Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Not for us 👎

The grounds are very nature like, but unfortunately there is no air flow which made it extremely hot and at night the mosquitoes where insane! Lots of sea urchins in the ocean so no swimming there! My brother got one in his thumb and another relative got one in each foot and his hand as well! The pools were very cloudy. The resort is very dated. There was apparently some bed bugs luckily far from our rooms. It was very cool to see the monkeys and cotes etc. Some people loved it just wasn't what  [... read more]we like. The sister resort was amazing though.......wish we had learned of it sooner.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Good / Great resort!

This resort has something for everyone. We bought the "Select Adult Only" package and were quite pleased with the exception that many of the restaurants were for the "Royal Elite" only. This was disappointing as it eliminated 3 or 4 of the restaurants most nights. We've been to all-inclusive resorts many times and this was the first time both of us got sick - on different nights in different restaurants. Not sure from what, so we were very choosy about what we ate. With the exception of [... read more] getting sick, the food was good. The main buffet restaurant ("International") had very limited meat choices for dinners; we were use to resorts where each night they had a different specialty meal (roast beef, or turkey or pork etc) Unfortunately the International was limited to pan fried flank steak or small pan fried chicken pieces every night. The Italian restaurant was great - we had our best meal here. Unfortunately, in our 10 day stay this was only open to us once and it was for "Royal Elite" members only on the rest of the nights. The steak and seafood restaurant was also nice and we visited it a few times. Only the Japanese food restaurant required reservations which was nice. We did go to the Japanese restaurant and the culinary show was enjoyable to watch. The food was acceptable (not exciting, but not bad either) I liked the fact that you could enjoy quiet, activity, loud music, or what ever you liked as there were separate areas. They did a great job with having designated smoking areas throughout the resort. It was very progressive in that they asked smokers to not smoke around the pool areas or other guests and they had signs up explaining the dangers of second hand smoke. It would have been great to also have these on the beach. The beach was nice, but no matter where you went, you were inundated with foul cigarette smoke. The only non-smoking area on the beach was way way at the back (not even really on the beach actually), and as the wind blows off of the ocean, the non smoking area was where the smoke would blow. Non smoking in the beach area would make this good resort a great resort. For areas where they did have segregation between smokers / non smokers - it would have also helped to enforce the smoking to the designated areas as some people didn't regard this rule. In general though they are moving in the right direction to restrict smoking as much they already have The "select" area had its own "adults only" pool which was nice. Generally quiet and relaxing. Unfortunately some people would bring there own music and speakers and blast away loud heavy "music". This meant ourselves and other guests had to leave in order to find peace and quiet. I'm not sure why these guests felt that they could impose their musical tastes on the rest of us - but this is something I wish the hotel staff would control. I also liked that they had re-usable cups, no straws or lids and organic/recycling throughout the resort. The beds were also very comfortable as well as the pillows (I'm a pillow person). The only complaint with the rooms was there were no drawers to put your clothes in - so I kept many of my mine in the suitcase. Other than getting sick, we'd definitely go back again.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Lots to do and see!

Travelled April 2017 with my hubby, 3 kids aged 8, 11, 13 and my mom. Rooms-very nice, clean, good size. Hot water was hit and miss. Prime time showering before dinner seemed to be when we lost hot water. We had 2 deluxe rooms in building 72 and 74. Building 74 room had a sewage smell coming from bathroom. We kept toilet door shut and it kept the smell from travelling to bedroom area. Grounds-beautiful trees, plant life, cenote, walking trails. Employees were out daily trimming bus [... read more]hes, taking care of the many areas on this huge resort. Bike trail good. Felt very safe walking grounds. Main pool area was great. Lots of chairs. We spent most of our time here. Towel service at pool only had fresh towels till around 3pm, then you were out of luck unless you walked all the way to the lobby. We made sure to always get towels first thing in the morning. Pool games for kids were good. It would have been nice if there was some shaded areas set up where the kids had to wait for their turn on the mechanical bull and the inflatable ball. Kids loved the swim up bar. Different poolside food set up each day. Lots of people ignoring the no smoking signs at the pool and staff never told them to smoke elsewhere. Water park-cute for little ones, larger slides only occupied my older kids for maybe a half hour. Tube slide not working while we were there. Nice little bbq bar set up daily. Food -A la carts were all wonderful. Highly recommend steakhouse and Italian. -International Buffett was NOT pleasing. Food looked like it was out all day, not fresh. The kids didn't want to try anything as they couldn't recognize anything to try (not Americanized). The deserts were bland. Only good thing was ice cream. We decided to avoid this location for meals. -Snack bars ice cream machine ALWAYS BROKEN. It would have been better to just remove the machine then always be dissapointed that it wasn't working. Food most times looked stale but my daughter liked the burgers. Beach-rocky, but we knew that from the reviews. Walked down the beach to the south and there was a great swimming area we could go in no problem. Kids collected shells and coral. Evening entertainment -shows in theatre great -Mayan shows not very good, I think the language barrier contributed to the kids and adults in our party no enjoying it Teen Club (ages 10+). Kids went one night and I was told what time to come back to get them (my kids are aged 11&13). When I got there to pick them up the doors were locked and the kids said they closed it early and they had to wait outside for me to get them without any supervision and limited lighting. They were there alone about 30-45 minutes. NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT! Overall-good time, nice for kids first all-inclusive experience, won't go back but would reccommend.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Breath taking resort

