What We Love

  • The resort is all about a fun social vibe. Beach parties, Kids Club, Teen Club, night shows, adults only section with swim-up bar - it's time to play!
  • The All-Playa Experience has themed beach parties every day of the week, with music, food and games!
  • 24-hour room service and all-inclusive luxury means that you will have all of the amenities you could ever ask for at your fingertips. 

Things to Know

  • Maximize your vacation times by checking pick-up times on scheduled transfers.
  • Family-friendly and adults-only sections of the resort are available to guests. 
  • The resort is located in close proximity to Riviera Maya's famous 5th Street, home to shopping, dining and more. 

Resort Details

Dining
There's no shortage of outstanding dining opportunities at this popular resort!
OnSite Dining
  • Various Lounges/Bars
    -Pool Bar Select Club Adults Only
    -“Riviera Blue” Pool Snack Bar - (temporarily closed for deep cleaning which are scheduled to reopen on November 1, 2025.)
    -Lobby Bar Riviera
    -Swim-up Bar
    -Bar La Plaza
    -Ocean front snack bar for the entire family (conveniently located right next to the main pool)
  • Various Restaurants
    -Festival Grand Buffet (Main Restaurant)
    -Riviera Grand Buffet (Breakfast buffet)
    -Il Piemonte(A la carte - Italian restaurant)
    -Asiana Restaurant(A la carte - Oriental Restaurant) - (temporarily closed for deep cleaning which are scheduled to reopen on November 1, 2025.)
    -El Gaucho Restaurant(A la carte - Argentinian Steak House) -(temporarily closed for deep cleaning which are scheduled to reopen on November 1, 2025.)
    -Fogo de Janeiro Restaurant (Brazilian Rodizio Restaurant) - (temporarily closed for deep cleaning which are scheduled to reopen on November 1, 2025.)
    -Le Gourmet (A la carte - French Restaurant)
    -Blue Moon (Snacks)
    -Crêperie
    -Cupcake Cafe
    -Chayita (Mexican Grill, specializing in burritos, tacos and salads.)
    -Gourmex (a la carte Mexican Cuisine)

    Some restaurants may only operate on select schedules. Some restaurants expect appropriate dress. Consult the hotel upon arrival for hours of operation, reservation policies, and dress codes.
Take advantage of a wide variety of luxury amenities during your stay!
On-Site Amenities
  • 24-hour room service
  • Babysitting†
  • Beauty shop/salon†
  • Car rental desk†
  • Child programs†
  • Children's play area†
  • Disco
  • Exercise gym
  • Jacuzzi†
  • Medical Facilities Service†
  • 24-hour room service
  • Babysitting†
  • Beauty shop/salon†
  • Car rental desk†
  • Child programs†
  • Children's play area†
  • Disco
  • Exercise gym
  • Jacuzzi†
  • Medical Facilities Service†
  • Pool
  • Sauna†
  • Shops and commercial services†
  • Spa†
  • Tennis court
  • Water sports†
  • Wireless internet connection in public areas
On-Site Wedding Services
  • Please contact the hotel for additional information.

† Fees may apply

Enjoy sailing adventures, thrilling outdoor biking or indulgent relaxation at the sauna!
On-Site Recreation
  • Bike rental †
  • Children's pool
    There are 5 children's pools on-site.
  • Children's program, onsite
    Supervised Kids Club, 2 children’s pools, Puppet Theater, playground area, play station, tree club house, crafts, t-v, children’s movie and sporting activities, ages 4-12.

    Mini Eco Park
  • Direct access to a beach
  • Fitness center on-site
    Spacious Gymnasium with Life Fitness equipment (Exclusively for guests over 18 years) 
  • General †
    Games room: billiards, ping pong, backgammon, chess, dominoes and cards 

    Daily activities program: Aerobics classes, stretching and beach activities. Bicycle tours during the day. Zumba

    Full Schedule for activities with our Entertainment and Sports Equipment. 

    Excursions: Archaeological Sites Tulum, Coba, Chichen Itza, Ecological Park Xcaret, Xel-Ha, and others.

    Main Plaza for entertainment with: Stage with 
    performances, live music
  • Hot tub †
    There is 1 outdoor hot tub.
  • Pool †
    10 Pools in the complex, including 1 exclusively for Select Club Adults Only Section & 5 for children.

    A 170 m / 558 ft infinity pool overlooking the Caribbean Sea, offering:
    - A children’s pool with 5 slides** (** height restriction of 1.10m / 3 feet 7 inches applies) and a rain tree
    - Deep pool area with pool bar
  • Sauna †
    Sauna, Jacuzzi, thermal areas, Turkish bath. (exclusively for guests over 18 years).

    Temazcal Experience (Sweat Lodge) an ancient ritual to heal body and soul.
  • Spa †
    Swimming pool and solarium only for adults.
    Complete Spa with 22 cabins for massages, facial and body treatments. (exclusively for guests over 18 years).

    Spa Kids with selected treatments (all children must be accompanied by a responsible adult) 
  • Teen programs
    Teen’s Lite Club (13-17 years) with arcade games, mocktail bar, dance floor 
  • Tennis court
    2 Tennis courts with evening floodlights & equipment (proper sports attire required, previous reservation) 
  • Water activities †
    Pool games and water aerobics. Water basketball.

    Water Sports Center with: Diving (Free pool demo, once per stay) Snorkeling equipment (1 hour per day), sailing and kayaks (equipment included)  (lessons not included, insurance fee applies). 

Off-Site Recreation
  • Golf †
    Golf course located within a mile of the property.

