after staying at two other Acapulco hotels and not being satisfied i decided to give the fiesta Americana a shot. i would be staying for 9 days so i wanted to be happy.i called ahead to let them know i have a friend who lives there who will be staying with me.since he will be driving me from place to place and he will be showing me around and they said no problem.with no hesitation.considering the two other hotels would not let me have a guest from there stay with me.from past experience due to crime i guess.so when me and my guest arrived we checked in and where greeted by the valet/bellboy and directed to the front desk.and they where very respectful considering we where young.so after being greeted by a very nice professional front desk clerk(MAURICIO BANOS) he was very knowledgeable and attentive to our needs and most of all friendly we checked in and got to our room731 the room was flawless clean newly remodeled and had a great view of condessa beach the house keeping kept our room clean every day even when we didn't need or want it we parked everyday and all the valet guys where outgoing and helpful regarding any advice etc we used the 3 pools often and ordered pool side eats the staff was helpful as well and attentive to all our needs especially (Carlos)and the guys by the lower pool all nice and outgoing and even the security went out of there way to help people when needed the whole staff are first class in every way i was very happy with every thing and how we where treated regardless of age looks or color they will have a repeat customer as long as i go to Acapulco and i go every year i even told a friend of mine who goes every year and more and he came there one day and was so impressed he said hes gonna stay there next time ....so Acapulco really does have a first class hotel .thanks for making me feel at home and making my trip a memorable one .

Ok...so we just got back from our trip today from sunny Acapulco! Fiesta American Villas was just like what most of the trip advisors have said it was....."a very pleasant surprise!". We got to the hotel around midnight & it did take a while to get checked in, considering there were probably 2 other parties before us...we waited a while in line. So make sure you get there either late in the night or early in the am! When we got to the desk the attendant "upgraded" us to a junior suite. The room was EXCELLENT! Really far beyond what we expected.....first & formost it was CLEAN!!!! The room was updated, bed sheets were nice,there was a jacuzzi tub, 2 flat screens, 2 balconies with chairs & a small table, cute kitchnette, adequate sized fridge (it was only me & my husband!), the sinks were undermounted,granite tile, sleeper sofa and plenty of storage space. What else could we need? Nothing really! The hotel was really nice.....honestly we didn't expect too much bec the price that we got from ORbitz was too good. But we were really pleasantly surprised with the hotel. Sure the decor wasn't brand new but it was clean & nice! We are Mayan owners & we did visit The Mayan.....honestly the accomodations are about the same as far as the rooms go. FAV had a decent size pool, and yes you don't walk right on to the beach(neighther do you @ the Mayan)......but honestly I don't think most of the hotels do bec of the vendors. It's probably safer that way anyway. Besides a few steps of walking to the beach is worth it....esp when the weather is beautiful 80 deg. The beach isn't as bad as some reviews say it is.....not super smooth sand & there is an under tow....so be careful. But overall the beach was fine! OK---FOOD....food around the area of FAM was expensive. Try Tacos & Beers for some great, inexpensive Mexican tacos ( we ate there 4X)....they are comprable to our tacos in the States, but better. BETO's was also good plus it's got an awesome ambiance, IKA TACO's was ok too if you like sea food food tacos. Condesa Restaurant wasn't the prettiest place but they make a really good red snapper with garlic for $12. The food @ Fiesta Amrican Villas was actually probably the BEST food we had in town.....I know it sounds crazy...but it really was! The pool side food was yummy.....try the ceviche! The fajitas were excellent also.....we did go to dinner @ the FAV restaurant & that was about $50 for 2 people. The food was great! Honestly....if you go outside of the hotel & eat @ some of the restaurants.....you'll probably end up spending atleast $20 a person...with 2 drinks incl...since ALL of the restaurants are 2 for 1 drinks. ALL the drinks we've had in ACapulco have to be the WORST mixed drinks we've had. We've meen to Puerto Vallarta, NUevo Vallarta & Mazatlan.....but man...Acapulco makes horrible drinks!!! I don't know what went wrong with the mixed drinks?.....as if they were watered down or cheap ingredients? I dunno?
ALthough FAV drinks weren't too bad!
Going back to Fiesta American Villas......everyday our room was made....cleaned & organized!
Just a great hotel............
Oh by the way....the location IS AWESOME!!! CLOSE TO ALL the bars & clubs............so this means if you are there to relax & unwind & go to bed before 4AM.....this is not your hotel.
ALSO....just to skip all the traffic...get to ACapulco on a Thurs? Do not arrive there on a Fri or a Sat....it's so buzy!!! The locals from other towns drive to Acapulco for the wekend too & we saw how bad the checking in was..so heads up!

After reading many of the reviews concerning Acapulco lodgings, I was not terribly optimistic. I wanted to be in the center of the resort area as opposed to on its fringe or outside of town. The Fiesta Americana seemed to be the least bad option in the center of Acapulco, so I decided to book myself there via Expedia.

My room was incredibly large and comfortable. It actually was two rooms, with a vast living room, large screen tv, and fully equipped kitchen. The bedroom had an enormous king size bed, another same large tv, and a big bathroom complete with jacuzzi tub. Both the bedroom and living room had balconies with a view of the resort strip and the ocean. The furnishings were perhaps a bit out of date but everything was impeccably clean.

