Great

This resort was great. Food was superb. 3 delicious buffets and plenty of a la cartes. Make sure to book your a la carte restaurants when you arrive to ensure you get a reservation as they fill up fast. The beach is very rocky, but still nice. The pools are nice and the trails on the resort were fun to explore. There are mosquitoes so bring bug spray or use the insect repellent supplied. Night time entertainment was good. I would recommend upgrading to Select Club for adults only pool and rooms  [... read more]closer to the lobby.

Great holiday at a great price!

We spent a week here with our two children 4 & 6 in mid November. We had a really relaxing and fun time. Pros: - The resort was really beautiful and lush. - Lots of activities for the kids. There were two kids shows (superheros, Disney) and they were well done and our kids really enjoyed it. - The room was better than I expected; the balconies are very small. - The water park was really great, but in retrospect our kids would have still had fun at a resort that didn't have it, probably because  [... read more]the pool was so warm and we were able to spend hours and hours in it. - The xcalacoco shows were really neat and it was fun that they took place in different locations each time. A bit scary for the 4 year old though. - The kids LOVED all the animals. - Walking around the resort was always interesting. Cons - only 2: - The beach - sitting on it was beautiful and great, but going into the water was a bit of a challenge. Rocky at the entrance. But our kids are really into going into the ocean and they loved playing on the beach and bringing the water to their castles so it wasn't an issue for us. - The food - the kids were so tired at the end of the day that we stuck mostly to the buffet and it grew pretty tiresome after a few days. The food always seemed the same and it was just OK. The resort is really missing a restaurant/snack bar closer to the beach/pool People complain about the mosquitoes but we only saw about 10 of them the whole week. It wasn't an issue for us. All-in-all a really wonderful holiday and at a very reasonable price! The kids could not have enjoyed themselves more and we had a very enjoyable time too.

Exceeded my expectations

Amazing week with my 4 year old and my 66 year old mother. Service was great, entertainment was appreciated by all age groups. Food was good. Lots to do and see on the resort if you feell like it. The AquaPark was perfect for my son to enjoy. Only downfall was the size of balconies in the family section. Other than that... It was an awesome vacation!

Great place to do as little or as much as you want

The grounds are clean, the food is good at the buffets and great at the a la cartes. Plenty of activities for all age groups as you explore the resort. The Adult Select Club is quiet and the Select beach club is a welcome place to relax.

Daughters first time away

The resort was great. Well maintained, friendly staff and easy to get around. My daughter loved the animals that we're around and the dogs. It was fun seeing my daughter seeing and going into the ocean for the first time. The only thing I would suggest is that you have all the money you need with you for the whole trip and not to depend on the bank machines. They do not recgonize Canadian bank cards. We enjoyed our vacation and would return to try out the new water park!!

Unique Resort

Eco resort within forest with ceynotes and mayan ruins on property. Great mayan related activities program with boat tour, bicycle tour and shows. Food was good. Plenty of chairs on beach. Not harassed for tipping at this resort. Lots to do for all ages.

Room for improvement

The people were wonderful the rooms were aweful! From cracked counters and showers to 50 year old furniture to daily broken locks on doors. The room we got was nothing compared to what they display on there website so be very careful!

Excellent Resort and Spa - Sandos Caracol

The rooms and the grounds around the resort were very clean. Any time we had a complaint in the room or the facilities the hotel staff came as quickly as possible to fix the problem. Food variety was excellent. We could get whatever we wanted. Nightly entertainment was unbelievably great and of various nature. The whole family enjoyed every program. Hotel staff was very courteous and obliging including the cooks and the waiters.

First time in Mexico. Nice vacation

Resort is beautiful, clean, food is excellent, entertainment excellent, beach is nice but only ocean have too much sea weed and rocks. Lots of trips to Mayan land and other attractions. Store in hotel is very expensive, cigarettes, alcohol and souvenirs you can find much cheaper on street vendors in resort or in Playa Del Carmen.

Warmhearted resort

I love the ambiance ,,, the grounds makes you feel at home with all the nature surrounding you . love the eco friendly approach , love the two divisions adults very calm,,, and the familly side so perfectly adapted !!! Bring your shoes for the ocean you will have so much fun !! short staffed at the restaurants only thing to say :) pools are small on the kids side ,,, but beach is perfect

Adventures and Exciting resort

Fantastic Resort for exploring exciting animals and different trails and walkways fun to get around not overly big. Great Water park for the younger kids my daughter is 9 1/2 yrs old and still enjoyed it. Restaurants were fabulous especially Las Mascaras for aurhentic Mexican food. Eco/standard rooms very basic bathrooms nice but things to do on the resort by far makes up for it.Enjoyed chill out pool better then main pool quieter and nicer. stayed. 6 nights beginning of July 2015 Overall loved  [... read more]it more then likely will return

Awesome Resort!

