Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Welcome to Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, your “home away from home” in the Riviera Maya. The giant water park, world-class entertainment, and the beautiful beach location Sandos Caracol Eco Resort is one of the best all-inclusive resorts in Riviera Maya for both families and adults. Here at Sandos Caracol we aim to make your stay as relaxing and enjoyable as possible, which is why so many guests continue to come back year after year. We have lots of exciting accommodation options to suit the needs of all travelers looking for an unforgettable Riviera Maya all-inclusive vacation. Take your pick from fully furnished spacious villas, to family friendly room options including standard rooms and chic penthouse suites with an ocean view. There is also an adult's only section which includes adult’s only facilities and exclusive areas. Whether you want to enjoy breakfast next to the pool, or lunch by the beach with views of the Caribbean Sea, you’ll find everything
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Sandos Caracol Eco Resort garners mixed reviews, with guests praising its eco-friendly atmosphere and immersive jungle activities while critiquing the service and value. While the wildlife and family-oriented activities are highlights, travelers call out slow service at bars and challenges with restaurant reservations.
Opinions on rooms are divided; some appreciate their spaciousness, while others point out maintenance and cleanliness issues. The resort's location receives both praise for its seclusion and criticism for not meeting expectations.
Location
Misleading
Atmosphere
Sustainable
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Disorganized
Amenities
Underwhelming
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My boyfriend and I traveled to this hotel to celebrate our one year anniversary. We spent 7 days at the resort and just got back. We are extremely happy with our experience. We booked using RCI, our timeshare vacation exchange company and our room was in the adults only side. I think it's important to have realistic expectations of any resort, especially an all inclusive one of this size that has an adults only section and also welcomes families. Here is our honest and detailed review:
Staff- We found most of the staff in the resort to be very pleasant and accommodating. Our concierges Itzel Orapeza and Sebastian Veramendi were exceptional. They reached out to us a few days before we arrived to introduce themselves to us and they maintained daily contact with us via WhatsApp chat. They helped us with our reservations to the restaurants, and gave us a tour of the resort so we knew where everything was. They reminded us of activities we might enjoy on the resort and set up reservations to the special events. They also set up our daypass to the Sandos Playacar since we were told the beach at this resort was rocky. We had water shoes but decided to try the other beach simply because I am not a strong swimmer and wanted to go into water I could easily walk in and wade in. Both of us got sick during our stay (me on day 5 and my boyfriend on day 6). Itzel and Sebastian made sure we had fresh chicken soups made to order, and bread and plain rice sent to our room. Being sick on vacation was a downer, but it can happen anywhere. I've traveled to Morocco and stayed at a 5 ★ hotel and had vomiting and diarrhea there too.
Food- The food at the buffet for breakfast and lunch were fine. Lots of options to choose from, some were tastier then others. This is a typical buffet experience anywhere you travel. They do have fresh made to offer items on the grill such as omelettes, steak, chicken and pork chops. This is the way to go if you're concerned about food born illness from buffets.
We only ate at the buffet once for breakfast and once for lunch because I found it to be too warm. They do have air conditioners and fans but with the pyramid style hut cielings and so many people inside of the restaurant it was not cool enough for me. My boyfriend was fine though so this is my issue that I am more sensitive to heat/hot temperatures. The restaurants were very good and our concierges got us in to all of them at the times we wanted. We ate at Toscano (Italian), Lirios (seafood) and Templo (Japanese) and loved the meals there. They will also bring you second portions if you want (so you can have two steaks, etc). We had breakfast and lunch at Fogo de Brazil almost every day since this was a la carte and was in the adults only section. We really enjoyed this restaurant as well and the service was great.
Drinks- We had a bottle of tequila, sparkling wine and red wine in our room which was refilled whenever we wanted. The mini fridge had beers, soda and mineral waters. We also had our own water cooler in the room with filtered water. The cocktails/ drinks at the bars were "okay". The margaritas were the best thing to order and came in several flavors. This was not a deal breaker for us. There was a bar next to the theater that served excellent drinks.
