Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: An honest review

The resort is big and beautiful, and there are lots of activities for families. The restaurants are pretty good overall, although a few are nasty. The Sandos app is decent but could be better. It was easy for us to book à la carte restaurants through the app, and we were able to book five during our seven-night stay. The only two à la cartes that were actually good were the Japanese restaurant and Los Lirios. Check-in was quick for us because we arrived late, but we often saw very long check- [... read more]in lines when walking through the lobby. Staff could have more positive attitudes. The resort is definitely family oriented, but there are nice adults-only sections throughout the property. It is very hard to get smaller peso bills, so it’s best to get them before you arrive. The beach was really well kept, but be prepared for someone trying to sell you something every couple of minutes. They are not aggressive sellers, though. The large pool area where most people swim was quite crowded and the water was dirty, with a lot of sand on the floor. Drink quality was pretty decent and they do have some good high-quality brands. The Wi-Fi throughout the resort was pretty good, with only a few spotty patches on the beach. The live shows were amazing, especially the Michael Jackson one. The resort is only ten minutes from Walmart and Fifth Avenue. You can take a taxi, Uber, InDrive, or the shuttle that runs twice a day for a couple of dollars. There is a lack of staff at the bars, which causes big lineups because most bars only had one bartender. The resort could have much better cleaning practices in the bars, sitting areas, and other common spaces. Housekeeping was subpar. You can’t get any good food on the resort past 11 p.m. The only place open after that is Nido, and they only serve beef and chicken tacos or burritos, and they are not great. The one-bedroom pool view suite we stayed in was pretty run down. The TV was old, the floors had cracks, and there was broken furniture and broken electrical outlets. The paint was peeling on the walls, and the air-conditioning filters were disgusting, looking like they had never been cleaned. There is no door separating the bedroom from the living room, and there are no doors on the bathrooms, which seemed very odd. The toilet is in a separate little room with a door, which is also strange. This suite is definitely not ideal for families. The water park is nice and clean. The food there is terrible and there are not many options. The ice cream is okay. You can’t get alcohol there, and if you want to smoke there is no smoking hut nearby. All in all, the experience was positive, but not enough for me to consider coming back.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Family trip to Sandos

This resort is well laid out with beautiful shaded pathways getting you anywhere you need to be with the feel of a jungle adventure. Lots of wildlife to see including Monkeys and Coatis , Iguanas and even some friendly cats make for a great time for everyone especially the kids. The animation team did a great job keeping kids happy with daily activities and the resort has so many natural features to explore there is something for everyone. The disappointing part which is mentioned on all rev [... read more]iew platforms is the check in process and the inability to reserve Al La Carte restaurants. Check in was extremely long ( it took honestly 1 hour and 50mins start to finish) , and quite frustrating. Travel days aren't fun for anyone, and after the 1 hr 40 min bus ride from the airport... standing in another line and being told repeatedly that if we bought an upgrade we wouldn't have to wait in line isn't well received. We finally got our family of 4 checked in and our bracelets, then told we needed to line up at the Concierge desk to have the room number assigned and the bracelets programmed. Frustrating ? Absolutely!!! We have traveled to several Caribbean countries , to many different resorts... this was absolutely the worst check in we have have experienced. We were informed of the Sandos App, and that's how we were instructed to book the Al La Carte's throughout our stay. Once we logged in with our room number, we could see NO availability ... for any restaurant ... ALL WEEK ! Great.... This resort could be great, with some changes to the administrative section. The maid staff, gardeners, wait staff and cooks... all amazing and deserve our thanks. The food was as expected, ok resort food with the usual buffet selection. The beach was ok , definitely rocky with one small section behind a barrier that was safe for kids. Lot of shade and we could always find a lounge chair so no issues there. The pools were dirty unfortunately, especially the main pool with the swim up bar. It had tons of sand in the bottom and we honestly didn't see any staff cleaning like other resorts do in the evening or early morning. Would we go back? Maybe if we knew they had resolved the restaurant reservation system and the check in process with some additional staffing for bars. Only having one bar to serve the entire beach as well as the pool area just doesn't work. Always long lines unfortunately.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Fun resort for kids but comes with food poisoning

