TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

I am going to keep it simple. Go elsewhere . Mouldy rooms. Nothing in the adults only area is as described. Dirty filthy rooms, dirty pools, dated. Staff and manager who is not bothered. Water dispenser cables cut, damaged headboard, mould painter owed on walls. No lifts in adult only areas. No beds near the pools ( all reserved for Royal elite, you can’t pay it upgrade, but they why woud you when we already paid for exclusive ). Honestly don’t bother, we booked exclusive access to adult pools and never got it.

Ground level workers are good. Management treats customers terrible. Had to move rooms because we had no hot water or water pressure. Pool was off and full of leaves. Hot tube was off. Had to pay to switch rooms. The new room in the towers was nice. Wedding party I went with was lied to many times about promised upgrades and then called liars by management. Would not come back. There is way better.

Sandos Playacar Resort Review I’ve stayed at Sandos resorts before, and this one is pretty much what I expected. Like most large resorts, it shows some wear and tear—especially in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Nothing is terrible, but you can see signs of heavy use and quick fixes here and there. Food & Dining One of the highlights is the food. There are plenty of options, and the quality is above average. Breakfast can be enjoyed at the specialty restaurants or the big buffet. For lunch, you’ve got Riviera Blue by the pool, the beach buffet, or the main buffet. Dinner is served at the buffet or one of five specialty restaurants: French, Italian, Mexican, Brazilian, and a Steakhouse. The buffet rotates its menu throughout the week, while the specialty spots offer table service. Specialty restaurants need to be reserved via the Sandos app available at the resort. Plan to book a few days in advance and early in the morning to ensure you get a table. Drinks Drinks are easy to find, though most cocktails are made with sugary pre-mixes. Beer and wine are local, and if you want international brands, they’re available at an extra cost. Service The staff are generally polite and helpful. Some stick to the basics, but many go out of their way to make the experience better. Rooms & Housekeeping Rooms are cleaned daily, but the minibar isn’t automatically restocked—you’ll need to ask. I had to request refills three times during my 10-day stay. Entertainment & Facilities Evenings can be spent at the group shows or in the sports bar, which has ping pong and pool tables (though the pool tables are in rough shape). There’s also a kids club open from 3–11 pm with video games and activities. The gym and spa are well equipped, plus there are tennis and pickleball courts. Beach & Activities The beach is the star of the show—clean, full of sunbeds, and offering tons of activities: jet-skis, kayaks, catamarans, fishing, snorkeling, and diving. Easily a 5-star experience. Overall Value For the price, I’d say this resort offers good value. The food and beach really stand out, and while the rooms could use some love, the overall experience is competitive for the area. **consider a private transfer from Nexus Tours for more direct access and reduce delays getting to and from Cancun airport.

Jose in the avenue bar was amazing the whole night! Great drinks and very friendly!

We chose Sandos Playacar expecting a 5-star experience based on the price point and website, but unfortunately, the level of service did not reflect that standard. It was also very clear throughout our stay that unless you had the “Elite” upgrade, you were not treated with the same level of service, priority, or responsiveness. The difference in experience was noticeable and disappointing. The most concerning issue was how difficult it was to reach anyone for assistance. It was nearly impossible to get a hold of reception or guest services from our room phone. On one occasion, after returning from an excursion, we called for over 90 minutes to order room service with no answer. Family members who tried at the same time as us got through within 15 minutes, which made the inconsistency even more frustrating. We ultimately had to find a bellhop at reception in person just to have the request handled. On our final morning, we had no running water, and neither did family members staying in other rooms. With early departures scheduled, this created unnecessary stress. We could not get thru to reception or guest services despite it being early in the morning and with family members being sick from the food, we had no choice but to fill up the toilet ourselves with filtered water. Throughout the stay, our building’s elevator was also completely out of service. We told the manager on site about the elevator and were told “it should be working.” Eight days later, the elevator is still inoperative and some family members will be there for 10 days. Dining was another ongoing issue. The restaurants were frequently half full, yet reservations showed as unavailable online, leaving us eating at the buffet all week except for 1 night. When we got there we tried making reservations but could only secure the Italian restaurant 1 night for 4 people, the earliest being 4 days into our stay. There was no other availability. We spoke with another guest who advised us that if you offer to buy a bottle of wine, they will get you in. This is absolutely unacceptable when you’ve already paid $4,000 per person (14 of us in total) for an all-inclusive experience. At the buffet, if you didn’t arrive right at opening, the food was often cold, over-picked, and not replenished. The dining system simply did not make sense. Another concerning issue was the beach environment. While we understand that vendors walking the beach selling souvenirs is common and generally not a problem, we were approached by a man initially selling cigarettes who then asked if we were interested in drugs and prostitution. I understand that hotels often respond by encouraging guests to raise concerns during their stay. We raised concerns and were met with no solution. When it is difficult to reach anyone by phone, and when similar themes appear repeatedly in recent reviews, it suggests Sandos has a broader service and operational problem, not isolated incidents. The property itself is beautiful but the service, accessibility, organization, and clear tiered treatment fell well short of expectations for what we paid and what was represented on the resort’s website.