Spa and Pools- the adults only pool and jacuzzis were very clean, and well maintained. It was a peaceful environment and where we chose to spend most of our time during the day. There were plenty of pool chairs and huts to cover you from the sun. I like that the pool was 4 1/2 feet deep all across so you could swim in it and also walk and exercise in it (aqua aerobics). We loved listening to our small speaker poolside with our drinks on the edge while we waded in the pool. The bar was pool side. Guadalupe took great care of us and brought drinks to us poolside and also made a yummy margarita too. The main pool was a nightmare for me lol! Too many kids and they splashed and screamed, like we all know kids do. We tried it for one hour and never went back to that pool.
The spa was amazing and the prices were great. The massages were excellent with Norma and Lorena and the hydrotherapy pool was divine. We also really enjoyed the saunas and face masks and body scrub treatments we received. For the couples- we found it was way cheaper to book two massages separately for the same day and time. We still did every experience together except for the actual massage where we were in two separate rooms.
Fun/ amenities- Our room was very clean and comfortable and there is a red light outside the room which indicates do not disturb to the cleaning staff. The bed was firm and comfortable and we had lots of pillows. The A/C in the room was excellent. The TV had clear reception and plenty of channels and we were able to see TV shows and movies in English and some with subtitles in English all week. We liked having double sinks in the room and a large walk in shower. The water pressure and temperature were excellent.
This resort has so much to do that you really don't have to leave. We were planning on going on outside excursions but didn't feel the need to. We were able to swim in a cenote, see Mayan ruins, walk in the jungle and see animals (we also had a fun time seeing the monkeys and coatis from our balcony. They were also around the pool area). They had a romantic boat ride and swimming in the Jade river. They have vendors selling all types of Mexican art, souvenirs, clothing, typical food in one area of the resort. They even had a fair one night where even more vendors were there. So you can shop and buy things there that are made from local people (many are indigenous so you are supporting local communities). They are happy to negotiate prices and you will find beautiful and useful things at this "market". The evening shows are very entertaining (i.e. a fire show, 80's show, a show about Mexican history and culture, Michael Jackson, Beauty and the Beast). The musicians and singers are very talented. My boyfriend was singing along to the 80's show as if we were at a live concert. They had karaoke night at the theater and my boyfriend sang and it was a blast for us.
Important things to know- you are going to be in a resort in a similar setting to a JUNGLE. It is hot and very humid especially in August when we traveled. It also rains for short periods of time almost every day. There are plenty of animals and yes there are bugs that the animals eat. So we saw cockroach looking bugs a few times when outside and we saw flies. I was only bitten once by a mosquito so they must be spraying the grounds. Bring bug spray, and also bring ibuprofen, pepto bismol, immodium and alka seltzer. This will allow you to recover fairly quickly if you do get a bit of travelers diarrhea, or catch a bug from eating at the buffet ( which again can happen in any country you travel to). However if you forget these items they do have a store on site that sells everything like this.
To the ladies reading this- wearing your hair in braids or a protective style is wise. Otherwise you will probably have your hair up in a ponytail or bun day and night. It's too hot and humid to try to blow dry your hair straight or do curls or waves or other styles. Wigs will be unbearable and tape in extensions will not survive this environment. Naturally curly hair will look fine in this weather but it will feel very hot on your shoulders and back if you wear it loose.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Maria Ramos, Agencia/Consultora at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Aug 28, 2023
dear madelinem834. We are so proud to read your comments and so detailed, it makes us feel very happy to have met your expectations and that I can make your reservations in the different restaurants with the help of Sebatian and Itzel. Thank you for sharing your experience and we appreciate your choice at Sandos Caracol.
