Trip Report Desire RM & Pearl. Comparisons. July 19-26, 2014

[harry bawls]

We are an upper 40's couple. Hedo vets and have also been to Caliente Tampa as well as local nudist resorts. Not "in the lifestyle" but enjoy a lively good time. First part of our trip was at RM and second part at Pearl. Occupancy was stated by staff at 60% for RM and 100% then down to 80% at Pearl. First trip to either resort for both of us but have been to Mexico many times. Will try to report and compare as I go.

Arrival- Customs very busy in Cancun. When you head out of the airport there are a bunch of vultures wanting to know the name of your hotel, transportation company, etc. When you tell them they want to see your "confirmation papers". I suspect they are timeshare salesmen as this scam exists in Cozumel across the pond. I told them I didn't have any papers or a green card. They said good luck. My ride was waiting on the other side of the door with our name on a clip board.

Our arrival at RM left me without cash. We were in Mexico a few days before going to the Desire properties and spent more than budgeted. Assumed the hotel would have a peso ATM. Well RM is a long way from anything and the ATM only dispenses dollars. I went to draw out $500 us and they wanted an 11% fee of $55 plus a $7 user fee. I said screw this and got a cab. Well cab had to go to Puerto Morales to closest ATM. A bit of a ride. Waited for us. Got back with pesos and ATM fee was only $2-3 however cab ride cost almost $40. Lesson learned. If your staying at RM bring your money with you or pay 11% at ATM. If your at Pearl you can walk to the same ATM machine I used and draw out pesos which are a much better value. Its about a mile or two one way. US dollars taken everywhere. I had made a deal with dive shop for cash and this is why I needed so much.

Another money note. At RM you can change the $20's from ATM into 1's and 5's for tips at the front desk. At Pearl they wont do it. They have you go to the bell hop. If he doesn't have he sends you to the restaurants. A bit of a hassle especially seeing that you are giving the money back to their employees for tips.

Grounds at both places awesome. RM is a bit smaller and grounds a little more tropical/lush. The buildings at RM had fresh paint on outside while Pearl had a lot of vines, etc on the side view. These will look lush once they grow in better. Pool at Pearl much larger and better as well as hot tub. The proximity of the pool to the hot tub at Pearl kept the vibe going. Also the restaurants being close to the dining & disco at Pearl kept the people together in the evenings. The swinging beds on the beach at RM were neat while they were all fixed at Pearl. Pearl had the large beach beds available around the pool which was nice. Pearl also had a lot of shade on the beach which we think is better. Both had beds at the hot tub. The plastic chairs around the pool at RM sucked, especially if you tried to lay on your stomach. RM had more beds around the hot tub, it seems, and a great view of the ocean or jungle from the hot tub. Pearl has the dive shop located on site. RM has a small hut they keep gear in but its not really a dive shop. The beach at RM is clean and sandy until you hit a weed patch about 50 feet out. Pearl doesn't have the weeds but is rocky. Pearls beach slopes making the first 20' or so of water not very clear. RM only has a swim up bar at the hot tub. Pearl has one for both tub and pool. Our vote on grounds is for Pearl. Not because its better kept but because the swim up bars and the proximity of the pool to hot tub, nightlife close to dining, etc. Both are good but there always seemed to be a lull in the action at RM waiting on people to transition from one location to the other. Lobby at RM hands down better. Sweat like a stuck pig at Pearl waiting on room, checkout, etc. No a/c is fine but not fans? Maybe in winter but in summer I would rather be in RM's lobby, but hey who hangs out there, except wait, at Pearl that's where the night show is! Also its too long a walk from hot tub to bathroom at Pearl. I think there was a lot of peeing in there. At RM the restroom is only a few yards from the hot tub but watch the boards. Saw several fall around the tub at RM due to uneven boards.

Rooms. Hands down Pearl. Our room at RM was similar to staying in an RV. The bathroom door missed the bed by about 3". The front door was about a foot or two from hitting the bed. With our suitcases in the room we were struggling until we got things put up. We had trouble controlling our hot water at RM. Barely turn the knob and the temp would change drastically. If one of us flushed the toilet while the other was in the shower we would get scalded. Hedo wasn't this bad and rooms were nicer. Ran out of water daily in the fridge. It would take 3 trips to the front desk over a 12 HR period to get water replenished. We heard the front desk calling each time but the person that filled it never showed until the 3rd call. Room was clean. Got to Pearl. Room 87. Ocean view king bed per the map. WRONG. Two queen beds. But wow. After staying at an RM room the bed situation was nothing. Had a nice balcony with a view of the pool and ocean. Large bath with tub and shower. Plenty of room for clothes, suitcases,etc. Water restocked daily. Only complaint with room was that Wi-Fi seemed weak. It would connect and have good signal but data may not go. Had zero Wi-Fi issues at RM.

