Playacar Resorts

Sandos Playacar

2010

Is the resort furthest to the south in Playacar's gated community. It is really three resort areas (Riviera, Hacienda, and Beach) There are map displays throughout the resort so you won't get lost or be unable to find your ala carte restaurant. Page down to see a copy of the resort map.

The Riviera Section

The lobby between the north and south buildings is multi story, air conditioned and has a large bar, gift shop, and a Select Club. From this lobby they run a shuttle to the Meeting Place which is about half way to the beach. Expect to wait a long time for the shuttle and it will be crowded with hot and sweating peers. Do not stay in the Riviera section if you have trouble walking. Below this lobby are the Oriental, Mexican, and Mediteranean restaurants.

The Riviera is the furthest from the beach (almost a mile away) and is 6/10 of a mile to the main buffet. There are two areas of rooms which are north or south of the main lobby. The south room group has multiple 3 story buildings with elevators surrounding a long pool with swim up bar, snack bar/hamburger grill, and a jacuzzi (jets in bottom only) soaking pool. The pools in the Riviera section are the best on the property as they have the most features such as sunning areas with 6-12 inches of water, benches, and enough room to take a lap swim. No pools are heated. There is also an area for the Select guests that have several bed loungers.

Above is the south area buildings and below are pictures of the north buildings.

The buildings to the north have a kiddie pool and a larger pool that has an adults only section. The kids pool is about a foot deep and no pools are heated although the kids pool gets warmer as it is so shallow. There is a breakfast/lunch buffet and bar at the pool. Some of the rooms in the Riviera have "L" shaped decks and are upgraded. They are in the center and ends of the buildings.

Elevators are available in the Riviera section. Ice machines right between the 2 elevator doors.

The Hacienda Section

The long white line wanders through the resort. If you follow it from the Riviera it will take you through the Hacienda section to the Meeting Place in the center of the complex. From the far end of the resort to the beach is over a kilometer. Over the course of your resort stay you can really work up a sweat trudging back and forth.

The Hacienda building clusters have names and are two story with pool areas on the backside. Sharing a pool with other rooms are a good idea for families who seem to gather in these units. The Select Club has taken over some of the buildings and their pool areas have hammocks and a hot tub. This area has large lawn areas and a few contented iguanas. Peacocks roam and monkeys are in the trees.

The Meeting Place, Main Buffet, & Sports Bar

This is where the shuttle van will take you to the Riviera lobby.

Activities are posted on large boards around the meeting place. Bikes are available to take off resort if you like. The Sports Bar is a favorite With TV's, computers, and socializing. Outside is a large veranda where the nightly entertainment takes place. There is also a separate theater near the spa that is under utilized.

Below is the main buffet is between the Meeting Place and the Beach section of rooms. There is one line so people mill about and cut in line as they look for their favorites. It is next to the Italian restaurant (also a buffet with A/C) which is only open some evenings as needed.

Under the palapa roof of the buffet you share your space with a few birds and a chaotic traffic flow. The tables are in clusters and it is difficult managing the plates, people and chairs in the aisles. The food is predictably the same every day. Grilled to order meat portions are small so ask to get several if you see something available that appeals.

The Meeting Place select club has a couple of computers so you can check in with the folks back home in A/C comfort.

There are Espresso machines in several bars so you can get a fair cup of 'cinno or a couple of shots of espresso. Say a kind word to Luis and slip him a few pesos. He is finishing his first year at the Sandos and is "El Sol" on the nublado dia.

The Beach Section

The beach section of rooms consists of a 4 story set of buildings to the north and a 3 story set of buildings to the south. They are older construction so don't expect wide corridors or big elevators. Maids in the hallways can be a major obstruction but no more than on a cruise ship. Only a few rooms face the ocean. There are some trees that obstruct the view on the first and second floors but the fourth floor in the north building has a stunning view towards Cozumel.

The main walkway to the beach is between the north and south buildings. Main floor rooms exit to the grass and are popular. Personally I think higher floors are much better if you can walk the stairs. Expect that they will add frontage additions to these lower rooms in the next few years to include jacuzzi and other upgrades much as they did to the Caracol resort in 2010.

The small buffet by the main pool and beach is great for snacks and lunches. The pictures below show the main pool area from south to north. This pool area is between the north and south beach buildings.

Select Club Comments

Sandos Select club is one and the same for Sandos Riviera (a part of the resort) and Sandos Playacar (which is the entire resort). You can get the gold wrist band either with or without the Select Club room upgrade. The blue band is the standard color of wrist band and black bands are the timeshare "owners" which is the Royal Elite designation. The black bands can go to all areas and they have a dinky pool and a few lounge beds down by the beach pool. The black bands tend to hang out in the Select Clubs as both have air conditioning. At the beach itself the Select Club has no special building or AC; just the bar with a couple of go4ers and a small hut with half a dozen wicker chairs.

The normal beach area has hammocks and the same lounge chairs as the Select area. It is also closer to the food and drink if you don't mind getting it. Select Club is ok if you are a heavy top shelf drinker. Otherwise the sports bar and other bars are very convenient and the sports bar is partially air conditioned. The lobby bar (Riviera) is also air conditioned and is a great place to relax. Lots of couches and the bartenders rotate so if you get one that pleases you get his name and follow him to his station day after day.

You can get Select Club (gold bracelet) by the day so you can go with the standard blue...scope things out...then go haggle for the gold bracelet for the last few days of your stay. Internet is no biggie in the Select Club...there are only 2 computers in each club. Wifi is $5 an hour and it is a separate company from the resort. You can get it quite a few places including just outside the Select Clubs. If you are a heavy internet user note there is a 15 minute cap on usage in the Select Clubs as people are usually waiting.

The snacks in the Select Club are ok but they sit there a long time so cookies or sandwiches are soggy and there is a big lack of things in chocolate. Both Select Clubs have espresso machines but so does the Sports bar which is open to everyone.

It is a difficult decision and you have to base it on the dollars they want to charge you for the gold bracelet. That price varies from zip to $50 per day per person.

Last update was on 01/27/2013