This was an incredible experience and stay at caracol eco resort! Thankyou for the amazing hospitality, service, food and entertainment. Myself as well as my young children had the time of our lives. We will definitely be back for another vacation in the near future. So much to do, so much to see and a relaxing atmosphere all in one.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Fun resort for families!

We stayed at Sandos Caracol for a week as our good friends were getting married there. About 10 of us stayed in the Adults Only section of the resort as we were all looking forward to the quiet areas and the pool which we were told was quiet and not a party pool like the other pools in the general sections of the resort. We were very disappointed because after a couple of days into our vacation and throughout the week, there was a very large group of people who decided to turn the pool into a  [... read more]party pool with their own loud music, playing football and frisbee as well as beer pong and just getting very drunk and belligerent using foul language that could be heard everywhere in the pool and bar areas. Unfortunately many complaints to the resort fell on deaf ears and absolutely nothing was done about it. There was also the smell of raw sewage in several areas of the Adults Only section. Our room were very clean and comfortable. The service was nothing spectacular, very average, and as the week went on, the service became slower and slower. The staff in both restaurants and bars were very friendly. The food was average in most restaurants and can use lots of improvements. There was a very mangy, stray dog with fleas that hung around the resort especially in the Adults Only section and would walk and sit on the lounges which was not very appealing. The beach was a little disappointing and although we knew that coming down, we were happy to visit the sister resort, Playacar, at no cost and we were able to check out that resort too for perhaps a future trip. The wedding venue was absolutely spectacular! The food was amazing and along with the gorgeous wedding couple, we all had a wonderful time celebrating their special day with them!

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: 3 stars resort

Rooms :very old, no elevator, washroom has a smell all the time, small balcony ,no coffe maker. Ground:nature is amazing, Slides for kids- the best . Golf cars : some of them on gas it does not sound like Eco resort.Guests and golf cars has to share the road , it is not convenient all the time to stop and wait until it will passed by and the most important is safety for kids. Polls near by the beach:dirty,the oldes I have seen. International restaurant: Food super! But ,kitchen staff she [... read more]ll wear protective gloves, they don't.Waiters mostly fast but it is look like not enough of them on the floor. There are ants in international restaurant ,and when we showed it to the personal the reaction was something like : "it's nothing". How You can eat when ants running on Your plate?They need pest control and quick! 24 hours restaurant: It is open area so creatures can get easily to the restaurant and that what they do. It is fun to watch this but not to eat there. Bars: drinks good

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Good resort for kids

Good resort for kids but not for adults. The water slide and pool was decent. The animals on the resort was friendly and my kids love seeing them. The check in and check out process was a nightmare because it took so long when the line up wasn't long at all. The food was OK, my kids and I was able to eat the food but nothing we really enjoyed eating. The beach area was horrible, we spend like 15mins on the beach and decided we are better off by the pool. The sand was rough and there were lots o [... read more]f seaweed. The room and bed is as simple and old as it could get but we didn't allow that ruin our trip, after all we were only in there to sleep.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Under rated

This resort is under rated. It is rated a 3.5 star, but I felt it was like a four star rated resort. The rooms were quiet, but need renovations. We asked for two double beds in adult only section and were told that they only have a king bed and a sofa bed. We later found out that the bungalows in the 60 section had double beds. So. Had to sleep on the sofa bed which was extremely uncomfortable. The pool in adult section needed to be cleaned more often. The restaurants were all great! The service [... read more] was really good, but washrooms often had no toilet paper. The shows were excellent. The wildlife was interesting. The bugs are nasty so make sure you bring good bug spray. They should get a swim up bar at the adult pool and have some music playing. It was a little too quiet. Over all a good resort for family's.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Beautiful Experience

I recently stayed at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort while attending a friend's wedding. The resort is beautiful, embracing the natural beauty of Mexico and preserving the natural atmosphere and wildlife. Resort staff were friendly, courteous and consistently helpful.

