Desire RM Trip Report 4/2014 (with H2 Comparisons)
Some background of my travel to adult resorts… This was my second trip to Desire RM; my first trip was in the fall of 2013. Prior to switching over to Desire, we had been to H3 twice and H2 four, maybe five times. Because of what I felt were rapidly deteriorating conditions at H2, we decided to try Desire as an alternative until we consistently hear positive trip reports of the promised improvements in Jamaica. After spending much of my March 2013 trip physically upset at the conditions of the resort, it was decided between my SO and I that we would not be returning any time soon. It was upsetting to spend that kind of money and take that kind of time off of work, only to be so distressed a few days into the vacation. While we are the least picky people ever when it comes to food, we went hungry most days due to the poor quality of the food. Housekeeping was discouraging; we were unable to get bath towels the first three days and had to resort to snagging towels out of the Fitness Center just so we could shower. When I asked for an extra blanket on the first day (the SO and I are on totally opposite sleep temperature wavelengths), and again on the second day, and then again on the third day, it finally appeared after just walking up to the front desk and refusing to leave until there was one in my hands. When I got back to the room with it and put it on the bed, it was full of holes and covered in stains. We made the best of what was a poor situation, and tried to enjoy the trip as much as we could. We were there with a lot of friends, relaxed on the nude beach (I don’t care for the nude pool at H2, it’s too small, too crowded, and when the group is on resort, too hard to get a chair), we participated in the theme nights, so it wasn't all bad, of course. It was talked about by my SO and I, and we decided that it was time to try something different until we felt we could be happy with the changes being made at H2. Of course, our experience happened in March of 2013. From what I’ve been hearing in recent months, it sounds like the new owner is definitely making some positive changes, and we are excited to hear about more as they happen.
Another reason that we decided to try a different resort while the changes were being implemented in Jamaica was due to (again, just our own opinion), safety concerns. My SO would not let me walk anywhere at night at Hedo unless he was with me. Allowing day passers and locals to come on resort was an area of discomfort for him. Over many of our trips, we had seen some unsavory behavior coming from day passers, enough to warrant a chaperone when walking the resort at night. I am by no means lumping single men in to this category, as our group has traveled with many single men who have been nothing but respectful and wonderful. But in our experiences in Jamaica, there had been problems with locals and or day passers while onsite. Desire only allows couples to book stays, and there is security at the highway entrance, as well as at the resort entrance. Every passenger is accounted for, and no one without a booked room is allowed onsite. If guests decide to day trip in to town, your names are noted with security, and the transfer company that takes you off resort is responsible for you. The resort knows exactly who is onsite and who is offsite, and who they are with if offsite. Desire does not allow or sell day passes to singles or couples and does not allow singles to book a room. For the SO and I, this is a big plus in terms of safety. There have been zero security concerns while we’ve been there, the security detail on the resort makes their presence known, and in two trips, we have not had any incidents where anyone’s safety or privacy have been compromised. For those who may be on the fence about traveling to Mexico as a whole due to the recent problems there, I can assure you that I never once, in two trips, felt scared or uncomfortable. I felt even more so at ease there than anywhere else.
So, with all of that being said, we booked both of our trips to Desire through a wonderful travel agent, Char Travel. She was attentive, responsive and an overall pleasure to work with while booking our trips. On the second trip, we requested a specific room (or at the very least, in that same area), the same room we’d had on our fall trip, and we were thrilled to be granted that request. We requested the room with Char, who then worked with the resort, who then were able to grant the request. We were so pleased! Char also confirmed us a transfer to and from the resort and the airport on both trips, and both times, we had a driver waiting just outside the TimeShare Zoo at CUN, holding a board with the name of the transfer company, CARM Tours, and our name on it. A huge advantage to Cancún over Jamaica is the distance to the resort from CUN - it’s just under 20 minutes away. When you’re so excited you can barely stand it after arriving, it’s so fun to know that you can be poolside in 60-90 minutes from touchdown on the Tarmac (customs and luggage pending, of course). CARM Tours has shuttled us now four times, to the resort twice and from the resort twice, and all four times they were at least 10 minutes early to pick us up. I would recommend them to anyone! Another advantage, at least to me, is that my home city offers direct flights to Cancún, whereas I will need to make a connection when traveling to Montego Bay. Instead of taking a redeye so that I could get to Montego Bay earlier in the day, flying to Miami and taking a hotel for a night, or having to take an entire day to get to Negril, I can get a good night’s sleep, leave my house at 7:00 am and be poolside by 3:00 pm. One final point I’ll make is in regards to the pricing between the two resorts. Desire is definitely more expensive. There’s no getting around that. However, you get what you pay for, and we absolutely feel that the increase in price is worth the superior rooms, food, location, staff, parties and even clientele. We’re blessed in the sense that this price point doesn’t make or break our vacation. I’ve seen the pricing for the new rooms at H2, and honestly, once all of the room renovations are complete at H2, I think price difference will be a moot point.
