BookIt.com Verified Traveler Patty from Aniwa, Wi

"I loved this resort. We stayed in the Adult only Select club area and it was great. The staff there was wonderful and always very helpful. My husband left his carry-on bag on the transfer van, as soon as we realized it, the staff at guest services jumped all over it and started making calls to transfer company. This bag contained our computer, cell phone and wallet, so we were very concerned. They were able to locate our bag, held it in the Playa del Carmen office over night for safe keeping and delivered it to us the next morning. Everything was in it and perfect. I can't say enough how great everyone was to help us out with this. This resort is very jungle like and tropical, with cenotes (ponds), bridges, and walk ways. All the walk ways have natural surroundings with flowers, jungle plants and trees, and animals. We were in the back of the resort and our beach was on the opposite corner of the resort. It is not a bad walk at all and you can always get a ride if you don't want to walk it and enjoy the jungle. We enjoyed the meals and could always find something to eat. We ate at 3 different al-a-carte restaurants. We were unable to get into the steak house, so plan ahead. But they have enough restaurants to choose from so it really wasn't a huge deal. I am pretty sure we were supposed to have robes and such in our room, but we didn't. I never asked for them, but I know if I would have they would have delivered them right away. We did ask for extra towels and needed maintainence once during our stay and they were both very prompt. No complaints at all. One of our favorite things about this resort was the wild animals. Up in the Select Club area we were greeted with monkeys every day. They would come to us and take fruit from us and sometimes even sit down and enjoy their breakfast while we had coffee. They would even go as far as climb up to our 2nd floor balany and sit with us. We even saw a mom and her baby several days (but kept our distance of course). They also have raccoons, cats, deer and coati that you could see all over the resort. If you love the wilderness and walking through pathways, over rivers and swimming in cenotes, I would highly recommend this resort. I can't wait to go back next January."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Chris from Watertown, WI

"What the site does not tell you is that the Caracol is an eco resort. It is still a nice place, but it would be nicer if they were not trying to be so eco friendly. For instance, many of the areas (lobby, bars, snack bars, restaurants) are open air. It looks cool and it seems like a good idea, but it is hard to relax and enjoy your meal, drink, etc. when you are dripping sweat because there is no air conditioning.

Also, the food in the buffet restaurants is pretty bad. You can find some things here and there that are okay but we ended up eating most of our meals at the snack bar. The room service menu is pretty bad too. However, the food at the ala carte restaurants is excellent. If you could eat there every night, it would be a much better experience, but unfortunately you can only eat at the ala carte restaurants twice.

Shortly after we arrived, Guest Services scheduled us for a 'special VIP tour' of the resort. We thought it would be a good idea because we did not know where everything was. It was not a tour though. It was a 2 hour sales presentation where they tried to get us to buy into their vacation club. It was a waste of our time. So if you do book here, avoid the 'tour.' If you are interested in the vacation club, do not accept their first offer. When we kept turning them down, they made the deal much, much better to try to get us to buy.

Overall it was an okay experience, but next time I will stay somewhere else."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"Overall it was not every day you get to see a lot of the animals right by your table-friendly raccoons, beautifful peacocks in the morning...tons of iguanas roaming- very free place for the jungle animals to roam- HOWEVER-if you are looking for an ADULTS ONLY RESORT- DO NOT LOOK HERE.....the website is misleading- makes you think you are staying at a adults only resort-when in fact you are staying in a SECTION-the swim up pool bar is not in the adult section, all restaurants are on completely opposite side of adults only section....disco is in an outside amphitheater....24 hour room service menu does not have a lot of variety or even good food choices.....instant coffee in rooms
Staff super friendly to try and get you to come back- BUT NOOOOOO!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Amy Morales from Flowery Branch, GA

"The beach is very rocky. The food is marginal at best. They serve pretty much the EXACT same thing EVERY day. It gets very boring and bland. Their reservation requiring restaurants are no better than the all you can eat buffets and were a real disappointment. Their rooms are nice and if you book a jr suite the balconies are amazing. The staff is friendly but they are very aggressive in attempting to sell a 'vacation club' package to the point that they called early in the morning until you went to meet with them. They promise 90mins of your time and after 2 hrs they are still trying to swindle you out of as much cash as possible. I will not return."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Terri M from Flowery Branch, Georgia

