First Trip Report: May 6-10, 2024 (and a long-shot request)

[swcouple]

First, thanks to everyone who has posted trip reports before now. We read almost all of them, and they prepared us for just about all aspects of Pearl. Given how helpful they were, we wanted to post our own in case it might be useful for someone considering a trip. This was our first trip to any Desire property.

Getting there. We do not recommend Lomas Travel for transfers to Pearl. Our driver, despite our instructions and what he had down on the paperwork, worked valiantly to drive us to RM. He got lost in the process. Once he realized he needed to get us to Pearl, instead, he got lost again. My wife drank a beer in the van, which was a brilliant idea. I did not, so I wasn't in the greatest of moods when we finally arrived.

Acclimation. Again, our first time at Desire. It took me a couple of hours of sensory overload to finally feel ok at Pearl. I'm assuming that's somewhat normal, but it's like you walk into a completely different world. Even though I was prepared, it was still tough. But after a drink or two in the jacuzzi, it was much better.

Food. I've read mixed reviews on the food. My review: It's the weakest part of the Desire experience. The breakfast and lunch buffets provide a relatively wide range of options, but almost none of them are tasty. Our dinner experiences were a little better. Suki had some good options, and mediterranean night at Pearl was pretty good. It's clear that the chefs know how to use spices (including salt and pepper) when they want to, but they didn't seem to want to on the buffet. Several other guests told us they thought the food was not great. We were fans of the late-night room service (pizzas).

Staff. Phenomenal. As advertised. Everyone--from waiters to bartenders to playmakers to front desk staff to the wonderful groundskeeper--was friendly, kind, and enthusiastic. Just lovely people. Tip them.

Pool area. We needed shade, and we didn't have any trouble getting beds and an umbrella each day. You tip the pool staff, and they set you up with chairs/a bed for as long as you're there. We're introverts, and we picked the party side of the pool. It was great. The playmakers weren't overly pushy, and we enjoyed being in the middle of the action and seeing all the games and activities. The quiet side, even though not very far away, was very quiet. While we liked the louder side during the day, we were glad our room was closer to the quiet side of the pool.

Guests. We were told they were at 80% occupancy during our stay. Most guests were between 40-65. All body types, and all body (and body part) sizes. And nobody cares. I read that before our trip, and I found it hard to believe. But it's true. Once you get over seeing a lot of naked people milling around, you realize that nobody cares what you look like. This is probably the best and most liberating part of Pearl, from our experience. Nudity? 95% of women were topless; 80% were bottom-less. 75% of the men were bottom-less. And, again, nobody cares if you are or aren't naked.

Everyone we met was incredible. Many guests seemed to already know each other, but they were all friendly and welcoming to us. Most folks were in the LS, but we were advised early on to ask people what "LS" means to them. The answers we got varied, and it was fascinating hearing everyone's stories. We found that LS folks are, as a rule, very thoughtful and reflective, so it's interesting to talk about their relationships and what they're looking for. We met several amazing couples, a few that we hope to stay in touch with. (See long-shot request below!)

Membership presentation. We were asked at check-in if we wanted to attend the membership presentation in exchange for 2 regular massages. We said no. They said ok. Nobody mentioned it again.

Jacuzzi. Huge and amazing. With a swim-up bar and bathrooms nearby, I could pretty much live in there. In general, the late afternoons were very busy in there--50 or 60 people. We were surprised that so few people went back later in the night. Sometimes just 10 or so. The beds around the jacuzzi saw action every night, but not a lot. We saw very little going on in the beds (other than lounging) during the afternoons.

Cups. I read several suggestions that you take a cup with a straw and a lid for the pool and jacuzzi. We did, but we quickly abandoned them as being too much trouble in the water. The bars use plastic cups that they recycle, so that was easy. I used my cup from home for water (and liquid IV). I'd recommend that. Liquid IV is great in the morning as you're getting your feet back under you from a late night. Bottled water was plentiful everywhere.

Alcohol. I wrongly assumed that the only free liquor was the well liquor. Once I figured out that we could order the better liquor by name for no charge, we did so. Rookie error.

