Sandos Playacar

We had a pretty good week at this resort. We stayed here 5 years ago and things have definitely changed in that time. The rooms really need to have some attention and updating. Staff that were there were really good but seemed to maybe be short staffed. Beach and pool service was quite slow at times all though we are ok with going to get our own as well. Food was good but hard to get into the ala carts. Seemed to be full right away. Our favourite thing about this resort is the beach. Lots of room, shade and chairs. Not a fight to get a chair at any time of the day. Overall decent place but rooms should have some attention before we would return. [Details]

Although the rooms can use an update, this resort offers everything you need to have a very nice vacation. The food at the a la cartes was very good. The buffet had a variety of different foods and was never short of anything.
The beach was amazing! Soft white sand, always clean and clear turquoise water. If you are a beach person like us, this is the place to come to.
It's a very big resort, very lush of greenery and the location of the adult section was very close to everything - the theater, the buffet, some of the a la cartes, the pools and the beach. The family section seemed to be much further from everything. [Details]

Hotel was clean but the food at the buffet could be changed up some more. There should be an adults only buffet. The restaurant booking system for the a la carts is terrible! Jared at the adults only pool does a fantastic job getting the guests involved. [Details]

This resort is great for family. But the resort need to be uptated. I was in the adult section. This is not a resort for single or couple with no kids. Everyting is close after 12. Lots of teenagers. [Details]

We really enjoyed our week at Sandos Playacar!
The grounds are beautiful and well-maintained. Great selections for pools and restaurants. The buffet food was decent for resort food, with plenty of options and picky kid-friendly food, but we really enjoyed the a la cartes, specifically Fogo De Janeiro. Rooms are spacious and comfortable, though could use some updated furniture as the hide-a-bed was a bit rusty from humidity.
The beach is beautiful and huge. The waves were too big to be able to snorkel on-site while we were there as it was windy at the beach, but we enjoyed bobbing in the waves and looking for sea shells and coral. No issues with seaweed at all! It's a long walk to/from the family section in the heat with floaties, snorkels etc. Having the shuttle was nice, but they could run a few more as it was always busy and sometimes we had to wait a while (or opt to work off all the rodizio from the night before...).
Our kids (ages 5 and 9) loved the waterslides at the beach pool and it was just the right size that mom and dad could keep an eye on them from the sidelines. They also really enjoyed the kids programs a few times and gave us parents a chance to do some extra relaxing!
The resort is huge, with lots to explore. We didn't get to do everything in our week there, so clearly we need to go back again! [Details]

A beautiful resort, staff was very helpful and level of languages was amazing. The drive from the airport is long, but you are rewarded with a beautiful beach. A 10-15 minute walk from family rooms at back of resort but the lush greenery is beautiful. The shuttle wait time is long and shuttles are crowded. I wouldn't recommend these rooms if mobility is limited.
The rooms are decent, we had a King family suite but the room is noisy,and it was difficult using one bathroom with the family; 2 teenage girls and boy. Every time someone uses the bathroom at night, it lights up the entire room.
The evening show are amazing and worthwhile to watch!
Recommend the beach games at the family beach too, makes it feel more like a Mexican vacation learning dance steps in the sand. It was a bit intimidating with all the cameras everywhere, but I felt safe. We had the basic BLUE band, but never felt like we missed out on anything. The employees made you feel important regardless what level you choose. The good was delicious in restaurants or in buffet, a lot of choices for everyone. [Details]

Being our fourth time here the resort is still the best place we have stayed at in Mexico. The staff are friendly and very helpful. The beach is not rocky and very clean. The food is excellent The rooms are clean and quite large. The entertainment is second to none especially the Abba and Micheal Jackson tributes. Lupita our housekeeper was very thorough and we loved her little decorations she left The bartenders at the adult pool were excellent Ramon especially. Check-in and out was fast and smooth. We will definitely return [Details]

And we had a blast!

The beach is beautiful. We had a few days with a lot of seaweed but on those days, we made use of the many, many pools. The other days were clear for the beach.

The pools are wonderful, including the two kids water slide areas. The main water park area, close to the beach, is really conveniently located next to the main pool with swim up bar and small snack restaurant for lunch and snacks. And another bar. There was no shortage of bars!
The other water park area was located next to the family room section. This one, much smaller, was perfect for our 3 and 6 year old. I would expect that older kids (8 ) may find that one too small; however, the location was great (2 min walk from our room) and the also a bit quieter. Again, this is near another pool with swim up bar.

