I’ll preface this with, this will be a long review! I personally rely heavily on reviews these days so I think it’s important to pay it forward and share our Cancun experience.



Arrival: My husband and I have traveled a lot in the Caribbean and we’ve gotten accustom to the endless amount of people trying to sell us stuff but in Cancun it’s on an entirely different level and starts the second you clear customs. At the airport walk pass the endless people you see offering to help you find your transfer service (etc.). These people are pretending to be helpful but in fact all the want to do is sell you a vacation package.



The Resort: Now on to the resort which is why you are reading this review to begin with. Overall, my husband and I enjoyed our stay at the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach. We picked this resort initially because it was a 5-star resort, not an all inclusive and because of its proximity to nearby restaurants and night life. This allowed us to walk many places and avoid the extremely expensive cabs.



I had seen reviews saying this resort was “dated” or in “need of renovations.” While the resort is clearly not brand new, the rooms are extremely clean and well maintained. The room was also well stocked including bottles of water. Everything is tiled which is perfect when you are staying in a tropical destination. Every room has an oceanfront view with a balcony (the higher the floor the better the view). We were on the 7th floor and our view was amazing. We spent every morning and evening on the balcony taking in the view and enjoying the spectacular weather.



The grounds are also well kept and the pool area is huge. There is a lot of seating and umbrellas by the pool. They do have cabanas you can rent for the day for $100 USD, but we opted not to do this because we never struggled finding place to sit. The poolside/beach wait staff are extremely attentive. For most of our stay Raul waited on us by the pool and Reuben set up our chairs every morning and made sure we had fresh towels throughout the day. I was also pleasantly surprised by the food quality at the pool. We always had an affordable light snack to hold us over until dinner.



Given the location of the resort, if you want to be in the sun all day, I highly recommend you sit on the west side of the hotel beach side. We sat on this side our entire trip and had sun from 10 am until about 3:30 pm. If we wanted more time in the sun after that, we relocated to the beach for the rest of the day. The beach is also really nice - very little seaweed and the sand is very fine.



This is a family friendly resort. With that, it is always unknown how many children you will encounter during your stay. While we were here we did notice a lot of children. So, if kids aren’t your thing (on any level) you may want to look for an adults only resort.



Dining at the resort:



We ate at “La Joya” during or stay. When we first arrived they wanted to seat us near what looked like a babysitting area. I personally had no desire to eat dinner next to a room of screaming children, so I politely asked if we could sit somewhere else and they were more than happy to move us. Overall, the experience was good. The food was decent and the restaurant decor was amazing. Overall, I’d give this place 3.5 stars because for the price point I had higher expectations for the food.



We had breakfast every morning at “Vina Del Mar.” They have a menu or buffet option. We always did the buffet so we could have variety and try out different things. The food and service was amazing. On our second day Wilberth and Jahdiel were our waiters and they provided us 5 star service! They treated us so well we requested them everyday for the rest of our trip. Everyday Wilberth would bring my husband a different traditional Mexican breakfast dish and not one of them disappointed him. Our coffee cups and juice glasses were never empty and they even brought us to go cups. If you happen to eat here during your stay ask for Wilberth!



Dining Outside the Resort:



We ate at “Hacienda El Mortero” our first night in Cancun. The service was great and our waiter took the time to explain the menu and make recommendations. We enjoyed our meal (as well as our worlds largest margarita - seriously they are HUGE!). We had the tres leches cake for dessert and it was DELICIOUS! The ambience was also nice. The restaurant is setup like a city square. They also have a mariachi band playing which we both enjoyed. The mariachi band will go table to table and play whatever song you’d like to hear. Overall, it was a nice experience.



We did go to “Carlos’n Charlie’s. This place was a bit chaotic, in a good way. The restaurant has lots of odd decor and goofy entertainment (a chef chasing a chicken, balloon hats etc.), but we did have fun. From an entertainment standpoint I’d give this place 4 stars. But, if you’re going here expecting the best meal of your life you will be disappointed - the food was mediocre (2 stars at best). If you are looking to have some drinks, snacks and be entertained for a little bit this is the place to go. If you’re looking for an amazing 5-star dining experience you won’t get that here.



We came to Cancun to celebrate our wedding anniversary so we decided to splurge and go to “Rosa Negra.” From the second we walked in we knew we made the right decision! We had an amazing team of attentive servers - Miguel, Poncho and Issac. The restaurant offers a diverse menu ranging from Ribeye steaks to Wagu Beef and seafood options like Salmon, Caribbean Lobster and Alaskan King Crab legs. Issac, the head waiter, did a presentation and explanation of the seafood and steak options before we placed our ordered. My husband and I decided to get the Porterhouse for two and it was cooked to perfection. For sides we got the Creamed Spinach and Yuca which also didn’t disappoint. If we were to ever come back to Cancun we’d certainly plan to dine here again and we’d be sure to ask for the same wait staff!



Our last night we ate at “Mocambo.” It is right next door to the resort but you can’t access it by the beach. You’ll need to take a 5 minute walk there. It’s a cute outdoor restaurant in a hut. They have a large menu packed with all kinds of seafood options. I had steak fajitas and my husband had the seafood paella. The food was great and we were actually bummed we waited until the end of our trip to eat here. I recommend you check this place out, even if it’s just for lunch.

