Desire Trip Report – Sep 18 2004 – Sep 22 2004
This was our first trip to Desire, and we didn't have as much time as we'd
usually like for a resort vacation. We hoped that wouldn't be a mistake (it
was), but went with an open mind, eager to experience a new place. We've been to
Hedo II several times, but didn't want to just compare Hedo to Desire – we felt
Desire had to stand on its own to get our repeat business. In short, they did!
(read on...). While some Hedo-to-Desire comparisons can't be avoided for someone
who's been to both, we're going to try to simply focus on the Desire experience
and save just a few comparisons for the end...
We had a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Cancun, so no hassles or worries
about flights. Everything went smooth, getting through immigration and customs
was a breeze (though a little confusing to find the right place), then we exited
customs into the mayhem of vendors hawking vacations, time-shares, etc. We'd
read on earlier trip reports to get past them and outside the building to where
the shuttles are waiting, but they sure make it hard unless you're prepared to
be outright rude. For first timers, beware that they wear what appear to be
uniforms (making them look like airport employees) and keep asking for your
documents and transit docs. Ignore them and get outside to the shuttles! Mayhem
outside too, but we remembered our transportation was provided by Expo and
simply kept asking around until we found the right people. Stay cool and
everything is okay. Our "shuttle" was a Chevy Suburban which we shared with one
other couple who just arrived (part of the Bubbly Bares group), so at least it
wasn't crowded and we didn't have to wait to leave.
The drive to Desire was uneventful, though dull. Long, straight highway with
little to see, then a long straight road with too many speed bumps to get to the
coast and the resort. Not bad, but not very interesting either. Still, it was
only 25 minutes and we were deposited at the lobby – champagne waiting and all (Pic01,
Pic02.
Pic03,
Pic04). Check-in was a breeze, though we had to wait 30 minutes or so for
our room. No problem. We changed into something more suitable for the resort,
left our bags, and wandered around the grounds to check out the pool (very nice,
great setup,
Pic12)
and Jacuzzi (excellent, except the climb up,
Pic13,
Pic14,
Pic15,
Pic16,
Pic21), see the beach and grounds (Pic05,
Pic06,
Pic08), and grab a burger at the pool grill (Pic23).
Back to the lobby to get our room key and we're off to our "ocean view" room.
Here's one of our few "problems." The "ocean view" room turned out to be in the
Jacuzzi building with the Jacuzzi directly above it (remember, the Jacuzzi is on
the roof) and the pumps and heaters directly below it. Noisy. Well, at least the
view is good, right? Nope. No sign of ocean whatsoever. Between other buildings
and trees, we could barely see the pool, let alone the ocean. Back to the front
desk... We reminded them that we paid for an ocean view room and were told that
the room we were in was classified as an ocean view room because of it's
location and elevation (2nd floor). We told them to please come by and show us
any hint of ocean from our room, even from the balcony, and we'd accept it.
That's when we were introduced to Mario...
Mario was very apologetic (even noting the room was noisy) and promised us an
ocean view room – if we could wait a day. Frankly, we were very aware of the
storm damage they had incurred and the difficulties they must have been having
shuffling all the guests around, so we accepted it if he'd at least move us to a
quieter room for the first night. Mario did so (very nice garden view on the
other end of the resort,
Pic09), arranged for luggage to be moved, personally escorted us there to
make sure everything was in order, and again assured us that we would have an
ocean view room the next day (Pic10
). The room was very nice, clean, and a decent location. No problem. (The next
day we were moved to a great oceanfront room on the second floor as requested.
Perfect!
Pic11
)
Unpack, strip, and we're off to the pool! Now, rather than give a chronological
account of our stay (which could get pretty dull once we got a routine worked
out), we'll just give the basics, plus our impressions of various aspects of the
experience at the resort (in no particular order).
