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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This by far is the worst hotel I've ever stayed at. First the check-in is brutal, we were the only ones to check in and it took over 45 minutes. Our room was ok but nothing worked (AC, coffee pot, plug ins). The service at the hotel is non existant, if you ask for something you will never get it. They say five minutes but they never show up. The food is the worst part. I've been to Cuba and this is by far is much worse. The buffet is the same garage every day nothing changes. We had to upgrade our bracelets just to eat something edible. They book the hotel full but don't have enough staff to service it. The one day it poured our room flooded and when we called to switch rooms nobody came, we had to go to the lobby in torrential downpour just to have someone talk to us. When we finally switched rooms they gave us a room where the toilet didn't work and the ceiling was falling down. Also, when we did our Covid test to return home they ask you to rinse your mouth with a community glass that everyone else has used previously (very Covid safe). The only positive at this place is the grounds are very beautiful with the trees and animals everywhere. We met a bunh of Canadians and everyone had a similar experience. Save your time and money and stay somewhere else.
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Date of stay: November 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, Owner at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Nov 16, 2021
Dear Mobile607401, We regret to read that the hotell did not meet your expectations and that you've had inconvenience with the room. We will review the issues you've had in order to take corrective measures and make sure these situations will not happen again. Our executive chef is already working on the menu of the buffet with the intention to add more variety and offer better experiences to our guests. regards. Giovanna Barbieri Quality Manager
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This is THE worst resort I’ve stayed at in the past 15 years. Water got shut off and couldn’t flush toilet, terrible WiFi, electricity went out. Their Italian restaurant, had no Italian food. The waiter Francisco would not give me a glass of wine and made me order a bottle that was charged to my room. This is an all inclusive and I wasn’t looking for anything other than your basic wine. Everyone else around me had a glass of wine. They don’t let you make dinner reservations at the nice restaurants beforehand then when we arrived they said we couldn’t even eat at the hibachi because it was booked so far out and 2. We got a reservation for the Brazilian restaurant but the concierge made our reservation for one person when there were 4 of us literally sitting in front of him. They say they offer 24 hour room service but only have French fries and quesadillas. I ordered cheese quesadilla and receive a cold tortilla with cold ham and cold cheese that wasn’t melted about 1.5 hours later. Never restocked wash clothes. Their “wet bar” consists of 2 beers. Terrible, terrible terrible!!!
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Date of stay: May 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 Frederico Moreira, Director General at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded May 5, 2021
Dear Brittanyc603, We are so sorry you had such a bad experience at our Resort, We will pass on the comments to the Chef, Chief Concierge and Food and Beverage Manager and will follow up with every single comment you´ve made. We are commited to offer a better product day after day. We are sure that if you come back to our Resort your next experience will be nothing less than espectacular. Best regards, Management
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This was our second visit to this resort (Last time was many years ago) this time to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and we really enjoyed our stay. Many changes have taken place since our last visit. This time we brought 17 of our family members. We had a fabulous trip! WE loved all the added things to do, all the animals and the jungle. Not being in the 'concrete jungle' was one of the main reasons we chose this location again. We had a delicious cake and a bottle of champagne in our room when we arrived. Thanks so much! Great memories for a lifetime.
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Date of stay: January 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 11, 2020
Hi Kathy, Thanks for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your 2nd stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, while celebrating your 25th Anniversary. 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
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This place is phenomenal. The food was spectacular. The assortment of food was amazing. The entertainment staff were fantastic. The nicest people. There is so much to see and do. If traveling only with adults, upgrading to the adults only select club is highly worth it. There is a large hot tub, huge pool, poolside service, 24h room service, an adult only restaurant for breakfast and supper. The steak house was to die for. The snacks in the adult beach section were top notch. If you are traveling with kids, this spot is amazing too. You will not be bored, there is so much to see and do. Special shout out to Ruben and the rest of the entertainment staff who go above and beyond to make sure your activites and stay are exactly what you hoped for. The rooms are a little outdated but other than that I would certainly rate this place a 5 star and certainly come back.
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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 29, 2020
Hi Amberlynn, 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 Ruben know of the praises you sent his way! Always at your service! Warren B Web Relations Manager Sandos Caracol Eco Resort webrelations.caracol@sandos.com
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We had previously gone to the sister resort and chose to take this one as our wedding resort. The resort is great, lots of local wildlife ( but super friendly, if you keep your distance.) Our wedding coordinator, Estephanye, stopped at nothing to make sure that our time there was pleasant. The whole wedding team was always around to help, and we never heard them say no. They looked to make sure that our wedding was a memorable one, even through the mini emergencies that happened along the way. The food at any of the specialty restaurants will leave you wishing you had more time to go back to all of them before you fly home.
