Only average

Rooms need desperate updating. Food was average, not good but you can always find something to eat, the same stuff every day. I wouldn't call this a 4-star resort, we paid for the select club upgrade, to access premium drinks etc, don't bother because the upgraded drinks were not always available they seem to run out on a daily basis. The staff at the front desk never followed through with our requests, they say yes no problem, but nothing happens, very disappointing. The premium buffet rest [... read more]aurant never opens for breakfast or lunch, the main buffet was so crowded you get in and out, very poor service due to crowds. The only thing that was great was the beach, it's beautiful. We were supposed to get bar service on the beach, it didn't happen. Wifi in the room is hit and miss very poor. For the money, we spent not worth it. There are much better resorts that are true to the star rating, I will never return to this place.

Large Dissappointment

Want to start with our group of 13 are experienced travellers, have been to Cuba, Dominican, and especially Mexico (10 times) So I am extremely familiar with the level of service and what is to be expected. 1. no service whatsoever, get your own drinks, even though we were club select adult area 2. 10 of 13 got food poisoning and spent the day in their rooms. 3. Monkeys although cute left feces that took days for the staff to clean up on the hand rails 4. Lawn sprinkler system uses stagnant  [... read more]lagoon water (strong sewage smell) and was sooooo bad it woke us up in the middle of the night on 2 occasions, absolutely brutal! 5. Pool was dirty. 6. Staff constantly ran out of premium alcohol and hid it below the counter for black wrist band folks. 7. Was lied to at the reception, told if I wanted a king size bed, I could not have a balcony, this is not true. 8. I could go on for hours, overall the resort is nice, food was good, beach is amazing but too rough for any snorkelling, but your money is better spent on resorts with much superior features and service. No one in our group intends on ever coming back.

Beautiful Resort

We stayed in the Adult Only Select Club section which was perfect for us as it is the closest to the beach. We never had any issue with chairs at the beach at any time of day. The food at the buffet was plentiful and wide variety. Our fav ala carte restaurants we Le Gourmet and Gormex. Lots of nature, animals and eco friendly. Bring a drink cup/water jug and enjoy the most beautiful beach.

Sandos Playacara

A couple of hiccups. The wifi was difficult to set up until the resort “reset the system”. Several calls to Guest Services were useless so i went to see them and they couldn’t connect either. Several guests were standing around with the same issue, so it was not my general ineptitude with all things high tech. Secondly the room smelled like a swamp when we arrived. The room should be aired out 24 hours before a guest arrives. After the second day the smell was gone as we were able  [... read more]to air it out ourselves by leaving the patio door open and running the HVAC controls on high. The room and resort were quite fine and the staff were very nice. The food was mediocre but there was lots available . We are not “foodies” by any means. Beautiful beach and pool area that were always kept clean. Very happy with our interactions with Trip Central and in general the Air Transat experience. I wouldn’t go back but I would use your services again. gary and bertha

Good stay

The beach was amazing, definitely a selling feature of the resort. Nice pools, few different options. The food was ok/good, definitely not great. The room was nice, we stayed in the adult only section which I’d definitely recommend if you’re travelling without children. I wish there would have been more day time entertainment. Evening entertainment was hit and miss.

Outstanding Experience

The hotel is impressive as soon as you step into the main lobby. Check-in was easy and room was ready when they said it would be. Room was as requested by Debbie - higher floor, ocean view. The Adult only section was a great recommendation by Debbie. No issue in finding chairs at either the pool or the beach. Grounds were clean. A La carte, no reservations needed, were a great highlight to end each day. The Cup Cake Cafe satisfied when looking for various types of coffees day or night.  [... read more] Will return again

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort was beautiful!

Everything including the people were amazing! very clean rooms, food great and the people great! Only thing was the bus ride from the airport was long it was 2 1/2 hrs. But other than that things were great!

Nice resort

This resort is massive. We were in the adults select section which is nicely situated close to the beach. The beach is beautiful with white sand and clear blue water. Until the seaweed came on day 4. The resort works hard to keep it cleaned up. Not their fault, just Mother Nature. The king room with a Juliet balcony over looked the pool and had everything we needed, but could use some updating. There was no shortage of food. Good buffet with many choices. The specialty restaurants were n [... read more]ice, favourite would be the French. The burrito shop was a hit, we went there 3 times and they were the best burritos ever. Entertainment was great, shows were good. We went to the spa twice and the staff there were amazing. Best massage ever. I would recommend this resort.

