TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We spent a week at Sandos Caracol with a large group of family and friends. The grounds are beautiful and there is a lot of wildlife. Our rooms was very nice once we received the room we paid for. However all that was overshadowed by the lack of maintenance and constant issues everyone in our group. We had to call maintenance every day for something. Our A/C kept breaking down, the lock on the door to our room required the battery to replaced 3 times in a week so we could get in our room, a few in our group had no water some days, most of us did not have hot water most days. The main pool was filthy by the end of the day. The food was always cold even at the specialty restaurants. It seriously was barely edible. At the Italian buffet they brought out a fresh bowl of pasta and it was ice cold. The service staff is extremely nice and try as best they can but are extremely understaffed. The beach is NOT swimmable. You do need water shoes to even try to get in the ocean. Our best day was the day we spent at Xel-Ha. This resort could be a 4 but it needs some serious work to get there. We travel with this group every year to Mexico and in 10 years this was the first time we all sat there on the last night and were glad we were leaving the next day.

So firstly I have to say that many of the negative reviews I read before coming had me a little worried about why I would find. Those reviews and worries quickly passed and after 3 days here, (here right now with another 6 days to go) I can say without question that I really don’t understand much of the negativity. This resort overall is in a stunning location, loads of things to do and see and overall an excellent experience so far. Our room was a very pleasant surprise ( we booked on the superior adult only side to put that out there) is huge, everything works, is super clean and when we arrived there were many amenities in the room even we didn’t expect, such as a welcome bottle of Bubbly, chocolate covered strawberries ??, house coats and slippers, dry comfy King sized bed with super fluffy pillows, fridge fully stocked and works well, air conditioning and ceiling fan the same thing.Just an excellent room overall. The restaurants have been fantastic so far, including the international buffet and all other restaurants we have tried. Loads of great food, well prepared and presented, and variety beyond belief. If one can’t find a great meal each and every time of the day you go to a restaurant , then I am clueless as to what it is you are looking for, as they have it ALL at each one. The staff are welcoming, friendly and easy to approach all over the whole resort. Now having said that, I must mention that the method of booking an “A La Carte” is not well organized, and that’ why there re so many complaints regarding trying to get into a restaurant here. Basically, we have to been on the same day as you want a reservation, so that usually means either getting lucky and showing up to wait for a place, or booking at 1230 AM to get a place for the same day. That aspect could be better done for sure, and I have to give that process a poor grade compared to other resorts I have been to. (Been to many including Mexico by the way). There is great entertainment t each evening in the main theater and lots of variety including something for everybody. We don’t have kids, but there is also plenty of activities for them as well including a huge waterpark with large slides, pools and activities there. The grounds themselves are beautiful and loaded with local wildlife that is quite something to see. Koati’s, Monkeys, Peacocks, beautiful birds, local cats, even the odd friendly dog ( Jack comes to mind) roam around freely and are all very friendly and fun to watch. This is a huge resort with walking paths well lit and interesting to just walk around and explore. There are many cenotes to explore and even swim in if you like - all on the resort. There are some Mayan ruins to go see as well along these walking paths. The paths are all accessible for those who may have mobility issues as well. Very clean and well maintained. You are truly surrounded by jungle and immersed in that as well. It is easy to get kind of lost when you first arrive, so after a couple of easy detours and exploration, one gets their bearings and then it is really enjoyable. Strong winds-fi throughout the resort, on the beach and anywhere you are in the resort so that is really a bonus. The Beach. The beach is beautiful, but I have to say to really enjoy it, having water shoes is practically a must. I have read comments where some say it is unswimmable, but that is simply incorrect. It is most certainly swimmable but due to many severe storms that have occurred over the last year or two, it has changed the beach area a bit and exposed some rocks (mostly corral) so this is something to note and prepare for to have an enjoyable experience, especially with kids in tow. For most seasoned travelers, this is a minor detail that doesn’t affect very much. The pools are all well maintained, clean and inviting if you like pools over the ocean. It manages your expectations, and bring water shoes if you really want to take advantage of a beautiful beach location. Off the resort, it is very close to Playa Del Carmen (10 min) so visiting this town is easy and fun for a little exploration. Also if one wants to visit Cozumel, it is about 20 mins to the ferry, not expensive to cross and stay for the day to explore there as well. Ferries (3) run every half hour on the hour first leaving at 0800 in the AM and last one leaves Cozumel at 9:00 at night. I would give this resort an overall score of 8 out of 10. Accommodations or room I would score a 10/10. Restaurants and food quality an 8/10 ( only because of the poor reservation system) Beach area I would score 7/10 ( because of the exposed rocks and coral) Grounds and surrounding paths, walkways, and nature a 9/10 Lastly, I can only say that we are very experienced travelers and have been to many resorts in Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and other places as well. We travel about 3-4 times per year. This is one of the nicest resorts we have had the pleasure of going to and I would definitely recommend this for many travelers. Nothing is perfect, neither are any resorts from my company, and there can be experiences people have at any resort that can be negative of course, but I would say that this resort is certainly value for money and a great experience. It’s all about expectations and managing them. Go and get lost a bit, and enjoy your time..??