First off, we must acknowledge that there was a fair amount of storm damage
(from Ivan) which the staff and management were diligently working to clean up (Pic07
). This was in no way a hindrance. While we wondered what the grounds looked
like before the storm, it was interesting to watch them transform again during
our stay. Remove all the sand, bring in fresh dirt and plants, fix the walls,
clean the beach, repair the ocean front rooms, etc. During the weekdays, there
were many more non-resort workers around than normal, but they did a good job
supervising them and provided what appeared to be adequate security so we were
never uncomfortable or concerned.
Overall, the staff were very attentive. We found it interesting that all the
service personnel (waiters, bartenders, busboys, etc.) were male, though it
certainly wasn't a problem. Nobody was ever staring or leering, or in any way
made the women in our group anything less than comfortable (that we were aware
of). The entertainment staff were excellent (J.J., Maria, and Jana being the
primary ones during our stay) and did a good job getting to know people,
involving people in games, etc. We liked that during the pool games they tried
to involve everyone around, though they probably need a few more games in order
to reduce repetitiveness... Arturo was a great bartender (Pic25)
and always remembered our drink preferences, while Leonardo did fantastic job
keeping the area cleaned up and our coffee cups full after lunch. Of course,
Silvina was attentive and engaging throughout our stay (Pic26).
Just watch out for the native residents (Pic27),
haha!
As with other resorts, we found that if you engaged the staff early on, they
responded positively and paid more attention to you later. They seemed to really
appreciate the interaction. While the majority of the staff spoke very good
English, they seemed to appreciate guests who attempted to communicate in
Spanish (or spanglish – High School Spanish classes never quite come back
fully). We liked this and found the staff at Desire didn't mind guests trying to
understand Spanish, while some staff in Jamaica seem to be annoyed at guests
trying to understand Patois (their special dialect or jargon). No biggie, but we
found ourselves much more comfortable picking up terms and expressions at
Desire.
We found that we really liked the "couples only" policy at Desire, which seemed
strange since we were never bothered by singles at Hedo II. While we can't quite
put or fingers on it, the couples only aspect changed the group dynamics a bit
and seemed to make people more comfortable. Regardless of what it was, we liked
it and certainly consider it a plus.
We also liked the fact that the resort was generally "clothing optional" as
opposed to segmenting it up into nude and so-called prude sides. While there
were some limitations (e.g., dress code in the dining areas, topless only in the
lobby pool, etc.), they didn't segment the group at all. It seemed that most
everyone there was taking advantage of the clothing optional environment, and
those that weren't completely comfortable disrobing weren't discouraged from
hanging out at the pool or participating in social activities – and that was
fine. No big deal either way, though we liked that the majority of guests
indulged in nudity...
At first, we figured that some of the facilities that were seemingly targeted at
sexual activity (e.g., beds by the Jacuzzi (Pic18,
Pic19),
the play room in the disco, etc.) would be increasing sexual activity (and
indeed, they probably did), but we came to mostly appreciate them for the fact
that sexual activities weren't as much "in your face" if you just wanted to be
at the Jacuzzi or disco without participating. That is, on the one hand it
definitely increased contact and opportunities for people who wanted to
participate, but on the other, it kept things comfortable for those who didn't.
Best of both worlds – very nice.
Meals in general were very good. While not 5-star or anything, there was always
fresh food and a variety to choose from. We enjoyed fresh omelets or other egg
dishes every morning (and waffles, yum) as well as fresh fruit and coffee. We
were surprised that the main dining room (El Arrecife,
Pic24)
was closed for lunch, but there was very good food provided at the open air
Mexican restaurant (Cielito Lindo,
Pic22)
right next to the pool, and something good could always be found at the pool
grill (Coconut Grill,
Pic23) – cheeseburgers, steak sandwiches, club sandwiches, etc. Dinner at El
Arrecife was good and included fresh cooked items in addition to pre-prepared
food in warming bins and such. While we didn't get to try Cielito LIndo for
dinner, we did try the international restaurant, Il Piacere, and enjoyed it very
much. Relieved that long pants were not required for the guys after all (though
we still dressed up – him in nice shorts and dressier shirt than would be called
for at El Arrecife). Overall, the deserts were good too! Unlike Hedo II, there
was no entertainment during dinner – which at times was missed, but other times
was a nice (you don't always want the noise and activity). Overall, since we
were well entertained throughout the day, we decided this was nice.
