Pearl Trip - July 21-27, 2020

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Pearl Trip - July 21-27, 2020

Postby beachnbaja » Tue Jul 28, 2020 12:07 pm

We are back from our trip and wanted to share just a few things for others thinking about going since so many others were helpful to us in making our decision. Instead of doing a standard trip report, we thought we would do a quick Q&A based on things we would have wanted to know in this unique time:

What was the crowd like?
This seems to be the biggest concern for most people right now. During our week there, the crowd changed a bit throughout the week. We arrived on a Tuesday, and the crowd was definitely lower than a "normal" week at Pearl. We would guess it was at 30% or so. But, we quickly learned that was because a huge number of the people at the resort were on the Catamaran sailing. This was quickly confirmed as the crowd that night and over the next few days was much better. We can't say for sure, but the number felt much closer to 50-70% of capacity. The % probably doesn't matter as much as we would simply say...there was plenty of people there those days to make everything feel pretty normal and fun. Our last couple of days, the crowd was less (many left on Saturday) but still fun.
If you are going for the purpose of being around as many people as possible, yes, you will notice the difference in capacity. But, we would not let the lower capacity keep us from going again. And honestly, do you really want everything packed right now with people? We didn't. Overall, it was a very fun group of people and we will share more details below.

What were the noticeable differences going now vs "regular Desire"?
This is a question we would have loved to see in one place, but most of these things have been mentioned somewhere on the board. You will notice the staff is cleaning everywhere and all the time. It isn't distracting and is actually comforting. You will notice that there may be less staff (to meet the lower capacity) but that they are working harder than ever to make up for it.
For breakfast, there is still a buffet but they handle all of the serving for you. Lunch is all to order. Both are still good. And yes, the green juice is still there. For dinner, all 3 restaurants are usually not open. There were a couple of nights that they were. Most nights, Aphrodite was open with one of the other two open (Pearl or Suki). Pearl OR Suki were open every night except for a "special BBQ" they were going to do on Sunday night by the Pool. Unfortunately, the weather didn't allow that so only Aphrodite was open. They still did the BBQ but it was a disappointing way to end our trip dinner wise as it was the worst meal we had. Overall, the food quality was the same as usual. For us, we love Pearl. So we wished it was open every night. Suki is good and was fine to eat in a couple of times. Usually within a week, the menu in Pearl will change a bit. On this trip, it was the same every night. But, there are enough options to keep it from ever getting old.
Probably the biggest difference we noticed compared to a regular Pearl week was just the atmosphere in the pool and Hot tub. It wasn't boring by any means. And on the most crowded days it was certainly full and fun. But a typical trip would see a very full pool all move over into the Hot tub at 4pm. Those hot tub times are some of the best times at Pearl (as well as late night). This is probably where the lower crowds are most felt. Yes, people are still in there, but its a noticeable difference. We didn't find that this ruined anything at all....it just changed things a bit.
Since the hot tub at 4pm wasn't as crowded we tended to use the afternoon to rest and relax for the evening. And oddly, the evenings were just as fun if not more fun than a "regular week". Yes, every crowd is different. But the crowd during our week was awesome. It was a great week of dancing and drinking in the club (just can't call it a disco ha).
They are only doing shows roughly every other night but the live bands they have every night are really good.
There are still games throughout the day. The spa is still fully open. The staff is still the best around. The food is still good. They still do lunch BBQ's some days. There are still great times to be had.

How did Covid-19 effect the crowd and interactions?

It didn't. We didn't expect it would, but one of the nicest things about being at Pearl was the ability to just "be free" (naked, no masks etc). Now, this also means that there is the opportunity for spread. You are knowing that in going. So far so good for us as we feel great upon returning home. But since it can take 4-12 days to experience symptoms we will have to wait and see.
We were a bit surprised and concerned just how many people talked down the epidemic. Yes, we all understand that at Desire, there will be no social distancing. And as we said above, we loved that. But, we were hoping most people took the Virus serious at home before their trip and when flying in in order to protect others when being there. We were just a bit surprised how many people (and maybe we were just naive) downplayed the virus and seemed to not do anything special to prepare before arriving. Our attitude was that we knew there was a chance we might get it, but we didn't want to be responsible for giving it. We encourage others to do the same before arriving at Pearl. Not just for the well being of others. But to keep Pearl open for the wonderful staff who badly need it to be.

Overall, would we recommend Pearl under the current conditions?

Yes. With the caveat you will not be getting the full Pearl experience. Maybe 80% of the experience. Ha. But, 80% of Pearl is better than most places. We met some wonderful people, had amazing conversations, ate some wonderful food and had a terrific time.
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Re: Pearl Trip - July 21-27, 2020

Postby swgap » Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:02 pm

Thank you. Just the type of review we've been waiting for.
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Re: Pearl Trip - July 21-27, 2020

Postby qwerty » Tue Jul 28, 2020 6:42 pm

Thanks beachnbaja for taking the time to write the report after your trip. We're going in a couple weeks and glad to hear that it's about 80% Pearl.
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Re: Pearl Trip - July 21-27, 2020

Postby Whodat2024 » Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:15 pm

Thanks for the excellent report... I loved your format in that it hit the key questions that we and I’m sure many others have. We are booked for the first week of October and we are still weighing all the factors. We want to go but we are in that age range considered at risk, even though we are both healthy and have no underlying conditions.

So ... continue to keep us all updated on your health. I hope you stay healthy and safe!
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Re: Pearl Trip - July 21-27, 2020

Postby Cherniy » Thu Jul 30, 2020 3:45 pm

While not "veterans" by any means, this was our second trip and can attest to all the beachnbaja stated.

We found it to be a worthwhile break from the madness of COVID.

The staff all need to be highly commended for their efforts!
Pearl 8/18
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Re: Pearl Trip - July 21-27, 2020

Postby brks » Sat Aug 01, 2020 10:17 pm

Thank you for all the details in your report!
It's great to hear that most things are still the same @ Pearl and the virus craziness didn't affect your interactions.
80% of the experience is still a lot for the time being, considering..
Hope you guys are healthy, safe and sound!
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