Sandos Caracol Nature Resort & Water Park - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

26594 reviews

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  Beautiful natural resort, very good food

  Beautiful site, dive center staff is great. Reception desk is extremely slow and unorganised. Family suite avertises for 5-6 persons but is really for 4

  Nov 09, 2025
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  Save your money and book elsewhere unless you want to sweat in a hot room

  Checked into a room without a working air conditioner spoke to a manager supposedly name Alexa she refused to change rooms claiming that the hotel was booked out have waited over 2 hours for maintenance to come look at the air conditioner. Have traveled to Mexico many times never experience anything like this.

  Nov 08, 2025
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  Disappointment from start to finish.

  I really feel the need to share our experience. I am not one to leave bad reviews but this visit has not been one I would want to revisit. I came as a single parent- and as that I had three staff members come and ask me where my husband was upon check in- saying they needed it for census purposes, but then were so taken back they needed to ask me again, and then again. That set a tone for me, but I was trying to look past it. I then was given a room with no hot water, and it took me two days of consistently bugging them to get it working. We chose this resort for the water park, water park was closed. It’s day three and my kids are refusing to eat from the buffet. They are excellent eaters, but they know bad food when they see it. I had salad for dinner but couldn’t find a table with a fork so we had popcorn. I have been to a couple resorts at the same price point in MR, and this buffet is dreadful. The line ups are lengthy as there is only one open buffet. That being said, Los Lirias was delicious and we loved it- just haven’t been able to get another reso since. The spa ladies that braided my daughter’s hair were lovely, and the Segway tour is something we’ll remember forever. The monkeys are so much fun- but there was far more wildlife at Bahia Principe. The trees are gorgeous but the paths are not kept and smell like raw sewage at many parts. There is a strange point at the smoothie bar that literally smells like human feces. The main pool has crumbling concrete, quite small and very murky. Could be the overflow from the closed kiddo pool but I have seen this observation prior. My parents were joining us for the last 4 days of our trip. They landed tonight and were directed to another hotel saying this one was overbooked. We are now here alone and family trip has been ruined. Making the best of it- but if looking to book, I would believe the bad reviews. This place has brought out my inner Karen and I am so not one. 😆

  Nov 07, 2025
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  A lovely nature-filled jungle resort.

  Lots to share! We stayed end of October on Early November 2025. Grounds: This resort is stunning. If you like nature and animals, this one is fantastic. The jungle is full of coati's, spider monkies, lizards & iguanas, agouti's, cranes, turtles and more. They even have 6-7 cats and a couple dogs on the beach. We cannot say enough about just how beautiful the grounds are. Mosquitos did not bother us at all (very few). Room: We stayed in they Eco family penthouse suite. The two rooms (one for us, one for the kiddos) was perfect for our family of 4 in terms of size. It was spacious, and the kids loved having their own zone. We were quite close to the beach and both family pools. The downside of the room was one of the bathroom doors didnt latch, and our phone was dead so we were unable to call for luggage pickup at checkout. Otherwise a great room, with a big jug of filtered water to drink, and hot water in the showers. Food: The main buffet had lots and lots of options, cooked and not. They also had delicous fresh juices at every meal, which we really enjoyed. They do seafood very well. They also have lots of fresh bread and pastries if that is your thing. However, we have a dairy allergy & lactose intolerance in the family, and nothing at the Laguna buffet is labeled for allergens. Not a one. So you have to guess, which lead to quite a few upset stomachs for us. We ended up just eating fresh veggies, sliced fruit, and grilled meat for most of the visit. Which was yummy anyway, so we made due. 99.9% of the desserts were dairy based. Not an issue for most, but obv for us it was. A'la carte's were alright. Here allergens were labeled. Fogo, Brazilian steakhouse, was in a nice spot by the adult pool, and the food was fresh and tasty. Riviera, the Mediterranean spot just off the beach, was beautiful. The food was just okay, but the atmosphere lovely. The last one we tried was El Tempo (I believe it's called), which is tepenyaki. It was lots of fun, the fried rice was tasty, as were the shrimp, the chef was entertaining, and here they brought a special dairy free cake for the kids. This one would be tricky for the celiacs of the world though, as cross contamination would be very hard to avoid. Water: Tortuga pool, the quieter family pool, had lots of shade, seating, and was usually very clean. It was out favorite spot. If you have kids under 8, it would be wise to pack a life jacket as they are not available anywhere outside of the cenote or jade river float. The main pool was very large, and popular. They had fresh smoothies there at lunch, delish. The pool did get notably dirty and crowded throughout the day. The beach was fine. Could always find a beach chair. Some parts are rocky, so bring your water shoes. Select pool (Adults only) looked lovely, but as we were Eco family, we were not allowed in it (even just as adults). The Cenote was a fun swim, don't miss it! Jade river swim, went to do it, the water looked super gross (just dirty from being in the jungle I suppose) so we left. Shows: Pretty good! The pirates one had lots of aerial acrobatics, which was fun, and the Micheal Jackson show was an entertaining throwback. Misc: Painting those clay items by the pool is relaxing, give it a go. Bring preventative drops for swimmers ear for your kiddos. Actually, bring all sunscreens, medications, after bite, immodium, pepto, pain relievers, or anything else along those lines as they have them at the store, but the prices are insane (ie. $25 Can for INFANT tylenol, like $40ish for childrens Advil). They have a doctor on-site if something happens, he is available whenever, cost $140 USD, and is very friendly, well spoken, and knows his stuff. Suspension bridge and caves are a nice treat We would consider visiting this place again if only for those beautiful grounds, fun pools, and all the animals!

