Sandos Cancun
I wanted to share my experience staying at the Sandos Luxury Resort in Cancun, Mexico. We booked a weekend at this all-inclusive resort because it has three infinity pools and five restaurants. After reading many positive reviews online, my expectations were pretty high. The resort is located right on the beach and I had high hopes for my stay.
The Sandos Luxury Resort Cancun is situated in the central part of Cancun’s “hotel zone”. To get there from Cancun International Airport (CUN) (see map here), you would need to take a 20-minute taxi ride which costs around $30 to $40 USD.
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Usually, I explore the neighborhood for restaurants and other attractions, but on this trip, we decided to stay at the all-inclusive resort and have all our meals there. Consequently, we didn’t go out and explore the nearby area, so I can’t offer any opinions on local restaurants.
The resort is situated on the beach, like many other resorts in Cancun. To reach the ocean, you need to go down a few tiers from the pool area. The slope near the shore is quite steep, so prepare accordingly for the waves.
The beaches had red flags every day, which supposedly meant that swimming was not allowed. However, many guests were still swimming despite the warning. Although the waves were strong and the sandbank was steep, I still felt comfortable in the water. However, I would not recommend letting small children swim on red flag days as the undertow can be dangerous.
The hotel is easy to navigate and locate amenities. Upon arrival, a bellboy will assist you with your bags and bring them to your room after check-in. The check-in desk is located on the left side of the lobby. However, there may be a delay if there is only one staff member working, which we experienced when a large group arrived after us.
The concierge desk is not located near the reception desk. However, it is usually staffed with multiple people. Additionally, the hotel amenities, such as the restaurants, bar, gift shop, and pool area, are located just a few seconds away from the lobby entrance. The walls in the lobby have signs that point in the right directions, making it easy to navigate the hotel corridors.
The hotel excels in two areas: the pool areas and the diverse dining facilities. Let me first discuss the pool areas.
We were upgraded from a Deluxe Room to the Sandos Suite, which provided us with ample space. The room was located on the highest floor, which was designated as the penthouse level, and we enjoyed the novelty of pressing the “PH” elevator button each time we returned to our room. A welcome letter was waiting for us on the bed upon our arrival, along with a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses on a nearby table.
I found the beds and bedding to be very comfortable and cozy, but I did have a minor issue with the room feeling slightly warm despite adjusting the AC to its lowest settings (the bedroom and suite area have separate AC units).
We were impressed by the spacious bathroom which had a shower and a bathtub with a built-in enclave. I appreciated the see-through shower door but I would have preferred a non-see-through door for the toilet, although I liked it for the sake of symmetry.
I enjoyed the view of both the lagoon (where the sun sets) and the ocean from the balcony. While there are two chairs and a small stand available for you to relax and take in the view, please note that the night club next door is quite noisy and can be heard when you’re outside. This is something to keep in mind, especially on weekends in Cancun. However, the good news is that the glass doors do a good job of muffling the noise, so it shouldn’t be much of an issue while you are indoors.
While preparing to check out, we witnessed extraordinary weather from our balcony. A massive rain sheet swept over the lagoon on the northern side of the island. As it moved towards the east, a narrow funnel cloud transformed into a lengthy waterspout and reached the ocean. Though the guests on the beach were stunned, we watched the impressive natural occurrence from a distance. To my knowledge, the waterspout didn’t touch the land.
A waterspout is developing over the ocean in Cancun.
The room’s dining area is generously sized and an ideal spot for enjoying room service.
The Sandos Suite features a kitchenette and a mini-bar, consisting of a sink, a microwave, coffee makers, and snacks such as peanuts and crackers.
The mini-fridge was filled with beverages such as Dos Equis, Heineken, Tecate, and sodas, as well as cold chocolate snacks. The staff checks and restocks the fridge every day based on your preferences so you can choose what you like. It’s a fully stocked mini-bar.
The resort’s pool areas consist of a series of big infinity pools that flow into each other, leading all the way to the beach. Surrounding the pools, there are winding walkways and platforms with lovely covered sun beds. However, these beds are in high demand and tend to get taken early by other guests.
In the afternoon and evening, lots of guests spent time in the pool area. Despite there being three large pools, it never seemed too crowded, so you should be able to find a spot to relax at any time.
The pool has an over-sized chess board on a circular platform covered in waterproof astro-turf. It is a unique feature that I haven’t seen before and it was enjoyable to find something different.
