Mike & Barbara Wet, Wild, and Wicked ®
Desire- May 9 – 18 , 2009
We’ll start by apologizing in advance for the length of this report. Even though this was the 15th Desire visit for Barbara and I, it was unique in many ways and there are many events that affected the trip that we want to mention.
The build up:
Actually the build up for this trip started a year ago after the Ynot’s group’s 2008 Desire trip. Shortly after that very successful trip we learned that for 2009 we would be re-joining Dennyp’s WWW group (where the Ynots started) and that we would be sharing the resort for the week with the Hot Tamales group. Between the agents for these two group we had 105 rooms reserved for the week- a virtual takeover. Dozens of these rooms were booked last summer, and by the end of 2008 – even with the economy in the tank- only a few rooms remained available. The Ynots and Hot Tamales each opened their yahoo groups to the others members, and there were literally thousands of posts by excited members planning for the trip and just having fun building anticipation.
The great conspiracies:
Ok- so they weren’t actually conspiracies aimed at ruining our trip. But at times it felt that way ! Just as the last of the rooms were being sold early in the year there was the great “Mexico violence scare”. Of course it was far more hype than substance but a couple of folks fell victim to the buzz and cancelled out.
Heading into mid April anticipation was again high and only a couple of rooms remained open. Then the SWINE FLU hype hit. As usual the media had a field day drawing viewers by scaring the public with half truths. A huge number of people fell victim to the hype. Those of us who had a vested interest in traveling to Mexico and the Cancun area in particular took the time to research and find the real facts that showed how overblown the whole thing was and we all shared that info within the groups. But still many couples began to cancel, often bowing to pressure from uninformed friends, family, and employers. Finally others cancelled out of frustration due to cancelled airline flights- although many others went to amazing lengths right up to the last minute rescheduling flights with strange connections to save their Desire vacation.
In the end somewhere near 40% of the couples booked for the week had cancelled. That number would have been much higher if not for the efforts of many people in the yahoo groups sharing the truth about the situation and urging members to stay the course. Of course the cancellations did put a damper on our anticipation for the trip. All of us veterans of the groups knew that we would miss many of our old friends, and that we would miss meeting many new “characters” of the kind that you only find at Desire. But those of us who remained felt a little like old west pioneers- determined to continue on our quest no matter what DANGERS lie ahead- Lol.
We are sure that many who didn’t make the trip regret the decision now. In retrospect it was a little like canceling a trip from Chicago to Miami because of a couple hundred reported cases of flu in New York City.
But besides the folks who cancelled, the real losers in this whole fiasco are the people of the Riviera Maya region and Cancun. Even though there has yet to be a single reported case of swine flu there, tens of thousands of people are suffering economically and many will never recover. Over 20 resorts closed their doors and those that remained open averaged occupancy rates of under 20% (although Desire was at around 55-60% for the week). If you enjoy the people of the area as we do, you have to feel sorry for them having lost so much already thru no fault of their own.
Obviously, we did not cancel and went ahead with our trip as planned. Here is what we found:
Travel:
We were very lucky- our direct flights in and out ended up only half full but there were no cancellations or even time changes. We arrived in Cancun at 9:04 am and 15 minutes later we were standing outside the airport with our transfer driver. Even on Saturday morning, the airport was nearly empty. Each passenger has their temperature checked with an infa-red “gun” before leaving customs. On our return 9 days later on a Monday, the airport was even more empty. We once again had our temperature taken and filled out a brief health questionnaire. No body ever looked at the questionnaire after that checkpoint though, so we concluded that it was actually just a test to see if we were sober enough to remember our names and addresses and find our way to our gates ! We passed the test. All over the airport workers were spraying disinfectant on surfaces and wiping them down (including the liquor bottles at Bubba Gumps) to let everyone know how careful they were being. The shops and restaurants were almost deserted . I was actually happy to have the gal at the boarding gate search my carry on to let her feel useful !