    Miniature Golf with equipment included 
On-Site Attraction
  • On-site Entertainment
    Nightly entertainment: cabaret shows, music halls, pantomime shows, and theme weeks

† Fees may apply

Guest Reviews from CheapCaribbean Customers

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_4.5 25981 reviews
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Inoubliable!

    Magnifique! Miriam, at the meeting bar, is incroyable!

    Feb 05, 2026
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 4.0 star tripadvisor rating
    We enjoyed our stay.

    We enjoyed our stay. Food is excellent. There is something for everyone at the buffet. You can get custom made eggs, crepes, seafood, sushi, and meat off the grill. The gourmet Italian and Indian restaurants were very good. Avoid the gourmet Mexican restaurant. The food lacked flavor. Shows starts at 8pm and the disco opens at 10pm. The resort is huge. We sometimes took the train from our room in building 9 to the beach at the other end of the resort. It is only a 10 minute walk. The resort has lots of foliage occupied by Coatis, Agoutis, Monkeys and Iguanas. The beach isn't very good for snorkeling. My son only saw one big fish. He did go on the Mayan Adventure Tour where he did see lots of colorful fish. The resort is close to shopping. It is only a 10 minute walk to the local shopping area and a 15 minute ride to the fifth avenue area. Most of the guest Spanish, so I didnt get a chance to meet too many fellow Canadians. There are 4 things I didnt like. 1) Westjet (Nexus Tours) took an hour to find us a driver to take us to our resort even though we reserved the direct transfer option that takes you to the resort without having to drop guest off at other resorts along the way. 2) It took an hour to check in. 3) The hallway and steps in the building were not lit up at 7 am when we headed down for breakfast (sunrise is at 7:30am). 4) There is no UBER in Playa Del Carmen. This wasnt too much of a problem since there were plenty of taxicabs where we were dropped off.

    Feb 05, 2026
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 1.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Avoid this place

    *• just now New Sandos Caracol has a some good features no doubt. This is my families second time traveling to the resort. We visited 8 years ago because we fell in love with the setting and jungle feel with natural wildlife. However this time there was much to be desired. Simply put, you CANNOT trust the food here. We came with a group of 8 plus a baby and 6 of us were ill for 24hrs at some point of the trip and we all have different food habits. When you aren't sick you have anxiety about what to eat. My wife ended up eating sandwiches for half the trip. My idea of a vacation is relaxing and indulging in food comfortably. Neither of these things could truly happen here with this problem. I spoke with Several other guests with the same issues happening. This is unacceptable. The grounds are beautiful, the staff are super friendly and hardworking and the night shows are high calibre. But I will never recommend that anyone should overlook this food safety issue to stay here. I simply can't. It seems these issues are common and the company hasn't cared enough to remedy at all. Do yourselves a favour and spend your $ elsewhere. I have nothing to gain from posting this other than trying to save people from big time let down after planning and being excited for a family holiday. I feel like Sandos is robbed my family and many others of a memorable vacation by not caring enough for guests wellbeing. There are lots of beautiful resorts all over Mexico. I'll try one next time that values mine and my young families health

    Feb 05, 2026
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Small resort with a Big Heart

    Good vibes. Smaller resort with a huge heart. With Playa Del Carmen and Cosumel so close, it becomes big. We purchased Select Club - Adults only, Gold bracelet. The rooms are bigger than the website picture seems. Very clean. Everything we could ask for is nearby. Buffet, Smoothie bar, Meeting place with the Premium lounge. Cupcake cafe, Chelyita, Nightly shows, Shopping, Transportation and the Beach! Don't be afraid to ask about your room. We were asked what we would like, after we asked if our balcony was in the sun. They gave us our preference, based on availability. Even in high season, they were happy to make us happy. Check in was fast. We were offered a cold drink while we waited. The bell hop took our bags and instructed us to come back to him when we got our room. They drove us to our room and brought our luggage up for us. The Festival Buffet is huge. LOVED the selection of different types of food. Asian, Mexican, American, lots of great Seafood. We borrowed bikes to go into Playa Plaza. Very safe and big selection of services. Honestly, the walk would have been fine too. Not far at all. Walking to Playa Del Carmen is about a half hour for an average speed walker. Beautiful scenery and friendly people. Felt super safe. That's our 1.5 days so far. 10 more to go. Will update more soon. Tammy and Chris

    Feb 03, 2026
  • TRI_LOGO_ANCILLARY_ 5.0 star tripadvisor rating
    Miriam, Miriam, Miriam!!!!

    Had the best time at Sandos Playacar! You MUST SEE Miriam Reyes, she is the best! You can see her at the meeting point bar, premium club select! ❤️ 💙 💜 we love her!!!

    Feb 03, 2026
Hotel Advisories
  • AdvisorySpring breakers are not allowed. Minimum check-in age is 18.
  • AdvisoryThe following mandatory hotel-imposed fees are charged and collected by the hotel either at check-in or check-out. Environmental / Sanitation fee: 33.94 MXN (Approx. 1.78 USD) (Plus Taxes) per person, per night. Mandatory hotel-imposed fees may not include tax and are subject to change, this is an estimate of what you will be charged. The hotel can provide current fees and inclusions when you check-in.
General Policy
  • Check In: 3:00 PM
  • Check Out: 12:00 PM
  • Minimum Check-In Age: 18
  • General Policies:

    Check-in Policy:
    Hotel requires a debit card authorization upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.

    Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.

    Hotel Spring Break Policy -This hotel does not allow groups of students or spring breakers.

    Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.

    General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price.
    Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
    Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.

  • Pet Policy : Pets Not Allowed

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