Great family resort with lots of wildlife!

This was our family’s first trip to Mexico. Overall the resort grounds were beautiful with lots of animals including monkeys, coati, raccoons, squirrels and birds. There is a cenote where any level of swimmer can safely can go snorkeling and the ocean snorkeling is decent. The beach is rocky so we would recommend water socks or sandals when entering the water. There are also lots of pools, a water slide, activities and entertainment. The kids got tired of the waterslides after three visits b [... read more]ut pretty good for a resort waterslide. Service was spotty at times however. Our first night we arrived to find one of the beds not made and after multiple calls to the front desk we had to find our own sheets in a storage room and make the bed. Nobody ever did show up. There were also doors to maintenance areas left open and cleaning chemicals left lying around in the hallways.We also found out later that our section did not have room service although we were apparently upgraded when we arrived. The rooms were kept tidy and the house cleaners made some towel animals for us after a few days of leaving tips. We found generally the tipping did not get us better service throughout the resort. The food was average but there were lots of options for buffets and restaurants. The servers were generally very good and quick to bring you drinks and take away your plates. There were nightly options for entertainment and a large theatre which we attended at least three shows. Unfortunately they use the same introduction for each show which got a little old. Also be warned they will try to sell you a membership to their elite club when you first come in. Unless you want to sacrifice a morning of your trip I’d recommend passing.

Very nice hotel and tripcentral rocks

We really enjoyed our stay at Sandos Caracol resort. Couldn’t have asked for a better hotel for family and kids. Very nice rooms, good food and lots of activities for kids and best of all, a great water park. Sunquest was our tour provider and they also offered exceptional service. Thank you Beth Mckinley from Trip central for taking the time to make our vacation a memorable one.

A "Mixed" Review

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort was lovely overall. The staff were friendly and efficient consistently; we were impressed. What we we were NOT impressed with was being woken every single morning at around 5 am (!) as staff arrived for work, often chatting loudly and often pushing noisy carts. Our rooms were classified as "A1" yet we felt very substandard - and, needless to say, absolutely exhausted! To be fair, I do want to give 4 -> 5 stars but this impacted us hugely and makes it difficult to  [... read more]actually recommend the experience to others.

Amazing resort!

Very nice and kid friendly resort. Very clean grounds and friendly staff. Beach good but with some rocks and large amounts of sea weed which the staff work on removing every day. Excellent food. Lots to discover around the resort,animals roaming the forest and relaxing trails and paths as well as a cool cenote right on the grounds.

Great resort for kids and adults with beautiful lush surroundings

I would give this resort 4.5 stars if I could cause of the rocky beach, but this is a great resort regardless with many activities for kids and adults alike. The facilities were really nice, as were most of the restaurants. Water hoes are a must if you decide to go into the water on the beach. The great equalizer is the fact that we were able to use the Sandos Playacar Beach Resort for beach time and we spent most of 2 days there for the beach with access the main buffet restaurant and the bars  [... read more]by the main pool and beach. It great to have access to both resorts. The cenote and the Jade River at the Eco Resort were also really nice for swimming and snorkeling. My favourite pool was the smaller Turtuga Pool that was a little deeper and more relaxing in terms of atmosphere. All in all we really liked the resort and loved the beach at Sandos Playacar. Service was excellent and the property is amazingly lush and green with many animals and other adventures that await guests at this gem of an ecologically friendly paradise. I definitely recommend the resort if you are looking for something more and different than just a great beach resort. Thanks to all the great staff who made this a great visit to the Riviera Maya! We also booked an excursion with Soy La Pesera and that was absolutely amazing.

Fabulous Fun Resort

Love the resort Great for family or couples and if traveling alone lots to see and do. Many animals from donkeys,goats, chickens, deer, lots of monkeys,dogs too many to list The restaurants, buffets, all great the bars were great The pools, beach were great lots of loungers The entry to the water had rocks but could still enter and there was entry ways with no rock The staff was fabulous and very friendly and couldn’t do enough for you I have been to this resort mangy times and will [... read more] return again

I will be back!

Unfortunately for us the weather wasn't the best for us during our stay, but that being said all the amenities at the resort helped keep us active and able to enjoy our week. Having the hotel amongst the jungle gave us the opportunity to see the monkeys and other native species. The room that we stayed in was one of the older rooms and could probably use a little face lift but the staff kept it clean and comfortable for us. The spa was a nice added bonus and was very enjoyable. The snorkelli [... read more]ng that we did right off the beach was great. The restaurants had great food and great service. Everyone there was very friendly.

