by NaughtyKittenandB » Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:02 am
We have been to Pearl and RM 20+ times as well as all of the Desire cruises so far, so we will try to help here.
We are Mansion-level members, although we most frequently visit RM and stay in the villas. We did stay in the Mansion this summer at Pearl.
Dining:
How is this setup? is this it's own restaurant with kitchen or just a eating spot where orders are taken and food cooked at one of the other locations?
Is the food menu (specifically dinner) different than the reg restaurants? Can anyone share a pic of it?
Is the food quality and presentation in the Michelin / Gordon Ramsey restaurant level?
How was booking and the wait for food?
Any pics of 24 hr room service menu?
If you are expecting Michelin/Gordon Ramsey levels of presentation, you will certainly be disappointed. The Mansion breakfast, lunch and dinner menus are different than the other resort restaurants and we thought the food was very good - but certainly not a Michelin experience. That doesn't mean it was bad. Certainly the best on property. Breakfast and lunch could be ordered when you came to the restaurant. For dinner, a reservation was recommended and we made our menu choices ahead of time.
Top Shelf Alcohol:
Any pics or list of what's in the room. Everyone might have top shelf expectations a bit different than the next guy. Johnny Walker Black might be top shelf to red, but gold would be to black.... and blue to gold....lol.
Are these brands avail in reg bars for Mansion guests or only in the room and Mansion pool bar?
Everyone's top shelf is different. We'll just say that they could get pretty much whatever we wanted for the pool bar or for our room.
VIP Transfer:
What type of vehicle was used?
Yukon Denali or similar. Always a luxury SUV.
VIP Welcome Kit:
Is this a fruit bowl, or perhaps maybe something erotic that might need batteries? :-)
Think wine, champagne, etc. There are also daily treats - and you can be specific with your butler about what kind of snacks you might want and when you want them delivered.
Included Spa:
Surely there must have been limits to one massage per visit, per day etc? What was this package or options to use it?
One free massage per person per visit - and that can be done in room if you want. There were other spa options, of course.
Butler:
Was he/she around? How is direct contact offered? In my last VIP resort they issued resort cell phone to be able to call.
We have also stayed at resorts where you contact your butler by cell phone. That is not the case at Desire. But ask pretty much any staff member to contact your butler and they will contact him. You can also reach them anytime by calling the butler extension on your phone. Lastly, they are also visible and present around the property. If you see someone in a black uniform with pink trim, that is a butler and they can contact your personal butler immediately. Our butlers generally check on us multiple times per day. It would not be unusual to see your butler on the way to breakfast, again when they check with you in the pool to make sure everything is ok, again when you leave the pool and once again when you depart for dinner. The small (comparatively) size of the resorts (both Pearl and RM) means you won't get forgotten in the corner of a megaresort.
Playroom:
Is there anything feature wise in here that's not in the reg playroom?
Was is very quiet or empty due to only 8 max couples in the Mansion if at full capacity?
The Mansion playroom was very nice, but also very empty for most of our stay.
Guests:
While this will be our first time to an adult only, open minded resort we're not in the LS. But having the opportunity to share the Mansion with another couple as guests, how would we approach let's have some fun but not LS.
Well, most people at Desire will not pressure you to "join the LS". In all of our travels, we'd put the ration at Pearl of lifestyle vs. non-lifestyle at about 50/50. This is more of a matter of how you handle yourself in social situations than a resort question.
Room Selection:
The ground floor opens to the pool (no balcony Jacuzzi) while the 2nd floors have a one with no direct access.
Which would you recommend?
Are both rooms of equal size and luxury inside?
The most expensive rooms are the Royal Suites on the top floor. In order of desirability (to us), it would be Royal Suites, then the swim out suits, then the middle level. Royal suites are larger than all of the others. The swim-out suites have direct pool access but are small by comparison. Some people we met complained that they didn't even have a chair to sit in other than patio furniture or the small dining table inside the room.
VIP Beach Area:
Was this nice? any pics vs reg area?
There is no such thing.
Mansion vs Penthouse:
The Mansion is isolated with extra perks.
The Penthouse is approx 30% cheaper and has a private terrace and view of the ocean. Yet lacking Mansion perks.
If money were not the deciding factor, would you return to the Mansion or Penthouse?
We have stayed in the penthouses many times. It all depends if you prefer more luxury or a more desirable location. We declined to "buy in" at the mansion level multiple times because we were skeptical about the location and the view. Why would they add their most expensive rooms in a location that is furthest from the ocean? Our concerns about location turned out to be true. The view from the Mansion is largely of other buildings. One other concern was isolation - by default, Desire works best for people that are social. The Mansion is the opposite, where about 10% of the resort capacity is set aside from the rest. We spent most of our time using the "normal" pool, jacuzzi, etc. Two positives about the Mansion pool. One, on very hot days (we were last there in August), there is very little shade to be found in the Pearl pool but you can find shade in the Mansion pool. Second, the Mansion pool (and pool bar) are open late as opposed to the Pearl pool and bar that close basically at sundown. If you prefer to be naked in the pool with a drink in your hand after dinner, that's an option at the Mansion. For everyone else, that would be a trip to the jacuzzi. On a cool night, that's where everyone will be. But if it is a hot night, the Mansion pool is the only one open.
If you want a view of the ocean, the pool and potentially the jacuzzi all from your terrace - the penthouse is for you. If you want the exclusivity of the Mansion, then naturally you can make that choice.
Lastly, was the Mansion experience something you'd rate as once in a lifetime, worth it or was it just a big (no pun intended) money grab.
For us, it was not once in a lifetime - but we do travel a lot and have stayed at many resorts all over the world. Don't get us wrong, it is very nice.
Bryan & Kelli
SZC, SLS: BandK6766
FetLife: NaughtyKitnandB