So, back to the room… The room we loved so much is located on the ground floor of the hot tub building. It is along the path to all of the restaurants, so it is a very social location, and we were able to meet every single couple who was staying in the resort. We had a beautiful patio area that included a sofa, a table, two chairs, a huge hurricane style tea light candle holder, and a beautiful green plant arrangement. We brought along two blow up pool chairs, and each day, we would put them both on the spacious patio and never compromised our patio space. Our view was incredible as well; we looked on to the pool, and just beyond the pool was the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean. The room is considered an ocean view room.
The rooms at Desire are all laid out quite differently. We loved the layout of our room. We had a very comfortable king sized bed, loaded with 4 or 5 sleeping pillows, with nightstands on each side of the bed, and while lying in bed with the shades open, could watch the pool and beach area. We had a total of eleven drawers in the bedroom, nine dresser drawers, as well as the two additional drawers in the nightstands. We also had a dorm sized refrigerator that was stocked daily with large bottles of water, and cans of Tecate, Dos XX and Coca-Cola. We also had a coffee maker with the accouterments to make coffee, although we never used it. The bathroom area of the room was located behind the bedroom, it was very large, had a big, above-the-counter bowl sink, and had tons of counter space (much needed for all of my beauty products). Every day, we had at least four bath towels, three washcloths, and three hand towels. Each day, I took all of the complimentary soaps, shampoos, conditioners and body washes (peppermint scented, so good!) and stashed them in my suitcase as I donate them to the parents who stay at the Ronald McDonald House while their children are in the hospital. The items were replenished every day while we were there. We also had two white terry cloth robes in one of the two full-sized closets. Our closets were built in the wall (not a separate wall unit / armoire like H2) and along with a clothing rod and loads of hangers, we also had multiple shelves. The safe, iron, ironing board, luggage stand and an umbrella were also in the closets. Overall, we had more space than actually needed to unpack, which is pretty great considering I brought three suitcases and he brought one large suitcase. Another big plus was that the space under the sink was big enough to put our empty suitcases, which kept them out of our way the entire time and didn't compromise any room or closet space.
Besides the bowl sink, the large counter space with huge mirror, the two full sized closets and the toilet, the bathroom also had a very, very large stand up shower with a glass door that opened both inward and outward, no sticking sliding doors to deal with. There was a three bar towel rack inside the shower, and because of the overall size of the shower, using it to put a towel to use after the shower was convenient. The shower head had been replaced since our last stay at Desire, but it was still a dinner plate sized rainfall shower head. It was lovely. There was never a shortage of hot water; sometimes the water was a bit too hot! There was a good sized lip at the entrance of the shower, and that prevented any kind of water spillage or leakage to the bathroom floor (another issue we had frequently in JA). Each day, we were given a rubber suction cup type bath mat for in the shower, and a cloth bath mat for when exiting the shower. We placed a towel over the towel bars and made a make shift shelf to hold my multiple shower products. It worked like a charm.
Our room was cleaned beautifully each day while we were there, and each afternoon, we came back to a lovely towel creation on the bed. I prefer the room a little warmer, he prefers it a little cooler, so on the second day, I requested an extra blanket and was given one right away. Each day, the bed was made up with the blanket on my side of the bed. The housekeeping service was fantastic, and we never wanted for anything. We were given plenty of washcloths, bath and hand towels, and never had to request more.
