TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

This resort could be really great if a few changes were made. The jungle atmosphere, layout, room (family penthouse suite) and staff were wonderful (Josh on the animation team & Amayrina at the spa were both standouts!)- no complaints there! We loved our suite - it was well worth the upgrade for the space it afforded our family. We had a family of monkeys visit us on the balcony multiple times. Only complaint there was that the water pressure in the shower is super low and it took a while to get hot water. Air conditioning didn't work as well in the 2nd room. The ocean is rocky but we still swam and explored, so that's no problem if you have the right expectations and water shoes. Didn't have problems finding chairs in shade on the beach either. Lots of hermit crabs to watch in the tide pools. Our kids also really liked the Animal Keeper program, ribbon tunnel (write what makes you happy on a ribbon, tie onto branches - was very beautiful) and vendor markets. They loved seeing so many animals around the resort too. The food was a huge disappointment. The guac tasted like it came out of a squeeze tube. The a la carte restaurants required waking up at 12am every night to reserve (if you waited till morning, they were usually fully booked) and you couldn't book more than one day at a time. When we did get into the a la carte, we were still disappointed - Riviera had a fabulous location but served bland, dryed out food that looked like it sat under a heat lamp the entire day or was pulled from a buffet, Los Lirios meat lacked seasoning, etc. The buffets were typical but almost always had line ups to even get in. The Mexican buffet was the best of those options. It really put a damper on our week - I think we lost weight because the food options were just so lackluster. The teppanyaki restaurant was the only one we really enjoyed - great time there! There were also a few instances where we were given incorrect information or scheduled events just didn't happen - for example, the cenote show didn't run on the night posted and we were really excited for that. You also need to show up an hour early for the Mayan Fire ceremony. When one member of our party needed first aid, they were sent to two different places before getting correct advice. We were told times for activities but not all of the exceptions ("you can go swim in the cenote all day day" except there were multiple hour blocks reserved for groups only). The food issue alone would keep me from booking again or recommending this resort, which is too bad because we really loved so many other aspects. Between having to be up every night to book something to avoid the buffet and the unseasoned/dried out food served it just affected us too much to come back.

Be prepared to stand in long lines from the moment you arrive to check in and each and every meal thereafter. We checked in online the day prior (a lengthy process) to arrival, there is a separate checkin with a “shorter” line. An employee walked over with a list and argued that we weren’t “on his List” for online check in guests and tried to move us out of line until I asked to speak with a Manager. The room accommodations that we paid for were not available for both rooms so we were advised that we would have to work out any refund with the travel agency, since we prepaid. Be prepared to stand in line for each meal, three times per day. During one breakfast, we stood in line for a half hour, we were next to be seated then the hostess announced that they are “closing the buffet in 2 minutes, the table aren’t cleaned but if we hurried we might be able to get something to eat before they put everything away”….it was like the hunger games!

My husband and I are so grateful that we got married at Sandos. We really had the best experience we could have ever asked for! Victor, our wedding coordinator, was absolutely amazing to work with. He had the best energy and he was so incredibly helpful. We truly had a stress-free wedding day. I wish we could do it all over again! Thank you Sandos!

Absolutely loved our stay here. Between the wild animals and nature, the location, the amazing service and the incredible kindness of the staff, we would definitely love to come back. This resort is one of the most beautiful we’ve ever been to. You honestly don’t have to even leave the resort because there is so much to do right here so that you can enjoy your time. The food was great, but dinner at Fogo de Brazil was out of this world.

The only reason I would go back to o Sandos Caracol would be to take more Yoga classes with Juan Carlos, his passion and skill at teaching are amazing. I took 6 classes out of the 10 days I was there!! I am an infrequent yoga person but he inspired me to look for regglar classes at home. Overall the resort was nice, clean, and staff was friendly. Food was okay but having to wake up at midnight to book a la cart restraunts was super annoying and no restraunt would accomidate our group of 11, even when we tried to book through the consierge for one birthday meal.