The family section is about a 5-8 min walk away from the main restaurant and stage areas. There is a shuttle service; however, we generally chose to walk as we didn't know when the next one would show, and the amount of people waiting was more than the seats available. Walking was just fine.

The family room (we had the king with a bunk) were a great size. The patio was lovely to sit on after kiddos fell asleep. The lobby bar was a 2 min walk away and our mini fridge was always well stocked by the hotel. We did have some issues with our safe and had to make multiple calls on different days to have it fixed. The service was always prompt (within 20 mins) but the constant need to cal for service was frustrating after the first few times. All in all, that is a pretty tiny piece of the entire experience and I imagine wasn't the case in most rooms.

Wifi was strong throughout the entire property (and free).

We would 100% book here again. Keep an eye out for the monkeys! And take advantage of the bikes to borrow to head off the resort into the gated community. [Details]

We loved the food, the beach and the pools, the kids had so much fun!! Rooms were comfortable and quiet and they were tidied everyday and the room service and mini bar were quickly stocked if we called. The kids also loved the kids club Which we weren't expecting, such an added bonus! My only comment is that it is a large resort, so it was a lot of walking from our room to the main buffet/beach and we had to plan our day around the travelling, as it wasn't close to head back to our room for anything and with small kids we had to carry everything with us. But overall, it was an excellent family vacation, exactly what we needed!! [Details]

Bigger than expected, there is a trolley to transport that comes around every 15 min which is also about the same amount of time to walk to the beach. Overall it is an ok resort if you are not to picky. My kids loved it so it was a win. [Details]

The hotel was beautiful and inviting. Our room was nice, we had a king bed and bunk beds. The bathroom was okay, but the jetted tub was definitely older and we did not use it. Our room was the farthest from the beach, but after one day of figuring out the layout, it was no problem. We just packed up our beach stuff for the day, headed to the buffet for breakfast. The food was good,just could be a little warmer. Good variety. Evening shows were fantastic. Beach was very nice, and the wedding coordinator was so helpful. We will definitely go back. Kids loved the Teen Club and Cupcake Cafe. The taco place was fantastic
To get a late night snack! [Details]

Didn't like all the cats. [Details]

We loved the resort, lots of space to move around everywhere, nice and lush greenery around the property. [Details]

great resort, great employees who go beyond their duty to make your stay a pleasant one, beautiful beach, great variety of food, can't wait to go back there. [Details]

Overall we enjoyed our stay but we quickly noticed a vast amount of animals on the resort cats, “raccoons” etc. There was a regular occurrence of feces in the stairwells that staff was very slow to clean up. Common walk ways were often sticky from drinks etc but did not see them being cleaned yet staff were trying to come into the room at 8:30 in the morning, waking the family, to try and clean the room. Trolley availability is unpredictable and should run more often for such a vast resort. [Details]

This was our first visit to this resort and overall we were very pleased with our stay. Beautiful beach, plenty of loungers to choose from, relaxing adult only pool area, large variety of food options, (both at the buffet and at the specialty restaurants), clean room, comfy bed, plenty of wildlife and nature, friendly staff, access to bicycles, gym & spa, great entertainment and nightlife...just terrific! [Details]

We were an extended family of 10 visiting the resort. We asked to be placed close together, and were. The resort itself was very large, so be prepared for walking. A tram is available if needed...... The resort itself was clean and well kept with beautiful gardens, as well as animals to amuse the children- cats with kittens, a small compound with barn animals (completely unobtrusive). The water park was fabulous as were the myriad pools. The beach was sandy and a gentle decline into the ocean. We were actually able to walk into Playa del Carmen via the beach. There were plenty of beach and deck chairs.

Although the children only made use of the kids' club one day- there was lots on and they were all pleased. In terms of sports equipment, the basketballs went missing regularly, so despite the net, they could not play. There was a delay in getting tennis balls- that whole area was disorganized. The bicycle rental (free) worked perfectly.

We were pleased with the service. However, our first room was in need of repair and the terrace door could hardly be opened. There was a musty smell which gave my spouse a terrible headache and forced him to sleep outside the room the second night in one of the young family's rooms. We then asked for a change and it was given no problem. The second room was as opposite as could be- in excellent shape with no musty smells.

The rooms were beautifully set up for families with more than two children- the bunkbeds slept two on the bottom and one on top. There were many many families at the resort- so be prepared!

