Karisma Resorts-The Perfect Choice for Your All-Inclusive Vacation

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Lisa flew into Chicago from New Jersey and we met at the La Quinta Inn & Suites near the airport before our morning flight out. Thursday, we took off on United Airlines, arriving at the Cancun airport mid-day. Our home for the next 3 nights would be El Dorado Seaside Suites, by Karisma, located along the Riviera Maya about 1 hour and 20 minutes south from the airport. This was my first time to Mexico and I must say it was wonderful experience. Since this was a work trip for us as we had scheduled three different site inspections of other Karisma properties.

We took advantage of every minute of our time, getting up at 6 am every morning to catch the sunrise, do our morning business activities and then hit our resort by 3pm to experience the facilities. We spent all morning, Friday, visiting, The Fives Azul Beach Resort, The El Dorado Maroma and Generations properties with courtesy transportation from Lomas Travel. I forgot to mention one of the best things we would recommend for going to the southern Mayan Riviera is to use the private luxury transfers. We were treated to this by the company upon our arrival. Nice leather seated large SUV that whisks you straight to your resort with complimentary cerveza (beer) on board.

Returning to our inspections, we were shown different room categories and special areas of the resorts that make them unique from all the others. Each resort truly has its own personality whether the family properties of Azul or Generations to the Adult Only properties at the El Dorados. The Fives was a great place for families with this unique outdoor area in the center of the resort where you could some of Mexico’s wildlife. We toured the newest section, an adult only section that only opened a few weeks ago. Villa 19. The location is grand, so close to Playa del Carmen that you could walk to it along the beach. About 20-30 minute walk for you beach walkers. All the rooms at Azul have a kitchen area in them and can easily be stocked for any infant or child care needs. Just let us know on the front end.

The Generations, also a family property, had a lovely design where all the restaurants were situated in one building tower. Plus, it had the infinity pools on the balcony level rooms except for the very top. The Generations will have a new neighbor as the ground had been broken for Karisma’s Nickelodeon Brand. Finally, the El Dorado Maroma is a boutique like adult only property with some amazing presidential suites as well as the new over-water bungalows that opened in the fall. These are just a few of the highlights. The staff at all the resorts was super friendly and outgoing. The resorts themselves were spectacular each catering to specific clientele with some suiting several types of travelers. For example, all the resorts had settings for destination weddings.

Saturday, we had the opportunity to participate in a snorkeling tour provided by Lomas Travel. It was called the Reef Adventure at Maraoma Adventures. Maroma Adventures is located on Mexico’s most beautiful beach, Maroma beach and it right next door to the El Dorado Maroma. Very convenient for guests staying there as far as travel time to their day tours. The snorkel tour was just one of many excursions that Maroma Adventures offers. Guests could do such things as parasailing, swim with the dolphins, jet boating, and so much more. All items can be pre-booked when you make your resort reservation by us.

All this information is so helpful for us to bring back to you our clients. It helps us to match you with the best resort for your passions to create an escape like no other. It is our job to help you find your happy place. These short working trips, although they don’t appear as work and we do enjoy our time in destination are truly the keys to us being able to give you the most informative information about the different destinations and resorts possible.


Andrea Ward is an independent travel consultant of Boomerang Escapes, who is based in Wisconsin.

She has been planning vacation escapes for the company since 2013 and specializes in Caribbean Destinations. Her primary focus is on the all-inclusive vacation experience for adult or family getaways for individuals and small groups. Sandals and AMResorts are among the specialist certificates she holds.


Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI. 

She has been a professional travel consultant since 2008 and specializes in Australia and the South Pacific. Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, and Cook Islands are among the specialist certificates she holds.  Her agency’s focus is on creating custom itineraries with their client’s wants, desires, and budgets in mind.  She and her planners believe in getting to know the traveler to ensure they have a vacation to remember.  With each planner specializing in a different market area, Boomerang Escapes can offer a wide variety of leisure vacation planning.

Andrea WardKarisma Resorts-The Perfect Choice for Your All-Inclusive Vacation
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Gossip Girl Hotspots

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Do you know Gossip Girl?

