Sandos Caracol Eco Resort and Spa - any opinions

Calgarian · 11-22-2011

Hi this will be our first visit to PDC (in a few weeks) and we are very excited. We are a group of 2 adults and 2 children, 11 and 8. We got a good deal on Sandos Caracol Eco Resort and Spa and have booked it. Just wondering if anyone here can give me first hand info or reviews on the hotel.
Thanks for your help.

hampsha · 11-23-2011

Hello,
My husband and I spent our first week in Playa at Sandos Caracol back in 2007. We enjoyed it very much and had a great time. It is a great intro to the area. The kids area pool is really nice and if you got a good deal even better. We took cabs into town for 10 and it was a 15-20 minute ride. The grounds were well maintained and the food wasn't bad. The beach is quite rocky so bring watershoes. Look out for the "condo people" who will promise you everything to get you to a timeshare meeting. Book your meals when you get there as they fill up fast! I had a massage at the spa which was fantastic. On their website you can get a vip slip for free which will give you access to more things around the resort, but make sure you get it before you go and present it when you get there and you might get a free upgrade. We have since tried out different places in town and enjoy being close to the action of 5th but have never regretted Sandos being our first "all inclusive" experience! Have a great trip and I hope this helped!

patricia w · 11-23-2011

Hello,
We spent our first time in the Sandos Caracol in 2010,after all the years sinds 2005 in the center of PDC.We had no idea if this was the right choise,but it was so good that we went back in Sept. this year and are allready looking to get back at the end of the year again.The people and service are great,it's clean and also the kids will have a great time too!Have a great time there.

Calgarian · 11-23-2011

Thank you, Patricia, hampsha for your responses, its a big relief - I was having some second thoughts after reading some negative reviews on Tripadvisor. If you are a repeat customer, patricia, that surely speaks volumes about the resort. Hampsha, thank you for the tip on becoming a vip customer from their website, I will access their website this weekend and sign up. Once again, thank you all. cant wait to get there - only a few more weeks to go!!

BERT G · 12-01-2011

My wife and I are Royal Elite members, have been for 5 yrs now.
We have stayed at Caracol 5 times now and love it. Any other questions for me contact me.

BERT G

rickfly · 12-01-2011

we stayed there last year for our second week, the resort is fairly decent, the rooms are dated, the pool by the beach is kinda overcrowded with a lot of activity by way of drinks, the beach is a nice beach, food is not to bad. make sure to swim in the cenotes on the site. a couple of nights each week they have a good assortment of vendors, the entertainment is quite good, they seem to travel from resort to resort with different groups each night, i really liked the circus night and the fire dancing night groups. make reservations at the italian and brazillian restaurants , the mexican one we never got to. the main buffet is a nice selection and has good flavors, in the morning if the main buffet is too busy go to the italian restaurant next door as they also serve breakfast. grab a cab and see fifth ave, also if you can go to the el fogon restaurant in play del carmen , somewhere around 25th across from the mega store, the best food in 30 years , all 8 of us had way more food than we could possibly eat and 2 drinks each all for 80 bucks, awesome food, but brush up on your restaurant spanish so you can figure out what you want as the waitress definitely speaks No english, overall the sandos caracol is all right, but the sandos playacar is a little nicer and newer . both are decent but there are many that far surpass if you are looking for posh accomodations and services. fairly wide variety of folks from all over, a little outside town , great area for kids under 12 with their own waterpark, good entertainment, soso rooms, service from the main desk and room staff is at best slow. you can find lots of others in the same price range that are nicer ,but that is my opinion. look on locogrongo.com and you will find all kinds of info, or pm me and i can talk on the phone with you as i am 2 hrs south of calgary, and been to the mayan riviera 12 times, and booked for the coming season , always go for 14 days and stay at 2 resorts as after a week it gets stale. rick

krazzy · 12-02-2011

Hey there albertan,

its a good resort to start at , your kids well love the water park they have installed there a few years ago ,, it well seem like a huge resort when you get there , but it is not really compared to some others I have been to in the area. Just look at the maps and after a day you well get your bearings. The only negative about the resort is the timeshare sharks,, just poiltely say no thanks and Keeep walking. Make sure you go to playa del carmen and check out the beach there , fifth ave and the ferry to cozumel, since its your first time you might want to check out cozumel too, its about a 45 min trip and you might as well see it when your there. The resort has complimentary shuttles into town so no need to pay a taxi. Also Do upgrade to vip member on there site if its still free and make sure you print out the card and take it with you you well get a better room and closer to the action if they have you placed way in the back of the resort, have fun amigo.

BERT G · 01-18-2012

krazzy says in reply free shuttles to town. not any more hasn't been any for last 2 years will need to taxi to town

11-22-2011	#1 (permalink)
Calgarian sandflea Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Calgary, Canada Posts: 2	Sandos Caracol Eco Resort and Spa - any opinions Hi this will be our first visit to PDC (in a few weeks) and we are very excited. We are a group of 2 adults and 2 children, 11 and 8. We got a good deal on Sandos Caracol Eco Resort and Spa and have booked it. Just wondering if anyone here can give me first hand info or reviews on the hotel. Thanks for your help.

