TRIP REPORT....July 1st - 8th

[DandAEastTexas]

Just back from a great week in Desire. Sure, the weather could have been better (a little/lot more rain than expected) but other than that...everything was fine.

We went as part of the annual PLAYERS CLUB take-over and while this year was far from a complete take-over (I think we had less than half the resort) those of us who showed up did so with a positive and playful attitude. Also - the rest of the non-PLAYERS guests were nothing less than G R E A T ! ! !

New disco improvements are GREAT (a word I will try not to overuse). The non-smoking policy (smokers are rightfully banished to an outdoor deck) PLUS additional floor space (creating multiple places where one can actually "talk" with as opposed to talk "to" another person made spending time enjoyable (and I HATE the disco).

The new playroom (a part of the disco) is a wonderful improvement over the playroom of prior years. Is it perfect? No! Lights need to be dimmer (too bright and no in-room control) and the door needs to have an automatic self-closer (because too many people enter and leave without closing the damn door). Other than that...if you like playrooms (and we DO)...you'll LIKE this one.

The beach sucks! It's not DESIRES' fault. Mother nature has beat the crap out of their little piece of beach and despite lots of workers spending lots of pre-breakfast hours working on the beach (cleaning sea weed and re-surfacing the beach itself)...it still sucks! Beach lovers will NOT love this beach.

As a result of a sucky beach the pool is (and has always been) the social focus point. Those of you who have read postings on this site for the past year are well aware of the POOL CHAISE LOUNGE "situation" (reserved vs. first come/first served). I was one of the loudest voices AGAINST the current system in which PREMIER guests get the best of everything (including chairs) and the rest of us semi-normal folks get the left-overs.

I must now admit that I've made a mountain out of a mole hill (which does not - in any way, shape or form change the fact that the mole hill is wrong to begin with). I always had chairs. Sure - I get up at 7 but even those who didn't stumble out to the pool until 8 always had seats. The only real answer is to have more chaise lounges than guests...but size matters and that's not going to happen. The early bird gets the worm...or in this case the chair.

Speaking of "worms",....no bad bug situation last week. Sure, a few ants in the room but nothing more. The resort never sprayed or fogged the place...I saw no need to do so....but doubt that it would have hurt.

STAFF: Always warm and wonderful. Front desk, servers, maids, general workers, and everyone in between all have a great attitude. TOPS are the couple of girls now working in the entertainment department. These kids (young 20's) a full of energy and vitality and fun (and while they most certainly can be a pain in the ass) they are without a doubt wonderful at what they do....they actually enjoy their work....something I wish most of us were able to say. Please don't forget about them when you make your tip list....they work as hard....and maybe even harder than anyone else.

Night time entertainment......fine and dandy. Decent music decent hosting and while far from top-notch is more than plesant. Goes well with drinks and conversation. The one exception is the entertainment for their EYES WIDE SHUT Night. The resort brings in an excellent talented group of sensual circus performers who put on one hell of a show. And then comes the actual EYES WIDE SHUT activity. This should be a private event open to everyone who wants to take part in it.....but not a stupid audience viewing event. It takes what could be (not my cup of tea but I do see the possibilities) a HOT/SENSUAL activity and turns it into a yawn fest.

Rooftop hot tub.......it is what you make of it. Not sure what else I can add.

Last comment - food! I don't believe that I am alone in having the taste buds of an average blue collar American working man. It would be nice if my dinner choice contained food I actually enjoyed (AMERICAN) rather than looking for things that I would hate the least. YES - I fully understand and respect that I am NOT in America. I don't think there's any other answer than compromise....and not sure what the compromise is.

Now I know that most trip reports go into specifics about the fun and games and lifestyles type activities engaged in and enjoyed while there. I've omitted it. Hell, these ALL depend on the people and the chemistry and change from week to week. Surfice it to say that everyone who wanted to have FUN had plenty of FUN and those who were just there to have fun and plenty of fun.

My best advice for first-timers is (a) take less clothes than you've planned to take and (b) take a few extra hangers....and maybe a flashlight.

And that's about it for now. All in all it was a G R E A T W E E K !!!

[ottawa_cuple]

Thanks for the GREAT trip report, D & A

[mfay]

We were at Desire in july 06 with the Players- fun group . And it sounds like you had a great trip.
Thanks for sharing !