The next morning I went to down to the pool to find it bustling with activity. It was almost to the point of being overrun. Of course it was a weekend so the hotel was packed full of weekend visitors, many of whom come from Mexico City. There were lots of families and tons of children. Pool seating was scarce but I was still able to find a lounge chair. However many of the chairs were reserved by people who had left items on them and then didn't appear for hours, which means that everyone else has to scramble for seating. The hotel staff really should prevent people from reserving chairs.

You also have to check your pool towels in and out every day which was an annoyance. Every time you come and go from the pool you have to fill out a slip and then make sure the slip gets destroyed when you return your towels, or else you will be billed. The hotel follows these procedures very strictly, which is perhaps acceptable at a budget property but certainly not the first class or deluxe-type property which the Fiesta Americana tries to be.

The following day was totally the opposite, as most of the weekend visitors had already left to go home. The pool was much more relaxed and there was ample seating. One thing to note is that there are a lot of pool activities, such as water polo and dancing contests, always to blaring loud music. This doesn’t go on all day but for a good portion of the day, so if this bothers you, you’re better off heading for the hotel’s beach. The hotel is on an excellent stretch of beach and the water is warmer than the pool, actually. They have lounge chairs and umbrellas available for your use on the beach as well.

The area around the hotel can be very noisy, especially at night. In the rooms you do get a bit of street noise, at least I did as I was on a lower floor. On the weekend nights there are lots of clubs that draw in the crowds. There is also a continuous stream of traffic on the Costera, the main drag of Acapulco which runs in front of the hotel. If you are in Acapulco to party the Fiesta Americana definitely has a prime location. There are also plenty of restaurants and activities nearby, so you are not tied to the hotel.

The hotel seemed to be a bit overrun or understaffed, I couldn’t quite decide which. There were always lengthy lines at the front desk, especially at peak times. If you had a quick question to ask, you were essentially out of luck. The hotel did offer free Internet in the business center which was a great amenity.

One other thing to note is that the hotel automatically billed my account of about $12 (for the length of the stay, not per night) as a Cleaning Gratuity, supposedly for the additional work required to clean the kitchen. This was not mentioned when making the reservation or at check-in. I certainly don’t want to begrudge the housekeeping staff their gratuities, especially since they kept the room spotless. In most cases in Mexico, they work very hard for a very low wage. So I didn’t dispute the charge, however, I did find it in poor taste of the hotel to not inform guests of this charge beforehand. Any taxes and fees should be rolled into the price of the room rather than sprung on you at the end. Of course, one always wonders if the employees themselves actually receive the gratuities when they are paid directly to the hotel. My personal preference is to leave a tip each day for the housekeeper so she actually gets it, especially as the staff can change from day to day.

Overall, this was a good property but appeared to be rather poorly run. It seemed unable to decide if it was a higher-end resort (it had ample dining options, excellent rooms and amenities, professional staff, luxurious spa), or a budget hotel (with its heavy crowds on weekends, towel sign out procedures, long lines, extra gratuities). The hotel has an entirely different atmosphere between the weekend rush and the midweek lull. I did feel I made a good choice though as the location was perfect for me and I got an excellent rate.

The Fiesta Americana Villas Acapulco (on la Playa Condesa) was a heavenly getaway. My 3 friends and I stayed one night in a "one bedroom standalone" room, which opened up into a small kitchen, large living room with couch, chairs, dining table, and a balcony with a beautiful partial-ocean view (the FiestAmericana is shaped like a V pointing at the ocean, so both sides of the hotel can see the ocean just great! -- however, therefore you can also see the main drag in all its traffic-ky glory). There was also a large bedroom with two double beds, and an additional balcony adjacent to the first! We could have easily slept 5 people -- and I think the couch pulls out, so maybe even 6 -- in this room, and the rate was $202USD for one night. The hotel website claims there's a 3-adult maximum per room, but I had no trouble reserving 4 people BY PHONE, and we had no trouble at all when we got there.

PROS:
1) location! location! location! Directly on the main strip, around all the bars, restaurants, convenience stores, bungee jumping towers, etc, and centrally located in the bay, so you can go either way down the street to get wherever you want to go. Most taxis will charge 60 - 100 pesos ($6 - $10) to take you anywhere, if your destination is not walkable for some reason (say, the bus stop, or the famous Acapulco cliff divers)

2) very clean

3) Nice beach area with big, gorgeous rocks and turqouise water.

4) 3 pools that I saw -- a medium-large one, a medium-small one, and a tiny one, PLUS shallow-water beach chair areas if you're into reclining just above the water, and a 2ish-foot deep, 20ish foot long lazy river for kids that connects the tiny pool and the main shallow beach chair area. The only water area that was actually any use to me was the main pool. See my photos.

5) very friendly pool staff -- ask your waiter for "dos por uno" (2 for 1) drink specials.

CONS:

1) The pool bar drinks left a bit to be desired. The pool restaurant also didn't do it for me, but then again I ordered shark tacos, so who knows?

2) Usually really crowded. I understand that both the hotel and the beach are REALLY crowded during prime tourist season, which I think is Easter week, Spring Break time (duh), Christmas week and the week after that, or even summertime. WE were there on a Monday in late January, so we were VERY happy to see there was a respectable amount of people. Apparently, ANY weekend (Fri, Sat nights) can be potentially crowded. I'm glad we scheduled for a Sunday night.

3) Don't forget they will charge you a maid service tip (~$11USD for our one night) when you check out.

4) customer service / check-in/out seemed to take a long time, even on a Monday.