The hotel had a lot to see and do. It’s really great if you have children. However, 5 out of the 10 people in our group experienced food poisoning and because of that we wouldn’t return. Also, our room phone was called numerous times by hotel staff trying to sell us something at 9am. I had to unplug our phone mid trip. The housecleaning person also would knock on our door at 9am. Coming from BC that is 6am our home time. It was really frustrating to have our family woken up so early while on vac [... read more]ation.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Great Family Resort

We loved this hotel from our arrival to departure. The beach, pool, and waterpark was beautiful and well maintained. The food was excellent and so much variety. There was great activities and entertainment. We loved the wildlife and the overall experience of the Sandos Caracol Nature Resort.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Fifth time was not a charm...disappointed!

So this is the 5th time my husband & I stayed here and will not be going back. We purchased Select Club and there was no Select Club check in, you waited with everyone else, took 3 trips back to get our room as it wasn't ready. The service was very slow anywhere, concierge, restaurants, room issue. We waited for breakfast or lunch in the select club restaurant for 30-40 minutes at each service, our app still says we are waiting for the hot water to be fixed and we left the resort 5 days ago w [... read more]hich there were water issues daily with most rooms resulting in water shut off. The a la carte restaurants were great, if you could get a reservation. Best restaurant was El Nido - fast service and hot food. They closed the Mexican buffet for dinner which only left the International and Italian open. If you weren't there when they opened, you could wait up to an hour just to get a table! Resort was kept clean, beach was ok, adult pool was great and snacks in adult section (when the monkeys didn't get them). Not the same resort as previously and was disappointing...won't be back!

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Fine but wouldn’t return

Our stay was ok but I wouldn’t return or recommend it. The hotel/property was massive and poorly run. We weren’t able to get any dinner reservations during our week long stay. Most parts of the resort felt dated and needed repairs desperately. It was on a gorgeous strip of beach.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: some good some not so good

Grounds - very interesting, cenotes, water slides, etc., however: terrible to get around for anyone with mobility issues, spoke to several people, all said the imitation cobble walkways were difficult to get around on Rooms - okay nothing special Dining - poorly organized, on line in buffet, food not well organized as compared to other resorts eg. bacon and sausages at one end of buffet eggs and omelets at the other they should be together, one line for buffet they should have several stations [... read more], one for desserts, one for salads, etc. In general the resort is okay but lacking in some ways, roof over buffet leaks like a sieve Service - poor at the front desk especially when compared to other resorts, however; once you get away from the front desk they have some amazing people that really helped Note: while I am older my comments are based on the fact that the trip was a gift to my children and grand children and I would not recommend this resort to someone planning a similar trip

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Never bored!

This resort offered so much to do over our stay - shows, water park, pool, beach, trails, and cenotes. We attended the circus, Disney and fire shows and they were all amazing. The food at the buffet was good, although the set up leads to a lot of waiting in line. Getting reservations at the a la carte restaurants was difficult especially with the mixed messages on how far in advance you were able to book. Each restaurant is different, and is booked through the app. You likely will not be abl [... read more]e to get a reservation anywhere for your first 3 nights. The water park was so much fun for my children (aged 7 & 5), double check height requirements for the slides so your children aren't disappointed. My children also enjoyed kids club, and asked to go back every day - they played video games, watched movies, did crafts, played on the indoor playground. The staff were super friendly and I felt very comfortable leaving my children in their care. The wildlife seen on resort was amazing, and we all enjoyed seeing the monkeys from our rooms balcony. Keeping in mind that this resort has many natural bodies of water throughout, the mosquitos were to be expected.