"This was our first try at an all inclusive resort. We loved it! The resort was beautiful and very clean. The staff treated us like royalty and their enthusiasm for customer service was quite refreshing. We loved the adults only section and appreciated having a private pool and eating area. The adult pool was probably the nicest and quietest hotel pool we have ever used. Yes there were children in the other areas of the resort but we could easily choose whether to 'mingle' or not. The adults area at the beach could use a bit more space outside but the adults beach clubhouse and bar were very nice. nnThe room was very comfortable and the whirlpool tub on the balcony was much appreciated. We had a minor issue with a small water leak in the ceiling due to the 3 days of rain that was dealt with very quickly and efficiently by the staff. nnThe only downside is that we allowed ourselves to be sucked into listening to the sales pitch for the resorts vacation club package. The sales pitch itself was not a problem, rather the 40 minutes past the 90 minutes promised was a bit frustrating. The sales pitch is an option that we will not partake of in the future so we do not see it as a deterrent.nnWe will definitely be back."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Dan Weidel from Newfane, Ny

"The hotel was very nice the staff very friendly. The entertainment was very professional. Food was great. The only draw backs were that the adult exsclusive was misleading because the resort was mostly not exclusive ,more family oriented with a small area for adults only that offered no entertainment. The beach was well kept but the amount of rocks in the water made it near impossible to enjoy swimming in the Ocean.Also the extreme snorkle adventure was dissapointing."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Peter Gridzak from Bayfield, Ont.

"AS this was my 6th time i have seen many great changes too the resort meals were great staff could not of been better front desk went out of their way too help you any way they can.Rooms were cleaned for you every day pools were great even the beach was good it still needs a little work."

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"We just returned from a trip to the Sandos Caracol Select Club 'Adults Only' Resort and would like to share our opinion. The resort is far from 'Adults Only' with a large portion of the clientel being young children. The resort is sold as an adults only and there is a portion of the resort where the rooms are adult only, but that is as far as it goes if your looking for a resort for peace and quiet and adult only beaches and bars. This resort has a 'Select Club' with a bar and area on the beach that is designated as adults only, but don't expect privacy there either as kids cime right into the bar and continue with the noise making. The resort is beautiful and the staff that work at this resort are second to none. This reort being advertsed as an 'Adults Only' is false advertising and did I mention they have a water park for the kids! Nice place and I highly recommend it to those with children but very disappointing to the Adults Only."

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"I traveled with my wife on January 30th to Sandos Caracot Select Club Adults only all inclusive in the Riviera Maya for a 10-day vacation. I had booked the penthouse suite, however this was not available when we arrived as they stated they had over-booked and therefore we were down-graded to a deluxe suite and for TWO nights could not unpack as we were in limbo. This was not a great start to our vacation and I expressed my dissatisfaction to the manager at the reception desk. She stated that she would compensate me by refunding the cost of the penthouse suite we did not get for the first two nights, however to date that has not happened.

Other than the bad start, we had a great time - the penthouse suite was fabulous and we were extremely comfortable there. We enjoyed the good food, the butler service and the facilities in general. On the first morning we were approached regarding a time-share presentation, but declined and were not bothered again. The hotel was a bit big for my liking, but would still consider going back and would definitely recommend the service we received from all but front desk for the reason stated above."

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"Sandos Caracol Select Club adults only-All inclusive.

The sleeping quarters for the members of this Sandoz Caracol Select Club Adults Only were situated at the extreme opposite western side of this huge hotel complex.
There is about 20 min. from the guest sleeping quarters ( placed at the extreme western part of the sprawling hotel network) to reach the small eastern Select Club building near the beach.
I believe women should also know that there was a 4 %u2013 5 minute part of this walk which was not illuminated and was in pitch black darkness at night.
Although it was possible to telephone for a bellboy to bring an electric cart to transport guests from the extreme western side of the huge hotel complex to the small Select Club building on the beach, I found one had to wait for 10 min. to 35 min. I believe there should be a frequent regular transport system taking the select guests from their sleeping quarters to the beach.
On one of the days we had extreme rainfall and the club building had severe problems with a leaking roof. It was leaking in many areas, and there was water on the ground on both the first and second-floors (and even in the computer Internet room).
The condition of the thatched roofs throughout the large sprawling hotel complex was appalling. Near the sports bar there were three large gaping holes in the roof. In the main dining hall there was considerable leakage of water from the roof, and quite near the food area. In the Italian restaurant there was water coming down from the roof also near the food area

