TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Had a 5 night stay. Here are my thoughts. I am going to preface this by was my 4th trip to Mexico since September & first time at this resort, Past resorts were same * quality in PDC & Akumal- so I am familiar with COVID requirements & some of the cut backs that resorts require. Booking- we ended up booking with someone who owns Royal Elite going with the RE penthouse Suite. This trip was for my guy & I and we wanted to splurge. Also we were originally booked with select club penthouse... So GLAD WE SWITCHED AS THEY ARE NOT USING THE SELECT CLUB AREA- so there is not an “adults only area” currently. Check In- our check in was a breeze as we used the RE, the main area though... I can’t say we ever walked by & there were less than 4-5 waiting in line. Capacity is going up & so are the lines. Room- sooooooooo amazing! I suggest spending the very few $$ extra & do the RE. I can say had we not done RE, this review would have been very different. We had a stunning ocean view suite that was perfectly situated in a lovely area. Housekeeping did a fabulous job every day & like most resorts in Mexico- do not expect to get face clothes or any hand towels. Also thought the on wall dispensers for toiletries was very low buck too. I would not even touch them. We also had an issue at 6pm at night that we ran out of toilet tissue as the maid had forgot to leave any. There was not ONE number on the entire directory that would answer the phone on Thursday night at around 6pm. We tried over & over.... eventually i went out in the hallway & found a disgusting looking little closet that had a few cleaning supplies & a spare roll that I grabbed. Meals- being RE we were able to pre-book all reservations prior to arrival. I will be honest when saying I very much dislike reservations. I think they serve zero purpose. I have not been to any resorts during covid that are requiring them. It is really a disservice to the people who can not get them as many do not even show up for their time & then the table sits empty. Again, if we were not RE- this post would be very different. We were able to go alacarte for breakfast & lunch with no reservations. We did hike down to the buffet one morning for breakfast out of curiousity- while it was “ok”, for the size of the resort & comparing to others I have stayed at, it was just “meh”. We arrived at 7am to eat- by the time we left, the waiting line to get in was all the way to the end of the walkway entrance. Same applies with the dinners we went to there. We would go early the food was “ok”, but when we left there would always be a line. Room Service- being in RE we had a bit more of an expanded menu than standard. We did order at 11pm one night & were told it would be 45 min- it was there in 20, so we were happy. Bars- this is where my greatest disappointment was. Yep- I understand this a family resort, but I don’t want to deal with over-tired screaming kids at night who’s parents are getting tanked up instead of taking the kiddos to bed. There was ZERO bars that catered to adults opened at night. I had high hopes after reading about the elephant bar. It closed prior to 6pm every night of our entire trip. The only other bars were by the theater area or the sports bar which had a zillion kids running around in it. Also, please know there is zero top shelf alcohol at any of the bars. Even RE- was call & not top shelf. Not a biggee for us, but I do like my grey goose & ended up with Smirnoff. And the house wine is like vinegar- but it is that way at almost all all-inclusives. Grounds- so stunning! We picked this property as my boyfriend loves wildlife & nature. This resort was far beyond what we expected. Just magical in that respect. So amazing to see the wildlife & the jungle & waterfalls. I can not stress enough how stunning it is. Beach- don’t bother, lol. Get a day pass to playa if you want a great beach, this is norm for Riviera Maya though! Pools- we only went to the RE pool as it was right by our room, perfect temp, never crowded, & we loved the zero entry & infinity aspect of the pool. Just amazing with a great swim up pool bar. Entertainment- what is that???? We saw that there were shows scheduled for 7pm (1900) each night to go to the theater for nothing. There’s would be some music playing & kids out dancing. I have stayed at several resorts in the last few months that had TOP NOTCH entertainment- even the same Michael Jackson’s shows & more “Vegas” type shows. This was a let down for sure. So.... all in all... would we go back? YES! The value for dollar was worth it & we really had no issues with anything I mentioned— I just mention them to give a thorough review as I know many ask the questions & get a variety of answers. The staff was lovely, the room was great, the views were amazing, and booking through the member was wonderfully easy! A solid 3 out of 5 I would give it.

Absolutely phenomenal choice in venue for our wedding. Not a single regret in choosing Sandos Caracol Eco to hold this event with our friends and family. Estephanye Lopez Gonzalez was completely in tune with our vision and 100% supportive and present when working through logistical issues we experienced with a few of our family members reservations and our travel agency. Estephanye Lopez Gonzalez was great to work with and ensured everything went flawlessly for our big day. She more than likely did more than we will ever know to make that happen and we could not have been luckier!! All the staff on the resort were absolutely wonderful to interact with. Only issues we ever experienced were at reception. They were not always quick to try to be helpful in solving an issue or helping you to work through it. Again though, Estephanye Lopez Gonzalez was always there to step in and help us to solve these issues. Ricardo our photographer was also great to work with. We have not seen the final edited pictures yet to date but he was patient and and a joy to work with. Knew what he was doing and explained what he wanted and the vision of his photos well. We also had a ton of children at the wedding and he was great with them as well ensuring they knew where to be and what to do.

It is such a perfect hotel! I recommend it to each and everyone. The animation team is so good. Erick, Andres, Camillo you guys do such a great job. Waterpolo, bingo, crazy 88, aquarobics is sooooo fun to do hahahaha. The food, all the restaurants, the coati’s, Racoons, spider monkeys, turtles and the nature on this resort is more than perfect. This is our second time here. And we will come back for a third time. Greeting from Adrie and Melanie from Holland! NO ERA PENAL

This hotel is the best hotel in Playa del Carmen! The food is very good and the people are here very kind. The animation team is very good, never ever seen such a good animation team as here!!! The shows are great! Love the animals who are here at this park. Hopefully see you soon!!!!

If you are visiting as adults, I recommend to stay at the Select Club. You will have your own pool and Adults Only area by the beach. Riviera restaurant only for Select Club guests for breakfast and lunch A la Carte. If you are visiting with children, you have a great Aqua Park. This resort has several cenotes (sink holes with fresh water), one is open for snorkeling. When I was there 8 years ago, they found one Mayan pyramid, now they found 3!! Very important: Bring water-shoes and mask as the ocean in front of the resort has several rocks. This allows fish to be everywhere. You don't need to pay for snorkeling outside of the property. The food is amazing and the service is great. At night we had several shows on Mexican Culture. The owners are very respectful of the Mayan traditions, and don't be surprised to see dancers and shamans all around the property. My wife and I had massage at Spa del Mar and it was amazing. I was celebrating my birthday during this trip, and the staff was singing for me! We saw all the workers with masks, washing their hands and being very careful, so we felt safer than in US! Kudos to: Riviera Restaurant: Diana (Captain), Karina, Virginia, Yeni and Daniel (thank you for the habanero sauce!!). Highly recommended the "Chilaquiles" for breakfast! Club House: Victor and Guadalupe, always great to have good drinks! Los Lirios Restaurant: Ayesha, you were awesome!