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Good Resort - Large Beach, Decent Food, Mediocre Experience

The beach was large and had lots of chairs and space (the resort was quite empty) The food was good, the burrito and crepe place was amazing but the buffet had cheap meat but lots of options and a good breakfast. The overall service and feel was poor, half the staff was not very happy or accommodating, if you showed up a minute late or anything they would not serve you. This was one of the weaker points of the resort for sure. We only had the bottom tier bracelet but really a third of the re [... read more]sort is for higher tier customers, which was annoying even though it wasn't a big deal. The rooms were kinda run of the mill, same as every other okay resort. We did have an incident where some woman's panties (clearly not mine as I am petite and they were large) appeared hanging in our bathroom while my hisband and I were out in the morning, which was quite disturbing. The rooms were adjoining so we were not sure if it was staff or other guests but we were not pleased. Either way, after expressing our extreme disgust and numerous complaints we were moved (well we moved ourselves and packed everything up - how fun) to move to a higher tier section of the resort. The room was almost identical and I think we got to go to another smaller buffet in the morning but I really don't think there was a difference. Also some staff memever between me arriving on the bus to going to my room broke my suitcase (the handle could no longer be pulled out to roll so now it's trash) so that's another negative. All in all I think this is a meh resort, wasn't worth what I paid but kinda what you expect from this price point in Mexico. I will not be going back.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: A really wonderful resort with so much to see and do!!

My family and I (2 kids, age 11 and 7) love nature and animals. This place had both. The grounds of this resort are so lush and tropical and the animals everywhere were amazing. The staff are really pleasant and kind and went out of their way to accommodate our special dietary needs (Vegetarian and Celiac). The room was newly renovated and the beds were so great. We had a new Signature Eco Junior Suite. There was a king bed and another room for the kids where they had a bunk bed; bottom bu [... read more]nk was double size, and the top was single. There was even a trundle drawer for a third bed for a third child. We needed to request extra hangers as when we arrived there were only 7 to hang all our clothes. There are two WC's and two showers with frosted glass doors. The plumbing was alright but the water pressure wasn't great and my long hair took forever to rinse. Not a big deal - it was nice to take things slower anyhow! We were on the third floor and had no bugs in the room as per my request at booking. We did have a little gecko (not much larger than a quarter). He went under the bunk bed and we never saw him again. Kids thought that was fun! The food was superb. Buffets were constantly overflowing and the choice was big. The A la Carte restaurants were really great although we only tried El Templo (Japanese Teppenyaki) which was dynamic and delicious, the Italian, La Riviera (Mediterranean), and La Salvia (Vegetarian), our absolute favourite. La Salvia is right by the ocean and we were hugely impressed by the selection of really great gourmet vegetarian food. Even for meat-lovers, there is great choice and you really can't pass up the view of the ocean with it's crashing waves at dusk. Although the resort seemed to be aware of gluten intolerance, they didn't offer much up for desserts at the buffets. There was not one bread, cracker, or dessert that I could eat. Even the ice cream, I was told, had gluten in it. I didn't want to risk trying just in case! The rice pudding seemed safe enough, however one day, barley was substituted for rice but the food label wasn't changed; it still said Rice Pudding. I made the mistake of eating four spoonfuls before realizing I was eating barley. (Anyhow who has Celiac Disease knows the severity of this mistake). That's my only complaint about the food/buffets; if you have food allergies, you really do play a guessing game. The fruit was a yummy alternative however which I didn't mind in the least! The mango and pineapple were so sweet. The drinks in this resort were the best we've ever had. All the bar staff were incredibly friendly. My kids loved Chicken Itza (the non-alcoholic smoothie)! The entertainment was great. Excellent theatre. Comfortable seats, really modern, with great lights and sound. My only complaint is that the music was ridiculously loud. So loud that it hurt our ears. Every night the shows were so loud. We saw four out of seven shows and spent the other nights exploring and playing cards in the lobby. Beach is lovely. Lots of great sand to play in. The surf is stronger than Holguin in Cuba or Punta Cana, DR. There is a lot of coral and rock in the water so you need surf socks. There are pockets of sandbars that you can get to without water shoes, but if you want to wander or play, I'd recommend surf socks or water shoes. The vegetation and animals, like I said already, are really what is memorable about this place. The eco activities and the friendly staff make it a truly unforgettable experience. I highly recommend this resort to any family with children.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Missing it already

I loved this place! The staff were very friendly and eager to please. The resort had a bit of everything from beach, jungle, animals, ruins and a small water park. I loved how they kept a lot of the natural aspects of the land and wildlife. It's not a heavily landscaped resort. That being said if you plan to swim at the beach I suggest having some footwear due to the rocks. Also our room looked a little tired but we didn't spend much time there and it didn't matter to us. there also are much nic [... read more]er rooms available. If your looking for something that's a little less luxury resort and embraces it's environment a bit more this place is great. The Mrs and I had a wonderful time and can't wait till our next visit.

