First timers trip report Oct 19-26th 2017
Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:58 pm
We are a mid 40's couple married for about 15 years. This is a first-time trip for us. We are totally new to this, this is our first trip at a clothing optional Resort, our first trip anywhere associated with the lifestyle. We are not in the lifestyle, but we are curious. I should also add, we've never been to this type of resort before but we have been to numerous all-inclusives in Mexico and the Caribbean.
The lead-up:
We booked about five weeks before leaving. Just the fact that we booked this, something so out of character for us, led to a mix of anxiety and excitement. I must admit, we got substantial value out of the pre-trip alone. Between imagining what we would do, fantasizing about same, and shopping for costumes for the theme nights, we were really looking forward to the trip. Too much so as we probably did not get enough sleep.
The flight:
We were booked on a charter which was a package deal including flight, airport transfers, and the hotel. This went very well. The charter was a Canadian company called Sunwing. We had no problems with the flight and transfer, although there was a bit of hushed discussion in the van when we got out at Desire. I could hear the other tourists talking about adults only (they were on their way to other resorts in the area). I'm sure more was said. It felt a little bit awkward as this was our first exposure to this.
Check-in:
After reading on this forum I did the online advance check-in. This expedited the actual check-in process. When they sat us down to orient us to the resort, we pretty much knew everything already from our research ahead of time. The Forum was definitely good information. There was brief discussion regarding the membership, but we made it clear we were not interested at this point and they respected that. The whole process was relatively brief and quite respectful.
The room:
We just had the most basic of rooms, the Deluxe Garden View. There were really no surprises. The room is small and minimally appointed. That said, the bed was the most comfortable bed we've ever been on in a Mexican resort. The air conditioning was excellent. The room was quiet. The blackout curtains worked very well. In the bathroom, the hot water was reliable and the shower was excellent. No Plumbing issues at all. No bad smells other than an occasional slight sulfur smell to the water. Overall, other than being small and minimally appointed, the room was fine. We spent very little time there. The mini fridge was restocked daily although all we used was water.
The food:
The food was excellent. Again, we have stayed at a number of all-inclusives in the past, surprisingly this was the best. The food at the buffet was great, but we found Sahlo was our favorite. The Teppanyaki was just okay. It was easy making reservations, there seemed to always be space despite the hotel being full. This is in contrast to previous experiences at other resorts where you had to get up early or you would miss out. The other thing with the food that was notable, there were never any crowds or lineups. This is also in contrast to previous experiences. The restaurants also overlapped very well. Lunch started as soon as breakfast stopped. We never seemed to find a time when food was unavailable. This was also an unexpected surprise. Staff was very accommodating. Anything we asked for they provided. One day my wife actually asked for a dessert from the other restaurant that she had tried the night before. This was not a problem. Very accommodating.
The drinks:
Alcoholic drinks did not taste watered down. There was an excellent variety and my wife loved the chocolate martinis and mojitos. Drinks of the day were always tasty. As with the food, staff was very accommodating.
The staff:
Completely fantastic. The best service we've ever had at an all-inclusive. It is well commented on here and all of the names that I had read about did not disappoint, plus many more! Elena and the female food staff supervisor (forgot her name) were excellent as was Africa.
The entertainment staff:
They were very friendly and tried their best. Overall we found the entertainment to be a bit hit-and-miss. The pool foam party was a highlight. Some of the shows were great, some just okay. The staff tried very hard. DD has amazing energy and enthusiasm. The entertainment frequently involved guests and it ranged from tame to extremely racy, although it was obvious that consent was obtained. We watched all of the shows and partook in some of the games. Overall it was fun, although we were always nervous.
The jacuzzi:
This was our favorite part. Surprisingly, we found it most enjoyable going during off times. Many times we had the entire jacuzzi to ourselves, with our own private bar and bartender. Amazing! The timing of the busy times was predictable, again well discussed on this forum. When busy, we found it to be much more social than we had expected. Overall we expected the experience to be a little bit more raunchy. Things were always very respectful.
The pool area:
Yes, almost everybody was naked. Some were not. We did both. We never felt uncomfortable. The pool and the rest of the grounds were remarkably clean. Reserving a pool bed was extremely easy with Daniel. I initially was worried that we would need to get up at 7 or 8 in the morning. Even on the days where we woke up at 11, we were able to reserve a decent spot. This is also in stark contrast to our experience at other resorts.
The beach:
The sand is amazing. White powder. Unfortunately most of it is washed away as the beach is very narrow. The seaweed was not bad while we were there. There was some but overall not bad at all. We were able to wade into the water and swim. We did walk the beach and we think Desire's beach is the best in the area. While there was some foot traffic on the beach from other Resorts this was minimal. We never felt uncomfortable.
Other guests:
As stated elsewhere, everyone was very friendly. There wasn't as much mingling as I thought there would be, but everyone we interacted with was extremely friendly. We never felt any pressure to partake in the lifestyle. We are still in touch with some that we met there. The other surprise was smokers. We are both non-smokers and do quickly get irritated by the presence of secondhand smoke. This has been a problem at past Resorts. This was almost never a problem here. The resort has done a great job of creating smoking only areas, and in general, the guests were very courteous.
