Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach

My experience at GFACB was a bit different from a lot of these reviews. After 10 nights at the end of July, I'm left with one thought: you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. We arrived around 5pm after a full day of travel, greeted by an enthusiastic bellhop, good start. Then we joined the check-in line, where "busy" was putting it mildly. Twenty minutes later, we were registered and ready to lock in the dinner reservations everyone raves about. But first, we had to fend off the "concierge" whose real job title is vacation club salesperson. She approaches like she's there to help you enjoy the resort; she's actually there to sell you a piece of it. We politely declined and moved on. The dinner reservation line took another 25 minutes. Pro tip: skip asking for specific times and just ask what's available each night. It moves faster, and we still ate everywhere we wanted, just not always on the night we wanted. Reservations done, we hit one final line for the elevators. There's a sign capping capacity at 4 people, which apparently is more of a suggestion than a rule, since nobody was enforcing it. Once we caught on, we stopped waiting politely and just squeezed onto the next available car. All told, it took us close to an hour to get from the lobby to our room. In fairness, it was a crowded day, and the resort doesn't control when guests arrive. But the vacation club pitch dressed up as hospitality? That's a hard no for me, it feels dishonest to pretend it's a service when the real goal is a sales pitch. Now, the setting is gorgeous. Isla Contoy, on the other hand, was rough. They've strung netting around the entire restaurant to keep the birds out, but the birds have clearly found the loopholes. They circle like tiny fighter pilots, waiting for you to look away from your plate or the buffet, then swoop in to walk across the food and treat the place like a drive-through restroom. Meanwhile, the open-air beachside taco spot, no netting at all, barely had a bird problem when we ate there. Go figure. Most resorts I've visited in Cancun use a falconer to keep the birds in check. GFACB might want to look into that. Last thing: the lounge chairs. Plenty of them, sure, even if you sleep in. But most sit about 12 inches apart with zero shade. Picture it, you finally roll out of bed, grab a leisurely breakfast, and settle in for some relaxation, only to find your new best friend is me, one foot away. These are just my observations, and I know your mileage may vary. But they happened, and I think anyone considering GFACB deserves the full picture, good and bad. One thing I suspect we'll all agree on: the staff is friendly and genuinely eager to help.

This was my second time staying here, but this time was even better! Both times were girls trips. From the moment we arrived until the time we left we had an amazing time. Woke up every morning with a beautiful view and listening to the waves hit the shore. I don’t think any room could have a bad view. My favorite part was how we were taken care of poolside. Elizabeth was our server on Monday and Tuesday and she was absolutely amazing! She took the time to find out our names and was always checking on us. Not only that, she took the time to visit it with us and get to know us. Sweetest lady it’s the sweetest smile. Hugo was also amazing. He took care of our umbrellas for shade and made sure we were good throughout our time by the pool. Both he and Elizabeth told us goodbye and gave us hugs when we left. I will definitely look for them when I go back! The food and drinks were also wonderful, but for me Elizabeth and Hugo made our trip the absolute best!

The hotel is really nice and centrally located to shops and night life. It’s Mexico!! The room I had was an “upgrade”, very spacious and was able to walk right out to pool and beach from the ground level. Only thing was that the room smelt a little mildew-ish. The beach was beautiful and the pool was nice when not that many people inside. The fact that it was all inclusive was great, and the food was pretty decent. We enjoyed ourselves everyday. Thank you Grand Fiesta for this wonderful experience. Also you can walk the beach all the way to the light house. Just be careful of rocks and wear swimming shoes. Water is really turquoise blue and colder down that end. ***Oh and there’s no seaweeds on the beach because the hotel is protected based on the way it positioned, so that sealed the deal for us!

The service and facilities are absolutely outstanding! I barely asked for anything as my every need was anticipated. The food is delicious. Rooms and beds are fabulous. Would definitely recommend it. Will be going back.

Great dinner and show at hibachi! One of the best hibachi show we’ve ever seen! Thank you