Sensual massage. We tried it. We loved it. My wife particularly enjoyed Fernando. I enjoyed watching.

Nightlife. The shows were all very good, and it was fun seeing and hearing the pre-show entertainment (starting at 9:30). That's a great, great people-watching opportunity. 85% of women dressed up for the theme nights, and the level of participation varied. Some were more modest, and some were nearly naked. If you want to flaunt it, this is the perfect environment to do so. Probably around 50% of the men dressed up. I did a couple of theme nights (Greek gods/goddesses and angels/devils), but otherwise wore pants and a button-down. And, let's be honest, nobody's looking at the guys at night.... My wife leaned in and loved it (as did I).

Final thoughts / suggestions: Lots has been written about the normal rhythm of the day (AM pool, lunch, PM pool, jacuzzi, dinner, pre-show, show, disco, jacuzzi), and that rhythm is real. But quite a few people do their own thing--they stay in the pool after most people go to the jacuzzi, or they disappear after the show, or whatever. My wife called Pearl a "build your own adventure," and she's right. Do whatever you want to do, even if that's taking an afternoon nap.

Finally, a lot of trip reports have mentioned that everything depends on the random mix of people who show up while you're at Pearl. To some extent, that's true. We were lucky and had some incredible (interesting and beautiful) people there during our week. But, we were also committed to making the most of Pearl, regardless of who was there. There are so many opportunities to enjoy your partner in ways that are less easy back home. We loved that aspect of Pearl, and we grabbed those opportunities whenever we could. Our experience was so much better because of the people we met. But it would have been memorable and worth it, even if we didn't connect with anyone else.

OK. HERE'S OUR LONG-SHOT REQUEST: On Monday (5/6), we met a couple in the jacuzzi in the afternoon. They live near us. They invited us to dinner at Suki, and we met back up with them in the jacuzzi that night. We toured their rooms in the Mansion, and they gave us a half-bottle of wine late that night because they were leaving early on Tuesday. We meant to exchange contact info with you guys, but we failed. We'd love to have dinner with you back home. If you read this and would like to connect, please reply!

[spanky67]

Thanks for the report. Well written and with actual punctuation! Stupid, I know...but it does make it more readable.

A couple comments. We've been 5 times, never to RM, but we did make it to the DR before closing ...

While the crowds do vary from week to week, the quality of the people is always outstanding. Both the visitors and the staff. I do think your trip was successful because you went with the right attitude.

I did disagree with your food summation on one point. I agree the food is "meh" at best. But you've got to keep in mind it all inclusive. They're cooking to the mean. I once heard someone make the analogy that the food is basically "cruise food". I thought that was a perfect description. It's not great...but you won't go hungry either. One suggestion for a future trip...head into Puerto Moreles for dinner one night. Very cheap and very safe cab ride (10-15 minutes). Pearl will set it up. They will drop you right in town and pick you up in the same spot. If you're at all like us, we would've greeted that suggestion with a big fat NFW. We finally stopped being pussies about it and jumped in with a small group of friends (ok, we were still pussies but at least we went). The food was great and we never felt ill at ease.

We too have seen the late night jacuzzi be empty one night and the next night be completely nuts.

I'd re-think the cup thing. Get a little too drunk in the jacuzzi, and if the bubbles are working you might wind up with a little more than booze in your cup. Also, if you go when it gets hotter you'll want an insulated cup to give your cold beverage a fighting chance. One last thing, I always keep a rubber band around my cup. I wrap a stack of $2 bills in the rubber band for tips. Solves the "where do you keep tip money" question when naked...and I'm sure the bartenders appreciate a dry tip.

Good luck finding your friends. We made lifelong friends on our first trip...completely by accident. We'll be heading back to Pearl with them in August and December this year, as well as Vegas next month for one of their birthdays.

Thanks again for the review

[J&STX]

Fantastic trip report. We enjoyed the live and unedited version with you two each contributing to your perspectives. We can't wait to go... We hope to find as much fun as y'all did.