There was a restaurant, fairly near the small Select Club building, called the Riviera, but this was open for prearranged meals in the evenings only. I believe it should have been available for breakfast and lunch and supper for members of the Select Club. Throughout the morning it was being used by various promoters who were sitting with their clients at different tables. We had a meal there one evening. My wife cannot eat Gluten (since she has Celiac Disease). We told the waiter about this problem, and told him at great length that there could be NO vodka mixed in with the Lime Sorbet. Of course the instructions were not followed, and my wife was extremely sick for three days, thanks to a large quantity of vodka (which contains Gluten) being mixed in with the sorbet.
Since most of the hotel sleeping quarter rooms and the restaurants were basically built upon swamp-land, it must have been very difficult for the designers and architects to implement appropriate drainage. On the long walk from our sleeping quarters down to the beach, we walked near two pipes where water was obviously being constantly pumped out of the hotel complex area (and presumably deposited in the territory to the north of the hotel).
Mould in the walls of the sleeping quarter area: When we arrived exhausted at the end of an exceedingly long journey we were given a room on the ground floor at the western side of the sprawling hotel complex. The room had an extremely strong smell of mould. My wife could not stand it, and had to wait outside. She was developing a dryness and tightness in her throat. After three room changes we found a room on the second floor which was much better. My guess is that moisture is working its way up from the ground, and permitting mould (possibly black mould ??) to develop in or behind the walls on the ground floor sleeping room areas.
The hotel tries to promote the idea that it is supporting the eco-system. There was no evidence of any flowing water. The bridge to the main dining room went over a sewage smelling dirty looking pond. There was another bridge which took one over some more dirty looking water, where some water turtles were somehow surviving. I went on an eco-system walking tour and I was not impressed, although the intentions may have been good.
The staff were friendly, but I found that there were too many tourists (adults and children) staying at the hotel for tourists to talk much with each other. I did not see many adults smiling.
The beach is not perfect, and certainly not for small children. There were too many rocks in the water near the beach. For 3 days the red flag was up, to show that swimming was dangerous and no boats could be taken out. On one of these days the flag was yellow at the Princess Hotel (just north of the Sandos Caracol hotel complex). When I asked why there was this difference, I was told it was because of the rocks in the sea at the Sandos Caracol hotel complex..
In summary the All Inclusive Sandoz Caracol Select Club Adults Only should have the sleeping quarters near to the small beach club building, and the Riviera restaurant should be reserved uniquely for the Sandoz Caracol Select Club guests, and should provide breakfast, lunch and supper for the select club members only.

"

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"Ok lets start with the good points:

The hotel is very nice IF you go as a Select Club Adult. The rooms are great, the service is great and the pool for Select Club is great. The food is very good and there are lots of varieties. the Select Club on the beach is very nice but the smokers use the beach area as an ash tray. You have to get used to the idea that there is nothing like NO Smoking in Mexico. The staff was very nice.
Bad points:

I had to fight to get into the Select Club Area as far as the rooms go. They put us in the general area which was older and not at all nice. They said that they were at full compacity, but we paid for the picture on the website and got a totally different room. Also, there were people staying the Select area who were not Select Club Adults only people and there were children in the rooms as well so I don't know how this went. Also, they told me that the older area was also Select Club. There were a lot of people complaining about their rooms. Took two days to get into the new area. The Concierge staff were nice but we got caught in a timeshare trap. They say it is a gift for you. Let me tell you its no gift. Very cranky timeshare boss did not like that we were not interested. There is no ipod station, no transfers to the beach from Select club area, no turndown service, no snacks in your room and no internet access in your room, it is in the Select club on the beach. . I would book this place again with the understanding that the Select Club would be the area I was getting and that I didn't have to fight for two days to get it."

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"Sandos Caracol Select Club adults only-All inclusive.
We were misled.

[1] Travel to and from the airport and hotel was not included. I have been taking "All inclusive holidays... from Canada to Mexico for at least 35 years, and this was the very first time that the transport from the airport to the hotel was not included.

