Cancun | Magical Travels with Barb

Sandos Cancun offers the perfect long weekend escape from reality! It’s right on a gorgeous stretch of beach in the hotel zone, just minutes from the airport.

A high rise compact resort, nothing is far away and while it’s not technically an adult-only resort, children will be few and far between because the resort does not cater to children. There are no kid’s clubs or activities for children.

BEACH

The white sand beach is exactly what you have been dreaming about. With beach service, you can enjoy a refreshing mojito without leaving your lounge chair. Located between the pool and the beach is the popular St.Trop restaurant serving up freshly baked pizzas straight from the wood oven. And the best fish tacos I’ve ever had!

SPA DEL MAR

Treat yourself to a well-deserved full body massage and a variety of health and beauty treatments. Service here is impeccable.

FITNESS CENTER

Stay fit or start getting in shape at the fully equipped gym, complete with treadmills, recumbent bikes, elliptical trainers, free weights, resistance machines, yoga mats, and everything you need for a full-body workout.

ACCOMMODATION

There are 5 different room options available with all the facilities and amenities you´d expect from a high-end all-inclusive resort in Cancun. Modern suites with jacuzzis and picturesque ocean views of the beach and blue waters of the Caribbean. Rooms include free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, pillow menu, and more.

SUPERIOR ROOM

Superior Room sleeps up to 3 people in 450 square feet of living space and offers astonishing views of Cancun’s famous white sand beach and the rich turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean. These rooms come with a 32-inch flat-screen TV, spacious bathroom with separate shower and soaking tub.

DELUXE ROOM

Watch the sunrise from the fully furnished balcony which offers excellent views over the beach or Nichupté Lagoon. The Deluxe Room sleeps up to 3 people in 450 square feet of living space.

LAGUNA SUITE

The two private balconies highlight the eye-catching views in this spacious suite: one balcony overlooking Nichupté Lagoon, and the other overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The Laguna Suite features a calming master bedroom with a king bed, as well as a separate living and dining area with a well-equipped kitchenette.

SANDOS SUITE

The Sandos Suites provide 800 square feet of living space which is more than enough room for 3 adults. A highlight of the suites includes excellent views from the balcony.

CARIBE SUITE

Take in some of the best views the Riviera Maya has to offer from the luxury Caribe Suite which provides1160 square feet of living space. Caribe Suites have two spacious bedrooms with their own private bathroom, separate living and dining area with kitchenette, and modern decor. One of the highlights of this luxurious 2 bedroom suite is the huge furnished balcony where you can enjoy your morning coffee with panoramic views of Cancun’s famous turquoise waters.

RESTAURANTS

Choose from 4 exquisite gourmet restaurants and dining options including the Seasons steakhouse, the chic Gaijin serving authentic Japanese cuisine, A La Carte Italian cuisine at Frattini´s, and Zangos international buffet. Delicious Caribbean dishes, traditional Mexican food, and a broad selection of snacks and delicious goodies will keep you going throughout the day. Don’t forget 24-hour room service to make that dream of waking up to breakfast in bed overlooking the Caribbean Sea a reality.

BARS

Stretch out and soak up the sun on the luxury sun loungers in the manicured gardens of the hip Bar Two positioned just in front of the white sand beach. Bar One is a sophisticated lobby style bar where you´ll find everything from exotic cocktails to a selection of popular wines and beer.

ENTERTAINMENT

Besides the beach, and three outdoor infinity pools that seemingly blend into the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, there’s plenty of entertainment available at Sandos Cancun. Live the “Rhythm Experience” where you’ll enjoy a different genre of music each day of the week with themed events and extravagant shows. From 11am to 5pm the resident DJ sets the mood by the pool area and as the sun sets the party begins in Bar Two. Looking for a more relaxed ambiance, head to Bar One where you can zone out to the chilled out vibes set by the DJ.

Contact me to plan your next romantic getaway or friends weekend in Cancun at Sandos Cancun Lifestyle Resort.

