Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Great beach at lively resort

We stayed at Sandos Playacar for 7 days in January. The highlight of this resort is the fabulous beach. It is beautiful - lovely sand, shallow water and located next to a treed area on one side of the resort which creates a quiet, unpopulated area for walking and exploring. The rooms at this resort are ok, the beds are reasonably comfortable and the rooms were kept clean. We were told we would be on the 2nd floor, which was the case from the back but the room was a walk-out, so really on t [... read more]he first floor. We asked for a change as we always find first floor rooms noisier but the hotel was not able to accommodate us. It was noisy some nights with rowdy party-goers heading back to their rooms, although it didn't last too long as they eventually moved on. The pool was often crowded and didn't seem to be large enough for the size of the resort. My husband did a scuba lesson which started in the pool and after going underwater with a mask on he refused to go back in the pool again - said it was so dirty and that they needed a filtration system. Likely has something to do with the load on the pool being more than it could handle. There is a lot of activity going on during the day and the activity coordinators did a good job of getting people up and involved in whatever games or dance thing they were doing. It is a very fun and lively atmosphere and the music was always going. We did take advantage of the water sports - kayaks, snorkle gear, stand up paddle boards and simple sail boats. The guys at the water sports shack were great. I think some of the restaurants were being renovated when we were there and some of the locations were being switched around. The French and Mexican a la carte restaurants were our favourite. The Italian was pretty good but the Asian was only ok. We checked out the Brazilian and Steak house which seemed to be sharing a location that looked like a cafeteria with no view or ambience. We did not eat there. The buffet restaurant had been recently reopened after being renovated and offered a lot of options and the food was generally quite good although there was a tendancy to overcook the chicken and pork. Go for the seafood - that was always well done. Overall, we had a good time and it is a good choice of resort in this area with a reasonable price point.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Sandos Caracol has no beach

Second visit to Sandos Caracol Eco Resort in Mexico. We were there in 2011 and the beach was great, now it is eroded into the ocean. The area is rocky and covered in coral and sea urchins. We walked ten minutes left or right to find some sandy locations at other resorts. The hotel tries to sell you timeshares all the time. The main pool is only 3 and half feet deep which our kids loved. The pool bars were open by 10:00 am and closed at 6:00 pm and served all kinds of mixed drinks and blend [... read more]ed drinks and two beers on tap. \Loved that they recycled their cups and didn't give out straws. The room was a bit outdated and I did not like the layout. We had a king sized bed and a pull out couch for our two children. The room had a large jacuzzi tub in the middle but no privacy if you are in the tub or coming out of the shower. The room had a mini fridge with beer and pop and free to use room safe. Cleaning service was usually done by lunch time each day. We liked the food and the variety of restaurants. Only one, the Japanese, required reservations and we could only go once that week. The Brazillian and Mediterranean were excellent, but a bit of a wait as it is first come first serve,(unless you were an Elite member, they can make reservations apparently, grrrr.) We took a taxi($15 US for four people) and visited the other Sandos resort for a day at Playacar which was newer and actually had a nice sandy beach and beach volleyball. Hope this helps

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Wonderful vacation!!!

Resort was great a bit big but shuttle service available distance from farthest room to beach is approximately.8 Km. Great for working off excess calories there is a donkey and goat enclosure as well as cat cafe along the way. All amenities are in between. Al la cartes were delicious and beach was an absolute 10. Could walk or bike to town very safe tourists everywhere it's about 2.5 km. Great shopping and local fare. Would definitely return to this resort again was there 10 years ago but won't  [... read more]wait that long again. Happy holidays!

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: LIKE ITS NAME ECO, ECO, ECO RESORT!!

The name says it all, Eco resort, and that is what separates it from other resorts. It is aimed towards children, nature, and learning, as that is what I perceived it as, when I booked this resort for my children and Grandchildren. The rooms of this resort, are standard quality for the star rating. The services were also standard for the star rating. The food, was a little below standard for the star rating. The grounds, activities, entertainment were just above standard for the star rating [... read more]. It is definitely focused towards children! My grandchildren 5 to 12 loved the resort!! I found some of the entertainment was not appropriate for younger children, (scary and depressing) . I think some of the shows can still put the (teaching) aspect across to the audience of their Mayan heritage without embellishing on the dramatic and upsetting ritual of sacrificing!! It is great for children otherwise, and I hope that they lean more towards that clientele, and improve some of their theatrics, and add even more to the CHILDRENS experiences! Keep in mind if you are an adult looking for a relaxing, vacation with little or no children, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU? Needless to say, this resort is a much needed resort for Mexico, look at it as the beginning of a Mexican Walt Disney!! ( Still needs work) Very much enjoyed, we would all return. Children, grandchildren, and friends with children:)

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Great Resort!

We came to this resort with a group of 13. 6 adults and 7 kids! We really enjoyed this resort. The staff was helpful, our room was simple and clean and we were never bored! The grounds were beautiful!

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Great family resort!

