Sandos Playacar Beach Resort and Spa - All Inclusive - Playa del Carmen

Me and my fiance need to get out of new york and decided to go visit playa del carmen for the first time. Just by chance a friend of mine suggested we stay at Sandos All inclusive. I did some research and found out that there are 3 different Sandos Hotels in Riviera Maya: Sandos PlayaCar, Sandos, Eco resort, and Sandos Caracol. Well thank goodness I read a review recommending Sandos Playacar out of all of them because Playacar happens to be the newest Hotel out of the three and it was amazing! We had such a great time and the food was delicious. There was not one day we were disappointed by the food. And we are foodies so we love food. We chose to stay in the Junior suite with jacuzzi. The room was spotless and kept that way for the 8 days we were there. We also had a new owel animal" everyday surprising us when we got back to the room. The AC never failed, we actually ahd to turn it off a couple of times because it was so cold. Also the staff were so friendly. [...] we received a letter upon arrival personally signed by the general manager welcoming us to the hotel. They also gave us $40 to use in their spa for whatever we wanted. The night before we left they surprised us with a chapagne bottle and chocolate covered strawberries in our room Complimentary! We were taken back because it was so unexpected. So back to the food, the best place to eat is the Festival buffet. They have the most variety.They have a wide variety of fresh squeezed fruit juices, at dinner you will find lots of seafood, fresh shrimp, calamari, and fish. The food was just yummy. The pool is alot of fun and every night they have tons of activities and performers to keep you busy until about 12am then after that the party continues in their disco (if you're up for it). During the day i highly suggest you rent their bikes and take the 10 min ride into playa del carmen (5th avenue) for some sightseeing, people watching, and great shopping. There are tons of restuarants and things to see down there. The resort lies in a secure location because it's located inside of a gated communtiy. There are residentail houses (very beautiful) and other hotels that are located in the community of Playacar. But it's safe enough to walk around because there are only 2 entry points into the community and both with security guards 24 hrs. I felt safe and enjoyed my stay there. I was never bored and if you have kids they won't get bored either because they have a kdis activity lounge stocked with ping pong tables, fooseball tables, jenga, a couple of nintendo Wii,pool tables I mean I was impressed. Hope this review helps because I just picked this hotel on a whim and was grateful when it turned out to be so good. Oh another note, the specialty restaurants are so good. We ate at the Asian place, the Gaucho steakhouse, and the french restaurant. The best one we thought was the steak restaurant. All of them had yummy food but we love steak so we particularly enjoyed the milanesa at the Gaucho.

I suppose it could have been better, but we didn't pay top dollar. Then again, we never felt like we should have paid more to get more - hence the five-star rating. We stayed at Sandos Playacar on a six-night trip. I personally thought we spent way too much time on side trips (Tulum, Chichen Itza, Xcaret). We tried all the restaurants except Brazilian. I strongly recommend the Steakhouse and La Gourmet (French - Adults Only) and would avoid Mexican. Wasn't too hard to get reservations; just need to plan ahead. Can't say enough about the service. These folks are genuinely interested in providing the best experience - hard to spot a fake smile or a sign of frustration (we tried our best with four pre-teen boys with picky eating habits and preferences). We would like to go back; would like to spend more time "doing nothing".

wonderful stay beatiful grounds and beach ,lovely staff

I would highly recommend this hotel. The only issue I had was when we got to our room we had no idea that you needed the room key to have electricity. There was a slot on the wall for the room key to activate the electricity. We had no idea and was not told ahead of time.

This resort is of the highest quality. I read most reviews before we left and I dont understand why some people complain. We were offered an upgrade to a beauitful suite.It was gorgeous,but it was in adults only section and we decided it was to quiet for my wife and myself, so we stayed in villas on pool and beach area. The food was very good, the grounds were impeccable. The service was out of this world. The Entertainment team was fantastic....they gave you a personnal feeling. The rooms were very clean. No bugs or insects whatsoever. We kept our balcony doors at all times to avoid any. This resort exceeded all of my expectations. Drinks were always easelly ascessable. Bars were steps away from anywhere you may be and the staff was always there every few minutes to serve you. A dollar or two every so often is appreciated by them and well deserved. The only thing I say is if you dont want a timeshare presentation, make that clear if you are approached when you you arrive and checking in. If someone comes up to you when you check in to tell you they want to tell you about the resort, they are going to try and get you to take a tour...if you arent intrested WALK AWAY . I made reservations for Febuary 2013...CANT WAIT

This was our second time in this resort. First time was last year in September, we liked it so much that we went back again. Just as the first time it was perfect again. The staff is very helpful, the rooms are clean, and the food was great. Good selection. We liked the French Restaurant the best. The location is also great. We liked it because this is the last resort , but on the other side you can walk on the beach and you pass resorts after resorts. Because this is the last resort you have an opportunity to walk on the beach where is nothing but palm trees and wild flowers growing on the sand.We will be back. We`recomend it .

I reviewed my experience at this wonderful resort already. Just wanted to add a couple of things. There were 2 shows every night. They were great. Something for all ages.....kids, and adults that just want to be kids. We felt that the shows were so good, we decided not to go to Coco Bongo. Michael Jackson show was great. They had a Disney show that included many little children staying at resort. We had no children with us,but I saw how wonderful the staff was with the kids. Rock bands, Mexican Mariarchi, Circa show, 70"s Show, high flying acts...it was all great. They work so hard at this resort. Again, food and drinks were all fantastic. Even if you are a picky person with what you eat, you will not starve. We stayed 7 nights ,so we got 3 reservations. At first I was a little dissappointed,but it was enough. The buffets wer great. The Italian buffet was exceptional(I am italian and own an Italian Restaurant in New York). They use high quality products,especially for their antipastos. Try the prociutto and salumi. Pasta is fresh and made to order. You will not be disappointed with this resort. We are going again in july 2013!!!

It was not the first time we spent our vacation at Sandos Playacar Beach Resort and Spa. Every time it is getting better. They are constantly improving food and service quality, adding amenities. The entertainment team is wonderful. Sometimes the music was too loud though.

All inclusive. Kid's club was lacking...kids complained of being bored. But there were lots of things for us to do as a family.

Upon arrival, we were assigned a junior suite room in the "new" part of the resort. The problem was the "new part" is so far away to walk. Shuttle service was slow. We requested to move to a new room and were given a poolside room, which was much, much better. Accommodations were clean, but small. Location was very convenient. Food was average, but plentiful. Burgers at the beachside grill are great! Service was good. Overall, a very fun, safe place for a family vacation.