I visited with two friends in our 30s for 5 nights in November and stayed in the Riviera Family . Weather was cool but comfortable, and no sargassum! Sandos is a fun, good-value resort if you want to relax, swim, eat, drink, and use it as a base for Playa or Tulum excursions. If you expect super high luxury-level food or service, it may not be for you, but we felt we got our money’s worth. I'd go back.
Buffet was good and huge, all sorts of variety of cuisine including fresh fruits. I loved fresh custom sushi and made to order omelets. We tried three restaurants; they were more special, but weren’t exactly 5-star. The shows were good, but especially the “Heart of Mexico” performance—don’t miss it! The Disco was just okay - if night life is your thing, this might not be the best.
5th Ave was a quick ~$7 taxi ride or about a 40-minute walk. The resort is in a controlled-access area, but you can come and go via taxi or with a hotel wristband.
The resort is large, so expect lots of walking from the family section though it helped offset all we ate! We preferred the family pool near the haciendas—it was quieter, had better Wi-Fi, and the nearby Ocean Riviera spot made food and drinks easy.
Staff were friendly and helpful all over. Samantha, the Expedia customer concierge was especially fantastic and helped our group a lot when minor issues arose! I’d book through Expedia again for the value of the special concierge service. Ramon at the Ocean Riviera bar was also great.
