Written By: Geoff Millar, Owner – Ultimate All Inclusive Travel
This month we are going to look at the Sandos Resorts. We will look at their resorts located in Mexico. Sandos 4 all-inclusive resorts in Mexico are in, Cancun, Riviera Maya, and Cabo San Lucas. They also have resorts in Spain, Ibiza, and the Canary Islands. We will look at these next month.
Sandos Resorts are a collection of 3.5 star family and adult only resorts located on great beaches and provide the total services of all inclusive resorts. Each resort has its unique style and offerings, catering to a wide variety of clients depending on their vacation criteria.
The first Sandos resort we will look at is the Sandos Playa Del Carmen. It is located in the Playacar suburb just south of the town of Playa Del Carmen. This suburb contains resorts, private homes, and a golf course. The resort is a family resort with a separate adult only section. It is located on one of the best beaches in the Riviera Maya. It is about a 20 minute walk from the resort to downtown Playa Del Carmen and about a 1 hr. ride from the Cancun airport.
Accommodations at the resort are located in 3 different sections. The regular family section located in the middle of the main part of the resort in more of a hotel style building, the Adult Only section is located in the Select Club right on the beach. Then there is the Hacienda Section with larger, more upscale accommodations set in a beautiful garden setting at the rear of the resort. The accommodations in the Family Section consist of Family King Jr Suites with a King bed and a bunk bed that can sleep 3 people. The other choice is the Family Queen Jr Suite which contains 2 double beds, and a pull-out sofa. All the accommodations have a pool or garden views. All rooms come with free WIFI and 24 hr room service.
In the Adult only or Select Section you have the Select Superior Rooms with one king bed or 2 double beds. These come with a garden view. You then have the Select Club Ocean Front rooms with a king bed or 2 double beds. These rooms are Ocean Front.
The Hacienda Section sits at the rear of the resort overlooking the beautiful gardens and with its own private pool. It consists of the Hacienda Jr Suite and the Royal Elite 1 Bedroom Suite. The Hacienda Jr. Suite comes with 1 king bed or 2 double beds and a pull-out sofa. The Royal Elite Hacienda 1 bedroom suite contains a living room and small dining area, along with a separate bedroom, and patio.
Dining options include an International Buffet, 5 A La Carte restaurants, and a snack and coffee bar. A La Carte restaurants include, Mexican, Italian, Oriental, Gourmet, and Argentinean. The snack bar is by the beach and serves a variety of snacks, sweets, and coffee. To top it off there is a cupcake snack bar. There is also 24 hr. room service.
As far as activities, they are wide and varied. In the water you have sailing, snorkeling, paddleboards, kayaks, a great beach, the pool, a water park. There is scuba diving, fishing, and other watersports at an additional cost. On the land there is cooking lessons, beach parties, dance lessons, volleyball, mini-golf, bikes, aerobics, nightly entertainment, a fitness center, a great spa, and the kid’s club with activities for kids of all ages. You can also go into town for shopping and people watching. This resort has a great wedding dept that is easy to work with.
This resort is a great resort for families and couples that want one of the best beaches, a lot of activities and close to town with shopping and where you can catch the ferry and spend the day exploring the island of Cozumel all for a great price.
The next resort we will look at is the Sandos ecological resort the Sandos Caracol located on the Caribbean but also in a great jungle location. This is a great resort to relax yet participate and learn about the jungle and the area from an ecological perspective. It is all about nature and learning how to preserve it all while staying in a luxurious resort. It does have a nice beach. This resort has an ecological and nature focus. They have a program called the all nature experience.
The accommodations consist of the family section, the Select Club, and the Royal Elite Club sections. All accommodations at the resort are eco-friendly. In the Family Section they have standard rooms with a king bed or queen bed with a sofa bed. There is the Eco Family Superior room with a king bed and a bunk bed that sleeps 2 people. Next there is the Eco Family Suite with separate bedroom containing a king bed and a 3 person bunk bed.