Sandos carocal

The hotel is incorporated directly into the local jungle life, which provides the most unique and fascinating environment to vacation in. The animals and fauna really provide an inviting experience. However, the poor experience during check in and check out leave a lot of customer service to be desired. No matter what time of day, there was always a long line of people checking in or out with minimal hotel staff working. My experience was 45-60 minutes on both check in and out with only a  [... read more]couple of guests in front of me in line. The accommodations also left a lot to be desired. The majority of my travel group had room complaints, including no working A/C, no running water, doors not locking properly, smells of sewage and septic, and even inconsistent house keeping services. I was travelling with a group of 20 ppl for a wedding, and we all had the same points of concern. All complaints focused around our rooms and our experiences with hotel reception. The restaurants, amenities and the bar/food/entertainment staff were all amazing

Amazing resort

This resort was beautiful. It’s not just a beach resort feeling. You’re in the middle of the rainforest, surrounded by wild life. I miss the monkeys already! The mosquito’s where not bad. Bring bug spray, and bring water shoes for the beach. It’s rocky, but it’s still beautiful. The food & drinks was absolutely amazing. The staff where friendly and always accommodating. I’d suggest getting the upgrade to adults only if your going without kids. Otherwise it is a great place to go as a [... read more] couple or with kids. There where many activities offered for free including hikes, bike rides, water park, cenote to snorkel in, game room, kids play house, different pools, a hot tub in the adults only section. I had a great experience, I want to come back!!! Keep up the great work everyone at sandos!!!

Disappointing

When we arrived at the resort we waited over an hour in line to check in. Once we were driven to our room we were not given any map or directions for the resort ( it is huge) so we wandered around ( it was dark by now) looking for restaurants. We found that the buffets were the same daily despite the fact that they had themed buffet nights??? We were 4 people that travelled and we all got sick at some point on our vacation. The restaurants are too small for the amount of people there so the wait [... read more]ing lists were very long and you can not make reservations. The beach was the most disappointing part! It is so rocky it made it virtually impossible to swim. The wildlife on the resort ( monkeys etc.) were nice to see and kept my kids amused throughout the week. Found the grounds too large and the food options repetitive.

Nice Family vacation,but won't go back

The Resort Accommodation We stayed in the Eco Superior Junior Suite - room 1901. It was situated beside the bridge path to the water park. It was pleasantly furnished and updated. It was cleaned daily and it was a good size for our family of 3. We found it to be a poor location because of the privacy. We did not have our curtains open and when we sat on our terrace, we were overlooked by people using the bridge to get to the waterpark. There wasn’t any hot water to speak of - so we took [... read more] cold showers for the entire week of our stay. The fridge was restocked daily with beer and pop. There was also a water dispenser in the room for drinking water. The entire resort is situated in a mangrove jungle and as such it is not as beautiful as other resorts that we have been to. There are also some strong funky smells as you walk down some of the paths (sewage etc.) Restaurants Our favourite restaurant (from the few that we tried) was the Los Lirios Steakhouse. The food was really good, the staff was attentive, it had an excellent location and cool vibe going on. We didn’t have to make reservations. Be aware that for each of the ala carte restaurants, they do have an adults only night. It is posted in the front lobby by the concierge desk. If you show up to that restaurant with children on the night that it is adults only, they will not let you in. The Italian and Mexican restaurants were OK. We ate a lot of our meals at La Laguna buffet. There was always lots of choice and it gave you a chance to try different things. By the end of our week, we were getting bored of the food. Make sure to get the french fries at lunch, the nachos and pico de gallo were also great. They did do an excellent meal for New Year’s Eve!! Staff The staff were always very friendly and very attentive. There were always people working to improve the buildings, greenery etc. Royal Elite Within 20 minutes of arriving at the resort we were roped into attending the Sandos Royal Elite sales pitch. If you have spare cash in the region of $15,000 to $25,000, feel free to listen to the their sales pitch the next morning. If you don’t have money, don’t waste 2 hours of your life. They make it sound like you are going on a tour of the resort with breakfast, but in the end they come on pretty strong to make you a member of their resort club. They even called us at 8 am to ensure that we were going to attend. From the beginning in the lobby make it clear that you DO NOT want to attend. Water park and pools The water park is split into 3 sections based on height and age. The kids all had a great time there. Make sure you measure your child before you go, so that they are not disappointed when you get there. They are very firm on the height restrictions. Fortunately our 10 year old was tall enough for the adult slides. This kept her occupied for hours. We enjoyed the pool by the beach (not at the end where the activities go on). There were always lounge chairs available. The Beach Although the beach was beautiful and the sand was soft, it was very narrow and the shoreline is rocky. There is also a lot of seaweed that washes up. We didn’t go in the water as it wasn’t appealing to us. We took a taxi to the sister resort - Sandos Playacar. It cost $14 one way and took about 20 minutes to get there. This resort had a beautiful beach and we enjoyed swimming in the sea. We saw lots of fish and could walk out far on the sandbars. Overall we had a nice family vacation. The resort is average at best. We don’t think it is worth the cost or deserving of 4+ stars. I would recommend it to families with small children, but if you are adults only, don’t go here!!!

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort - very good

The hotel is very nice, and the eco-friendly features are a plus. On the minus side, 1) always big lineups at the reception and long waiting times (we waited a bit over 1 hour to check in) 2) killer mosquitos in the evening but there are mosquito repellent dispensers free to use throughout the resort. But other than these, no complaints, everything was excellent. Pools, wild life, bike trail on which you can run too, food, friendly staff, clean amenities and rooms. The Christmas Eve dinner [... read more] was truly amazing, both presentation and food quality and variety.

