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Background
Firstly a little background. We'd done 3
previous trips to H3 with DennyP and the WWWers before making
our first trip to Desire. This trip was our 2nd to Desire but
our first there at the same time as the WWW group. On our three
H3 trips we'd felt a steady deterioration in the level of
service being offered, the maintenance of the rooms, and the
quality of the food. That prompted our first trip to Desire,
which we loved, but we'd read all the recent online criticisms
regarding thefts, predatory waiters, the disco music and the
mold, and so we had some concerns about whether a 2nd Desire
visit could be as good as the first.
Journey
Not much to say other than we arrived on
time, cleared immigration and customs fairly quickly and headed
out to meet our Lomas travel rep for our connection to the
resort. They didn't have us on their list, but after a quick
call they verified they should have had, and they completed our
paperwork. Unfortunately we then had to sit on the bus for about
20 minutes waiting for other passengers to arrive. This combined
with the need to meet the Lomas rep at 5.30pm that day to
arrange our return trip (or more accurately to give them a
chance to pitch their tours) prompted us to take a cab on our
return trip. The only place we intended to be at 5.30pm was the
hottub.
The only real criticism we'd have of the
week was the attempted time share pitch. Despite being repeat
guests, we were told we should go to the desk for an explanation
of "what was new since our last trip". As soon as the girl
started, we explained that we'd been before, knew about RCI, and
had no interest in it. She asked how could we know that we had
no interest if we'd never been through the presentation - our
response that we researched everything carefully before coming
so that we wouldn't waste ANY time on our vacation stopped any
further debate. If Desire persist with this, then the next trip
will result in a much shorter, less polite response when we're
asked to go to the "orientation desk".
The resort
We'd requested our room # both by email
to Silvina and in the express check in which we'd done online,
and we were fortunate to get one of the two rooms we'd asked
for. Most of the resort was as we remembered it with a few
notable improvements. The pool beds were much more comfortable,
and Rafael did a great job every day ensuring that the fitted
towel coverings were replaced when necessary and that abandoned
beds were freed up for use. We were usually up early enough to
secure some prime real estate, but we noticed Rafael frequently
helping to find a spot for people as they arrived at the pool.
The pool was busy most of the week; the slight storm surge from
Ike had brought the water up to the wall of the resort which
probably meant the many new covered beach beds weren't as
heavily used as they may have been.
The winds from Ike blew some matresses
around at times and the palapas above the restaurants and the
hottub bar looked a bit frayed, but beyond that, a couple of
showers, and one downpour we dodged a bullet as far as the
hurricane was concerned.
The Staff
On our first trip we'd thought the staff
were a major improvement over H3, but this trip they excelled
themselves. It wasn't enough that there always seemed to be
someone there if you needed anything; many of them were
proactively seeking things they could do for you. From the bar
tenders, to the waiting staff, to the entertainment crew, to the
Hibachi chef, to our maid, to the bellboys and the front office
staff, every person seemed very focused on helping us have a
wonderful vacation.
The food
If anything the food seemed better this
trip than last. We also had no problem getting into any of the
restaurants - maybe we were just fortunate that we timed it
well, but no complaints here at all. There was variety at every
meal time, and NOTHING can beat some lobby bar pizza on the way
to or from the hottub. We didn't eat anything disappointing all
week ;)
Activities
Desire definitely has a slower pace than
H3 when it comes to activities, although this trip seemed a
"little" livelier with the presence of the WWW group. It really
is up to the guests to create the energy though, and it was
interesting to see the entertainment crew pretty much give up on
Friday afternoon when they couldn't entice anyone to join in any
activities. The evening activities by the lobby seemed to blend
into the background for us as we spent time getting to know new
friends at the bar.
The Disco
While it has to be impossible to keep
everyone happy all the time with the music selection, we thought
the DJ did an excellent job. We made it there every night,
parcticipating in all the themes, and the energy level seemed
quite high with lots of people dancing. They were actively
seeking requests for the DJ, and the large screen would flash
"Request Time". We didn't see, or smell, any sign of mold or
dampness in the disco either, so it looks like Desire management
has tried to act in response to recent online criticisms.
The People
Everyone has read the standard trip
report cliche that "its all about the people", but really it is.
We're not sure how Denny pulls together such a diverse group,
who are all such fun, interesting people; all we can say is
we're very glad he does. We made some great new friends who made
the difference between this being an ok week, and an oustanding
vacation. No names to protect the innocent (haha) but you all
know who you are, and we hope to catch up on the next trip.
Conclusion
As soon as we got home we were
investigating flights etc for a return trip in May - that should
be as clear a conclusion as we can offer. This trip was even
better than our first and there's no likelihood of us returning
to H3 anytime soon. Kudos to Desire management, as they appear
to have taken steps to address a number of issues which had been
raised, and they're clearly not resting on their laurels. Now
all we have to do is while away the days until May..........sigh
Until then, for those in the know, raise
your glasses one more time to "Patio Furniture"
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