Hedo VS Desire Pearl quick comparison

**Trifecta** · 01-28-2015, 09:21 PM

We went to Hedo in May, Desire Pearl Jan of this year (just a few weeks ago). We liked both, have nothing bad to say about either, but we would probably say Desire Pearl wins overall. at Hedo we stayed in the brand new rooms on the nude side, at Desire we stayed in one of the master suites...so we had a similar accommodation level at both places. Here are my quick thoughts.

1) Physical plant much nicer at Desire, although its a smaller resort and there is much less activity-wise...no sailing, boating etc etc. Its just a beach, pool, jacuzzi, beach volley-ball etc. But no water sports. But the pool side games and antics were well done at both, we thought desires were a little better. The beach was nicer at Hedo, although its nothing amazing...neither is great. the jacuzzi at pearl was huge and the beds at the poolside were a revolving door of crazy PDS. Just amazing.
2) Service was MUCH better at desire. Like off the charts better. Sorry Hedo. The "island time" thing is cute, but when you are on vacation you want a towel when you are cold and wet. being told "they are coming mon" over and over just gets old.
3) rooms: Hedo room was BRAND NEW so if you get a new room, it probably is a tie with desires rooms, but at both places we barely stayed in the room. The patios were better in Hedo. We had much more room to enjoy ourselves at hedo on the patio. If you are in an old hedo room, desire would win. They really kept the rooms super clean, nice and stocked with beer water and soda in our room. They cleaned the room twice a day.
4) food: Desire wins. Not by a landslide, but its just better. Only downside is the possibility of travelers diarrhea in mexico. We didn't get any, but its possible.
5)PDS: Daytime PDS is not very blatant at Desire...but things heat up in the evening at the jacuzzi where the resort pretty much says all PDA should be. They also have a sin room that got crazy crazy crazy three of our four nights. Night time we saw and experienced some pretty crazy stuff. Granted, both resorts wax and wane based upon the people/groups there at the time you are there...but we thought it was a little better at Pearl.
6)Nakedness: Hedo wins. There are plenty of folks at desire with bottoms on...some with bathing suits on. Its not more than about 15% but its obvious.
7)Ease of arrival from airport: Desire wins. ITs only 15 min away. Lots of flights and easy transfer.
8) Creep factor: The single guys at Hedo have a certain creep factor that just does not exist at Desire. sure, the vast majority are great and not creepy at all, but we were there for 5 days and had a few creepy instances. Nothing bad, just a few interactions that put a damper on things. Who wants to expend energy "shaking off" a tagalong who thinks he has a right to hang out with you. We had to do that a few times. In all fairness to this "comparison" though, although we felt that the single guys at hedo were a little creepy for us, none of them EVER did anything physical that was uninvited. And, that being said, one guy at Desire DID feel up my girls boobs without first asking her. So its funny that I am making an issue of the single men at Hedo. We had previously decided that her boobs (which are amazing) are fair game (we are not swingers, but touching above the waist is fair game with us), But, we would have expected someone to ask permission first. Several other men and women asked first and she said "sure" every time. But this one guy just came up and did his thing. No big deal, but I think no matter where you are, naked resort or not, you still ask permission before you touch another person anywhere, let alone on their breast or other sexually significant areas.
9) The people: We loved the people at both....but the single guys were an issue at Hedo and we just clicked with more people at Desire. It could have been who was there that time period, but this is what we noticed.

Do we plan to go back to hedo one day? Absolutely. I wouldn't discourage anyone from going. You will have a GREAT time. Its where it all started....But for now we will be calling Desire "home". I know there will be others who will disagree, thats fine. There is something for everyone at these places....its nice there are options.

Cheers!!!

**FLcouple** · 01-28-2015, 09:36 PM

Thank you for the comparisons! We definitely want to visit Desire for ourselves someday! We've heard the same things you just mentioned!

**loverstriangle3** · 01-28-2015, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by Trifecta

We went to Hedo in May, Desire Pearl Jan of this year (just a few weeks ago). We liked both, have nothing bad to say about either, but we would probably say Desire Pearl wins overall. at Hedo we stayed in the brand new rooms on the nude side, at Desire we stayed in one of the master suites...so we had a similar accommodation level at both places. Here are my quick thoughts.