Mostly Great just needs a little work

Just returned from a week at Sandos Playacar we did the select club (adults only) The entire hotel grounds are beautiful. Every staff member we spoke with was helpful and always asking if they could do anything else for you. My reviews tend to be long so I’ll try to break it down so you can just skip to what you’re looking for. Check in- Was faster and easier than at any other resort I’ve been to. Walked in got handed a drink the woman at the counter finished with the couple in front of u [... read more]s asked our names and if we wanted a stronger drink! She ordered us 2 Margarita’s and someone brought them over from the bar she put our bracelets (*room key is on your bracelet and is a great idea I never had to worry about carrying a room key or losing it LOVED THIS) on and introduced us to a guy that was there for the upsell. We actually agreed to go on the “elite upsell tour” and were promised 2 50 minute massages. Did the tour the next morning it’s 90 mins the first 30 you just eat breakfast with the lady and talk then we were shown the construction and new area on the beach and the elite haciendas we came back and sat down to talk $. We told them it wasn’t for us at this time and they weren’t pushy at all she calls the manager over he offers another smaller package and we said no and they gave us our vouchers for massage. This wasn’t an unpleasant experience at all it was actually nice to walk the grounds with her because she showed us stuff we probably wouldn’t have found on our own and what we had access to and what we didn’t. The voucher said 2 relaxing massages and you could upgrade them if you wanted I thought they would be pathetic lightly rubbing massages and they weren’t at all they were amazing massages right on the beach very much like I get from my RMT at home it was absolutely worth our time to do this. Beach - amazing huge white sand beach in the select club area with lots of seating maybe not all had shade but the sun moves and lots of people just moved their seats either in or out of the sun. The select club never seemed to have much for "entertainment" The days we were there they had darts for about 30 mins, a stretching class and a very small very inactive dance thing going on. We went over to the family section of the beach a couple of times thinking maybe that's where the entertainment was but everything is like island time and if it says 11am they didn't start setting up until 11:30 or 11:45 and did it very slowly still no music or high energy anything. Pools - The adult pool is BORING if you are looking for a very quiet relaxing vacation you'll love it it's just not for us. There is never any music being played the only "entertainment" there was bingo or water aerobics. There is a small shallow pool with a ping pong table in it that was fun and a pool with a volleyball net that's never used they seem to use that pool for scuba lessons. Also it doesn't have a swim up bar. The pool in the family section (old adult section) is where it’s at. There is a swim up bar and tons of seating didn’t matter what time we got there we could always get chairs. People here were having way more fun volleyball was always being played some people had their own speakers and at the far end away from the bar is a shallow pool where most of the little kids played. The New Area - We went over here looking for entertainment and found that beach has a shortage of seating especially with any kind of shade. The pools over here are the elite "black bracelet" the kids water park and another pool with a swim up bar. It was crammed over here and unless you do the 6am towel on chair thing you probably weren't getting one because there wasn't many. They do serve a lunch here but they didn't cook hotdogs or hamburgers unless they were ordered so you had to wait but they had ribs and chicken cooking the whole time it was just weird and caused a jam up of kids waiting for burgers or dogs for 15 mins. A La Cartes – We tried the Brazilian, the steakhouse and the Asian. All were amazing! Not sure why people complained about waiting we were told the one night the Asian would be an hour wait there is a bar upstairs you can go have a drink at and wait we decided to just try another because it was already almost 8 and come back at 6 the next night. We walked around the corner to the Brazilian and walked right in we were served by Carlos for the night and he was Amazing! The steakhouse we went around 7:30 and got right in. The Asian seems to be the busy one that you want to go at 6 and sign in when we went back the next night and were sent right in. Dress code is very weird A family ahead of us at the Asian the man was told he couldn’t wear his sandals in they were almost like Birkenstocks and nice looking my boyfriend was allowed to wear his because they had a back strap??? Basically no dress code for women but men couldn’t wear thong sandals. They could however be in t-shirts and backwards hats with running shoes on. Which I really don’t care they’re on vacation too but to make men run back to their rooms to get running shoes on or strapped sandals didn’t make any sense. This also seemed to be the only restaurant that enforced any kind of dress code. Buffets – Were great with lots of food choices. Breakfast was awesome and never any shortage of bacon like I’ve seen at other resorts. Food wasn’t always as hot as I like it but that was the only downfall you could always just wait until they refilled something you wanted it happened often. Cupcake Café and Burrito Place – I don’t drink coffee but my boyfriend went every morning and loved it there were lots of choices and the girls working there were always very sweet and worked fast when it was busy. The cupcakes were delicious as well. The Burrito Place I can’t remember the name of but it’s right next door was amazing we ate lunch and late snacks there a few different days!!! Staff and food was awesome here Bars – The beach/pool bar in the select area could use more staff they were always getting slammed and people lining up. The premium bars in the meeting place and main lobby were excellent big shout out to Rodrigo at the meeting place premium bar for making the most delicious Miami Vice’s ever and lots of them! Rooms –This was a downfall for me. The select club rooms are in a great area close to the beach but they need some work. No lamps on the nightstands and only 1 plug beside the bed and one in the bathroom (these aren’t double outlets it’s literally 1 I had read this in a review and brought one of those plugs that turns 2 into 6 but couldn’t use it so bring a power bar). The nightstands are also solid so no drawers there are only 3 small drawers on the table with the TV. There is a coffee maker there also that you would have to move to an outlet to use. It really just takes up space as I didn’t meet anyone that used it because of the Cupcake café they could go to. Housekeeping was a little lacking and typically cleans like a teenager basically if they don’t think mom would see it they skip it. There was a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket and a plate with 2 chocolate covered strawberries wrapped in saran wrap that we didn’t eat or drink. The plate sat there for 5 days with the fruit rotting. Mirrors were never wiped down and had splatters from people brushing their teeth from before us that were still there when we left. Counters weren’t always wiped. I think the housekeeping has too many rooms each and that’s why they don’t have time to do everything properly. The fridge was supposed to be restocked every 2 days but was only once during the week. I just asked the guy at the premium bar for a can of sprite every day and put it in myself. People that complain about the walk. It’s literally 5 mins from the beach to the family pool area past the reception. We took the trolley twice. Once because they stopped and picked us up on our walk because it started raining. They run multiple trolley’s back and forth all day so I don’t understand what people’s problem is with this. The walk is beautiful with lots to look at I stopped every day and visited the Donkey. And right outside our balcony one day was a bunch of monkeys we counted 9 come in from the side and then realized more were coming from the roof right above our balcony along the walk you could hear them and if you looked you could find them hanging in the trees. All in all because of the lack of more lively entertainment (games, sports, music etc.) this probably isn’t the resort for us at least until everything is finished. I would very much consider Sandos again when looking for future vacations.