The pool area is where we spent most of our day. The rule in our room was that whoever was up first would go out and speak to Daniel about getting set up with chairs. We preferred the lounge chairs to the poolside beds only because we were with a group, and it was nice to have us all seated together, but there are choices of a covered palapa, poolside round beds or the typical pool loungers. There are also many shade umbrellas available, just ask Daniel if you’d like one, he’ll move it over to your chairs or bed. Daniel is the pool concierge, and he works his buns off. The guy is constantly doing something, whether it’s setting up the chairs and rolling out the big, fluffy pool towels on the chair for you (honor system towels, no cards), cleaning, wiping, mopping, removing cups, moving umbrellas, you name it, he is working nonstop. After the first couple of days, he remembered us both and our preference for where we like to sit during the day, and would set us up there. Sylvia is also another employee always on the move and who does her job better than any poolside server I’ve seen. Just as in the fall, the woman remembers drinks like none other. Order it twice, and you’ll never ask again. She has a memory like an elephant! I just loved that every time she’d walk by, I’d get an “Everything all right, mama?”. Since we brought our own big insulated mugs, everything usually was alright, but when it wasn’t, she was off to the bar to fill it up. She is absolutely fantastic. Having a pool concierge and a dedicated pool server makes a huge difference. Not having to fight hoards of people in the pool to get a drink is fabulous. Those added services really make a big difference in the overall experience.
The hot tub is not right at the pool like as in Jamaica, but is located on the roof of the building next to the pool. The view from the hot tub will take your breath away. There is a dry side and an in hot tub side for the bar, which is so convenient. There are also four four-poster beds around the hot tub, as well as sofas, bar stools and even a big glass enclosed shower! No need to run back downstairs to use the restroom, the separate men’s and ladies’ rooms (2 stalls) are also located upstairs next to the hot tub. There are loads of beach sized towels in the cubbies near the restrooms, grab as few or as many as you’d like. The resort offers an additional cubby hole area where you can place your things while in the hot tub. Besides the bartender, there is also a hot tub concierge who make sure things are clean, towels are stocked, and the restrooms stay fresh. The hot tub is smaller than at H2, but very rarely did I feel overcrowded up there. On the occasions that we did make our way up there, it was early evening. I didn’t make it up there during the late night hours, but from what I’ve heard, it’s quite a bit of fun!
We ate at all of the restaurants while we were there. I was very impressed with the food in all of them. The Japanese restaurant did not require reservations for regular table dining, it was first come, first serve. We ate there 3 nights and never waited more than 5 minutes for them to set us up a table. I found the menu to be extensive, and would not have overlapped dinner items at all had I chosen not to. I will say I am a bit of a sushi snob, and the nigiri, rolls and sashimi in the restaurant were very delicious. So delicious, that while everyone else ordered entrees, I ordered more sushi instead! There are two hibachi tables in the restaurants, and for that style of dining, you do need a reservation. While I found the meals to be pretty tasty at the hibachi tables in Jamaica - when you could get a reservation - I didn’t care for the sushi there. We ate at the hibachi at Desire one night, and the entire meal was fantastic. Our chef was quite talented, and the shrimp were an oxymoron - huge! We loved it.
The newly remodeled White Restaurant (reservation required) is gorgeous on the inside. The servers are dressed in pressed white shirts and long aprons and everything is decorated very elegantly. The menu consisted of well-thought out items and great pairings, and were beautifully arranged and presented. Be prepared, it is by no means “fast food”, and it can take upwards of two hours to get through all the courses. Being that we were eating with 3 other couples at our table, it didn’t bother us in the least. It was great for conversing and enjoying one another’s company. The desserts in the sit down service restaurants were all incredible! In all my trips to Jamaica, I never found a truly yummy dessert, but at Desire, I’d usually order two - the creme brûlée and the chocolate fondue, which came with marshmallows, bananas, sometimes strawberries, and little vanilla donut-y cake-y bites. The other desserts were also very popular in our group. Yum, yum, yum.