[2]I believe women should also know that there was a 4 %u2013 5 minute part of this walk which was not illuminated and was in pitch black darkness at night.
Although it was possible to telephone for a bellboy to bring an electric cart to transport guests from the extreme western side of the huge hotel complex to the small Select Club building on the beach, I found one had to wait for 10 min. to 35 min. I believe there should be a frequent regular transport system taking the select guests from their sleeping quarters to the beach.
[3] I was led to believe that this was a new hotel. On one of the days we had extreme rainfall and the club building had severe problems with a leaking roof. It was leaking in many areas, and there was water on the ground on both the first and second-floors (and even in the computer Internet room).
[4] The condition of the thatched roofs throughout the large sprawling hotel complex was appalling. Near the sports bar there were three large gaping holes in the roof. In the main dining hall there was considerable leakage of water from the roof, and quite near the food area. In the Italian restaurant there was water coming down from the roof also near the food area

[5] There was a restaurant, fairly near the small Select Club building, called the "Riviera..., but this was open for prearranged meals in the evenings only. I believe it should have been available for breakfast and lunch and supper for members of the Select Club. Throughout the morning it was being used by various promoters who were sitting with their clients at different tables. We had a meal there one evening. My wife cannot eat Gluten (since she has Celiac Disease). We told the waiter about this problem, and told him at great length that there could be NO vodka mixed in with the Lime Sorbet. Of course the instructions were not followed, and my wife was extremely sick for three days, thanks to being poised with a large quantity of vodka (which contains Gluten) mixed in with the sorbet.
[6] Since most of the hotel sleeping quarter rooms and the restaurants were basically built upon swamp-land, it must have been very difficult for the designers and architects to implement appropriate drainage. On the long walk from our sleeping quarters down to the beach, we walked near two pipes where water was obviously being constantly pumped out of the hotel complex area (and presumably deposited in the territory to the north of the hotel).
[7] Mould in the walls of the sleeping quarter area: When we arrived exhausted at the end of an exceedingly long journey we were given a room on the ground floor at the western side of the sprawling hotel complex. The room had an extremely strong smell of mould. My wife could not stand it, and had to wait outside. She was developing a dryness and tightness in her throat. After three room changes we found a room on the second floor which was much better. My guess is that moisture is working its way up from the ground, and permitting mould (possibly black mould ??) to develop in or behind the walls on the ground floor sleeping room areas.
[8] The hotel tries to promote the idea that it is supporting the eco-system. There was no evidence of any flowing water. The bridge to the main dining room went over a sewage smelling dirty looking pond. There was another bridge which took one over some more dirty looking water, where some water turtles were somehow surviving. I went on an eco-system walking tour and I was not impressed, although the intentions may have been good.
[9] The staff were friendly, but I found that there were too many tourists (adults and children) staying at the hotel for tourists to talk much with each other. I did not see many adults smiling.
[10] The beach is not perfect, and certainly not for small children. There were too many rocks in the water near the beach. For 3 days the "red... flag was up, to show that swimming was dangerous and no boats could be taken out. On one of these days the flag was "yellow... at the Princess Hotel (just north of the Sandos Caracol hotel complex). When I asked why there was this difference, I was told it was because of the rocks in the sea at the Sandos Caracol hotel complex..
[11] In summary the All Inclusive Sandoz Caracol Select Club Adults Only should have the sleeping quarters near to the small beach club building, and the Riviera restaurant should be reserved uniquely for the Sandoz Caracol Select Club guests, and should provide breakfast, lunch and supper for the select club members only.

"

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"I purchased 7 nights at the Sandos Caracol Select Club Adults Only All-Inclusive. When I arrived at the hotel, I presented a printout of my booking reservation, which clearly stated my booking at the Sandos Caracol Select Club Adults Only All-Inclusive. However, the reception staff did not pay attention to the booking and gave me a regular all-inclusive bracelet. They failed to explain the benefits of my Select Club booking so I was unable to make use of the benefits I had already paid for, such as use of the Select Club pool, restaurant, and private beach section. From what information was presented on the Bookit.com website, it was not clear that there were separate sections of this hotel, but rather it appears as if the whole hotel is the Sandos Caracol Select Club Adults Only All-Inclusive, which is quite misleading. By chance I wandered into the Select Club pool and was told by a bar server that I was not allowed to be in that area. I thought to myself ' But that is what I purchased - the Sandos Caracol Select Club Adults Only All-Inclusive. Why wouldn't I be allowed there?' I did not even know I was given the wrong all-inclusive bracelet. This was on the 5th day of 7-day vacation. I immediately went to reception and showed them my booking confirmation again, upon which they gave me the proper all-inclusive bracelet.

