July 16 – 21, 2004
We returned yesterday (7/21) from our first trip to Desire. Unlike many who were there, we had never been to Desire or to any place remotely like it before. So we were total newbies who really didn’t know what to expect. Maybe we read too many trip reports before leaving and focused on the negative things too much, and maybe that caused us to have somewhat limited expectations with respect to the quality of the rooms, food, etc. But our expectations were far exceeded in every respect. Here is a rundown of our experiences.
Travel – We arranged all travel through DennyP and it all went just like clockwork. We were checked into Desire and on the way to our room exactly one hour after the plane parked at the gate. That means we found our luggage, cleared immigration and customs, found our ground transportation, drove to Desire and completed check in all within an hour. So we were impressed from the start. Ditto on the return trip, too.
Room – We had a garden view room on the first floor in building 18 (room 1802) about 50 feet past the lobby bar. Our A/C worked perfectly and we had no strange/unpleasant odors in the room. The bed was firm, but not hard nor uncomfortable. The room was larger than we expected and adequately, although sparsely, furnished. The only negative thing we could say about the room is that the lighting could be better in the bathroom. The suggestion about taking a 100 watt bulb for the bathroom is a good one. We did talk to others who had various room problems, but we didn't.
Food – We wouldn’t say the food was outstanding, but it was certainly better than what we expected. There was surprisingly good variety, and it was always hot and well prepared. We had dinner twice in the international restaurant. We found the menu there more upscale, but food of about the same quality as what’s in the buffet restaurant. Let’s face it, they only have one kitchen to serve both places. Despite the “rules” for dress, we did see a few men in shorts and open-toe shoes in the international restaurant. That does detract from the ambiance of the place and we wish they would do a better job of enforcing the dress code. But other than that, we have absolutely no complaints about the food. We both probably gained about 10 pounds, so what does that tell you.?
Service and maintenance staff – Others have commented favorably about the quality of the staff, and we echo those comments. We found the waiters, bartenders, maintenance staff, and just everybody to be extremely friendly and helpful. Nuff said.
Guests – Some of the guests like to party like rock stars, some are much more laid back, and some are a little of both. Some are hard-core swingers, some don’t swing at all, and some dabble with swinging a little. All-in-all, we’d say whatever your preference is, there is a place for it and others who share it. But regardless of preferences, we found that everyone gets along just fine. We found no weird people at Desire; just a bunch of very nice people who happen to enjoy an open, sensual, fun place.
Negative comments – Although it did not happen to us, we did hear that someone’s in-room safe was robbed while we were there. We also heard from numerous people that the resort had oversold rooms in connection with a Lifestyles Tour and Travel (LT&T) group. Because of the oversold situation, the resort was evidently asking guests (and offering some sort of compensation) to leave early or move to another resort to make room for the LT&T group. We do not know if this is a problem of the resort or LT&T, but it is a rather troubling situation. Any oversold condition means someone’s vacation is going to be ruined from what had been planned.
Summary -- Would we go back? You bet we would. We had a fantastic time. We stayed five nights on this trip, but probably wouldn’t want to do more than that, however. We’re thinking four nights at Desire and three nights at another resort in the hotel zone might be better for us. But that’s just us and our preference.
Hope this is helpful. We’ll be happy to answer any specific questions you might have about our trip.