Budlee wrote:I suggest you don't travel to Punta Cana, then. No resorts heat their pools. When the weather is 80 or better year round (as it is in the Cancun area), finding a heated pool outdoors is not that common. I don't think it's chintzy at all!
I think if the pool temp was warmer, you'd find a lot more people socializing during the day and lounging in the pool, like they do in the jacuzzi. That was my experience at Temptation in August, when it was 95 degrees out and the pool temp was toasty. Same with Sandals (yuck), but the pool was very warm and people were hanging in the pool and by the pool bar for hours. At DP in the winter, it's not happening. People will play games and a few brave souls venture in to cool off and some hang out for a bit by the bar, but it's hardly the fun scene it could be.
Budlee wrote:I might recommend something other than a BLT for lunch, at a resort in Mexico. Did you try the fish tacos at lunch? Exceptional. If I want a BLT, I'll go to a diner at home. In MX, I feel you'll do better ordering something that more closely resembles local cuisine.
We tried most things: from the buffet and the luncheon menu, from fish tacos (ok, in our opinion), to blackened tuna (pretty boring), to the burger (not bad, would melt the cheese and toast the bun, which could have been done if I ordered a second time and had it translated properly), to the pizza (mushy and bland, despite requesting crispy), to most of the buffet items, from the baked chicken (bland -- which is surprising for Mexican cooking) to most of the prepared salads (also surprisingly bland). Certainly not "wow" items for our tastes, except the habanero sauce is deliciously spicy. So when I say the BLT was the best luncheon item, it's not that I am a huge BLT fan, but that it was simply good. The whole wheat bread was tasty and toasted perfectly; I only had two slices, so it wasn't too bready, and overall was light (compared to many of the heavier items) and tasty.
As for Mexican vs. non-Mexican, I was even disappointed in the tortilla chips -- very thick and heavy. Actually, the resort's menus are highly non-Mexcian. The themes and dishes very international: Italian, French, Steak, Mediterranean, Fusion...yes, there is one Mexican night, if you so desire.
This is just our opinion...I thought the food in general and certain items in particular at the Italian restaurant at Temptation was actually better, and certainly expected the food at Desire to be up a big notch. Did we go hungry: no. Did we say wow, delicious? Rarely. The mushroom soup was terrific (no cream); the mille-feuille was excellent: crisp pasty and very tasty; and I loved the $40 grilled simply lobster tail with butter and garlic sauce on the side (I wish I had taken a pic).
Some people love the food: one person above called it sublime, and that's great. Many people don't care about the food, and Desire as is just great perfect. I think we're seeing operational inexperience, because I think it can be done in and around their budget -- their menus and presentations are excellent, as generally is the service -- the end-product just isn't very special, in our opinion. An no, we weren't expecting the food to match a one star restaurant in Paris or a top restaurant in NY, Boston, Chicago, etc. Perhaps something more akin to the premium/specialty restaurants on a cruise, where I generally enjoy the food. The steak in the steak restaurant on a cruise is usually great. The intimate "French" restaurant is usually pretty damn tasty on a cruise (ignoring the calories) while the escargots from the French theme night at the Pearl were among the worst I've ever had. Similarly, the steak from the steak dinner menu at Aphrodite on Wed night was poor. I didn't try the $30 steak from the premium menu; next time I will.
The reality is, from among the people we spoke to and from posts in these forums, most people just don't care about the food. A subset does care, but just overlooks it, because so many other elements about Desire are great/unique. And I'm sure there's a smaller subset like us that would pay more to get more/better. Personally, as I said, I think it can be done within Desire's food budget or for just a little more money...they just haven't figured it out yet, and operating at such high occupancy, there's not a lot of motivation to do much different/better.
This same type of discussion exists about room locations: some people say they don't spend much time in the room and don't care and just want the cheapest room possible; some people want to see the ocean and hear and feel the waves and the location and view from the room/patio/balcony is important; and some people want to overlook the jacuzzi, because that's a view unto its own. Some people are happy with well drinks; some people want fine wines.
We happen to care about the food, wine, and room/ocean view. That's our perspective. And as I said, I'd pay for it, but I think the for the rates Desire is charging, the food and wine quality should be better. I certainly respect and understand everyone else's opinion and Desire's occupancy and popularity speaks for itself. And I would return, maybe ordering off the menu more regularly, and surely continuing to bring my own wines and certain other booze (especially given the extremely high wine markups). Cheers!
