About us - We will celebrate 14 years of marriage on 9/30/15. We have two children in their pre-teens and generally vacation as a couple once a year for about a week, schedule(s) depending. We have been to Couples Tower Isle in Jamaica, Hidden Beach in Cancun (twice), and this trip was our third to DRM. Our previous trips were in May and August of 2013 (also reviewed on this forum). We like to travel for quality as well as price, and understand the different levels of service from Holiday Inn to the Ritz Carlton from personal experience. We have our fair share of fun, but are definitely on the tamer end of the spectrum. We know HOW...we just choose pretty carefully WHEN, WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHY.
We are Desire members as a point of reference, though all guests should have a large skein of baseline expectations that ought to be met at a resort billed as the top shelf in its niche.
After having benefited greatly from reading other reviews on various sites, this is a payback to the greater good in the hope that the management and guests alike will gain insight into things which should be bragged about, and perhaps others that may need a bit of work. We understand our opinions and preferences won't match everyone, so will keep to the fact line as much as possible.
Arrival at CUN (Shuttle) - We have arranged for the shuttle service through Desire each time we've gone to DRM, and would highly recommend it to anyone. This time it was ALL DO. They have orange shirts and are easy to spot. The price is reasonable, the guide met us with a named sign as soon as we exited the airport. The driver was prompt, courteous, and helpful with our luggage. The vehicle was a large SUV (I think a Suburban) which was cool, comfortable and quick to the resort (around 25 minutes). SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 10 / Nothing
Check in / Reception - Upon arrival, there were several attendants on the curb waiting to grab the luggage and greet us the minute the shuttle stopped moving. Once inside, the front desk staff was moderately attentive in a fair amount of time, but there wasn't the same sense of excitement, enthusiasm and energy we've come to expect from our past trips. There were smiles and words of welcome, but it was more akin to a mid level airport business hotel than an exotic, exclusive couples passion destination which seeks to attract people as committed and invested members. We mentioned that it was the Mrs.' birthday approaching, and nobody seemed too interested or impressed with the fact.
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 7 / While the information was sufficient, there was no feeling of "what can we do to make your experience magical" as we have received on prior arrivals. There needs to be an atmosphere of drive and concierge-like aggressiveness to let the guests know something special is in store.
Butler - Even after the trip has ended, we still are not sure if the person who escorted us to our room was our actual butler/room attendant, or just someone who happened to be in the lobby and was instructed to see us to our room. In any case, the gentleman brought our bags, thanked us...and left. he did not show us around the room, describe the amenities, ask if we had any questions, or offer anything in the way of assistance with reservations, suggestions or even an extra pillow. When compared to the white glove treatment we've gotten in the past, we wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that we opted for a Garden Room this trip. We have had a Passion Suite and an Ocean View in the past.
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 5 / Really, the 5 grade is because he at least didn't get us lost on the way to the room. At a minimum, EVERY room should be opened with a mini-tour (thinking 2-3 minutes wouldn't be asking too much) and a few questions about whether the guests have any questions about theme nights, events, restaurants, or anything the room might need. For goodness sake...show us the refrigerator at least, eh?
Room Size - Smallish, but certainly adequate for our needs. You will hear many people utter the well-worn "how much time do you spend in the room, anyway?" line, then complain about the size of the room. We're not cut from that cloth. We showered, slept and dressed there...that's it. For the money, the room was a good value.
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 9 / The websites should be noted to include the square footages of the different room offerings so people might make more informed decisions. A minor point, but it serves well on many of the national chain sites and helps guide travelers.
Room Amenities - The shower head and water pressure in the shower was weak, barely enough to shower. The soap, shampoo and lotion provided were decent quality, and there was no need to use our own supplies. The washcloth, bath and hand towels were in sufficient supply, and above average in thickness and absorption. The furniture was clearly aging, but functional and clean. The bed was excellent, as were the sheets and pillows. There was a cube sized refrigerator and it had two cans each of coke, diet coke, Dos Equis and Tecate light. The iron and board worked well. We did not turn on the TV at all.
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 8 / There should really be a six pack in reserve of each drink, especially since there are no light beer offerings at the bars (we asked). It would be a nice touch (and inexpensive) to have a few snacks (nuts, chips, etc.) in the armoire where the beverages are.
Resort Condition - The grounds were kept immaculately, with people from engineering working seemingly around the clock. There were some noise issues with work crews, but this cannot be helped if (as a guest) we want things to be kept up to date. There was a severe seaweed issue this year, and the staff worked tirelessly to keep the site and smell of it to a minimum. GREAT JOB!