Perfect from the beggining to the end:)

First of all, I would like to thank Trip Central for the best travel website ever. Janet, the agent is highly professional and honest. I shared my positive experience with all my friends and family, even with other guests at different resorts. Way to go tripcentral.ca! Sandos Playacar is our second Sandos experience. I fell in love with this chain. My husband and I just came back from this wonderful resort. The lobby is very impressive and already promising a great stay, the check in  [... read more]and out was quick. I was disappointed with a room at first as it's old, but I Leticia made sure that it's always clean and tidy. Most of all, there is no musty smell which is very rare. The bed was super comfortable and I slept better than anywhere else. The adult pool and the beach are very relaxing, nice and clean. The ground is beautiful. The Festival (buffet) restaurant is specious, and the food is to die for. Mariza is our favourite waiter, very hard working, highly professional and kind. Also, Domingo vas very impressive by remembering our wine choice after just one service. We went to Italian and French restaurants to dinner and both were very good. My favourite place was a Cupcake café, delicious coffee and treats. The entertainment was very good, we enjoyed very good shows following the live music every night. Great job Sandos, we are planning to come back soon!

Great Resort - Second visit and enjoy it!

The beach is amazing, clean and not crowded. The staff without exceptions makes the experience special, they are always smiling and happy to help with anything you need. The Select club bar in the lobby have better drinks them the other ones on the beach, I recommend a visit. The adult section is located in the front of the resort close to the beach, although not renovated, the room was clean and equipped with the amenities we needed. The Mex restaurant was our preferred, delicious food and  [... read more]no big lines.The Argentinian has tasty steaks and deserve a visit as well. If you don't want to wait for dinner, the buffet is always a good choice There is a bar on the beach with good snacks and a server who brings drinks all the time, nothing better than this Sandos is a good size resort with enough space and activities to keep you entertained without the massive crowds of other big hotels

Very nice time

This resort has beautifully manicured gardens and the general grounds are very well maintained. It is a very deep narrow resort with a lot of walking. We enjoyed our daily commute to the beach (8 mins) but it would be tiring for young kids or elderly and in which case there were golf buggies to take people around the resort. The pools were in very good shape ... no cracked tiles etc and grout generally very clean. As with many resort rooms, it did smell musty but got used to it. The room we [... read more] had was near the main lobby and was quite spacious. It had louvered panels between the bathroom and bed area which was aesthetically pleasing but if you needed to use the bathroom at night the entire room lit up for those sleeping. I really appreciated the efforts on the resort to minimize garbage... NO STRAWS! and they reused the drink cups several times for those guests who did not bring insulated mugs from home. Single use water bottles were nearly non existent as well. Water cooler jugs were in each room however it would be ideal to bring a reusable water bottle from home to take water with you when you were out of your room. The buffet had so many options to choose from at breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a variety gluten free products. The a la carte restaurants were very nice too. No complaints about any of the food! The only small complaint would be that I read somewhere that the resort was 60 kms from the airport which is a little deceiving. Our mini-van trip from the airport to the resort was over a 90 min commute with stops along the way to drop other guests at different resorts.