As for Covid-19 rules, the team is very sanitary and getting the required test to fly back home was quick and easy. We definitely recommend it for anyone that wants a good time for a reasonable price.
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Date of stay: May 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 22, 2021
Dear Argenis D, We are really happy to read that you've had a wonderful wedding at the resort. We will let the wedding team know about the great job they did. We hope to receive you soon for your anniversary! Regards. Giovanna Barbieri Quality Manager
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My family and I recently stayed for 7 days at the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. What a great experience! Check in was quick and I loved the fact that there were no key cards, the key was a fob on your bracelet. We are a family of four and we stayed in the family eco superior room. The room was clean and my two kids loved the bunk beds! Our balcony overlooked a slow moving mangrove river, so we were greeted by turtles, raccoons and couati every morning. Be aware that you are in the jungle at this resort. The greenery is beautiful and you see many wild animals roaming around such as couati, iguanas, raccoons, and even spider monkeys. They are not a danger and will leave you alone as long as you don’t try and feed them. The food at the resort was great! There are some reviews about this resort stating that the food was average. I guess Gordon Ramsey must personally cook all their meals. Our favourite was the Teppanyaki restaurant but I recommend that you reserve it as soon as you get to the resort as it is in very high demand. My daughter has food allergies and the food servers were very accommodating in getting something for her to eat that was safe. The staff are very friendly and professional. Be sure to tip them! Nestor did an amazing job in giving me and my wife a romantic boat ride down the Jade River. Jair did a great job in the eco tour through the natural areas through the resort. Very informative. Marina was great in guiding us snorkeling in the Jade River. I got to see many fish and turtles! There are many activities that are offered that are included. My favourite was snorkeling in the large fresh water cenote. My children enjoyed the kids club. The great thing is that they run until 10 pm! This was great for my wife and I to have an evening alone. The pools are well kept and there are no towel cards, just grab what you need. The beach is nice but I highly recommend that you wear swim shoes as the ocean bottom is rocky ( my only real gripe but that can’t be helped). I didn’t see much seaweed, but the staff said it is more prominent during the spring months. The entertainment is very good. They had a show on the beach based on a Mayan ritual as well as one in an area near some old Mayan ruins. You can go see the ruins but they are grown over and roped off (good for a picture though). I recommend bringing some bug spray if you plan to check out this area as there are mosquitoes. Overall, my family had a great experience and we were sad to leave. We were even sadder to come home to -40 C weather in Canada. Try this resort out, you’ll be glad you did!
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Date of stay: January 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 Jan 23, 2020
HI 161js, 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 sharing your praises of Nestor & Marina with them. 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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Firstly I want to say a hugh Thank you to Chef Christian and the team for taking such wonderful care and presentation in catering for our son's dietary requirements you went above and beyond and we felt he was in safe hands.
Check in was quick and straight forward we only wait about 10 mins and it only took us 10 minutes when we got to front desk, we were soon in our room.
We didn't have any stomach problems during our 2 week's there and the food from the buffet was good sometimes a little cold or the meat chewy but that is to be expected with how it is served. Ot was also a little repetitive for lunches but thisbis not a complaint as they are catering for a vast amount of people. All the restaurant's were fantastic, our favourites being the Tappenyaki and The Mexican. Having so many restaurants to choose from were wonderful, we went to the restaurant's about 5.20 for the 5.30 sitting and didn't have a problem getting in.
All the staff were very professional and friendly and did a great job.
We were there for the Day of the Dead celebrations which was spectacular and so much fun, the games area on the tennis court was brilliant and I wrote the names of my loved ones on the gravestones in the cemetery (they transformed the petting zoo area into a make shift cemetery). The second day was very wet and they moved the food and performances into the theatre bar which was cramped and thought they might have been better moving the food to the Elephant bar instead the games were in the El nido which worked well.
The resort itself is stunning and we found our way around quickly taking in the wonderful sights and wildlife. I don't want to say too much as you really will over exploring for yourselves.
The Eco activities were fantastic but the night time entertainment was too loud, even when our son wore ear defender's he couldn't stand the noise and we were uncomfortable too, turning it down by 5 or 10 decibels would be better.
