I (Jamie) was in the Riviera Maya the first week in September to visit and evaluate seven different Karisma properties. Karisma is one of the best hotel companies with many all-inclusive offerings including ones for couples, families, and multi-generational groups. They are particularly renowned for their food and detailed wedding planning.
For me the worst part of traveling is getting there. I am a destination and activity person, so it was great that flying from Dulles was a breeze. The non-stop flight left at a respectable time of 9 am and was not full! We boarded quickly and were off! The Cancun airport has very insistent time-share hawkers, but I just ignored them and found my transfer agent who was waiting with a stretch limo for a direct transfer to the resort.
The host property was Generations, about 30 minutes south of the airport in the Riviera Maya. This resort is an all-suite, all-butler hotel designed for multi-generational families. Upon arrival there were cool towels and a glass of champagne for check-in. We boarded golf carts, and with our baggage, were taken directly to the room. Our butler, Leonardo, gave us a tour of the room. It had a king-sized bed and a separate sitting area that had a king-sized sleeper sofa.
The bathroom had a double sink, a Jacuzzi tub, separate toilet, and an accessible rainforest shower. Robes, slippers, an umbrella, and a safe, with charging cable inside, were provided. The mini-bar was restocked every day and had a nice variety of sodas, beer, chips, and candy. The room had a balcony with 2 chairs and a table, a eurolounger, and a wonderful view of the ocean.
The rooms on the lower levels had swim outs or infinity pools.
One of the features of Generations is that you go through a foyer then there are three separate rooms inside. These can be booked individually or together, so there were many options for creating multiple rooms, with multiple bathrooms.
After dropping the bags, we headed to lunch. The hostess asked if anyone had food allergies, then she escorted us to a table. The restaurant has what is called "Full Display" rather than a buffet. It consists of nicely presented small plates that are continuously replaced, ensuring quality and freshness. The individual dishes could be rated good to excellent. The crispy beef and the chocolate brownie tort were outstanding. The salmon had good flavor, but was a bit dry. The vegetable lasagna was very tasty, and the chips and guacamole were what you would see in the States.
After lunch it was off for a short self-tour. The property was beautiful and spotlessly clean. There were outdoor areas for basketball, life-sized chess, and ping pong. The gym, unfortunately, was not a high point for this resort. It had treadmills, bikes, and weights, but was dark, had no view, and overall felt uninviting.
I walked along the beach and there were people cleaning and raking. The east coast of Mexico, along with several other Caribbean destinations has been hit hard this year with Sargassum, a brown seaweed. The resort was constantly fighting the battle to keep it clean. At this particular resort, the beach was small, but relatively clear.
This is an all-inclusive resort, so I got a mudslide at the pool bar, which was well-made and not watered down. The pool was long, by my calculation at least 150, maybe 175 yards, and salt water.
There were tables and stools in the pool and drinks were delivered to the water. At the pool bar there was a drink making demonstration with multiple drinks created and sampling for the audience. The staff seemed to enjoy this.
The resort had a nice feel to it. The staff were friendly and always said "Hola" when they passed you. Service was good and a "thank you" was always answered with "my pleasure." There are butlers for every room as well as beach butlers. The beach butlers bring sunscreen, popsicles, and other items and make sure the king-sized loungers are clean and set-up with sand play toys.
The first night we had a group dinner at Habb, the
Mediterranean restaurant. The first
course was Baba Ghanoush and pita, followed by a French Onion soup that had a
crouton and little bit of cheese sprinkled on top. My main course was chicken in a yellow curry
sauce with mashed potatoes and two types of rice, with cheesecake for dessert. Back in the room there were 3 chocolate
covered strawberries that were excellent!
There is also Jade, an Asian fusion
restaurant and a Wine Bar.
In the morning I went for a run. Oh yeah, it was 100% humidity and probably
close to 80 degrees. I finished the 7
miles and then discovered I had run at a 9:35 pace, which explained the gasping
for air and puddles at my feet! Breakfast
was good with a nice variety of breads, muffins, traditional and Mexican
breakfast food. Gerber jars of food was
provided for the babies.
There are a total of 144 rooms at Generations. This is a nice place for families to stay for
a destination wedding. Each foyer
contained 3 rooms, which a maximum occupancy of 2 adults and 2 children, or 6
adults and 6 children for a 3 room suite.
There is a separate lounge, with card and pool tables and snacks, which
would be a nice place for teens.
The resort offers special packages when celebrities visit
and also the Best Birthday Bash, which is available when at least 2 rooms are
booked in a birthday month. There is a
Sky Terrace, which is available for weddings and other functions.
Generations offers celebrity packages (where they bring in a
celebrity) and Best Birthday bash. For
BBB must have at least 2 bedrooms booked and it must be in the birthday
month.
The Kids program has a
large, inviting play area.
There is also
a kitchen where they teach cooking lessons, where the kids make food from
scratch. The program is available from 9-5
and 7-9. Children must be 4 to come without parent or babysitter and babysitters
are available for an extra charge.
Adults at Generations can use all the facilities at the
neighboring El Dorado Royale and El Dorado Casitas Royale.
There are a number of nice deals available, especially if you can travel before the end of the year or during the spring (spring break excluded). When would you like to go??
