You'd be hard-pressed to find a better sunrise than those on the Riviera Maya. On my visits there I always make it a habit to get up before the sun and watch the world wake up.
So for me it was a real treat to be able to do so from the privacy of my own balcony pool on a recent visit to El Dorado Seaside Suites.
One of the newest of Karisma's all-inclusive properties, El Dorado Seaside Suites is a beachfront party with 192 swim-up and infinity suites, each with its own pool on a private terrace or balcony. The resort sits on 80 acres, with six floors of Oceanfront Infinity Jacuzzi Suites and Oceanfront Swim-up Jacuzzi Suites, all with views of the Caribbean Sea.
Agents might be familiar with the former El Dorado Seaside Suites, which is directly next door and has been rebranded as the Sensimar Seaside Suites. This El Dorado is entirely new, with a main swimming pool, swim-up bar and one of the largest spas on the Riviera Maya. The resort is located just 20 minutes from the ruins at Tulum and 25 minutes from Playa del Carmen.
The exterior of El Dorado Seaside Suites, which has 192 swim-up or infinity pool rooms.
But while you certainly can leave and be at any nearby attractions in less than half an hour, it's doubtful you'll want to. Especially once you prop yourself on the pool deck for prime beach-bum real estate and an endless supply of fruity beverages, which is exactly what I did following my usual, morning-sunrise ritual.
With the development of El Dorado Seaside Suites, the resort complex now has 20 on-site dining and drinking establishments, such as the Driftwood Gourmet Oceanfront Restaurant & BBQ. Driftwood is centrally located within the hotel and serves up a delicious menu of surf and turf as well as salads and a full buffet of international options.
Guests of El Dorado also have access to the restaurants at Sensimar, such as the popular Gourmet Pub and Klay Talay (Asian fusion). There are a variety of bars and lounges, including tequila tasting, beachfront and swim-up bars. At Mezcalito, there are dozens of types of mezcal to select, served in creative cocktails or on the rocks.
Having spent the previous week celebrating New Year's Eve with friends in Puerto Vallarta, it was a welcome relief to see that the gym at El Dorado was up to snuff. The David Barton gym has treadmills, ellipticals and bikes as well as a Smith machine for weight training, free weights and kickboxing equipment. Anyone concerned with sticking to their gym routines will have no trouble.
Naay Spa spans 30,000 square feet and offers a menu of treatments, hydrotherapy, facials, an ice room, a mud cabin and reflexology. The treatment to book is the Beachfront Sky Massage, where guests receive a treatment underneath a palapa.
Rates start at $156 per person, per night. See www.eldoradosparesorts.com.