Sandos Riviera Beach Resort And Spa

It was okay. Nothing special. Wouldn't recommend it. [Details]

The accommodations where wonderful, the people amazing. The only challenge we experienced was when we where directed to use the telephone services ie, wakeup call, room service, luggage pickup... we received none of these requests, however when we addressed this face to face all parties where amazing. [Details]

it was a great time for my family at Sandos Riviera resort. [Details]

Good hotel and great beach. Hotel room was exceptionally clean. Beds too firm though. Food was good overall and French gourmet restaurant was exceptionally great. Newer rooms a bit far from the beach but the walk is nice. Fun to see the animals on the property. [Details]

We had a great time at Sandos. The food was great and the staff were very freindly. I hope to visit again soon. [Details]

Beautiful resort! Lots of services available and very friendly staff. Only 5 minutes taxi ride to Playa del Carmen (50 pesos). The food was absolutely marvelous and there was always a lot of choices. The Riviera is only 2 years old. It is a little walk from the beach but the rooms are much nicer and bigger than the Playacar and there's always shuttles or golf carts available if you don't feel like taking the 5-8 minutes walk from one complex to the next. Reservations to a la carte restaurants start on Sunday for the coming week. Go early so that you can have more choices for time and location. The Scuba shop is great and very professional! Ask for Carlos to take you to the Cenotes, he's the best guide I had in 15 years. Enjoy! Will definetely go back next year. [Details]

nice resort, great food, beautiful beach [Details]

on arrival hotel was not full but they brought in excess guests from sister hotel over booked, so initially promised late checkout was not allowed
co 11am (12am) but pickup 6pm too big a gap [Details]

Loved this resort. We found the beds too hard, (had to use many pillows) & the pool was abit cold. Other than that, we really enjoyed our time there. The staff was wonderful, Food& food choices were exceptional. We went to the French & steak house a la cart restraunts. Very very good! Really beautiful & CLEAN rooms & grounds. The time share pressure is not great. but the entertainment was probably the best we've ever seen at any resort. We could always find room at the pool. (there are so many pools) loved this. [Details]

We just returned from our trip to Mexico where we stayed in the Riviera section of the Sandos Playacar Beach Resort & Spa (the Sandos Riviera and the Sandos Playacar ARE the same resort, it's just that the Riviera section is newer and yes, further from the beach). It was a beautiful resort, I would recommend it to a friend, and I would return again. I traveled with my husband and 18-month-old daughter.

ROOM: We stayed in a Riviera Junior Suite. Built in 2008, the room was large and beautiful. 18" floor tiles, Plasma TV, a large jacuzzi bath and separate shower room, double sinks, a pull-out sofa bed and comfortable chairs, and a great glassed-in balcony. (We loved that the balcony had glass railings so our young child could walk out on the balcony and see the view without falling). They gave us a pack-and-play for my daughter, which she did fine in. We blocked it from us using the sofa. The bed WAS hard but surprisingly comfortable, and I slept well. The housekeeping was great (we left a $2-$5 tip every day and were treated with towel animals my daughter loved). The free room service was wonderful when needed. I couldn't have really asked for more. One tip is to put out your "clean my room" sign when you leave for the day. I think they're more likely to clean it earlier in their shift that way.

FOOD: We thought the main buffet was one of the better ones, and enjoyed eating there. We also tried the Italian buffet and liked it, although there was less selection. We liked that there was a breakfast buffet in the Riviera section, but would have liked if there was a dinner buffet there as well (at night, the location of the breakfast buffet turned into one of the à la carte restaurants).

We weren't as impressed with the à la cartes we tried: the Asian and the Mexican. Well, I liked the Asian, but it's true that it wasn't that authentic. The Mexican could have been a lot better, it being in Mexico and all. But the atmosphere was nice at both places; we just preferred the buffets for the food, and also for the flexibility with a young child. It is great that there are 6 à la carte restaurants and 2 dinner buffets as well as a snack bar open in the afternoon.

All the restaurants had high chairs available and the service was good.

BARS: We don't drink alcohol, so my only experience here was with virgin piña coladas. I do agree with another reviewer that the drinks were inconsistent. There was too much grenadine in the one made at the Riviera pool, but the one by the main pool made one of the best I'd ever had, complete with coconut milk! Yum! There was everything in between the two experiences.

CHILDREN: Our child was too young for the kid's club, but we did stop by to see it in case we ever return. There were no toys, and it looked pretty boring, although maybe the resort staff do a lot of activities with them. We did stop by the teen centre or games room and it was awesome. We had half a thought of returning ourselves some evening, and would have without our toddler. It had air hockey tables, billiards/pool tables, floor chess, video game consoles, foosball, and more.

ACCESSIBILITY: There were ramps all over the place wherever there were stairs, and we had no problem with the stroller, and neither would a person in a wheelchair. There were elevators to our third-floor room. The only area where there wasn't a ramp was down to the beach, and I mean, let's face it, strollers do not roll in the sand.

SPA: I used the hydrotherapy pools at the spa (which I was delighted to find was included) and liked my experience. I also had a manicure and pedicure done and was impressed. I had the chocolate wrap mani/pedi, and it was great. My aesthetician mostly just spoke Spanish, but we managed to communicate all right. I actually enjoyed digging out my Spanish class from five years ago, and she was super patient with me.

