Poor management

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Poor management

Postby Bob and Michele » Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:22 pm

Before I say the negative stuff let me just say that we love Desire and can't wait to go back. BUT...the truth is that the resort is not well managed at this time. The staff are not well trained...getting a bed on the beach or a lounge at the pool or towels for either is much harder than it needs to be. They have boats to use but the staff shows up around noon or not at all. The worst part unfortunately is the restaurant management. They desparately need someone to train them in how to handle food. They use the same utensils to handle raw meat and cooked. God only knows what goes on in the kitchen. The end result is that we and everyone around us was sick to their stomache most of the time. Next time we are going to bring our own food and beach towels and just enjoy meeting some very wonderful people.
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More details?

Postby speedways » Mon Nov 03, 2008 4:27 pm

:shock: Could you give more specifics on the poor management situation. We leave in 10 days for a fifteen day stay. Thanks
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Postby CokeMann » Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:26 pm

Bob and Michele

I would have to agree with speedways, more explicit details please rather than just vague generalities.

We have been to Desire Cancun 14 times most recently this last August. We have never experienced any problems obtaining towels. Getting a bed bed or prime location around the pool can be challenging if you are not an early riser - but that is a common issue at most resorts.

I have personally been in the back kitchens during a busy dinner service and and I believe that their food handling and sanitation practices are on par if not above par with any of the major resorts on Cancun or along the RM.

What dates here you there ? and what specifically leads you to the the conclusion that it is sanitation/food handling that may have contributed to stomach issues ?

BTW - is this your first visit to Mexico ??
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poor management

Postby shore128 » Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:38 am

I must respectfully disagree about the comment that Desire is poorly managed. To the contrary, I find its management to be as good or better than that of any other Caribbean resort we have been to. We just came back from a week at Desire Cancun (Oct. 24 - 31). This was our third trip there within the last 18 months. We've been to Jamaica 9 times, including both Grand Lidos, Hedo II and Couples Negril, and have also been to St. Martin and Turks & Caicos islands. We found both room service and service in all the restaurants to be excellent - no exceptions. We ate at all 3 restaurants although most nights dined at Piacere - the service and food were just great (surf and turf the last few nights - large filet mignon with several large grilled shrimp). We had no problems getting either lounge chairs around the pool or beach beds, and certainly had no problem getting all the towels we wanted. The beach concierge does a good job and is very accomodating. The few issues we had with our room were taken care of very quickly. The bar service was improved over previous trips - most of the bartenders seem to have learned to make some pretty good martinis, too. Public areas of the resort were constantly being cleaned. I've read previous posts regarding Desire Cancun going downhill and I just don't agree - with one exception - the disco definitely needs to be renovated. There are rumours that an expansion and some renovations are in the works, and perhaps the lounge will be refurbished as part of that. Other than that issue, no complaints at all. One can always find faults with any resort, but overall I think the resort is very well run, particularly compared to the Jamaican resorts we've been to. Grand Lido Braco, which is more expensive than Desire and holds itself out as a luxury "super-inclusive" is on a much lower level service and management-wise as compared to Desire. I know there are many who still prefer Hedo 2 over Desire, but from the standpoint of rooms, facilities, cleanliness, service, food and overall management - Desire is far superior.
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Postby miranda » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:30 am

Just a couple of questions. Why do some folks prefer Hedo over Desire? And, fort hose who just came back - how was the disco? This is one area that seems to get "slagged" all the time. Just wondering if there have been any "improvements" made.
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Postby mfay » Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:33 am

We have to agree with Wayne & Paul . In our 13 trips to Desire we have always found the resort to be exceptionally well managed in terms of daily operations. They have always seemed to be almost obsessive about food handling safety. In all our trips I had only one issue with stomach problems- way back in 05. And we have never been at the resort when there were more than a handfull of folks with the problem. Anytime you get 200 people in a foreign country with a different climate you are going to have that. Different climates and different geographic regions simply have different groups of bacteria in the environment. They are benign to the locals or to the other guests who carry them in but not to others. Regardless of sanitation- some people are going to pickup something. And then of course you have a "few" people who simply eat and drink far more than they are used to.......
As for the beach- pool- issues, Desire has the same problems as other resorts with these things but they have continually refined their policies in response to guests concerns and- in our opinion- they do as well as they can with what they have to work with.
The only problems we have ever had with Desire management have been with how they have responded- at times- to specific incidents such as thefts or the Lt&t non payment issues,and with how they handle the time share/membership sales pitches. In the big picture these things are very few and far between.
So for those of you about to go for the first time, relax and enjoy ! You will be well taken care of.
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Postby shore128 » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:08 am

Miranda, the disco is definitely getting a bit "tired." At the minimum, it certainly could use a new carpet. But I don't think that has an impact on whether or not you have fun. We went in every night and had a good time, but the level of participation varied. Some nights it was crowded, others not so. A friend of ours who was on the second week of a two week stay said that during the previous week (Oct. 18 - 24) it was alot livelier than the week of the 24th. He made the same comment about the jacuzzi lounge. We thought the dj did ok - certainly room for improvement though. But everyone has different tastes in music. The crowd varied in age from late 20's all the way up to the 60's, so naturally the music that some enjoy does not please others. In this respect, it is alot different from a typical city nightclub where the clientele at one may be primarily 20-something and the dj plays music accordingly.
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Postby TwoDV8s » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:09 am

miranda wrote:Just a couple of questions. Why do some folks prefer Hedo over Desire? .


Some folks prefer Hedo because..

1. higher energy level during the day, think frat party
2. open sex in and around the pool and beach all day
3. can smoke weed openly at the resort with "no problem mon"

We went to Hedo II seven times before we tried Desire. We have been to Desire 5 times now. The service at Desire is way, way better than Hedo.
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Postby TwoDV8s » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:11 am

4. Hedo allows singles and some folks like that.
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Postby CokeMann » Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:15 am

miranda

I guess it just come down to personal choice - Hedo does offer some things such as allowing singles, included scuba diving and a water slide that are not part of what Desires offers.

In addition the vibe between the two resorts is quite different (hedo=frat party vs desire=sensual intimate party) It doesn't make one better or worse than the other - just different and each will appeal more to different folks.

The disco is the one area of Desire that has not been renovated or updated since Desire opened in 2003 and is showing its' age. All the other areas of Desire(including rooms) have been renovated within the last couple of years but IMHO, the disco just feels old and sort of out of step with the quality of the rest of the place.
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Postby Bob and Michele » Wed Nov 05, 2008 6:53 pm

This was our second trip to Desire. the first time we had no problem at all. Maybe it was just a bad week. I lived in Mexico City for 4 years so I know the importance of being careful with what you eat. Stay away from fruits and vegetables and keep to simple well cooked food. Bring medicine with you (I like Pepto Bismol-works for me). Usually, the water is the problem so no ice and stick to bottled water.
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Postby miranda » Wed Nov 05, 2008 10:58 pm

Thanks so much for the great info and the comparisons.

Sounds like the disco at Desire Cancun is very similar to the one in Cabo. A bit "tired" and needs some freshening up.

The dj didn't play the music we wanted to dance to but we stuck it out and closed the place down. He finally played the music us girls liked to dance and we basically put on a show for the staff. :wink:
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