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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What a terrible experience we have had over the 2 weeks we have stayed here. The only positive I can mention is the surroundings, wild animals and the sun beds at the adult only section on the beach. Also the occasional employee who was friendly and service minded, though this was random.
Currently the hotel lacks greatly on all aspects which make an hotel -and therefore your holiday- a great experience. Be it the state of the rooms, cleaning, service and hospitality, sufficient (schooled) staff, facilities, FOOD. Its all below the standard one should expect given the star rating and the price for that matter. Sadly we have spend countless hours frustrated and annoyed about what went wrong (hour long check-in, everyday luke warm food (breakfast or dinner) and predominantly hamburger or sausage with soft french fries served as main course in the buffet restaurant. Sometimes there were not even plates available. The a la carte restaurants are a joke. Like teppanyaki style cooking? Be sure to wear a helmet because we had a ‘cheff’ who literally threw food around and even ended up breaking a bowl that shattered towards dinner guests and in the food itself! The food obviously had to be thrown away because of this. Los Liros had us guessing if the food should be served warm but we knew for sure when they served us 4 cold chicken legs with rice. Most staff seems untrained at the restaurants and bars and are more suited to work in a factory style environment. Furniture is ‘end of life’ and/or damaged throughout the hotel and urgently needs replacing. Long lines of guests waiting daily as if you are in a theme park, but we all just wanted to eat or get something to drink. Did I say drink? Everything is loaded with sugar/syrup, forget getting a fresh fruit shake or a well made and tasting cocktail or other mixed drink. If your lucky you get it in a glass, if not, then you most of the time drink everything out of a plastic recyclable cup, day and night.
I can go on and on about all the different let downs, but I won’t anymore. We already shared it in detail with the hotel management. This truly was one of my worst stays in my long travel history around the globe. My first holiday in Mexico and at a Sandos hotel. I won’t be going back for a long time, that’s for sure. To the latter probably never again.
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Date of stay: December 2022
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, Agency / Consultant at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Dec 16, 2022
Dear Keviani, Thank you very much for sending us your comments, we apologize if your experience at Sandos Caracol did not live up to your expectations, our main goal as hotel professionals is to make our guests conclude their stay with unforgettable memories and unique experiences. We are very sorry we were not able to achieve this with you. We are very saddened to read your review, We never like to read such comments however we appreciate your honest opinions and this will assist us to ensure we maintain focused on providing only the very best to our guests. We have carefully noted each point you raised and would like to apologize for the experience which left you with dissatisfaction. All comments have been addressed. Best regards.
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First of all it took us over an hour and half to check in and even had to carry our luggage to our rooms unless we wanted to wait another 30 minutes. Check out was more like 30-40 minutes. As we were checking in there were several upset guess that were coming to the counter very upset. A person from guess services came to give us drinks and to meet her so we can schedule dinner reservations (keep in mind one the attractions we liked about this resort when booking was all the restaurants. Once we finally made it schedule our reservations we were told we could only make two reservations for the week!!!! We were pretty upset about this. We told her that didn’t make since she did give us a third night. So basically we had the same Buffet for breakfast, lunch and now dinner. (Food was not good at all )! NO AIR Conditioner in any of the restaurants or buffet. Once our guest service rep started to go over the map there were more we couldn’t do then do since we were not Elite guess. Then she wanted to try to sell us a time share! What are you crazy we had 7 kids total and you want to take away my time and theirs! NO THANK YOU Rooms were ok no snacks in room like what was on their website and we never got our fridge stocked only when we called for room service did they bring us a soda if we ordered it. One day our room didn’t get cleaned until we came back from the pool to get ready for dinner reservations 4:30 in the afternoon. And never could get enough towels.
The children did like seeing all the animals and the entertainers were the friendliest.
The pool did not look like the website with bright blue water in it honestly looked like a holiday in pool. Only one swim up bar but half the time it was closed so you had to stand in a long line.
Over all we made the best of it thank goodness we were traveling with friends and all of our kids. Which made this trip. But VERY DISAPPOINTED in overall resort.
The staff was so not friendly and if they passed you as you were walking not a good morning or a simple hello. They actually tried not go out of their way unless you get so irate that you ask for a manager and that even took forever.
On a positive side the spa was wonderful!
But very disappointed that we had to complain to get food options etc., Place needs to be painted outside looked a little run down. Unless you were on the elite side.
