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Reviewed 8 July 2007

This place was not the greatest place i have ever been to. Im just going to start off with the cons because i want to get those over with.
The food was absolutely terrible. I felt that it was like contaminated or something. But that is just the buffets. The restaurants however were better. The Oriental was really really good. That was our first choice. Then the Steak House came second, and the Mediterranean came last. And since the buffets were so terrible, we tried to book a restaurant per night, but you are only allowed to book 3 restaurants during your whole stay! Next, we didnt exactly enjoy the rooms. They were small, and ugly. We liked the shower though, thats basically it. Oh and the balcony's were tiny too, unless you had a suite. They also had this like special club which gave the people in the club special treatment which i thought was unfair. Like they got free internet access while the rest of us had to pay $5 USD for a half an hour! They also got lots of other features but im not going to get into that. Also, there were these 'golf cart' things that were supposed to transfer you around the resort since it was so huge and people got tired of walking. I think i was only able to stop the drivers twice my whole week of staying there to get them to drive me somewhere. I would watch people chase after the carts asking the drivers to stop, but they played dumb and pretended not to hear and would not stop. So it was very tireing to have to walk around that huge resort in the heat. Anyways, to get to my point, i would not recommend this place to anyone. We tried to switch hotels the day we arrived and it was not possible as we tried switching too late. The people told us that 2 other people arrived the same day we did and switched too the Gran Bahia because they also disliked what they saw. Another thing i did not like was that the pools closed at 8 and the security guards would not let anyone go in past that time. It was quite annoying because i payed to stay there, so i think i should be able to swim past 8 if i would like too. Also the beach wasnt that great either. It was way too crowded. I however did like the reef. Bring water shoes for the water as it is extremely rocky and people got cut on the reef. It is a nice reef though and to be able to go snorkeling was something that i did enjoy doing everyday. However, some people got sick of snorkeling and just wanted to swim normally and not have to worry about getting cut. Anyways, you may enjoy this place very much, so please dont stop my review from you choosing this resort. I talked to a couple people that loved it, and quite a few that said they would never return, but you may be one that loves it. My family and I are used to staying at 5 star hotels and did not realize that a 4 star would be such a huge step down, so i do advise you, if you a used to 5 star hotels, this is not the place for you.

I do want to say hey though to ANGEL who is in the LOBBY BAR during the NIGHT SHIFTS. He is a wonderful guy and the best person i met at this place that works there. Super friendly and funny and nice. Another nice person was JOSE in the one buffet that has a different theme every night.

P.S. 4 years ago we stayed at the Crown Paradise Club and Hotel in Cancun and had a fabulous time. It was all inclusive with great food, pools, rooms, balconies, swimming, service, you name it! I highly recommend that hotel in Cancun.

P.S.S. We went on the same snorkeling trip that sandos does with the crown paradise club hotel and it was fantastic. And this time we went to 'xel-ha' which was also great. Although i highly recommend taking a taxi to xel-ha and pay admission yourself as it is cheaper and allows you more time to spend at the ecological park. My friend took a taxi and payed apparently $29.00 admission per person and spent as much time as they needed at xel-ha. We went with a tour, it was basically $80-90 per person, and the bus was late to bring us there, and we left early, so we were rushed to do everything! Its way more worth it if you just go and do it yourself.

Date of stay: July 2007
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
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4  Thank ocfan90
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 5 July 2007

My mom & I both love the beach & the ocean. When our original vacation had to be rescheduled due to her not receiving her passport in time, we were a little disappointed. But we rescheduled using Funjet's "Fun for Less" offer as we were already going to lose $100 ea to reschedule. This pkg only cost an add'l $50 ea, so needless to say, the price was soooo right! The flight went smooth, the shuttle was quick as all the passengers were going to the Sandos. Ck in was a breeze, the drinks, food, atmosphere was great! Only a $10 cab ride into Play Del Carmen (very affordable), so we didn't even try the free shuttle. The beach was good for watching, but not real good for swimming. You could walk out & enjoy, which a lot of folks did, but we would rather cool off in the pool. There was always a great breeze under a palapa. I emailed the hotel directly in advance & requested VIP Select membership, which included use of the clubhouse, beach area, etc. This was a saving grace when we first got to the beach as it was already noon & the palapas were all taken on the hotel side. There was no one on the Select Club side. I had read earlier reviews about the security & was a little ill at ease when we first got there, but after talking to our Lomas travel rep, I used the room safe & had no problems. After we got a free upgrade to an oceanview room on the second day, our A/C didn't work, but after I played w/it for awhile & figured out how to work it, it was fine. The fridge didn't work until the second to last day, but there were plenty of places to get bottled water & drinks. Remember, most hotels chg if you take anything out of the bar, this one doesn't, so no big deal! If your fridge works, that's an added bonus. The hotel staff was great & very accomodating. We both enjoyed our 4 nites at the Sandos & would certainly recommend it to anyone wanting to relax & enjoy a variety of good food & drinks.

