My wife and I, as well as her sister and a friend recently returned from a two-week vacation in Puerto Vallarta. We stayed at the Fiesta Americana after reading many of the reviews on this site. We obtained a good «all-inclusive» price through TMR travel in Montreal. This hotel is not an actual «all-inclusive» resort and most people just use the room-only rates or take the breakfast buffet package so that they can explore the excellent PV restaurants. Since we were going there primarly for rest and recuperation, we chose the all-inclusive package and are glad we did because the food and service were great and we definitely saved money this way. We understand that you can ask for the all-inclusive package (gold bracelet) when booking directly with Fiesta Americana. We have travelled regularly and frequently to many Mexican destinations (Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, Huatulco, etc.) and think this was definitely one of the better hotels we have stayed in. While not «perfect» we would like to describe below the (mostly) good and (few) not so good points about the Fiesta Americana Hotel in Puerto Vallarta:
THE GOOD:
- Excellent location in «Hotel Zone», only 10 min. drive from airport and to Malecon.
- The hotel is not a huge mega resort. It has one main building. About 300 rooms on nine floors, all of which (except for 2-3 per floor) with private balconies with ocean view. The best views are from the 4th floor up. The 9th floor is for «Premium Package» and not really worth the extra cost, as wee ended up on the 8th floor after asking for it in advance. Advisable also to ask in advance if you want twin beds or king size. For one of our requests, we had to wait 2 nights to get what we wanted but the front desk people were very efficient. The sunset views are amazing!
- The hotel definitely has one of the best beaches and layout in this section of town. Because of the «rock sea wall», the waves and undertow are not as strong there, so perfect for families. Also, soft sand, no rocks.
- There are plenty of lounge chairs, palapas and shaded areas (lots of palm and coconut trees) well laid out and uncrowded.
- The pool is huge and heated, also with plenty of chairs. Waiters come around regularly and are most efficient. Food can also be ordered directly to your lounge chair/palapa.
- The hotel and grounds are kept immaculately clean and the staff is extremely outgoing, smiling and polite. Elevators are quiet and fast.
- The food is excellent. The breakfast buffet is plentiful with wide choice of Mexican and North American favorites including large fresh fuit section, cereals, yoghourts, juices, made to order eggs and pancakes, etc. The Chula Vista restaurant is right by the beach.
- The lunch is also served at the Chula Vista with a la carte and sometimes buffet (if larger groups are present). Good selection of burgers, salads, tacos, salads and desserts. A la carte choices are also served at the tables near the Bar located on the South Side of the Pool (next to Los Tules Condos).
- For dinner: There is the «La Isola» restaurant near the pool with Italian and Argentinean a la carte selections and occasional buffets. We had good steaks and ribs as well as pasta.
The included house wines were just OK (Santa Helena red or white). On certain week-end nights the Mexican restaurant is also open with a good menu and occasional buffet. We were very happy with the choices. Portions are actually sometimes too big and you can ask for smaller or half portions.
- There is no «Activities Team» with loud music and games throughout the day. There is a good Latin Band in the Main Lobby Bar 6-11 pm.
- We thought the staff was outstanding: Head Waiter Alejandro and his team: Eduardo, Rafael, Luis, Miguel, and many others. The drink servers Patricia and Mavi.
- Across the street, there is a big shopping mall (Soriana), restaurants and easy to catch buses into town, 6.5 pesos). Taxis are 50 pesos to Malecon.
SOME MINOR INCONVENIENCES:
- Some noise from live shows at the Friendly Vallarta Hotel next door can be loud on evenings until 11 pm
- As hotel caters to conventions, some of the larger groups can seem a bit invasive and service from hotel staff then becomes less personal. Availability of lounge chairs can then become a problem.
- You have to pay for internet but at least the time is cumulative. We took the 24 hour package for 170 pesos and we had plenty of internet time for the 2 weeks we were there. Many «wi-fi hot spots» in the hotel. In-room quality is unpredictable.
- In the all-inclusive plan we still have to ask for the bill and sign it even though we have the gold bracelet. A bit time consuming and confusing at times.
- Some of the waiters obviously lacked experience but they were eager to please and well supervised.
- Beware of some of the uniformed Fiesta Americana staff which prowl the lobby to offer guests «Vacation packages» (form of time share). Just say a polite no and they will leave you alone.
OTHER COMMENTS:
We are amazed at some of the negative comments which have been expressed previously
on this site about this hotel. Yes, it needs a bit of updating in the rooms but it is super clean and how much time do you really spend in the room? We thought the beds were very comfortable and AC worked fine. Good shower pressure.We usually ended up sleeping with the balcony door opened to hear the sound of the waves. Yes, the maid service was sometimes inconsistent (a towel or cofee packet missing, etc.) The «nickel and dime» issues did not apply to us as we had the all-inclusive which in our opinion is well worth it unless you want to go eat out regularly. Staff does NOT inspect your bags every time you come in to see if you have any food items. Just be discrete and limit your goods to reasonable quantities. We can understand the potential health and cleanliness issues when abuses occur. On week-ends, you will see many Mexican families and it is obviously for them a place of choice. The beach vendors are numerous but do not trespass the grounds marked by a rope. Just say a polite no when sollicited (unless you do want to shop).
CONCLUSION:
The Fiesta Americana was a most plesant discovery. Location is hard to beat. Super clean premises, pleasant and attentive smiling staff. Good food, relaxed and quiet atmosphere. One of the best beach and pool areas. Many of the customers are returnees who have been coming for years. We recommend it highly and will be happy to answer any other questions you might have.
- Puerto Vallarta Fiesta Americana