Food. Pearl wins for us. Service was great at both but seemed over the top at Pearl especially considering occupancy rates. Would tip at RM but at Pearl the staff would say "thank you so much sir" or "we really appreciate it" etc. when you tipped them. Suki at RM was much better than Pearl, mainly because it was inside. The lunch at Pearl was way better than RM. The burgers at RM are frozen pre-cooked patties re-heated. Pearl has real ground beef cooked over a charcoal fire right outside the restaurant. Only thing we found really good at lunch at RM was the roasted chicken, quesadilla, grilled tuna and pizza. Breakfast at each was ok but repetitive. At least at RM you could watch them cook the omelet and put ingredients you want on the plate. I ordered two eggs over easy at Pearl and got a plate full of scrambled eggs. Service at bars at both places was exceptional. Way beyond any Hedo even tip or no tip.

Atmosphere. Hands down Pearl. We were at RM thinking this place is dead. One night at sunset I counted 8 people in hot tub including us. Seemed like a lot of swingers there and veterans. Had more than one person tell us if you think this is slow wait until you get to Pearl. Its dead, we have been there! Seemed like a lull every night between pool to hot tub to dinner to disco, etc. The band was located near lobby which is on other side of resort from hot tub, dining and pool. Never anyone in pool after dark. We would get done with dinner around 9 and go to listen to the band. Only 3-4 couples there. After an hour we would get bored. No one in disco. Where is everyone?? Got to Pearl, WOW what a change. Volley ball going on in pool while there is a pole dance exhibition as well. Body shots, people everywhere. Went up to hot tub first day and saw more PDA's in an hour, in the afternoon, than 4 days at RM. Hot tub bigger but two or 3 times the people. Met plenty of friends. The beds stayed full. At RM there were always plenty of beds open at tub. Even went to tub at 1AM at RM one night just to see if it was different and only 1 bed in use. Party place this week hands down Pearl. RM was quiet getaway place

Disco. We are not disco people. Hit each one once. Pearl actually had a show by the EC's. RM was a bunch of loud music, which we did not like. Pearl evolved into that. Again not disco people and not late night people.

Another note on the beach. At RM you rarely saw anyone walking down the beach except some guys selling hats, cigars,etc. I would pull on my junk when they walked by and they never bothered me. At Pearl there were a lot of locals with kids going by. Sex is not allowed on the beach but you could tell many didn't like the nudity. Heard reports from people at grand opening that they got cussed by locals for laying naked on beach. Maybe a fence would be a good investment, parallel to the ocean. Also the pier at Pearl is a nice addition.

Sales Pitch. Did the sales pitch deal at RM. Took about an hour. Coupon to dive shop useless for us. Since I had negotiated a cash price they refused to apply additional discount. Did use the spa coupon and the beach bed reservation coupon. It was basically useless at RM since there were always plenty of unused beds contrary to what we heard. The time share deal is for RCI properties. Goggled them after the sales pitch and glad I said no. No real pressure, in fact he ended the spill not us. Was worth an hour for the $160 savings at the spa.

Pearl gets our vote. We probably may go back there but not to RM. Definitely was a better party place with better accommodations. Feel free to ask any questions.

[tandainla1]

I guess it really varies from week to week. We arrived at RM at about the time you checked out and it got very lively the next day (our first night was a little more mellow). There was a transition day again between groups on Monday and then it was lively again on Tuesday. There were actually a few people on Sunday who said they were staying at Pearl and came over the RM for the day because it was so quiet that day for them but it was lively earlier in the week.

I think unless you plan to go with other people or a group, you really have no idea what you can expect.

To be honest, the most outgoing and friendly people on our trip arrived the same day as us (the 23rd) and the two days following and we couldn't ever imagine having a better time. But, I would probably have had a much different outlook on it if we weren't all there together.