Desire Pearl vs Desire RM

[Eroticdesires]

I am unsure if this is the best place to post this comparison of the two resorts, but I figured anyone interested in a Pearl booking will probably look in this area of the forum in deciding which resort may be right for their vacation.

The Pearl vs. Desire RM

Two years ago I did a comparison of Desire RM vs. Desire Cabo. Having recently returned from our annual Desire Trip in late June/early July, I thought I would compare Desire RM and The Pearl using basically the same criteria. Our trip this year consisted of 4 days at Desire RM and then 3 days at The Pearl. The comparison will be based on the resort infrastructure and staff. Please be aware that my evaluations are based solely on my personal opinions and I will be using the 10 point must scoring system (Boxing/MMA style). I definitely welcome others opinions and responses as well as their own experiences.

Resort grounds/layout/ease of getting around

Both resorts are very well maintained and the staff is continually keeping the grounds well manicured. The layout of the RM resort is a bit cozier with the lobby bar, disco, restaurants, pool, and Jacuzzi lounge being fairly centrally located. Although there is a bit more stairs to climb at the RM i.e., disco, Jacuzzi lounge, all the stairs at the Pearl is in the guest room buildings. I will actually call this a tie, but your opinion may differ if you get a room with more than two flights of stairs at the Pearl. (RM 10, Pearl 10).

Guest Rooms

The updated RM rooms are quite stylish and it seems more storage has been added. However, the rooms at Pearl are just plain nicer, more spacious in every room category. Again, the only downfall at Pearl is dealing with stairs if your room is on a higher floor, but the views are definitely better as well. Cleanliness has always been good and any problems with the rooms seem to be corrected by the resort in a timely manner. (RM 9, Pearl 10).

Staff

This is one our favorite reasons for coming to Desire, the amazing staff. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome and are genuinely interested in providing outstanding service. The check in staff and butler service at both resorts are top notch.

We do not interact too much with the entertainment staff during the day because we are beach bed people so I would rate the night time E-staff fairly equal. I would also say the restaurant servers at both resorts are very attentive and friendly.

Bar service is definitely an area that RM wins handily. The only service issue we had at Pearl was the beach bartenders seem to have an attitude. At 4:35pm, I asked for a glass of water and was ignored, one of the beach attendants came over and asked if I needed help and I mentioned I just need some water. He also tried to get the bartenders attention without success, so the beach attendant reached around and got a glass for me. The bartenders then glared at me telling me that they are closed, the first time he actually made eye contact with me. If I had known the bar was closed 5 minutes ago, I would have been happy to go get water elsewhere. On a following day, I noticed the same issue with other guests, at exactly 4:30pm, the swim up bartenders refused to serve any additional drinks and began ignoring anyone coming to the bar area (recent change seems to have been made to extend the swim up bar hours to 5:30pm).

We love the staff so much at Desire Cancun, that if we did not go back yearly, we would feel guilty about not seeing them. Some staff at the Pearl have the same genuine level of service, but for right now, RM scores a knockdown in this round (RM 10, Pearl 8 ).

Food/Restaurants

We have very high expectations when it comes to food quality and taste. We are not foodies or food snobs, but we are spoiled to live in one of the top culinary cities in the world. With that being said, it would be difficult for any restaurants in an all-inclusive resort to rival the dining available to us at home. However, we have never been completely disappointed in any meals that we have had at RM or Pearl (with the exception of Oriental Buffet night at Pearl). I would give breakfast and lunch at Pearl a slight edge in food quality, but a definitive edge in the al fresco dining experience. However, we definitely enjoyed dinner at RM’s a la carte restaurant a bit more and the lobby bar late night pizza/sandwiches at RM were hands down better than Pearl (RM10, Pearl 10).

Beach

This is a tough one to decide. The sand at both beaches is equally nice although the water at the Pearl is definitely a nicer shade of blue. However, we love the beach beds at RM and the gentle protected waves. Although the pier is technically not part of the beach at Pearl, it is a fantastic spot to relax. I am going to give call it another tie as we do love the beach at both resorts (RM 10, Pearl 10).

Pool

I do have to admit that I am more of a beach person when we go to RM and don’t spend a lot of time at the pool. The swim up bar is one of the reasons the Pearl wins this easily, plus the pool is also much larger and there is the relaxing transition into a quiet side of the pool. The only major complaint about both of the pools is probably the water temperature (RM 8, Pearl 10).