  Nov 06, 2025
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  Review of Sandos Caracol Eco Resort – November 2025 Stay

  We stay at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort from November 1. We had a few resort options, but Sandos seemed the most appealing because of its variety of activities and experiences all in one place. As I am in the last trimester of pregnancy, so for this time I wasn’t interested in tours and adventures, having everything on-site was ideal. Just want to relax! At check-in, we upgraded our bracelets to the Adult Club for $350 USD since we were traveling without kids this time. Our plan was to explore the resort and, if we liked it, return next time with our three children. And share experience with few friends who is going for vacation soon. We were assigned a room in Building #12 ( regular room , not adults only area), ground floor — a convenient location. The bellman who brought our luggage was very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, that’s where the good part of our room experience ended. The moment we entered our room, we stepped into a huge puddle of water — a toilet leak that had spread across the entire floor. On the first day, maintenance came three times to fix it, and after the last visit at after 9 pm, we had to mop the floor ourselves with towels because reception and service were unavailable. The room also had a very strong musty, moldy smell that made me feel sick, problem to breath and caused watery eyes. Being pregnant, I had to sleep with the balcony door open just to breathe. We reported all the issues immediately to our travel agent, who contacted the resort and owner, but the next morning the reception still refused to change our room, promising only to “fix” it while we stayed there. They brought an ozonator for 1 day to remove the smell, but no one warned us that it’s unsafe to stay inside while it’s running — I only realized it after I started feeling very ill and vomiting. Afterward, the air quality improved slightly, though I still needed to sleep with the door open for fresh air. Musty smell returned, especially in the bathroom. By the third day, after complaining and staying in long waiting lines they finally replaced the old moldy fan, cleaned the shower (which had been very dirty and moldy — it took staff less than 10 minutes to scrub), and unclogged the sink, which was done in 2 minutes. I also requested replacement of the rusty, broken bathroom mirror and toilet seat, which looked terrible, but that was never addressed and we still has it. Also balcony need good pressure wash clean and I saw cockroach in the bathroom. Honestly, the public washrooms in the resort looked cleaner and safer than our room, and I preferred to use those. This all room situation made me very stressed and disappointed — it’s hard to relax and enjoy a vacation when you constantly have to deal with maintenance issues that should have been addressed long before guests arrive. The reception’s explanation that “it’s just the climate” doesn’t make sense — everything they fixed took about an hour in total, which shows it was simple neglect and lack of care. I’m not accepting their excuse about “we fully booked” - every day someone moving out and they have rooms, while they fixing ours and passing to next guests. Despite all of this, we truly enjoy the beach, the sea, and the food. Great service from serving staff. Good shows every day. The restaurants, trails, and public areas are beautiful and well-maintained. The resort itself has great potential, but room maintenance and customer care need serious improvement. We still here at the resort and really want to finish our vacation with positive memories and desire to be back with kids.

  Nov 06, 2025