Why is Pearl getting such bad reviews???

[SLINON]

I have been closely following all reviews on TA about Pearl and no one seems to say anything good except that the grounds and rooms are beautiful. Everyone is commenting that the food and the service is bad and that Pearl needs to step up and learn how to provide a good service. They all seem to compare it to RM and say that it is inferior. They are also saying that it is not as fun and open at RM. What a drag to read this. I'm wondering if we should re-think our trip and maybe try to book at RM instead.

What is going on at Pearl that they can't get the food right? How long does it take to figure this out. I am really disappointed to keep on reading the negative reviews. Can anyone shed any light on this?

[NCVETTE]

I came to this site to comment on the same thing! You can't make everybody happy, but 4 bad reviews in a row causes great concern.

[dnbinmi]

We were at Pearl in May and found the food very good, maybe not 5 star but as good as RM. I do have to admit the service was slower than it was in November but we were with other couples and thought that was the reason. Breakfast and lunch are basically buffet but we did order from the grill from the waiter and found the service to be good. As Americans we get used to "fast food", most of the rest of the world likes to have a relaxing meal. Maybe it is just our expectations

[Powderfinger]

Just glancing at the first page of TA reviews, the most recent was a "1", but all the others were "4"s & "5"s.....I wouldn't consider that "getting such bad reviews". Optimal? Hell no! Hopefully there's some attention from management on the couple of areas people keep mentioning, and given Desire's history of actually listening to guests, things are probably in the works to improve on those concerns. If all the couples we went to RM with last July had done trip reports, you would all be really worried about RM, as the food and service was waaaayyyy below par for the resort at that time..... The only thing they have no control over is how "fun and open" it is, that's all on the guests, and can change from day to day. There's a lot of Cabo refugees headed to Pearl in the near future, hopefully that boosts things a bit.

[springer]

Pearl is our preference now, after having been there twice, once last year in May and again this year in mid-June. We have also been to RM 4 or 5 times and Cabo twice. We were at Pearl with a Castaways Travel group. It was probably the most fun we've had, mainly because we met a lot of great folks. We like Pearl primarily because of the resort layout, the rooms, the large pool and the large jacuzzi. RM could never fit all of the people we saw most nights in the jacuzzi in the RM jacuzzi. By the way, we never had a problem getting a drink at the jacuzzi. We did what we always do when Pearl or RM is crowded; we either work our way to the bar (my wife usually has better luck, can't imagine why) or we ask another guest, even someone we don't know, to order a drink for us.

We found that the food at Pearl was about as good as RM. There are two restaurants to choose from, one by the beach, Aphrodite, where guests can wear what they want and dress like bums--we didn't and most didn't--or the Pearl, near the lobby, which was completely renovated last year, is beautiful, enclosed and air conditioned. Men have to wear a collared shirt, long pants and at least toe covered sandals there, which I believe is the same dress code at the two fine restaurants at RM. For me, complying with the dress code is the least I could do for my wife, who spends nearly an hour to get ready and look great every night. People who come to Pearl or RM and aren't aware of the dress codes can only blame themselves. Desire's web sites provide a good deal of information about the resorts, dress codes, theme nights and general activities. Of course, this forum is really helpful in providing information.

We had dinner at the Pearl restaurant 5 out of our seven nights. We thought the food was very good and the waiters excellent, with some better than others. We've seen a comment about Desire not rotating the menus enough at Pearl. We didn't have a problem with that because there are a number of different appetizers, salads, soups, and entrées to chose from with each menu, besides we could always go to the Aphrodite restaurant near the beach and eat, which we did twice. We found the food and service excellent there as well.

The only criticisms we had were that the drink service during breakfast and lunch, which are only served at Aphrodite, was at times slow and inconsistent. Yes, we did sometimes not see the food labeled next to the covered containers at the buffet, but it really wasn't that hard to look inside. We also found that the lobby was too warm at times, especially one evening. Better air circulation or air conditioning would cure that problem. The lobby area is where Desire has its nightly entertainment, which we thought was good, albeit a little too loud some nights. Pearl needs a larger venue for its nightly entertainment for that reason and to accommodate more guests. Some have suggested cementing over the pond adjacent to the lobby. We also enjoyed the entertainment in the disco, which began about 10:30 most nights.

One of the reasons we return to the Desire resorts, especially RM and Pearl, is their outstanding service and friendly staffs. Most of the employees really try hard to please the guests. This year we thought the entertainment staff, Charlie, Javoni, Jess and Inga, was the best group we've experienced. They applied the right amount of encouragement to get guests to participate and made the activities fun. The foam party at the pool was a blast.

We were at Pearl when the occupancy was high and liked it. If you enjoy solitude and quiet, go to Pearl when there is not a big group. If you prefer Pearl to be more lively, go when a group will be there. You can check for groups by looking at the Master Calendar on this forum, on the Desire web site, under the Special Events Calendar, web sites of the main travel agencies who book at Desire, and by researching on the Internet. We always do our research on groups before we go. Years ago at Desire Cabo a mostly young group was there part of the time and most of them never took off their swim suits.

There are pros and cons to Pearl and RM. We understand why some people like RM better. Pearl is now our top choice.

[JnCwis]

We have been to Pearl twice and going for a third time in Aug 13. We love the place. We found the service very good and the staff very friendly and attentive. I would recommend Pearl to any one. Sometimes occupancy is low and other times high, we enjoy both ways. The food in our opinion was alway good to very good. The complex is extremely nice and well kept. The rooms are larger than RM which to us is a plus. Having said that we always visit RM when we go to Pearl as we have stayed at RM 4 times and it is more active if you know what I mean. Go to either one they are both fantastic! Jon & Carrie

[GrandRapidscpl]

We just got back from pearl it was our first trip. We loved it. The layout in our opinion is soooo much better then rm the pool is way better and bigger over looking the ocean , the hot tub is huge. We found that the service was great at Pearl. We went to rm went to the bar and couldnt get the bartender to even look at us we had to walk all the way up to the rooftop jacouzi Lou g to get a drink to us the layout at rm was cramed with people stacked on top of each other. The hot tub area seemed dirty and in our opinon is not even close to pearls. We plan on going back to pearl and will not be revisiting rm not for us. As for the food we thought pearl was great for Mexico all inclusive.weve been to the highest rated al inclusives in mexico and none of the food was 5 star. That's not what we went to desire for

[ClassNSass]

Is it possible the influx of Cabo refugees has caught Pearl unprepared staff-wise speaking? If not, I agree there's no reason for anyone to panic about a few less than stellar reviews on TA. You never know the whole story about why people slam a place. The VAST majority of recent reviews are highly favorable.

[candtdesire07]

We just got back from Pearl & will not be going back there. I will agree that a lot of the bad reviews are people comparing RM to Pearl. They are two totally different places.
Personally, we like the atmosphere at RM but we did have a very bad experience at Pearl. We just posted a trip report if you are curious.

In a nutshell, Pearl is visually better looking. bigger, nicer pool & jacuzzi. Nicer, bigger rooms & more mellow/relaxing. We heard someone put it best: "Pearl is like a regular resort except more expensive & you can be naked".
RM has more of a vibe, is more fun, has a better flow and is just more our style. The atmosphere at RM is unmatched & Pearl doesn't come close to it..