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My wife and I stayed 12 days over Christmas and New Year's. We stayed in the Adults Only section. We had a great time. The adults section have their own restaurant for breakfast, lunch and 6-7 for dinner. We never waited more than 5 minutes. The crew at this restaurant were great. They remembered us and what we liked for drinks and breakfast. They did an excellent job. Thank You, Virginia, Isidro, Carlos, Damian, Enrique, Abundio, and Victor for a great vacation. Remember to tip these people. They work hard to make your stay enjoyable show them some appreciation for their hard work. We tip $5 for each meal, $1 for every drink and $5 for the person who cleaned our room. Get $200 in $1 bills and $200 in $5 before you go. Tipping helps you get great service. Another thing we liked about the adults only section is there are plenty of chairs, towels and they keep the drinks coming by the pool. We were there in high season and we never had to worry about the chairs, towels or drinks. There is an adults only section on the beach as well. This is definitely the place to be as it is less crowded and less noisy. Our room wasn't fancy,but it was clean and the fridge was always stocked. We don't spend much time in our room so it doesn't need to be fancy. There is a lot of jungle with wildlife, monkeys, birds and other critters to see. Because you are in the middle of a jungle, bring plenty of bug spray. We like Jungle Juice from REI. We have been to 7 different resorts in Mexico over the past 13 years. If you want a 5 star resort, this isn't it. We have been to 5 star resorts. This is our second time to this one. We will be back, this is a great resort for the price. Thanks for a great vacation. Mitchell Washington
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sandos_Playacar, Web Relations Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Jan 2, 2020
Hi Mitchell, Thanks for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. We really appreciate hearing about our Guests experiences and we will be forwarding them to our Management for their review. Rest assured that we will let Virginia, Isidro, Carlos, Damian, Enrique, Abundio, Victor & Rei know of the praises you sent their way. We look forward to welcoming you back at your earliest convenience. Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
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It's just ok. Like usual the employees work very hard but unfortunately policy seems to restrict them. Food sucks had better buffet at 3 star motels. Sadly best thing I had was steak from lieros and fajita from room service. Cant even make / find a salad except for lunch. Everything repeated reused. When sold to me they set an unrealistic expectations that select club adults only is like a resort in a resort. It's not at all its just a kids family mad house. Pools are DISGUSTINGLY dirty with animal feces all over the deck. bugs bees even cockroaches floating and no-one skimming them. (I borrowed a net from a worker and skimmed it myself to protect my G/F from being stung as shes allergic) None of them are properly sucking through skimmer ports and no workers are properly cleaning deck or pool BEFORE guest get up or at all for that matter. Hot tub not hot and only somewhat functioning pool jets will be a better hot tub. Bubble agitators never on. Front desk is a total mess lacks staffing with 7 to 10 other workers standing around doing nothing but policy does not let them assist. Concierge might as well be non existant. Had to ask for welcome drink then I take one sip and its terrible set it down and asked whats wrong. Say its terrible and made incorrectly. Isabel proceeds to tell me I'm wrong when I both saw it made incorrectly and have an extremely refined mixology pallet. That kind of set me off from the start. Shows are very short and lack luster even vs lower star rated resorts. You are constantly harassed on beach with people coming well up onto resort property. Lack of adult activities (could be covid) but again not the way it was sold to me. It was sold to me as 2 resorts in one if you want to be adulting and not around kids you can. But sadly NOT the case. Kids in adult areas and no strict enforcement of it. Rooms are ok they are clean in good repair. No easy access to ice for room and water machines are not cold (eco I guess) Felt very lied to they were giving me an upgraded room because select club adult only rooms are covid closed. Then they give me a room with a kids room and bunk beds for 2 adults and insist its an upgrade to my select club adults only room. Rigerberto the A&B manager saved the days and Victor at the select club bar were the only thing keeping me from completely loosing it. The buffet is a covid breading ground shared serving utensils. Servers touching trays tables used dishes silverware stuff on the floor walking behind server station in no way sanitizing hands and then touch tray or drinks or whatever else. Plastic face shields have gaps all around that particulate can easily pass.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Response from Warren B, General Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Sep 25, 2020
