Sandos Caracol

[BERT G]

Has anyone ever stayed at Sandos Caracol? If so how did you like it?

[anniefrog]

Hello Bert G, I am new to this site (been lurking a long time). I am also going to the Caracol in March 2009 so hoping to see some replies.

[lin7604]

we loved it! it was a few years ago though but we are thinking of going back this up coming winter as it looks so nice after all the renovations! We thought the food was excellent and lots of drink selections.

[hampsha]

we went in nov 07 and it was fantastic. Can't wait to go back. Good food, tons of pools, good bars and the rooms were clean and adequate. The beach is somewhat rocky but you can wear water shoes or walk 5min and find a sandy area. It is located just a short cab ride from town which costs 10us. They do offer shuttles for free into town throughout the day. Any specific questions, feel free to pm us.

[JonnyEnglish]

Hi, just returned from the Sandos Caracol in PDC, its a good hotel, but depends what you want. Food was good, room was good....but it is a big site so you can end up miles away from the restaurants pools and beach as we did. We had a last minute bargain and were there principally to do some real estate business so we did not complain. Blocks 48-60 are furhest from the beach,restaurants and pools, if you like peace and quiet and a brisk walk to heighten your appetite these rooms may be for you !! I think if you can get a room overlooking the main pool/beach your on to a winner, these tend to be low numbers 1-10 ish...oh there are 3 floors to each block and no lifts, so opt for a basement room if you cant face the climb after a long walk !! There are constant golf buggy type trains to transport guests about so its not too bad. The blocks are close too so if you want sun on your balcony, you may be unlucky. For us the location was too far from Playacar and PDC and we ended up using taxis at $10 a go. The beach here was good, plenty of chairs and sun shades so no early morning missions needed, pool was big and again usually got seats there before 8.30am. There are 3 or 4 large (15" ) lizards around the pool that has become very friendly, they jumped up on our loungers during their quest for food finding, it scared the hell out of one bloke !!! they seemed to like fruit from the restaurant. There is a shuttle bus to take guests to the city, this is very popular so early queueing recommended. To sum up we felt isolated and if given the choice again would opt for the Sandos Playacar due to its location.
cheers
J

[Los Sigmanes]

We arrived at Sandos Caracol the day after hurricane Dean last Aug. It took awhile for the resort to get everything cleaned up and put back in place after dismantling all of the common area light fixtures for safety of the guests. The staff worked hard to make things right, but there were a few problems. We waited a very long time to get a clean room after a late check in. The refrigerators are not cold. It took almost a week to remove all of the piles of plywood that were used to protect the windows and sliding doors. One of the reinstalled chandeliers, in the rotunda, fell down again, and the staff just laughed. Thank goodness no one was hurt.
The buffets were decent, the a la carte restaurants were only so-so. The food is plentiful, but only average quality. The drinks are great, but it really helps to tip well. The service was very good in all. I only had one problem, at the Asian restaurant, getting the waiter to understand I needed him to bring an appetizer right away, for my 3 year old. My Spanish is OK, but this was too complicated for me to explain well. He refused to place the order, not understanding that we needed the food right away for our hungry child. We ended up walking out.
The resort is a little far north from downtown, and if you are looking for night life, that will be a bigger issue. The free buses to Playa get very crowded, and you will have to wait in line. The cab into Playa will be a better choice if you intend to visit a few times only.
Resort entertainment: The evening shows are usually silly, and sometimes risque. The daytime 'animation' crew at the main pool hosts competitions for the athletic and/or beer chugging show-offs to get up and make fools of themselves. Watch out for the 'team' water polo/volleyball, as it can get a little rough. The disco action was pretty lame. Take advantage of the free non-motorized sports. Sign up right away for a catamaran sail. It was one of our trip highlights.
Finally, make sure if you pay the day before you leave, to have your receipt available to show the overnight manager. We had to leave very early for our Cancun departure, and couldn't find our proof of payment (I had packed it). The night Supervisor tried to say we hadn't paid for our phone calls, wanted our beach towel cards (which we didn't have, the cabana had closed before we left the pool), etc. and was quite unpleasant. We were delayed 45 minutes because I wouldn't give him a bribe. Almost ruined the whole trip!
I am glad we tried an AI, but in the future we will be staying at small hotels. Whether you like Sandos Caracol depends on what you are looking for in a vacation. If you aren't into a lot of shopping/clubbing, and you prefer quantity of food/beverage over quality, this will be a nice place for you.