Expect the Unexpected!!

Many girls have dreamed about their wedding their entire lives. Others have been planning their big days since the moment they met 'the one'. Still others start planning the day after they get the ring.There are others who find themselves overwhelmed with the entire process. 

I would put myself somewhere between the planners the day after they get the ring and the overwhelmed. I love my fiancé more than I ever thought possible and I can't wait to be his wife. I know that I want to get married on the beach, and that I want to share the day with my family; beyond that I did not have any preconceived notions about what I wanted my wedding to be. 

So, when we entered the actual planning phase of our wedding, I found myself a little in the dark. It was then that I decided that I had to just trust my gut and above all else stay organized. I created files and a rolodex with everything I would need. I organized images on my computer and created countless lists. I was ready for anything! 

Or so I thought.....

Life is nothing if not a challenge, and every so often things pop up in our lives that we just can't avoid. 

Our invitations  had gone out, guests had RSVP'd, people had put their deposits down on their rooms and were planning to fly to Mexico for our September 23rd wedding. There was still a lot of planning to do, but the date had been set and we were moving in the right direction. It was at this point that life decided to throw us a curve ball. 

Due to family situation with my grandma that caused financial stress we were faced with having to move our wedding date. I am sure most brides faced with this situation would panic. 

I felt every emotion from anger, to panic and shame. What were people going to say? How am I going to explain this to everyone?

It took almost 24 hours before I was able to wrap my head around the idea that I would not be getting married in September. It was in that moment that I was glad of my wedding organization. I was able to take a step back and look at the situation for what it was, a problem to be solved. We needed to move the date out, that was clear, but when?

Also, to save costs moving resorts was something else we needed to consider. The good news was, that the wonderful wedding department at El Dorado was able to help us find out some other dates that would work for us. Our September wedding is now scheduled for November 11th. It was weeks after we had originally planned, but at the end of the day I am still going to get to marry my best friend this year and that is all that really matters. 

As I am writing this we have not yet let all of our guests know the situation since we are still ironing out the details, but I already feel better having a new plan. 

The point of this post? To let every bride or groom that reads this know that things happen that may make your special day less than perfect. Life is messy! and that is okay! Panic! Cry! and then take a deep breath. As long as you end up married to the one you love then everything else can be handled. 

Crystal

PS> I will be posting about the process of dealing with the unexpected. Step 1: If you need to change your destination wedding date contact your Travel Agent ASAP. 

Karisma Wedding and Honeymoon Registry

One of the first things I am asked about my wedding other than the date is ‘Where did you register?”. At first this came as somewhat of a shock to me; but after about the fifth time I had been asked I realized that I had better get our act in gear and make some decisions. With our wedding being out of the country there were a number of people who would not be able to make it, but will still want to send gifts.

My fiancé and I have already been living together for over a year and so our need of household items is very minimal. We could user nicer towels, and a few small things here or there, but not enough to fill a registry at one store let alone multiples. Since it is customary to give your guests options of places to purchase you gifts we started looking at all of the typical places; Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Crate and Barrel and even Lowe’s. We were able to come up with half a dozen items that we truly needed and the rest were just fluff. As much fun as a fondue pot might be it is a completely impractical gift. The chance of it just sitting in a box and furthering our household clutter is too high. At the end of our search we had ended up with a single registry at Bed Bath & Beyond. At least there we would get the extra towels and sheets that we needed and we could keep the non essentials to a minimum.

 

It was not until one of my clients asked me about Karisma's Honeymoon Registry that I even considered it for myself. Being a Honeymoon and Destination Wedding Specialist I was pretty embarrassed that I had not thought of this sooner. I was also upset with myself that I did not know more about how the registry worked. Since it is always easiest to learn by doing I sat down the register my own wedding.

 

Even though your travel agent will be able to walk you through the process, I highly recommend that you begin your registry by reading the Couples FAQ. It covers everything you need to know to get started. After that it is really just a matter of filling in their form with all of your wedding details.