The morning and dinner buffet are exactly that - buffets. You won’t find a ton of difference from day to day on the breakfast buffet, but do you anywhere? Breakfast is breakfast. An omelet station, a hot bar with scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, etc., a cold bar with yogurt, fruit, granola, a bread station for toast and cereal, and juices. Isn’t that pretty much universal? The dinner buffet, on the other hand, is changed out each evening during the week and food is selected based on the theme of the buffet; Steak Night (all cuts of steak available), Mexican Night, Brazilian Night, Italian Night, etc. I always felt there were plenty of options, and each evening had a grill offering for made-to-order items. There was also evening entertainment in the buffet restaurant during the dining hours. On the nights we ate there, we had two beautiful dancing ladies up on the wall ledges and on another night, two xylophone players that were actually really entertaining! I wouldn’t be able to do the buffet every night, but on those nights we wanted something quick and easy, it was perfect. The lunch time buffet is served next to the pool. There were tons of options each day. There are plenty of tables, and being that they’re next to the pool, you don’t have to go far or leave the area to grab a bite to eat. The tables are also manned by servers who will clear plates as you finish and will fill drink orders. The grill was always running, where you could get fajitas, burgers, steaks, fish, etc., a big selection of hot foods that changed daily, fresh pico de gallo and guacamole every day (my kryptonite), a salad bar, desserts, soups, nachos, and on occasion there was a manned taco bar. Any time an item on the buffet was running at less than 50% full, a replacement would appear. Few people are aware that there is a sandwich menu available, also. If it’s not on the table, ask a server to bring you one. At lunch, we never went hungry, that’s for sure.
The Main Bar is open 24 hours a day, which is awesome. I was there every morning for a delicious cappuccino (at home, I’m at Starbucks about twice a day. I have a problem), and sometimes, more than once a morning. It was also our meeting ground for after dinner. The ladies typically would wear sexy little dresses to dinner, the guys in their long pants as is the restaurant requirement, and after dinner, we’d change into our theme outfits. This year, we participated in Lingerie, Cowboy, Couples Costume, Black & White, and Desire University (School Girl). I would say that more than half participated each night, and it was a highlight of my day to see how creative and sexy my fellow vacationers could get. Each evening had an event of some sort in the Main Bar area; a lingerie fashion show, a dance show, a band, etc. After a couple of after dinner drinks, we would usually make our way up to the disco. Sometimes there would also be shows upstairs as well. The disco always was busy on the nights we went up (which were most of them). If I could make one suggestion to the DJ at the disco, it would be to mix up the music a little better. While we all love the oldie but fun songs, like YMCA, throw one in in-between the current dance music, not as part of a 30 minute block of 70’s music. It was a big treat for me to watch the Latino guests dance salsa and meringue, I would kill to dance like that! The disco itself is gorgeous. It’s well decorated, and is a very sexy environment. It was always far busier than the disco in Jamaica, which was great for me, because I love to dance! There is also the Playroom located in the back corner of the disco. Because I go just to enjoy my SO, we didn’t use it, but we did go in there to check it out, and it was spacious, clean, and very, very sexy! The bathroom is semi-unisex and very cool. After dancing our pants off (literally), we usually would head back down to the Main Bar to have a couple nightcaps, chat with friends, meet new ones, and order some late night snacks. The Main Bar, starting at 11:00pm or 11:30 pm, will make you made-to-order pizzas and BLTs. They are made-to-order, so be creative! They serve food all night long. While over there, watch for the local kitties and raccoons who are looking for their own late night snacks.
Desire offers their guests free resort-wide wifi, which was fantastic for sending messages and Facetime-ing home when necessary, keeping up on email (not work ones, I promise!), and posting jealousy-inducing pictures to my Facebook friends back at home. I’m still deciding though if it’s a blessing or a curse to have complimentary, well-functioning wifi. It was nice in Jamaica to completely disconnect electronically for a week. I did not ever pay for the wifi services in Jamaica, as at the time, I had heard from others that the connectivity was spotty, and for the price ($80/week), I wasn’t going to risk it. I have since heard that the connectivity in JA has improved.
The ECs we had on this past trip were mostly different from our trip in the fall, with the exception of the lovely and sweet Vanessa. They really work hard to ensure that everyone is having a great time. We enjoyed talking with them and hearing their stories. Emmy was a great addition to the team (and smart as all get out, to boot) and Coral a total sweetheart. Get involved as much as you can; they are always doing something, whether it’s Beachside Corn Hole, beach or pool volleyball, trivia games, guessing games, water aerobics, you name it, they’re doing it, so get involved and have some fun! The staff as a whole never seemed put out by any requests, always had a smile and a “Buenos Dias” as they passed, and truly seemed to enjoy being there to assure we had a wonderful vacation.
As far as the guests, I would say the average age was in their 40’s, also a bit of a difference from Jamaica. The guests that go to Hedo have been going for a very long time, so it makes sense that as the years pass, the average guest age would increase as well. Many Hedo guests are fiercely loyal, which is highly commendable! I’m sure the average age varies in both resorts depending on the week, the groups, the time of year, etc., but in my two experiences at Desire, I’d say the average guest was in their 40’s, which is the average age of the SO and I as well. While each vacation is what you make of it, in my two experiences, I’ve found the ambiance of the resort to be sexy and sensual. While we partied and had fun, I didn’t see anyone passed out in a bush or throwing up over a railing. The guests seemed to have a great time while keeping things classy.