1) Physical plant much nicer at Desire, although its a smaller resort and there is much less activity-wise...no sailing, boating etc etc. Its just a beach, pool, jacuzzi, beach volley-ball etc. But no water sports. But the pool side games and antics were well done at both, we thought desires were a little better. The beach was nicer at Hedo, although its nothing amazing...neither is great. the jacuzzi at pearl was huge and the beds at the poolside were a revolving door of crazy PDS. Just amazing.
2) Service was MUCH better at desire. Like off the charts better. Sorry Hedo. The "island time" thing is cute, but when you are on vacation you want a towel when you are cold and wet. being told "they are coming mon" over and over just gets old.
3) rooms: Hedo room was BRAND NEW so if you get a new room, it probably is a tie with desires rooms, but at both places we barely stayed in the room. The patios were better in Hedo. We had much more room to enjoy ourselves at hedo on the patio. If you are in an old hedo room, desire would win. They really kept the rooms super clean, nice and stocked with beer water and soda in our room. They cleaned the room twice a day.
4) food: Desire wins. Not by a landslide, but its just better. Only downside is the possibility of travelers diarrhea in mexico. We didn't get any, but its possible.
5)PDS: Daytime PDS is not very blatant at Desire...but things heat up in the evening at the jacuzzi where the resort pretty much says all PDA should be. They also have a sin room that got crazy crazy crazy three of our four nights. Night time we saw and experienced some pretty crazy stuff. Granted, both resorts wax and wane based upon the people/groups there at the time you are there...but we thought it was a little better at Pearl.
6)Nakedness: Hedo wins. There are plenty of folks at desire with bottoms on...some with bathing suits on. Its not more than about 15% but its obvious.
7)Ease of arrival from airport: Desire wins. ITs only 15 min away. Lots of flights and easy transfer.
8) Creep factor: The single guys at Hedo have a certain creep factor that just does not exist at Desire. sure, the vast majority are great and not creepy at all, but we were there for 5 days and had a few creepy instances. Nothing bad, just a few interactions that put a damper on things. Who wants to expend energy "shaking off" a tagalong who thinks he has a right to hang out with you. We had to do that a few times. In all fairness to this "comparison" though, although we felt that the single guys at hedo were a little creepy for us, none of them EVER did anything physical that was uninvited. And, that being said, one guy at Desire DID feel up my girls boobs without first asking her. So its funny that I am making an issue of the single men at Hedo. We had previously decided that her boobs (which are amazing) are fair game (we are not swingers, but touching above the waist is fair game with us), But, we would have expected someone to ask permission first. Several other men and women asked first and she said "sure" every time. But this one guy just came up and did his thing. No big deal, but I think no matter where you are, naked resort or not, you still ask permission before you touch another person anywhere, let alone on their breast or other sexually significant areas.
9) The people: We loved the people at both....but the single guys were an issue at Hedo and we just clicked with more people at Desire. It could have been who was there that time period, but this is what we noticed.

Do we plan to go back to hedo one day? Absolutely. I wouldn't discourage anyone from going. You will have a GREAT time. Its where it all started....But for now we will be calling Desire "home". I know there will be others who will disagree, thats fine. There is something for everyone at these places....its nice there are options.

Cheers!!!

You fail to mention the cost comparison. There is a difference there I believe. While we stayed in Mexico's Riviera maya we had spoken to an older couple who was retired and had tried about every resort out and said the Casitas Riviera Maya won hands down on all categories, Butler on the beach,etc..etc. However come 11:00pm you best be out of the hot tub. Wtf!!!! While it wasn't a big lifestyle resort, Great for our honeymoon it was. If expect to be pampered Hedo isn't the place....If you expect a great ass time to do what you wish Hedo is the place. Its Hedo guests that makes Hedo win hands down easily our opinion. You can compare all you want. But there is one thing that will bring us back every year.......the guest list!

**Trifecta** · 01-29-2015, 03:10 AM

Originally Posted by loverstriangle3

You fail to mention the cost comparison. There is a difference there I believe. While we stayed in Mexico's Riviera maya we had spoken to an older couple who was retired and had tried about every resort out and said the Casitas Riviera Maya won hands down on all categories, Butler on the beach,etc..etc. However come 11:00pm you best be out of the hot tub. Wtf!!!! While it wasn't a big lifestyle resort, Great for our honeymoon it was. If expect to be pampered Hedo isn't the place....If you expect a great ass time to do what you wish Hedo is the place. Its Hedo guests that makes Hedo win hands down easily our opinion. You can compare all you want. But there is one thing that will bring us back every year.......the guest list!

You may be confusing desire pearl with some other resort....There are two desire properties, Desire Pearl and Desire Riviera Maya. they are about 20 min apart in the cancun vicinity. While there may be other clothing-optional resorts, to my knowledge, the desire resorts are the only one that (like hedo) allow open displays of sex...and in fact encourage it. The difference between Hedo and the desire properties is you can't have open sex displays just anywhere, You are supposed to be in the hot tub area, or the "sin room" which is by the disco. People bent these rules a lot, and the staff generally didn't say a word. But for the most part open sex was in these two places. As for the hot tub closing at 11 pm???? huh? No way. The hot tub at desire pearl is HUGE and was packed long into the night...2, 3, 4 am and beyond. There are literally BEDS next to the hot tub for having open, public sex in. and they are big enough for 4 or 6 people...and that happened a LOT. It doesn't get much more hot than that. Finally, the people: We found that the same basic type of person was at both resorts. Fun, open, happy, interesting, adventurous etc etc. We happened to click with MORE people at desire than hedo...but that may have just been the luck of the draw of the weeks we were at each resort. because of this, I can't agree with you that the Hedo folks are any "better" than those at desire pearl. Not worse either, but there is no real winner in this category.

