Sandos Playacar - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

25981 reviews

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  SANDOS Playacar dated but OK.

  SANDOS PLAYACAR was ok. Had fun, booked with points so was cheap but would not go back or recommend unless you’re on a budget and the price is well below a similar hotel like the Iberostar nextdoor. Context: travelling w/two kids (10&7) and 2 adults in two bedrooms. We had fun because it was exciting for the kids and great company. PROS: BEACH: fantastic sand and water. Plenty of chairs (no need to reserve.) Beach activities were great. A+ experience there. FOOD: true to the area, the food was very, very good. No one got sick and we ate everything. My favourites were the omelette station at buffet for breakfast, lunch favs were the chitaya Mexican snack and ocean snack where they had great salads and ceviche. We couldn’t get reservations so ate at the buffet where they have great steaks, pizzas, taco stations and sushi stations. Every day is a little different. Best coffee is in lobby or cupcake cafe. BED: bed and pillows very comfortable. They have rooms with lots of sleeping space for families of 5 or 6 (2 queen beds + double size bunk beds and twin trundle). I would have liked a change of sheets midway. AC: worked well. ENTERTAINMENT: on the weekends, they kick up the entertainment and had bouncy castles, games etc for kids. Lots of fun. CONS: EXCLUSIVE: They never offered to charge for the upgrade at check in an it’s in your face all week. Not tucked away to the side like some resorts. Examples: Adult only and exclusive (member) pool are in the center. You have to walk through from middle / main passage way to go to the “family” area. One of the food shack (the one in the centre) and the Health snack bar only for hacienda (gold bracelets) or members (black bracelet). No alternative for the smoothy bar, for beach snack bar, long lineups. Main central bar (in meeting point) is also members only. The alternatives are not always open so sometimes it’s hard to find where you can get a drink. DATED ROOMS IN NEED OF MAINTENANCE: Resort and rooms are dated. Swim-up bar was unavailable due to broken blenders. Hot tubs are in rough shape. We had a few palmetto bug sightings (large cockroaches) come through main door 2/3 were dead meaning they spray well. Balcony door wasn’t locking (was fixed quickly by maintenance). HOTWATER ISSSUE: My room was fine but watch out as many guests experienced this and they expect you to pay to make this problem go away. Other child + adult we were traveling with had no hot water and they spent half a day waiting for change to eventually give in to the request of being charged 250USD for a hacienda room. Unfortunately that room also had no hot water and not wanting to spend their vacation arguing and waiting in the lobby, they spent 7 days without hot water!! Another couple we spoke to were asked to pay $200 to make problem go away. STAFFING: long lineup at check in. Unless you have members access, expect lineups for coffee, breakfast, lunch, drinks. Hard to chat with staff since they were so busy. RÉSERVATION APP: this is a joke. À la carte restos are 50% EMPTY every night yet you can’t get a reservation. You cannot do it before trip so I wasted hours refreshing at different times trying to get reservations instead of enjoying my stay. Guest services didn’t help. My advice is reserve what you can at whatever hour and show up at the time you really wanted. They will accommodate you (except for the Italian restaurant very late- they were SO Rude) TIMESHARE: you’ll get a card on your room to say to go to lobby or guest services. DONT GO. They will waste your time. KIDS CLUB: not the best. Your child will not like it there. Teens club looked better but it’s 10+ and they don’t make exceptions so we couldn’t go. 7 year old was slightly disappointed. SIZE OF RESORT: this resort is big and long. You will get your steps in and maybe a blister or two. Not ideal if you’re looking for everything to be close by. Pool was cold so we had a good 10 - 15 min walk to beach every morning.

  Feb 08, 2026
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  There are better places

  Keep looking! This resort was sold to us because of the adults only section. There is 1 adults only pool and that’s it. I do love kids but when there is 1 eating place which is a buffet it gets very very loud. There are a few restaurants on the resort but it’s impossible to make a reservation. We were able to go to the steak spot and Brazilian but not good meals and very very salty. Would have liked to try the Italian but no reservations available at anytime during g our 10 night stay. We were told if we bought a $170 bottle of wine we would get in lol. No thx. So you’re stuck eating the same food for lunch and dinner. Wasn’t terrible but a change would have been nice. We were told by red tag there would be a jacuzzi in the room, a bottle of sparking wine and a fruit basket upon arrival neither of which anyone knew about. Pool was dirty but drinks were good. Premiere lounge was tiny but service outstanding. We will not return as there are many other spots in the area that are far better.

  Feb 08, 2026
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  Great value for unforgettable memories that make you want to come back

  Great resort with plenty to do at an affordable price, with options to upgrade if you choose. The location is excellent, with lots of pools and a beautiful beach that we really enjoyed. The rooms are comfortable and well kept, and the restaurants are great with a large variety to choose from. I travelled with my wife and we had an amazing couples massage—highly recommend it. My masseuse, Maria, has absolute magic hands. The entertainment staff were all fantastic—friendly, engaging, and full of energy. We had a lot of fun during our stay and would definitely recommend this resort.

  Feb 07, 2026
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  Chayita experience

  Lovely trip, specifically fransisco makes amazing tacos at chayitas, friendly smile good conversation and works efficiently. He also provides a clean area and a fun environment. I am so sad to leave and will miss these amazing tacos

  Feb 07, 2026
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  very good service

  francisco was a great service at the burrito restaurant. recommend coming. The tacos he made for me were absolutely delicious and i will come back every day im here.

  Feb 07, 2026