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 10 / None
Housekeeping - Our daily makeup was done completely each day, though a bit later than we would have liked, no big deal. The staff didn't really go above or beyond at all, but the room was stocked and maintained well. We left the champagne bucket empty to be refilled after the first night, but it never was. We're not sure if this was a miscommunication/something we shouldn't have expected, but it might be something to add to the checklist for housekeeping.
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 9 / The staff should know that any ice buckets in the rooms should be filled. Again, a minor point, but the aim here is thoroughness.
Dining Options - We ate only one "sit down" dinner, at Sahlo. The food was great in presentation, selection and taste. The service was acceptable, not exceptional...but it was a good meal. The lunch buffet was fantastic in variety, maintenance and taste every day. We typically ate a mid day mean, than coasted until late night pizza. The lady who makes the pizza at the lobby bar is the hardest working person in the resort, and deserves a HUGE pat on the back. She worked tirelessly to keep all the post-party crowd happy in pizza and BLTs. She was FANTASTIC! The breakfast buffet is solid as usual, with made-to-order omelets and a nice variety of meats, fish and cheese in addition to fruit and rolls/pastries.
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 10 / The food is not necessarily why people go to DRM, but it is a strong point to return. With all the drinking that goes on, it's important to have meals you can be enthusiastic about.
Activity Offerings - Fun times during the days and nights, though the disco is a bit small for the shows to be seen by a full house. Casino night was cancelled with no reason given...A HUGE bummer. The foam party needed some more engagement, rather than just a pool of suds.
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 8 / Some more variety of activities would be nice, and perhaps some sexy games in the foam to bring people together a bit more. if you're going to cancel a BIG event like casino night, it's going to be a large hole in the schedule.
Activities Staff - Emily and Jay were outstanding, as good as any we've had fun with in the past. The others were also friendly and motivated, but I don't recall their names.
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 10 / Nothing comes to mind. These folks work very long days and do it well.
Club - The DJ mix being mostly repeated EVERY NIGHT gets old...FAST. The mix was about 60% Spanish worded music. The dance floor was packed every night, and there was a decent flow around the club, not a lot of log jams. It seemed (as usual) the sin room was either packed...or empty.
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 7 / The DJ really needs to read the crowd better, take more requests - not just play for himself. If the crowd is 80+% English speaking folks, that should be taken into consideration when choosing songs.
Bars and Bartending Staff - AMAZING. Quick, friendly, creative and hard working around the clock. Maybe the best feature of the trip. MAJOR downside - DRM MUST have light beer at the bars, and bring back the posted drink selections for people who want to get a little adventurous. We used to enjoy very much experimenting with the different drinks during our stay(s).
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 9 / The staff needs no improvement. They're GREAT! Just add the light beer and fun drink creations on the bar like they used to. People loved that as we recall. Just one drink of the day isn't enough.
Spa - The Mrs. had a massage, said it was well done. Not much to report here
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : N/A
Front Desk Staff - Seemed more like clerks than genuinely motivated and knowledgeable people who wanted to ensure EVERY guest had the time of their lives. When we called to verify our return shuttle, we had misplaced the voucher. The front desk attendant said "well, you'll need to call back when you find it". Again, not the end of the world, but clearly lacking in the "get it done" area. It's unclear whether this is due to turnover or poor training, but it needs to improve
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 5/ Training on "good enough" NOT being good at all should begin ASAP.
Check Out - We were asked if everything was satisfactory. We replied "some things were excellent, some things need improvement". That didn't inspire very much of a reaction. We thought it would be a good idea to weigh our bags before putting them in the shuttle. We were told that the use of the scale on the curb was 10 pesos per bag. Really? Wow...could we get any more nickel-and-dimey? Kind of a sad way to send off people you've just told to come back soon. 10 pesos? Really?
SCORE / Area(s) to Improve : 7 / The lobby and bell staff are the front face of your property. They need to act like it 24/7/366
Overall - So, the average for our rated categories is just under 8, which is about a C+. This is the sign of a resort that is not in need of a major overhaul, just some training on appreciation by EVERY employee of the fact that people have LOTS of vacation choices, and nothing is guaranteed. Even though it's a niche market, you shouldn't take anything for granted. The kicker for us on this trip (and every trip) was the other guests. As usual, we met some interesting, sexy and super friendly folks who we will keep in "touch" with and perhaps plan group trips back to DRM. If only the entire staff appreciated us as much as we appreciate each other.
We'll return, for sure...and hope for the best - that maybe our words will be seen and taken into account for future training.
Thanks for reading! We hope it helps....