Hi FWNT from Cleveland, Thank You for having taken the time to share with us your comments and opinions of your stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. While your comments are not typical of the vast majority of our guests experiences, we assure you that we will be forwarding your review to our Resort Management for their perusal. Always at your Service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
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My family was booked to stay here Mar.15-20. Unfortunately we had to return on the 18th because the Canadian government was going to close the borders because of the Covid virus. But other than that which was no fault of the resorts our stay was excellent. We had booked a Standard room but we upgraded to a family superior suite which was an extra $250 roughly. and the room was nice and clean, spacious for the 3 of us right close to the beach. Rm#2004 Lucio Marquez did a great job cleaning our room and he did some excellent towel art everyday for us. Everybody was so friendly and worked so hard, there was so many but I don't remember their names, the bartendars at the pool bar, the waiters in the restaurants. and Veronica at the concierge desk was a huge help with helping me change our transfer from the 20th to the 18th. We tried to fit as much as we could in the 2 full days that we were able to spend there, but I know we missed out on so much. The food wasn't too bad, we ate at the Italian restaurant which was good, the main buffet was good for breakfast, we had lunch at the restaurant beside the pool I really enjoyed the nachos. On the Monday night we ate at the Mexican restaurant and honestly it wasn't great, I would have thought that it would have been the best restaurant there just because we were in Mexico. They didn't even have tacos there. Veronica was able to switch our reservation at the Japanese restaurant and we are so happy that she did. The food there was the best that we had there, and the show was excellent. We didn't have a chance to go to the water park or do any of the free tours that they offer. Once we found out we had to leave early we were so upset but knew it was the right thing to do. We are already counting down to when we can go back so that we can experience everything that this resort has to offer. I would recommend this resort to both families and couples as they do have an adults only section. Definely make a reservation for the Japanese restaurant as soon as you get there, I did and the earliest we could get in was the Thurs. night at 9:30pm 4 days after we checked in. Everyone we talked to spoke english and seemed to appreciate when I tried to speak spanish. I tipped in Pesos and everyone seemed happy to receive it. I didn't see very many people tipping and I felt kind of out of place doing it but they deserve it for the hard work they do. I would tip the maid 100 pesos/day 50 pesos/day for the person that refiled the fridge. I would tip the bartenders 20 pesos everytime I got a drink from the bar and 50 pesos to the waitress at the pool bar or elephant bar when she brought us drinks.. The only complaint I have is that they cut the cord off of the water cooler so the water in the room is just room temperature so bring a water bottle so that you can put it in the fridge. The wild animals were fun to watch, especially the monkeys on our walk to the restaurant for breakfast.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Room#2004 was a ground floor and it had a nice view of the beach from the balcony. It was also...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sandos_Playacar, Web Relations Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Mar 25, 2020
Hi Feltched, Thanks for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. We really appreciate hearing about our Guests experiences and we will be forwarding them to our Management for their review. We look forward to welcoming you and your family back at your earliest convenience. Rest assured that we will let Lucio & Veronica know of the praises you sent their way! Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort webrelations.caracol@sandos.com
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This was my boyfriend and I’s first trip to Mexico and we cannot believe how lucky we got with Sandos! This resort amazed us in every aspect! All the staff were so friendly, helpful, and hard-working. Special thanks to Victor, a bartender in the Select Club bar, who was amazing, attentive, friendly, and so talented! This resort is perfect for wildlife lovers, nature enthusiasts, those who care for the environment, families, couples, and everyone really! Sandos did a great job of making us feel safe during the COVID-19 situation. The staff all wore masks, rooms were sanitized and quarantined before we arrived, and masks were required for crowded areas like restaurants. There was hardly anyone here during our stay, making no lines, hardly any crowds, and us feel much better. We thoroughly enjoyed the food, drinks, aqua park slides, the pools, the beach, the massages (off of the resort is the cheaper for longer, look for the ladies in all white at the first stall past the Select Club cabana), the cenotes (bring your own snorkel mask if traveling during Covid!), the room service, etc! Last tip for future travelers: the beach is best (more sand, less rocks) in front of the snack bar “La Salvia”!! We plan on coming back to Sandos every few years!
