Desire RM OCT 2024 - great stay! Can't wait to do it again!

[Cheers2US]

(I wrote up this trip report 2 separate times, then copied/pasted parts of each to make this post. I tried to tidy it up but apologies in advance if it's kind of choppy)

We had a great stay at Desire RM October 23-29. It was not our first visit, but it was the first since the whole Eden expansion.

For some background, my husband & I have been married for 30+ years. We are not swingers, but we love the sexy atmosphere of lifestyle resorts and events. We were also very vanilla before finding Desire.

Another thing to mention is we are not Premier members. One thing that had kept us away since 2022 was the cost. Desire is not cheap, and we are not wealthy. However, booking both room & flight directly through the resort made the whole thing within reach for us.

Overall, our visit was amazing. We were so happy to finally be back. We had such a great time! Only a few minor things that I'll mention later.

ARRIVAL:
We arrived in Cancun 11a Customs & Immigration were a BREEZE! No line! (This was a Wednesday) Since we got out so early (we fly with carry-ons only), our transportation (Canada Transfers) wasn't on site yet. The agent was there, and our driver got there within 5 minutes. (highly recommend Canada Transfers) There is this one road along the way (it leads to Desire. Breathless and about 3-4 other resorts) that is awful. Huge puddles (puddles is an understatement) all throughout and many parts of the road were eroded and barely passable. Our cars were vans/SUVs and I don't know if smaller sedans can make the trek across safely. The water is deep and the road is broken in many places. The driver said it has been that way for several weeks. We arrived too early for our rooms to be ready. We anticipated this and had a beach bag ready. We left our luggage with the bellboy (our buddy, Arcos) and enjoyed the buffet and pool in the meantime.

EVERYTHING ELSE:
We were so happy to be back. The new area, Eden is large, but lovely. We did kind of miss the smaller, intimate feel of the old Melange and old pool. Both are still there: the old Melange area is empty, something you walk past to get from the restaurants to the new Sexy pool and the old pool is now the Quiet pool.

The vibe is phenomenal. The music, the food, the atmosphere, the events, the Playmakers, the activities were all excellent. On our first day, we ripped our clothes off and headed straight for the pool. I told my husband "This! This experience is worth the entire price of the trip!" That's how ecstatic I was.

The best part is the other guests. I have been to Desire before and I've seen other reviewers mention this as well. However, I have, in the past, always clammed up and reverted to my introvert self. On this most recent trip, I found it so liberating to be open, chatty, flirty, which is more than I'd done on all previous visits. It made the experience so much better. So yes, chatting and flirting with the other guests made the trip so much more enjoyable. (If you are a lifelong introvert like me, please consider leaving the introvert part at home)

The Playmakers were so great, as always. They took the time to get to know us, greet us, include us, dance with us. It made us feel like VIPs. Our favorites were Ilse, Jess, Babi, Jorge and la Piña.

The bartenders, waiters/waitresses, hosts/hostesses, drink servers were all wonderful. Every staff member, even the grounds crew, the cleaning people, the kitchen crew, the bellboys, they're all so friendly and helpful. Our favorite bartender was Aaron at the hot tub: top notch and super friendly.

POOL:
The new Sexy Pool is larger. (The old Sexy Pool is still there and is called the Quiet Pool) The music wasn't too loud, as I've seen some people say. There were fun activities each day. The Playmakers did a great job getting people engaged and interested. The drink service was good: Eduardo, Emir and Africa did a very good job keeping everyone happy. The water level is a little high: I am 5'1 and the water came up to just under my shoulders. (not as high as the pool water level at Temptation, iykyk) The foam party was lots of fun: 2 foam cannons! Lots of people exited the pool to go pee, but seemingly not everyone >:-(

FOOD
The restaurants were nice. Our favorite was Suki for HIbachi. We also tried Sahlo and Kahlo for dinner and Eros for lunch. The buffet was also nice; we had no complaints about the food. The food at Kahlo was OK, but while the plates were huge, the portions were tiny. The only thing I did not like was the reservations process: unless you have a butler (we didn't) you have to stand in line at Eros at noon to sign up. It's right next to the Sexy Pool. But it's such an archaic system; how do they not offer this electronically or even by phone? On one day, I was the 2nd person in line. I asked for Hibachi reservations and the hostess said they had no openings until 9pm, way too late for us. I guess the Premier members took up all the other good spots.

There is late night pizza (and maybe other foods?) at the new Melange near the lobby. There are tables & chairs; it's not a bar set up like the old days. There is no TV either. Watch out for the raccoons and cats that frequent the area for scraps. We saw 6 raccoons and one kitten in that area each time we dined. Occasionally security will come by and shoo them away but they always return.

