A Little Subtlety Goes a Long Way...

[Whoneedssunscreencpl]

We spent May 18-23 at Desire. It was our second trip to Desire in Cancun and our third Desire experience overall, having been to Desire Cabo once as well. Our previous trip to Desire Cancun was just this past September ’09. It’s strange to find ourselves writing anything other than a perfectly glowing report of our trip because we really do love the place. However, we have to admit we’re glad that this particular visit wasn’t our first. If it had been, we may have decided not to give it a second try and would have missed out on a truly special place.

To start with the good stuff, the retiled jacuzzi is wonderful. No more scraped-up thighs from broken and uneven tiles. Water temperature seemed well-controlled, too, not too hot in the afternoon and not too cold at night.

The remodeled disco is also fantastic. Very modern decor with ample seating at the bar and beds around the perimeter of the room. The new dance floor is still a little bit small to really dance much unless you are the only couple up there but it’s definitely nicer than it was before. The DJ also still seemed to have a pretty limited playlist, repeated night after night, consisting mostly of top 40 songs from about 2 or 3 years ago. If you’re there for more than two nights, the repetition gets a little old. That said, we still had a nice time there.

We never used the old playroom but did peek at it last time and the new one is much nicer. All the beds were pretty consistently occupied while the disco was open as far as we could tell. We did not witness anyone using the swing and were not adventurous enough to try it ourselves!

The food is good, especially for an all-inclusive. Can’t say I’d make a special trip to a restaurant at home for it if that’s what they served but it was definitely quite edible. Our favorite was the white restaurant (still can’t remember what they call the place) with Suki being second. The buffet always has something decent as well. We are wine drinkers and we have to say that they still have a couple of pretty lousy house wines as the only options without paying extra. Of course we drank them anyways. (We had already blown the budget just paying the nightly rate and the airfare so we weren’t about to pay extra for drinks). Seems like if they can serve liquor drinkers some of the top shelf stuff, they could find better house wines, or at least provide a couple of additional choices.

Service was excellent, especially from the waiters and bartenders. They go out of their way to help you. We especially appreciated that they didn’t make fun of our terrible attempts to speak Spanish (at least not to our faces). There was a brief attempt at check-in to sell us on the premier membership thing but after saying no a few times they left us alone the rest of the trip.

The grounds are beautiful and spotless and the lobby bar is especially pretty at night.

Now for the slightly more negative stuff. We did get a bit peeved about the pool chair situation. Supposedly everyone who wants a chair for the day can show up at 7:30 a.m. to start reserving them. Note: The hotel brochure you are given at check-in lists an incorrect later time, which led us to miss out on chairs our first morning there. The following days, even though we got there right at 7:30, we were told on at least a couple of mornings, all the pool chairs were “already taken.â€

[miranda]

What a great trip report! Thank you for sharing your experiences.

The pool chair issue sounds ridiculous and I hope it's only in effect when there are larger groups there. Saving chairs for your "friends" is not cool, from where I sit.

You two sound a lot like us and what we are looking for in our vacation - spending time with each other as a couple is what it's all about for us - and we have certainly been able to find it in three trips - Desire Cabo (x2) and Desire Cancun (x1). Hopefully our next trip to Desire Cancun will be as special as our first time. Time will tell.

Thanks again!

[mfay]

Whoneedssunscreencpl
On our recent Ynot/Hot Tamale group trip earlier in May, the only real complaints I got about the whole week were about the pool chair situation- and I got it several times. We did make a suggestion or two to Valentina for changes which they seemed open too. I'll make sure she sees your comments here and urge them to revisit the situation again soon.
As for your fellow guests, as we have often posted here in response to others questions about whether or not to go with a group, each group is different. Most Desire groups- like ours- are very open, accepting, non-judgemental, and friendly. But there are some groups that have different agendas- which is just fine as long as you know that before you go and share the resort with them. So your report illustrates a good lesson for everyone to watch the events/groups calenders and find out what groups will be at the resort at a certain time before you book. A little investigation and some e-mails can usually help you find out if you will be compatable with a certain group before you book.
Going to Desire with the right group- in our opinion- makes a great resort many times better. But as you found, the opposite is also true.

