I just got married in a beautiful ceremony on the beach at the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort. Fernanda the wedding planner made it a breeze. She had everything all set up, we drove to the beach in a golf cart, had a beautiful place to saw our vows to each other and the world and at the end of it we were greeted with Champagne at the end of the "aisle".
This day would not have been possible without her.
In addition to the beautiful wedding, the rooms were fabulous the food was delicious and every care or need we had was met with a smile.
I would suggest this resort to anyone who loves the Jungle,the beach, good food and the feeling of safety.

We stayed at the Sandos Caracol for 10 days at the end of October. Overall, I'd say the trip was great...we have 3 kids, ages 9, 11 & 12, and they all had a fabulous time. They had never been to Mexico or a resort like that before so everything was new and wonderful for them. For my husband and myself, it was less so, however, we knew going in that this was only a 3 1/2 star resort, and just as the concierge said on the first night - "not the most luxurious" resort out there.

Negatives:
Food....the food was just okay. We didn't starve, we always found something to eat, but it got tiresome after a week for sure, and we've experienced much better in the Riviera Maya at other resorts.

Swimming.....the beach area itself was wonderful, with beautiful white sand (although they could definitely use more huts on the beach, we would go down by 7:30 to get our lounge chairs and some days it was slim pickings already!); however the swimming areas were awful, full of rocks and coral. We had expected it to be a little bad because of reviews we'd read here, but even with water shoes, my husband and kids ended up with cut feet, knees, hands, etc. I just stayed out of the water, I didn't enjoy having to watch every step I took!

Rooms....I could definitely see why part of the hotel was closed for renovations, the rooms are in need of it. Our shower was nasty, all the water drained to the wrong end and sat there stagnant and stinking. The water pressure in the shower was low to nonexistent (seriously - we'd be in the middle of a shower and the water would just taper off to absolutely nothing!), the temperature would change at will and constantly from freezing to boiling...it was ridiculous.
However, it wasn't anything that even came close to ruining our experience...it was just irritating, and once they get all the rooms renovated, I think those problems will be taken care of and they'll be beautiful.

Now to the positive:
Service....I would say the people who work at this resort are worthy of 5 stars on their own. Very friendly staff and excellent service. The grounds and rooms were kept VERY clean, the housekeepers always left little towel animals on our bed, the fridge was well-stocked....the staff here seem to be happy and hard-working. From the front desk, to the restaurants and buffet, to the bars, for the most part everybody was great. Eric at the pool bar was especially wonderful...my kids LOVED him!

Pools....it was great that they had the 3 different options - adult, quiet and main pools, plus the waterpark. Definitely made it possible to mix things up a little. My kids tried the waterpark one afternoon and had alot of fun, but didn't want to go back, so maybe it was just a little young for them. Same with the quiet pool. So we spent all our time at the main pool, where they had music, games and activities, and at the beach. The activities at the main pool were quite well done and they had fun just watching alot of time. They went to the Kids Club one evening, just to try it out....it was geared for a younger crowd for sure, but they had lots of fun and like so many other things here - it made for variety in our activities.

Activities....the staff did a great job of keeping the guests entertained - from activites at the pool, to beach volleyball and soccer, to the sorkeling and boogie boards - there were lots of options to keep the kids busy!
The shows that we saw were very well done....we only caught a couple but really enjoyed what we saw. The kids liked the afternoon movies as well...we wish that they'd all had sub-titles, but the ones that did were a nice break from the sun and something different!

The resort itself was an unusual experience....the smells in some areas were a little off-putting, especially crossing the bridge into the International Buffet....not a nice introduction to a restaurant at all!! For the most part, the jungle experience was pretty cool, with the animals everywhere and interesting paths. At night it got a little too dark, but it was quite pretty during the day. And we enjoyed all the different routes and paths to take around the grounds...mixed things up and became a game to pick the fastest route!
Our first night there we were given a room in the 45 block, which are the absolute furthest rooms from everything....however when we asked for a different room, they switched us the very next day with absolutely no issue. We packed up our stuff in the morning, switched our keys at the desk and our luggage was delivered to the new room within a few hours - another example of their excellent customer service.
The bellboys and front desk staff were fabulous at check-in and at check-out as well......there was no wait at all, we were delivered right to our room after check-in; and at check-out, we just packed up our stuff, called the desk, and then went out to enjoy our last morning at the beach....when we were ready to leave, our luggage was all sitting in the lobby waiting for us.