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Date of stay: June 2021
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 GIOVANNA BARBIERI, Guest Services / Front Office at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Jun 29, 2021
Dear Funtraveler456, We are sorry for the inconvenience you've had and the waits you had to face during your stay at the resort. We are in the process of contracting more staff so that these issues will not happen again and all the service can be faster for our guests. Due to the local regulations, we need to have a reservation's system for restaurants and activities, we regret that this may have caused you troubles. We will take into consideration all the points you are mentionning to work on them and improve where possible. We hope to have the chance in the future to receive you and your family again and be able to change your perception. Regards. Giovanna Barbieri Quality Manager
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This was my first experience at an "all-inclusive" resort. If I were to return to Playa del Carmen, I would find another resort. The resort was very clean and the staff were kind. However, the check-in process took so long (we waiting in line for an hour) that they could not give each guest a proper explanation of the services and amenities available, such as restaurant serving times and reservations. They also did not explain the Covid testing registration or check-out processes. When we met with a customer service representative, he was more concerned with giving us a tour of the Royal Elite club than with giving us information that would help us to enjoy our stay. It was also difficult to reach the resort staff by phone when our shower stopped working and when a taxi driver reserved by the resort did not show up for our arranged pick up in the city. We did not swim in the ocean because the resort's location on the beach had rocks instead of sand. There were a variety of food options at the buffets, but the majority of the food was either bland or very salty. We frequently encountered a foul sulfur smell walking through the resort. The best activities we experienced were the snorkeling and jet skiing, but these activities cost extra. I had high hopes for our stay at this resort, but it did not deliver.
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Date of stay: October 2021
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 WebRelations Caracol, Dueño at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Oct 20, 2021
Dear stellar8605 Please accept our apologies for not fillfull your expectations and thank you so much for the taking the time to write this review as it give us the opportunity to improve and we will take the proper measures to avoid this situation in the future. Thank you for staying with us and I hope you will give us another opportunity to serve you. Sincerely,
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Where should I start? I went there in Feb/Mars 2020 with my fiancee and his dad as he needed to recover for a knee surgery. The overall atmosphere was amazing. It was so connected to wild-life and nature. I barely saw any mosquitos and spiders. The smells, sounds, beautiful colors of the nature was wonderful as we were escaping the cold, grey and dark winter of Sweden for two weeks. We couldn't get enough swimming in the cenotes and it really felt as they were taking care of nature and animals at the resort.
The room was great and so fresh, no complains and OMG, the food. We felt we could live there forever. You could choose various buffets and a la carte restaurants and there was everything from what I call unhealthy stuff like pizza, pasta, hamburgers etc to delicious healthy salads, vegetables, fruits, fish, meats etc etc. The only thing was that you had to be early when they open (and we eat early in Sweden) or else you could be in line if you eat at the exakt same time as everyone else.
I have to write about all the AMAZING staff at the resort. I can't understand how they have the energy to be so extremely friendly and service-minded everyday to everyone. I loved everyone of them and we did all the activities the resort offered (free stuff of course since all inclusive). And after two weeks at the resort there were still stuff to discover. Me and my fiancee just wondered around everyday in a relaxing state just watching the mangroove trees or the leguanas having sun baths everywhere or the parrots, monkeys and coati.
We also want to give a special thanks to Pamela, our shaman who took us trough a mayan ritual that you could do trough their SPA which was an amazing experience and also we had a relaxing massage afterwards.
They also have a waterpark which we tried, it is mostly for kids but they had some stuff that I tried once and no more cause I got too scared, haha. And the beach was magical. You could have some trouble in the sea cause of the reef and waves but if you're mindful you'll work it out just fine and enjoy the turquoise WARM water.
This review may sound too good to be true but we had a blast, it was such a spiritual and insightful trip for us and we felt depressed coming back to Sweden. THANK you to everyone at Sandos!
If you want to improve something we would have wished for a healthy snack bar that was open all day where you could have salads and fruits etc. We only found hamburgers, fries and hotdogs and I don't call that food. But again, we were already eating too much in the buffets so we did not really need it.
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Date of stay: March 2020
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 Web_Sandos, Web Relations Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Mar 17, 2020
Hi Caroline, 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 Pamela know of the praises you sent her way! Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort webrelations.caracol@sandos.com
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I love the activities the food the animals thanks to concierge Armando Ekaterina Veronica y Manuela good resort and cenote.
Tours inside the hotel are also amazing lots of activities for kids and adults.
Tours which you would.otherwise pay for are free inside the resort due to its location.
The resort is well maintained always someone painting or cleaning or buffing the streets.
Monkeys peacocks and other wild animals who are friendly and amazing to.interact with.
Out of 10 resorts that I have been this is by far the best.
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Date of stay: March 2020
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 Web_Sandos, Web Relations Mgr at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Mar 3, 2020
Hi Semionl2020, 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 Armando, Ekaterina, Veronica & Manuela 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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I wish it would let me add more than 10 photos. This resort has many beautiful things and places to see. It's very large, and lots of walking and different paths. My fiancé and I found ourselves on a new trail almost every day, so many places to explore right on the resort. One of the things we loved about this resort, is that even when the resort (they said) was at max capacity, the trails, beach, and pools never seemed crowded (except for the food lines)
The resort itself was really nice. The beach however, was only alright, what there was of it anyhow. (we upgraded to the adults only section, which had its own beach section) the beach section for the adults only wasn't very spectacular, but it was at least still better than the main portion.
