Trip Report March 1-11, 2014 RM & Pearl

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Trip Report March 1-11, 2014 RM & Pearl

Postby OzeFun » Sun Apr 27, 2014 2:54 am

Forgive my tardiness, I just realised I'd forgotten to post our trip report.

You can see it here http://www.swinglifestyles.net/desire-t ... ort-march/
Or read on without pictures......

We were blessed once again to have 10 nights combined at both Desire resorts, but we have to make it worth our while travelling from Australia. Everyone asks us how long the flight is for us, so it is about 14 hours from Melbourne to LA. The flight is not the problem for us – having our body clock doing a complete 180 degree change makes us a bit weary for a day or 2.

This trip we were meeting up with a group of friends so we really looked forward to this time.

Desire RM

Before we start, let us state that we are absolute Desire advocates, however we have noticed a few little things going down hill at RM. Let it be known that we are really easy going, we are not precious at all, but some things we feel could be improved. Not a whole lot has changed at RM since we were last there in July, but the small things that did change made a big impact.

Probably the most annoying part of the trip was the lack of notice for changing theme nights. We arrived on the Saturday, and on Sunday they notified us that the themes for the following week were changing permanently. So basically, most of the costumes that we bought for the trip became null and void. They still allowed the old themed costumes to be worn, but it was a mish-mash of old and new. Some people chose to purchase new costumes from the gift shop but most either wore the old themes costume they had brought, or just didn’t bother to dress up at all. Annoying, because you all know how much these outfits can cost and the time it takes to find them; you want to rock them out!

I made a post regarding these theme night changes on this website, but when a reader of our site contacted Desire to confirm the changes, they said that their official Desire website was current with correct theme night information, which it was not. So for most of that week I just wore a sexy dress and did not participate in the theme nights.

There has been almost a complete turn over of entertainment staff since we were last there. The only person still there was the lovely Vanessa. It was really strange to not know at least half of the entertainers, and from what we saw they did not make much of an effort to meet the guests as we have seen from entertainment staff on previous trips to RM and Cabo.

We are quite active people and we enjoy participating in most of the activities during the day, but this trip particularly the first 2 days when Vanessa was off, no one announced any of the activities. Half of the activities on the board were not done, and when we asked why, they sad that nobody wanted to play. Strange because they never asked anyone to play.

A few days in they started to overlap the activities, which meant we had to choose which ones we did and at one stage had a corn hole competition on, at the same time as water basketball, which then overlapped with beach volleyball. I am no rocket scientist but if you have all these things on at the same time, then you are going to get less people participating in each right.

Activities schedule was not followed most of the time and we did not see a lot of interaction with guests except from Vanessa and Emy. Our trip would not have been the same without Vanessa. She really carries the whole team and is a lateral thinker. eg. I had a decent amount of sunburn and was trying to stay out of the sun. I asked one of the entertainment staff if corn hole could be played where it usually was, behind the DJ booth in the shade and was told “no we play it on the beach”. I asked Vanessa and straight away she moved the boards off the beach and into the shade. We were then able to recruit a decent amount of players for a good tournament.

We always love it how on every trip we learn about or discover something new, and this trip was no exception. During the afternoon Jacuzzi festivities, it was decided to give one of the ladies in our group a “10 hand massage”, and of course our fearless leader (thanks E) introduced us to the best massage product of all time… Nuru Massage Gel.

The foam party night has moved from up at the Jacuzzi area to behind the Gym on the tennis court. So now you will all know where the gym is so there is no excuse for not using it next trip! This was a great fun night and the foam adds an interesting component to a disco.

New restaurant Sahlo was very nicely renovated and the meals on par with the old restaurant that it replaced. But otherwise the food was still the same as last time. Still great food, but just still the same.

The Jacuzzi bar was closed for minor renovations for 3 of the nights, so we had to take turns to get out and go & get drinks for our group. Minor inconvenience.

