John - October, 2003

Desire Resort Trip Report, October 9 - 15, 2003

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Cancun airport was clean. Baggage claim and customs went smoothly enough. We got a green light when pushing the button at customs, a red light gets you either a physical inspection or x-ray of your bags.

Transportation to and from the airport was done through Go-Classy Tours and presented no problems once we found the man with the Go-Classy sign. When you exit customs you have to run a gauntlet of information people, taxi drivers, baggage handlers, etc. It was a bit hectic. Get by them and get outside and things calm down immediately. Next time we will rent a car and drive ourselves. If you don't plan on going outside the resort for anything just grab a taxi or use your tour company's shuttle.

The view from outside the resort is nothing to write home about. But step into the reception area and things start looking up right away. Cold, scented, face towels and a cold glass of champagne await your arrival. Our check in went smooth and we were escorted to our room within minutes.

On the way there we passed the main courtyard just behind the reception area. It had a pool, main bar, hanging bed area, and a covered seating area, along with flora and fauna. Nice, very nice.  This area tended to be a gathering spot before dinner and also before heading for the disco.

We stayed in a standard garden view room, 2401. It was clean and elegant, while being simple. Soft white is the color theme of the resort and rooms. We had a queen size bed that was comfortable, although the pillows could have been fluffier. Ample closet space with plenty of hangers, although the hangers will not come off the bar. A small refrigerator is in the closet, it is restocked with 2 liters of bottled water each day. You can also fill it with soda, juice, etc., just ask one of the bartender for help.  A room safe is also in the closet.

The bathroom consisted of a walk-in shower, which had no door or curtain, which meant for lots of water on the floor. In addition were a bidet, a hair dryer, and sink. Water pressure was fine as was the hot water supply.

Our room was at one end of the resort, most activity went on at the other end. But this was not a problem as it was a 2 minute walk at most. The clothing optional pool, the Coconut Grill and Bar, the buffet dining room, and the a-la- carte dinging room are all nestled together here.

The clothing optional pool had a shallow end of about 2 ft deep and the rest of the pool was listed as 5 ft. deep. A row of concrete pillars divided the two ends, they also made for nice platforms to hold drinks. The pool water was clean, and refreshing. It was warm but not quite bath water warm. Their are no floats provided, so bring your own. We brought one and their were some left by other guests. These floats sure came in handy on very hot days. Most guests are nude in this area. A few of the women wore g-strings, only one or two guests wore more than that.

The Coconut Grill had standard pool side fare- burgers, chicken nuggets, fries, nacho's, pigs in a blanket, club sandwiches, quesadilla's, etc. Tables with umbrellas were in this area, which was nice. The poolside bar was here as well. There is no swim up bar at the pool, but Charley and Pablo routinely brought drinks to the guests at the pool. Charley will even bring your drink out into the middle of the pool is you ask nicely.

The main dining room had a different theme for dinner each night- Italian, Steak, Mexican, Chinese, etc. The food was average buffet stuff- hot food bar, salad bar, dessert bar, ice cream. Although steak night had steaks grilled to order, rib-eye, T-bone and sirloin were the choices. On Mexican night they grilled fajita's, either beef or pork. And they were all good! Breakfast here had omelet's to order. Also plenty of fruit along with cereal and bread or danish. We did not do lunch in here at all, so no comments on that.

The a-la-carte dining room was nicely done in white everywhere. A nice meal with friendly yet professional service. When this resort gets busy you'll need to make your reservations early for this restaurant. The portions are small, but if you eat each course you'll be satisfied by meals end.  You are given tickets for two nights dining in this restaurant, but more nights are possible, just ask.

The beach has fine white sand, but it's not wide at all. Palapas are all along the beach, they are like a giant umbrella, with lounge chairs under them. They were good for getting out of the hot sun. Charley also served drinks along the beach, but service was spotty at best. Order two at a time, and place your next order when the first one shows up. The beach was cleaned of sea grass at least twice a day. I saw a guy raking the beach at seven in the morning as well as eight at night. The water is pretty clear and their are no rocks or vegetation in the water until you get to chest deep.

The spa/gym is almost finished, it had burnt down in the summer. Gym equipment was being brought in and assembled while we were there. I took a look around on our last day and it looks very nice. Several massage rooms, a moderate sized work out room, a dry sauna in the men's locker area, along with private showers in both the women's and men's locker rooms.

The Disco opens at 10:00, most guests spent some time there. The decor is red and black, plenty of seating everywhere. A raised dance floor with two poles and a small separate pole area is nearby. BUT, it is too hot in there. A pedestal fan was in place during our stay, but more needs to be done. People were reluctant to dance due to the heat factor.  Their are theme nights for the disco, PJ and white nights had the most participation.

The third floor Jacuzzi is excellent. Water temp was upper 90's, not too hot and not too cold. There is a swim up bar in the Jacuzzi, this bar is staffed from mid afternoon until about 7:00 PM. The Jacuzzi has room for 30 - 40 guests. There are wood lounge chairs out in the sun by the Jacuzzi, as well as tables and chairs under cover near the bar. There are also six beds up here as well, three of them have sheer white drapes for a sense of privacy. During the day, the view from up here is forever. At night, it makes for a most romantic time under a full moon. Especially when only a few other people are around late at night.

The weather was 90- 95 during the day, no rain except once in the middle of the night. A word of caution, the sun is very strong, bring sun block and use it. Occupancy was about 38 couples mid-week with 50 couples on the weekend.

Overall we enjoyed our stay here immensely. We have been to Grand Lido Braco recently. We have not been to Hedo, although we've heard lots and lots of stories from those who have. We'd say Desire Resort is a cross between these two places. While it is not quite as grand as Braco, it is very elegant. It is also smaller, with 110 rooms total. While it does not have the open sex going on just about everywhere like Hedo has, it does have its place and time. Actually it went on in several places, but was done discreetly.

Well that's our trip report. If you have any questions or comments let's hear 'em.

John

E-mail:johndelivers@comcast.net