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Warren B, General Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Sep 10, 2020
Hi Simone, Thanks for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. We also want to thank you for recognizing our efforts in ensuring the safety, health and well being of our guests. We have worked very hard to design new protocols, train our staff and implement the Sandos Clean Stay program. While some of the protocols may sometimes feel slightly inconvenient, keeping our guests safe so they can enjoy a great vacation is our highest priority. We really appreciate hearing about our Guests experiences and we will be forwarding them to our Management for their review. Rest assured that we will let Victor know of the praises you sent his way! We look forward to welcoming you back at your earliest convenience. Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
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Our family stayed 6 nights in 4 adult only select section rooms. Rooms are basic and clean. They could use an update. We didn’t mind because we didn’t spend much time in the rooms. The grounds are lovely, so much to see and do. Check in was easy, and didn’t take much time. I booked a private transfer for the 8 of us through Canada Transfers, cost 120.00 round trip, so we didn’t have to get off some shuttle with 50 other people! We loved the adult only section! We had breakfast every morning by the adult only pool, and there was never a wait. The food selection was good(menu and buffet) mimosas, baileys and coffee, cappuccino really anything you’d want. Service was very good as well. The adult only pool was very quiet and beautiful, we are beach people and spent most of our time at the beach Yes, it’s a little rocky, but there are walk ways that you can enter the ocean, and not need water shoes! The adult only beach has chairs, beds, Bali beds, palm trees, shaded and sunny areas. We never had an issue with finding a spot. The adult only beach area has a private building with towels, a bar, appetizers, bathrooms, showers, lockers, and a pool table. They also have beach servers for drinks. We did check out the spa. My personal observation was the staff was a bit rude. I didn’t book anything there, and a good thing too, because we had amazing massages on the beach with then ocean breeze with the sound of the waves crashing for 30.00! They bargain, my husband got one for 20.00! The restaurants were good, book the Japanese restaurant on arrival! We stayed 6 nights and got a reservation our last night at 9pm! It was great! Monica was our chef and she was brilliant! Brazilian restaurant was good too, Miguel and Fernando made our night! Really great service from them. The resort has top shelf liquor, you just need to call it. “ Don Julio” tequila or whatever you like. All and all a fantastic vacation spot! Again, not luxurious, but pretty darn great! The staff was absolutely fantastic from the housekeeping staff, bartenders, and servers. Oh, and the shows are amazing.. lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, flipping fantastic! FYI- Store’s there are ridiculously expensive so bring plenty of sunscreen, bug spray, and snacks. One more thing, the sales people call your room every morning around 8am, after reading many reviews on trip advisor I just didn’t answer. I never took “advantage “ of there free tour or sales pitch😂 I recommend a visit. I’ll be back!
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sandos_Playacar, Web Relations Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Jan 5, 2020
Hi Experience769270, Thanks for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. We really appreciate hearing about our Guests experiences and we will be forwarding them to our Management for their review. Rest assured that we will let Monica, Miguel & Fernando know of the praises you sent their way. We look forward to welcoming you back at your earliest convenience. Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
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I have to say we didn’t expect much of this hotel after reading mixed reviews but how wrong we were :) this trip was our seventh in Mexico so we have seen few hotels already so we could compare a bit . If you’re a nature and animal lover this is place for you it’s surrounded by jungle with beautiful cenotes ( the most Beautiful one was the one near lobby where you could also sit a have drink it was our favourite place) but the others were nice too and also you could snorkel in some of them, plenty of animals literally everywhere 😍, there are ancient Mayan ruins and beautiful area in the jungle for night shows and Mexican street food , you can borrow bikes and explore the resort . Beach is beautiful but rocky but if you walk further down there are some spots without rocks . The pools were overcrowded with families and we were trying to avoid them but if you family this place is definitely right place for you . There is aqua-park which has also bigger toboggans even adults can enjoy 🙃.Food and service were great as it’s all over Riviera maya so no complaints there , just the restaurants buffets were huge and the amount of people trying to get food was a bit overwhelming , so we we’re having our meals later to avoid queues. The best restaurant was the Brazilian steak house and we liked breakfast in the Italian restaurant. Room we had was standard in good quiet location. As were travelling for few nights away from hotel we decided to go for cheaper option. However no complaints at all room was nice and clean , good size with small balcony, shower had soap and shampoo in dispensers which was great , we had water tank in the room as it’s eco resort and small bar fridge filled up daily. We asked at reception for bathrobes and slippers which came without any problems. Also the location is really close to Playa del Carmen where you can take taxi for 200 pesos also close to lots of other attractions. I would definitely go back to this hotel and we had really nice and relaxing time also the price is reasonable for what you get there. Well done Caracol 🙃!