Once you have filled in all of your basic information including your resort location and wedding or honeymoon date the fun part starts. Creating your registry! This is where you and your future spouse get to decide what you want your honeymoon or destination wedding to be. The website offers you suggestions like candlelight dinners on the beach, boat tours, massages, facials, and even room upgrades. If none of those are something you desire you can also create your own ideas.

For each gift in your registry you can set the amount and the quantity of gifts desired. For example, if you decide you want to register for a room upgrade that would cost $400 you can ask for 1 gift of $400 or 4 gifts of $100 or even 40 gifts of $10. You get to set the pricing that you think would be best for your guests. That way everyone who loves you can afford to contribute no matter their budget.

A few important details to note about your registry. There is a small fee that the website charges, this cost goes to keeping the website updated and keep your registry looking great, it covers money processing fees and so on. There is a complete list of what your fee covers in the couples FAQ. The fee is listed at 9%, but when I registered my Karisma wedding the fee came up as only 7%. You can choose to have your guests pay the 7% fee or you can have the fee deduct before the money is sent to you. Another VERY important item to note is that the money that people give you towards your honeymoon or destination wedding is not sent to the hotel, or your travel agent, it is sent directly to your bank account. The website does not book your spa appointment for you or handle your room upgrade, the money will come to you and your future spouse and it is up to you to decide where the money goes.

As of today I have not published our wedding registry yet. My fiancé and I are still adding items and putting the finishing touches on our wedding website, but I am so excited to share the finished product! A honeymoon gift registry is a great way to let your guests contribute to your wedding and maybe save you a little money without cluttering your house with items you may never use. I will be recommending the registry to all of my brides who book a Karisma wedding!

-Crystal

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Karisma Dress Code

At the El Dorado and Azul Resorts by Karisma the restaurants and dining facilities do have a dress code in place.  It lists recommended dress items for both ladies and gentlemen for either dinner or lunch/breakfast.  As you might guess, the expectations for dinner are slightly more formal than breakfast or lunch.  The code itself is broad and not meant to limit dress options, simply ensure the continuity of your five-star experience to include your dining choices.

 

Dinner at El Dorado Maroma

 

To be honest, I balked a little at the thought of a dress code until I saw it in action at the resorts.  The idea of a minimum level of attire sounded superficial at first, however there is no inspection prior to seating or surcharge for unmatched clothing.  We never felt scrutinized or judged for what we were wearing.  The main idea behind the dress code is to ensure that everyone has a quality dining experience.

 

While it is a resort with swimming facilities, it is not your local neighborhood swimming pool.  That is not what you are traveling and paying for.  As such, you would not expect to eat with your fellow guests in their swimming or sunbathing gear.  No one wants to sit down to lunch in a chair soaked by someone else’s swim trunks.  While I imagine that they would if warranted, we never observed the staff addressing any guests regarding the dress policy.  If anyone is unaware upon their initial meal, they will quickly realize how out-of-place things are and take corrective measures.

Truly the dress code serves as a guideline to ensure that everyone has a pleasant dining experience.

Sam
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The best meal I EVER ate..D'Italia

I suppose I would call myself a foodie, I love to try new foods and I even manage to appreciate the flavors in dishes I would never order again. Gourmet cooking is an much an art as it is a food service, and in my opinion no one has melded food and art together  better than D’Italia at El Dorado Royale. Someday they may lose that crown, but so far in my culinary adventures they are the best!

D’Italia Casitas is a restaurant at the El Dorado Casitas Royale Resort in the Riviera Maya. There are two D’Italia’s on the property, and while I am sure they are both wonderful my favorite meal was in the Casita section.

D'Itlaia Casitas at El Dorado Casitas Royale

There is  a hidden quality to the location of the restaurant. It is located at the far end of the Casita’s section almost to the end of the resort. Three of the walls are all glass and they look out onto beautiful, tropical foliage, and the Caribbean Sea beyond. The fourth wall looks into the chef’s table and the kitchen beyond. If possible I recommend visiting the restaurant after the sun has gone down; the ambience is magical. Once you have been shown to your seat by the wonderful maître ď Alejandro (or who ever is working that night) bread will be brought and wine will be poured. It is then that your culinary experience truly begins.