We didn't get a chance to survey many of the rooms, so we cannot comment on
anything other than the "standard" rooms that we had. That said, we really like
our room. Neat and clean, though sparsely decorated (and that was fine). There
was adequate drawer space (we didn't bring that much anyway) and plenty of
closet space. Keeping in mind that this wasn't a 5-star hotel and that we spent
most of our time outside of the room, it served it's purpose well. Nice big
doors opening onto the balcony overlooking the ocean (Pic11),
curtains did a great job of blocking out light, air conditioning worked
flawlessly, TV was okay (can't comment on the channels or selection of porn
since we never watched it!), plenty of bottled water available, etc. The bed was
on a concrete pedestal and very firm – which we liked (though some might find it
too firm). The bathroom was okay (could have been a little larger), but the
showers are indeed a problem with regards to spray (no shower doors or curtain
and it's built into a corner). We did find a reasonable solution, however. They
give you oversized towels (very nice), so we simply took one and hung it across
the opening to the shower, keeping it in place by weighting the ends with
bottles of water (makeshift shower curtain). It kept most of the spray in the
shower and only resulted in one sopping-wet towel. No problem. Still, they
should find a better solution.
Security seemed adequate overall (never intrusive), though having army troops
pass on the beach occasionally was a bit weird. Also, we liked that there
weren't really any "sex police" as long as you weren't doing anything too
over-the-top. Unlike some resorts we've visited where "sexual activity"
(including kissing, fondling, etc.) was discouraged, we never felt that at
Desire.
In our travels we've found that the guests really make the atmosphere and the
party. If you are at a resort when the wrong mix of people is there, you won't
enjoy yourself as much as if you go when the mix of guests are more aligned with
your desires and activities. While we've found we can make the best of most
situations (being fairly gregarious ourselves), we highly recommend researching
what groups of people are planning to stay at the resort during the dates you
are considering. If you're not comfortable with "lifestyles" people, open sex,
etc., you probably don't want to go during a lifestyles take-over. Similarly, if
you're not into bondage and leather, it's probably good to know if some fetish
group will be there. On the other hand, if you know in advance that a group you
are interested in will be there (e.g., DennyP's Wet, Wild & Wicked group, the
Bubbly Bares, Lifestyles, regional groups, or whatever), so much the better.
Personally, we find the Wet, Wild and Wicked group (WWW) to be a great mix of
people from all walks of life who make for a great party – couldn't recommend
them more... Bottom line, do the research to find out who's going to be there,
sign-up for and review DennyP's attendee list, etc., and you're probably going
to be happier than if you just show up blind (though that can be fun too!).
Finally, some quick thoughts on Hedo II versus Desire... Even though it's
longer, we preferred the drive to Hedo (more interesting scenery and we enjoy
stopping for Red Stripe in the middle!). We liked the food at Desire better than
Hedo (especially the deserts). Overall, we liked the staff at Desire better, but
we have no real complaints at Hedo either -- just a slight edge to Desire. Rooms
at Desire were definitely better (even with the shower problems). Sand gravity
was not as strong at Desire – though we're not sure if that's a good or bad
thing. Not sure if it had anything to do with the recent storm, but the bugs
were much worse at Desire – bring bug spray. The beach at Desire was great
(beautiful sand and layout), but the protected cove at Hedo II was better for
socializing in the water, rafts, etc. Finally, the Jacuzzi temperature at Desire
was perfect – all the time. We've never been to a resort that figured out the
temperature and kept it there, but Desire did. Never too hot, never too cool.
Hopefully they don't change that! Oh, and we liked the new Jacuzzi shower (Pic20).
Overall, when asked whether we prefer Hedo II or Desire, the answer is "It
depends." We really enjoyed both and will go back to both. Perhaps it ends up
being more about who has the best deals during the time we can travel. Not sure
how we'll work that in the future, but we definitely hope to visit both again in
the future!
Brian & Kellie