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sandos_Playacar, Web Relations Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Apr 29, 2020
Hi 389florka ( TheTravel Junkie ), Thanks for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. We really appreciate hearing about our Guests experiences and we will be forwarding them to our Management for their review. We look forward to welcoming you and your family back at your earliest convenience. Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort webrelations.caracol@sandos.com
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There are some helpful things that I wish I had known before traveling here. The sand is wonderful but the swimming is extremely difficult due to lots of rocks. The food was the largest disappointment by far, the selection was not great, especially if you have specific dietary needs. A must know is that you can't get turkey anything, I do not eat pork and that is all you have available to you in omelets, bacon, or sandwiches. I though I would be ok for breakfast if I could just get oatmeal but it is only milk with floating oats in it. There is NO wholegrain breads ever or brown rice. You can't get Ginger Ale at all, which I have never had happen while traveling anywhere. The buffet was the worst but the restaurants in the evening were better. There are not straws because it is an Eco resort, which is fine, just be aware so you can bring your own reusable straw. No napkins and no paper towels in bathrooms (again not bad, just be aware). Also, you must have a smart phone when you go to dinner, all menus are a scanned QR code. We do not drink alcohol so I can't speak to that but the virgin drinks like Pina coladas were not very good. We stayed in the Select Club adult only section and the first room had some real issues but they moved us to a better room. The level of cleanliness was not the standard that we are use to but I think they still did a good job and try very hard. There is shampoo and body soap in the shower but bring your own conditioner. There is a small fridge in all the rooms with pop and some beer. The grounds were very well kept and we enjoyed the walking paths. The evening entertainment is not great, mainly because it is just to loud, we had to wear ear plugs and then it was still overly loud. No dancing in the evening if you don't speak Spanish or care for that type of music. There is an upstairs to the Select Club but no music or dance there or on the beach in the evenings. Not much to do in the evenings at all, two pool tables in the sports bar area but no chalk and not great tables, and a few ping pong tables. There a great store on the resort, lots of inventory but of course it is a bit expensive that is because of convince. Sunscreen is $20 a bottle so make sure to bring your own and bring some bug spray. The pools are nice but need to be cleaned more frequently, especially the adult only pool, hard to keep it up with all the trees around it. The heated pool and hot tub was only heated for the first 3 days we were there and was not on the rest of the time we were there. We did not use the spa or take the sales pitch tour of the resort, we knew we did not want to buy in to the program. The staff really try to help and are very kind and the setting is beautiful. There is a lot of true potential for this resort with all the areas that are available but it would help if they had more music and variety of music for everyone and hopefully it will get better as they recover more from COVID, the food really was our main concern though and it was for almost everyone we spoke with. The orange juice was Sunny Delight with pulp in it and they do not know what a smoothie or a shake is. Hope some of this helps you plan your trip.