Be prepared to spend at minimum 2 hours (or in our case, over 3) enjoying each of the five to six courses. This is not a meal to be rushed, but to be savored and enjoyed. Make sure that you order something from each category on the menu to enjoy the full experience. The cuisine is Italian with a modern flair. The head chef Stefan takes traditional Italian dishes such as Osso buco and cooks them to perfection. The food is not only a delight to the taste buds but it is visually appealing as well.

 

By the time you have sampled the breads, eaten your antipasto course, enjoyed your soup, devoured your risotto or pasta, and tasted your main course you will be very tempted to skip dessert, but I implore you to try and make room. Sit back and relax with a glass of wine while your meal digests and prepare your taste buds  to be amazed. While my entire meal, from the Seared tuna with sautéed Italian vegetables,crushed garlic and tapenade to my Shrimp marinated with fine herbs on provenzal tomato and parmigiano reggiano sauce were out of this world nothing prepared me for the dessert course.

 

 

Glazed and Sautéed apples with ice cream and a caramel sauce made me forget all about my previous feeling of being overstuffed and we ate every bite! The next time you find yourself at El Dorado Casitas Royale or El Dorado Royale, and I recommend you find yourself there very soon, you must go and enjoy a meal at D'Itlaia Casitas! It will be an experience you will never forget!

-Crystal

 

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Rincón at El Dorado Royale

While all of the dining options at El Dorado Royale offer Mexican and Mayan-influenced meals,  is the place to go to find incredible Mexican food on the resort.  There you can find a number of traditional Mexican items that one might expect or seek out.  However their execution and presentation are unparalleled.  Fresh-made salsas of varying levels of spiciness and wide range of ingredients pair well with almost any dish.  They offer incredible versions of Sopa de lima and Gazpacho.

 

Rincon Restaurant at El Dorado Royale

Also impressive about our experience at Rincón were the many options available.  We could enjoy our amazing Mexican meals with or without fresh-caught seafood, which being from the Midwest, is not nearly as easily-accessible back home.  Also, with our meals and beverages, we were offered a tamarind-infused water that was refreshingly-delicious.  Then, after our meal, they have a nice variety of top-shelf Mexican-made tequilas to sample and savor.

Rincon tequila selection at El Dorado Royale

So, while you can certainly find Mexican food dishes at all of your dining options at the Royale resort, for the widest selection, please enjoy Rincón.  Try an item with which you are familiar, or inquire as to your server’s suggestions.  As with everywhere else on the Karisma properties, the staff at Rincón is pleasant and friendly, and will stop at nothing to see that your are happily content with your experience.  Enjoy!!

Sam

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My favorite El Dorado Royale Restaurant (So Far!)

I must admit that I had some reservations before I traveled with regard to my unfamiliarity with the resort designation of 'gourmet inclusive'. While I enjoy a wide variety of foods, a select few, if any could be considered 'gourmet'. That being said, before I left for my adventure in Mexico I kept an open mind knowing that they must have something on their 'gourmet' menu that I would enjoy.

Starting with my arrival meal, I had a number of wonderful dining experiences.

While I enjoyed every meal, and sampled as many different eateries as I could there was only one restaurant that I returned to more than once. My favorite dining experience was at Kampai in the El Dorado Royale Casitas Section. 


Kampai -El Dorado Casitas Royale



Kampai offers different menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, each with Asia-themed fare coupled with traditional Mexican dishes. Something that I came to appreciate during my time at the El Dorado Resorts were the smaller portion sizes. I appreciated that I could finish my entire meal without feeling over stuffed and uncomfortable.  It also allowed us to try multiple dishes, appetizers, and desserts.