Finally, I will speak to the group of photographers who are set up next to the pool, called Breathless Photography. If you’ve got a few spare dollars and want an incredible, life long souvenir of your trip, talk to Jonathan or Antonio in the yellow shirts. These guys are masters with a camera. I’ve taken up photography over the last year, and I can only hope to some day take pictures as beautifully as they do. There are only a handful of available appointments each day, maybe 3 or 4. I signed up early for a time a bit later in the week so that I could rock a killer tan in my shots. I picked a later time in the day, 3:00 pm, so that I didn’t feel like I had to rush in the morning to be ready. I had my photo session with Jonathan, who spent just over 2 hours with me. I had set aside a bunch of outfits and shoes, and when we started, he helped me to pick out the items that he thought would photograph the best, and he was spot on. We took multiple pictures in the room, did a couple of outfit changes, took some more shots, then went out to beach area to take more. What’s great as well is that they’ve been doing this for so long, they know that resort and the beach area like the backs of their hands and know exactly where to go to get the best shots. You can be as clothed as much as you want to be, but may I suggest to definitely take some nude shots. They ended up being some of my favorites, and I will absolutely love to look at these when I’m in my 90s and say, “Dayum, girl, you were hot 60 years ago!”. LOL. After the session, he and his staff painstakingly go through all of the photos, pick out the very best ones (in my case, 72), touch them up in LightRoom (similar to Photoshop, just better), and set them up in a slideshow set to music. The presentation of the photos was amazing, and while I had gone in to it hoping I could walk away with 10 decent pictures, I ended up having a terrible time narrowing it down to just 35! They have all sorts of packages and really can work with any budget, so I can’t recommend them enough. My absolute favorite souvenir ever!
So in closing, we are very, very happy with our change, at least for the time being. We would love to go back to Jamaica again in the future, but as I stated earlier, we plan to wait until the renovations are complete and that we hear consistently positive reports from the resort. We are thrilled that the new owner is so passionate about restoring the resort and is listening to the guests, and we look forward to seeing the upgrades soon. For the time being, we absolutely love Desire Riviera Maya, and will continue to spend our vacation time and money there.
My Tips:
* Hit the bank before going and bring lots of $1s and $5s. Tipping is not discouraged, and we liked to recognize those who went above and beyond the already stellar service for their hard work.
* Bring a mug for around the pool or at the beach if using the beach beds. It's definitely not necessary, as Sylvia refreshes drinks often. I used mine for juice or water. My insulated Bubba mug kept my drinks cold for hours.
* Participate in the theme nights. It’s just fun.
* For the best chair or beach bed, get up early and work with the concierge to claim your spot. They start at 7:30.
* If you participate in the Foam Party (ridiculously fun), either go naked or wear something you don’t mind that gets damaged. Also, grab one of the supplied washcloths to wipe your eyes when necessary.
* Do the photo session. It’s pricey, but it’s the best souvenir I’ve ever come home with, and the only one I’ll remember purchasing 6 months from now. They do gorgeous work.
* Use one of the many $1s you brought along to tip the bartender when you order a delicious cappuccino at the Main Bar. They are a pain in the tushy to make, especially when they’re busy.
* If you’re an Equal (sugar substitute) lover like myself, pack your own. Equal is not available in Mexico. You’ll be offered white sugar, brown sugar and Splenda.
* Bring a wireless speaker if you’ve got one. I loved having it for listening to music when I got ready in the evenings, and we used it for the white noise app on my phone at night.
* Pack a power strip. We had phones, iPads, Kindles, cameras, etc. plugged into it on the nightstand. Also helps to ensure you won’t leave any random cords behind.
* Take the outside stairs up to the disco. The inside winding steps upstairs make me very nervous for the ladies in mega heels!
* The breakfast buffet maitre’d has daily copies of USA Today. Just ask for one.
* Be social. Even though we were with a group of old friends, we met tons of great new folks while we were there.
* Have fun! We weren’t home 3 full days and we had already put a deposit down with Char Travel to go back in this fall.
