About the authors: Very well traveled from backpacking to 5 star hotels on business, including over 10 all inclusive resort stays, 3 of which were at Hedo II.
Our 2 cents on Desire.
In a nutshell very impressive.
Our room was a good size with a dresser, king bed and couch, though some were not as nice. (we were in building 17).
Food was acceptable for a buffet, comparable to Hedo. Lets face it you’re never going to get gourmet food off a buffet. A la Carte restaurant was excellent, all reports from other guests supported this. Poolside snack bar was so-so unless you asked for a sandwich made to order then it was good. (Excellent clubhouse)
Bars were well stocked (international drinks) and staffed, never waited for drinks, disco was well ventilated and not to loud, though music selection did repeat each nite.
Entertainment staff did a reasonable job, during the day, though the beach volleyball court was out of commission. Activities were fairly well run but the prizes were cheap… a t shirt? A least a bottle of tequila would be better.
Beach was excellent, cleaned daily. Water sports equipment was adequate, but no snorkeling gear. This was a real let down, as there was tons of fish out at the end of the dock, so bring your own.
Hot tub….. cold… and dangerous. I received an electrical shock (220v) from one of the underwater lights strong enough to knock myself and my wife off the seats in the tub! Reported this to management and they said they were aware of it….??? The tub was being worked on the next day but at no time did they close it?? Strange thing is there must not be any ground fault circuit (GFI) because the lights and the pump kept working?
Staff – very very good!! Always smiling and helpful from the bartenders to the groundskeepers.
Sex – Yup it’s there, but like most of the other reports I have read you have to look for it. In the pillow room in the Disco or on the beds by the hot tub otherwise it’s no different than hedo. Besides we both find sex an excellent spectator sport!!!
Other notes: Like Jimmy Buffet calls it this is the “Mosquito Coast” so take bug spray, evenings are bad especially down by the beach. This resort is located in a swamp so do the math! Our room was on the second floor and we had no bug problems once in bed. Don’t worry about transport ahead of time, from the airport to the resort is about 15min. A taxi will take u from the terminal for about 20-25$ just be prepared to fight off the sales agents inside the terminal. Alligators in the swamp out front are neat!! But in Australia I have seen crocs jump 4 feet out of the water so unlike many we didn’t lean over the railing for a closer look…. Or feed them!!
Everyone knows that it’s not the place it’s the people and this applies here as well. We met some great people from Canada, Austria, the US and Argentina. Like minded adults who like to party naked in the sun!!! By the third day of drinking we had pretty much solved all the worlds political problems!!! Who could ask for more!!
All in all a great trip to a resort that will give superclubs a run for their money. Lets just hope the rates stay low once the word gets out.