I went to the spa to get my hair and make up done for a wedding and Fabiola did an amazing job. Better than I would have imagined. I would highly recommend going there. They are so friendly and know what they are doing and matched my reference pictures.

My wife and I stayed four nights at Sandos Caracol. We found the stay very pleasant with only a few critiques and plenty of positives. I read through many recent reviews before we booked this resort. We haven’t been to a Yucatán resort in over 30 years so we were a little apprehensive due to some of the negative commentary. To sum, we didn’t experience much of it. We used seek and go for our airport transfer and found it timely, efficient and priced comparably to other companies. We did find the airport experience upon arrival to be confusing. My advice is to press through the crowd of people trying to “help” and walk to between the poles marked C and D in the parking lot and look for the guy with the Seek and Go vest and sign. Upon arrival at the resort we were checked in quickly at the Adults Select area, escorted by our helpful tour guide, who did, of course, want us to sign up for the timeshare pitch. After we said “no” a few times, he folded his hand. We stayed in adult select and the pool was great. Not dirty or cloudy. Plenty of seating and adult only restaurant and bar right there. An excellent setup We didn’t have any problems with bugs in the room, mosquitos or biting flies. In fact, even though this resort is literally built on top of a swamp, we rarely saw a fly or mosquito. We had one bad dining experience. Then Riviera was flat out terrible. Bad service, disappointing food. Everything else, even the buffets, were good. Not Michelin stars, mind you, but good. The beach is not great. We spent part of a day there in the adult select area. The sand is really only in a strip close to the water. After that it’s rock and dead corral as far as you can wade. You need water shoes. Seriously. There is no room service anymore. We didn’t know until we checked in but we wouldn’t have used it anyway. The maid service was excellent and very responsive to requests. We stayed four nights and were allocated two non-buffet evening meals. We set an alarm for just before midnight so we could be sure to get reservations. I don’t know if that was necessary, but we got the two restaurants we wanted: The Riviera and the Fogo De Brazil meat palooza. As I said, Riviera was terrible but Fogo de Brazil was good and a lot of fun. The evening entertainment was….a little odd. We saw a Michael Jackson impersonator one evening and it was fun. The dude could dance. Another evening we saw Whitney Houston. We got up and left. It wasn’t our thing, but we weren’t the only ones to walk out, so…. The pre and post show at the theater was crazy and loud and I guess we just didn’t get it. Animals are everywhere. The Coaties can be a nuisance—one broke into our room through the window in the middle of the night—but they were also fun. Raccoons, Spider Monkeys, big giant Guinea pig-looking things, cats, birds and bats—it all added to the fun. Don’t go to this resort if you aren’t an animal lover. The resort activities were fun and the grounds are amazing. We rode the bikes and walked the grounds extensively. We did the animal photo safari tour, the romantic river boat ride, the cenote tour. All were a little goofy but a lot of fun and the staff were great. Leo, in particular, was fantastic. If we had stayed another day, we probably would have done an excursion off site, but for four nights we found we had the right mix of active and lounging by the pool. We wouldn’t hesitate to book it again. For two adults traveling without kids it was a nice departure from the typical Cancun resort. The adult only amenities worked well for us and it wasn’t much more in price. If we come back with the kids and grandkids I can see that the water park and family pool would work for us as well.

This was my first time to cancun, I can honestly say I enjoyed this holiday tremendously, would definitely consider to return. Fabulous holiday for families or couples, not for singles. Our room was clean, mini bar restocked, each day. Staff are fabulous, entertainment is good. Nothing is too much trouble, Plenty of restaurants to have something to eat. We mostly ate at the jungle, staff went out of their way to accommodate us. I would like to thank all staff, the food was delicious, thank you to the chef, your hard work didn’t go un noticed nothing was too much trouble. I would like to thank Yeimy Ivet Julio Daniel Who showed professionalism in their job, well done !!! Look forward to seeing you all again at some point We had a great experience!!!