First Impression - January 2013

[LesIsmoore]

Desire Riviera Maya - January 2013

We do plan to go back again, so take any criticisms in that vein. We are tried-and-true Hedonism II repeaters, which concerned me about going to Mexico, having heard about their beans. Get it? Beans … repeaters? Sigh – moving on.

We booked our first visit to Desire RM through our travel agent and got a good price – but still stiffer than Hedo (expect more comparisons of Hedo). We found our own air – what a delight flying non-stop. I was miffed that United Airlines charges $8 for movies; not even free music was offered. Customs and immigration was a breeze, but you do have to run your luggage through a detector in customs to bring it into Mexico (looking for weapons?).

The travel agent setup the hotel shuttle transfer; they were easy to find after we ran the gauntlet of time-share agents standing immediately outside the exit doors. Travel time to the resort is about 20 minutes. But it took about 20-25 min. for the shuttle service to get us a van.

Desire’s spic-and-span lobby is modern and welcoming. After the usual sign-in paperwork, we were given room-temp sweet champagne with no non-alcoholic option offered. The bellman took us to our Garden View room. If the Hedo rooms are 2 or 3 star, then these are 3 or 4 star. Each room has a coffee maker and a daily stocked (no charge) refrigerator filled with beer, soda pop, and bottles of water.

We never reached consensus of whether it is okay to drink the tap water. I brushed my teeth with tap; the wife didn’t. I didn’t get Montezuma’s revenge, but he did wag his finger at me—nothing Pepto-Bismol couldn’t fix. I wasn’t bold enough to ask about the source of the restaurants’ water, yet drank plenty of it as did the wife.

Back to the room. The wife kept the remote control for the air conditioner on her side of the bed (great for hot flashes). My two biggest gripes about the room, no chair(s) and the bathroom lighting was dim (score “1” for Hedo). Heck, the whole room with all the lights on was dim. And with some of the drawers being black inside, that's vaguely annoying. Because of the weak light, the shaving mirror and the morning sun was a blessing.

All rooms are non-smoking. Ours, a second-floor one, smelled musty unless we had the A/C on. Our neighbors were quiet, but the wife said she could hear me come up the outside stairs 4 rooms down. But she can hear me fart from another floor of our house.

Outside the room is a deck with 4 chairs and small table. Free Wi-Fi was spotty from our room but mostly usable. We never turned the TV on. The clock radio has an iPod docking station, but no Aux port for my tablet computer to use its speakers.

Messages from the front desk come in two ways: #1 slipped under the door, or #2 hanging on the outside door handle. The phone has a message button on it but no one used it; they used paper instead.

The shower door allowed water to freely flow into the bathroom – we learned to roll up the bathmat to stop the puddles. Received tons of fresh towels/hand towels, and washcloths daily. We called maintenance twice and they came fast and fixed things...score 1 for Desire compared with Hedo.

I can sleep on almost any bed and this one was no exception … once we removed all the accessory pillows it was actually comfortable. The room’s color scheme is cream/gold/black/brown, but it worked as a contemporary look. Tile floors were slippery in the room, but not in the bathroom. Attractive bedside carpets were a nice touch. (Score 1 for Desire).

Our maid kept the room spotless, yet I still washed out the drinking glasses with rubbing alcohol. I've seen too many scary YouTube videos.

Dining is set up with three restaurants set up side-by-side (sharing a common kitchen): the Japanese, the buffet, and the international. The former and the latter each close one or two nights each week. Immediately outside is the poolside open-air buffet where lunch (and one day, breakfast) is served.

Breakfast was usually served at the indoor buffet. We regret that Desire does not offer common tables such as we see at Hedo and Club Med, so 6-8 strangers could be seated together. In fact, dinner at the buffet, the host tries to seat couples with an empty table buffering in between when possible.

The international and Japanese restaurants are always packed but don’t expect to make friends across tables easily. The two restaurants don’t take reservations, but I found we could get short-term ones (e.g. 15 – 30 minutes ahead of seating).

