This was our 3rd time to the Riviera Maya in Mexico but the first time we would be bringing the girls with us and the first time staying at the all inclusive Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, just under an hours drive from the Cancun airport.
The resort motto is “Live the All-Nature Experience” and it certainly lived up to this expectation with its lush ecosystem, natural cenotes, mangrove forest and an emphasis on protecting the environment.
We arrived to a room upgrade in the newly renovated Eco Family Suites.
The room accommodates 5 people with a king size bed and a separate bedroom for the kids with bunk beds. After a day swimming in the pool and playing at the beach, the washroom with 2 showers, double sinks and a separate wash closet (toilet) made getting ready for dinner in the evenings quick and easy. Note: There is no door closing off the shower area so it’s not as private as some of the other room categories.
A king size bed for us A separate bedroom for the kids. Because this block of rooms were still in the final stages of being renovated, we had two pull out couches instead of the bunk beds with trundle bed. Since it was a free upgrade, it didn’t really matter to us because having a separate bedroom for the kids was a bonus. 2 side by side showers in the washroom. Double sinks We had a private plunge pool on our deck with jungle views. We only used it one time but this would be a great place to hang out with the kids while the younger ones take an afternoon nap.
The resort offered so many activities and entertainment that we didn’t come close to experiencing even half of them!
One of the reasons we picked this resort was because of the waterpark on site (included in the price of the room and accessible to resort guests only). There were slides and a splash pad area for younger kids and bigger slides for the teens and adults.
There are 3 pools. We swam in the main pool the most (max depth is 4 feet) so it was great for new swimmers. The pool is right beside the beach, had a bar and was the main activities pool. Tristan’s favourite pool activity was bouncing around on the water in an inflatable ball.
The free kids club (ages 4-12) was also a huge hit with Tristan. She met some new friends and spent a few hours every day playing here (it’s open from 10am-10pm). Kids can also participate in activities like tree planting, nature walks and an animal keeper program at their mini rescue farm onsite. They do have a baby club (2-3 years old) and a teen program but our teen wasn’t really interested and just wanted to hang out with us by the pool or on the beach with her parents – lucky us 🙂 The indoor play structure in the kids club.
We happened to be there for the first day of spring and over a 24 hour period the resort was quickly transformed into one large party with all day activities celebrating spring.
The day ended in a large festival with live music, cotton candy and games for the entire family. It was incredible! We plan to go back over Halloween the next time for their Day of the Dead festivities. There were a few different spots around the resort where you could hang out in the evenings to play a game of billiards, ping pong or table air hockey. We didn’t have time for any spa treatments this time around but there are 16 treatment areas and hydrotherapy pools at no charge for guests 18+.
We were thankful for the choice of food options at the resort with our picky eater. We ate breakfast at the Mexican buffet restaurant that was closest to our room and most lunches were eaten at the snack bar and dinners at the main buffet. We did manager to get to two of the a la carte restaurants – the Teppenyaki and the Italian but there is also a Brazilian Restaurant, Mediterranean Restaurant and the Steak and Fish Restaurant. The Italian was good but we preferred and recommend the Teppenyaki.
This was the girls first Teppenyaki experience and the only restaurant where reservations are required so I recommend making one as soon as you arrive to the resort. The snack bar where we could get food and ice cream between meals. I’m pretty sure that the girls wanted to come here just so that they could sit on these swings while they were eating.
If you don’t like roaming wildlife then this resort is not for you. We had fun watching peacocks, birds, iguanas and monkeys as well as this coatimundis who jumped on our table when we left for only a few minutes to bring some dessert back to our table (lesson learned to not leave plates on the table). Our girls loved seeing all of the animals around the resort property.
These cheeky monkeys visit the resort by swinging tree to tree and hanging out waiting for guests to give them food.
This resort has a focus on and respect for the natural environment. There are no straws provided here so if you feel the need to use a straw you should bring one from home. The main beach area was sandy with lots of shade and chairs but there is a small coral reef in the water making it for a rocky swim. We knew that in advance and brought our water shoes with us. If you walk for a few minutes in either direction you can find a nice sandy spot to swim in avoiding the coral.
The girls loved snorkeling and seeing all of the fish in the water.
There are several natural underground rivers and cenotes located on the resort property. A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. The water is cold but clear enough to see to the bottom.
The resort grows their own vegetables in their organic garden.
Sister bonding and in agreement that they both loved Mexico, their first all inclusive resort experience and they can’t wait to go back again.
The girls loved their first all inclusive vacation experience, they loved visiting Mexico for the first time and they had a great time at Sandos.
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