Charles & Vicki - May, 2009
|
May 13-18 Back from our 8th trip to Desire, and easily the best trip we've ever had.
Pre-trip angst - We nearly cancelled over the Swine Flu scare, but cooler heads prevailed, and we're damn glad we did. There isn't any flu in the area, and couldn't find anyone who had even been sick.
The airport was spooky as hell. We interrupted the Immigration officers watching soccer in the office, and they came running out to clear us through. There was a grand total of about 80 people in the lines. That's right, 80. There was an eerie silence in the baggage area. A short medical check (temp and questions) and we were outside.
We walked across to Hertz, where the gent behind the counter presented me with a bill for $250, double what we reserved. He told me it was to pay the "mandatory" liability insurance that I had gone to great lengths to cover with Hertz in advance.
Our first few days were spent with our friends who used to work at Desire "in the old days". We ended up in a beautiful villa in Akumal that planned on staying one day, and instead stayed three. The place was nearly deserted as well, and incredibly peaceful. Akumal is between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum. Our two bedroom/2 bath villa was huge and had an incredible vista right off the patio. We had a blast with our second family. Check out the Villa's at http://www.lasvillasakumal.com/.
Then came time to ditch the kids and get to the real reason we were back. On the 13th we moved into Desire, and found they were at 59% occupancy. We were stunned, as our friends (in the tourism industry) said that most of Quintana Roo was running 10-15%. All the major resort companies had closed multiple sites, combining guests into the remaining resorts. The government estimates that 100,000 workers are laid off, and the remainder are on reduced hours and wages. The joke in the area is that it is Hurricane Swine, since the impact is very near to what they dealt with after Hurricane Wilma. Only this time, there isn't work in the rehab of the area.
On the soapbox: It is incredible how devastating this has been for the area. What is most unfortunate in my mind is that the US government and the US media still treat Mexico as if it is a single destination. The outbreak was essentially confined to 3 areas, Mexico City, and two small cities. Quintana Roo has had 2, count 'em 2, confirmed cases, both from rural areas. The popular rumor down there is that the kids that came home to New York City with it had some participants who spent a few days in Mexico City before joining the group in Cancun, and caught it there.
Off the box: Now shouting from the rooftops: In the face of disaster, Desire is the number 1 resort in all of the Riviera Maya. Nobody in the area is even close! They have cut back on some hours, but they haven't laid off any employees, or cut wages. It just goes to prove, naked is the way to go. I can't believe no other resorts have caught on to the concept.
We found no reduction in service... to the contrary, we feel this was the best service we have ever had. Pool service was outstanding, thanks to the terrific Juan Carlos running around like he's in the olympics all the time. Our maid had ESP, knowing exactly when to leave us alone, and when to clean the room.
FOOD - Everything we ate was terrific, and we found that the snack bar offered a greater variety than previous visits. The buffett was closed one night, so the dress code was relaxed for the Ala carte choices. So I was able to end my long-standing boycott of these places. I simply refuse to wear long pants on vacation. Anyway, been there done that now. Suki was interesting, but the acoustics in the room are simply horrible. We couldn't hold a conversation even when we rubbed noses is was so loud in there. The food was good, but we'll avoid this room in the future. We used room service alot, and everything was quick, hot and good. The only oddity all weekend was that butter was not readily available, and we had to ask for it every time. It would be quickly delivered, but jeez, put some on the buffet. The same was true for ketchup at the snack bar.
Watersports - It was great to have the sailboats back in order, and I made regular use of them. Long time readers here may remember my former reputation as "boat killer", so I am glad to report that I was incident-free and never required rescue. Thanks Leo.
Entertainment - The current crew is amongst the best I've seen, with Emilio and Luis having a great comedy rapport. The lovely Nikki is a great sport. I do wish a-holes would not feel that a young lady playing water volleyball is an excuse to grope her. This is why we have trouble keeping good help jerks, don't fondle the help! Great job guys and gals.
BTW, the crowd was a blend of Denny P customers and Char Travel. Char was there and juggling a lot, including flight cancellations on departure day. She did a great job on a tough week. Her "Hot Tamales" are a fun group based in Philly.
Friday we left the grounds and took a new tour, the Rio Secreto, located just south of Playa Del Carmen across from the now garish Xcaret. What a fantastic trip this was. We spent about 3 hours total, 1 1/2 underground in this incredible discovery. It was found by a Mayan native 3 years ago, and the Alltournative sister company was formed to manage it. They do an incredible job of preserving this natural beauty. No Disney hear, just the real thing. Ask for Mariana as your guide... she's a former Desire entertainment crew, and the best guide in the state.
Speaking of tours, we heard great reviews of the new Desire exclusive catamaran trip that drops you back on the beach. We heard terrible reviews of the Desire exclusive zip-line/atv trip. The customers said the ride was horribly rough, and the "clothing-optional" zip line was into dark skanky water with a film on it.
BEDS/CHAIRS/BEACH SERVICE - Rene did a great job on the beds, tho there wasn't much competition with the low occupancy. I do get annoyed with folks that feel they need pool chairs and a beach bed all day. Come on folks, make a decision. I would like a return to flags to indicate you are ready for another drink. You never really knew when you would see staff there.
ROOM - We have always stayed in Garden view rooms, and requested this well in advance. Instead we got a "free upgrade" to oceanfront, room 2501. Thanks but no thanks. We strongly prefer the upstairs in building 12, 13, or 14 with a terrace. I'm a smoker, and I like to be able to step out on the terrace and watch the people go by. For the first time, we found ourselves planning our trips back to the room carefully to avoid the circuitous walks to the far end of the resort. Of course, the extra privacy afforded by the beach beds on the end was nice at times ;).
Grounds - We saw a lot of vegetation suffering from the drought, and the crews were working diligently trying to keep up. There was a lot of brown flora, and you could smell the smoke from the fires in the jungle. Fortunately, the rain started as we were leaving, and the major fire west of the airport was extenguished after burning for weeks.
Final message - GO GO GO .... it's a great time to be there, and to explore the region. The deals couldn't be better, and the people are even more anxious to please.
Thanks Denny for the best site on the web.
Jacksonville, FL |