Trip Report Oct 25 - Nov 2, 2016

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Trip Report Oct 25 - Nov 2, 2016

Postby txnakedfun » Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:01 am

Background: We are in our 60’s and over the past 8 years have been to Desire RM or Pearl about 15 times. Most trips have been to RM as was this trip. We are mostly nudists but the more we go to Desire the more we have swayed.

Arrival: Immigration and Customs went very quickly. We were on our way to RM within 30 minutes of landing. Upon arrival at RM, we were instantly greeted by the wonderful staff. We did do the Express check in and were expecting to sit down in the lobby with one of the front desk clerks to complete our check in and get our room key. However, this time we were told that the check in location has moved to what was the membership sales office and that the lobby desks are now used only for check out. We learned that that was not quite true. In the past, when one checked in, they would then try to move you to another desk to tell you about the resort and the changes. They would also start with the membership sales and try to setup a sales meeting time. We learned to say that we knew the resort well and did not need to hear about the changes and refuse to move to the other desk. By taking us to the sales office for check-in, they essentially captured us and went to work on us to setup a meeting to hear about the membership. We learned that they don’t do this with all guests. We observed and talked to many guests that checked in at the lobby area. My speculation is that our check in experience was a new way to target membership sales to repeaters that are on to their old sales tactics, but maybe we were just randomly selected to test a new check in approach. We were pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready although we arrived early at around 11:00 AM. We quickly stripped off our clothes and put on sarongs and headed to find Rene for a beach bed.

Beach: The beach looked very nice. All of the beach bed structures and the swinging beds were gone and replaced with nice new freestanding beds with adjustable backs like those found around the pool and at Pearl. There was no longer a double row of beds where the swinging beds had been. The older free standing beds that are nearer the pool end of the beach and assigned to the Passion and Jacuzzi suites were still there. There was a row of relatively new lounger chairs in front of all the beach beds. Ceci’s bar was there and busy as usual (notice the past tense). We enjoyed a wonderful day and half on the beach and woke up to blowing winds and a devastated beach at Desire RM.
It was like a hurricane had come in, about half the beach was gone. The beach beds were slanted and workers were scrambling to move them off the beach, up behind the wall onto the grass. The lounge chairs were being stacked and moved to storage. Ceci’s bar was surrounded by water and the bar stools were laying down and being thrown around by the waves. Large rocks were exposed and the waves kept crashing on the beach and eroding the footing of the wall and gazebo. This continued for another day and the beach was temporarily closed.

The following three pictures were taken on Oct 27, 2016

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Looking from the Gazebo to north end of Desire

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Looking from Ceci’s bar toward Gazebo

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Looking at Ceci’s bar from Gazebo

As the sea calmed, in typical Desire fashion, efforts were made to make the best of a bad situation. Many beach beds were arranged on the grass in front of the beach front buildings, the gazebo was converted into a temporary Ceci’s bar. Some loungers were setup on the beach. Debris was removed from the beach. We were told that the beach will rebuilt itself over time (days/weeks? It is up to nature!) We were also told that it will be at least three months before Ceci’s bar is rebuilt. Once the seas calmed, we enjoyed several days on the beach beds upon the grass. This was actually nice since one wasn’t bringing as much sand into the beds.

There was some beach traffic. A couple of families, some small groups of women, and a few couples. The condition of the beach may have reduced the traffic. Also, crossing from/to the south end of Desire to Breathless requires some effort and determination. The Breathless beach is set back about 15 feet from Desire’s and there is a 2-3 foot drop off from the giant sandbags.

Pool: Daniel was working hard like always with a smile on his face. Some lounge chairs were moved from the beach to provide more seating. Sylvia was running like always. The Entertainment staff did a good job with talking to the guests and getting people involved. Pool temperature was good.

Jacuzzi: The high top tables in the open area were gone. Water temperature was fairly good. Afternoon Jacuzzi time on our past trips has always been very crowded. This trip it wasn’t’ although the resort was full.