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

The front desk was not great service The service would get better rating if they improve this not enough staff when there is a large line plus takes took long to check and not helpful when wanting to be close together Plus they should have small amount of pecos to exchange the rest was great

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Great resort

Beach was great pools also Food was really good especially at the special restaurants loved the steak house buffets a lot of variety The front desk needs improvement takes too long to check in and we wanted rooms together said they would and would need to wait we waited a hour snd then said could not be together but yet they gave the room to people that came in later

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Lovely resort, some issues around the service

Overall the resort was great, but the check in and front desk staff weren’t very welcoming or helpful, while servers and many staff were lovely it felt like other staff didn’t provide needed information and weren’t helpful. I’d also say that booking transport to and from the airport separately would have improved the experience since we waited over an hour to leave the airport while they organized the transport provided and then spent longer dropping off other guests in other areas

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Overall good experience

Review of My Stay My vacation started off on a stressful note. The ride from the airport was supposed to take around 50 minutes, but the driver took us through random neighborhood areas, which felt unsafe and uncomfortable. The trip ended up taking about 2 hour and a half, and we didn’t arrive at the resort until around 11:45 PM. Check-in was smooth and the resort representative was very nice, providing all the necessary information quickly. However, when we got to the room, things took an [... read more]other disappointing turn. The room was extremely outdated, and after a long day of traveling, I was shocked to discover there was no water at all. I couldn’t take a shower or even brush my teeth before going to bed, which was unacceptable. During the stay, Maurio (from Chile) stood out in the best way — always smiling, kind, and ready to help with anything. Thank you, Mario, for your excellent service. The restaurants were wonderful every night — great service and great food. The resort grounds were beautiful with lots of walking paths, plenty of shade, and gorgeous palm trees and landscaping. Those were truly highlights of the trip. Room service cleaned the room daily, but for some reason we constantly had to request coffee or fridge refills. Even though we repeatedly asked, water was never restocked, and we ended up having to buy it from the plaza (which fortunately was inexpensive at 20 pesos). One major downside was the constant presence of salespeople around the resort, which became very annoying. I come on vacation to relax, not to be bothered repeatedly or deal with rude responses. I especially want to mention the young Asian photographer in the evenings — he was unprofessional, bullying, and even made rude comments in his language. I don’t understand how someone like that represents the resort. Overall, the experience had its good points — great food, beautiful grounds, and a few exceptional staff members — but the resort really needs to improve staff politeness and address room issues, especially the inconsistent water supply. Hot water was on and off throughout the stay, which was frustrating. With a few important improvements, this could have been a much better vacation.

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: First time in Mexico

The resort was nice long drive from the airport. Rooms are a little dated but still nice. Buffet was really good lots of options. The sales pitch to join their vacation club was long and we were not interested. We enjoyed ourselves and would try Mexico again.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Beautiful resort

Just returned home. Had a wonderful time. We happened to be there for the Day of the Dead celebration. You do feel like you’re in the jungle, gorgeous scenery, lots of coatis and spider monkeys. Cenotes right in the resorts. It is a large resort so be prepared to walk.

Sandos Playacar Beach Resort: Meh!

If you want full access to the resort, you will need to upgrade to the premium club membership. We spent most of the week being told “you’re not allowed here”. We decided to upgrade to the premium but they would not speak to us about it unless we sat through a 1.5 hour presentation of them trying to sell you a Sandos membership. We decided to make the best of it however the straw that broke the camels back was when we were told we couldn’t sit on the beach even though 95% of the chairs were empt [... read more]y and that we’d have to move further down. Will never book at a Sandos again and would not recommend it to anyone. That being said, although the guest services were horrible, the service staff (waiters, waitresses, bartenders, etc) were very good and if not for them, this stay would have been unbearable.