Great place for the families.

We went to Sandos Caracol with our family of 4. Two kids of twelve and wife and I. Upon being greeted in the lobby, we checked easily and were offered by one of their staff to sit down to be explained a few things about the hotel. They did explained a few details about the restaurants and other info, but also tried getting us to go for a sales pitch breakfast with them to try to sell us some kind of timeshare for their hotel. When getting towels from the pool side, the guy tried selling us tou [... read more]rs. So we felt everywhere we went, someone was trying to sell us something. Once we knew to mind own business and avoid these salesman... We loved the place. Food was great, the Intl buffet had lots of great food to choose from. The Italian buffet was also fantastic, especially for breakfast. The a la carte restaurant were very good, especially the Riviera. We booked our tours with our travel operating company (BD) and were very satisfied, even after a miscommunication error where they disn't tell us of a surtax on a park. They decided to give it to us complementary for the troubles they may have caused. BD were very attentive to our needs and tried to accomodate us as much as possible. Waterpark was great. Main pool was a bit small but also very good. My kids loved playing volleyball. Our room was clean but nothing fancy. We had to ask a few times for extra towels. No animals made of towels. Beds were clean, confortable and room kept clean. Beach was very nice, but too many rocks as you go into the water. Bring water shoes. Overall, a very successful trip. I would recommend the hotel to any family.

Amazing Experience!

I loved this resort! So much to do and see without leaving the resort, natural cenote to snorkel in, petting zoo, Cat-land, wild monkeys and Coati roaming the grounds. The pool was good, but food was a bit of a walk if you were on the beach or at the main pool. The rooms were nice, had bunk beds in the room even though I did not use them. Big resort, so lots of walking needed.

Good for family!

Love this place, more natural and lots of things to do especialy for young families . Recommend this place to anyone who want to enjoy life, nature, a nice beach and different good restaurant. Service was good also and room, was nice (we had monkeys on our balcony)

Great resort.

Very Eco friendly. (Hence the name) No disposable plastic cups, No straws. Designated smoking areas. so no smoking around the pool,beach, restaurants and bars. We upgraded to the adult only area. Very quiet pool area. Adult only restaurants. Front desk very very slow both check in and check out.

Let down

This hotel is very geared towards families and kids. I would not recommend this hotel for young couples or singles looking for fun activities. The beds are extremely hard and gave me a very sore back after 3 nights. The staff was unable to help me with the situation at all. The resort is very large and requires walking a lot, especially if your room is in the adults only section. I will not stay here again.

Great place. Great food. Environmentally responsible.

We stayed October 31, 2017 for 7 days. Overall great resort. The good: The food was excellent especially at the à la carts. No complaints whatsoever. Buffets were good but typical buffet style. The restaurants had allergies listed for the majority of the food which is great for people with sensitivities or allergies. My fiancé is Celiac (gluten allergy) and never had any problem finding food to eat and they even offered to specially prepare stuff for her. The resort was very clean includ [... read more]ing the room. The resort is very environmentally conscious, for example they use reusable plastic cups instead of throwaway plastic cups which always end up littering the beach and pool area’s. Smoking is only allowed in designated areas which for guests with the kids is especially great. Water park is great for kids and teens and there is tons of wildlife on the resort. The bad: The resort is very big and spread out. Be prepared to walk. Was under Construction while we were there so some areas were closed but that was supposed to be finished fairly quickly. The beach was very rocky at the resort there were definitely nicer beaches further down towards Playa Del Carmen

Awesome Jungle

These were the most natural grounds that we have experienced. Once you walk out of your room you are in the jungle. With lots of animals wandering around. We saw coati,raccoons, birds- parrots( unfortunately only in cage) , peacocks, interesting looking blackbird with beautiful blue wings, monkeys and then there were farm animals - donkeys, sheep, pigs. The beach was not the best for wading as there were many rocks but oh so many fish to see. You did not even require a snorkel and mask. But do r [... read more]emember the water shoes. The evening entertainment was awesome. Usually there are 3 Miyan shows each week. Plus other shows on the other nights. All of the staff are fantastic and very friendly. They are great representatives for the hotel. The food was very good and you had your choice of buffet or a la carte every evening! Only required a reservation at the Japanese restaurant. Our room was always very clean but there were a few days when housekeeping did not come til 4:00 in the afternoon. The only problem we did encounter was our key (electronic card) was malfunctioning for about 4 days due to the humidity at this time of year. This required us waiting for security personnel in order to get into our room and then waiting in the room while they repaired it. A lot of time was wasted waiting to get access to our room. This was not an isolated situation as there were others experiencing the same problem. Overall we enjoyed the hotel.

Nice resort overall.

Food was great and there were lots of animals for the kids to see! Being an Eco resort was nice for the animals and cenote on site, but being natural also meant it smelled a bit swampy at times. Pools were nice but could have been kept cleaner and most of the water slides were closed for renovations. Construction was underway as well and rooms were a bit dated. Lobby staff were very hard to understand but tried to help. Nice resort, just don't think our timing was the best.