Sandos Caracol Nature Resort & Water Park

We stayed here for two weeks as a family of five and overall I’d say this is a solid 4-star resort. There’s a lot to like, but quite a few things that stop it from being somewhere we’d rush back to. First off, the setting is stunning. The hotel being built into the jungle is what really makes it special and the amount of wildlife around the resort is incredible. We saw iguanas, monkeys, coatis, lizards, fish and all sorts throughout our stay. For us, that was probably the hotel’s biggest selling point and definitely one of the things the kids will remember most. The beach itself is also beautiful and generally well maintained. We were here in September, so there was quite a lot of sargassum which made the sea look brown and caused a bit of a smell at times, but that’s obviously seasonal and not really something you can blame the hotel for. The main issue for us was consistency, especially when it came to cleanliness. Outside areas were quite often left with cups and rubbish lying around and the main pool simply wasn’t cleaned enough. On more than one occasion we were having to fish cups, discarded plasters and other bits out of the water ourselves first thing in the morning. Sunbeds were also regularly covered in bird mess. The pool itself could really do with some work too. The bottom and sides are extremely rough and by the end of the holiday our kids’ swimming costumes looked noticeably worn compared with when we arrived. Housekeeping was much the same story. It was okay, but inconsistent. Some days we had enough towels, some days we didn’t. Some days the minibar was refilled, other days it wasn’t. Our first balcony actually had to be cleaned five times before it was properly clean, eventually with Guest Relations getting involved. To be fair, that leads on to one of the positives. Guest Relations were excellent. Whenever we raised a problem, it generally got sorted. The frustration was that you often had to raise it in the first place. Arrival and check-in were smooth, friendly and welcoming. The rooms are spacious, comfortable and have everything you need. They’re nothing particularly special visually, but perfectly fine to stay in. Air conditioning was very good, although the shower temperature seemed to have a mind of its own at times. Food was probably our biggest disappointment over a two-week stay. There’s plenty of it, but it becomes very repetitive very quickly. A lot of the food seemed to be slow-cooked, quite bland and a bit uninspiring, while grilled meats, especially the steaks, were often extremely tough. After about a week we were pretty much done with it. The taco bar was good, but there are only so many tacos you can eat in two weeks. The Friday evening food market was a real highlight though and something we genuinely enjoyed. We actually ended up using Uber Eats a few times just for a change. If anyone else does the same, we can highly recommend Don Mario Ristorante Pizzeria. Both the pizza and pasta were excellent and arrived piping hot. Service around the hotel could be brilliant, but again it was inconsistent. A special mention has to go to Karina in the buffet restaurant, who was absolutely lovely and spent most of the holiday trying to get a hello out of our stubborn 2-year-old! Cristina in the buffet was also excellent. The water park is good, but not amazing. There are plenty of slides and the kids enjoyed it, but again some of the surfaces are very rough. We also had an uncomfortable moment where some comments made by the slide attendants towards our 13-year-old daughter felt inappropriate, which naturally didn’t sit well with us as parents. The little bar at the water park only serves soft drinks and only at certain times, so if you fancy a beer while the kids are playing you’ve got a fair old walk. We also tried the kids’ club once, but our 13-year-old was told she was too old to use the soft play with her younger sister. That pretty much put us off going back, which was a shame when travelling with children of different ages. Bars around the resort have a mix of branded and non-branded spirits. Dos Equis is the draught beer and is perfectly fine. You do need to get used to drinking out of plastic cups for pretty much the whole holiday unless you’re in a restaurant. We visited in low season, so overcrowding wasn’t an issue at all, which was nice. The flip side was that several restaurants and bars were closed during our stay, which wasn’t something we were aware of when we booked. Getting around the resort is generally easy enough, although because of the jungle layout you can definitely find yourself wandering around wondering where on earth you are for the first few days. Wi-Fi deserves a mention because it was genuinely phenomenal. It worked brilliantly pretty much everywhere across the resort. We didn’t really use the organised entertainment, but there always seemed to be plenty going on and the evening shows looked like they were of a good standard. Overall, we had a good holiday and there are some genuinely lovely things about Sandos Caracol. The wildlife, jungle setting and beach are fantastic, the rooms are comfortable and when the service is good, it’s very good. But for us there were just too many little inconsistencies with cleanliness, maintenance, food and service. Nothing was disastrous, and problems were normally fixed when we raised them, but for a resort at this level we felt we were having to point things out far too often. Would we return? Probably not. We’re glad we experienced it and the wildlife side of the resort is genuinely special, but there are too many other resorts in Mexico we’d rather try next time.

10/10 fantastic resort. Just having so much wildlife roaming freely is a breath of fresh air The resort itself is second to none, it's clean, spacious and the staff are so attentive, nothing is too much for them I stayed in the adult only section that has a lovely swimming pool close by with a bar and restaurant located just by the pool. The whole experience is so fantastic with plenty to do or not do if you're looking for a relaxing time The swimming in the Cenote was a great experience, I'd recommend taking your snorkeling kit if you have one. I'd read that the beaches are a bit rocky and covered with seaweed but it wasn't as bad as I'd expected. A plus note, if you walk up the beach a little further, the water is far clearer than right outside the resort The food in all of the restaurants was excellent, you need to book the day before, at 4pm, if you want to go to the Teppanyaki restaurant; this was exceptional so would definitely recommend it. All other restaurants are available on the day We hired a car for 3 days to travel to see the Myan Ruins in Tulum and then to go to Cancun for the ferry to Isla Mujeres, which was was amazing and we stayed to watch the sunset which was amazing too Overall, I love this resort and for the price, it was excellent value for money and I hope to go again

First time in Mexico and I thoroughly enjoyed it for the most part. The atmosphere and the wildlife here were amazing. I felt welcomed by most of the staff and had an amazing time. The food was amazing, but most nights I couldn’t eat in the buffet due to allergies, so had to go to the al a carte restaurants (Teppanyaki was the absolute best) or had to order food to the hotel instead, which wasn’t an issue, just informed security at the gate. The only negative things I have to say, is that we had to move rooms due to safety issues and the second room we moved to, I was bitten by bedbugs (no, not mosquitoes). I saw the doctor on site and this was confirmed with him. Reception refused to believe me even after I had seen the doctor, but was eventually sorted and moved rooms again. The second issue I had was one of the pools being closed. Because of that, the main pool with the swim up bar was absolutely packed everyday and struggled to get sun loungers until the rain started and most people left. I’m aware there’s another pool, but it was too far for me with my disabilities. The pool with the swim up bar isn’t the best and would definitely recommend wearing water shoes as it’s very rough. Other than that, I think it’s a great hotel and I would possibly return in the future.

We had a delicious dinner at la toscana restaurant. Our servers were Nury and Carlos. Everything was wonderful ♥️

Carlos y Nury are such beautiful friendly people, made our family dinner so enjoyable