Sandos Playacar - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

26039 reviews

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  An average all-inclusive experience. Value for money compared to local alternatives

  Sandos Playacar Resort Review I’ve stayed at Sandos resorts before, and this one is pretty much what I expected. Like most large resorts, it shows some wear and tear—especially in the bedrooms and bathrooms. Nothing is terrible, but you can see signs of heavy use and quick fixes here and there. Food & Dining One of the highlights is the food. There are plenty of options, and the quality is above average. Breakfast can be enjoyed at the specialty restaurants or the big buffet. For lunch, you’ve got Riviera Blue by the pool, the beach buffet, or the main buffet. Dinner is served at the buffet or one of five specialty restaurants: French, Italian, Mexican, Brazilian, and a Steakhouse. The buffet rotates its menu throughout the week, while the specialty spots offer table service. Specialty restaurants need to be reserved via the Sandos app available at the resort. Plan to book a few days in advance and early in the morning to ensure you get a table. Drinks Drinks are easy to find, though most cocktails are made with sugary pre-mixes. Beer and wine are local, and if you want international brands, they’re available at an extra cost. Service The staff are generally polite and helpful. Some stick to the basics, but many go out of their way to make the experience better. Rooms & Housekeeping Rooms are cleaned daily, but the minibar isn’t automatically restocked—you’ll need to ask. I had to request refills three times during my 10-day stay. Entertainment & Facilities Evenings can be spent at the group shows or in the sports bar, which has ping pong and pool tables (though the pool tables are in rough shape). There’s also a kids club open from 3–11 pm with video games and activities. The gym and spa are well equipped, plus there are tennis and pickleball courts. Beach & Activities The beach is the star of the show—clean, full of sunbeds, and offering tons of activities: jet-skis, kayaks, catamarans, fishing, snorkeling, and diving. Easily a 5-star experience. Overall Value For the price, I’d say this resort offers good value. The food and beach really stand out, and while the rooms could use some love, the overall experience is competitive for the area. **consider a private transfer from Nexus Tours for more direct access and reduce delays getting to and from Cancun airport.

  Feb 24, 2026
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  Not the 5-star resort advertised

  We chose Sandos Playacar expecting a 5-star experience based on the price point and website, but unfortunately, the level of service did not reflect that standard. It was also very clear throughout our stay that unless you had the “Elite” upgrade, you were not treated with the same level of service, priority, or responsiveness. The difference in experience was noticeable and disappointing. The most concerning issue was how difficult it was to reach anyone for assistance. It was nearly impossible to get a hold of reception or guest services from our room phone. On one occasion, after returning from an excursion, we called for over 90 minutes to order room service with no answer. Family members who tried at the same time as us got through within 15 minutes, which made the inconsistency even more frustrating. We ultimately had to find a bellhop at reception in person just to have the request handled. On our final morning, we had no running water, and neither did family members staying in other rooms. With early departures scheduled, this created unnecessary stress. We could not get thru to reception or guest services despite it being early in the morning and with family members being sick from the food, we had no choice but to fill up the toilet ourselves with filtered water. Throughout the stay, our building’s elevator was also completely out of service. We told the manager on site about the elevator and were told “it should be working.” Eight days later, the elevator is still inoperative and some family members will be there for 10 days. Dining was another ongoing issue. The restaurants were frequently half full, yet reservations showed as unavailable online, leaving us eating at the buffet all week except for 1 night. When we got there we tried making reservations but could only secure the Italian restaurant 1 night for 4 people, the earliest being 4 days into our stay. There was no other availability. We spoke with another guest who advised us that if you offer to buy a bottle of wine, they will get you in. This is absolutely unacceptable when you’ve already paid $4,000 per person (14 of us in total) for an all-inclusive experience. At the buffet, if you didn’t arrive right at opening, the food was often cold, over-picked, and not replenished. The dining system simply did not make sense. Another concerning issue was the beach environment. While we understand that vendors walking the beach selling souvenirs is common and generally not a problem, we were approached by a man initially selling cigarettes who then asked if we were interested in drugs and prostitution. I understand that hotels often respond by encouraging guests to raise concerns during their stay. We raised concerns and were met with no solution. When it is difficult to reach anyone by phone, and when similar themes appear repeatedly in recent reviews, it suggests Sandos has a broader service and operational problem, not isolated incidents. The property itself is beautiful but the service, accessibility, organization, and clear tiered treatment fell well short of expectations for what we paid and what was represented on the resort’s website.

