Cancun trip - part 2 - Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Resort
But the most impressive part of all was when we first entered our room, which was on the 9th floor. We opened the door, and I could see through the room, past the balcony, our view was simply stunning. It didn’t look real! We had a view overlooking the large pool area and the sea beyond that, which was the most amazing shade of blue. It was simply beautiful. The room itself was smaller than the Moon Palace but felt more luxurious. No hot tub this time, no double sinks, no optics in the room, and no hair straighteners. But we did have a lovely relaxing lounge area with L-shaped sofa and large coffee table, as well as a desk to work at if you wanted to. And two bathrobes each! Yes, one silkier, thinner one and one thicker, more luxurious, a bit like a towelling robe but much nicer. We also had a bath in the bathroom with L’Occitane products. The bathroom was very nice with large mirrors and great lighting, and plenty of amenities including toothpaste and body lotion. The turndown service was fantastic – they placed a soft fluffy rug in between the two beds so that you don’t get out of bed onto a cold tiled floor! And Ferrero Rocher chocolates on the pillow… bliss!
The biggest difference at this resort was the fact that not all of the restaurants were open every night, due to Covid restrictions. Plus you couldn’t book a restaurant for your first night, only nights after that. So on our first night, there wasn’t a lot of choice as to where to eat, and we ended up eating at the Italian Restaurant, not inside the main restaurant but outside (basically in the inside promenade area of the hotel) which was fine, the food was fantastic and the service impeccable. They took our temperature as we entered the restaurant area, plus when we were seated at the table they handed us a long, thin brown bag (a bit like the bags you put a little baguette in from the bread section at Waitrose!) and this was to put your face mask in!
During the day we went to the beach, which absolutely did have that powder white, soft sand, and warm blue sea. They delivered cocktails to our sunbeds even on the beach. You could even order food from the pool bar to be delivered to your sunbeds too. The pool area was also beautiful, with one very large pool that was sort of split, so one was on a lower level with a waterfall dividing them. Each end of the pool was a swim up pool bar where you could order food and drinks. There was a Taco bar next to the pool where you could go and choose whatever you wanted to go in your Tacos and they would make them right there in front of you.
On our second evening we had wanted to book into one of the restaurants, but they only had really late sittings (9pm and later) so we couldn’t actually book anything that evening, and instead ended up going back to the Italian restaurant again. Which was fine, we got to try something different from the menu, which was equally as delicious as the night before, and they kept the wine flowing so we were happy! After dinner we saw a fire show in the theatre, which was very impressive. They then had live music in the bar area so we just relaxed in there for a while before going to bed.
Breakfast was served in the buffet restaurant. It wasn’t quite as impressive as the Moon Palace, however they did have a smoothie station where you could pick whatever you wanted and they would make you a fresh smoothie. You could also get freshly made omelettes and other types of eggs. They had Mexican offerings too along with the usual cereals, pastries, and other cooked breakfast items. And of course they offered us a Mimosa with our breakfast, which obviously we had to have.
One thing I noticed is they weren’t quite so good with reducing plastics, and we were given plastic straws in all of our drinks. We did have more USB sockets in our room though, and they allowed us to check out of our room at 3pm at no extra cost, which is very unusual. I was also surprised to see no hot tubs around the pool at this hotel. I don't know if it's just me, but I've come to expect hot tubs now wherever I go!
On our last day before checking out we did go and eat in the outdoor restaurant, which is just along from the pool and juts out over the beach. It was a beautiful location, and the food was fantastic. I had a wrap, which was green! But it was delicious!
This was another all inclusive that again included all you can eat and drink. I didn't see a huge amount of activities by the pool, but there was an entertainment schedule so they definitely do have a lot going on, it just wasn't happening at the times I was around the pool. There was also a gym and fitness area, which wasn't as new and modern as the Moon Palace Grand but suitable for the short amount of time that you would be there. We didn't see inside the spa but we did look at the spa menu and it looked great.
Overall, this hotel was just as impressive as the Moon Palace Grand but in a very different way. I would definitely return to this hotel, but I’m not sure I would go back with my children as I think they would be bored here. I would recommend this hotel for couples, whereas I would recommend the Moon Palace Grand for both families and couples alike. I definitely felt more ‘spoiled’ at this hotel with our stunning view from our room and how luxurious it felt!