November 2014 Pearl Trip Report with Pictures!

[couplenindy]

From our doorway (and window) we had a view behind a wall. At first I thought it was a crappy view...but as the week went on I realized this was the area the gardeners started plants and grew plants for keeping the resort beautiful. Before the week was over I actually wished I could go on a tour back there. The gardeners were constantly busy and the resort was beautiful as a result:


Midweek I noticed that iguanas sun themselves on the wall dividing the resort and the gardening area. They were there every day midmorning...at least 2-3 a day. Funny thing is most people we mentioned them to had never noticed them there:

[couplenindy]

There was a lot of other wildlife there too. I love photographing wildlife! We only saw one coatimundi and no raccoons. This was a lot better than the raccoons at Desire RM...they were kind of scary!:



There were a lot of birds as well:



We also saw a lot of these on the beach past the resort...anyone know what it is???

[couplenindy]

Ok...while I hate to put anything negative in this report...I want to be totally honest about our experience. Desire Pearl has staff to "seat you" in pool chairs or on the beach. There isn't really a check in and wait to be seated area...you just wander around looking lost and they find you. In general this is nice because they bring you towels and set up your chair. We didn't really have a problem with this at all until our last day at the resort (a sold out Saturday). We went to the poolside and could not find anyone to seat us. We waited at least 5 minutes. There were no chairs available...except 4 that all had "reserved" signs on them. Finally a couple we had met earlier spoke up and said..."go ahead and sit down and pass the reserved sign to us...we are members and did not take a reserved spot". I sat on the edge of the chair another 5 minutes waiting for a staff member...but no one came by...so we finally got comfortable. Over an hour later a staff member came up to us and told me "I am sorry you are in a members only chair and you will have to move. I can get you a place on the beach". I understand I broke the rules and took a "reserved" spot...but this upset me...it actually embarrassed me to be honest. I feel that no one should be able to hold the last 4 empty chairs at the pool side (and leave them empty for over an hour)! The resort needs to offer incentives to their members that do not take away from the other guests experience. I paid full $$ for my trip and should not have been asked to move....period! Maybe I am overly sensitive...but this experience ruined the afternoon for me. Feel free to disagree with me...these are just my personal feelings about this trip.

I do not have poolside pictures...but I will share a picture my husband drew of me on the trip. He is an artist, but usually works in oil. He used watercolor pencils here, because they are easier to travel with. He drew quite a few more during the trip as well:

[Gemini Rose]

Thank you so much for the report and awesome pictures! The chair thing would have pissed me off and embarrassed me too. In my opinion there should be two poolside chairs available for each room. We visited Pearl for a few hours in September. We'll be making our first "staying there" visit in May.

[couplenindy]

The resort put together a beautiful, classy, meet-n-greet in the lobby for Party Naked Baby the first day of our trip. It was a sushi and champagne event with a DJ...at 6pm on Sunday. The staff introduced themselves to our group. It really made our group feel welcome and was a great start to the trip!

I feel the general overall service was better than we had experienced at Desire RM or Desire Cabo. I felt like I was at a 5 star restaurant all week...even at the lunch buffet!

Speaking of food...It was all wonderful!! My favorite restaurant was the new Sushi restaurant (yes...it is open). It is only open on Friday and Saturday nights...this is a shame...I could have eaten there all week! They do not have a non-sushi option...so it is not for everyone. We had a 30 minute wait to be seated, but they have a martini bar and seating on the upstairs patio while you wait.

There is menu service at most times in Aphrodite...even if they do not offer you a menu you can ask what you can order from the kitchen if you do not want the buffet. The buffet was very good though!

My favorite foods of the week included: escargot at Pearl – chicken on bone from lunch buffet – tempura shrimp tacos ordered from lunch menu- tons of fresh fruit at breakfast – guacamole! – all of the cream soups (some of the best soups I have ever had) – Salmon at Pearl on Aphrodisiac night (cooked to perfection)– tiramisu - sushi

I personally felt that the food was much better at Pearl than Desire RM. I heard other people say they preferred the food at Desire RM. I guess it is just a matter of opinion!

[WhiteSands]

Fabulous pictures couplenindy, you have captured the very essence of my favourite place on the planet! x

[couplenindy]

The beach at Pearl is absolutely beautiful! It wins over RM hands down!!


We enjoyed walking out on the pier a few time. I would be careful swimming off of the pier though. We saw a man having difficulty getting back on the pier after jumping off...and was having a hard time getting back to shore due to waves and being tired. We went to the dive shack and told them...they came out to help/watch him until he was safe. We had friends book a private dinner out on the pier one evening and said it was wonderful (about $150)! Their only suggestion was to book it a little earlier than you would think so you have some daylight to enjoy the view.





I will post a little about our walk to Puerto Morales this afternoon...otherwise I think I am almost done!
~Indy

[couplenindy]

Thanks for all of the nice comments!

We only left the resort one day during our visit. If your turn right while looking at the water on the beach...you will head into Puerto Morales. It was a brisk 20 min or leisurely 30 minute walk down the beach. I recommend grabbing a bottle of water before you leave...the walk can be hot! The first beach area past the resort is a protected turtle wildlife area. I am not sure what time of the year the turtles hatch, but it would be great to see them! My husband actually saw a small turtle in the water not far from this area. We didn't walk around town much, but it looks like you could spend an afternoon here easily. We heard some guests from the resort say they had lunch in town and they really enjoyed it. We went into a small grocery store and looked around. I always find it interesting to see what foods are carried in different parts of the world.

The last pictures is coming back to the resort. The glass enclosure is the new sushi restaurant (I bet it would have a wonderful view on a full moon night).







On departure day...our ride from Lomas never showed up! The front desk at Pearl called and confirmed our pick-up with Lomas a few days before departure, but when we called on departure day they said they had us booked for the day before. We had to grab a cab last minute and rush to get our flight. We made our flight and met a wonderful cab driver (we are now FB friends) that we will use on future trips to Pearl.

Overall, we had a wonderful week and plan to return to Desire Pearl with Party Naked Baby in November 2015!
Thanks for reading my trip report...I enjoyed looking back over the week!

[K&S4Fun&Sun]

Fantastic report. We were just there in October...and are going back January 30th...but seeing those pictures makes us homesick for Pearl! Thank you for taking the time and effort to put this together for everyone.

[Jasonky]

Thank you for all the great pics and report! I really enjoy reliving my experiences at the resort!!! Soooo much fun!!!

[tan44]

Great job, thank you.
Really nice pictures.

[Beach girl]

Really enjoyed the pictures and the trip report. Anxiously awaiting our Dec 11 arrival, stayed at RM before, Pearl looks like a good choice this time

[Al & Kim]

Like everyone else, I want to say thanks for making us feel like we are there with you pictures and report. 93 days until we can be back to paradise.

[couplenindy]

Thank you all for the nice posts! I love to write trip reports...it is like reliving the week again

[BeantownNewbs]

Wow. Cudos for the impressive and extensive photos.

I especially liked the pic from the room, because it gave me a sense of being in a quasi interior room, overlooking the pool and the still having a good feel for the ocean.

I also liked the pic of Mr. Indy in his bathrobe...but I agree with you...whats with those getups, when a nice think terry robe would be great!