Caracol Village Experiences

MikeB · 06-29-2004

I just spent a week in caracol village with 10 members of my family/friends.

It was a mixed experience, so I will detail it for you.

The good:

The layout of the hotel is very pleasant. It has a lot of native foliage, natural lagoons, and even a cenote. The thatched roofs are a nice touch, and the tile walkways are nice and the overall look is very welcoming.

Most of the servers, bartenders, and housekeepers are very pleasant and accomodating, within their power.

The watersports are excellent. The kayaks, windsurfing boards, snorkeling gear, and the staff that mans the little shack are extremely nice and helpful.

The clientele attracted is mostly european, which is a nice change from what I am accustomed to. It was interesting to see so many languages spoken.

The over all feel of the resort was very natural and a very nice change from the overly sterile environment of most american hotels.

The bads:

The maintenence is absolutely horrific. The bathrooms smell like sewer gas, the air conditioning is marginal at best, and the walkways and roads are crumbling in many places. The plumbing and electrical often cut out at night, and the water is turned off entirely at 2AM every night.

The towels for the showers are collected at about 10AM every morning, and new ones are not provided generally until about 5PM. This makes for a little but of difficulty in showering mid day after swimming.

The average nightly sleeping temperature, due to non working air conditioning is a balmy 80 degrees, per my dive gauges.

The pool is in a terrible state of disrepair. It is tile lines, and the tiles are coming off one by one, leaving the sharp edges from the tile that remains, as well as the sharp edges of the tile that came out and now lies in the bottom of the pool. This led to at least 6 people needing sttiches in their feet while I was there, including my brother.

The night we arrived, we went for a swim in the main pool. There was a staff member watching the pool, and we asked him what time it closed. He stated to us 9PM, and we took a quick swim at about 8:30. Within a short time, my brother cut his foot and needed a doctor. He spent the night gettin stitched up and the next morning went to talk to the manager about the incident. The manager would not speak with him, and had the guest services manager tell him that the hotel was not responsible, as the pool had been closed at 8PM.

The hotel would not pay for his doctor bill, would not pay for his room, and only told him "sorry, but it is not our fault." The other real concern about the problem was that no action was taken to protect other guests. Over the next 6 days, I knew of at least 5 other people who needed stitches as well from the exposed tiles, at which point nothing had been done to fix the problem.

The other big problem we had was my wedding had been planned there in advance via telephone and email, at a price of $675. When I arrived there, there was absolutely no record of our communique, and the price magically jumped to $900. It is a wedding, I can cover it. More bad news, the hotel does not have the ability to process a credit card transaction, so I had to acquire the money at a bank in playa del carmen. I was only able to get $600 at the bank there, and was going to be short about $200, including an extra night I booked at the start. I spoke with the event coordinator, Lindsay, and was assured by her that because of the problems, the last night would be comped.

The next morning when I went to check out, there was no record of said conversation, and I was not allowed to leave until I paid for the last night, and I had no cash to do so. I had to get in touch with the travel agency and pay them with a credit card, and Lindsay, the event planner, would not come down and talk to me.

This type of he-said/she-said passing the buck was all too common at the resort, and I truly got the impression the management had no long term interest in the reputation or survivability of the resort. I really was given the impression that they simply wanted to wring every possible cent out of anyone who would visit the hotel.

Having worked at a Hotel in Santa Barbara the 4 years I was in college there, I know how to treat people well, and the value of following through. I think it is a lesson this resort has no interest or desire in learning. I personally would not reccomend to anyone staying at this hotel. The good points can not possibly outweigh the over all impression of the management of the hotel. Email me if you do have any questions, I am happy to answer.

Mike Bakker
Denver Colorado

Fernanda · 06-29-2004

its a shame that this kind of stuff still happend, and the worst on your wedding!, I can belive that nobody help you with your problems, what kind of resort is that?... this is going to sound silly , but why do you choose that resort??...did you book thru a travel agent?...if so, you should complain with them too!!....
PDC has tons of good choices that will provide you better service...

My second question ...will you come back to playa?

