Sandos Caracol Eco Resort – All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

26192 reviews

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  Mediocre - It could be so much better!

  An honest review of this resort. Location: Approx. 45 minutes from the airport. Checking out from the airport went smoothly and the driver was courteous. The resort is 15 minutes from Playa del Carmen. Room: We ended up with a larger suite in Block 1 overlooking the pool and a corner view of the ocean. The room is dated however it was clean. We had two bathrooms with a separate room with bunkbeds and two comfy reading chairs. Not sure how we got assigned to this block as it is usually reserved for the Royal Elites (which is a scam in itself). We had asked for an adjoining room with our daugther/son in-law and grandaughter but they ended up at the other end of the resort. The fridge is stocked with cans of pop and sparkling water and they supply a water jug dispenser. The bed was comfortable, and the AC not noisy. The hot water was hit or miss, however we would let it run longer and tried to take our showers off peak times. They supplied us several times with extra sparkling water and the service was quick when we asked for an umbrella to our room. Food: Lacking. The Main International Buffet was busy with what appeared to be choices of meats, cheeses, fruits and they would make your eggs. Because of the openess of the food and people I could not eat there. The food was cold. The Italian offers a better quieter buffet but the food is mostly cold. We would ask her to put it back on gridle to heat up. They had a decent selection of fruits and salads. I preferred going to the Adult section and ordering off the menu for breakfast. The food was always cold but it was okay. A la carte restaurant reservation system is ridiculous. You have to book at midnight and you still don't get your reservation. Many people complain about this. We even went to the concierge who said he would help us and make some reservations for us and call us. This never happen. They simply appease you knowing that you will be gone soon. We simply showed up at the restaurant and asked to be let in. We lucked out to get in without a reservation at the Asian twice. I enjoyed the food there as it was freshly cooked in front of you. Service was good. The steak house was decent. Again the food is cold and overcooked steak. The Brazil was good with meat served off the skewers. It was overcooked but at least it was fresh and hot. The Riviera was okay however my husband's calamari was undercooked. The Mexican Restaurant had a decent breakfast and dinner buffet. The taco bar in the centre was also okay. They did offer breakfast with good pancakes and other choices. They did have hot dogs and burgers for kids at the pool and at the buffet. All in all, we didn't starve but there is nothing about the food that is great. We travel alot and for this reason I would not go back to this resort. You will find something to eat, however this is where they just don't get it right. The Royal Elite club membership is a SCAM! Do not go to this presentation unless your prepared to give them your credit card number and over $10,000 for a membership that does not make sense. They lure you in at the reception, making you think that they are really interested in getting to know you and care about your time there. They don't. They simply want their commission and your signature on the spot. The free shopping excursion with Sunwing is also a waste of time. We were stuck at the souvenir shop for over 3 hours because of an accident. There was families there with young kids. No one wanted to buy the tacky souvenirs that apparently are cheaper at the resort. Thanks to Isa, the resort report who was the person who helps us the most, we took her suggestion and took the collectivo bus from the resort of $4 US each way pp and enjoyed a full day in Playa del Carmen. Some of the shop keepers are annoying and try to lure you in however you simply say no and walk away. The resort is run down and dated, however it is clean and they are always working around the areas.They closed down the games room as water damage caused the ceiling tiles to collapse. The grounds are beautiful with many walking paths. The monkeys, coatis, raccons are everywhere. The animal area has donkeys, pigs and sheep. We did snorkel in the cenote and we did use the water park. All the slides were working. I enjoyed the adult pool section, the Aquagym in the main pool, some yoga on the beach and the other Adult section near the beach was decent with some snacks and good bar service. Beach: Rocky. If you walk to the right of the resort you will find a smaller section with some sandy areas, however we walked both ways and it is mostly rocky. You need water shoes. We also enjoyed the Cirque Show and the Micheal Jackson show was great! I give this resort between a 2 and a 3. There are alot of activities for families.

  Jan 25, 2025
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  Very nice resort. Bad reservation system for restaurants

  The surroundings were gorgeous, we loved the animals, the beach, the pools and water park. The food at the buffets was good. We were disappointed that we couldn’t get any reservations at any of the a la carte restaurants. In order to get a reservation,you had to stay up till midnight and get on the hotel app. We never had any success at that. One of our party got severe food poisoning.

  Jan 24, 2025
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  Mediocre

  Family rooms were spacious and loved having the king bed and bunks for the kids. Nice water dispenser in the room with filtered water. Animals everywhere on the Resort....and I mean everywhere! We even had monkeys play on our deck one morning for 30 mins! Buffet was very meh. We've been to 6 other AI and this was our least favorite. The beach buffet had the same menu every day and it was very minimal and underwhelming. We did go to the Mexican el la carte which was decent. Also the only place to get an excellent margarita. Brazilian was restaurant was excellent! And the Asian was decent. Drinks everywhere on the resort were sub par. If you like tequila you'll be sadly disappointed here. Water park isn't heated so kiddos get cold quickly. Side note not to eat there, if you order food the coaties will not stop coming until they get it. Beach is no good, even with water shoes. While there were some nice spots to lounge, you really couldn't swim. Pools were fine and we didn't have any problems getting loungers. Night shows were good and we enjoyed the live bands. Not a big night scene at this resort so by 11 everything shuts down. Overall we love a good eco resort but it's a 3 star resort imo.

  Jan 23, 2025
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  Great family experience

  We had a great time snorkelling the rio jade river. Amos was our guide and was very friendly and gave us such an educational tour. We saw lots of fish and a few turtles. The water was very warm. My 13 year old and 10 year old loved it Highly recommend! We would go back everyday

  Jan 23, 2025
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  Wish I’d believed the bad reviews before booking. Nothing like sister resort Playacar that we’ve been to twice and loved

  Resort leaves a lot to be desired. Food is bad. Staff are nice but very over worked. Washrooms on site are not maintained and just gross. Booking system for a la carte’s is horrible and bookings open at midnight and typically none left by morning.

  Jan 22, 2025