Jacuzzi Lounge

As for the Jacuzzi Lounges, I have to say, the Pearl design and actual size is by far superior to RM. The only criticism I have of Pearl is the bar area is swim up and can only serve people inside the water . The actual beds at Pearl are nicer, but it seems that some couples use it to actually lounge or store their possessions and not for the intended exhibitionistic intent. Please note that this comparison of lounges is more of the physical attributes, if we were to compare wild, crazy experiences at the Jacuzzi lounge, RM would win hands down (RM 9, Pearl 10).

Lobby Bar/Lounge

The Pearl has a nice grand entry and is a great relaxing space, however the stagnant air devoid of breeze or air conditioning makes it very uncomfortable during the hotter months. Although the seating is a bit disjointed at RM and some of it enclosed in glass, the space is still a much nice place to relax after dinner or late at night. It is also a much larger bar at the RM lobby and a true gathering space. Until they figure out how to cool the Pearl Lobby area, it is not even an option to lounge there for long periods of time. (RM 10, Pearl 8 ).

Disco/playroom

The RM disco was remodeled again recently and they did a great job on the dance floor The playroom is adequate, the circular bar is still cool, the smoker’s terrace is a blast, jeez, and I even like the bathrooms… The Pearl disco is a fun spot, but we never really felt the vibe and excitement we normally feel at RM. The Pearl dance floor is tile and the playroom is small (RM 10, Pearl 9).

Spa/Gym

The spa facilities at Pearl are slightly nicer and newer than RM. As for the staff massage services, my wife rates them both equally. As we do not normally use the gym, on appearance they so seem fairly comparable (RM 9, Pearl 10).

Let’s take a look at the scoring recap.

Resort grounds/layout RM 10 - P 10
Rooms RM 9 - P 10
Staff RM 10 - P 8
Food/Restaurants RM 10 - P 10
Beach RM 10 - P 10
Pool RM 8 - P 10
Jacuzzi Lounge RM 9 - P 10
Lobby Bar RM 10 - P 8
Disco/playroom RM 10 - P 9
Spa RM 9 - P 10

Total : RM 95 Pearl 95

I cannot say I am completely surprised that my results are dead even. I actually expected the Pearl to be higher as the overall resort location and design is truly superior to RM. However, I think most Desire RM veterans are so comfortable with the resort and especially the staff that anything different will feel a bit strange.

Our only hesitation for booking at Pearl for a full week is not related to the resort, but to the possibility of low occupancy. This can be easily remedied by going during a takeover or coordinating a trip with another couple or group of couples. It really only takes one or two couples to make a trip memorable…but it sure is fun to see the craziness that sometimes only a full resort can bring forth.

The resorts close proximity to each other does allow the guests to have a taste of both resorts fairly easily and you could also ease into trying the Pearl with a split trip like we did this year. We will probably book a full week at the Pearl in the near future as I think I will need the time to really evaluate the resort, of course we would still visit RM so we can chat with Cici, Carlos, Eiler (Ace), Edmundo, and Gerrado. I just realized that I spend a lot of time at the RM bars…

[neatfeet]

Excellent, thanks!!

We have decided to spend 4 days at each resort for our December trip. This is a great help.

[Rossy]

Great Post. I like the 10 pt eval. We will be at Pearl in Nov. New to the experience but intrigued. Hope to see others and have a great time.

Thanks,
Rossy

[JandH]

Dlee,

Nice post as always. I have had the opportunity to read several comparisons between the two resorst, and it generally comes down to a draw between the criteria that you included in your review. Any difference between the two usually involves the vibe.

If you care to, I would love to hear what you feel about the differences of the vibes of the resorts.

Thanks in advance.

[Eroticdesires]

Hi JandH,

One of the reasons I did not try to compare the vibes was the overwhelming bias I would have towards RM over Pearl. Having stayed at RM for about 30 nights over 4 years and staying at Pearl for only 3 nights would make my observations a bit slanted.

I would say that the vibe during the day both resorts is fairly equal and even the happy hours at the Jacuzzi lounges is fairly equal. I favor RM based on the night time vibe that you get from the central gathering the lobby bar offers after dinner, and the RM Disco is just plain electric most nights. And now with the Foam party, there really is nothing that compares to adding bubbles and a DJ and to the Jacuzzi lounge. Overall, we just felt a sexier vibe at RM especially at night.

However, sometimes we are responsible for our own vibe, if we are open to talking to others, genuinely interested in making friends, then we constantly are enjoying our vacation. If we stand in the corner, look bored and unapproachable then it would not matter if we were at Desire RM, Pearl or Azul Beach next door. I do think veterans of Desire RM will have a much more difficult time transitioning to Pearl as they will be doing a lot of internal comparisons in their head. My recommendation is to get naked, have a few drinks and then it really doesn't matter which Desire you are staying at.

Cheers,

Derek