My wife and I just returned form a long weekend at Fiesta Americana. This is our sixth trip to the area, third to Coz. Our other two stays were at the Presidente. We have had great experiences at Presidente - but it is over-the-top expensive and we wanted to try something new. Our criteria: stay south of town to be closer to dive sites, good on-site dive operator, don't spend a fortune. I think we accomplished all three of these, but I don't think this hotel deserves the 4 star rating versus the 5 star Presidente.

-Facilities: Generally clean but a little rough around the edges. Easy to see where things were repaired after Wilma versus the older original building. Older furniture, light fixtures, TVs in public areas. Road between main hotel and beach was annoying but not that big of a deal. Loud, bad American music around the pool during the day (Why do they think Americans want to hear American music?)
-Room: We were put in a 2-double-bed room after having reserved a King. They moved us right away, but to a room that I don't think was used very often. Right next to a service elevator, which was noisy late at night and early in the morning. Broken, shabby furniture. No refrigerator - standard in other rooms. Mattress as hard as a rock. Despite this, beautiful view, small but clean functional bathroom.
-Food/drink: We did not buy the all-inclusive because we're not huge drinkers and like to eat dinner in town. Had breakfast / lunch at the oceanside restaurant. Good (not great) buffet. Good service. Ordered once from the menu which was good. Spotted a large bug crawling up the wall by the buffet one day. I guess hard to avoid this in these warm climates. Only had cheap beer (I assume because of the all inclusive option). Would be nice to have something nicer for those willing to pay.
-Beach: Rocky shore-line with sand behind retaining walls, similar to Presidente. One snorkel / swimming entrance. Lots to see in the water right off shore and under the dock. We snorkeled every day and saw something new. Not too much demand for deck chairs and a quieter pool over here.
-Staff: Generally good but not great, seemed a little tired of obnoxious Americans, which I can understand. Guests seemed to be split into two types - Drinkers and divers, with some cross-over.
-Dive Shop: Dive House did a great job. Lots of dive options, experienced dive masters, good boats and OK equipment.

Fiesta Americana was a nice hotel as long as they don't "upgrade" you to a casita in the jungle. The casitas were smelly (like mold and mildew) and far from the beach. The regular rooms were nice and all had balconies over looking the water. They were kept clean and were comfortable. We went all inclusive, which I strongly recommend, as food and drinks are expensive. We were able to eat twice in the fancy restaurant on the all inclusive and to order off the menu the rest of the time at the Reef Club or eat the buffet. The food was good and did change quite often so you didn't get too bored with the variety. Some nights the hotel offered special entertainment and others had music in the bar area to listen to. The staff was helpful and friendly. I strongly recommend the Sea Urchin Divers to scuba dive with as they are a smaller operation and don't lose divers as happened with a bigger operation while we were there. Ysidro, Victor, and Pancho made sure we were comfortable and taken care while on board. They also took us to many different dive sites. We dove 5 days and got quite a bargain as Sea Urchin offers dive packages. They pick you up right at the pier in front of the Fiesta Americana and drop you back off there. We were in Cozumel from March 22 to March 30 and had a great time.

I wanted a three star hotel and I got one! The Fiesta Americana was the perfect choice for my boyfriend and I. The bright orange hotel just close enough to the downtown area (6 USD one way) was right in every way; friendly staff, clean rooms, edible food, postcard goregous views and a relaxing atomsphere. At 27 years old we were the young ones but the 30 to young 40 crowd has us beat at partying and drinking everyday. Things got heated up everyday at 3-4pm at the pool. The biggest complaint that anyone had was that the poolside bar closed at 5??? No one could figure out why? We did not opt for the all-inclusive package but did eat some meals at the hotel. The breakfast buffet was usually cold but would do, the lunches were very good, and room service was also nice (yucky Fiesta Amerciana burger get the ham and cheese bagel instead). We thought the food and drinks were a little pricey but the whole week at the hotel came out the 300 UDS and we drank a lot and used the mini-bar too. I'd recommend the all-inclusive simply to make friends for the week, we really didn't talk to too many people since we didn't eat with them. (SECRET-walk down the road towards the town and the BEST snorkle spot on the island is at Casa Del Sol. You have to by a drink to hang there but it is well worth it. We ate there a few times since the food was cheap. Sit at the bar and get a marker to scribble your names down! A lot of cruise ship people hang there and that gave us more than enought people to talk to. If you can manage it I would bring my own snorkle stuff from home since it cost 24 UDS for two people to rent for the day.) See the hotel trip planner next to the Budget rental guy since they were both awesome. We rented a car and planned a trip from them and all was perfect. We had a WONDERFUL TIME and RECOMMEND it! P.S. look for the computer hidden by the lobby bar for FREE e-mail. It the ONLY thing in Mexico that's free.