JJG · 06-30-2004

My goodness, even if he didn't use a travel agent, do you know, Funjet
books at Caracol Village, and Funjet is HUGE. I had been thinking it sounded pretty good as a low price AI option for next year's spring break - it was on the short list, anyway. The reviews on TripAdvisor were a typical mixed bag, with more positive than negative comments. Mike Bakker, thank you SO MUCH for posting this story. You might put it on tripadvisor too. Even though the ocean is there, having a nice pool is important, perhaps even more so to those of us travelling to AI's with kids.

MikeB · 06-30-2004

I booked there because it was an attractive price, and the over all reviews were not bad sounding. I have already spoken with the travel company, travelcenter.com, and we will see what they do to resolve the problem.

No, I would not return there again. Sadly, it taints ones image so much, that I am not sure I will return to PDC at all. The feelings are fresh now, perhaps in a while I will change my mind.

Mike

higgins1 · 07-14-2004

We're going Aug.7/04,what about the food, entertainment, restaurant facilities and location to town? Any feedback. Thanks

**Shammy** · 07-14-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJG

My goodness, even if he didn't use a travel agent, do you know, Funjet
books at Caracol Village, and Funjet is HUGE

Well, it does make a difference actually because a good agent, one who is familiar with the resorts in the Mayan Riviera, should have told him that this might not be the best choice, espceially for a wedding. Doesn't really matter if a certain company carries the property, it's up to the agent to make suggestions on what is and isn't a "good" resort (in their opinion of course

).

I personally do not recommend this hotel because there are just too many other places where you might spend just a few more dollars, but....those dollars would have been better spent!

Ya know, price is all relative. The saying "you get what you pay for" is often right on the money. However, there are times when you can get a resort that has both an attractive price AND is decent enough to stay in. There's no sense spending your hard earned money on sub par accommodations if you are going to return after not having a good enough time to make spending that money worth it. Know what I'm saying?

Who wants to spend a few thousand dollars and come home unhappy, unfufilled and unwilling to go back to one of the most beautiful places on earth?

Give it another shot my friend, the Mayan Riviera has a lot to offer. But next time, talk to someone who knows about the different resorts before you plunk money on the deal.

MikeB · 07-14-2004

A couple weeks have passed. I will likely go back, as Mexico was outrageously beautiful.

I suppose my own international naivety was my biggest problem, and I have certainly learned something.

Mike

**Shammy** · 07-14-2004

I'm glad to hear that Mike.

Ya live and learn I guess, right? But it's really not your fault, you did what you thought was the right thing and even though it didn't turn out exactly as planned, you still got married and you now can share your next vacation with your wife without all the pressures of the wedding to deal with!

Like I said, either research other properties yourself or get the advice of a knowledgeable agent before you set your next hotel choice in stone!

It'll be a much better trip, I'm sure of it!