There are five restaurants on the premises, one of which is named “St. Trop” and located outside by the pools. This restaurant serves standard snack bar type food, tacos and drinks and beer, but closes at 6pm. Please note that “smart casual” apparel is required at some of the restaurants, including St. Trop. Also, keep in mind that St. Trop is an outdoor restaurant, so shirts and shoes are required.
There was a restaurant named “Seasons” that had a dress code of “elegant casual”, which meant that shorts were not allowed. As we were planning to spend most of our short trip in the ocean, we did not pack any pants and were therefore unable to dine at Seasons. There was also another restaurant called St. Trop, similar to the snack bar, but we were unable to visit that one.
Which restaurant did we go to? During our 3-day stay, we only had the chance to dine at two restaurants within the premises. We went to the first one called Zango.
Most of the time, we had our meals at Zango. As far as I know, it’s the only place that serves breakfast. They offer buffet-style meals with a wide range of flavors and options.
They served a variety of seafood like salmon, shrimp, calamari, oysters, etc., along with meats like chicken and beef fajita for dinner. There were also many options for salads, sandwiches, mashed potatoes, and other random foods. In short, there was something for everyone, and both of us enjoyed the high-quality food. I took a picture of salmon on the left and chicken fajita on the right.
Gourmet sandwiches and fruit cups.
Gaijin is a small Teppanyaki-style Japanese show cooking restaurant located at the resort’s hibachi grill. To dine here, you must make reservations on the day-of, and the concierge at the front desk can assist you with this.
We have been to several hibachi grills before and the atmosphere created by the chef was just as good as the others. In case you haven’t been to one before, it’s a type of restaurant where the chef prepares and cooks the food right in front of you in an entertaining way. Our chef was very entertaining and energetic the whole time.
To dine at this restaurant, you must make a reservation beforehand, and please note that dinner is only served from 6 to 11 pm.
In my opinion, a true luxury resort can be distinguished from a pretender based on the level of service. It’s not just about having impressive amenities like big pools, strong drinks, or a prime beachside location. A luxury resort should have a staff that is dedicated to making your stay as comfortable as possible.
The Sandos Resort provided exceptional service of high quality, including the front desk, restaurants, and room service. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of professionalism, which surpassed my expectations and confirmed that the Sandos Resort is indeed a luxurious destination.
I had a great experience at an all-inclusive hotel in Cancun. While I don’t have much to compare it to, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great all-inclusive option in the area.
Other Similar Resorts in Cancun:
| Live Aqua Resort Cancun | Hyatt Ziva Cancun |
| Moon Palace Resort | Riu Resort Cancun |
| Iberostar Selection Cancun | Hyatt Zilara Cancun |
| Hard Rock Resort Cancun | Excellence Resort Cancun |
| Royal Solaris Cancun |
I recommend these travel resources for Mexico that I personally use:
🏨 Hotels: I have found that Expedia and Booking.com consistently have the best deals on hotels and resorts in Mexico. If you prefer to stay at a vacation rental, check VRBO that is usually cheaper than AirBnB’s added fees!
✈️ Flights: To find the best flight deals to Mexico, I always use Kayak. Remember to subscribe to their price alerts for the travel dates you want. Another great alternative for flight deals is Expedia.
🚗 Rental Cars: I always use and highly recommend Discover Cars because it allows me to compare several car rental companies and view ratings on various factors such as overall value, pick-up procedure, agent efficiency, car condition, and total time taken.
🚙 Cancun Airport Transportation: For the fastest and easiest way to travel, I suggest arranging a private transfer with Cancun Airport Transportation. Honestly, no better way to travel from the airport to your hotel or resort.
🤿 Tours & Activities: For tours and activities in Mexico, I highly recommend using either Viator or GetYourGuide. These websites offer a full refund if you cancel your booking 24 hours before the start of the tour, and they also provide excellent customer service in case of any issues.
🚨 Travel Insurance: I always suggest purchasing travel insurance as a precaution before traveling, especially after a recent accident in a taxi in Mexico. For short trips, I recommend Travel Insurance Master, whereas for digital nomads, Safety Wing is a better option.
📷 Best Camera for your trip: I always carry with me a GoPro, It’s light, compact, takes great video and pictures, and most importantly, it’s waterproof! You just can’t go wrong with one. If you are interested in higher quality video and photography, I always carry with me on my trips and highly recommend the Sony A7IV which I think is the best travel DSLR Camera out there.
☀️ Biodegradable Sunscreen: Remember to include a good sunscreen to protect yourself from the summer sun. I always use and suggest Sun Bum Sunscreen, which is vegan, reef-friendly, and cruelty-free.
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