Although we probably wouldn't return to this particular resort (partly because we like to try new places and partly because the swimming area was a disappointment), we would try a Sandos again and we would DEFINITELY recommend this resort to other families like ourselves - larger than 4 people and on a budget!! I think because our expectations were realistic, we enjoyed our vacation, our kids had a fabulous time, they can't wait to go to Mexico again and we left with wonderful memories of this resort!

Our trip to the Mayan Riviera was amazing and made even more fabulous by our experience at this resort.
Safe, clean, quiet when wanted and bustling with energy when you needed to find it.
We upgraded to the Royal Elite adults only section and really enjoyed the room, bed and quiet relaxing environment..the walk not so much! However - the wonderful adults only area was worth the upgrade and walk every am.
My only disappoinment was with the experience with the Photo gallery. We booked pictures on the beach which proved to be fun and a wonderful experience. We seemed to connect with our photographer and when we were picking our packages she told us our price ...I reverbalized the amount in US dollars. The photograper confirmed the sum and I paid with my visa. The photographer overrode the visa pin and asked me to sign the slip...which I hesitated..but did.
To my discovery once back on Canadian soil my amount went from 83.00 to 830.00 ...with one extra zero I thought a mistake was made. I contacted Visa and they confirmed I signed for that amount. Buyer beware.
I tried several times for the photography studio to rectify the situation and the hotel to look into this.
Neither party was willing to satisfy my inquiry or compromise on a solution.
We are going back to the Mayan Riviera ..actually in just under three weeks.
We have made reservations at another resort and are taking three more people.
Resort, accommodations, service, food, locations and libations great....but....

My newlywed husband and I just can't say enough great things about Sandos Caracol Eco Resort & Spa. This is our 8th all inclusive vacation from all across the Caribbean and we can definitely say that it is our favorite resort yet! Our room (Penthouse, Jacuzzi, Select Club room 7022) was the nicest room that we have ever had in an all inclusive, which we have stayed at many so called "5*" resorts, and this room tops them all. We absolutely loved the Select Club restaurant that was open all day everyday, with the exception of dinner time when it changed into the Brazilian restaurant. All the staff that worked in this restaurant were exceptional, and service was second to none, not to mention the food was good too!

We found the food to be awesome, with a wide variety of food to choose from, including healthier options, which is nice.

We just absolutely loved the layout of the resort, since we found it very easy to find our way around, unlike other larger resorts that we have stayed at. There is so much to do around the resort, that you really don't feel the need to leave. We left the resort one day to go into Playa De Carmen and took a cab there at the resort for $14 US, and decided to walk back to the resort along the beach, which took aproximately 2 1/2 hours and was a beautiful walk.

Now for our wedding day, thanks to Fernanda and Andrea for making it one of the most memorable days of our lives! We had a beautiful, intimate ceremony on the beach in the new wicker domes by the Elite Club area, followed by a romantic boat ride, and then had spectacular romantic dinner for two on the beach (which was no extra charge because we ate from the La Riveria Restaurant) and the food was fantastic. To finish off the night, our room was beautifully decorated when we returned home that night, with rose petals, candles, "Just Married" T-shirts, etc. Both Fernanda and Andrea were available for any questions or requests we had before our nuptials, and continued to check in with us for the rest of our trip, which we feel was above and beyond.

Marco (Sandos Photographer) did a fabulous job on our photos, and we had so many great shots to choose from. Since it was just my husband and I on this trip, we definitely found purchasing all our photos on DVD for $350.00 US a good deal.

I took the yoga class one morning, which was probably one of the best yoga classes I have ever taken!

All in all, this resort was by far the nicest resort we have ever stayed at, when you take in consideration, the food, rooms, resort activities, layout, service and overall value. We can't wait to return (hopefully to celebrate our 1 yr Wedding Anniversary) next year, and next time we hope to stay for 2 weeks.

We would highly recommend this resort to both families and couples, since we feel it meets the needs of everyone, with the exceptional of young party goers.

Thank you so much Sandos for making our holiday one we will remember forever!