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| GOURMET INCLUSIVE - NEW CATEGORY OF LUXURY VACATION |
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2012 - Summer Issue
Vida Buena
Getaways |
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| Article: Bob Skolnick |
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In today's world of specialization, it takes several companies acting together to create a truly exciting and memorable vacation when traveling to neighboring Mexico. Our local travel company, Sun Travel, advised us to select a Funjet Vacations package to Mexico. They represent adults only and family resorts based on your getaway priorities. Funjet packages your air and transportation, along with selecting the resort property that best suits your vacation preferences. Funjet works directly with Karisma Resorts which manages several resort properties on the Mexican Riviera. We selected the El Dorado Resorts as they are adults only. If you are on a family vacation then the Azul Resorts are just for you.
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Photo Captions
| 1.) |
La Pool - El Dorado Casitas Royale |
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| 2.) |
Beach bed - El Dorado Seaside Suites |
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| 3.) |
Mexican Riviera |
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| 4.) |
Infinity Casitas /
El Dorado Royale |
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| 5.) |
Martini Lounge |
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| 6.) |
Bar Catorros - El Dorado Moroma |
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| 7.) |
Kampai Restaurant - El Dorado Casitas Royale |
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| 8.) |
Beachfront Sky Massage - El Dorado Seaside Suites |
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| 9.) |
International Cuisine |
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| 10.) |
Gourmet All Inclusive Dining |
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| 11.) |
Private Casita - El Dorado Casita Royale |
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| 12.) |
Le Chique Restaurant - Azul Sensatori Resort |
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Photography courtesy of Funjet & Karisma |
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For More Information
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Your flight arrives in Cancun and you are met at the airport by a dedicated Funjet representative and helped through the arrival process and onto a waiting deluxe van that whisks you down the Caribbean coastline to your resort. I use the word "resort" as these properties are much more than just hotels. The concept of all-inclusive resorts is a staple of the Mexican Riviera. The Mexican Riviera runs for thirty plus miles along the Caribbean coastline from Cancun to Puerto Morelos, Playa Del Carmen and Cozumel. It is referred to by the industry and locals as the Riviera Maya, a nickname originating from the ancient Mayan culture and the people that were prominent in this part of Mexico for many centuries. The Mayans have left an indelible footprint on the region with ruins at Tulum and a pyramid and temple at Chichen Itza.
Once you arrive at your destination, everything, and I mean everything, is at your fingertips: fabulous accommodations, great scenic white sand beaches, swimming pools with swim-up bars, superb cuisine, nightlife and lots of pampering. El Dorado Resorts offers four choices of properties based on your preferences for amenities and the number of guests. El Dorado Spa Resorts by Karisma's premium destination is El Dorado Royale, which is acclaimed as one of the top 100 properties in the world. It is positioned along over a mile of secluded Punta Brava beach and features elegant room accommodations, seven gourmet restaurants - some with an open kitchen "Culinary Theater", 15 bars & lounges and 13 swimming pools. El Dorado Seaside Suites is located beachfront on the bay at Kentenah and was voted one of the most romantic resorts. El Dorado Seaside Suites offers all-suites rooms, five restaurants and their signature Beachfront Sky Massage. El Dorado Casita Royale offers you a private casita directly on the beach with an in-room Jacuzzi. At El Dorado Casita Royale you can enjoy cuisines of the world in their seven different restaurants. El Dorado Maroma is located on the stunning Maroma Beach just minutes from Playa del Carmen . This is a smaller resort with 72 all-suite rooms offering personalized butler service.
Our preference was El Dorado Royale, a spa resort by Karisma that has earned the AAA Four Diamond Award and has been recognized as one of Conde Nast Traveler's Top 100 Hotels in the World. It is located in the heart of the Riviera Maya facing the Mexican Caribbean on 450 acres of tropical jungle with hundreds of palm trees. El Dorado Royale is designed specifically for couples. It is an adults only, all-suites resort with gourmet inclusive dining, stylish lounges and a full-service spa. One of the things that places El Dorado Spa Resorts a cut above their competition is their commitment to running fully "green" resorts that are committed to preserving the ecological diversity and richness of the Mayan jungle. El Dorado Royale's property includes a 70,000 square foot, hydroponic greenhouse where they grow a wide selection of vegetables and herbs to serve the various restaurants. The resorts have also heavily invested in energy saving air conditioning, which has reduced energy consumption in that area by 50 percent. To further enhance their ecological commitment, the resort has 100 percent solar heated water systems and a 92 percent laundry water recycling program.
Dining is all inclusive and part of your resort cost. You can select from the many restaurants offering a full international palate of cuisines. El Dorado Royale has received the coveted Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. They not only grow and import the freshest ingredients, but also boast a professional culinary team well trained in the cuisines of the world. Twenty-four hour room service is also an option if after a long day at the beach you want to relax and dine on the balcony of your room. There are a variety of lounges offering a full selection of cocktails, wines and beers, plus snacks. In the evening, entertainment is available for you to just listen to relaxing sounds or get up and dance to beach rhythms.
If you like swimming, there are numerous swimming pools and some of the suites have swim-up pools where you can step out of your room into a lazy river that allows you to swim directly to the main pool. There are also pools with swim-up bars (my favorite type of pool). For those who like to be active, there are tennis courts, a fitness center, saunas and a steam room. You can kayak in the ocean or hop on the shuttle to one of the nearby championship golf courses: the Mayacoba Championship course or the Playacar Golf Club. For the beach lovers, there are beach lounges galore and of course, your own beach butler to tend to your food and beverage needs. If having your body pampered is your preference, then you can make your way to the 20,000 square foot, Mexican themed spa offering a full treatment menu or go for the signature Beachfront Sky Massage. From personal experience, having a massage while the waves are breaking under you fifteen feet below conjures up a real Robinson Crusoe moment.
If you get tired of being pampered, lying at the beach with idle thoughts and placing your diet in ruins, then you can have the concierge arrange one of many regional activities from visiting Mayan ruins or touring the Xei-Ha Eco Park to deep sea fishing or reef snorkeling.
The most difficult part of traveling to the Riviera Maya is leaving. I have been there twice and it is the place to really relax and treat yourself to a wonderful vacation. /// |
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