ACTIVITIES: My husband played beach volleyball, available every day at 4:00 PM. I went to yoga at the spa one Friday morning (available Fridays and Mondays... they don't advertise it except at the spa, so I was happy to find that out). There were lots of other activities we didn't participate in, like aqua gym, Spanish classes, sand castles and face painting for kids... there's a big activity board by the main pool that lists when everything takes place for the day. It's a large resort with lots to do.

POOLS: There were plenty of them, and they were all clean and beautiful. There were bars by every pool and always many chairs available, except maybe at the main pool by the beach were there was a shortage, but that's because it was the busiest of them all. The pools in the Riviera section were always slow when we were there and were large and beautiful. There were shallow areas for toddlers at every pool we went to. Oh, and heads up: the Jacuzzi pool in the Riviera section is COLD. Our balcony overlooked it, so we heard a lot of surprised remarks. I don't know why it is, but if you want a hot tub, there's one in the spa's hydrotherapy section (adults only).

BEACH: It was clean and beautiful white sand. There were plenty of chairs and activities. The water was clean and warm.

CLEANLINESS/AESTHETICS/FRIENDLINESS: Great. The resort is beautiful and clean all over. All the staff was so friendly and everyone would say "Hola!" as they passed. Everyone would do what they could to meet any requests, and we had some with a baby.

RECEPTION: Besides being a beautiful area, the service here was our only negative experience. We arrived at noon and were told our room wouldn't be ready for another three hours as check-in was at 3:00 PM. We had expected this so we asked for some towels and headed to the pool and buffet. When my husband returned at 2:00 PM, he was told that there were no more of the Riviera Junior Suites (with one king) available for that night, but some would be available the next day. That night, we would stay in one of the Haciendas (with two doubles) and be moved the next day. When he came back to see me at the pool with our young 18-month-old daughter, I said no way, I did not want to move with a baby the next day. We went back and saw a different receptionist who said his manager would be back at 3:00 PM. We returned at 3:00 PM, the manager asked if we had paid for the Junior Suite, to which we responded yes, and she handed us the room keys for one of the Junior Suites. I don't know what that was all about or how a room suddenly became available, but the ordeal caused us a bunch of stress, which was unnecessary.

WI-FI: It was available in our room with a good signal and in the lobby and Meeting Point, but there was a cost: $5/hour.

All in all, a great experience. [Details]

The resort met all of my expectations. The beach was fantastic, the water was wonderful and they had more than enough beach chairs etc. The food was great, the staff was extremely courteous, very friendly and welcoming. I have been to many resorts before; for the price paid, the value was absolutely incredible. I would return in a heart beat. The resort more than exceeded expecations. From young children to seniors, everyone can find something to do and have a great time at this resort. [Details]

My husband, myself and our two boys, ages 10 and 12 booked a week getaway and was recommended this resort from friends who stayed there last year. We had a wonderful time, even though our kids both ended up sick, which of course is sometimes unavoidable. The staff was amazing and room service even met my request for a special lunch for my son who was too sick to eat much, and delivered it to our room within 15 minutes of my call.

The facilities are beautiful and the beach was gorgeous. The staff are constantly cleaning and there was never garbage or dirty dishes left anywhere on the resort.

There is a games room which our kids loved, ping pong was a favourite as well as the giant chess set and video games. The nightly shows and live entertainment was a lot of fun.

We used the complimentary bikes a few times and rode into Playa del Carmen which was only about a 15 minute bike ride. What a great way to sight-see!

We loved seeing all the local wildlife that lives on the resort and our kids loved bringing "treats" to the resident cats.

We cannot wait to return and would definately recommend this resort! [Details]

It was a nice place to stay once. I would recommend taking a tour of the local sites (1-3 hrs away). I would not consider it a 4.5 star... Defenetly not a Sandlas, but for the price (around 1 k each) a fair deal. [Details]

We stayed in Riviera section. Many said it was far from beach but we did not find it far at all. Rooms are updated and close to restaurants. Asian restaurant is amazing as well as Steakhouse and Italian buffet. Rained for first 4 days of vacation but we had fun none the less. All staff very friendly! [Details]

This hotel is very beautiful. The staff were very courteous, helpful and friendly. The rooms are gorgeous and the food was excellent. It was about a 5 minute walk to the beach but we really enjoyed the walk, and it meant that it was quiet in the Riviera hotel section. I would recommend if you are looking for some Rest and relaxation. [Details]

With its recent expansion, this hotel lacks the infrastructure to support the number of guests. The resort staff was very polite and respectful. It's close to 5th avenue shopping. The food is good, but not varied. Rooms are nice, but Riviera section is real far and club cars are infrequent or quickly filled. The walking became a real pain, real fast. The worst part for us was the time share people at the resort. We dodged time share sellers at the airport only to be handed over to one upon arrival to the resort. This was very uncool. Also, the resort is very segregated...there are 3 levels...Standard, Select and Royal Elite. Each has sections to themselves. It possible to spend $8k on a vacation for a family of 4 and still feel like a 3rd class citizen :) [Details]

The best food we have ever eaten.
We felt pressured by the Sandos team for their elite selling. Wonderful new modern room. Excellent service.
Good beach. Very clean. Food was the amazing surprise! [Details]