The buffet’s and pool café food was good, but the other two had great-tasting food. The specialty restaurants offered even fancier meals for a significant upcharge, but why pay extra for the bonus steak when the house cut was so good?! Hint, if you want the bigger cut – order a second one of the house’s. Our favorite dish – the beef carpaccio in the international restaurant; the corn/mushroom soup was incredible too says the wife.

The low points of the dining experience was the smoking allowed at the poolside café and the house wine – the shiraz was the only one we found palatable (for a better wine, bring your own “Two Buck Chuck”). Table service was good with an occasional very good.

May I rant? If you have a bare bottom, please bring something with you to the restaurant to sit on. The seats are upholstered (non-removable cushions) with a fabric with a slight nap. Many a night my wife presented me with a washcloth to carry for her to use as a gasket between her parts and the upholstery. At Hedo, they at least send out the cushions for cleaning semi-regularly. The cushions at Desire didn’t look dirty, but the wife says she can’t imagine how they clean them after all the naked bottoms (from gals in short dresses).

Ambience was very good, i.e. the background music in all the eateries allowed us to talk without lip reading or repeatedly saying “What?” The morning music couldn’t have been better, while some traditional Mexican music would have been appreciated at the other meals or pool (just to remind us we were another county). The music varied during the day from 70s or 80s hits to jazz to new age. Sitting near the pool speakers was too loud especially when the techno music was frequently playing.

Daytime entertainment was livelier than we expected. The ECs (entertainment coordinators) kept things lively around the pool from 10 to 4-ish. As mentioned the music got cranked up (but still not as loud as Hedo), making conversation difficult, so after a couple of days we retreated to the beach.

The theme nights I felt fell flat. Only a minority dressed for the theme, less than Hedo (which has been declining participation too).

After dinner there is outdoor entertainment at the main gathering area next to the lobby. It ran from hokey to captivating – depends on the night. We like to dance, and two nights had live bands that we could dance to; got in a Rumba or two plus some Cha-Chas, but our favorite is the Swing. <wink>

After the nightly entertainment people filter out, some to the hot tub, others (us) to our rooms, and many upstairs over the lobby to the disco and sin room (there is a love swing in there).

Speaking of the hot tub (technically it is a spa, but let’s not nitpick) traditionally, after 4 o’clock many guests retreat to the hot tub for adult merriment. There will always be some sort of PDPs (public display of porn). The bar has a swim up side to it. The hot tub is posted for No Smoking, which the smokers laugh at – expect to see in the water one or two butts more than people.

If you are a germ-phobe –this is not the place for you. Virtually no one uses the shower before getting in the hot tub. My wife assures us that sperm sinks, so we know at least one product that is NOT in the smega scum floating at the surface. By 6 the PDPs become more prevalent as others leave to cleanup for the evening.

Nudity: allowed throughout the resort in open areas: bars, beach, pool, walkways, etc. A sign at the pool café tells guests topless is allowed. Slut wear is allowed in all the restaurants, while men wear resort casual (e.g. button shirt, slacks, loafers – no t-shirts, sandals, shorts). At the disco, the women get sluttier and most men loosen more buttons.

Expect no PDPs except at the hot tub or disco – the beach is patrolled, in part, for this prevention. Of course, late at night, public places aren’t patrolled, so rules are made to be broken. Poolside, nudity was clearly the majority, but nobody was teased for their use of linens. Rare were cover-ups at the hot tub. One way too gorgeous couple - I mean “bite your knuckle good looking,” always came to the hot tub in their swim suits. Toward the end of the week when she dropped her top, I was too busy looking at her to report his attire (or lack thereof).

If you are new, expect to be given a sales pitch for timeshare with RIU (we didn't attend the meeting) – it’s not for us, so I can’t tell you much about it except that some rather intelligent people have bought into it.