BEACH
If you're looking for a beach experience, then forget it. The beach is basically non-existent. It's mostly eroded so the water comes up directly below the concrete of the building. There is a tiny patch of sand where you could sit and soak up rays, but gone are the days of long walks back & forth. (Interestingly, there was a vendor who offered us illegal drugs - yikes! That kept us off the "beach" for good)

HOT TUB
The hot tub is larger now, which makes it a little less intimate. The beds are all off to one side. There are plenty of beds, cubbies and towels. The bathroom is unisex and offers a shower. The jets are not strong, but the water was at a good temp. The only lighting is at the bar, so the outer edges of the hot tub are pretty dim. The bench is pretty rough, so it'd be a good idea to bring a towel to sit on (you'll thank me later) But lots of good conversations, flirting and more: a very good vibe. Aaron was the bartender there each night and he is amazing. So friendly and helpful with a great attitude.

DISCO
Lots of fun, good music (some of the songs were predictable, if you've been to Desire before) and a light-up dance floor. The playroom is at one end. We passed by, but didn't engage. The beds are kind of farther apart. But there was some good activity there most nights. The disco is right next to the hot tub area.

ROOM
Our room was fine. We got the very basic Trendy Garden, the lowest-budget choice. It was closer to the restaurants, which was nice. It was also quiet, making it easy to sleep. The room itself isn't very large, but it had plenty of drawers and a closet.

ENTERTAINMENT:
Eh, the nightly entertainment could have been better. There were a couple of nights with live bands; they were great. And each night had choreographed sexy dancing. I know the dancers are very talented but it got old after a couple of nights. I missed the days of acrobatics and Cirque-style performances. (There used to be a Playmaker named Kia who did a great acrobatic routine, for example) At our last visits to Temptation, there were performers with lasers, neon drums, someone on stilts, a electronic violinist, a whole mix of things. However, it was mainly dance routines each night at Desire. But the daytime poolside activities were fun and again, the Playmakers were excellent.

BEING NON-MEMBERS:

Again, we didn't have a butler, so we had to make dinner reservations using their archaic system mentioned above.

We had no issues with what we could eat or drink. We stuck with the basic menus anywhere we went and it was fine.

At Melange, there were a few places where we couldn't sit. But there was plenty of seating otherwise, and we still had a good view.

We were not able to get chairs/beds by the pool until after 10:30am each day. Antonio said even the empty beds were all tentatively reserved for Premier members until 10:30am If a bed wasn't claimed by then, we (non-members) could take them. This was fine with us. We waited until 10:30am each day and were always able to get good spots. We didn't see Danny, but everyone said he was still working there.

A FEW OTHER THINGS:

We arrived on a Wednesday morning. Immigration and customs were a breeze; hardly any line!

It helps to have necklaces with your name on it. It's so easy to forget people's names! The necklaces (or cups) with your name help a lot!

The access road leading to Desire is awful. Lots of huge potholes filled with water, so it's like driving through lakes at many points. I don't know how smaller cars or motorcycles get through because the water looks fairly deep in areas. Apparently the government is stalling on repairing it.

Our October group had a nice chat app set up. (I don't think I can mention it here publicly) It was a great way to chat, ask questions, plan things. Also good to "know" the people the first time you see them. I am not a very social person, but this was really helpful to break the ice. We also scored free name necklaces this way.

The landscapers do an amazing job. I love seeing the flowers, plants and trees of Desire. Take a moment to appreciate the natural beauty.

Wi-Fi at the resort is free and you can use multiple devices. We were given passwords, but we hardly needed them. Our phone signal was very weak in our room (the Trendy Garden rooms near the buffet and old pool)

I got bitten by some kind of bugs that I never saw. I'm guessing mosquitos? but I honestly never saw anything flying around me. We checked the mattress for bed bugs. I did bring repellent, but I didn't want to smell like chemicals so I didn't use it. My husband did not get bit at all. I had about a dozen little bites by the time I left.

We were asked if we were interested in attending a membership meeting at check-in only. We politely declined and we were never asked again (thankfully!) However, the massage folks dressed smartly in black would ask us each day, sometimes several times a day, if we wanted a massage. We also politely declined.

The weather was warm our entire week. We were in hurricane season, but yay no hurricanes. It was sunny our first 2-3 days, then cloudy the rest of the way. It rained 1 or 2 times. but it was quick and light each time and never a downpour; no flooding or even the need for an umbrella.

Overall we had a very enjoyable stay; it was worth every penny. We cannot wait to go again.