I recently spent 4 nights at the original Secrets Resort, Secrets Capri in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Secrets is part of the AMResorts family. Secrets is one of their adult-only products. This compact resort is a perfect choice for a first time all-inclusive visit or a short visit. It’s about 30 minutes from Cancun Airport and nice and small with everything within a few minutes walk. This is an all preferred club resort. Since it’s all preferred, there is no lounge.

This was an anniversary trip with my husband and his first all-inclusive vacation and I chose it because I felt it fit our style.

We had a jr suite ocean view and we had a partial view of the ocean to the side and were right in front of the pool.

Secrets Resorts are in the AmResorts family as well as AMStar, their tour and transfer division. They and many other companies are owned by VIP Unlimited. It’s a vacation club of sorts so they are constantly trying to get you to go to a presentation. It started at the airport while waiting for our transfer and then at check-in. We decided to go to one to check it out. They gave us $250 for going which we were able to use towards our room charges so…but I would not do it again and don’t recommend it. It’s a hard sell and wasted 3 hours of our day. They sold us on being able to see neighboring Secrets Maroma Beach, but in reality, we only saw 1 room there and the walk from the breakfast to the room. Not much of the resort. The easy way to get them to leave you alone is to simply tell them you are a travel agent. They won’t bother you again.

They love to upsell wine here. The house wine is included of course. Our second night was my husband’s birthday and Thanksgiving day so we bought 2 bottles to have a front-row table for the Thanksgiving show by the pool. We were able to keep one bottle for another night. At the Thanksgiving show, we won a raffle for a romantic dinner on the beach so we had that the next night. The 2 bottles of wine were worth it in the end with winning the beach dinner.

0656CACA-FEEC-4316-B3C9-96EC0198C813 — Romantic Dinner on the Beach!

The service here is incredible. The manager of the seaside restaurant, Rodrigo, we ate at the first night came to find us every day, even in the pool to check on us and make sure everything was okay and we were happy. Every staff member we encountered was wonderful, they get to know you and are always checking up.

We tipped well and were taken care of well. Occupancy was high, but it never felt crowded. The buffet and any other restaurants really never were full, we never waited to be seated anywhere. The food was good. The grilled shrimp on the beach was incredible. The Italian restaurant, everything was superb there. The shrimp fajita at the Seaside for lunch was really good too. Drinks were weak, which is typical at an all-inclusive. Stick to wine and beer. I never really felt the alcohol even drinking all day except when I was drinking the wine.

We didn’t participate, but they had a great entertainment team out by the pool every afternoon doing things. It was fun to watch. Thanksgiving Day they had a giant screen showing football out by the pool above a stage where they had a live rock band all afternoon. That night was a special dinner show by the pool.

The beach is not as big as you’ll find further along in Playacar or even Cancun’s hotel zone beach. It’s not huge, but it was big enough and you could walk for quite a bit in one direction. There was almost no seaweed until the last day, this was at the end of November.

They give you coupons when you arrive, but we didn’t even really need to use them. The spa had better deals at the counter. There was a spa concierge out by the pool to book spa treatments and also rent the Bali beds on the beach or by the pool. The beds are about $30 a day. The coupons are broken up by category so you get discounts on spa, Bali bed rental, specialty dining, excursions. You cannot use the full amount on one thing though, there is a limit on each category. The spa concierge gave us the coupon price without the coupon. The spa had better deals without the coupons.

We indulged in a couples massage, my husband’s first. He was terrified and really unsure we wanted to do it, but I insisted. He still talks about Isabelle every time he asks for a back rub. The spa started with the hydrotherapy, saunas, pools, some chlorofil water. Then onto our massage by Isabelle and Wendy. Very relaxing and enjoyable.

We enjoyed the swim up bar at the pool and the lobby bar for an after-dinner drink.

The service, location, and compact size of this resort make it a great choice for a first time or short trip. I’m torn between wanting to try new resorts or going back here because we really loved it.