Arooz Desayuno (Breakfast Rice)

To be specific, allow me to share with you some of our favorite selections. Beginning with their breakfast menu, my fiance absolutely enjoyed, and still raves about the, Pan frances relleno de queso crema y almendras con salsa de mango or simply a cream cheese stuffed french toast with mango puree. She describes it as heaven on a plate. My favorite breakfast selection was the Arroz Desayuno or Breakfast Rice. It may not sound very exciting, but the layers of flavor made it my favorite breakfast that I had all 9 nights I spent at El Dorado Resorts.


Pan frances relleno de queso crema y almendras con salsa de mango (Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast)

Seared Ahi Tuna

On another afternoon we also enjoyed what I would consider to be the best lunch I ate while in Mexico. It was during the lunch that we truly got to experience the Asian cuisine.  I ordered the seared Ahi Tuna, which was bookended by spring roll appetizers and a homemade tapioca and coconut ice cream. I eat Asian food frequently in the US and nothing I've had has compared with this meal. The tuna was fresh and cooked to perfection, and every dish looked almost too beautiful to eat.



Though these were some of our favorites, I encourage everyone to experiment and try something new. Try foods that are harder to come by at home, or that you are less familiar with. The chefs at Karisma Resorts are top-notch, so this is the time to escape your food routine and try something you normally would not. For example, being from the Midwest, I try to take full advantage of the availability of seafood while at the resort. If fresh fish does not entice you, it is only a small portion of a wide and incredible menu. With Karisma Resorts you can have a 'safe' culinary adventure! If you order a dish and do not like it, the staff are always more than happy to bring you something else that you will enjoy. 

   

         Tapioca con helado de coco y caramelo de palma

        (Tapioca with coconut icecream and caramel palm)

 

 

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Destination Weddings: The Options

Any bride can tell you that planning her wedding is not easy. It is why we have bridesmaids, and mothers and mother in laws, and wedding planners to help us with all the little details.

Planning a destination wedding is no different. In fact you need the help of people you trust even more since you will be doing all your planning remotely. One big decision you need to make is will you be doing a legal? Or symbolic ceremony? Karisma offers both.

For the legal ceremony, you must arrive 3 business days (this means, Monday-Friday) before your wedding. This is so you are there in time to perform the blood test, which is done right at the resort, and to get all of your paperwork in order. If you want to have a Catholic ceremony, they are available, but you will need to be married before you arrive in Mexico because the Catholic ceremony is not recognized as legal in the US. You can also choose to have a symbolic ceremony, or a symbolic Mayan ceremony. All of the ceremonies are performed in Spanish and translated into English by a wedding coordinator.  

With our ceremony choice made I was 100% ready to put my wedding in the capable hands of my travel agent and my wedding coordinator from Karisma. I had scoured every online website about beach weddings, flipped through countless bridal magazines, and attended endless Bridal shows.

I was confident in the choices that I was making for my big day.

El Dorado Royale





In October, 11 months before my wedding the opportunity arose for me to go to Mexico and stay at two of Karisma’s Resorts. My fiancé and I, along with my parents were going to spend 4 nights and 5 days at El Dorado Royale, before moving on to 5 nights at El Dorado Maroma. I was excited to get to see Royale and to stay in the Casita’s section, but in my mind it paled in comparison to the time I would spend at Maroma.

During our 5 night stay at Maroma we had arranged to do a little wedding planning. We were going to meet with our wedding coordinator, tour the possible wedding locations, taste foods for our dinner menu, and talk about colors.

El Dorado Maroma - Menu Tasting

El Dorado Maroma- Cake Tasting

The time I spent viewing the wedding locations and speaking with my wedding coordinator was invaluable! I cannot stress enough that it is possible with the help of your travel agent and Karisma to plan your perfect wedding with out setting foot on the resort before hand, but if you are a hands on bride *cough* control freak, taking a tour and seeing your resort first hand will erase any fears that you have and will make your planning process so much easier.

                               El Dorado Maroma Beach Front Wedding Location  

 

Crystal

Cystal@GreatEscapeTravel.com

www.greatescapetravel.com

Riviera Maya First Timer- El Dorado Royale first impressions.

