First, a few things about us. We're in our mid 30s-early 40s and have never tried anything like this before. We have a great marriage and sex life, but after years of kids, careers, and the commitments that come with busy lives, we were in need of a real vacation to recharge, relax, and reconnect with each other. We decided upon Desire because it offered a sensual vacation in a unique environment. After reading a lot of trip reports and some discussion, we were excited, if a little nervous, about the nudity aspect, and tolerant of the lifestyle-friendly environment. The trip, however, was going to be about us, and not hooking up with someone else while there. We're also fairly reserved, even a little shy, in real life, so the fact that so many reports indicated that everyone was so friendly and easy to talk to strongly appealed to us.
As many of the other trip reports cover some of the same details in nearly identical manner, we won't reiterate on most of the standard stuff. Instead, we will focus on a few things that related to us, as someone new to this resort and experience. I should mention that most trip reports are dead on accurate, so go with those in mind (recognizing that some are pickier about things than others), and you should have few surprises about the facility, food, service, and atmosphere.
Check-in was fast and efficient (express check-in may have helped). The staff is amazingly helpful and friendly. Reward them accordingly. They make an effort to remember your name and needs. The Mrs has a food allergy, and the wait-staff and chefs did a great job accommodating this, and reassured us very early during our stay that we had nothing to worry about.
The Ocean-view room was perfectly acceptable. You could certainly find better rooms at a swanky Vegas or New York hotel, but we weren't there to enjoy the room decor. As has been mentioned elsewhere, you couldn't see much of the ocean from our room, but we were rarely there during daylight anyway, so not much of a loss. You could still hear the waves, and that was enough.
The people (guests and staff) really make the place what it is. As I mentioned above, the staff go above and beyond. With few exceptions, we quickly found that the other guests were non-judgmental, easy to talk to, and quick with a fun comment or joke. A few couples in particular, were great fun to hang out with, especially one in particular (you know who you are). The laughs we shared from the pool part on really made the trip what it was.
The best part, however, was the way in which the Mrs and I really did reconnect. Sounds cliche, but the ability to completely unplug from regular life, combined with the opportunity to express yourself to each other (and others) in a sexy, fun way, really brought the inner kid out in us. We haven't been this passionate since we dated many years ago, and this has continued days after returning. Words can't express how this really plays out, but if you allow it, it just happens. Some guests have said that the resort fell short of their expectations; I think this is partly due to the fact that you should go without expectations. Go there with an open mind, go with what moves you in the moment, and push your personal comfort zone a bit...and you'll be surprised by what you experience.
An example:
The Mrs participated in the sexy schoolgirl night. Not realizing she would have to dance, she joined the others on the stage at the request of one of the ECs. Remember, that she is very reserved and not used to being the center of attention in any situation, let alone dressed in a sexy outfit. When her time came to dance, she put it out there for everyone to enjoy (especially for me). It wasn't the most exotic, racy, or technical of the dances that night, but it was very seductive and came from the heart and she would have never have done it publicly in any other environment. It floored me that she had the courage to do it, and made me want to take her right there on the stage! Desire does that to you.
Nudity and PDA/PDS: We got there about mid day on Thursday, and after eating lunch and unpacking, went down to the pool. The pool is the center of socializing until about 4, where it moves to the jacuzzi. Rather than agonizing over when was the right time to get nude, I stripped after about 15 minutes...looked around...and wondered what the big deal was. After that, I never thought much about it other than it was really exhilarating to be free from clothing, especially when in water. The Mrs was more cautious, and took her time. There was a much older guy at the jaccuzzi bar the first night, and his aggressive approach probably set her back a day. By the 2nd or 3rd day she was regularly topless, and by the last evening totally nude. The entire time, I never really dwelled on examining the other guests. You'd think you would want to gawk given all of the naked people around, but I was really into the Mrs, and never paid much attention. It surprised me a little that the daytime nudity isn't about being sexy anyway; it's more about socializing and being free and comfortable in ones own skin. It was so liberating. It shouldn't have been a surprise because so many people mention this aspect. The evening wear and dance club - and the jaccuzzi afterwards - was where people got to be truly sexy.
We witnessed a lot of PDA (sexy kissing, caressing, etc) everywhere and at all times. You can't help but do it yourself in this environment. I could hardly keep my hands and attention off Mrs during our stay. PDS was almost entirely at the jaccuzzi. From 4 until we left for dinner every day, there was some PDS on the beds, usually someone looking for a crowd to watch. We didn't find it particularly sexy, but didn't mind it either. After the initial shock factor to us newbies, It was just something happening in the background as we socialized with friends. A funny comment now and then, but that was it. I was at the bar talking to someone and bumped into someone getting a BJ, we apologized to one another, laughed about it, and both turned back to what we were doing.
Go back after the dance club wound down, usually around 11 or 12, and things really heated up. Something about the lighting and shadows added immensely to the sensuality at night. If you only experienced it in the daylight, you missed out, because it was a totally different experience at night. One night 3 couples (I think it was 3, there were so many bodies up there I lost track!) had a great time together on the platform at the center of the tub. They then moved to one of the beds. There were other couples scattered about, with everyone involved in some level of activity. That was the wildest scene that we witnessed, but you could definitely count on an increased level of activity every night if you stayed long enough. We worked up enough confidence to actually play on one of the beds on the final night, and had a good time, not caring if anyone was watching or not (everyone else was preoccupied too).
To sum up, Desire is what you make of it. Be prepared to push out of your comfort zone to get the most of it. That could be socializing, dancing, PDA/PDS, massage, etc. Just try new things. The other lesson is go without firm expectations. If you go expecting to cross specific experiences off your checklist, you may be disappointed. If you go with an open mind, ready to seize opportunities before you, ready to try something new, you will be happily rewarded.
We will probably return when time and money allows. We recommend others try it out, especially if you come with an open mind and no preconceived notions about what to expect, beyond what you've read on this forum. The trip reports really are that good. To echo another recent trip report, if you're new to this experience, you really do need to allow at least 4-5 days to get into it. A two- or three-day trip only gets you through the initial period where you really start to get into it (our experience anyway).