  Feb 23, 2026
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  Great Week Away

  Overall, this is a decent resort. We always found chairs at the pool/beach. Service was really good. Friendly staff! Valentina at Gourmex was amazing to our group of 10! Alan at Asana was also great. So was Janet at the breakfast place (took great care of our niece with dietary restrictions). Tough to get into all of the specialty restaurants but the international buffet had pretty good choices. The only not so great thing was on our last night there. We were in the Hacienda section right beside a wedding taking place. Music was so loud (even with ear plugs) we could not sleep until the event was over.

  Feb 22, 2026
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  Disappointing!

  Our family of 6 traveled Feb 2026. As Royal Elite members, we reserved a hacienda which are great. We had 2 adjoining rooms but the handle on the door connecting the rooms was broken on day 1. Tried to call maintenance but our phone didn’t work. Walked to the desk to get maintenance and that took 2 days to fix. The jets in our in-room jacuzzi didn’t work, that got fixed the second day (after walking down to complain in the Royal elite office). Our family was there 9 days and only got dinner reservations for 4 of those days. The reason given is that we needed to reserve 2 weeks before coming (ridiculous!) and that they’re fully booked, but when you walk by, the restaurants are half empty! The pool at our hacienda was only half full the entire time we were there - basically worthless to swim in a pool with just 1’ of water in it. Another “perk” for Royal Elite members that didn’t work right. The food in the buffet was much better than the last time we were here a few years ago. Seating was quick when getting in line so that was great. We’re Royal Elite members and in past visits were sat at the RE tables, but this year were told those tables are reserved for those coming for timeshare presentations. What? Each time we come to this resort we plan a day trip over to Caracol and this time we were told that’s no longer an option. Days later we were told there was an exception made for us & we could go on a specific day, but only 9-5 and could not stay for Caracol’s fabulous night time shows. Which was what we wanted to bring our kiddos to. Entertainment: they have a great nighttime entertainment team but it’s the same team every night. For example, the same female singer performed as Michael Jackson which was odd. So while different themes each night, it’s the same performers and same voices singing every single night. Not like years past where there was a good variety. Shout outs to staff that still do make a difference: Yessi, we adore you and we’re happy to see you still there. Your service is top notch. Also at the family bar: Reyes and Wilbur - you’re the best. Even our kiddos enjoyed your service and smiles. Massage: I had Jorge for a massage and it was one of the best I’ve ever had! As Royal Elite members, the service is the thing that made us return over & over. The little perks like special seating, great service, alacarts, visiting the other resort, having a RE manager that checks in on you from time to time…we had none of that in our 9 days here.we didn’t even get a welcome drink which you get everywhere in Mexico without even being an owner! I’ve been to all of the Sandos in Mexico multiple times and this is the first trip I’ve gone to the Royal Elite office to give a complaint, and sadly I was not the only one in there doing so. I’m not sure if management has changed or what the issue is but I’m not sure if I will ever return to this resort.

  Feb 21, 2026
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  Will Not Go Back

  This was my first trip in 6 years and the first in 12 years with just my husband and I. We wanted to stay in the Playacar strip that we have stayed in numerous times and decided on this hotel due to the reviews. I have traveled many times and I am not a picky person in the least but I will never book this resort again. We arrived at the resort and waited in a very long line to check in. After check in you are then escorted to a table so they can get you to buy into their timeshare garbage. If you don't then, you are not worth their time anymore. We had booked the Platinum King Room Ocean Front, we were put in the newer building at the end of the resort. The room was large and clean, the bathroom had 2 showers and a double sink. The water cooler worked and was cold, the cord was not cut. We were facing the ocean but we were in the trees so could not see anything. The food was ok, just luke warm which was not great. I did enjoy the popcorn in the evening though, that was a highlight. The breakfast near the swim up bar pool was better then at the main buffet. The platinum lounge was nice with the premium drinks and snacks, my husband and I enjoyed going in before the show. Also the coffee bar was nice with the desserts. The beach was nice and did not have issues finding seats, not much sargassum at the time when when went, not rough at all which was nice. Spent most of our time here. We went to the pool with the swim up bar a couple of times, never went to the adult pool as very few chairs and the nicer chairs you had to pay for. I do not recommend the Platinum as you don't really get anything extra, just the lounge. I thought that we would be able to use the Bali beds at the beach but unless you have that black bracelet, you are nothing. I t does not say anywhere that you can't use those seats but we were kick out of the area on the beach which is in front of our room. The timeshare areas at this place are many, we were looked down upon by staff since we were not the elite. I have never had this issue at other resorts, made me feel crappy. I will never return to this resort, there are so many better ones in this area that I will return to, disappointed after not traveling so for so long but 2026 will bring a better one.

  Feb 20, 2026