Wine and Spirits Travel

Karisma Resorts asked me to go to the opening of the first Nickelodeon Resort this summer in Punta Cana. It looked like it was going to be quite a place, and I’m always a fan of the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, the resort wasn’t open in time for me to go, but it worked out just fine: I got to check out some of the resort company’s Riviera Maya offerings. To make things a bit more complicated, just before the trip I injured my ankle. At the time, I didn’t know how serious it was, but I did know that I could not walk much. That left me with the terrible job of having to lay back, relax, and enjoy Mexico for a few days! My friend Roberta was flying from Tennessee to meet me at Cancun airport. We were going to stay in Riviera Maya at Generations Resorts . It’s a luxury family resort next door to the chain’s El Dorado Royale and El Dorado Casitas adults only properties we would also be able to enjoy. We arrived at Generations quickly and the lob

After the excitement of my daughter Sam’s engagement on the beach to her boyfriend (now fiancé) Matt the night before , we were all ready for a relaxing last day in paradise, and Breathless Resort definitely provided it. I went to Spoon Restaurant for breakfast, enjoying a cheese and mushroom omelet, a waffle with Nutella, and a plate full of tropical fruit. Matt and Sam joined me and then we all spent the morning alternating between the pool and the beach. We split up for lunch, for which I went back to Spoon for delicious pasta and more of that luscious fruit. I then headed to the big event – the Sunday Pool Party. The party is a tradition at Breathless Punta Cana , but this one was extra special because it was the last with DJ Rhiannon. I had seen her before at a club in Atlantic City and I knew she could get the crowd going. It seemed like most of the resort was at the pool. It was packed and a bit wild. Bubbles were in the pool and sangria was being poure

It was the third day at Breathless Resort in Punta Cana for me, my daughter, Sam, and her boyfriend, Matt. It would turn out to be a day none of us would ever forget. I checked out the Bloody Mary bar in the Xhale Lounge, the section of the resort we were staying in that offers extra amenities. I decided instead to just opt for a latte and a croissant. I enjoyed it from a lounge in front of Xhale’s private sun drenched pool. Sam and I took a ride over to Dreams The Palm to tour the resort and learn about weddings there for an upcoming destination wedding series I am working on. It happened they were setting up for a few upcoming weddings, by the pool, on the beach, and in the gazebo. All the set-ups looked amazing. I really liked the Dreams resort. It had a Preferred Club, which was similar to the Xhale Club at Breathless. These guests have Bali Beds on their private beach at no extra charge. They also have great room amenities. Although Dreams does allow

After a few days of girl time with my daughter at the ultra-luxury, super relaxing Zoetry Punta Cana , we met up with her boyfriend Matt at Breathless Resort for a different getaway at an adult-only resort with a bit more of a partying reputation. We had suites next door to each other with patios that had views of the beach and the turquoise water from our lounge chairs, but planned to spend plenty of time separately enjoying Punta Cana . I ordered breakfast from room service (24 hour room service is complimentary at Breathless ) so I could get a little work done before I headed out into the beautiful sunshine. The “Breathless Breakfast” covers it all – juice, tropical fruit, eggs, cold cuts, hash browns, toast, danishes, muffins and croissants. I couldn’t possibly eat it all, but still managed to get quite full. I met with Macerana, the manager of the Xhale Club, an area at the resort where we were staying that offers extra upgrades and amenities. Matt an

My daughter Sam and I woke up to the warm sunshine of the Dominican Republic at Zoetry Aqua Punta Cana . We were told that a special breakfast was being planned for us, but we certainly didn’t dream of what it was. Our waiter appeared and set up an amazing array of food for us, along with champagne, fruit, coffee, and juice. I had just finished Pilates and Sam was still in the Jacuzzi while he set up. She was amazed when she came out to the balcony and saw the spread. We had a long, leisurely, delicious breakfast, consuming breads, croissants, eggs, Dominican Sausage, and potatoes. After breakfast, we met with Yarenis Nunez, Executive Assistant to the General Manager, and toured the property. Despite the fact that they were at full capacity, the place was quiet and the guests had plenty of room to spread out. We talked about weddings on the property for a destination wedding series I’m working on and saw the beautiful marble gazebo they use for ceremonies,