Trip Report, April 11-15, 2024 Plus New Disco Grand Opening
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2024 11:03 amWe have traveled to Desire Rivera Maya every year from 2006-2016, but after a hiatus of 8 years we went back this year. So this report is written from the perspective of what has changed from "before" to "now" rather than a newbie to the resort.
For those not aware, Desire purchased the adjacent vacant lot to the north of the resort. They developed this with a restaurant building, a pool, a building with balcony rooms, and a single building that houses the lobby, disco, and hot tub.
Staff
Not much change from before and that's a good thing. Everyone was friendly and willing to help and answer questions. We did notice that there was more push for upselling than in the past. Jewelry, massages, it seems there were teams of staff roaming the resort eager to corral guests into a sales pitch. It's easy for staff to know who is new and who has been there before based on the color of our wristbands
Restaurants
The previous restaurant situation was pretty straightforward and all in the same building. Now there is another restaurant next to the new pool. The buffet dinner and breakfast was also moved, for one time during our stay, to the restaurant next to the old pool. These additional choices as well as our lack of understanding of the reservation system made things more confusing.
We preferred just going to the buffet each night except one. We tried just walking into Suki and seeing if we could just sit in the middle table and got a spot. So the reservations can be worked around depending on the situation.
The old lobby bar has been turned into a daytime coffee bar. All they really did is just remove the alcohol. Everything else appeared to be the same. I found this to be a really great idea. It was a nice place to go to each morning and relax over a couple of Americanos.
Pools
The additional pool now gives guests two options. The new pool is where you will find the entertainers, loud music, and a social atmosphere. The old pool is much more relaxed and not as crowded. We hung out at the old pool but found that water was rather chilly. Also, lunch is only served in the new restaurant next to the new pool. So if you hang out at the old pool, be prepared for a cross-resort walk for lunch.
Night Time Entertainment
The post-dinner entertainment still takes place like it did before but now it is located in the new lobby bar which is a very large area. There was a band there each night and this is now a very nice place for this. There's plenty of room to dance and everyone seemed to be having a good time. We really enjoy the theme nights and were glad that participation was high for each one.
Disco
Our first night at the resort turned out to be the final night of the old disco that was over the original lobby. We have a lot of memories in this place as we started going to Desire when the disco was still in its older configuration with the playroom against the back curved wall. We were also in the disco on the first night after the remodel in 2010. It seemed so "new" back then.
Friday, April 12 was the grand opening of the new disco. This is located in the new building over the lobby. The overall size is maybe slightly larger than the old disco but access is much easier through the large double doors. The bar is along one wall and there are some dance platforms around the perimeter of the dance floor that you can set your drink on.
As has been the case for all of our 12 trips to Desire, music quality is a function of the DJ. On any given night some will like the music while others will not. This has not changed.
Washrooms for the disco are not as convenient as before. To find them you have to walk out of the disco, down a hallway, and around a corner. Not a long walk but be aware as it isn't obvious where they are.
Playroom
Like the disco, the new playroom is about the same size as the previous one. There are plenty of towels and bed space. The beds have vertical poles like a canopy or palapa bed so they seem more separated than before. I don't remember the exact configuration as I was...um....busy.
The door to the playroom is pretty prominent on one wall of the disco. On the first night of the grand opening I mistook this door to be the entrance to the washrooms. As I approached the door a security guy stopped me and said that only couples could enter. This was obviously confusing but I quickly learned that the washrooms were elsewhere.
The fact that only couples could enter makes me wonder how a threesome could take place there.
Hot Tub
The best way to describe the new hot tub is "massive". It's hard to convey how much bigger this new one is compared to the old one. I'm just guessing that it's 3-4 times the size. There's also more bar access space with the ability to belly-up to the bar along all four sides.
The large size comes with a downside. Human nature being what it is, the larger the space the further away couples tend to sit. This contributes to a more spread out feel and it doesn't lend itself to meeting people like before.
The first time we went in the hot tub the water was like a warm bath. But this improved over the next few days to more of what you would expect.
Other/Miscellaneous
The beach has really receded for most of the length of the resort.
Workmen are still working on the new rooms.
Plenty of people were full nude but a there were more clothed/partial-nude than I have seen in the past.
During checkout I was surprised with a tax of 8USD that we had to pay. Not a lot of money, and I had the cash to pay it, but when I book at an all-inclusive resort my expectation is that I'm not going to be charged for unseen items.
There will be plenty to like about the new part of the resort for a lot of people. It's new but in a way it lacks the charm of the older part of the resort. The new part is almost too big. Like they just wanted to fill the space they had regardless of practicality.
