DESIRE TRIP REPORT
I should preface this report by stating that the visit was all too brief to be considered a completely fair evaluation. The principal reason for our Mexico trip was to spend a week in Cozumel diving with a one night stay at Desire on the way back to check it out.
For such a short stay we were still impressed with the resort overall. Speaking only as two time Hedo III veterans (not H-2), we saw a lot of things that we liked and believe that this place has the potential to be a viable alternative for those looking for a change of venue.
The welcome was as advertised…a glass of champagne/orange juice, a cool wash cloth and, in no time, off to our room where the bellman quickly arrived with our luggage. The room was nice (garden view studio), well maintained and appointed with functional air conditioning, TV, in-room safe and a fairly large bathroom with a good sized shower. It would be an improvement if the resort could install a water purification system so that you didn’t have to be constantly reminding yourself to brush your teeth with the provided bottled water. Our room was ground level with a nice terrace and a table and chairs shared by the other four rooms in the cluster.
The beach was very large relative to H-3 and featured soft sand out to a least chest high in the water…eliminating the need for water shoes. The staff apparently rakes up the sea grass every day and there were green garbage bags of the stuff every ten feet or so that they carted off. All along the beach were loungers, Palapa huts for shade and regular bar service from the main pool waiters. The beach was entirely clothing optional and most were so attired. It is nice to be able to take a long walk along the expansive beach. There were occasional joggers from the adjacent resorts (a fair distance away) and local boats always seemed to pass close to shore but none of this was bothersome in any way. Overall the beach is a huge improvement compared to H-3.
The main pool was very nice, larger than the nude pool at H-3 with lots of lounge chairs, a constant supply of towels, bar service to the guests and a moderately good grill. Although clothing optional, most guests were nude and those that were not did not appear to be gawkers. Unlike Hedo there were no cat calls to get nekkid and, I suppose, that might allow some shy people a gentler way to get into it at their own pace. There was one large hut with mattresses that, during our stay, was occupied occasionally in a non-sexual way (although you could appreciate that might not always be the case). The entertainment staff did their best to create some excitement but had limited success due to very low occupancy at the resort. The pool was clean and water temperature was just right. We did miss having a swim up bar and an adjacent hot tub. You were supposed to be attired to eat at the tables at the grill/buffet but that policy did not seem to be enforced. Like Hedo, people were friendly and approachable and there were a fair number of Jamaican veterans. There were both lifestylers and non-lifestylers and a general belief that the resort needed to play down its marketing efforts to be a lifestyle destination and cater to all groups so that everyone could make this place what they wanted it to be. The resort is couples only and, while most of the singles we have met a Hedo have been no problem, this does eliminate any potential for the few that are Vinnies.
The secondary lobby pool was empty during our stay and is quite small and hardly worth having. It is supposed to be topless only and will likely never see much use.
The third floor hot tub was very good. Clean water at the right temperature and a good size for about thirty people. The ocean view is outstanding and there are a number of in-water seats at the bar. As occupancy rates go up it will probably become somewhat small and, given that it is not immediately adjacent to the pool, may lead to overcrowding. They do need to extend bar service hours both at the main pool and at the hot tub and the self serve concept should be replaced with full bar service until the last guest leaves. The draped and non-draped suspended beds did see use both by couples and couples of couples but this is nothing that any Hedo veteran hasn’t seen. There did not appear to be any sex police present to put a halt to any activities and the resort is certainly implying (by the installation of these beds) that anything goes. A water slide from the hot tub deck to the pool below would be a great addition!
The disco was well laid out with proper places to sit (instead of just benches around the perimeter) and there was a mix of ordinary chairs and very comfortable upholstered sofas. The "playroom" (separate but attached) did see action and could probably get extremely wild with a larger crowd. Resort management does seem to be putting out mixed messages by, on arrival, asking guests not to engage in any explicit sexual activity outside their rooms, while providing facilities specifically for these purposes. It may be that the written material is for consumption by the local authorities and that the reality is for the guests. One nice thing about the disco is the air conditioning that keeps the environment reasonably comfortable. The music was good and crossed several generations but, like Hedo, theme nights are generally ignored other than PJ (they don’t have but should consider a Toga night). There was an absence of sexy attire but this will likely change as the crowd increases over time.
The lobby bar and music was a lot more laid back than the H-3 piano bar but otherwise quite nice and did seem to be a gathering place between dinner and the disco. You do miss Glen and the liveliness of the Karaoke bar.
We found the buffet restaurant to be more than acceptable. Food was good, table service excellent and the selections we found for the one breakfast and dinner that we did to be broad enough for our tastes. Obviously the management is aware of reports of "tourista" from past visitors and there was evidence of strong precautions against re-occurrence with staff wearing facemasks and latex gloves. None of the guests we mixed with had any recent reports. They do need to extend the operating hours somewhat as it is closed between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM and choice is always nice. As it stands now the only eating option during those two hours is the pool grill with a somewhat limited menu. We didn’t get to experience the sit-down a la carte restaurant because they do enforce a dress code of pants for the guys. Personally I would like to see them lighten up a bit and allow at least some presentable shorts as does Hedo. They seem to have a bit of an identity crisis in deciding whether they want to be a Hedo or a Grand Lido.
The water sports consisted of kayaks, windsurfers and hobie cats and scuba was available at an extra charge. It is nice to have diving included at Hedo and the resort should consider this as it does attract guests. Diving in this area of Mexico is superior to diving in Ocho Rios and it could be a very good draw to the resort.
Our overall impression is that this resort has potential to be a competitive alternative to Hedo. Prices are reasonable (although they need to be kept that way in order to entice people away from constantly returning to Hedo) and with increased occupancy it could start to develop the feel and energy that is present in Jamaica. You do feel more comfortable and safer off the resort than you do in Jamaica because the vendors are not as aggressive or threatening. Given that there are a number of off-resort places in the area worth visiting this is important.
It is probably unfair to always be making comparisons to Hedonism as perhaps the Desire Resort should be given a chance to create its own identity and definition. However if they intend on capturing much of the Hedo cliental in order to grow and succeed then these comparisons are appropriate. As such, they have some ways to go but if they improve occupancy, make changes to service hours to always keep the "party" going and add some other refinements in theme nights, pool activities, and the water sports they could become an option that rivals the Superclubs operation. We intend to go back and give it a longer look.