At poolside is an excursion desk where you can sign up for trips and scuba. We went to the ruins at Tulum and Chichen Itza on guided tours. This is the stuff we travel for and therefore ate it up. Desire had a "Desire only" group leaving on Wednesday ($99/head) for Tulum (11am-5:30pm) and Friday ($115/head) for Chichen Itsa (9am-6pm). The group was 6 for Tulum and 8 for Chichen Itsa— us and Europeans.

Tour prices were a bit more than we expected, but we’d pay it again for the experience (I suspect a markup by the travel desk). We use our Capital One MasterCard to avoid international money exchange fees. While on the subject of money, the exchange rate while we were visiting was $1,200 pesos to the dollar at the hotel, but the travel desk charged $1,300 pesos to the dollar, a 2% to 3% markup, and the result on our Mastercard was slightly higher than the quoted US dollar prices above. We also tipped the guide $10 for each trip and the bus driver $4. The Europeans/Russians with us from Desire were not tippers, but that's a cultural difference.

I suggest if you see both, start with Tulum, then Chichen Itza. We had low expectations for Tulum that were dashed upon our arrival. Tulum is smaller, but at a lovelier setting. Both places our driver told the guide to give us 45 minutes to an hour for shopping, of which our group overruled so we could enjoy the guide and the ruins longer. Both our guides were knowledgeable and friendly. Climbing the ruins was halted years ago; everything is roped off so you can take beautiful pictures without a gazillion tourists all over the monumental buildings.

Weather: We visited in January, my advice to you for summer tours (above) – don’t go! It’ll be triple Fahrenheit digits with little shade! If you ignore my warning and do go to the ruins anyway, consider an umbrella. At the resort the January temperature was mid-80’s F. with overcast and a threat of rain that never happened. Few played in the surf for long - just enough time to pee or wash off sea gull shit.

I scuba dive. While at Desire RM I had one of my best and one of my worst dives. I had the option of using a (cheaper) dive shop located up the beach but was lured to the convenience of the service being right at my doorstep. Rueben is in charge of the scuba operation and was helpful. Weather initially prevented dives, but he suggested cenote (cavern) diving.

They supply all the scuba gear you need. It is good gear too. Regardless, I brought my own wet suit (3 mil) and mask. Cenote water temp was around 78⁰ F. and the ocean a tad warmer.

Now, I’d heard about men not being allowed into the specialty restaurants at Desire because they wore sandals (depends on the host in charge), so when Rueben was gearing me up, he asked to see my sandals. “Boy,” I thought, “this is a boutique dive shop if they are concerned what I wear.” Nope, he just wanted to see my shoe size for the fins.

The cenotes we went to, Chac Mool and Kukulkan, were less than an hour south of Desire RM – outside of Tulum. Again, the price was high, but I was having the scuba diving jones. I had two 45-minute dives in one of the most impressive scenes I’ve been in. Moving from the fresh water on top through the halocline (brackish water) toward the sea water at the bottom (at 30 feet deep) was surreal with the water distortion. Note: they want you to have at least 30 dives under your belt—buoyancy control is critical.

The weather got better by my last day so I tried ocean scuba. I shouldn’t have gone; they shouldn’t have offered. We attempted a dive, long-story-short: 3 -4 ft. waves, 10 ft. vis., major surge - I got back early with a refund and a strained back.

Before the dive we motored down to Desire Pearl to pick up the dive master’s gear, which gave me time to walk the grounds. Pretty much the same, it seemed quieter (I’ve been told “boring” by guests who came to our Desire RM to escape it); the hot tub impressed me and the pool was different (in a nice way). If it were the same price as Desire RM, then my wife and I might go there (but it isn’t). BTW, the two resorts allow guests to have free day passes between each. Walking to Desire Pearl on the beach would take way more than an hour, but the taxi ride is short.