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Date of stay: March 2021
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Warren B, General Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Apr 11, 2021
Thanks Kristy for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. We really appreciate hearing about our Guests experiences and we will be forwarding them to our Management for their review. We look forward to welcoming you back at your earliest convenience. Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
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We were a large group all arriving on different days There were several issues on checking in , including a couple being given keys to a room only to find a female asleep in the bed! Another couple had no room despite a confirmed booking. We were in the adults only area -our room on the top floor was lovely and light , those on the ground dark and requiring lights on at all times Most requests took 2 or 3 phone calls to resolve issues, even simple things like collecting laundry. Service generally was slow part from in the restaurants where they worked extremely hard Plenty of choice of restaurants. However in the buffet areas there needs to be a far more rigorous approach to hand hygiene. Most of our party ended up with some form of stomach upset which may well have been avoided if hand gel was used by everyone on entering restaurants and staff were on hand to ensure food was picked up using utensils. The adult pool was bliss.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Sandos_Playacar, Web Relations Mgr at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Feb 7, 2020
Hi Sheila, Thanks for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. We really appreciate hearing about our Guests experiences and we will be forwarding them to our Management for their review. Rest assured that we will be investigating your Check In experience and observations of the Laguna International Buffet. We look forward to welcoming you and your family back at your earliest convenience. Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Post Covid family vacation for 5 adults and 5 children was mediocre
Positives: 5 Grandsons (ages 3 years to 10 years) enjoyed the waterslides, pool and beach. They favoured sea shell hunting and pool snorkelling. Toys may be purchased at on location shop at triple the price. Adults enjoyed availability of beach lawn chairs and the near perfect weather throughout our stay. Breakfast buffet was good and offered good selection of choices for each family members liking (3 yrs to 63 yrs).
Negatives our family experienced; Check in was extremely slow and inefficient. Wait time in line ups excess of 1 hour to reach check in clerk.
Food/Snack consumed following check in, caused 4 family members to get grossly sick throughout the night and lasted up to 4 days. We believe it was and contribute this to the Hamburgers they ate (3 boys and 1 adult). House keeping is not possible after 10:30PM as it is closed. Front desk being short staffed already…. No service.
Besides getting sick over the bedding, we experienced shortages of pillows and quilts upon arrival to all 3 of the “Royal Elite 1 Bedroom, 1 King with Sofa Bed” Rooms we had booked for our stay.
Faulty appliances that did not get properly repaired or not repaired during our 8 nights stay; Malfunctioning air conditioner, that also caused water to leak onto dresser and down the wall onto ceramic tile floors, making it dangerously slippery. Malfunctioning mini fridge/bar that never did get inspected or repaired. Leaving Warm beer and/or pop to consume. Mini bar not stocked each day as outlined.
Shower drain 100% plugged causing water to run into bedroom. Did not get repaired. Fortunately we had second shower in room + traveling with extended family allowed showers in their rooms.
Wristband / bracelet fobs stopped working on door lock due to dead batteries in lock sensor, leaving us locked out = very inconvenient.
And finally had to request service to unlock our safe box due to further wristband fob errors twice during our stay.
Long line ups for restaurants and/or zero availability. Some people mentioned they’d line up 30 minutes prior to restaurant opening time, to get tables. We waited in excess of 90 minutes 2nd evening to eat in a restaurant, but opted to leave before dessert due to poor minimal service. 5 children sat for 30 minutes at table before they received water. Went to International Buffet remaining 7 nights, but unhappy with dinner quality.
We do Not recommend this resort
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: March 2022
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Playa del Carmen area.
PRICE RANGE
C$270 - C$415 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
caracol beach, sandos caracol eco hotel, sandos caracol beach resort spa, sandos select club, sandos caracol mexico, hotel sandos caracol eco, caracol village hotel playa del carmen, sandos caracol beach & spa mayan riviera, sandos caracol resort, sandos caracol riviera maya, sandos caracol playa del carmen
LOCATION
MexicoYucatan PeninsulaQuintana RooRiviera MayaPlaya del Carmen
NUMBER OF ROOMS
956
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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