Cancun Sandos Cancun

My wife and I stayed at two different hotels while we were in Cancun this summer.

The first hotel was Sandos Cancun Luxury Experience Resort.

We stayed at this hotel as part of a time share presentation where we paid $150 for a four-night all-inclusive stay with an agreement to attend a timeshare presentation for Sandos. I will cover the timeshare presentation in another blog post.

Book Sandos

Arrival in Cancun

The hotel included transportation from the airport to the hotel as part of the $150 package.

Upon arrival in Cancun, we located the transportation area after exiting customs and the airport.

There were two groups of transportation providers. The first were located just outside the exterior doors. The second group was across the street.

Our transportation vendor was called Seek and Go. They were located across the street.

It was slightly difficult locating them; however, we found them after a few minutes when they were holding a Sandos sign.

Once we were greeted a staff member escorted us to a waiting area where there was about a 10 minute wait before the van arrived.

The driver greeted us and he loaded our bags in the shuttle and we departed the airport. The drive was about 20 minutes to the hotel.

The van was clean and comfortable overall and the driver was polite.

Hotel Arrival

Upon arrival at Sandos Cancun, a bellman took our luggage and greeted us and led us to the lobby where a timeshare rep greeted us and welcomed us to the hotel. The rep escorted spoke with us for a few minutes before escorting us to the front desk to check in.

An agent at the front desk located our reservation but said we had to speak to her colleague first before checking in.

A timeshare rep escorted us back to a table and said they would be with us shortly.

A colleague provided a cool towel and a small glass of wine for each of us while we were seated.

A rep came over and introduced himself and he asked us several questions about our stay and if we lived together and were married.

After about 15 minutes, the colleague escorted us back to the front desk where we were able to check in.

Our room was not ready at that time so the colleague provided wrist bands and said that we could use the facilities until the room was ready.

The colleague said to check back in about two hours and they would give keys to the room.

We relaxed in the lobby and had a few drinks at one of the bars before returning the desk to check into the room.

A colleague provided keys at that time.

Room

We were assigned room 320.

The room was a standard two bed room with a limited view of the ocean.

The room was clean overall and the beds were setup neatly.

The room featured a dresser with minibar in it containing beer, soda, juice and a few snacks. The room also had storage drawers for our personal items.

There was a small table present with a chair. In addition a bottle of red wine with fruit was placed on the table.

The bathroom featured a standard shower as well as a bath tub.

The bathroom was clean and the towels and linens were in good condition.

The amenities were setup neatly.

The view from the room was obstructed but you could partially view the ocean.

Overall the room was clean and comfortable. On three of the days from about 9AM-6PM there was a lot of construction noise from outside the room.

Public Areas

The hotel featured a small lobby with chairs at the center.

The lobby branched off into a lounge area as well as a hallway that led to two of the restaurants.

The lobby lounge had a piano present and a variety of seating.

Exterior Areas

The hotel featured three levels of pools with chairs surrounding the pools.

Each of the pools were infinity ones which offered a great view of the ocean from each level. The pools were surrounded by cabana’s that were covered with comfortable day beds on it.

On their beach there were also several other cabana’s available as well as regular beach chairs.

The resort was small but it was laid out neatly.

I woke up early each morning to go for a walk along the beach as well as to secure a chair. It was however, not necessary as their were plenty of chairs and cabanas available throughout the day.

There were limited food and beverage options available in the morning. The pool bars did not open until 10:00 AM each morning. If you wanted something to drink or eat, you had to go inside to the buffet which was open from 7:00 AM  – 11:00 AM. I felt that was a bit annoying that it was the only option for coffee each morning. The buffet featured a complete bar though so all drink options were available as well as cappuccino and mocha’s.

Restaurants

Sandos Cancun features three restaurants as well as the buffet and room service options. All of the meals were included with the stay without limitations on the menu.

Each restaurant offered for-purchase bottles of wines and some premium spirits; however, the staff did not pressure us to order those items, they simply made them available via a menu at the table.

The restaurants included a themed restaurant which was only open some evenings. We ate at it when they offered a steakhouse dinner. The other restaurants were Italian and a Japanese style option with the food prepared at the table.

Only the Japanese style restaurant required a reservation which was only made the same morning after 9:00 AM. We were able to secure a reservation on one of the evenings.

Italian Restaurant

The Italian restaurant offered the same menu each night and it was open every day.

The restaurant featured a large window that overlooked the beach.

The tables in the Italian restaurant were setup neatly.

The food was good overall and there were various options on the menu.

Steakhouse

The Steakhouse was excellent. We both felt it was the best option at the resort.

The steakhouse was setup elegantly and it had a private feel.

The food was excellent. We both had steak entrees which were cooked perfectly and served neatly on the plate.

The appetizers and salads were also excellent.

Japanese Restaurant

The Japanese restaurant was small and the temperature was very hot due to cooking at the table.

The restaurant was decorated neatly and the tables were comfortable.

The chef put on a good show while he prepared the meals.

The serving size for the meal was generous.

The only drawback for the restaurant was the creamy shrimp sauce as well as ginger steak sauce were not available at the restaurant. Both of these sauces are typically available at similar restaurants.

Buffet

The buffet featured a large variety of meal options at each meal.

The buffet tables were setup neatly and the food looked appetizing.

Not all the dishes were signed so it was not always clear what the options were.

We only had breakfast at the buffet during our stay. The options included fresh fruit, cheese, meat, breakfast breads and pastries, salads, Mexican specialities, Western egg, meat and potato options. In addition, a station was setup to get made to order eggs and crepes.

We felt that the food in the buffet was excellent.

The tables were setup neatly and there was a server who was attentive each day and offered beverages and he kept the table clean throughout our meals.

Pool Food and Entertainment

There was a pizza restaurant available by the pool as well as a menu featuring burgers, nachos, salads and sandwiches.

In addition, the hotel offered daily entertainment and cooking demonstrations.

One of the demonstrations was for cooking paella.

The staff provided a recipe card while they prepared the meal.

The paella was excellent and it included shrimp, sausage, rice, and vegetables. It had an excellent taste and flavor and it was served hot.

Check Out

It was easy to check out the hotel as we did not incur any more charges while we were at the hotel.

The checkout consisted of the college removing our wrist bands and providing a card that we could use until we departed to continue to have food and beverages and to use the facilities at the hotel.

The staff was friendly and polite and they invited us to return to the hotel.

We departed the hotel immediately after checking out and were able to get a taxi from the doorman to take us to our next hotel.

The doorman and other colleagues thanked us sincerely and they wished us a good day.

Summary

Overall Sandos Cancun was clean, comfortable and the staff was friendly and polite. We felt that the food options were good overall. The staff made us feel welcome. The room was a bit outdated and it was annoying that we had two beds instead of one king size bed.

The hotel was labeled as adults only; however, we saw several small children at the hotel. In addition, it was surprising that there were no king size bed room options with the regular guest rooms.

The pool deck was excellent and we were able to relax in the sun each day during the stay.

Check out other guest’s reviews of Sandos Cancun on TripAdvisor.