Also, the room I booked cost $231 per night and was a 'garden suite'. However, the garden was not even completed. Not once was I able to use my balcony because just a few feet away, construction workers were using hammers and jig-saws still constructing the garden. I was actually woken up by the noise of that construction every morning at 8:30am just outside my room. I felt severely mistreated for having to undergo that kind of experience on my vacation.

Also, I had made a reservation at one the restaurants on my first night at the hotel for 8:30pm. When I arrived at the restaurant on time, I had to wait for 30 minutes in line and then another 45 minutes to be seated. What was the point of making a reservation? The restaurant seemed out of control with people having to wait another 30 minutes or more in the buffet line to obtain their good. It was ridiculous.

Also, there is no internet and wifi in the rooms. There are 3 place in the resort where you can obtain internet access, but you have to pay US $5 per hour for this access. The internet connection often only worked at the internet cafe and the lobby and often failed to work at the third location, the sport bar and lounge. The room also did not come with an i-pod docking station.

This was the most I paid for an all-inclusive hotel out of my total of 3 vacations to Mexico in the past. It was my worst experience and the worst value for money. It's too bad because Playa del Carmen is a nice place to visit."

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"This was my worst visit ever to a resort in Mexico. To sell this resort as 'adults only' is a crime. Even to sell it as 'Select Club' meant nothing. I have never visited during the holidays so I expected the high cost of the room however when the experience was not enjoyable, I felt we were ripped off. Obviously I was expecting too much as there was no separation for Adults Only or Select Club amenities. Check in and out was chaotic with a long wait and no 'welcome' drink or assistance upon arrival concerning the whole process. We were actually standing in the 'Select Club' line which was NOT for check in. We ended up taking our own luggage to our room once available. We were quite possibly the furthest point from the beach (right next to the lobby). Our rooms were quiet which was nice however the balcony was so small that literally only 2 chairs and a table could fit...meaning you couldn't sit on it unless you put your legs on top of the table or on your chair. There was a water 'cooler' in the room which I thought was a great amenity HOWEVER ours did not work and although I requested it to be fixed...it never was the entire stay. Normally, housekeeping is one of the best services at all inclusive resorts however not here. When we finised the 4 beer in our fridge, it was not replenished until the last evening we were there between 8 - 10pm whille we were out for dinner. We actually had to hunt a housekeeper down in the middle of our stay just for fresh towels. Wanting to make the best of our vacation, we looked forward to the bars and restaurants. I have NEVER stayed where you were allowed only 2 a la carte dinners if staying between 5-7 days. So that's all we got. We again thought no problem eating at the buffets for the other 3 nights but the buffets were horrid. I actually skipped several meals simply because I had no more patience for the cold food they were serving. I tried breakfast, lunch and dinner and not one was better than the other and not one buffet restaurant was better than the other. On a positive note, we were VERY happy to eat at the Brazil located in the Adults Only pool for breakfast and lunch a la carte. The food here was delicious (garlic shrimp our favorite). We did enjoy the a la carte dinner at the Mediterrean also. On a negative side though NO restaurant is Adults Only. We had dinner at 9:30pm in a romantic setting with small children literally racing around our table as we tried to dine. Disrespectful parents are one thing but the staff did not care either. We never visited the 'swim up' bar which is always a favorite because it was NOT in the Aduts Only pool but at the pool swarmed with small children. The Adults Only beach-no chance...again no segregation. Entertainment: You could watch a children's movie each evening in the theater. They advertised a different theme each night (example: casino night for Thursday but not only did they not do any of the 'themes', when I asked about it at the Select Club desk-staff had no idea what I was talking about.') The 'disco' advertised-was again-filled with children. They advertise a 'romantic boat ride' however it was completely booked our entire stay and we checked the moment we arrived. Alcohol-Not even a bar just for adults. We had to take a taxi to Playa del Carmen to watch football on Sunday because the 'Sports Bar' at Sandos was crowded with children both day and night. We were hoping some staff would make our stay memorable but not one comes to mind. Instead, I felt as though everyone hated their jobs; was doing us a favor by pouring a drink or answering a question; no concierge; Select Club staff were slow, lazy and not knowledgable (and actually allowed another quest to interrupt a conversation he and I was having and then told me to wait longer while he assisted her); even the belll desk for taxis was painful. There was no escaping crying babies or hyper children to ruin just about every private moment you would want to have. This entire layout to cater to Adults makes no sense at all. The Romantic getaway I was expecting was the complete opposite. I have never been so disappointed with any all inclusive resort and I travel extensively to all parts of the world."

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