EZTravelpad

El Dorado Royale Resort in Riviera Maya - a Review

El Dorado Royale- Reviewing an Adults-only All-Inclusive Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico

Recently I had occasion to spend a few days with my wife at El Dorado Royale, an adults only all inclusive resort south of Cancun, Mexico along the Mayan Riviera - or Riviera Maya. The verdict? Very good - read on for more of the review........

El Dorado Royale is conveniently located only about 25 minutes from the international airport in Cancun and is comprised of 2 sections - El Dorado Royale and El Dorado Casitas. The 171 Casita suites are larger and feature private plunge pools and swim-up pools as well as mostly being located in closer proximity to the beach. Interested in experiencing a luxury suite with an outdoor shower? This may be right for you!

Casita Suite at El Dorado

El Dorado Royale features 476 suites that all include 2 person in room jacuzzi tubs. There is no separation between the two resorts in one, all guests are welcome to use the facilities, bars and restaurants in either section.

Jacuzzi Jr Suite at El Dorado

El Dorado is the adults-only brand of Karisma resorts, a resort chain that also includes the family friendly brand - Azul.

The adults only nature of this all inclusive resort makes it a perfect destination for Honeymoon couples and a great place for a Destination Wedding if there will be no children involved

Since I specialize in Honeymoons and Destination Weddings this was much more a business trip than a vacation (although I did celebrate a significant birthday while there). We spent alot of time checking out the wide variety of restaurants, bars and entertainment options. The highlight? Cuisine

Gourmet Inclusive

Karisma Resorts market themselves as "Gourmet Inclusive" meaning that they pay particular attention to the details of both food and beverages offered. With 10 restaurants and 13 bars (10 of them are swim-up bars) you certainly don't need to go far to satisfy whatever appetite you have - and the quality of the offerings is quite good. In fact, many of the vegetables and herbs served are grown right on the property in a series of greenhouses that offer a plentiful wealth of organic food choices. Locally grown just doesn't get any more local than this! BTW- I recommend checking out the tequila tastings - I never even knew that there was a tequila that was almost like Bailey's Irish Cream!

Video

See more of El Dorado in this short video tour from our trip

Pools and Entertainment

With a wide variety of water sports, tennis courts, complimentary bicycles and 13 swimming pools you are certain to find plenty to do - and that doesn't even mention the activities that are abundant - from water volleyball to water polo and plenty of other diversions, boredom is not an option- but relaxing sure is (had a couple of mid-afternoon naps and loved it).

In considering the service, quality, amenities and price I would have to rate this as one of my favorite resort stays. Sure, there were a few hiccups, there always are - but the attention to detail and willingness of the staff to go the extra mile was evident on a daily basis. A couple of the meals and dining experiences were only above average, others were very, very good.

So what does it mean to go the extra mile? Like I mentioned, I did celebrate a birthday while there, and that afternoon not only did I return to a drawn bubble bath with rose petals floating - but I also found this on the bed...

 

So is this the right resort for everyone? Of course not. So how do you know if it's the right resort for you? Ask your travel professional. If you don't have one then give EZTravelPad a call - we would love to hear from you and we would love to help!

Costa Concordia Accident - Some Perspective

Costa Concordia Cruise Fallout

It has been only a few days now since the Costa Cruise Ship Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy. There is still an ongoing search for possible survivors and speculation abounds regarding what could have caused this tragic and sensational accident. Carnival Corp - the parent company of Costa - is scrambling and all blame is pointing toward the captain, and I believe rightly so. It is hard to imagine, yet still not surprising that a lapse in judgment could cause such a terrible tragedy. No doubt that the investigation and inevitable trial will be in the news for months, if not years to come.

So what does that mean for the cruise industry? Will people still want a cruise vacation? From my perspective all signs point to yes - for now. This appears to not be a failure of a company, or an industry, or a product -  but the failure of a man. It appears, at this early stage, that this is just a tragic accident that was totally preventable. There are systems and rules and procedures that should be followed each and every time to prevent things like this from occurring. There is a little thing called training that should be implemented more consistently across all industries, especially those that serve the retail public.

Since I am sure that all travel consultants, advisers and agents are now dealing with answering the question - "is it safe to go on a cruise?" I thought I would just take a moment to share my response to that concern - my reply to the concern voiced from a client recently booked on an Alaska cruise for this coming spring. It seems some of the group is seriously rethinking whether to go now - here was my reply

"I can see why that would give someone pause, but like anything else, danger is all around.
By and large it is an exceedingly safe industry.
I could probably find some stats to rattle off, but why bother. To the unlucky person that does get struck by lightening on the golf course, there is little consolation that the odds are against it.
To me a small amount of risk in return for seeing and experiencing is worth it. That said, you won't find me jumping out of a perfectly good airplane even if I am jumping tandem with the world's best skydiver - no way baby!!
Cruise, pretty safe all in all."

What do I know? Not much I suppose, in the big scheme of things - but I do know that I will not let the stupidity and cowardice of one individual keep me from experiencing as much of the world as possible. I mean, I saw the Poseidon Adventure (the original) and Titanic (DiCaprio version) and did not let that dissuade me from a cruise vacation - I saw Jaws (skipped the remakes) and still get in the ocean - I saw Airport (what an excellent disaster movie) and still fly.....

Life is short and there is much to see - and a cruise ship is a great way to see a good part of the world, so here's to the next great adventure-

Lastly, we would like to express our sincere condolences to those who lost a loved one, and those that experienced this horrible event firsthand yet survived.

 

How a Travel Agent Can Decrease Your Jail Time

Owner of South Bend Chocolate Company Jailed 2 Nights

This is a story about why it would have been good to have a friend....in the travel business

I awoke this morning to a news story that I found curious.

The story.....a very successful entrepreneur, owner of the South Bend Chocolate Company, spent a couple of nights in jail as a result of trying to get a gun through security at a Chicago airport -  see more at this link

How did the high profile owner of a very successful small business spend 2 nights in jail? Apparently he grabbed the wrong bag (the one with the gun in it) while dashing off to the airport and then inadvertently attempted to get it through security but TSA caught it. It can happen....

Here's the thing- supposedly he repeatedly tried to call his business to find someone to bail him out. The employees repeatedly hung up when they heard the call was coming from the Cook County jail. There are many questions that come to mind, like didn't he have anyone else to call? Perhaps all of his family and friends were out of touch.

While I don't know for sure, I have a strong feeling that he did not use a travel agent because I bet the travel agent that he used would have answered the phone!

As a travel agency owner I cannot say that I can keep you out of jail, but I am pretty darn certain that had this business owner planned his trip with EZTravelPad he would have gotten out of jail much quicker!