My impression of the guests during our January stay: just over half are American. The couples had an average age (I hazard a guess) of 40. English was spoken by virtually everyone, some to a lesser degree, often asking the other half to translate. We met guests from Germany, Lithuania, Mexico, Columbia, Russia, UK, France, Canada, etcetera. The crowd was a little quiet for our taste—lots of newbies, with a healthy dose of regulars and the hotel was maybe just over half full.


I found the guests were not as approachable as at Hedo (or Club Med). Know that the wife and I are older than the average (50’s) and are considered, at worst, normal-looking (generally fit and no warts) and we like meeting new people, BUT we had difficulty making friends—not f**k buddies, just friends. It was as if most were just looking for a f**k; sure, couples would talk to us politely, but one or the other’s eyes were drifting as if to see who they could hook up with.

Twice my wife and I got looks from hard-bodied babes that conveyed “Why are you wasting my time? I won’t f**k you.” We have written off our discontent to us being newbies and not quite with the flow. But we did find our groove by the end of the week—esp. with folks our age and older (some were Lifestylers, many not). We left knowing only one couple we’ll keep in touch with. Most couples there had heard of Hedo but many had not been yet, nor planned to. Many were Desire repeaters.

Next visit we’ll add our own group of friends to our packing list. We will return, but first a trip to Desire Los Cabos....but only with friends.

[miranda]

Great report! Nice to read some of the comparisons to Hedo.

[CokeMann]

Thanks for the detailed report however I do have to question your math - lol

While on the subject of money, the exchange rate while we were visiting was $1,200 pesos to the dollar at the hotel, but the travel desk charged $1,300 pesos to the dollar, a 2% to 3% markup, and the result on our Mastercard was slightly higher than the quoted US dollar prices above.

The posted resort exchange rate is $1.00 USD = 12 Mexican Peso (not 1,200 peso as you indicated ) so if the tour desk was giving you an exchange rate of $1 USD = 13 peso you actually got a better deal thru the tour desk

[Johnny60]

Nice report.. thanks for the detail.. had a feel of Garrison Keillor about it.. incisive, pithy and humorous..

[Cdncpl88]

thanks for a great detailed report. Considering we'll be there in 2 days for our first time and have previously visited H2 a couple of times, we're very excited to see the differences between the two. We're now counting down hours instead of days!!

[slater]

Beachlovers10, we're headed down in 3 days for our 4th trip, and each trip has gotten better than the previous one. You'll have a great time!!!

[LesIsmoore]

CokeMann
re: pesos
You're right:

The posted resort exchange rate is $1.00 USD = 12 Mexican Peso (not 1,200 peso as you indicated ) so if the tour desk was giving you an exchange rate of $1 USD = 13 peso you actually got a better deal thru the tour desk

I screwed up my numbers. Bottom line - expect to pay a tad more than what the excursion desk quotes in dollars.
It seems I'll never get the conversions right, last time I was in Mexico I tipped the cab driver $40 instead of the intended $4.

[CokeMann]

last time I was in Mexico I tipped the cab driver $40 instead of the intended $4.

LOL - it happens - glad to hear that Desire was more or less a pleasant positive surprise for you compared to Hedo.

We did Jamaica for about 5 years before moving on in 1999, loved the people and atmosphere but we found the overall value just kept decreasing year after year and decided to move on to Mexico. Yes, it's different and takes a little bit of time to get comfortable with a new and different culture and environment but for us the change has been a really positive experience.

[eglp]

exchange rate seemed to vary within the Logo shop from 12 peso = 1 USD to 12.40 peso = $1 USD. Everythign I bought in the Logo shop, I checked the Peso = USD afterwards for a rough comparison for later on.

[Whoneedssunscreencpl]

LOVE the abbreviation for "PDP's." Never heard that one before!

Sorry you felt the crowd wasn't friendly. We've found nudists and lifestylers to be among the nicest folks in the world but yeah, just like in real life, there are a few douche-bags. Through Desire, we've made friends (not necessarily playmates) we know we'll keep forever but there have been other trips we've just kept to ourselves. Hope you'll give it another try!