The next section is the Adult only Select Club. This section is adult only and is situated along the edge of the jungle. It has its own pool, separate beach section, 24 hr room service, and its own restaurant. The room selections are made up of Select Club Superior room with jungle views, a king bed or two double beds, and free WIFI. The next room is the Select Club Deluxe. It is a Jr Suite with Jacuzzi, 1 king bed or two double beds, and jungle view. The final room category in this section is the Select Club Penthouse large patio with an outdoor jacuzzi, separate bedroom with a king bed and a living room with a pull-out sofa.
The last section of the resort is the Royal elite Section. This up-scale family section overlooks the main pool, the beach, and the ocean. Is sits in the main resort area where the restaurants, shopping, and activities are located. The accommodations consist of Royal Elite Superior containing a king bed or 2 double beds and a pull-out sofa. They have a pool view or partial ocean view. The next room category is the Royal Elite one bedroom suite with separate living room with pull-out sofa and bedroom with one king bed or two double beds. The view is pool view or partial ocean view. The last category is the Royal Elite Penthouse. This is the largest room at the resort with a living room and a separate bedroom with a king bed. It has a pool or partial ocean view.
Dining options are varied and include an International buffet, and 7 A La Carte restaurants. The A La Carte restaurants include Italian, Asian, Brazilian, Steak and Seafood, Mediterranean, Mexican, and the Jungle Restaurant for the Adult only section. There is 24 hr room service available. There is a beachside snack bar serving healthy snacks. As far as bars there is the lobby bar, the riverside bar, the poolside bar, the sports bar, and the theater bar.
This resort has a wide variety of activities, most of them are focused on nature. It does have the traditional water sports like kayaks, sailing, and snorkeling, but it also has a totally different side, the nature side that focuses on studying the nature that surrounds the area. They have a nature bike path that allows you to explore the area on your own, you can swim and snorkel in one of the many cenotes. You can also take part in one of the guided nature walks. You can visit the deer park on the resort and view the wildlife in the jungle like the iguanas, coatimundis. Visit the mini fam on the resort where you can learn about the rescued animals of the area. Kids can participate in the kid’s club for all ages where they can do things like take care of the rescue animals at the resorts mini farm as well as many other outdoor and indoor activities. For the adults there are daily activities by the pool, nightly entertainment, and a fantastic spa. You are free to do it all or do nothing at all. There is also a great wedding dept.
This resort is great for the family or couple who love adventure, outdoor activities in a luxury resort and at a reasonable price. This resort is a great pick.
Now we will move to Cancun and the Sandos Cancun Resort. As you know Cancun is the center for shopping and nightlife as well as a number of great resorts on a beautiful beach. The Sandos Cancun Resort used to be the old Le Meridien Hotel. Sandos brings its top quality service to Cancun. It is close to the night clubs and shopping areas of Cancun. This resort, like many in Cancun, is more like a luxury high-rise hotel. While this resort is classified as a family resort it is adult oriented with more activities geared toward adults than children
Accommodations are made up of Superior rooms that contain one king bed or two double beds, free WIFI, 24 hr room service, and are located along the side of the resort offering partial ocean view along with partial lagoon view. This category does not have a balcony.
The next room category is the Deluxe room. It is very similar to the Superior room, but it has a balcony. It comes with 1 king bed or two double beds, free WIFI, 24 hr. room service, and has partial Ocean or Partial Lagoon views.
Next, we have the Laguna Suite. This is a one bedroom Suite with separate living room. It has two balconies, one off the living room and one off the bedroom. It comes with a king bed in the bedroom and a pull-out sofa. It has free WIFI and 24 hr. room service It has both Ocean views and Lagoon views.
Now we have the Sandos Suite. It is an 800 sq. ft. suite with a separate bedroom, a living room, and a kitchenette. It has one king bed or two double beds. It comes with free WIFI, and 24 hr. room service and has 2 large balconies with both Ocean views and Lagoon views.
Finally, we have the 1,100 sq. ft. Caribe Suite with 2 bedrooms, a living room, kitchenette, and dining area. It is Ocean Front and has a huge balcony. It comes with free WIFI, 24. Hr. room service. The bedrooms have a king bed in the master bedroom and two double beds in the second bedroom.