Date of stay: June 2007
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8  Thank LMNL
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 July 2007

I travelled with my 2 teenaged sons. We usually go to a resort at least twice a year. This was by far our worst experience.
Like any resort there is some good and bad, however the bad was a dealbreaker for us. Dpending on what you are looking for, this could be a good hotel, but for our priorities, it did not meet our needs.
The biggest disappointment was the beach. We had read that you might need water shoes but nothing could have prepared us for the conditions. It is very small, considering the size of the resort and it is full of rocks and boulders. Hard to imagine that anyone would think that this beach would be a good place for a resort. We are beach people but only swam in the ocean once. It was not worth the trouble. The beach is also very crowded. The palapas are 5 deep in some places - a great beach for people watching but not for swimming. The beach gets 0 stars out of 5.
We are also tennis players. They had 2 courts and for the size of the resort it is not enough. The courts were artificial surface with a sprinkling of sand. They were not maintained once on our week stay. The sand gets moved around to differnet spots but it never swept back into position. There is also no water at the courts, no pro, lessons, or organized activities. There are basketball standards at the back of each end of one court and metal soccer nets on the other court. This can be very dangerous if you are running back for a ball.
The rooms are average but transmit any little noise from adjacent rooms. There is a small balcony that is nice to sit out on. The bathroom was excellent with a good shower, w/c and a double sink. Besides news and sports, there is only one English channel. No HBO or Disney etc. The maid service was very good.
The restaurants and bars were first class. There are a great many bars and they wait was usually very short. They make drinks in a blender, and they are excellent. The food was also excellent. The buffets had a lot of choice, food was hot and the service was good. The a la carte restaurants were also very good, as was the snack bar.
Our room was near the quiet pool and we spent most of our time there. It is a very nice pool with a bar with very good service There is a fair amount of shade around the pool.
The resort was extremely crowded when we were there. This was unexpected as we have travelled to the Caribbean in June before and found that the resorts were not that busy.
The activites offered were uninspired - the same things every day and not a lot of choice. Way to many people for the small number of activities. 40 people playing water polo, running around bumping into one another, not knowing who was on their team.
We went on the snorkelling boat trip that the hotel offers and it was great. They take you to a reef to snorkel and then to a real beach.
So, if you are considering this hotel and you would like good food and drink and some pool time, it may meet your needs. If you like to swim in the ocean, choose another of the many resorts along this coast.

Date of stay: June 2007
  • Trip type: Travelled with family
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4  Thank Intrepid2
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 3 July 2007

My husband and I went here to enjoy our 2nd anniversary and had a lovely time. We were very worried after all of the trip advisor reviews and hearing about the fire. First, you never would even know there was a fire, it was beautiful. Looking at the price I would say it was definitly a great deal. Our room was huge with a great marble shower and jaccuzi tub. The maid service was great and they were always good about filling the mini bar. If you are a super picky person I don't know if this would be the best place for you. There are a lot of bugs, but you are in the jungle. Bring heavy duty bug spray. I would lather myself in OFF, but it didn't seem to be enough. We met some friends who had bug spray with 100% DEET and that seemed to do the trick as we sat outside a lot in the evening. All of the food was great and the service was nice as well. A few times the buffet food would be cold, big deal...find something else. You could get food and drinks 24 hrs. which was a plus. The beach was a little rocky, so bring water shoes. All of the pools were great. Make sure to try one of their flaming coffee drinks, amazing.

Date of stay: May 2007
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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5  Thank kc521
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 28 June 2007

After reading countless reviews of the Sandos Caracol before my trip I decided that I absolutely needed to write one myself.

My husband and I booked our vacation through Signature Vacations and had no troubles at all the entire trip. The Signature reps met us at the Cancun airport and made sure we got in the right van going to the right spot. Upon arrival we were checked in within minutes and passed those few moments with a Mohito.

Once we got to our room in building 2 we found out that the hotel had upgraded us to a jacuzzi suite for our honeymoon and they won us over at that point.

The room was huge with all marble floors and a giant balcony with a jacuzzi on it. The balcony overlooked the main pool and the beautiful Carribean Sea.'

All of the food we tried as delicious, beware they use a lot of salt there so u may want to taste before salting any meals. The waitstaff at each of the restaurants were amazing and were always quick to help u with anything u may need. Make sure u have the coffee, it truly is amazing. U also must try a drink they call the Miami Vice. Tried it day two and couldn't give it up the whole stay.

The beach is quite rocky once u hit the water but with some cheap water shoes u r good to go. The staff clean the beach constantly.

This was the first major trip for either my husband or myself and it truly was just perfect. the staff at the Sandos could possibly be the best I've ever encountered. Be sure to take a trip or two while there so u can enjoy some of the mayan culture. We went to Coba Mayan Jungle Tour for about 75 each american which included lunch and drinks. We also did swimming with the dolphins at Delphinus and although it is fairly costly at 150 USD each it's comply worth it. U spend one hour in the lagoon with two dolphins per group of 12 max. The dolphins kiss, hug and do a foot push to u.

This trip was the best money I have ever spend in my life and I can't believe it was so economical for the time we had. Absolutely 5 stars in my mind. We are planning our trip back and we've only been back in Canada for 2 days!

Date of stay: June 2007
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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8  Thank sclermont
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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