Steve & Ruth - May, 2007

Hot Hot Hot … A Desire Trip Report May 11-17, 2006

It all started with a scuba diving trip to Cozumel.  As we were planning a diving vacation, we realized that Cancun (and the Desire resort) was just a ferry ride away.  We had been to Hedo III twice, and wanted to see how Desire compared.  After an exhausting internet search to find out who had booked all the rooms for November, we found Jon & the Fluffernutters group.  Finally, we were booked for 5 days in Cozumel, and 5 days at Desire.  Then Wilma struck.  We finally found dates in May that worked for us.  And BONUS, Desire offered us another FREE night to rebook in May.  We were sold! 

It was a long wait, but well worth it.  Although it was winter here, we couldn’t wait for our visit to Mexico.  We joined a Yahoo group (Cancun Desires) of people that would be traveling during the same timeframe in May.  This is a great way to meet new people before your trip.  We exchanged some IM’s, emails, etc during the long winter months.  This really helped to make the pre-vacation waiting much easier. 

One Eagles and Flyers (losing) season later, we were on our way to Mexico! 

I’ll spare you the boring details about our canceled flight to Cozumel (US Scareways has the WORST customer service), our traveling to Cancun from Cozumel, and the details of our week scuba diving (that’s another trip report for another time and another board).   

Moving Right Along

35 minutes and $45 later, we arrived at the Desire Resort by taxi (from Playa del Carmen).  What an eye opener!  The bellman grabbed our bags, and directed us to the registration table set-up in the lobby.  We were offered cool towels and champagne.  What a way to start our vacation. 

Although our room was not quite ready, we filled out the paperwork and received our bands for the week.  We were free to explore the resort until our rooms were ready (about 1:30).  We quickly changed, and made our way around the resort.  We visited the gym (the ONLY time we saw the inside of the gym this week!), walked along the beach, and made our way to the grill for lunch.  It is a very compact resort, and it only takes about 10 minutes to make your way around it. 

The Juicy details

We read a lot of trip reports before our vacation, and it really helped to set the mood for what we would find at Desire.  Instead of a daily description of our days, we’ll tell you about all the important aspects of the resort (food, activities, staff, and the covert actions). 

The Room Is For Sleeping 

We had a garden view room, and wouldn’t upgrade in the future.  The resort is so small that we were never far from anything else.  The room was clean and had enough drawers and closets for all our stuff.   The shower never ran out of hot water, and the drapes completely blocked out any sunlight.  Who wants to get up early on vacation?  The AC was perfect, but it kept the room comfortable.  We were happy with the room choice. 

Bars, Beds, and Hot Tubs.  What More Could You Want? 

The pool, restaurants, and Jacuzzi are all right next to each other.  This means we were able to find a lounge chair by the pool in the morning and never have to move for the rest of the day.  The split level pool was a perfect depth – 2 feet for lounging, and almost 5 feet for swimming.  The rooftop Jacuzzi offers a breathtaking view of the ocean.   The Jacuzzi itself is huge, has lots of benches, and a swim-up bar.  The temp was always consistently caliente.  It was open from 1 pm to 3 am daily, and we saw them cleaning it every morning.  There are also 5 beds next to the Jacuzzi, should anyone need to  . . . um . . . take a nap. 

Food

For the most part, the food was quite good.  Breakfast was typical – fruit station, bread station, and steamer trays with various meats, potatoes, and Mexican dishes.  They also had a cook-to-order griddle where we got French toast, pancakes and omelet’s.  For the uninitiated, if you want an omelet, fill your plate with the ingredients in front of you, & hand it to the chef.  We were a little confused at first.  Matilde was amazingly fast and efficient on that griddle!  

Lunch was the biggest disappointment.  Every day was the same thing – burgers, hot dogs, chicken, fish, and flank steak at the grill near the pool.  They also had a few steamer trays with nachos, cheese, chili, fries, pizza, and a few different items each day.  I guess we were spoiled by the Scotch Bonnet at Hedonism III, and really hoped for some additional choices at lunch. 

The best meal of the day was dinner.  There are 3 specialty restaurants (Italian, Oriental, and International) and one buffet.  Each night, one of the restaurants is closed.  During our stay the buffet was closed twice.  We wound up eating at the main buffet twice, and thought the food was okay.  

Our favorites were the specialty restaurants – especially the Italian and International.  We liked the Japanese, too, but never got to try the Hibachi table in the back.  The food at these restaurants was delicious and plentiful.  As a bonus, they were testing out a “no-reservation” system during our week.  In our opinion, it was AWESOME.  We could go to dinner whenever we wanted, and to whatever restaurant we wanted.  Even though we went at different times between 7 PM and 9 PM, we never had to wait for a table.  I *really* liked the new system, and hope it was successful! 

Lastly, we can’t forget to mention the late night pizza.  At the pool grill, they had pizza from 11 PM till late late at night.  The menu also indicated that they had deli sandwiches, but we never saw anyone eating any, nor did we try to get any on our own.  There was also 24 hour room service, but the food was so plentiful that we never needed to use it. 

Overall, we thought the food was very good and plentiful.  I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Leo in the main buffet restaurant.  He was a superb waiter – always friendly and refilling water glasses. 

Fun in the Sun

As with any all-inclusive resort, the schedule you see online is often not the same schedule the staff follows.  Some of the things happen, some don’t.  All is well.  For one of us, the best activities were the sports related ones - water polo, water volleyball, beach volleyball.  At least two of those activities took place every day.  For the other one of us, the best activity involved a lounge chair, a drink, a book, and a nap. 

