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Dive Review of Dive House/Fiesta Americana in
Cozumel and the Mexican Yucatan/Cozumel

Dive House/Fiesta Americana: "Fiesta Americana and Dive House", Nov, 2017,

by Jon Hoffmann, GA, US (Contributor Contributor 15 reports with 19 Helpful votes). Report 10024.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Although I have stayed at Fiesta Americana about 5 times over the last 20 years, this was my first stay since being renovated and repainted from red to blue. The casitas in the back have been changed into a separate sister resort, so all rooms are now ocean view. Not much change to the rooms, but there have been significant modifications to the restaurants, pools and beach areas to make it an outstanding facility. I’m not a foodie by any stretch, but all food offerings were outstanding. Only problem was I indulged way too much. Everyone I talked to at the resort raved about the food. One other significant difference was the clientele. In the past, I remember the guests primarily being US and Canadian divers. Perhaps it was because there was a triathlon going on, but it seemed as if at least half the guests were Mexican nationals. My general tipping strategy with Mexican all-inclusives is to scout out the bars and restaurants that I’ll most likely be using and lead off with a sizable tip to see how the servers respond. All are always grateful, but I look for those that make the extra effort to know & remember my name and provide personalized service. Jose at the pool bar and Wilberth in the restaurants were exceptional and went above and beyond to make our experience there way beyond my highest expectations. I’m sure they appreciated the tipping, but they made sincere efforts to make sure we were taken care of in every corner of the resort. They even sent the general manager, Alex, to speak with us to see if there was anything he could do to make our stay more enjoyable.
I’ve used Dive House on probably over half of the 12 visits I’ve made to Coz. Their new facilities at FA have been greatly downsized. They used to have lockers and provided tanks for shore dives. Not anymore. But they still provide concierge service and take care of all your gear. (Note- give the gear guy a reasonable tip separately up front and he’ll take great care of your gear). David and Raul were the best of our guides, and Omar was by far the best of the boat-hands. The rides to the dive sites are lengthy from FA and generally make a stop or 2 to pick up additional divers.
Over the years as Coz has developed, I’ve found it better to stay onsite in the all-inclusive resort all day and away from town. The cruise ship traffic has taken a lot of the charm away. I’m sure that’s good for the economy and keeping the island going, but makes for a perpetual rush hour all over the island. With such good facilities at FA, I didn’t even miss visiting any of my old favorite restaurants and bars downtown.
Websites Dive House   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Caribbean, Costa Rica, Thailand, Micronesia, Maldives, Indonesia, PNG, Palau, Malaysia
Closest Airport CZM Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 78-80°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Depth and time limits
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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