuda hotel, yeah I know, it's no frills, but are you going on vacation to be in a room, or go diving, take a shower, and hit the town ? Eat drink and shop. So who needs a big fancy hotel ? I always go next door to Plaza Las Glorias and chill out by the pool after diving and get some rays, enjoy some pool volleyball, and listen to some GOOD piped in music. Free !
Dive Paradise picks you up right at the hotel. Great veiw of the sunsets too. Before they make any other pickups @ other hotels, you have first choice of where you want to set up your gear on the boat. In the shade or in the sun, getting rays. Now you can also walk in to town, which takes 10 minutes at the most and pick and choose what you want to eat that night. In the morning you can have breakfast @ the "Rock & Java", right next door to the Barracuda Hotel, great breakfast, and again, reasonable. La Choza, La Mision, Casa Denis, Or Abuelito Geraldos, La Parroquia isn't bad either. All good spots to eat in town. Or you might want to venture deep into town and try some real authentic mexican cooking and eat where the locals eat. There is another La Mision deep in town that is great and all the prices are very reasonable. So you see, you could do much better than a hotel that serves left overs and generic warm beer. Your money can go much further. Think about it. It's YOUR vacation, make the best of it. Good Viz, George

 

[Boosted]

Well, unfortunately we have already booked our vacation so Fiesta Americana it is.
I looked at a similar post asking about the Fiesta Americana here on the Scubaboard.
It had a link to a site called travelnotes. There were quite a few reviews of FA there and of all but 2 of them highly recommended it. Hopefully yours was just an isolated incidence.
In any case, not much I can do now but hope for the best since it is already booked.
Thanks for the input.

For those interested in the travel notes reviews: (i'm new so I don't know if I am pasting the url correctly, you might have to cut and paste to your browser)

http://travelnotes.cc/reviews/view_..._id=26&cat_id=1&ratings_val=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

 

[getwet2]

Sounds like a bust to me......

My wife doesn't dive so she likes the "fancy" hotels with the activities around the pool, if she's busy than she doesn't realize how long I've been diving, works out good for both of us. We have done it both ways, AI and pay as you go. In most cases AI has worked out well for us because we book at the last minute, we get it cheaper then the book price. This is just one of those things that happens once in a while, hopefully not too often.

 

[Canucklehead]

I'm beginning to think that the endless debate about AI vs. non-AI is like the debate about whether the toilet paper goes over or under the roll... it's all about personal preference.

I'd rather go the downtown non-AI route, but my wife is probably related somehow to getwet2's spouse - she's into AI for the same reasons. Since I'm out on a boat somewhere most of the day and it doesn't really matter to me where I stay, the wife gets to pick the hotel. Works out for everyone. So when your dive boat swings by the AI to pick someone up, try not to look down your nose at them...

 

[Scubadude]

I'm beginning to think that the endless debate about AI vs. non-AI is like the debate about whether the toilet paper goes over or under the roll... it's all about personal preference.

I'd rather go the downtown non-AI route, but my wife is probably related somehow to getwet2's spouse - she's into AI for the same reasons. Since I'm out on a boat somewhere most of the day and it doesn't really matter to me where I stay, the wife gets to pick the hotel. Works out for everyone. So when your dive boat swings by the AI to pick someone up, try not to look down your nose at them...

It's all about the compromise. That's a good thing. Good Viz, George

 

[ggunn]

I'm beginning to think that the endless debate about AI vs. non-AI is like the debate about whether the toilet paper goes over or under the roll...

You mean the woman always wins? ;^)

 

[diver-doc]

My vote is for Dive Paradise. They've been in business forever and have a well-deserved reputation for positive outcomes. diver-doc

 

[diveborg]

So I hope it's clear now why I say the lockers are the only luxury!

I appreciate that you took the time to write about your experiences at FA. Thank you.

With the exception of the food, it does sound like a place for my wife and kids. They don't want a lot of "activities". They are usually happy either in the water or in the sand and it looks like FA has both. I don't really care what they do as long as it doesn't cost a lot of money and they are happy. I just want to go diving in warm water and see the pretty fish.