06-29-2004	#1 (permalink)
MikeB sandflea Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3	Caracol Village Experiences I just spent a week in caracol village with 10 members of my family/friends. It was a mixed experience, so I will detail it for you. The good: The layout of the hotel is very pleasant. It has a lot of native foliage, natural lagoons, and even a cenote. The thatched roofs are a nice touch, and the tile walkways are nice and the overall look is very welcoming. Most of the servers, bartenders, and housekeepers are very pleasant and accomodating, within their power. The watersports are excellent. The kayaks, windsurfing boards, snorkeling gear, and the staff that mans the little shack are extremely nice and helpful. The clientele attracted is mostly european, which is a nice change from what I am accustomed to. It was interesting to see so many languages spoken. The over all feel of the resort was very natural and a very nice change from the overly sterile environment of most american hotels. The bads: The maintenence is absolutely horrific. The bathrooms smell like sewer gas, the air conditioning is marginal at best, and the walkways and roads are crumbling in many places. The plumbing and electrical often cut out at night, and the water is turned off entirely at 2AM every night. The towels for the showers are collected at about 10AM every morning, and new ones are not provided generally until about 5PM. This makes for a little but of difficulty in showering mid day after swimming. The average nightly sleeping temperature, due to non working air conditioning is a balmy 80 degrees, per my dive gauges. The pool is in a terrible state of disrepair. It is tile lines, and the tiles are coming off one by one, leaving the sharp edges from the tile that remains, as well as the sharp edges of the tile that came out and now lies in the bottom of the pool. This led to at least 6 people needing sttiches in their feet while I was there, including my brother. The night we arrived, we went for a swim in the main pool. There was a staff member watching the pool, and we asked him what time it closed. He stated to us 9PM, and we took a quick swim at about 8:30. Within a short time, my brother cut his foot and needed a doctor. He spent the night gettin stitched up and the next morning went to talk to the manager about the incident. The manager would not speak with him, and had the guest services manager tell him that the hotel was not responsible, as the pool had been closed at 8PM. The hotel would not pay for his doctor bill, would not pay for his room, and only told him "sorry, but it is not our fault." The other real concern about the problem was that no action was taken to protect other guests. Over the next 6 days, I knew of at least 5 other people who needed stitches as well from the exposed tiles, at which point nothing had been done to fix the problem. The other big problem we had was my wedding had been planned there in advance via telephone and email, at a price of $675. When I arrived there, there was absolutely no record of our communique, and the price magically jumped to $900. It is a wedding, I can cover it. More bad news, the hotel does not have the ability to process a credit card transaction, so I had to acquire the money at a bank in playa del carmen. I was only able to get $600 at the bank there, and was going to be short about $200, including an extra night I booked at the start. I spoke with the event coordinator, Lindsay, and was assured by her that because of the problems, the last night would be comped. The next morning when I went to check out, there was no record of said conversation, and I was not allowed to leave until I paid for the last night, and I had no cash to do so. I had to get in touch with the travel agency and pay them with a credit card, and Lindsay, the event planner, would not come down and talk to me. This type of he-said/she-said passing the buck was all too common at the resort, and I truly got the impression the management had no long term interest in the reputation or survivability of the resort. I really was given the impression that they simply wanted to wring every possible cent out of anyone who would visit the hotel. Having worked at a Hotel in Santa Barbara the 4 years I was in college there, I know how to treat people well, and the value of following through. I think it is a lesson this resort has no interest or desire in learning. I personally would not reccomend to anyone staying at this hotel. The good points can not possibly outweigh the over all impression of the management of the hotel. Email me if you do have any questions, I am happy to answer. Mike Bakker Denver Colorado

07-14-2004	#5 (permalink)
higgins1 sandflea Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 7	What About?caracol Village We're going Aug.7/04,what about the food, entertainment, restaurant facilities and location to town? Any feedback. Thanks

06-29-2004	#2 (permalink)
Fernanda beachaholic Join Date: May 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 387	its a shame that this kind of stuff still happend, and the worst on your wedding!, I can belive that nobody help you with your problems, what kind of resort is that?... this is going to sound silly , but why do you choose that resort??...did you book thru a travel agent?...if so, you should complain with them too!!.... PDC has tons of good choices that will provide you better service... My second question ...will you come back to playa?

06-30-2004	#3 (permalink)
JJG ruined Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 83	My goodness, even if he didn't use a travel agent, do you know, Funjet books at Caracol Village, and Funjet is HUGE. I had been thinking it sounded pretty good as a low price AI option for next year's spring break - it was on the short list, anyway. The reviews on TripAdvisor were a typical mixed bag, with more positive than negative comments. Mike Bakker, thank you SO MUCH for posting this story. You might put it on tripadvisor too. Even though the ocean is there, having a nice pool is important, perhaps even more so to those of us travelling to AI's with kids.

06-30-2004	#4 (permalink)
MikeB sandflea Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3	I booked there because it was an attractive price, and the over all reviews were not bad sounding. I have already spoken with the travel company, travelcenter.com, and we will see what they do to resolve the problem. No, I would not return there again. Sadly, it taints ones image so much, that I am not sure I will return to PDC at all. The feelings are fresh now, perhaps in a while I will change my mind. Mike

07-14-2004	#7 (permalink)
MikeB sandflea Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3	A couple weeks have passed. I will likely go back, as Mexico was outrageously beautiful. I suppose my own international naivety was my biggest problem, and I have certainly learned something. Mike

07-14-2004	#8 (permalink)
Shammy Travel Insurance Tester Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Joisey Shore Posts: 10,893	I'm glad to hear that Mike. Ya live and learn I guess, right? But it's really not your fault, you did what you thought was the right thing and even though it didn't turn out exactly as planned, you still got married and you now can share your next vacation with your wife without all the pressures of the wedding to deal with! Like I said, either research other properties yourself or get the advice of a knowledgeable agent before you set your next hotel choice in stone! It'll be a much better trip, I'm sure of it!

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