The desire resort is a little more expensive, but they run specials and its not in another category altogether, but sure, it costs a bit more. You are correct I didn't mention that. You don't get a butler on the beach, but the staff go so far above and beyond what is normal to make sure your stay is PERFECT that it just has to be mentioned. You have to see it to believe it. EVERY staff member was amazing. They were totally committed to you enjoying your vacation to the fullest. there was no such thing as "it come soon mon". Don't get me wrong, I agree that on vacation just relax, let it slide, don't stress. Ya mon. I'm as chill as the next guy. But I also think that its not such a bad thing if part of your relaxation is knowing that the staff is taking care of all of your needs so you CAN relax and enjoy your vacation.

Desire was not perfect...we just liked it a tad better for our needs/wants etc. One negative was the fact that they sell "memberships" to the resort and the members get preferred seating around the pool. Well, that sucks that because I didn't buy an expensive membership I have to take the left over seats at the quiet end of the pool. But honestly, even the "left over" seats were great, but it was a little off-putting that you didn't have much choice.

I've tried to give an unbiased report. People will have different preferences. But this was a clear winner for us, and again...we WILL go back to hedo in a few years. Hedo has its own charm and draw and we have a nice rock there with our names on it that we have to visit :-)

I hope this further clarifies. - Tri

**TheRaam** · 01-29-2015, 08:33 AM

Thanks for posting your review/comparison. I've never been to the Desire resorts, so can you comment on comparing the entertainment staff at Hedo to the entertainment staff at Desire?

I think the entertainers at Hedo are phenomenal and extremely personable and friendly towards the guests, just curious how Desire compares in this department.

**gsml** · 01-29-2015, 12:41 PM

We were lucky when we went to Pearl, it was a full takeover around the time it opened in 2012 and there was nobody pushing the premier membership or any members for that matter so all were treated equal. But we have seen this at the Desire RM and it was a turnoff. Glad to see the ECs are up to par, they were all new when we went and still learning the ropes. ECs at Desire RM were always great.

I imagine the cost of Pearl now must be comparable to the new premium rooms at Hedo.

**TheRaam** · 01-29-2015, 12:45 PM

I was asking how the EC's are at the Desire resorts. I don't think anyone has said anything about them unless I missed something.

**Trifecta** · 01-30-2015, 01:43 AM

EC's were fabulous at Desire Pearl. We heard that the ones at Desire RM had recently turned over and were learning the ropes and weren't so great...but that didn't affect us. Hedo's EC's are truly amazing though, I can't deny that.

The nightly shows at desire were very, very good. Short, but very good. Maybe 30-45 min. Then the disco heated up for about 45 min, then everyone either went to the hot tub or the sin room or both.....

They push the membership thing hard if you let them, but if you say "NO" at the outset they leave you alone. We NEVER were asked after the initial ask when I said "no". But everyone wants something free, so they go to the pitch, get their free massage and then complain about the pitch. Go figure.

That being said, they DO give the members some preferential treatment. Mostly the preferred spots around the pool. But there is still plenty of nice real estate. ITs a little irksome, but you didn't really notice it all that much unless you sat there and thought about it for more than a few seconds. Which I did NOT do...I just enjoyed the amazing pool, weather and company of my girlfriend and all the folks around me.

Yes, I think the price at Desire is on par with Hedo in the new premium rooms. Thats about right.

Both places are great.....each has pros and cons, but we were overall happier at desire. I can't say it enough though, I would NOT discourage ANYONE from going to Hedo. We will go back!!! it just won't be our main destination.

-Tri

**gsml** · 01-30-2015, 08:19 AM

Has the Sin room at Pearl changed any? When we were there it was a very small room about 12x12 off of the disco. So small they had to setup a temp playroom by the spa to accomodate the takeover group.

**Trifecta** · 02-01-2015, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by gsml

Has the Sin room at Pearl changed any? When we were there it was a very small room about 12x12 off of the disco. So small they had to setup a temp playroom by the spa to accomodate the takeover group.

No, its still small (but I've never been in any other sin room so this is the only size I am aware of). But we liked the smallness....one night there were 6 couples and one foursome going at it all at once....My face was buried between two gorgeous legs for about 30 minutes and I was told later that a 7th couple used the swing during that time that I was facing the wrong way....We loved the fact that everyone was close enough to really feel like this was a group experience, but we don't swap and somehow it was big enough that we didn't feel like anyone was too close for comfort.....Maybe it would have been too small if one or two more couples tried to join...but that didn't happen. It was just perfect for our trip.

**mnuswingers** · 02-13-2015, 12:10 PM

Thank you for the post. We are going in May for the first time and I have been looking for as much information as possible. I want to know what to expect. Didn't realize the single guys thing was an issue. I thought it was all couples. Hmmm, something I will have to conscious of it. Okay, thanks again.