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Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 10:30 pm
by gibor
We just came back from Desire and had a lot of fun. However, this time there were serious issues with water quality at hot tub. In some days they added too much chemicals into it that a lot of guys got their balls burned and girls got allergies... I even visited doctor after 6 days ...
Be aware and careful!

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:03 am
by TandD
Interesting. Ironically, we just got back from Pearl and I remember explicitly noticing how many times I saw someone doing a check of both the pool and the hot tub. In previous trips I vaguely possibly probably remember maybe seeing someone :D but this time I really noticed it.

As far as I could tell, the water was fine.

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 4:27 pm
by canadiantakeover
This happened to us 2 years ago. Two things we noticed that may help:

Any itchiness in the hot tub? Get out immediately. We thought it might've been temperature, but it was definitely chemicals.

Don't be the first one in the hot tub! Not sure if more people/later entry would be better, but 8 of us had some redness the next day and no one else was complaining.

That being said the alternative to shocking the hot tub is kinda gross. Happy to be aware of the issues and spend a little more time in the disco/sin room :)

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 5:26 pm
by gibor
This is for sure not the temperature... I'm going to our gym hot tub 2-3 times per week where water much hotter and never had any issues.
I talked to maybe dozen of guys who had exactly same issue... you just can see how many guys had a "red balls".. some thought that this is because of the sun, but no, it's because of the water... some days were OK, some really bad...sometimes you even smell kinda "rotten eggs" smell when in hot tub.
The guys with whom we hanged out said that this is because of PH level too high.... Next time maybe I need to bring there some test kit like Pentair Bromine & pH 2-in-1 Test Kit

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 6:20 pm
by Kman&LadyDi
Yessiree .... having a Hot tub of our own we know all to well how keeping the PH balanced is crucial to the health of the water.
Something we came across a couple of years ago was adding three drops of Pure Geranium oil to the water each time we use the Tub. Believe it or not it requires a lot less fuss and muss than before to balance the water. Also the fragrance is an added bonus.
As for Desire Pearls hot tub I remember two years ago we were in the tub till the wee hours and they shut down the jets.
Not good! When that water became calm you realized just how murky it can become. Yucky ! The next year the water was perfect the 10 days we were there. For the most part they do a fantastic job of keeping a large tub of warm water healthy.
Thank you Desire Pearl Staff for all you do :L

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:30 pm
by gibor
On our last day at Desire I took a sample from hot tub (btw, on this day the water was the best, at least without nasty smell). Today I brought it to my gym and guys checked PH level. It was about 11! And it cannot be more than 7.8 ...
Just curious why Desire staff don't check it on regular basis even after several complaints

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 11:36 am
by gibor
I sent email to Original group and RM with concern regarding extremely high PH level in hot tub, but didn't get any reply. Very disappointed :(

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 3:10 pm
by northernlightscpl
gibor wrote:I sent email to Original group and RM with concern regarding extremely high PH level in hot tub, but didn't get any reply. Very disappointed :(


That is not a good thing for Desire. They have an obligation when these questions/concerns/issues are asked or commented on, on this site or by email as gibor stated. Silence is often perceived as the truth and doesn't provide very much reassurance that this is a concern of theirs or very high on their 'lets' inform guests what we do or are going to do' list about this concern.

We love Jacuzzi time like everyone else, but be cautious in those warm bubbly waters to what you may find floating past you when you are sipping your drink or worse, enjoying giving some oral pleasure as happened last January and the tub was cleared in less than 1 minute. Someone should have taken 30 steps and dealt with something they needed to do in a more specific place and manner. Issue was dealt with immediately, most everyone headed to the big pool to continue to party and the Jacuzzi was opened for later that night. This can happen in any pool, anywhere.

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:59 pm
by TandD
northernlightscpl wrote:
gibor wrote:I sent email to Original group and RM with concern regarding extremely high PH level in hot tub, but didn't get any reply. Very disappointed :(


That is not a good thing for Desire. They have an obligation when these questions/concerns/issues are asked or commented on, on this site or by email as gibor stated. Silence is often perceived as the truth and doesn't provide very much reassurance that this is a concern of theirs or very high on their 'lets' inform guests what we do or are going to do' list about this concern.


Although this forum "feels' official, please remember that (as far as I know) it's not officially affiliated with Original Resorts/Desire. While it would be cool for them to do it, they have no obligation to respond to comments posted on a forum that is not theirs. I think they may have responded from time to time but you could probably argue that they really shouldn't. If they start responding to every issue, this will turn into a support site for all Desire issues. Then, they will stop responding because it's taking too much time, answers are contradicted at the resort, or countless other reasons. Then people will get mad that they stopped responding, and on, and on.