Food: We thought that overall the food was good. Breakfast buffet was basically the same every day but with the grill, fruits and cereals, we felt there was enough variety and had a good breakfast each morning. The lunch buffet had some variety and again with the grill, we found enough variety for us to have an ok lunch. For dinner, we always ate at Sahlo or Suki. All of our meals at Sahlo were very good, those at Suki were ok but not as good. The menus at both restaurants each had inserts with two additional entree offerings. One thing we commented about while there was that the common desert menu used in Sahlo and Suki is getting old as it has been used for years and that one can usually find better deserts on the buffet line. We were told that there was a new chef who had been there for about a month and that new menus were being developed including a unique desert menu for each Sahlo and Suki. In fact, on our last night, we ate at Suki and were told that they had a special desert for us. As it turned out there were two. The chef personally brought out our special deserts and described them for us. One was an apple desert that looked like Spring rolls and it was absolutely delicious. The other was a banana and ice cream desert and it was also very good. Our understanding is that these deserts will be on the new Suki desert menu.

Room: We were in 2103, a Deluxe Garden View room. We have been in this room before. A small round table and two chairs were added to the inside of the room which was nice to have. Our understanding is that similar tables were put in all the 2000 block rooms. Maid did a great job cleaning the room daily. Water pressure was probably better than on past trips and we always had plenty of hot water.

Guests: As always, people were very friendly and respectful. There was a fairly significant changeover half way through our stay with the arrival of a SDC group. Ages were somewhat younger than what we normally have seen. There was a great mix of nationalities. We talked with many couples that generally go to Temptations but were at Desire since Temptations is closed for remodeling. We also observed more people than we usually see choosing the option to wear swimsuits. For woman, there were probably over 50% with bottoms and many also with tops. For men, there were probably close to 25% with suits. Very few guests dressed for the themes except for on Halloween when I would say the majority were in costumes. Some of the Halloween costumes were unbelievable and this made for a great night.

PDA/PDS: We observed very little PDS in and around the Jacuzzi on this trip. PDA was also fairly tame in and around the resort. One day, we did observe some very obvious sex on a beach bed in the middle of the day. Surprisingly, the security guards did nothing to stop this activity being this is a public beach. We didn’t make it to the Playroom this trip so we can’t comment on it.

Staff: Lastly, what keeps Desire running! The staff, as always, was fantastic and always friendly. I do not know how many times we were asked if there was anything special we needed. I am always amazed at how hard the staff works and how truly happy they are to see and greet returning guests and to get to know new guests. Returning to Desire is like coming home.
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txnakedfun
 
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Re: Trip Report Oct 25 - Nov 2, 2016

Postby tan44 » Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:20 pm

Thank you for great trip report and the pictures.
So sad to see eroded beach.
Was the beach in the same condition as on the pictures
on your last day Nov 02 ?
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Re: Trip Report Oct 25 - Nov 2, 2016

Postby txnakedfun » Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:57 pm

Unfortunately, yes! The ocean had settled down and nature had redeposited a few inches of beach. Then on Nov 1&2 the rough seas returned and the gains were reclaimed. However, no further loss was apparent.
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txnakedfun
 
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We arrive on: 25 Oct 2016

Re: Trip Report Oct 25 - Nov 2, 2016

Postby $parkie7 » Fri Nov 11, 2016 7:58 pm

Great report, thank you! It was a fun week!

XOXOXOX
DD
SDC: WOW
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Re: Trip Report Oct 25 - Nov 2, 2016

Postby Headstone » Mon Nov 14, 2016 1:33 am

We had a great time as well. And yes there was a much larger younger crowd with sdc this time who did choose to wear clothes and not dress for theme nights. But not an issue for us.
A couple of notes, They now have one night a week usually Sunday where the party is at the jacuzzi. We went up in our robes and found most were still wearing their party outfits. So we got naked and jumped in the tub. Party was great and a few people started to undress as the night went on but not many got in the water. I think as this night goes on it will become a favorite night.
As for Halloween I must say even though it rained it was one of the best we have been to. This was our sixth time for Halloween. It was a blast. Almost everyone dressed up and for once as the party got going people stayed in the disco and partied. Other nights it seems to thin out sooner as people drift to the lobby or the jacuzzi.
All in all another great trip.
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