12-01-2011	#5 (permalink)
BERT G way into it Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: SOUTH WEST MICHIGAN Posts: 115	Sandos caracol My wife and I are Royal Elite members, have been for 5 yrs now. We have stayed at Caracol 5 times now and love it. Any other questions for me contact me. BERT G

01-18-2012	#8 (permalink)
BERT G way into it Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: SOUTH WEST MICHIGAN Posts: 115	Sandos caracol krazzy says in reply free shuttles to town. not any more hasn't been any for last 2 years will need to taxi to town

11-23-2011	#2 (permalink)
hampsha way into it Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 111	Hello, My husband and I spent our first week in Playa at Sandos Caracol back in 2007. We enjoyed it very much and had a great time. It is a great intro to the area. The kids area pool is really nice and if you got a good deal even better. We took cabs into town for 10 and it was a 15-20 minute ride. The grounds were well maintained and the food wasn't bad. The beach is quite rocky so bring watershoes. Look out for the "condo people" who will promise you everything to get you to a timeshare meeting. Book your meals when you get there as they fill up fast! I had a massage at the spa which was fantastic. On their website you can get a vip slip for free which will give you access to more things around the resort, but make sure you get it before you go and present it when you get there and you might get a free upgrade. We have since tried out different places in town and enjoy being close to the action of 5th but have never regretted Sandos being our first "all inclusive" experience! Have a great trip and I hope this helped!

11-23-2011	#3 (permalink)
patricia w ruined Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Holland Posts: 80	Hello, We spent our first time in the Sandos Caracol in 2010,after all the years sinds 2005 in the center of PDC.We had no idea if this was the right choise,but it was so good that we went back in Sept. this year and are allready looking to get back at the end of the year again.The people and service are great,it's clean and also the kids will have a great time too!Have a great time there.

11-23-2011	#4 (permalink)
Calgarian sandflea Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Calgary, Canada Posts: 2	Thank you, Patricia, hampsha for your responses, its a big relief - I was having some second thoughts after reading some negative reviews on Tripadvisor. If you are a repeat customer, patricia, that surely speaks volumes about the resort. Hampsha, thank you for the tip on becoming a vip customer from their website, I will access their website this weekend and sign up. Once again, thank you all. cant wait to get there - only a few more weeks to go!!

12-01-2011	#6 (permalink)
rickfly toe in water Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: paradise lost Posts: 40	we stayed there last year for our second week, the resort is fairly decent, the rooms are dated, the pool by the beach is kinda overcrowded with a lot of activity by way of drinks, the beach is a nice beach, food is not to bad. make sure to swim in the cenotes on the site. a couple of nights each week they have a good assortment of vendors, the entertainment is quite good, they seem to travel from resort to resort with different groups each night, i really liked the circus night and the fire dancing night groups. make reservations at the italian and brazillian restaurants , the mexican one we never got to. the main buffet is a nice selection and has good flavors, in the morning if the main buffet is too busy go to the italian restaurant next door as they also serve breakfast. grab a cab and see fifth ave, also if you can go to the el fogon restaurant in play del carmen , somewhere around 25th across from the mega store, the best food in 30 years , all 8 of us had way more food than we could possibly eat and 2 drinks each all for 80 bucks, awesome food, but brush up on your restaurant spanish so you can figure out what you want as the waitress definitely speaks No english, overall the sandos caracol is all right, but the sandos playacar is a little nicer and newer . both are decent but there are many that far surpass if you are looking for posh accomodations and services. fairly wide variety of folks from all over, a little outside town , great area for kids under 12 with their own waterpark, good entertainment, soso rooms, service from the main desk and room staff is at best slow. you can find lots of others in the same price range that are nicer ,but that is my opinion. look on locogrongo.com and you will find all kinds of info, or pm me and i can talk on the phone with you as i am 2 hrs south of calgary, and been to the mayan riviera 12 times, and booked for the coming season , always go for 14 days and stay at 2 resorts as after a week it gets stale. rick

12-02-2011	#7 (permalink)
krazzy life=playa Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 723	Hey there albertan, its a good resort to start at , your kids well love the water park they have installed there a few years ago ,, it well seem like a huge resort when you get there , but it is not really compared to some others I have been to in the area. Just look at the maps and after a day you well get your bearings. The only negative about the resort is the timeshare sharks,, just poiltely say no thanks and Keeep walking. Make sure you go to playa del carmen and check out the beach there , fifth ave and the ferry to cozumel, since its your first time you might want to check out cozumel too, its about a 45 min trip and you might as well see it when your there. The resort has complimentary shuttles into town so no need to pay a taxi. Also Do upgrade to vip member on there site if its still free and make sure you print out the card and take it with you you well get a better room and closer to the action if they have you placed way in the back of the resort, have fun amigo.

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