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by Barbara Penny Angelakis
Azul Beach
Riviera Maya
Mexico
The Azul Beach Resort Hotel in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, is a small intimate resort  managed and operated by Karisma. It’s perfectly located directly on the silky white sands of the Mexican Caribbean just 15 minutes south of Cancun’s Airport. Unlike the adult’s only El Dorado Seaside Suites reviewed in last months Hotels and Resorts section, Azul Beach not only allows children, it invites and caters to them. It encourages parents to bring infants and young children on vacation with them and has put thoughtful consideration for their needs into the facilities available.
Parent’s rooms can be equipped with a crib or single bed, radio monitor, bottle  warmers, stools for your little ones to reach the sink, their own size-appropriate white terry cloth robes, games and activities, plus a walkie talkie to keep track of wandering youngsters, all geared for safe fun in the sun. And of course baby sitting services are available. Like Seaside Suites, Azul Beach has a guarded gated entrance requiring identification to enter. Its long landscaped road leading to the open air hotel entrance guarantees privacy and provides a sense of security. The resort is small enough and the staff large enough so that your bigger little ones can wander the grounds freely without fear of getting lost or being out of sight. One word of caution, Azul Beach’s closest neighbor is a nature resort catering to a nudist population. There is a separation between the two properties but it is worth noting so parents of older children can be aware and steer them appropriately.
There are special children’s meals and snack bars open to feed growing appetites, even the bars will make colorful fruit drinks for pre teens. Activities are planned for parent and children alike and while the little ones are kept busy doing their thing the adults can do theirs. The barrier reef along the entire coast line is  perfect for snorkeling and Azul Beach has a private roped off area just for swimming or dunking that provides both the snorkelers and the swimmers sans snorkel, their own turf. Plus there are pools to satisfy both adult and child and beach butlers to cater to your every wish… even help with spraying a cooling face mist or providing higher rated SPF suntan lotion.
And once the kids are put to sleep there are romantic divergences for the adults; music, dancing, entertainment and the ubiquitous beach beds available for suppers under the stars. Or indulge in a moonlit couples massage at the waters edge. The Spa offers all the latest in  services and treatments but the massage, day or night, on the beach, listening to the water lapping at the shore while being lulled by the gentle breeze, has by far and away the greatest appeal.
The well equipped, well appointed rooms seemed to this reviewer to be a little on the small side but given the amount of time spent indoors and the quality of the services offered out of doors, it seems an insignificant criticism. We enjoyed a formal candlelit a la carte gourmet dinner complete with damask tablecloth and white coated attendants… on the beach; beach butlers serving us succulent chilled fruit platters and tasty hors d’óeuvres at elevenses… on the beach; a hands-on massage lesson under a straw hut… on the beach; a lunch of the day’s catch delivered at water’s edge by fishing boat and cooked  on the beach; and all available under the Karisma concept of Gourmet Inclusive. It is the unique management style of Karisma that makes the properties they manage comparable in services to a deluxe cruise experience with the plus ultra of a beach-side venue and personalized attention geared to fulfill each client’s individual desires. Executive Chef Karl Mayrhofler oversees a kitchen that prepares Asian, International and Mexican cuisine offered in the three distinct restaurants plus room service and two bars. Some of his recipes can be found at the Cook’s Corner section.
I must admit that I approached this children friendly vacation resort with just a little concern for the noise level but remarkably, even with youthful energy abounding, the resort was peaceful and romantic all at the same time. I credit the extraordinary skills of the management staff headed by Michael Thenot, the General Manager and Jeroen Hanlo Vice President of Food and Beverage for Karisma Hotels, and the untiring attention of Sabrina Filatow, Director of Sales for making Azul Beach an all-age vacation paradise.
© September 2006 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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