If you aren’t under 25, probably not. If it weren’t for my three young adults, I may have never known about this series that originally ran on the CW, but they introduced to me on Netflix. Netflix indeed has changed the way we watch TV and this cult creating show is just one example of many that are out there that have created “cult” viewers. But what this show exhibits is exactly what we as travel planners can do for you. We create escapes based on your passions.


So, for my daughter and her friend who came to visit us here in New Jersey, I did just that and created a Gossip Girl Hot Spots itinerary for them during our visit to New York City.

For a little more background, Gossip Girl was an American teen drama series that ran from 2007-2012 based on the book written by Cecily von Ziegesar. Gossip Girl is a ruthless mysterious blogger who reveals secrets about the teens living in upper east side New York. The show brings the upper east side into our lives as roller coaster romances and piles of secrets are found out and shared by Gossip Girl. With the show taking place on the upper east side, fans have not only become obsessed with the characters, but the places featured as their “hot spots” in the city.

My daughter and her friend couldn’t wait to have me map out a day that would take them to the places they’d seen their characters at. Most of the places were just a chance to get a photo for social media to say “I was here”, but some of our spots included visiting and eating at restaurants the characters ate at.

Here’s our adventure into Gossip Girl’s elite society as we checked out the New York City spots where hot young actors like Blake Lively (Serena van der Woodsen), Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf), Ed Westwick (Chuck Bass), and Chace Crawford (Nate Archibald) take on the roles of young socialites living in Manhattan.

We started our day by taking our appetites to Sarabeth’s for brunch. While not the location we had hoped to get reservations at, it was still a time to channel our inner Blair and Serena sharing scandalous news as we filled up on morning delicacies. We can highly recommend the eggs benedict, salmon and egg scramble, and their blueberry pancake.

Next we were off to the luxurious Palace hotel courtyard for a must have photo op. In the show the hotel is fictitiously owned by the Bass Industries and is where the Van der Woodsens would wake up to a fully catered breakfast.

From the hotel we walked to Laduree which is a Paris based confectionary to purchase macaroons made famous from a scene from season 4 where Blair is in a bathtub eating these little bites of heaven. We each purchased two as an on the walk snack after getting our next mandatory photo outside the storefront.

With treats in hand, we beat feet to go hold court at Met steps. It is a famous perching spot for Blair and her minions and perfect spot for another photo op.
It was now time for a little rest break and a bottle of water to cool off from the New York summer heat. We opted for a park bench in Central Park and did a little people watching while we decided where to head for lunch. Our lunch stop was not a spot on the “Gossip Girl” tour, but was close and convenient before making trek to our next location. We walked about a block or so from the Park and found EAT were we enjoyed some very fresh salads and air conditioning.

After lunch, back to Central Park we went as we meandered our way through it to make our way to the Empire Hotel. Stopping here and there to take photos, we came across the location where Blair and Chuck had their split second wedding as they were on the run.

Finally, we arrived at the famed Empire Hotel, Chuck Bass’s home and business. After getting another mandatory photo, we popped into the Starbuck’s to recharge our phones and energize ourselves with some tea and coffee.

Back hitting the pavement, we headed to Times Square for a little souvenir shopping and sight seeing before heading to our final stop of the day–Butter Restaurant. Butter Restaurant is an exclusive niche restaurant maintained for stylish Manhattanites.

Butter, in Gossip Girl world, is the restaurant where Jenny Humphrey, the “poor” girl who lives with her aging rock star dad in a fabulous loft—and Blair—the queen of the Upper East Side—had a major showdown on Jenny’s 15th birthday back in season one. It is also a go to restaurant throughout the show for the characters.

Do you have a favorite show or movie? Lord of the Rings? Outlander? Downtown Abby? Game of Thrones?

Just like Gossip Girl in NYC, a trip can be planned around your favorite characters aka obsessions. The sky is the limit when planning your escape.

Until next time XOXO


Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI. 

She has been a professional travel consultant since 2008 and specializes in Australia and the South Pacific. Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, and Cook Islands are among the specialist certificates she holds.  Her agency’s focus is on creating custom itineraries with their client’s wants, desires, and budgets in mind.  She and her planners believe in getting to know the traveler to ensure they have a vacation to remember.  With each planner specializing in a different market area, Boomerang Escapes can offer a wide variety of leisure vacation planning.

Lisa RossmeisslGossip Girl Hotspots
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