Gary and Tiffany South Florida October 1 - 8, 2005
This was our second trip to Desire this year. Since we had a great time this past May we decided we would give it another try.
Being from south Florida we are always cautious of the weather so when we heard that there was a tropical wave off of Mexico we were concerned. The flight on UsAirways went fine but upon descent it was obvious that the weather was horrible. Needless to say the first three days of our stay consisted of downpours. The weather finally broke during the fourth day in to our stay and for the rest of the week the weather began to improve. We have to admit that we too were under the weather and kept keeping our fingers crossed that it would not be a washout. So when the weather improved, so did our attitudes. We have always traveled during the hurricane season but I think we will reconsider that way we know the weather will be better.
We stayed in room 2401 which was next door to the room that we had stayed in during our May visit. The room was much nicer and it appeared that several improvement had been made. There is more lighting and the water from the shower did not’t seem to spray all over the place. Unfortunately the ants still lived there but they were not as bad. With all of the rain that came down we heard that several of the room had flooded and many of the room had water that backed up through the drains. During the first three days the resort lost power for several hours at a time, though it was not that big of a deal. The air conditioner in our room kept going off and we discovered that the breaker located behind the building kept blowing. I tried to switch it back on one afternoon and I got a quick zap of 220 volts so we left it up to the professionals. Maintenance responded each time and took care of the problem. We told the staff that there was a serious grounding issue.
There was a lot of new construction taking place. It looks like they are building more rooms near the entrance into the resort. [Note from DennyP: What you saw are some administrative offices plus an employee cafeteria.] Tiffany thought they were suits, maybe someone can fill us in. It was amazing to view the property from the roof top jacuzzi area. The road leading into the resort was flooded from all of the rain. We were pretty much stranded at the resort, which was not a bad thing.
As reported in earlier trip reports the resort took a pounding from a hurrican this past July. Unfortunately the dock is still closed but the palapas were being rebuilt while we were there. The recovery is slow but they are trying. The beach still looked beautiful.
Once the weather cleared the pool and beach became full. We had a great time playing pool volley ball and watching the contests. The food was great as usual. We went to the disco each evening and had a blast. At most times it was packed. We would venture to say that the resort was a little more than half full. The majority of the couples participated in the “white night”, “costume night” and others. Our day began with the gym, breakfast, pool, dinner, main bar and then the disco. We really enjoy the late night pizza at the main bar. It’s needed to soak up the tequila!
We have to say that without a doubt the staff is what makes the resort. We had talked to one of the employees that we had become friends with during our last stay. We told him that we filled out the comment card and he was one of the staff members that we complimented for outstanding service. He told us that the staff was recently cut and positive comments were probably what kept him employed. Desire is one of the few resorts in which the employees have multiple tasks. It’s not uncommon for one of the breakfast waiters to be serving drinks by the pool at lunch. They do it all and very well. A positive comment can go a long way.
Back in May of 2003 while at Hedo III we met a nice couple from Dallas, Trent and Jodi. We have been friends with them ever since.
Well a funny thing happened toward the end of our stay. While sitting at the pool (somewhat inebriated) we saw someone that looked familiar walking quickly toward us but we didn’t think much about it. It was Jodi. We stared at her for what seemed likes minutes. We said Jodi? Jodi? What are you doing here? Jodi? It took a few to register and it was very cool. They purposely wanted to surprise us. They never told us they were going and even removed their names from the visitor’s list on Dennyp’s site so we wouldn’t know. What great friends!
We have always been worried about transportation to and from the resort. For those who are not sure who to use we recommend Lomas travel. This was the second time that we used them. Pay the little extra for a private car that way you don't have to stop at the other resorts. We will use them when we head back.
A word to the wise. If you want to avoid having your bags checked by airport security in Cancun, consider taking only carry on bags. Tell the officer that they are to be carried on. They only hand search the checked luggage. Another tip. There are many airlines that allow you to print your boarding passes within 24 hours of your departure, UsAirways is one of them. This works well within the U.S. but not in Mexico. We tried it during our May stay and thought we would avoid the counter and go right to the gate. The security officer told us that they would not accept the internet printed boarding passes therefore we had to wait in the long line to obtain them. So, use them in the U.S. but be prepared to wait at your ticket counter. Leave the hotel early enough so you don’t miss your flight.
All of the employees that we had contact with, from the very nice lady who serves up breakfast to the maintenance workers, were great. Some that we would like to mention are; Aaron, Felipe, Hugo, J.J., Chavez, Aldo and Arcos.
We also met some other great couples while there too. Matt/Julie, Kris/Debi.
If you have any particular questions give us a shout.