Resort is amazing! Tons of wildlife walking all around the resort. The waterpark and pools were great for the kids and the shows were excellent. Food was good, selection at buffets were reasonable and they allow you to book as many a la cartes as you want. The only downside is that being in the middle of he jungle the Mosquitos are bad. They have repellant dispensers through the resort, but bringing your own stronger repellant would be a better option. We went with kids 8yrs and 5yrs, and would  [... read more]definitely go back to the resort.

Bad start and good finish

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort We've stayed at the resort between 21 and 31st of May. The reason for the stay was our son's wedding. Overall the aftertaste of our vacation is positive and we have a potential desire to come back. There were, however, couple of issues which probably should be addressed for the resort improvement. 1. The check in was unbelievably slow, with little attention given to the guests presences, and no support provided afterwards. I had a twisted ankle and a broken rib issue an [... read more]d begged at the check in to allocate for us a room on the ground floor. However, the answer was simple, not possible. Meanwhile our friends couple, who were at the same time asking to put them higher up, were given ground floor room with the same no exchange possible. Hmmmm? Only after 3 days of asking, plus with involvement of my son's wedding coordinator, we were moved to the ground floor location. Needless to mention similar attitude was given to my daughter upon her arrival with two kids of 1 and 3. They were put on the top floor with pushchairs to move up and down. Their situation was solved only on the second day. 2. As we are up rather early everyday, we've noticed that property is not bring well maintained and cleaned before about 9 am. Walking around about 8am you will find drink cups, food mess, and similar all around the area, including similar floating in the pool. It was rather sad. On the positive note, the wedding organization was superb, with excellent entertainment and good care after guests and wedded couple. Food was good, diverse and available at anytime. Plenty of seats on the beach and around the pool. Amazing Xcalacoco shows during the stay. Great indoor playground for my grandchildren. Thus, the resort is good with great window for improvement and opportunity for growth. Here are my review in a nutshell. Sincerely, Elena, working for American Express Travel as a senior travel counsellor

Wonderful and relaxing!

This resort was lovely! We spent most of our time at the beach and the 'chill out' pool. The grounds are large, but very well shaded so we did not mind all of the walking - it helped burn some calories! The food was good, and the a la carte's were terrific. We had no complaints at all. Lots to do. We will likely return.

Beautiful resort!

The resort is spread out over many acres. The monkeys saunter around & swing through the trees! Very pristine surroundings & well kept. The beach is a good walk to get to and being on a coral reef, it is rocky. We will DEFINITELY return!

All in one great resort!

Sandos Caracol Eco Experience Resort....a resort that is full of life, be it underground (Cenote) and aboveground (jungle with a variety of animals), top it off with great personnel! Aside from the beautiful nature that this resort can offer, it has a great team of workers. Everyone we met, were all dedicated and passionate on what they do. Thank you for the great memories....we will certainly spread the good words about your resort!

Great Family Location!!

Spectacular location for families, not suited for couples or the single traveler.. Very well kept grounds, the beach sucked, nothing but rocks and seaweed... Way off the beaten path, if your looking to do 5th Ave. or any off location site seeing, save yourself the trouble and stay in closer to town.. Excellent Echo resort, evening entertainment was always a show, with little interaction with the guests... Best for the quiet traveler..Quinton our agent onsite was extremely helpful

Fantastic Resort!

We loved that the resort was full of trees and wildlife! Our room was perfect, the food is great, and the staff were friendly. The evening show was amazing!! Freddy Jackson is a MUST SEE!! My daughter wanted to go into Kids Club everyday. Kids Club put on an Eco Fashion Show that the kids were in, and my daughter also got to be a Princess and Mermaid in the Fantasy Show. Such a wonderful experience. I was super impressed that this resort is envronmentally responsible, and they spay/neuter and pr [... read more]ovide vet care for the kitties on site. 2 thumbs up! We would definitely go to a Sandos Resort again.

Great family resort

We just got back from a week at this resort and would go back in a heartbeat. We went with two young kids and my only complaint would have been how far our room was from everything....but we could have requested a closer room. The resort had great entertainment for kids, always had kid friendly food available and lots of stuff to do with them. when you arrive look out for the "time share" promoters that want you to meet the following day. ... for us it was a waste of time! We would definitely g [... read more]o back to this resort with our kids!

We didn't want to leave!

