We just thought it might be helpful to highlight/discuss some of the recent changes at Pearl for those interested:
- Mansions = The new Ocean-View Mansion rooms are gorgeous. The positive is that they have an Ocean View. The negative (or positive if you prefer to be on your own) is that they are separated from any other benefits of the Mansions: Bar, Pool, Playroom, Dining Room, etc. But they did a beautiful job on these.
Speaking of the Mansions Dining Room....it is so perplexing to me that this is what Desire offers. It is a room with zero ambiance whatsoever. No music. No lights. Very little decorations. The service is fine. The food is no better than Pearl. Unfortunately, the Mansions are consistently sold out so this will not likely be something they put more money into. But, for those paying the high price tag of those rooms, they REALLY should invest more into the dining experience there.
- Dining Reservations = Not sure how long this has been "new" (new for us) but they are no longer offering reservations for dinner. This has now become a perk of membership. This has its positives and negatives. The good news (for non-members) is there is no more running to breakfast at 7am to get a decent reservation time. The bad news is that you could wait for an hour or more during rush hours. For most, the wait should be minimal. But there were times where people were waiting (frustratedly) for a while. In our opinion, this is actually the biggest frustration we have with Desire Pearl. They almost never tell newbie couples they need to make a reservation. And they are left to fend for themselves or hear it on Day 3 from someone else. Without this Forum, we would have had no clue on our first trip. The food is good (mixed). The service is outstanding. But the communication about all of this is awful. We just think they need to do a better job on this entire area for new couples to have the best experience possible.
- Beach/Pier = Pier is completed and is gorgeous. It looks much stronger now. Beach was the worst we have seen it but did improve every day. This isn't their fault but almost no one used the beach beds during the day (they were never full in the past....but always 2-3 were being used). The water just looks so brown so I just think it isn't appealing to most.
- Staff = We have noticed a LOT of staff changes since our last time there. Not sure what has led to this. Not sure it matters as service is still very good....but it was noticeable. And maybe for the first time ever some of the service was spotty and inconsistent. We have never waited for water in Aphrodite at lunch and had to ask every single time for a refill.
- Sales Pitch = Maybe this is just us....but boy has this gotten better. It is still annoying they do it at all. Especially right when you check in. And maybe this is simply because we have never gone and always say no. So they just stopped trying. But, we are grateful that they have made it much more enjoyable to check in. We barely even roll our eyes now. We joke with the lady....tell her we understand she's doing her job...but that we just aren't interested. And we have the same answer to the "Why" question every time. "We would rather be naked with naked people than clothed in a room with you." And they laugh and tell us to go have fun.
We have often thought that a better approach to this (than your first impression upon arrival) would be to walk around like the spa staff does and offer free massages or services. If they came up casually after a few days and asked if you were interested in a free massage....and then explained the catch....it might go over much better. They know their stats, but it would SURE help how people feel upon arrival.
The only method that would truly work on us if they ever did it would be a special dinner (similar to the wine dinner) to make the presentation to a group. Doubt they ever will do this since it is probably not as effective. But, we would go to that if we knew the food/wine was really good.
Anyways, just thought some would like to know or hear some of the more recent changes and some thoughts on them. YMMV.