Just before we get to our review of Pearl, one night in the Jacuzzi, we overheard a young lady talking to another couple saying how Pearl was not as good as RM, and how RM was so much better. Then after being asked how many times she had been to each resort, she stated that this trip was her first time to Mexico. So how can she judge Pearl and compare it to RM?? Interesting! Anyway, we then moved over to Pearl for 4 nights…

Pearl

So after 6 nights at RM we headed over to get some R & R at Pearl – well as much R & R as you can get at a Lifestyle resort! This was our first time staying at Pearl, having only done day trips from RM in the past (which now actually costs $150 per person for a day trip to visit the other resort. So if you plan to check out either of the other resorts to find out more about it and have a look, be prepared to reach into your wallet first).

We were quite impressed with our first stay at Pearl. Our group of friends and us were all accommodated in the same block of rooms with a great view overlooking the quiet end of the pool and the beach. Here is a shot taken from our balcony.

The food here was outstanding! There were 2 main restaurants to choose from, and the menus changed each night. At RM you have the same food to choose from each night, but Pearl had something new each time, which was almost annoying as the food was so delicious that I wanted to have the same thing again, but I couldn’t as the menu had changed! Lunch at RM was always the same each day, but Pearl again had so much variety, and so many options for everyone. So for us, the food at Pearl wins hands down!

The entertainment staff were exceptional and went out of their way to get to know us. Jessica and Julianne introduced themselves on the first night and remembered all of our names for the 4 days we were there.

The pool was great; ample lounge chairs / beds and plenty of shade if you wanted it, which we find somewhat lacking at RM.

The foam party here at Pearl was on the Saturday during the daytime and held in the pool. Again, the foam party concept is fantastic and the pool does add a different spin on it!

Occasionally it pays to participate in theme nights. One theme night was Devils & Angels, and for getting up and dancing in my angel costume, I won a prize of a free night’s stay. So that means we will have to return within the next 12 months to use it! I am making a habit of winning free nights as I also won a 2 night stay at Cabo a few years ago for being the human sundae in one of the entertainment games!

One of the most eye opening things we saw at Pearl was a threesome. Yes we have seen and had many of these before and don’t bat an eyelid, but this was a threesome that the resort had allowed to travel and stay together. I always thought this was a strictly couples only resort and perhaps if they were a little more discrete we would not have even known they were there. Except that they were in no way discrete, they were in everyone’s face and were loud and obnoxious and demanding the spotlight at every turn. It bothered a lot of people, not just us. In saying that, Desire is allowing threesomes (women being the extra) for the month of August. We have no issues with this although we probably would not bring an extra, but at Pearl during a normal month we weren’t fans of this.

Daily activities were great and the fact that there is a quiet end of the pool is great if you want to relax in peace. The beach beds are fantastic as they are mostly in the shade but you are not too far away from the action when you want to see what is going on at the bigger end of the pool.

There was a yoga class each morning on the beach which was a fabulous way to start the day. Lisa the instructor was amazing and really cared for her participants. She clearly loves what she does and it is demonstrated in the quality of class she runs, so make sure you do the class if Lisa is there during your stay.

We had a fabulous trip as we always do. Now we have to decide and plan when our next trip will be. Hopefully that’s not too far away!
Ellie & Al
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OzeFun
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Re: Trip Report March 1-11, 2014 RM & Pearl

Postby tan44 » Sun Apr 27, 2014 2:11 pm

Thank you for your double trip report.
We believe that $150 charge for a day trip to Desire
sister resort is per couple not per person :(
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tan44
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Re: Trip Report March 1-11, 2014 RM & Pearl

Postby OzeFun » Sun Apr 27, 2014 4:45 pm

It may well be per couple now. At the time we were there our friends were told per person. Thanks for the update. Seems ridiculous! Completely LOCO!!!!
Ellie & Al
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OzeFun
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Posts: 190
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:00 pm
We are from: Australia
Will be at: Desire Riviera Maya
We arrive on: 19 Feb 2022


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