The room was lovely and we stayed in room 2006 with a lovely view of the beach.
The beach was amazing. We picked here because of the rocks as we loved to snorkel ad were not disappointed, we saw loads of fish and even a Tiger Ray.
One thing troubled me whilst there and that was the lady on site offering hair braiding to tourist's. From what I saw, the opportunity wasn't taken to communicate or educate the person having their hair done about the Mexican history and culture surrounding it.
A couple of ideas I had whilst there to slightly improve the hotel:- A soap dish in bathroom's would be very helpful, there is no where to put it and ended up using a glass cup. A recycle bin in the rooms for can's etc would help the staff so they don't have to sift through the rubbish. Getting extra drinks machine's in La Laguna so people can help themselves to drinks, a few negative reviews have been about waiting for drinks and this is the only all inclusive resort we have been to where it is a waiter service for drinks, the staff are so busy restocking, cleaning etc that this would benefit them as well as guests. Extra towel hook's in the bathroom or even a heated towel rail so people can dry there towels and keep them longer which will save on washing which benefits the environment.
We had a wonderful stay here and hope other's will enjoy there time here as much as we did.
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Date of stay: October 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.
Originally planning on going to Florida, with prices the way they are right now, we chose to go to Cancun. This particular resort was very nice, although the beach isn't what you would get at other resorts in Cancun. Our room was nice, but mosquitos are present and they do get into your rooms, not a deal-breaker, but just be aware. Our only objection to the stay was the loud music from the nightly performance in the middle of the resort. The constant drumbeat could literally be felt in our room. Workers using powered leaf blowers on the walkways every day was somewhat annoying, as it distracted from the serenity of the area. The required covid test to get back on the plane was a real thorn in the side. A cell phone with e-mail is required for this in order to receive your results. This was a real problem, as one of our phones would not receive e-mail at the resort. We had to use the service of the concierge at the hotel to help us get the info we needed. It took almost 45 minutes to finally get the messages onto the one phone that worked. Why they couldn't have given us a printout of the results is absolutely beyond me. I had to come up with the information again at the airport. Locating the file on my phone and showing it at the airport was a real hassle as well. The phones are also required to receive a menu at any of the restaurants. You took a shot of the QR code to download the menu. I don't know what people without cell phones would do here. Fortunately the stupid face masks weren't required throughout the resort, only when you went through a buffet line at a restaurant. Don't buy into all of the hotel upgrade packages they try to sell you, as they are probably something that you will never use. We spent two hours listening to promotions that we didn't want or need. That was two hours of wasted time for us. Other than that, we had a wonderful time.
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Date of stay: February 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 Warren B, General Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Feb 23, 2021
Hi cgardengr, Thanks Mariel for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your great 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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Third time in Mexico and this time, I was accompanied by my wife, my son and my daughter and their spouse as well as my two grand children.
In general, it is a good hotel because there are several areas for kids. The food is excellent and the site is generally clean.
However, the a la carte restaurants do not accept any reservation except the Asian one which consequently forces us to make an endless queue each time, which in my opinion is unacceptable given the price paid for our holidays. I had, by the way a gold-colored bracelet.
The beach is beautiful but the bottom of the water is awful. Undoubtedly you need diving shoes to swim there, I hated my beach week just for that.
For the rest, the staff is smiling and always ready to help, the lines at the front desk are long and require incredible patience.
Our room was in a great location by the pool and a stone's throw from the beach, however for the paid price, we had nothing more special.
I recommend this hotel for families traveling only with one or more children aged 3 and over, but especially not for a couple looking for a good time together without hearing a child cry.
It was my fist and last time at this hotel.
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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 Sandos_Playacar, Web Relations Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Jan 5, 2020
Hi Jlandry, Thanks for having taken the time to share your comments and opinions of your stay with us at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. While your comments are not typical of the large majority of our Guests experiences, 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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Room service never answered the first 3 days.. All Inclusive is only till 10 pm for drinks, (food )you only get to choose from 3 different plates ... everything is far walking distance to get anywhere! hotel service is bad, i got locked out of my room twice because the door lock battery was dead, they never answered front desk phone ...only thing cool is you can stay 24 hrs at the pool, but with out service(all inclusive) ...i seriously regret ever choosing this hotel to take a vacation! i regret paying so much and not being able to enjoy anything 😡
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Date of stay: September 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 Warren B, General Manager at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Responded Sep 19, 2020
Hi Lupita, 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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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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