We loved that there was lots to do beyond going to the pool or beach. There were always different animals to see, paths to explore, cenotes and activities for the kids. The bathrooms were always clean in any location. We spent most of our time by the pool and at the aqua park. I would have liked to see someone cleaning either of them at some point...

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Absoultely amazing resort!!!!

We were at this resort Nov 18-25 2016. Wish we would've booked longer. We were in the adult only section and it was well worth the upgrade. The quality of the food and drinks were excellent! Loved the adult pool. This has been my third time to Mexico and this was my first time at this resort. They really catered to us. We booked the spa and the massages themselves were really good, I booked three while I was there. However the only downfall was the receptionist at the spa...she tried to upsell o [... read more]ther services and was not that friendly when I wouldn't agree. I almost changed my mind because I was insulted my her persistence. I told her 3 times no and had to keep emphasizing what I wanted. she finally backed off. I had talked to other guests at the resort and they were experiencing the same issue with the receptionist. But the massages are well worth it. The beach itself is nice and clean but the water is a little rougher and the rockier than the other resorts that I stayed at. Also I really enjoyed the animals that we got to see. Although we didn't bring our kids to this resort, I would recommend this for families as well...kids aqua park and the entertainment nightly was enjoyed by the kids as well as the adults. I will definitely go back. I miss this place already. Top notch service all the way around...you will not get better than this!

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Beautiful Resort!

This resort is very different from any we have stayed at. We mostly stay at 5 star beach front resorts that the rooms are right on the ocean and there are minimal trees. This resort was so lush with beautiful trees it was amazing! It was the best of both world's, a 5 star beach front resort and a beautiful jungle all in one. There were so many walking trails to explore that take you through the trees, around cenotes and through some mayan ruins. You definitely need to like animals to com [... read more]e to this resort because they are every where! We even had a raccoon come up on our table out in the snack bar area, the kids just loved it! The shows at night were amazing! They were great for kids and adults. I would say the best entertainment we have seen at a resort so far. We did not need reservations at the a la cartes which was great for the kids, we never know when they are going to be hungry so we hate having to make reservations 3 days in advance like most resorts require. Some days we had to wait about 30 minutes to get in but it never bothered us. Most of the time we could get a table for 9 people within 5 minutes. Most of the food was delicious. The buffet did often run out of some foods though and it would take a while before they replaced it. The only reservations that is required is for the Japanese restaurant and it is so worth it!!!! The beach was beautiful and you could always get a beach chair any time of the day. The pools were great for the kids but the main pool area did get quit busy during the day. All in all it was an amazing vacation and we will go back again. We were a group of 7 adults and 2 kids aged 5 and 3. Please remember that you are going to a country where a lot of the workers live off of their tips and if they do not get tips that day they might not be able to feed their family. We saw far too many people not tipping it was sad! These people are serving you hand over foot 24 hours a day.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Spectacular resort

We enjoyed everything about our stay right from start to finish. The service, food, beverages, accomodations, entertainment and particularly the environment were all amazing. A great ecological experience in the midst of wildlife and mayan ruins. Their support of and education on the mayan culture was captivating.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Perfect family resort

This hotel is amazing if you are looking for a simple low key property with lots of animals and endless fun for the family! Lots of restaurants to chose from, a water park plus pool and a beautiful beach.

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Pretty good

The Hotel was huge. Loved the coffee and cupcake shops, and the burrito restaurant. The 3 sit down restaurants wernt great but wernt bad either. No real entertainment during the day which was disappointing.

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Ok resort

We stayed for 1 week. We ended up very ill on the 3rd day of our stay and still continue to be sick 2 days after our return. Not sure if it was the resorts fault or not. Other than that, the resort was ok. The restaurants were not fantastic but they were not terrible either. The Italian was our favourite and El Goucho was probably our least favourite. The preferred club buffet was the best place for breakfast. We ate at the regular buffet the first morning and never returned. It was super busy,  [... read more]hot, and the food wasn't refreshed often as most dishes were empty. The preferred one was always fresh and tasted good. The wait staff around the preferred club pool were fantastic! David was amazing. He always brought us a drink as soon as he saw us. He always had a smile on his face and was joking around. It never felt as though he was brushing you off to run and do his job. It was great for the extra personal touch. The rooms were basic rooms. We stayed preferred adult only section. We had our room cleaned every day and every day except the last, where someone else did it, it was amazing. She did a wonderful job. We even ended up with a couple of towel art on the bed which were great. The ice machine was broke so we had to call front desk for some and they delivered quickly. We called room service with no luck but when we called guest services we got what we wanted right away. Just a side note for anyone calling, call 36 not 0. The grounds were always clean and tidy. There are a bunch of cats here. If you don't like cats, stay away! There was something for everyone though. Piles of stuff to do and if you were bored, it was your own fault. I would not return, but I would not return to any resort I've been to because the possibilities are endless and why go to the same old one when you can explore new places each time. Just my opinion. I would recommend the preferred club adult only if you can. The beach section is nicer and the buffet is a must. The time share garbage is terrible!!!