August 11-18, 2009

[rtex]

Sorry if this is a little long;

This was our second trip back to Desire, the first taking place before the hurricane so we had the opportunity to compare how the resort had changed since then. And for the most part the changes were for the better.

A word of warning though - if you’ve not done the run through the time share vultures at the airport they will accost you just as you’re about to exit the airport. The will even try to convince you that they are trying to help you obtain transportation to your resort. They will act official like, asking for passports, hotel information, etc. Don’t get fooled by them. Just say no thanks and walk on outside. We used Lomas Transportation and would highly recommend them. They are waiting for you just outside the door, holding a sign and take you directly to the waiting van.

Our reception at Desire was what we expected; friendly, welcoming and refreshing. The one new thing that we were taken aback by was the onsite time share hustle. We sat down with the ‘concierge’ to go over the lay out of the hotel, rules, theme nights, and other minutia when we were hit up for a time to see the people about the time share. We were told it would only take 30 minutes and we’d get a $100 spa certificate so we agreed that if we were up we’d be there but didn’t confirm that we’d do it. Big mistake! The appointment was set for 10:30 the next morning and we had quite enjoyed our first night there and were looking forward to sleeping in but it was not to be. The concierge called us at 5 after 9AM to remind us of our appointment. My wife answers the phone and tells them that we’ll think about being there, it will all depend on how we feel and hangs up. Not ten minutes later we get another call telling us that she just received approval to raise our spa gift certificate to $150. We still said thanks, and we’ll think about it. At this point there is no going back to sleep because 10 minutes later room service is knocking on our door. That was probably the earliest room service ever showed up to work on our room the entire time we were there. Coincidence? Maybe…

We then spent the next two hours going through this program that just didn’t make sense to us. So my advice, unless you really want that spa gift card I would say skip it, not worth the time suck.

The changes we liked were the beach beds. Way more comfortable than what they used to have before the storm. We reserved one for the entire stay and felt that it was worth the money. Afrika was amazing as she kept the drinks and food coming all day. This is where we spent most of our time. The beach is a little narrower than we remember, and the foot traffic has increased ten fold. A lot of the resorts that were down the beach just weren’t there last time and that made a big difference in people walking past us. While there are signs all over the place telling you not to have sex on the beds, we know for a fact that it still happened. Though it was not as overt as it was when we were here the last time.

We had a superior garden view this time and I really wondered why anyone would pay the extra money for the ocean view when most of the rooms now only see the beds. I think I would have been pretty upset thinking I’d get an ocean view but could only see the beds instead, the extra money would not have been worth it. Instead, get a garden view, reserve the bed and come out ahead.

The rooms seemed to be just as they were the last time. Stark, wouldn’t call them comfortable or inviting but they served their purpose. The towels were horrible and next time we go we’re bringing our own. The shower in our room was awful as well, very little water pressure and the temperature would go from freezing cold to scorching hot no matter how you adjusted it. We had maintenance work on it twice (very responsive to our request I might add) and the second time seemed to fix the problem.

The food was good most of the time though the breakfast buffet was the same every morning and that got to be old after a while. The lunch grill by the pool was exceptional, with expanded service and a really nice menu line up. Both full service restaurants were excellent, even going so far as to prepare an anniversary dessert just for us at the international IL PIACERE. I would argue that both restaurants were on par with some of the better restaurants we’ve been to around the world. The menu choices were limited but the presentation and tastes were outstanding. Service was always fantastic and we tipped along the way as well as at the end those that we felt went out of their way to make our stay a good one.

The nightly entertainment was very good for the most part. Although in our opinion they needed to start things a little earlier than 10PM. By the time you got up to the disco and the hot tub it was late. We like to party as much as the next person but there are only so many 4AM back to backs you can handle even on vacation ï

[miranda]

Great trip report. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[Darcy]

Hi, Thanks so much for your trip report. We will arrive at Desire on Sept. 1st, our 6th time to Desire. You helped a lot as far as the theme nights. We did get capes and masks for "Eyes Wide Shut". We plan to participate in the theme nights to the best of our ability LOL. I think the Labor Day Weekend crowd are mostly experienced Desire types so what ever....what ever....that's the way it is my dear...... Damn, I can't wait to sip that sparkling wine at check in and then ... "whatever my dear"
D

[rtex]

Most excellent, we can't wait to go back. We'll have fun with theme nights no matter what