Summary:
We really enjoyed our trip. It was unique and exciting. It brought us closer as a couple and was invigorating for the relationship...the most romantic trip we have ever had. While we expected a unique experience and some excitement, we never expected how it brought US closer together. This was AMAZING! We will definitely return, which is something we've never considered with previous resorts.
This was a 5 star experience for us.
The lead-up:
We booked about five weeks before leaving. Just the fact that we booked this, something so out of character for us, led to a mix of anxiety and excitement. I must admit, we got substantial value out of the pre-trip alone. Between imagining what we would do, fantasizing about same, and shopping for costumes for the theme nights, we were really looking forward to the trip. Too much so as we probably did not get enough sleep.
The flight:
We were booked on a charter which was a package deal including flight, airport transfers, and the hotel. This went very well. The charter was a Canadian company called Sunwing. We had no problems with the flight and transfer, although there was a bit of hushed discussion in the van when we got out at Desire. I could hear the other tourists talking about adults only (they were on their way to other resorts in the area). I'm sure more was said. It felt a little bit awkward as this was our first exposure to this.
Check-in:
After reading on this forum I did the online advance check-in. This expedited the actual check-in process. When they sat us down to orient us to the resort, we pretty much knew everything already from our research ahead of time. The Forum was definitely good information. There was brief discussion regarding the membership, but we made it clear we were not interested at this point and they respected that. The whole process was relatively brief and quite respectful.
The room:
We just had the most basic of rooms, the Deluxe Garden View. There were really no surprises. The room is small and minimally appointed. That said, the bed was the most comfortable bed we've ever been on in a Mexican resort. The air conditioning was excellent. The room was quiet. The blackout curtains worked very well. In the bathroom, the hot water was reliable and the shower was excellent. No Plumbing issues at all. No bad smells other than an occasional slight sulfur smell to the water. Overall, other than being small and minimally appointed, the room was fine. We spent very little time there. The mini fridge was restocked daily although all we used was water.
The food:
The food was excellent. Again, we have stayed at a number of all-inclusives in the past, surprisingly this was the best. The food at the buffet was great, but we found Sahlo was our favorite. The Teppanyaki was just okay. It was easy making reservations, there seemed to always be space despite the hotel being full. This is in contrast to previous experiences at other resorts where you had to get up early or you would miss out. The other thing with the food that was notable, there were never any crowds or lineups. This is also in contrast to previous experiences. The restaurants also overlapped very well. Lunch started as soon as breakfast stopped. We never seemed to find a time when food was unavailable. This was also an unexpected surprise. Staff was very accommodating. Anything we asked for they provided. One day my wife actually asked for a dessert from the other restaurant that she had tried the night before. This was not a problem. Very accommodating.
The drinks:
Alcoholic drinks did not taste watered down. There was an excellent variety and my wife loved the chocolate martinis and mojitos. Drinks of the day were always tasty. As with the food, staff was very accommodating.
The staff:
Completely fantastic. The best service we've ever had at an all-inclusive. It is well commented on here and all of the names that I had read about did not disappoint, plus many more! Elena and the female food staff supervisor (forgot her name) were excellent as was Africa.
The entertainment staff:
They were very friendly and tried their best. Overall we found the entertainment to be a bit hit-and-miss. The pool foam party was a highlight. Some of the shows were great, some just okay. The staff tried very hard. DD has amazing energy and enthusiasm. The entertainment frequently involved guests and it ranged from tame to extremely racy, although it was obvious that consent was obtained. We watched all of the shows and partook in some of the games. Overall it was fun, although we were always nervous.
The jacuzzi:
This was our favorite part. Surprisingly, we found it most enjoyable going during off times. Many times we had the entire jacuzzi to ourselves, with our own private bar and bartender. Amazing! The timing of the busy times was predictable, again well discussed on this forum. When busy, we found it to be much more social than we had expected. Overall we expected the experience to be a little bit more raunchy. Things were always very respectful.
The pool area:
Yes, almost everybody was naked. Some were not. We did both. We never felt uncomfortable. The pool and the rest of the grounds were remarkably clean. Reserving a pool bed was extremely easy with Daniel. I initially was worried that we would need to get up at 7 or 8 in the morning. Even on the days where we woke up at 11, we were able to reserve a decent spot. This is also in stark contrast to our experience at other resorts.
The beach:
The sand is amazing. White powder. Unfortunately most of it is washed away as the beach is very narrow. The seaweed was not bad while we were there. There was some but overall not bad at all. We were able to wade into the water and swim. We did walk the beach and we think Desire's beach is the best in the area. While there was some foot traffic on the beach from other Resorts this was minimal. We never felt uncomfortable.
Other guests:
As stated elsewhere, everyone was very friendly. There wasn't as much mingling as I thought there would be, but everyone we interacted with was extremely friendly. We never felt any pressure to partake in the lifestyle. We are still in touch with some that we met there. The other surprise was smokers. We are both non-smokers and do quickly get irritated by the presence of secondhand smoke. This has been a problem at past Resorts. This was almost never a problem here. The resort has done a great job of creating smoking only areas, and in general, the guests were very courteous.
Summary:
We really enjoyed our trip. It was unique and exciting. It brought us closer as a couple and was invigorating for the relationship...the most romantic trip we have ever had. While we expected a unique experience and some excitement, we never expected how it brought US closer together. This was AMAZING! We will definitely return, which is something we've never considered with previous resorts.
This was a 5 star experience for us.