The young families often ordered room service at night after a busy day- it was delicious and came promptly. The food was so so in my opinion- plentiful and fresh, but somehow missed the mark in the specialty restaurants. But I am a self confessed foodie so I consider myself a bit over-critical.

All in all, I would definitely recommend for families- and the adult only section would allow adults a separate world if desired. [Details]

Great hotel, good for children [Details]

Our family stayed for a week at Sandos Playacar, and we were very pleased with our stay. The food was excellent, with a lot of variety and always very freshly prepared at the buffets. The restaurants provided very nice menu choices as well. The beach was beautiful and had perfect swimming conditions, this is where we spent most of our time. The staff was always friendly and helpful. [Details]

This is my third visit to this resort and I have to say that each time my experience gets better. Your staff is very friendly and the food is amazing. I can't wait to come back. [Details]

nice resort great pool but no pool or beach service for drinks for Adult Select! WTF! long lineups at pool bar and beach bar,Adult select rooms not as nice and staff do not speak great english, so service was a little sub-par Still had a great time,but the little things were missed. Spencer ,Laura, and Rodrigo were fantastic ! The shows at night were also very good. beach chairs too far away from the water. All in all a good resort just some tweaks that would make it better. [Details]

We were travelling with a large group and were given adjacent rooms as we requested. We stayed in the family king suite and it was spacious and clean. The food was great for both adults and kids, and the a la carte restaurants did a good job of accommodating our large party, and the staff was very friendly and fun. Both the family pool and the main pool were clean and nicely laid out. The beach area was large with many umbrellas so we didn't have a problem getting shade. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would go back again. [Details]

Simply amazing , the staff was absolutely fantastic. The beach was so close and very clean. [Details]

This was my 3rd stay at Sandos Playacar. The stuff was super accommodating and we got the room we wanted. The food is exceptional.
The beach was very nice with palm trees if you need shade. [Details]

Welcoming was fine but did not receive very good directions to find our room and we spent half an hour trying to find the room. Had to go back to the lobby and get the bell hop to help us, which he did and took us to the room.

Our stay was perfect from there on had no problems at all with anything.

Restaurants were easily accessible and the getting to and from was easy with the golf car service. Food was a one at all the restaurants.

Would certainly recommend this place to anyone. [Details]

My wife and I spent 10 days here. Loved it. The staff were excellent. The food was great. [Details]

Ce fut notre 4ème visite à cet hôtel et nous sommes toujours aussi satisfaits.Le service, la propreté, la qualité de la nourriture, la gentillesse des employés, c'est toujours le top. Au restaurant Italien, José et Marguerita ont été aux petits soins avec nous.Dans les premières journées, on vérifie à quelques reprises si tout est OK dans notre chambre, s'ils peuvent faire quelque chose pour nous. On pensait aller ailleurs pour nos prochaines vacances, mais on a changé d'idée et on a décidé de retourner encore à notre 2ème maison, le Sandos Playacar!!! [Details]

We spent Christmas here with three generations of family
15 in total ages 18 mos. to 72 years in 4 units. It was very good value for our group
Food met expectations for an all inclusive in this price range as did the accommodations.
Beach and all activities excellent .
Helpful caring warm staff and crew. [Details]

Absolutely loved this resort. The beach is great, adults only section has the best pool, all the staff was friendly and every restaurant had great food. I don't have a bad word to say. Would go back in a heartbeat... [Details]

This resort has so much to offer, amenities are superb and while large, the layout was so well planned that there is always much to engage you as you walk from one end to the other. The entertainment was superb and of a quality that I have never seen at a resort previously. The daily themes ensured that everyday had something for everyone...from morning to night. Since I like to wander off of resorts typically, this one really delivered in that it is so close to Playa del Carmen, 5th Avenue, the boat launch to Cozumel, etc. Playacar, the gated community where Sandos is located, is beautiful, with wonderful landscaped walks, and a nice variety of private homes to enjoy. With a golf course, assorted stores, a bird sanctuary to visit, I was always entertained. The resort had bikes so it was easy to set off for hours of fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this resort, the helpfulness and efficiency of the staff, the beauty of the grounds, the variety of restaurants and the constant entertainment. I was travelling solo for the 1st time in my life, and I was never bored or at a loss for things to do. This place is also fantastic for kids, with great pools, mini golf, daily beach games, a large arcade and cupcake lounge. Wish my kids weren't grown up as this would have been such a great family vacation spot. Wonderful memories all in all! [Details]