Sandos Cancun: Kid friendly

Grounds were awesome, Cenotes, Myan ruins, animal shelter and lots for kids. Rooms were just ok. Washrooms are very tight. Food was ok. Service inconsistent. Late check out was not available as described. Some staff were not friendly others were great.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Really Good Resort

The rooms were really comfortable, the grounds beautiful with many animals here and there as this was an eco resort. The restaurants were varied and the food was very good. We spent most of our time at the large pool and beach.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Amazing week

Just returned from a week at Sandos Caracol. I actually cried when I left I had such a good time! I religiously read all the reviews on here in the weeks before we left, picking apart each one and sometimes getting worried that we weren't going to enjoy ourselves due to some of the negative ones. Every single worry I had was unnecessary. My partner and I traveled as a couple, 29 and 31. I had some worries that we couldn't get a reservation in the adults only part of the hotel, the thou [... read more]ght of being surrounded in kids all week was not appealing to me at all! I really did not feel like we were missing out on much from not being able to enter the adults only places, we also love the beach and the kids seemed to mainly be in the pools, so our trip was not worsened in the slightest by the number of kids around. Another concern we had, due to the reviews on here, were long lines at check in and check out. Both check in and check out were completely smooth for us. Both took less than 5 minutes. Our bus driver actually lost our bag between the airport and the resort when we arrived, concierge were so helpful, tracked down the bag and we had it within 30 minutes of arrival, which was a huge relief. Some other concerns I had, due to tripadvisor reviews were; "Lots of Walking" - We did get very lucky with the location of our room - the "2203" building was right inbetween the beach, pools, aquapark and close to the restaurants. Honestly, I wouldn't have cared if we were the furthest end of the resort, the walking is easy, it's really not far to get anywhere and the jungle and animals keep you entertained during the walk. "Hard beds" - I don't know if we got lucky with our mattress - it was spotless - perhaps brand new - but it was comfier than the bed I have at home! I slept amazingly every night. "Unfriendly Staff" - I cannot believe anyone who writes this, the staff work so so hard and smile the whole time. We didn't come across any rude staff at all. "Below average food" - I ate somewhere different every night, I am vegetarian and my partner is very fussy. We loved all the food we ate. Salvia restaurant was incredible, the food was really different and authentic. I am biassed as it is a vegan restaurant, but even my vegetable hating partner loved it, and requested we return the next night so he could try more things on the menu! Juan, Jose and Daniel are great waiters. For some reason this restaurant never had a line up outside, I think a lot of people are missing out for fear of vegetables. I would come back to this resort for this restaurant alone. "Not enough staff" - I see a lot of complaints about not having enough staff - isn't this reason enough to tip the ones there well, they're often doing the job of 3 people. Yes it's almost impossible to get waitress service at the beach or pool like you may get in a 5*, but line up and get yourself a drink at the bar, I don't see how a 30 second wait at the bar is a problem. "The beach is terrible" - You gotta be some sort of lazy not to walk less than 250m to the left of the beach to find an idyllic white sand beach, no rocks and wooden jetty! I have no sympathy for those who could not be bothered to look. There is some sea weed at the beach, no big deal, that's nature! If you don't like sea weed, stick to the pool. "Hounded by timeshare" - I don't know if it's because we're younger and perhaps look like we can't afford a time share, but not one person hassled us the entire time we were at the resort. "Rooms are tired" - honestly, the room we had was the cheapest, standard option. It's not a 5* room, but I never expected it to be, nor did I ever read the resort marketing themselves as a 5* location. It's an eco resort and I like the fact that not every piece of furniture is removed and disposed of when it's looking a little tired. The room does it's job, I really don't spend much time in it during my holiday. The aircon worked great, there was plenty of hangers for our clothes and we ALWAYS had hot water in the bathroom! There were so many activities to do in the day, we took some excursions we had booked outside of the resort on 2 of the days, but in the remaining 5 we had plenty to do on the resort, snorkeling the Jade River & cenotes, wildlife spotting, playing tennis, taking a bike ride around the resort, watching the shows & even the water park was fun, just remember to keep your arms crossed on the slides, I tried to slow myself down and smashed my elbows on day 1 and had to live with the nasty looking bruises all week - my fault! I'm so sad to be home! We had the best time at this resort,

Sandos Cancun: Perfect balance of fun and relaxation!