Sandos Cancun: Beautiful Beach, But the Resort Falls Short

I recently stayed at Sandos Cancun and unfortunately my experience did not match what I would expect from a resort marketed as 5-stars. Pros: The resort has a fantastic location with very close beach access and a truly beautiful stretch of sand. I appreciated the compact layout—everything is nearby and easy to get to. The staff were consistently friendly, warm, and helpful. My room, although clearly in need of an update (old furniture and aging fixtures), was spacious and had a lovely view,  [... read more]which I enjoyed. Cons: The food was the biggest disappointment. The buffet didn’t offer any hot stations like fresh omelets, pasta, or a grill—something I consider standard at a 5-star resort. The à la carte restaurants were extremely difficult to book because the app wasn’t functioning properly, and when I was finally able to get a reservation, the food was again mediocre at best. Another major issue was the noise from the mechanical rooms of the neighboring Secrets resort. It was loud at night and made it difficult for me to sleep. The resort also struggles with providing enough lounge chairs. There were not enough chairs by the pool or on the beach for the number of guests, and there were no umbrellas on the beach—only around 12–14 cabanas reserved for non-Elite members. For a supposed luxury resort, this felt unacceptable. It gave the impression that non-Elite guests were not prioritized. Overall, my experience was underwhelming for a resort claiming 5-star standards. While the staff and beach were wonderful, the food quality, noise issues, and lack of basic amenities like seating and shade significantly affected my stay. I don’t plan to return, and I feel the resort focuses more on Elite members than regular guests.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Amazing place ?

Loved this resort. The wildlife is amazing! The food was fantastic, our only complaint was the portions were too big, hate wasting. A lot of walking but the beautiful grounds and nature made up for it. The beach was awesome for snorkeling, with some sandy areas to swim. I definitely recommend this resort, we will return!

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Family vacation

We decided to go on a last minute vacation with the family. We chose this resort based off of reviews online. We have never been to Mexico and didn’t know what to expect. What a fantastic resort! There is a lot of walking as the resort is large but worth it and when needed they have golf carts to take you where you need to go! The staff was absolutely friendly and a ton of activities to do on the resort alone! We opted for the family eco penthouse and was so worth it! We had 5 of us 2 kids and 3 [... read more] adults. The room was massive and came with a king bed, double bunk bed with a trundle under it and 2 bathrooms. We had monkeys on our balcony every morning the kids loved it! Lots of wild life through the resort including a rescue spot with donkeys, pigs, bunnies and sheep and you can even feed them each day! The food was great and each a la cart was fantastic! They have a store on site in case you need anything. The beach was beautiful and protected with what looks like a man made wall to help with seaweed on the beach. We did a day excursion with the hotels booking company and honestly it was worth it and the staff was fantastic! I honestly have nothing bad to say about this resort and will definitely be visiting again! Pleasantly surprised!

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Tons of fun & great food

I was slightly skeptical going in, but I'm glad we chose this place. The hotel, amenities, and facilities are good. The restaurants are very good. Staff was friendly. It's a perfect resort for a young family - the kids will love the water park, theater shows, beach, pools, and of course, the variety of animals that we don't see in Canada. I definitely would go back again.

Sandos Caracol Nature Resort and Water Park: Nice Resort to commune with nature with lots of animals and green spaces

We enjoyed out vacation , 2 adults and 2 children. There are several cenotes but only 1 you are allowed to swim in, and it has to be with life jackets during the open hours. They really could use a couple more pools. The main pool was a little cloudy and very hot. Tortuga pool was very clean and had some shaded areas so is the best choice. The adult only areas are great but if you have kids you wont be using those. The service was very good. Most of the staff is very friendly and helpful. Fo [... read more]od - Was good, but not great. The only a la carte restaurant we liked was the brazillian one. That was great but the others were just OK. Maybe the chef was having a bad day, but we didnt really enjoy the other restaurants we tried. The buffet is open very long hours , and the taco/pizza place in the center, el nido is open long hours as well so no realy trouble getting food at any time. The beach was great. we were there during the seaweed rotting season, mid july... Normally the beackes here would be a disaster with rotting seaweed but they made a breakwater of stones that blocked most of it and they cleaned it every morning. We used it many days and it was great. nice temp, good sand and pretty clean water. The kids club is great if you have young ones. they did a great job. The resort shops have reasonable prices for most things.... In playa carmen you will pay more at 5th avenue. Maybe you can find better deals off the beaten path but we found the store in the resort was the most reasonable of any we saw. There are lots of animals around which we thought was great for us. we saw lots of monkeys, coati, racoons, and some other ones. Riding the segueways around the resort was fun and they are pretty cheap at 25$ for half hour. The staff there were great, friendly and helpful.