Traveled March 12-19 with another couple. This was my 1st trip to Mexico, 4th to the Caribbean. To say this resort met our expectations would be an understatement! To start, Alan Medina was in contact with my husband prior to our trip and booked all our a la carte reservations for us so that we didn't have to worry about it once we got there. He also got us rooms in the same building, with balconies. My husband and I had champagne and a plate of fruit waiting for us upon arrival, which was a nic [... read more]e & thoughtful touch. There's been a lot of talk in reviews about Timeshare "vultures", and our Sunwing rep even warned us but we weren't approached once by anyone so maybe they've changed this because of the negative reviews. The Guest Services staff did talk in our welcome meeting about the benefits of booking directly through Sandos, but this was a 2 minute bit and that was it. Resort: This is an absolutely beautiful resort. It's an eco resort, so there has been little clearing and you really feel like you're in the middle of the jungle. There are cenotes and Mayan Ruins on the property, as well as lots of wildlife and special features to look at. We did a lot of walking, but there are golf carts available to shuttle you to and from. Yes, this is a family friendly resort. We didn't really find this a problem, there didn't seem to be any more kids than we have normally found at an all-incusive over March Break. The only issue we had was there seemed to be a lot of kids in the main pool, and it often seemed like they had the run of the place with no supervision. Splashing, doing cannon balls right over your head, etc. This is more a parenting issue than a resort issue. There is a kids club & pool for your child, I shouldn't have to be worrying about other people's kids. Although to be honest, sometimes adults were more annoying (someone was spitting chewing tobacco into the pool one day- what is wrong with people?!). That being said, this isn't a "party" resort, but we weren't looking for that atmosphere anyway. There were people drinking and being social, but it certainly wasn't a "Spring Break" type of place. There are yoga classes offered every morning except Sundays at 8 am. Unfortunately I only made it to one class due to excursions and being the only one in my group interested- that being said it was hands down one of the best classes I've taken! It's Ashtanga/Flow style, but very doable as Juan Carlos is an excellent instructor who makes you feel comfortable (while challenging you at the same time). I would definitely recommend! Wifi is free, but is only available in public areas- Sports Bar, Theatre, Pool/Beach, Lobby. Mosquitos weren't an issue for me for the first half of the trip, second half I got lots of bites so make sure you bring bug spray! Room: We were in Building 44 which was a decent walk from the pool/beach. You can certainly get buildings closer to beach, but then you're a walk from food. I don't think you can lose out on rooms...we didn't bother upgrading to Adults Only as it seemed to be quite isolated from everything else and the furthest from the beach. We just didn't feel it was worth it! They don't have bottles of water (which is great), but instead a water cooler in each room. Bring a water bottle with you! If a hair dryer is a necessity, bring one. The one in the room was old and looked like a vacuum cleaner. Beach: Yes, the beach isn't as beautiful as other beaches in the area. I thought the note in other reviews about water shoes was an exaggeration, but if you want to enjoy the water you really do need them. We had some cut feet before we found a path out to a sandy area. There was lots of seaweed, but this was the case everywhere from what I heard/saw. Vendors do approach you but they're very friendly and we didn't feel pressured. We never had any issues finding chairs by the beach, even on the day we didn't make it down there until after lunch. The pool was a little tougher, but we were usually in the water anyway so just set our stuff on one chair. Food/Drinks: Since this was our first trip to Mexico, we were blown away by the food. There is one main buffet that is open for all three meals. Lots of options- I don't eat a lot of meat but always found lots. We also liked the Mexican for breakfast, and the Italian for lunch. These become a la cartes in the evening but have great selection for breakfast/lunch. The 24 hour sports bar wasn't anything fancy, but you could get burgers, hot dogs, nachos, fries, etc. Guacamole on everything. The a la cartes we visited were the Teppanyaki, Mediterranean & Brazilian. All were amazing butt the Teppanyaki was my favorite, mainly because of the experience. Drinks were standard all-inclusive: lots of sugary/slushy drinks but still good! Mojitos were fantastic, and often the little drink stand by the pool made delicious things not on the regular menu (rum punch, Oreo milkshakes with Baileys). Entertainment: Wow. Just..wow. This was the best entertainment we have seen in our four trips south. The Michael Jackson show was insane. The Mayan shows were so different from anything we've seen, and I loved that they had them in different locations around the resort (Mayan Ruins, beach, cenote). You have access to the Sandos Playacar as well. We went one day, because we were told the beach was amazing and had friends who had stayed there. It was a $40 return trip by taxi which was reasonable for two couples, and we weren't disappointed! The beach is gorgeous, but I found the Caracol grounds were much nicer, maybe just because they were different. I don't want to call these complaints, because they really didn't bother me that much but these are a few things we noticed during the week: It would be nice if there was a snack bar (even if it was small) on the beach. We really liked this about the Playacar. The disco doesn't open until 11, but often the shows only go until 9:15-9:30, so there was a large gap of time we had a hard time filling. Because of this we only made it to the disco one night. It would be nice to separate the main pool into family friendly/adults only...it's big enough that I don't think this would be an issue. This is the first resort we've visited where I didn't want to leave, and would go back in a heartbeat! If anyone has any questions feel free to message me!