Rain
We have attended in the summer before and never had more than some passing rain. This time though, we had 1 ½ days of pouring rain and lots of rain showers. We also had a loss of power, which really sucked. We had just arrived back to our room after the Jacuzzi to shower and had no lights. A little difficult to get clothes on for dinner or comb your hair with no lights. We got some candles in the lobby to at least have light to find some clothes and just as we went to leave our room, the power came back on. I believe it was out for a few hours though because at one point in the Jacuzzi, the bubbles stopped and looking back, we figured that happened when the power went out. The EC’s worked hard to set up different entertainment for the rainy days, but for the day it rained all day, it did kind of suck. We had just arrived, so we didn’t know a lot of people and there just isn’t much to do in the rain but drink or sit and talk….which we did. It rained so hard in the Jacuzzi one afternoon I couldn’t even keep my eyes open. But no one left due to the rain…we powered through.
Pool Chairs
We had no pool chair problems. We usually were out at the pool by 9:30 latest. I don’t think there ever was a time we couldn’t get a chair at all. The biggest problem was shade if you wanted it. By the end of the week, I just couldn’t sit in the sun any more. The humidity is very high this time of year, and after a week of it, I just needed to be out of the sun. The passing rain showers were often a relief for this reason. Just remember not to leave anything valuable, like your cell phone out as you never know when rain might come! If you show up to the pool late morning, you may not get a chair, or you may not get the location you want, but there is a chance you will still get a chair. Again, one of the reasons we love Desire, they invest in the property and listen to the guests. They definitely added chair space.
There are new beds set up behind the lobby bar. I never saw any of them being used any time of day or night.
We did not sit on the beach at all, but it got crowded on hot days.
Jacuzzi
I forgot to put this on my comment card – turn down the heat!!! It was very warm which isn’t great on a hot day. Maybe they want to be sure to kill all the cooties.
Food
The food this trip was “ok” - but we recall it being better. We ate the buffet most nights for the ease and ability to pick and choose what you wanted based on how hungry you were or what you wanted to eat. Suki was great, but we didn’t care for Il Piciere. We had good soup there, but none of the 4 of us dining liked our entrée. Others we spoke to all loved that restaurant. The best option for lunch or dinner is to have the chef prepare something for you at the grill as the food is freshest there.
Service
Service is amazing at Desire. There are so many employees who have been there on previous trips that we remembered, and who are so friendly and nice. The service is so genuine as well. We told the management about our positive interactions, and they really are part of what makes Desire so amazing. Every night at the disco bar, our drinks were made before we ordered them as the staff remembered what we drank and just made them when they saw us.
Atmosphere
We noticed more people clothed at the pool this trip. It seemed that that changed later in the week, so I think it depends on the group that is there. We also felt that the vibe was more relaxed at the beginning of the week than it was at the end…again, due to the changing crowd. The pool and Jacuzzi in general became more boisterous and overall it felt like more of a “party atmosphere” at that time. It stood out to us as in years past, there has definitely been more of a party atmosphere during the whole week of our trips.
We met so many nice people of course. Really it is true that everyone there is so welcoming and friendly.
Themes
Lots of people participated in the theme nights, but mostly just the women. We love the new entertainment they are doing at night now, but there were a few nights where it sucked (sorry, my opinion). The fire dancers are cool, some other dance group that is amazing and the booty shaking contest and lingerie show were fun. I think the rain impacted the evening activities before the disco opened on at least 2 nights.
Disco/Playroom
The new disco! Very nice to see. The new bar is great. Only complaint was the raised dance floor got so crowded, it was hard to dance! Music was ok….The new playroom is nice but there are a few round beds and if they are full then you are out of luck. There are about 6-8? We tried the sex swing one night because we just had to check it out. Didn’t work so well for us but glad we did it.
Overall we had another great trip and will be back for sure again!