It's a slippery slope and I understand why they don't wade in here.

I agree there should be a way to register feedback and get answers but I don't think this forum is it.

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:35 pm
by Justskin
Based on his posting, Gibor wrote Original Resorts and Desire Riviera Maya specifically about this problem--doesn't seem that he expected anything from this forum that you are alluding to.

Reads like due diligence to us....

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:13 pm
by northernlightscpl
Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet and other travel forums are not 'owned' by the hotels, tour companies or vacation providers that travelers provide comments to and many of the hotels and tour companies provide their feedback. This type of forum works both ways for the hotels and tour companies. Good reviews help business and bad reviews help those businesses shape up in certain areas. So an argument can be made of a 'slippery slope' if the company doesn't want to bother answering the guests issues, but there has been by far more good reviews for Desire (Original Resorts) than negative reviews. The slippery slope is not responding the guest comments when emailed. In fact this thread is not even a negative comment of the Jacuzzi, so much as guests have experienced what appears to be perhaps over shocking the pool water or not testing and balancing the ph levels often enough.

Any successful business with any good business sense would in fact want to be watching forums such as this one, even though they don't 'own it' to see how guests are commenting on their resorts. It would become a watershed of complaints as you indicated. I will rephrase the obligation remark to a 'guest obligation' to respond to gibor email about the issue. If I were the owner, and I have owned businesses, if an employee failed to respond to a guest, I would want to know why, because it's the guests that keep the doors swinging and the beds full. If there is a problem, I would hope he or she would respond to the guest for the owner. I would find it highly unlikely that no one from management reads these posts. After all, they do advertise on this forum. If there is an explanation about the water treatment, everyone should know because the question was asked. As an member of Original Resorts, yes they have an obligation to comment on any issue a guest has.

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2017 9:22 am
by TandD
Maybe it was lost in the details but I was specifically commenting on the "on this site" part of NorthernLights' response.

northernlightscpl wrote:
That is not a good thing for Desire. They have an obligation when these questions/concerns/issues are asked or commented on,

on this site

or by email as gibor stated. Silence is often perceived as the truth and doesn't provide very much reassurance that this is a concern of theirs or very high on their 'lets' inform guests what we do or are going to do' list about this concern.



To be clear, I think it would be great if Original Resorts responded to each issue raised on this forum. No way I would argue against improved customer service. I was just pointing out why I think they don't and how I can see why.

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2017 11:25 am
by CanadianGirl
gibor wrote:On our last day at Desire I took a sample from hot tub (btw, on this day the water was the best, at least without nasty smell). Today I brought it to my gym and guys checked PH level. It was about 11! And it cannot be more than 7.8 ...
Just curious why Desire staff don't check it on regular basis even after several complaints

I work in the chemistry field and I could guarantee you your sample was not correct. A pH sample has to be checked almost immediately and will start to deteriorate after a few hours. In a plane with temp. changes and that much time it wouldn't be valid. With that big of a Cl2 residual it is always a fight to keep pH up, you would never see it go that high unless you were bathing in milk of magnesia.
I agree customer service is lacking. Also, if this is not affiliated with membership than why are topics on membership not permitted????

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2017 12:44 pm
by SJCrazy
CanadianGirl wrote:Also, if this is not affiliated with membership than why are topics on membership not permitted????


We respect the wishes of our gracious host. It's mostly a scam anyways!

Re: Issues with water quality in hot tub

PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2017 6:21 pm
by gibor
I work in the chemistry field and I could guarantee you your sample was not correct. A pH sample has to be checked almost immediately and will start to deteriorate after a few hours

I don't work in chemistry field and maybe you are right, but during our stay Dec 2- 9 , practically all guys had "red balls", some more, some less ... and a lot of girls had issues with skin.... I complained about it on our 2nd day to resort managers (some other guys did do), but they didn't do anything.
Have you ever seen that somebody from Desire staff is checking pH level in hot tub or swimming pool?! I didn't!
(in all Canadian gyms pH level shoudl be checked every 2 hours!).

In any case, next time when we're going to Desire, I gonna buy from Amazon or Canadian Tire pH kit and gonna measure PH level every time we want to enter hot tub.

P.S. Desire or Original Group are just ignoring any complaints... it's too disappointing... yeap, for now they are monopoly in this "industry", but it can change. This is why I would never buy any membership anywhere...

P.P.S. There is even record on Desire file that Desire manager has invited doctor to check my genital area inflamation. The doctor prescribed pills and cream that resort bought and brought to me.

The only thing we want.....to make sure Desire/Original take any action to prevent such issues in the future