Possible holiday illness at the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort in Mexico

There have been reports of holidaymakers experiencing problems with the hygiene standards at the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, with some of the past guests saying that they suffered a holiday illness during their stay.

Sandos Caracol Eco Resort in the Riviera Maya

The Sandos Caracol Eco Resort is offered by British tour operator Thomas Cook on an all-inclusive basis to holidaymakers looking to enjoy the frequently pleasant weather of the Riviera Maya in Mexico. The hotel is advertised as featuring a range of restaurants and facilities, but its real draw is its status as an eco-friendly hotel. While a nature-friendly practice is highly commendable, it appears that some of their hygiene practices aren’t good for the health of their guests.

Reports of group holiday illness and hygiene problems

Reviewers on TripAdvisor have highlighted a number of problems at the eco-friendly Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, but overall it has received generally favourable reviews. The negative reviews have highlighted some potential hygiene problems, which according to some previous guests, may have resulted in holiday illness.

’26juicy26′ was a guest at the Sandos Caracol this month and in their review titled “Needs many improvements, not 5 stars” they say that “everyone gets sick here“, adding that “everyone in [their] party of 13 got [ill] at some point“. They say that there was “cold poor quality food in all restaurants“, “filthy pools“, adding that the “old water park is a health and safety risk“, the “staff in restaurants use [their hands] to pick up food and don’t wash [them]“, and the “toilets smell“.

‘Nina4428’ stayed at the Sandos Caracol in December and she says that the “restaurants are dirty” and have “food/crumbs on window sills, splatter on walls“, the “bathrooms are dirty“, the “games room is really gross” as the “handles are all greasy and sticky” and they “never once saw this room being cleaned.” She also says that “by noon the water [in the main pool] was murky […] and full of debris“, she “never saw the deck cleaned once (other resorts do this nightly), making some areas quite slippery (slimy) when wet“, and “in the morning there would still be spills and cups left behind from the day before.”

In their review titled “Health hazard“, ‘nycfirsttimer2016’ who also stayed in December says that they encountered a number of concerning hygiene issues, particularly in their room, which they say “was so badly infested with mould that [they] could barely breathe“, commenting that “both my daughter and I got sick“.

Another guest in December was ‘cuong p’, and in their review, they say that it “smells like sewage when you walk into the international buffet“.

The risk of food poisoning on holiday

Poor quality food at an all-inclusive can be quite concerning, but more worrying is food that should be hot being served cold. Heated meals that are allowed to cool for extended periods of time can become home to gastric illness causing pathogens that can soon cause holiday ruining symptoms such as diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and other Gastroenteritis symptoms.

There are other food hygiene errors that can cause hotel guests to become unwell, such as undercooking food, a practice that most all-inclusive hotel kitchens should be able to avoid by implementing hygiene processes akin to the HACCP.

Sewage smells around a buffet dining area can also be a cause for concern. Sewage contains a wealth of potentially harmful diseases, and the smell of sewage around a hotel buffet could be an indication that there is a fault with the sewerage system that may have contaminated your food.

Waterborne diseases and swimming pools

Swimming pools require a lot of maintenance to ensure that they look clean and most importantly are safe to swim in. There’s an abundance of waterborne pathogens that you could contract from a dirty hotel swimming pool, including E. coli O157, Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora.

Housekeeping needs to be exceptional

With so many people staying in one place throughout an all-inclusive package holiday, it’s vital that the housekeeping teams at a hotel perform their duties to exceptionally high standards. If they don’t and parts of a hotel become dirty or unclean; harmful bacteria and parasites could soon begin to spread to their guests.

Claim holiday illness compensation

If you’ve contracted a gastric illness while on an all-inclusive package holiday, then under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, you could be entitled to claim compensation. Out travel law specialists can advise you within minutes if you’re able to make a claim during a free no-obligation consultation, and if we represent you we can do so on a ‘no win no fee‘ basis.