The swim-up suite is a common room category at upscale tropical resorts, enabling guests staying on the ground floor to step off their patio and wade into the pool.
What makes the pools at the new Generations Riviera Maya noteworthy is that guests on the upper floors can do the same: Each of the property's three buildings features infinity pools spanning the length of the second, third and fourth floors.
And no resort in the world has such an amenity, according to Rafa Feliz Jr., corporate brand manager for Karisma Hotels & Resorts, operator of the Generations resort.
The El Dorado Maroma, another Karisma resort in the Riviera Maya region, offers private pools attached to upper-floor suites, and Karisma took that idea to the next level with the construction of large pools that are shared by the entire floor. Feliz said builders doubled the number of pillars to support the extra weight.
Besides being an amenity for guests who don't want to walk too far to cool off, the pools are a signature aesthetic that give the resort its distinctive look. At night, the pools are illuminated, creating a shimmering effect.
Another distinction at Generations: All 144 suites (and all of the restaurants) look out onto the Caribbean Sea. And the guestrooms are quite large, averaging 1,200 square feet; the smallest room is 720 square feet.
My family of four stayed in adjoining suites, the Luxury Jacuzzi suite plus a one-bedroom Jacuzzi suite, for a grand total of more than 2,000 square feet.
Because each suite had sleeper sofas, the adjoining suites could accommodate eight people. In fact, every floor of the resort has suites that can connect, and every suite has a pull-out bed.
"We really want to make large families feel right at home," Feliz said.
In addition to the Jacuzzi, the luxury suite had a living room; dining room; full kitchen with Lavazza espresso machine; minifridge with drinks and snacks; one-and-a-half bathrooms; and indoor and outdoor showers.
My wife, Christa, and I wondered why a suite at an all-inclusive resort would have a full kitchen. We later learned the answer: Guests can arrange for a chef to prepare a meal in their suite.
We can attest that an in-room chef is not required to have a great dinner at Generations. "Gourmet Inclusive" is a cornerstone of Karisma's marketing, and Generations didn't disappoint. During our stay, we dined at two of the restaurants, Habb and Wine Kitchen.
At Habb, a Mediterranean restaurant, the chefs prepared the most delicious roast chicken: The skin was cooked crisp over charcoal, but the meat stayed moist. And the sauce served with the chicken had intense flavor.
The sauces were excellent at Wine Kitchen, as well, for mussels and roast duck. If your children are with you, they might be more interested in a hot dog or spaghetti, and those items are available on the kids' menu.
One criticism I heard from guests is that the portions are small, but the silver lining is that you can eat a four-course dinner at Wine Kitchen and not feel sluggish when the meal is over.
Also, Feliz said that "Gourmet Inclusive" means gourmet plating, and the dishes don't look as pretty when they're piled with food. Besides, there's nothing stopping guests from ordering two dinners and sharing the plates family-style. It's a family resort, after all.
Where Generations can do better is the dessert course. At Wine Kitchen, a poached pear was just OK, and the chocolate cake was dry. We also found that the desserts didn't measure up to the salads, fresh fruit and entrees in the Chef Market Grand Cafe, the resort's buffet restaurant.
If couples would like to dine without a constant "Are we done yet?" chorus from the little ones, drop them off at the Eko Kids Club. When my two youngsters didn't want to be in the pool or at the beach, they wanted to be there.
Not only are there numerous toys and puzzles to keep kids interested, there's a trampoline and a ball pit with a climbing wall above it. Two video game consoles, an Xbox 360 and a Sony PlayStation 4, are available, and an attentive staff makes sure that the kids take turns.
The Eko Kids Club also organizes activities. One night, my daughter and son got their faces painted. One afternoon, the staff took the children outside to the kids' pool for a squirt toy battle.
When the children were at the pool with us, my 3-year-old daughter decided on a couple of occasions that she would rather be at the beach. Luckily for us, the beach was just steps from the resort's pool.
And at the entrance to the beach, there was a cart filled with useful items such as beach toys, newspapers, books and sunscreen. It's part of what the resort calls its beach butler service. Of course, ordering drinks from one of the beach beds or loungers is part of that service, too.
Butler service is another one of the selling points at the resort. Every guest gets an assigned butler, who asks if you require any special items for your room.
The resort appears to be working out the kinks in its butler service; it was inconsistent during our stay. We asked for cream for the in-room coffee, which we received, but we did not get requested extra snacks for the kids.
The night before our departure, we were offered assistance with our bags at 9 a.m. the next morning, but no one arrived.
Other than these two instances, service at the Generations was courteous and professional wherever we spent time at the resort.
Visit www.karismahotels.com.