The resort:
Desire itself was absolutely beautiful. It’s been a long slow process since hurricane Wilma getting all the trees, greenery , and gardens back but now they surpass anything pre-hurricane. All of the rooms have been renovated and upgraded in one way or another. Everything was decorated with class and good taste. There are more beach beds than ever before. The pool chairs are all padded and there are pillows available.
The food overall was excellent. The buffets- especially Mexican night- far outclassed what they had in the past. Kudos' to Pablo (formerly the hibachi chef in Suki) who is now in charge and who was out with the guests each night explaining the choices and offering suggestions. We didn’t really like the menu changes in IL Piacere and we still think the night time menu for Tentazione needs to be totally changed but the quality and presentation was great everywhere. As always the restaurant’s staff takes great care with cleanliness and food preservation. Constant cleaning and checking food temperatures. The bars were well stocked with more high quality liquors than ever before.
The pool and hot tub were well maintained and in great shape. The beach has been better from time to time as far as depth and the amount of sand but it was very well maintained and the ocean was warm and gorgeous. The Disco did not have any mold smell but does obviously still need updating. We are told that this will happen as part of or just after the resort expansion.
The night time entertainment in the lobby area is probably the biggest improvement we saw from our last trip in September to now. Each night there was actually quality entertainment- bands, dancers, etc. There are plans to continue to upgrade this area but believe me it’s far better now than ever before.
The only complaint we have is the nighttime insect problem. There was none of the usual early evening insecticide fogging that used to be common. Several people were bothered with bites. We heard that possibly this was because many guests complain about the fogging itself and the resulting temporary smell/taste. But it wasn’t a big enough problem that we took the time to confirm that with management.
The staff:
For us, the quality of the staff is one of the things that has always made Desire so special and this trip was no exception. Bartenders Edgar, Carlos, and CC. Entertainment Nicky, Emilio, and Luis. Leo, Memo, Arcos, Rafael, and so many other old friends and relative newcomers are very special people who genuinely seem to love their jobs and are always so happy to take care of us.
Thanks to Desire management who took the time to set and talk to us about Desire’s expansion plans, other happenings with Original resorts, upcoming personnel changes, and our suggestions for improvements. Special thanks to Mia who has taken over many of Silvina’s former duties. Mia is full of energy and always wears a smile. She makes a big effort to talk to everyone and find our how they are enjoying their stay and if they are having any problems. She was great in helping us coordinate and set up for our special activities such as the welcome party, erotic gift exchange, and wine & spirits tasting party. We look forward to seeing and talking with Mia for many more trips in the future.
Our fellow guests:
Obviously with the groups involved we expected this to be a high energy and fun group of people. Even with all of our friends who didn’t make it we were not disappointed. Occupancy may have only been 55%, but there were always plenty of folks to play with. The resort was always full of laughter. There were more body shots than we could count, some great costumes and sexy fun in the disco even if it wasn’t as full as usual, plenty of fun on the hot tub beds, and various “close encounters of the Desire kind” that we won’t go into any deeper to protect the guilty.
Most of our Desire trips have been with groups- mainly the WWW/Ynots- and sharing the resort with the Hot Tamales was great. Everyone was at least familiar with everyone else and the atmosphere was very comfortable and friendly – and of course sexy and erotic in a way that only Desire can offer.
Final impressions:
This was one of our most anticipated trips ever. In the end, even with all the challenges in keeping everyone together and getting there, we were not disappointed. Desire is better than ever – and more now than ever- a vacation spot that is unique and beyond compare.
If you haven’t been to Desire for a while or if you are considering going for the first time, don’t wait. Go to Desire ! You won’t be disappointed and you will renew your spirit there in a way that only Desire can provide .
To all the friends who joined us on this trip, thanks for the memories and we’ll be seeing you again soon. For all the friends who couldn’t join us this time- we’ll be back at Desire September 4th to the 12th and we hope you’ll join us then !