The main pool and pool bar was quite nice. We didn't participate in any of the pool/water activities they had but we watched some and they looked like a lot of fun.
Most of the staff is very friendly, and very hard working, but I think they are overrun. Our room got cleaned most days, but even when the bed got made, the mini fridge never once got restocked. We were with a large group there for a wedding, and many of them had the same issue. Lineups for especially lunch and breakfast are really long. Room service was never under an hour wait.
All in all, it was a beautiful resort, with lots to explore, many Choices for food, and we felt we got our moneys worth, although we would probably check out a different resort next time we head back to mexico
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Date of stay: December 2019
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 Web_Sandos, Web Relations Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Jan 14, 2020
Hi S9049TDangelar, 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. Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
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Huge property. Staff good. Check in took over 45 mins for just 6 people in the queue. There was refurbishment going on in and on the outside of rooms within 30 ft of my room during the day which due to the noise (hammering, arc welding, some sort of heavy drilling) with men on scaffolding made it impossible to use the beds on my balcony.for which I’d paid a lot extra. Eventually offered to move me to a room at the front of the hotel which would have meant 24 hour noise! Make sure to pack conditioner, cotton buds etc as the shower gel and shampoo come in dispensers on he wall though you do get a soap for the sink. I suppose this is correct for an Eco resort though. The smell was not pleasant wandering around the resort. The attitude from reception was very dismissive.
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Date of stay: February 2022
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 WebRelations Caracol, Owner at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Mar 10, 2022
Dear flyingb199, Thank you for your valuable comments, we are sorry to read that you've had inconveninece with the room and did not enjoy your vacation. We will review the issue you mention and will take corrective measures to make sure similar situations will not happen again in the future. We hope to have the opportunity to improve your percepction and serve you as you deserve in the future. Regards. Giovanna Barbieri Quality Manager
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Our family of four consists of 2 children, ages 11 & 13. We enjoyed seeing the wildlife and enjoying the natural elements of the resort. We’ve spent 5 days exploring and still have not visited all the cenotes! Karina, Armando, Manuela and Radka helped us with dinner reservations, lost luggage, excursions and special touches like Chocolate covered strawberries and birthday cake suitable for vegans...all delivered to our room! It’s also nice we can visit Sandos Playacar and enjoy their resort and beautiful beaches too! Security of guests is a high priority, we feel very safe. The buffets are beautifully displayed, with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables (delicious fruit juices and drinks). We are loving the vegan food choices. We can’t wait to finish our week! Not a worry in the world here. The staff is so friendly and always ready to help.
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Date of stay: February 2020
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 22, 2020
Hi Inspire312844, 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 Karina, Armando, Manuela, Radka 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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We had an amazing time here! There is so much to do in the resort itself, plus there are snorkeling trips that leave right from the beach, there really is no need to go anywhere else. We did go into town once for lunch - 600 pesos round trip. Go to guest services and book the Japanese restaurant and go to the Eco activities hut and book the river snorkeling, romantic cruise (the kids will love the kids club and it feels really safe) and any guided tours, but you can do the Mayan ruins and bike trips by yourself too. The waterslides are so fun and don't worry about the height requirements. People complained about the beach, but there's still tons of white sand where the palms and chairs are, you just need water shoes because it's rocky where you swim. Our kids are 6 and 7 and had a blast using body boards (blow up ones from home) out on the waves. We thought the buffet had tons of choices and the food was great. The a la cartes do line up but it's not that big a deal, just don't go starving, have an afternoon snack. The grounds are all beautiful jungle and mangroves with lots of animals. We had the best time and the staff was all so friendly. Try a watermelon pina colada from the Nautilus bar on the beach. The shower in our room was pretty cold but there is hot at the sink so just take a couple cups of hot water in to rinse your hair. Also no internet in the rooms (at least in the family section) but the lobby, pool and restaurants do.
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Date of stay: April 2022
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.
This was our third time at this resort and it didn't disappoint! The entertainment staff were very engaging and fun with people of all ages. Ruben (aka sexy chocolate), Ryan, Cynthia, Iznet(spelling?, sorry) and the others were great. Love all the shows and fun activities. Would like to see more activities in the sports bar IE: ping pong tournaments etc. I believe the resort stopped using aspartame in the drinks which was a pleasant surprise! We wish the gift shop and vendors would not charge three times as much as the sister resort or the airport. That was the only disappointing thing. Please fix the deteriorating cement in the small waterslide pool at the bottom of the stairs near the washrooms. Thanks. See you again soon!
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Date of stay: February 2020
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 Feb 16, 2020
Hi Nathalie, Thanks for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your third 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 Ruben, Ryan, Cynthia, Iznet know of the praises you sent his way! We have notified our maintenance Management regarding your observations of the small water slide pool. Thank You! Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
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There are more places to choose from in the Playa del Carmen area.
PRICE RANGE
C$279 - C$438 (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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