[DandAEastTexas]

Great report. Will be there with the PLAYERS for 4th of July. As you (and others) mentioned....it's damn near vital to do some homework, find out if it's a group week, and then do a little more homework to see if the group is "the group for you".

We have seen wonderful people have rotten times....simply because they picked the wrong week (based on groups in attendance).

Quite honestly - and this is just MY opinion - there are better and nicer and cheeper and MUCH MORE romantic places to go to than DESIRE. We go to DESIRE to play well with others and a dozen other places (Mexico and "the islands") for quiet and romantic. Hey - you've been here 3 times...I'm not telling you anything new. DB

[Houston_Hammah]

I agree about the pool chairs (not been to Desire yet but see it at all resorts). If you're not going to stay at the pool, or plan to get there after noon, don't put a towel on a chair at 7am. That's just rude, and the resort should clear any towels on chairs that are unoccupied for more than an hour or so.

[Powderfinger]

In contrast to our trip in September, this time we saw loud drunken partying and oral sex and group sex just about everywhere--from the expected playroom and jacuzzi beds to standing up at the jacuzzi bar, to right in the middle of the disco, in the jacuzzi tub, on the side of the swimming pool, etc.

Well, looks like you got it all at once, but we can tell you, on our four trips we've never been there when a group was, and yet have witnessed all of the above .....

[2batdesire]

we have seen all of the above on quite a few occasions, during our August/September visit we make yearly. Not EVERY year have we seen what you have listed, but on more than one year we can check off every action you list. We can add another, actual sex IN the pool.................. yuck!

[mfay]

Whoneedssunscreencpl
On our recent Ynot/Hot Tamale group trip earlier in May, the only real complaints I got about the whole week were about the pool chair situation- and I got it several times. We did make a suggestion or two to Valentina for changes which they seemed open too. I'll make sure she sees your comments here and urge them to revisit the situation again soon.

Just to follow up- we did hear back from Valentina . She says they are testing some other systems for reserving the pool chairs that might be more agreeable to everyone. We'll let you know when we hear more.....

[tikihutguy]

Yes we too have seen all of the above. However, even with some of the wilder groups you can pretty much figure out their schedule and avoid or attend the wildness as you wish

[freescuba]

Yes there are many people that do things at Desire I wouldn't do. There are those that do so little I wonder why they are there. There are those I want to hang with and those I don't. Those I avoid and those that I'm still friends with years later. But I don't think everyone has to act like me or behave in a manor I consider appropriate. As long as your not hurting someone else.

All that said I think one should realize that the #1 reason to go to Desire is to mingle with people. I don't mean to imply anything other then Desire is not the place you go to be alone. The rooms are not that nice to hide in them all day as a couple and the entire resort is setup to encourage you to socialize. Meet new friends. Talk about whatever. Dance with them at the disco. etc etc

It's not the place for two people to have a romantic time on their own. Romance yes. Alone no. I hope no one is suggesting it is such a place as those expecting it will be disappointed. (seriously it has a large clothing optional hot tub does this sound like an "alone" type of place? LOL)

So when the reviewer notes "it would have been much more difficult this time for the couple who did just want to have a romantic, erotic time alone together" I have to pause and wonder if such a couples expectation might have been better met by a different resort such as the Couples chain in Jamaica or maybe the Secrets chain.

[pyramid]

So when the reviewer notes "it would have been much more difficult this time for the couple who did just want to have a romantic, erotic time alone together" I have to pause and wonder if such a couples expectation might have been better met by a different resort such as the Couples chain in Jamaica or maybe the Secrets chain......

Gotta let you know that this comment is somewhat self-centered from your perspective. It is indeed possible to have a romantic, erotic time alone together .... we have many times experienced this at Desire! And as a side note -- we have noticed that often those in 'the lifestyle' ASSUME that everyone at Desire is also in the lifestyle. This is not the case! Those in it & those not in it, can all have a wonderful time at Desire!!!