Amazing resort, beautiful in every way!

Sandos Playacar resort was amazing in every way!! We loved the gorgeous beaches and pools! The adult areas were superior and the staff were so friendly and professional. The restaurants were amazing too and every meal was so delicious! Not one complaint here. We loved it and cannot wait to go back!!

Great Resort

We stayed for a week at this resort over March Break. It was clean and eco-friendly. We had issues the first morning with our shower and our toilet but they were quick to respond and resolve with no further issues. There is an opening with shutters from the bathroom into the bedroom which is inconvenient but not a deal breaker. You couldn't see through but the light shone through from the bath to the bedroom which is disruptive at night. Lots of choices for restaurants so we could eat at a  [... read more]different place daily and the food was quite good with lots of healthy options. Staff were all friendly, no matter who it was, everyone said hello. The attempt to sell you on the Royal Elite program was a nuisance but I gather happens at all resorts. Overall a great week!

Not as advertised

Trip Central and Air Canada were excellent, booking and flights were without hassle and on time. However, beware of the fine print. Having stayed in a number of Adult Only Resorts, this Sandos advertises an adult only section,which is accurate. But, they fail to mention that the restaurants are not adult only. In fact my wife and I sat next to a screaming child at dinner one evening. Don't go here if you are expecting an adult only experience. Also, I don't understand why there was canned beer [... read more] in my room, and available at 2 Select Club bars, but the bartenders refused to give us canned beer at the beach or pool? The final item which I detested was the seemingly endless sales pitch by the Sandos staff. First of all, they ask you to visit the "travel desk" to book return transportation to the airport, but the real intent is to sell you an excursion. They also ask you to visit guest services for a tour of the resort, again, the real intent is to sell you a time-share. Same deal at the pool, always being asked to go on a boat trip or get a massage. I don't want to be bothered on vacation, they should make you aware of the amenities, but not ask everyday.

Fantastic, in every way!

Sandos Playacar is an amazing resort. It's beautiful - everywhere. The beaches are spectular as are the pools and grounds. It's property, grounds, pools and buildings are spacious, the restaurants are fantastic and the staff are welcoming, warm and attentive. Our first visit at the beginning the first of March 2019 and we are already planning on getting a group together for next year!

Enjoyed my stay.

I found the staff to be friendly and helpful. The food was fine and the beach was fabulous. For me though, the evening shows were hit and miss but I was there for the day time. All in all, a good week.

Beautiful resort

All amenities were amazing, couldn’t ask for better food. The service was great and everyone so friendly. The nightly shows were awesome, there’s some talent out there! I would recommend this resort. Had a really great time!

Excellent cuisine choices !

Lovely place , nice location on the beach , cafes buffet , bbq cooking by the pool and 5 al carte were super!!!something for all The evening shows were well done Large complex with beautifully maintained grounds

Great time at Sandos Playacar ...except....

First the bad... We read that the resort had bicycles. We love to ride and looked forward to riding a lot. Unfortunately, the bicycles are terrible !! They all have very small frames, so the seat has to be jacked up very high. The bars are very low, so the resulting ergonomics are extremely punishing. So much so that we could only ride a few minutes before it was painful. We are not large people. I'm 5'8" and my girlfriend is even shorter. So forget riding any distance if you are any bigger t [... read more]han us. We thought that we would use the bicycles in the gym, but there was NO bicycles in the gym. Unbelievable !! There were stationary bicycles in an area devoted to spin classes but we were not allowed to use them unless we were there at a specific time for a class. This was very disappointing. Also, at every resort we have stayed at over the last 5 years, water peddle boats were available. NOT HERE. So no luck trying to get any bicycle exercise. This is important for me as I have bad knees. Now the good... We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at this resort. First time in Mexico for us. The food was great. We found the serving staff to be friendly and enjoyable to talk to. The large beach area was kept clean by a machine that cleaned the sand every morning before sunrise. Went to one show, Michael Jackson tribute. Very good ! We spent a lot of time using the watersports equipment. We enjoyed using the kayaks, but the big hit for us was learning how to sail the Hobie Cat Catamaran. After a short lesson from Gilberto I was able to sail confidently. My girlfriend and I spent a fair amount of time sailing in the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean. This was heaven !! Can't say enough about the great watersports staff that we spent a lot of time with on the beach. They were very friendly towards us. We felt they were taking good care of us and watching out for our safety. Hats off to the watersports crew... Armin, Jorge, Gilberto, and Marcello. You guys are the BEST !!