Overall, we had a very enjoyable stay and have been talking about going back for our 13th trip.
For those not aware, Desire purchased the adjacent vacant lot to the north of the resort. They developed this with a restaurant building, a pool, a building with balcony rooms, and a single building that houses the lobby, disco, and hot tub.
Staff
Not much change from before and that's a good thing. Everyone was friendly and willing to help and answer questions. We did notice that there was more push for upselling than in the past. Jewelry, massages, it seems there were teams of staff roaming the resort eager to corral guests into a sales pitch. It's easy for staff to know who is new and who has been there before based on the color of our wristbands
Restaurants
The previous restaurant situation was pretty straightforward and all in the same building. Now there is another restaurant next to the new pool. The buffet dinner and breakfast was also moved, for one time during our stay, to the restaurant next to the old pool. These additional choices as well as our lack of understanding of the reservation system made things more confusing.
We preferred just going to the buffet each night except one. We tried just walking into Suki and seeing if we could just sit in the middle table and got a spot. So the reservations can be worked around depending on the situation.
The old lobby bar has been turned into a daytime coffee bar. All they really did is just remove the alcohol. Everything else appeared to be the same. I found this to be a really great idea. It was a nice place to go to each morning and relax over a couple of Americanos.
Pools
The additional pool now gives guests two options. The new pool is where you will find the entertainers, loud music, and a social atmosphere. The old pool is much more relaxed and not as crowded. We hung out at the old pool but found that water was rather chilly. Also, lunch is only served in the new restaurant next to the new pool. So if you hang out at the old pool, be prepared for a cross-resort walk for lunch.
Night Time Entertainment
The post-dinner entertainment still takes place like it did before but now it is located in the new lobby bar which is a very large area. There was a band there each night and this is now a very nice place for this. There's plenty of room to dance and everyone seemed to be having a good time. We really enjoy the theme nights and were glad that participation was high for each one.
Disco
Our first night at the resort turned out to be the final night of the old disco that was over the original lobby. We have a lot of memories in this place as we started going to Desire when the disco was still in its older configuration with the playroom against the back curved wall. We were also in the disco on the first night after the remodel in 2010. It seemed so "new" back then.
Friday, April 12 was the grand opening of the new disco. This is located in the new building over the lobby. The overall size is maybe slightly larger than the old disco but access is much easier through the large double doors. The bar is along one wall and there are some dance platforms around the perimeter of the dance floor that you can set your drink on.
As has been the case for all of our 12 trips to Desire, music quality is a function of the DJ. On any given night some will like the music while others will not. This has not changed.
Washrooms for the disco are not as convenient as before. To find them you have to walk out of the disco, down a hallway, and around a corner. Not a long walk but be aware as it isn't obvious where they are.
Playroom
Like the disco, the new playroom is about the same size as the previous one. There are plenty of towels and bed space. The beds have vertical poles like a canopy or palapa bed so they seem more separated than before. I don't remember the exact configuration as I was...um....busy.
The door to the playroom is pretty prominent on one wall of the disco. On the first night of the grand opening I mistook this door to be the entrance to the washrooms. As I approached the door a security guy stopped me and said that only couples could enter. This was obviously confusing but I quickly learned that the washrooms were elsewhere.
The fact that only couples could enter makes me wonder how a threesome could take place there.
Hot Tub
The best way to describe the new hot tub is "massive". It's hard to convey how much bigger this new one is compared to the old one. I'm just guessing that it's 3-4 times the size. There's also more bar access space with the ability to belly-up to the bar along all four sides.
The large size comes with a downside. Human nature being what it is, the larger the space the further away couples tend to sit. This contributes to a more spread out feel and it doesn't lend itself to meeting people like before.
The first time we went in the hot tub the water was like a warm bath. But this improved over the next few days to more of what you would expect.
Other/Miscellaneous
The beach has really receded for most of the length of the resort.
Workmen are still working on the new rooms.
Plenty of people were full nude but a there were more clothed/partial-nude than I have seen in the past.
During checkout I was surprised with a tax of 8USD that we had to pay. Not a lot of money, and I had the cash to pay it, but when I book at an all-inclusive resort my expectation is that I'm not going to be charged for unseen items.
There will be plenty to like about the new part of the resort for a lot of people. It's new but in a way it lacks the charm of the older part of the resort. The new part is almost too big. Like they just wanted to fill the space they had regardless of practicality.
Overall, we had a very enjoyable stay and have been talking about going back for our 13th trip.