And we can emphathsize with whoneedssunblock .... at times some folks don't care that the displays described by whoneedssunscreen (which are accepted / expected in the playroom and on the rooftop but NOT acceptable at the main pool, on the beach beds, & at the lobby bar) infringe on the overall sensual, sexy, playful atmosphere. We once witnessed someone doing oral inside the buffet! Sooooo appetizing!!!! Management discretely stepped in and put a stop to it. This couple was on a mission to do it ALL, everywhere! But quite frankly, it really wasn't amusing or sexy. Should guests be expected to leave the area where this inappropriate behaviour is occuring

[multiples]

Was this the Y Nots Group ??

[CokeMann]

Was this the Y Nots Group ??

Just a FYI - the YNOTs where at Desire May 8>15 and departed before Whoneedssunscreencpl arrived at the resort

[Whoneedssunscreencpl]

No, not the Ynots group. Speaking of which, we actually briefly met Mike and Barbara (mfay) on our previous trip to Desire Cancun in September '09. Not sure the name of the group they were with that time, but we found those folks to be very nice and fun to chat with and respectful of those who were different from them. That was the case with the vast majority of people we met at Desire before. And again, if you read our report again, you'll recall that we did meet many very nice and fun people whom we had a nice time with on this trip, too. To be frank, there were just some selfish and rather judgmental folks (doesn't that sound strange when it's usually those same people who are judged out in the "real world"?) who sullied the atmosphere this time.

And yes, you can indeed go to Desire to have a romantic and erotic time alone together. As pyramid said so aptly, it is indeed an overall sensual, sexy, playful atmosphere. Believe it or not, many non-lifestyle couples enjoy that, too! Our two prior Desire experiences were perfect in that regard. We are not hermits who just want to be left alone in our room. We love to mingle and talk and make new friends. We just don't happen to want to have sex with those friends. We're fine if you want to play with other couples and we don't judge you for it. Please afford us the same courtesy if we happen to choose a naked and sexy but monogamous "lifestyle."

Since some of you seem to be suggesting it, we'd certainly love suggestions for other vacation destinations, too. If you think we shouldn't bother going back to Desire and would have a better time elsewhere, let us know. Unfortunately, the ones suggested so far don't seem to fit our vacation requirements. We have a limited budget and even less time off work (can never leave town for more than five nights in a row), so we have to have some pretty strict criteria:

1) Nude or clothing-optional (Ask the Hub. Just has to be.)
2) Couples-only preferred (have run into one too many drunken creeps where nude resorts allow single men and we aren't true naturists in that we don't want your children involved in our naked world)
3) Bar and/or restaurant on site
4) (Here's the biggie) Because of the five-night limit, the place must be accessible by NONSTOP flight from Denver

So far, Desire is the only place we've found that meets all the above needs, but we'd love to hear more.

Whoneedssunscreencpl

[mfay]

Whoneedssunscreencpl-
Thanks for the compliment !
And by the way, when we started going to Desire we were very much like you. Over time we have have come to add to our activities we enjoy at Desire, but we'll never forget our own first Desire experience when we happened to book during a Lifestyles Tours & Travel takeover. Like you, we had some experiences that first trip that didn't sit well. But still we recognized that Desire "magic" and decided to give it another try. 17 trips later we can't imagine going anywhere else.
When Wayne (coke.mann) and I started the Ynot's it was with one central idea: to provide a group where all kinds of folks of all ages could come together to have a great time at Desire without having to worry about pressure, expectations, or judgements- and still feel like they were among friends. That concept has worked very well. We certainly have folks all along the lifestyles scale, and we also have folks who aren't in the lifestyle at all. Everyone is respectful of everyone else- and it is rare that everyone isn't totally delighted with the people they meet and the experience.
That is of course what Desire "should" be. So we hope you won't let this trip keep you away. If it fits in your plans, we invite you to join the Ynot's sept. 4-11, 2010- or May 7-15, 2011.