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.
