by shore128 » Wed Jan 16, 2013 2:11 pm
As others have indicated, there is a wide age range at all 3 Desire Resorts, and the average age can differ from week to week and from one resort to another. There are generally very few 20-something couples, although the most we saw was our one trip to Desire Cabo back in 2008. We last went to Desire RM in March of 2012 and to Desire Pearl this past October (Halloween week). Both were Lifestyle Lounge trips. I would say that the age range was roughly the same. With Desire Pearl having been open for less than 10 months, obviously alot more people on this Board will have only been to Desire RM and not Pearl. I was going to write a review of my trip last March and also of our recent trip to Pearl and never got around to it. I'll take this opportunity to offer a few perspectives from the viewpoint of my wife and me. First of all, we enjoyed both resorts and would go back to either one. On our recent trip to Pearl we did take a cab over to Desire RM and spent the afternoon. We saw some of the staff members we have previously befriended and like so much, and greeted each other warmly. They were all disappointed that we were staying at Pearl and not RM.
First of all, Pearl is still a work in progress and has some deficiencies. Both dining rooms at Pearl are undergoing renovations, and Pearl is going to convert what is now a second story terrace and bar adjacent to the beach to an Asian restaurant. According to the general manager, those projects are expected to be completed by May. Other than a Mexican-themed dinner party around the pool, we ate at the Pearl restaurant each night, which is adjacent to the main lobby. We enjoyed eating outside on the small terrace in front of the restaurant, but did not enjoy eating inside. Assume it will be alot nicer when they bring in all the planned decorations, artwork, lighting, etc., but as it was we found it very stark, way too bright and very loud. Definitely preferred Piacere at Desire RM, and thought the service and food were a bit better at Piacere as well. The other restaurant at Pearl which is adjacent to the pool and beach was buffet style at night and did not have many people eating there when we walked past it. We like the main restaurant at RM alot better (at night). The edge at breakfast and lunch goes to Pearl, as you can eat outside adjacent to the beach. Service was great and we enjoyed the experience.
We had the lowest price room at Pearl, and while it is larger then the gardenview and oceanview rooms at RM, we didn't think it was anything special and certainly not superior to the newly renovated rooms at RM (from what we've seen on the photos.) The room comparison simply would not cause us to lean to one resort vs. the other. Others may feel differently, but we spend so little time in our room its just a non factor.
While the pool is much larger at Pearl, there are not enough lounge chairs yet, and for that matter the beach doesn't have enough either. Maybe it was just the group we were with and its particular requests/arrangments, but the dj was playing the music so loud they we had no desire to sit anywhere near that end of the pool. In fact it was even loud on the beach. Although the beach at RM is quite narrow as you all know, we prefer the beach setup and beach bar at RM over Pearl. Pearl's beach is wider and has more shade, but RM's has at least twice as many beach beds and loungers. Walking into the water at RM is easier, as there are less rocks and coral. Service on the beach at RM with Africa serving is much better than at Pearl, and we much prefer the beach bar at RM. I like to take long beach walks, and that is easier and more enjoyable at Pearl, however.
The hottub at Pearl is of course fabulous, perhaps 3 times as large as RM's. It was busy during happy hour but fairly quiet several late nights.
Haven't seen the newly renovated nightclub at RM other than in new photos, but we definitely prefer RM's nightclub and playroom over Pearl's. Pearl's is glitzy and nice, but we still prefer RM's. While the lobby at Pearl is nice and of course would be great when it rains, (we had great weeks weather-wise on both trips so rain wasn't a factor) we strongly prefer the outdoor lobby and bar at RM. We definitely enjoyed the evening experience at RM over that of Pearl, (and we did enjoy Pearl).
So on balance, both are great resorts, and you can have a wonderful vacation at either. I think the groups and guests that are there any given week are more important than the facilities per se (at least from our perspective). We felt that the pool, beach, hottub, lobby and bars at Desire RM are more conducive to meeting people than their counterparts at Pearl. It is simply a matter of personal preference, but we don't think you can go wrong selecting either resort.