 

From the very moment we arrived, we were greeted by genuinely happily-smiling faces and warm, receptive embraces telling us “Welcome home”.  Pretty hard to argue with that.   Every single person from the morning grounds crew and housekeeping staff to the hands-on owner and management team, were happy to have to us there and eager to make us feel a whole-new level of comfortable. 

 Having worked in the service industry, I was practically startled by how attentive yet polite the workers were at the resort.  They personalized our room scents and offered our choice of pillow selections.  We were constantly offered assistance without feeling guilted into enjoying our relaxation.  We wrote down quite a few names of the employees, many to recommend to other travelers, some we have stayed in contact with since, and others to be sure that they received recognition for their outstanding service. 

 This is Alex from Gaviotas bar, which was our favorite place to hangout at El Dorado Royale.  Whether during an afternoon party with a live band, or a relaxing evening where we had the place to ourselves, Alex and the rest of the staff took extraordinary care of us.  There are other beaches in the world, and you could find similar-tasting food if you hunted, but I challenge that you would be hard-pressed to find a staff any where near the level of quality and expertise of that at El Dorado Royale.

 

Sam

 

El Dorado Casitas Royale

 

 

Desiring a Destination Wedding!

In that fleeting moment between when I saw my boyfriend drop to his knee and ask me to marry him, and when I fell into his arms crying “Yes”, a thousand colorful images burst in my mind! I saw white-sand beaches, gorgeous flowers in vibrant hues, an ocean the perfect shade of aqua, and a beautiful dress flowing in the sea breeze.

El Dorado Royale Adults Only Gourmet All-Inclusive

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to get married on a beach. Even as a child, I never enjoyed living in a landlocked state so far from the beaches and the water that I love so much. I got very lucky that my fiancé feels the same way.

 

Like many couples, my fiancé and I had already talked about the “what if’s” of marriage. So, by the time we got engaged we knew that a destination wedding was what WE wanted, but what would our families think?

 

It’s a question that you have to ask yourself. Even though your marriage will be about you and your new partner, you will learn very quickly (if you haven’t already) that your wedding is a celebration of more than just you. It is about your families and your friends, and everyone will have an opinion. Embrace their opinions, and listen to their advice, but in the end you have to decide what is best for you.

Once we had made our decision and gotten most of our family and friends on board, we had to pick a location. Narrowing down our options started with a list of what was most important to us.

Admittedly I was a step ahead of most in narrowing down our location options having grown up around the travel industry. I knew that I wanted to get married in Mexico. One of the most beautiful beaches I had ever seen was located in the Riviera Maya, but sadly there were no resorts there that could facilitate weddings. I immediately went to my parents (who also happened to be my travel agents) with my list of demands (requests).

Without hesitation they directed us to the El Dorado Resorts by Karisma. In fact, they informed us that they would only trust our wedding to a Karisma resort. Based on our desire for an immaculate beach, and an intimate location we knew almost right away that El Dorado Maroma was where we wanted to be. It is a small boutique resort with only 99 rooms, and it is on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world according to the Travel Channel.

Crystal (travel agent extraordinaire and bride to be)
www.greatescapetravel.com
Crystal@GreatEscapeTravel.com
(913) 341-4926 ext. 2

 

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Take a trip with Great Escape Travel

Join in the travels of Great Escape as we explore the wonders of the Riviera Maya. Follow one of our agents as she plans her own Destination Wedding at the beautiful and intimate El Dorado Maroma, a 5-Star Gourmet All-Inclusive Beach Resort.

 

Our agents will give you a backstage pass to their own vacations. You will see the Riviera Maya through the eyes of seasoned travelers with more than 20+ years experience journeying to Mexico and the Caribbean, as well as the perspective of travelers who are just beginning to explore the wonders of the Yucatan and the Caribbean Islands.

 

Image taken at El Dorado Maroma an Adults-Only Beachfront Gourmet All-Inclusive Resort   November 2012.

 

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