July 17-24 2013

[misl]

We just returned from our second trip to Desire Pearl in less than a year. Our first trip to Pearl was also our first trip to a Desire resort so we went with high hopes. As we wrote in our trip report of that visit we had an amazing time and began planning our return trip on our flight home. But as the date for this trip got closer we tried not to get too excited (ha!) just in case our second visit didn’t measure up to our first. We were not disappointed. This year was as good if not better than last year.


We did advance check-in so on arrival things went a bit faster than what we remembered but like last time we were greeted by friendly and efficient staff. Of course upon arrival we received glasses of champagne and nicely chilled damp towels to help us cool off. We had reserved a standard ocean front room but we were offered the Lover’s Upgrade to a Master Suite. In addition to the suite the upgrade included a bottle of Moet champagne (the wife’s favorite), a lobster or steak dinner on the pier and two massages. We happily took the $600 seven-night upgrade and we were thrilled to be offered the same suite that we occupied last time (room number 80). Since we had arrived around lunchtime the suite was not quite ready so we headed to the Aphrodite restaurant for lunch. That was when we experienced the only big difference from our last stay. As we passed the pool we noticed a large number people in there thirties. Most had on their bathing suits which we thought odd and we had a momentary concern that the dress code had changed. It turned out that these people were part of a large and noisy take-over group. For the most part we found this group to be cliquish. We were glad when they had cleared out by Saturday. But because of this group we sat at the “quite” end of the pool until Saturday morning during which time we met a number of lovely couples who were also trying to distance themselves from the take over group.

Saturday saw lots of folks leaving and arriving so by Sunday the resort was back up to about 85% occupancy. This was more than double the occupancy we experienced last summer. The crowd was great and the vibe was even better. The playroom even saw action. The hot tub (as well as the beds) was hoping everyday before dinner. The fun at the tub picked up again after midnight. This year they even got the temperature of the tub right!

Victor and Jared worked hard at pleasing everyone’s chair requests at the pool. The activities team lead by Charlie was great. They were enthusiastic and energetic. Games and challenges were fun. But they never pushed you to participate if you just wanted to veg out or hang by the pool bar. The bar staff was excellent and the guys at the hot tub bar consistently came up with great shots and there were plenty of ladies more than willing to participate and loan their bodies to the cause.

The nightly entertainment was fun and peoples customs were even more fun. This year people even danced after the shows. Maybe that was because of the improved music. Less Pit Bull and more classic rock!

Food was consistently very good to excellent. Both restaurants were running every night though on a couple of nights we found the kitchen at Pearl to be a bit slow. The only disappointment was the sushi (available five nights a week). Though it was good we thought the rolls were a bit small and the variety could have been better. But it is rumored that the resort will be building a Japanese restaurant so maybe the creativity of the sushi chef will rise with that restaurant. We would like to commend the wait staff. All of the waiters and busboys were friendly, attentive and went out of their way to be helpful.

The spa staff was equally excellent. We both enjoyed a relaxation massage that was included in our room upgrade. We will definitely make use of the spa again on our next visit.

Though we didn’t avail ourselves to the services of the dive shop they were clearly busy giving lessons in the quite end of the pool and guests were being taken out to dives with a dive boat picking them up from the pier. People we spoke with sounded happy.

Overall, the resort remains exceptionally well maintained. The rooms are clean and up-to-date. The only improvement can be in bathroom lighting and in-room internet service. Maid service is on par with any luxury resort in the U.S. They even made a midnight call to our room to track down a lizard. The public areas and walkways are exceptionally well maintained. Even the iguanas and coatis appeared to be happy as the meandered around.

Bottom line? We are busy planning our next trip!!

[dandgigi4fun]

Great report...we are planning our next trip.