Dining offers an International buffet and 4 A La Carte restaurants. A La Carte dining includes, Italian, Japanese, a steakhouse, and a beach restaurant serving lunch items. There is a full vegan menu at all of the restaurants. There is a snack bar by the pool with great ocean views. As far as bars there is the lobby bar and a beachside bar as well as any of the restaurants.
A side note, when we stayed here it was the Le Meridien and they had the best tortilla soup I have ever had.
This resort is for relaxing and the activities are geared that way. With the beach, a 3-level pool, yoga, aerobics, a great spa, live music and entertainment on the lawn area overlooking the beach, a fitness center. When you want some excitement head to the shopping and nightlife of Cancun.
This resort is for those that want a relaxing place to stay and get away from after a night of enjoying the Cancun nightlife. It allows families but we do not recommend it as it is geared toward adults. Children may find themselves a bit bored.
Next, we will move to the other side of Mexico and the Cabo San Lucas area to the Sandos Finisterra Resort. This used to be the old Finisterra Resort. I first stayed there back in 2000. This resort is in a great location that is within walking distance of downtown Cabo San Lucas and all the action and nightlife. The main part of the resort also overlooks the Marina. It sits on a beautiful beach but, like many in the area, the beach as not swimmable. It sits on the Pacific side which is quite rough. They used to have a mounting of the largest marlin caught in Cabo hanging in the lobby, over 1,000 lbs., maybe they still do. Cabo is known as one of the top fishing areas in the world.
Accommodations include the Deluxe Bay View Room. This room is located in the newer section of the resort and has a balcony that overlooks the bay and the marina. You can even see the AM Resorts Breathless Resort on the far side of the marina. There is one king bed or 2 double beds, Free WIFI, 24 hr. room service.
The next room is the Jr. Suite Ocean view. The balcony overlooks the grounds, the beach and the Pacific Ocean. It has a small sitting area and either one king bed or two double beds. It also comes with free WIFI and 24 hr. room service.
Now we have the Finisterra Casita Bay View category. There is the Casita Suite. This 640 sq. ft. one bedroom suite overlooks the Marina and the bay. It has a living room and one bedroom. It comes with a king bed and a sofa bed as well as free WIFI and 24 hr. room service.
Finally, we have the Finisterra one bedroom Master suite. This 940 sq. ft. Suite has one bedroom with king bed and a separate area with two murphy beds. It has a living room and the balcony has either a Marina/bay view or a partial Ocean view. It comes with free WIFI and 24. Hr. room service.
Dining consists of one International Buffet, and 3 A La Carte restaurants. There is Italian, a Steakhouse, and a Bistro that specializes in surf and turf. For snacks there is a pizzeria, a cupcake snack bar serving a variety of sweet delights, and a snack bar with savory snacks. As far as bars there is the lobby bar, the swim-up bar, the whale watcher bar overlooking the Pacific, and the terrace bar overlooking the marina. You do not want to miss the famous bars and nightclubs of Cabo. There is also 24.hr. room service.
As far as activities at the resort there are daily activities at the pool all day long, there is the famous white party every Wednesday evening on the beach where guests where white and enjoy fine food, drinks and entertainment. There is the kid’s club for every age with indoor and outdoor activities for kids of all ages. You are also steps from downtown Cabo San Lucas with is vibrant nightlife. You are also steps from the marina with their booze cruises, sunset cruises, and some of the best fishing in the world. Thee activities are at an extra cost.
This resort is excellent for families, couples, and groups that want to experience all that Cabo has to offer, Golf and fishing are two of the main attractions as well as taking in the nightlife. We do a fishing group every year, in Cabo, that is a blast with all kinds of contests between fisherpeople and the boats, we usually have 3-4 boats on our group fishing trips. Each boat holds up to 6 people.
Well this concludes our tour of the Sandos Resorts located in Mexico. Next month we will look at the European Sandos Resorts.
Until then safe travels and good selling.