Water aerobics happened on a few days.  This was the most interesting water aerobics class I ever took.  Sure, it started out with neck rolls and shoulder lifts.  By the end, the women were paired off and racing across the pool back to back.  It is difficult to explain, but a lot of fun to watch (especially for the guys!).  At the end, there were neck massages for all – not your typical water aerobics class! J 

They also had your typical sexy contests – wet t-shirt, Mr. and Mrs. Desire, find your mate, etc.  The activities staff (Diana, Aldo) was very accommodating and friendly.  They encouraged people to participate, but were not overly pushy.  We took a beach walk with Diana one day, and she told us about life in Mexico and showed us some of the effects from the hurricane.  It was really interesting to hear about life in Mexico after Wilma. 

The only complaint we have is about the constant promotion of Coco Bongo night club in Cancun.  This is an optional off-resort trip ($120 per couple) that was promoted by the activities staff ad nauseum.  For many of the Desire resort activities, the prize was a Coco Bongo t-shirt or CD.  If I’m going to embarrass myself for the entertainment of other guests, I think I should get a better prize (a bottle of liquor or Desire novelty items, perhaps), rather than a promo item for a local night club. 

Staff

The staff was ALWAYS very friendly and polite.  At Hedonism III, accepting a tip from a guest can be cause for getting fired.  At Desire, it is politely accepted.  Since it was an all-inclusive, we did not carry $$ around, and did not tip, but we still had the same excellent service.  We meant to tip the last day, but woke up late, and just never got around to it (we’ll rectify that on our next visit – they deserved it).  Sylvia at the pool bar was incredible.  Every time I was thirsty she seemed to show up for my drink order.  A few minutes later, I’d have a drink in hand, even if I moved from the chair to the pool.  Somehow, she always found us. 

Covert actions

One of the things we liked best about Desire is the lack of rules.  It is truly a clothing optional resort – almost everywhere.  We only had to dress for the restaurants (long pants for the International and Japanese restaurants were enforced).  Yes, we could walk through the lobby naked if we wanted to.  Most people were completely naked, but there were some that chose to keep on bottoms and/or tops.  It truly was a non-issue.  There were no “sex police” to ensure that everyone was properly disrobed.   

Speaking of sex, there were plenty of places for “covert actions”.  Be it the swinging beds in the lobby, the palapa covered beds on the beach, the hammocks, the playroom, etc…., there were plenty of places for intimacy.  I saw lots of action, but no one telling people to cover up or leave.  It is truly an open atmosphere for all. 

We really liked the fact that it is for couples only, and there were no horny staring guys (Vinnies/Wallys) to contend with.  There just wasn’t a need for security like there is at HIII. 

The Disco

We had heard a lot of complaints about the music in the disco, but we thought it was pretty good.  There was a good mix of dance music from the 70’s to the present.  The fact that the disco had nice couches to rest on and three stripper poles made it that much better. 

After 5 Days I’m STILL Pale White

On my last full day at the resort, I was “volunteered” to receive a full body spray tan as an advertisement for the spa service ($40).  I was the palest person at the pool!  Since I was glad to go home with a tan, I eagerly agreed. What I didn’t know, was that I was required to stay out of the water for 4-6 hours after the tan was applied.  It was just TOO hot to avoid the pool.  After 3 hours, I rinsed off in the shower, and jumped in the pool.  Most of the tan stayed, and still looked great when I get home.  I highly recommend getting one – just do it early in the morning so it will have time to dry! 

Winds of Change

It also rained early in the AM of our last full day (it hadn’t rained in Mexico for 2 months).  Not a big deal (or so I thought), as it was already drying up when we got to the pool around 10 am.  Unfortunately, with the change in weather brought changing wind patterns, and BUGS.  Suddenly, there were flying bugs everywhere – no see ums, gnats, and wasps.  A few hours later, the palapa roofs were filled with buzzing.  The glass separating the pool from the beach was splattered with black crawling insects – gross.  We eventually went up to the Jacuzzi to avoid the bugs, only to find that they invaded that palapa roof also.  Even though I was immersed in the Jacuzzi, one of the wasps managed to sting me.  I drowned the sucker, but it didn’t stop the swelling.  It took quite a few drinks to make me forget.  

Drinking Problem?  Drinking is Never a Problem!
Speaking of drinks, I thought they were quite good.  Electric lemonade was my favorite during the day, and Absolut and Cranberry at night.  My husband’s favorites were the banana daiquiri and the long island iced tea.  Although we brought insulated mugs, we rarely used them.   Desire uses good-sized plastic cups that worked very well. The bar staff were all friendly and accommodating.  If they didn’t know how to make a drink, they were more than willing to keep experimenting.  We were more than willing to keep drinking the experiments, so it worked out well.  The lobby bar is open 24 hours, and the others are open quite early and late as well.  It was never a problem getting a drink.  Sometimes there was a problem finding our room after drinks, but getting the drinks were never an issue.  

Pole Dancing

One of my favorite afternoon activities was pole dancing lessons.  I learned how to walk around the pole and a few spins from one of the more experienced guests (thanks, Randee!).  The next day, the disco was open during the day for practice.  One of my fellow students and I brought our husbands up to show them what we learned.  Now that was a HOT time.  ;> 

Final Words

Overall, we had a fabulous, relaxing vacation.  We met some great people (you know who you are), and we hope to vacation with them again.  Desire is an elegant, clean, five-star resort. 

If I were Queen for a Day, I’d . . .

 Steve & Ruth