Trip report: April 2-12 2006- Desire
We recently returned from our 5th visit to Desire. As “veterans” who have seen many things change at the resort over the past 2+ years and who have always felt that the resort got better with each visit, we are happy to be able to report that Desire is indeed better than ever !
The changes and renovations prompted by the hurricane damage are generally very good. The resort was as beautiful as ever, clean, and well maintained. The new restaurant system- which we must admit caused us some concern before we arrived- worked very well. We were impressed with the food and method of operation at the new Italian restaurant- very good and very quick in and out if you wanted- and dining at the hibachi grill in Suki is an experience to be remembered even if you are like us and don’t really enjoy that type of cuisine. Overall we felt the quality of food was better than it had ever been although the section on the buffet and the salad bars was slightly more limited than before.
The pool area improvements are great ! The deck around the pool was expanded to allow an extra row of loungers. With the resort full there was never really a problem for anyone to find a chair (although shade was at a premium). The expansion of the covered area at the grill for lunch provides a cool and comfortable place to eat and socialize and is now large enough to handle the crowd at prime times. The beach looks great and the new beach “huts” are fantastic. The only problem there seems to be that the huts were built large enough for 4 people but were often only occupied by 2 while others couldn’t find anyplace to sit off the sand as there were very few beach chairs and of course only a few “huts”. Shade at the pool area and seats and shade on the beach are definitely areas that could use some upgrading as the hotter months approach.
It has been said many times before but bears repeating that the staff at Desire has been and remains the absolute best anywhere ! David, Edgar, Charlie, and Victor behind the bar and Leo, Emilio, Gilbran, Aaron in the restaurants continue to be simply outstanding. Enrico- the new entertainment manager seems to be doing a fine job and the 3 young ladies on the entertainment crew are all great additions who we hope will stay around till our next visit. Our favorite desire employee has always been J.J. of the entertainment crew. He started before our first visit and has been there ever since. He has always done everything possible to make our trips memorable and, while we are very sad to see him go, we are excited for him as he leaves soon for new opportunities in Canada. Good luck J.J. The other entertainment crew member, Aldo, started during our last visit last September. Aldo is a fantastic guy who is well on his way to becoming another J.J- we hope to be seeing him for many more visits !
Silvina remains a lovely and accommodating host who is always willing to help with any situation. (Next time- we “will” be hauling you out to the beach or pool for that volleyball game !)
As for the other more “intimate” activities at Desire, well it’s enough to say that nothing has changed. Desire provides an unmatched atmosphere and opportunity to enjoy, and the facilities in the playroom and the hot tub area beds are great as always. These facilities were usually very busy. A note here to management- it appears that there are 2 less beds in the hot tub area than in the past. The beds were moved further apart. I think most guests would agree in urging you to add the 2 beds back in. We don’t mind having them packed in close together (if we wanted privacy we’d be in our rooms) and they are definitely needed to handle the demand.
Each Desire trip is different because the people who are there with you are different. Your fellow guests are a huge part of the picture. This trip was our 4th with DennyP Travel’s WWW group. And it included a large number of returning WWW travelers from April 05. It was like a big family reunion, seeing so many good friends. We all just picked up where we left off a year ago, and along with a lot of great new couples, we had a fantastic time ! This is a very special group of people, and if anyone out there is considering joining the group in future Desire trips, let us assure you that you will be glad you did . Whatever your interest, experience, or expectations, this is a diverse group of people who love to have a good time without any “qualifications” or judgements about how you do it. Not a swingers group or a non-swingers group- just a fun loving group of Desire travelers who will be coming back year after year. We won’t try to list all the people who’s company we enjoyed- the list is far too long and we are apt to leave someone out- but we hope you know who you are when we say- thanks for contributing to our best vacation ever !
Obviously we didn’t have much of anything to complain about and we very happy with our experience. Of course that doesn’t mean that everything was perfect for everyone- Some did have some problems. But it’s not for us to relay those second hand. We urge those who did to make their situations know thru their own reports.
Looking forward to our next trip and to seeing all of our Desire friends again soon,
Mike & Barbara