Sandos Cancún was perfect for my s/o and I looking for a quite getaway with a bit of entertainment on the side. It's a smaller hotel which makes for a very intimate atmosphere. It's not 19+ but there are no kids areas or activities which meant there were only a handful of kids while we were there. Not being adults only also seems to discourage the rowdy young adults from staying here too. We honestly only had one gripe during our stay which was with the staff of the teppanyaki restaurant. Th [... read more]e server was completely rude and inhospitable the whole time making that night the worst of our entire vacation, which is really unfortunate since the rest of the staff at the resort are amazing and I can't stress that enough. That one bad person is completely overshadowed by everyone else who were just beyond friendly and helpful to us. Other than that, all our expectations of the rooms, amenities, and dinning were fully met based on the descriptions online. We highly recommend this resort and might consider a second stay in the future.

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: attention: people with disabilities

I have mixed feelings. First of all, I read a lot of reviews but I should have listened when people told me about the layout. The resort is pretty big, I was at location 1206 so not bad since the buffet, pool and cart stop was beside me. Kinda of central location. Other rooms I found too far. I noticed some stairs had no handrails and at certain places a little hilly for me. If you have bone problems, walking might be difficult. I would have preferred a smaller resort. Plus the little cart [... read more]s can't hold more than 7 people and if you have to wait, it might be line 15 mins. The food was so so, you'll find your regular buffet. I only went to the main buffet most of the time. Entertainment was good. Live band/ singers. A little better than usual resorts. Café was good for coffee but didn't like the cakes/ frosting - no much taste. Some were ok like pineapple cake, cookies, ice cream. I would say if you have to buy something just walk done the road to where starbucks is and the have lots of shops and good prices. Also go to 5th avenue and there is lots of selection. Go later in the afternoon when the sun goes down. To end it off. The bus never came to pick me up to take me to the airport. I asked the reception to find out why and BD Travel bus carrier ended up sending someone else to take me to the airport. It was a bad experience because he was racing to the airport and get me there on time. I got there at 9:05 am and my flight was leaving at 10:40 am. I won't be visiting this resort again because it is too big for me, too hilly, no handrails and distance was about hour drive from the airport.

Sandos Cancun: Great beach.

The rooms are spacious and amenities are good quality. The food was average. Nothing special, surprisingly little local fare. Was hoping for a really fantastic fish taco :( Settled for a pizza. Staff are wonderful. Service was very good, they work long hours while still providing swift friendly service. Tips were always very appreciated and our pleasure. The food over all was basic, particularly the breakfast buffet. Premium liquor was always served. Entertainment was impressive. Trying to get [... read more] 2 rooms together took 3 of our 5 day trip to sort out. Prob a 3/5 overall.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Family oriented

Serious lack of cushions for lobby furniture. Japanese restaurant was so hot we had to leave before finishing meal. The over all theatre productions were very good. The buffet food was good and varied. Children should not be left to shop the buffet unsupervised as they were handling food and then putting it back when they decided they didn't want it. The housekeeping staff was outstanding and the rooms comfortable. You do not go there for the beach because it is extremely rocky and huge amounts  [... read more]of sea vegetation clogging the shore. That being said, the pools and water park are excellent.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Don't do it!

We have been travelling for many years to Mexico, DR, Cuba, as well as Asia and have to say, we were quite disappointed with this one. Normally, we can put bad things aside as we are travelling to underprivileged Countries but this one is not to the same standard as others. The pool was filthy, even my 10 and 8 year old kids did. To want to swim in it because it looked so cloudy. In the morning, sometimes, a man would come and brush the sides, we seen a vacuum twice only. The afternoon was  [... read more]filthy. My daughter had a rash and we suspected it was a heat rash, but then she was itchy where she did not even have a rash, so we paid to get a drug store to deliver calamine lotion for her as she was too uncomfortable. We stayed in an older part of the resort, which really showed its age. That is fine, but the a/c did not function well, and the fridge did not work at all. The buffet foods were mildly warm (even at the start of the opening hours) and very typical. These were our primary concerns. I have been travelling South for over 20 years and this is the first trip where I was deeply disappointed. I was going to write Jean and let him know so that he can inform others so hoping this will help him. Thank you Wendy O'Quinn