Desire Resort Forums

We have been to Rm 3 times but this time stayed at Pearl.

Booked through Orbitz and USA transfers booked through the forum. Both flawless. Also did express check in which also went smooth.

Arrived on Saturday around 12:30 and dropped stuff off at the locker in the spa and luggage stored. Wife changed and we went to lunch. After lunch we got a bed at the quiet end of the pool, stripped down, and jumped in for the foam party.

Afterwards we went and got our room (memo to self - find room then start drinking. Will make life easier).

Rooms. Much larger and nicer at Pearl. Liked that we had a tub though we never used it.

Pool. Liked the larger pool but noticed less social interaction than RM as there was room to spread out. So not sure if larger is better or not.

Chairs. Impossible during our week to get a chair at the active end of the pool unless a member. But never an issue getting a chair even when it was full. But we did like the palapas and chairs on the beach. And everything is a short walk, so really didn't matter where you sat.

Beach. RM wins hands down. More seaweed and rougher sand on beach and in water at Pearl.

Food. At RM we've always had good to excellent meals. At Pearl we had good, excellent, and terrible dinners. Lunches are nicer at RM as the restaurant is outside and still part of the pool activities. Friday's lunch at Pearl was cooked outside (as was Saturday's) but Friday's lunch was one of the best meals we had.

Did enjoy not having to make dinner reservations (unless you want to eat at the sushi place) so you could choose when and where you ate at the last minute. This is a plus for Pearl.

Entertainment. We thought the shows we've had in the past at night at RM were better than Pearl's nightly entertainment.

Hot tub. Same as the pool. Liked having more seats and more room but sacrificed the forced socialization in RM's smaller hot tub. Still met a lot of folks but maybe not as many as if we had the same group at RM.

Ages. The scale shifted a little older our week at Pearl but nothing we found that different. Maybe a 5 year age shift.

Staff. Equally wonderful between both places.

So our lean would be to RM but future visits will probably be based on availability and price. If both available, we will go with the cheaper option. On this trip, with the special we caught, Pearl was the cheaper option.

Bottom line, both are wonderful and have pros and cons, but we didn't feel either one soared over the other.

We were there the exact same dates. You could almost be writing my report. Agree regarding the room, pool and jacuzzi size. We also missed outdoor lunch dining. Making a reservation for Sushi was a bit of a pain but we ate there 3 times. LOVED it! I was able to get chairs (before 9a) at the active end all but our last two mornings. That was a huge disappointment.

mikeinnj wrote:So our lean would be to RM but future visits will probably be based on availability and price. If both available, we will go with the cheaper option. On this trip, with the special we caught, Pearl was the cheaper option.
Bottom line, both are wonderful and have pros and cons, but we didn't feel either one soared over the other.

Same here except other way around. We give Pearl the slight edge. We walked the beach to Puerto Morelos for dinner twice during our stay. Enjoyed the change of scenery and experiencing the local area.

It was nice being able to stroll into town. That was a plus.

I think if our first two dinners had not been so bad, we might have leaned the other way. Neither of us is a sushi lover so didn't even try to get reservations.

But as I said, bottom line, can't go wrong either way.

mikeinnj wrote:It was nice being able to stroll into town. That was a plus.

I think if our first two dinners had not been so bad, we might have leaned the other way.

But as I said, bottom line, can't go wrong either way.

LOL, one of our walks into town for dinner was after experiencing "Mexican" night. I guess (being from Texas) we were expecting TexMex....not. We didn't really enjoy that dinner at all.

And yes, you're absolutely right. Can't go wrong with either resort!

Hi - Thanks for the info, my husband and I have never been to a clothing optional resort and are planning our first trip to Desire (not sure which yet) in Sept. I hate to ask this, but I am seeing such varied info...we are in our mid 30's, where would we find a crowd closer in age? I just feel we would have more in common with other couples in their 30's and 40's.

It really seems both resorts are great. Decisions, decisions!

thanks in advance

Ages change day to day and week to week so it is hard to say. I think Pearl, this trip, was a few years older than prior RM trips. But we've seen big fluctuations there. And honestly, age there is much less a factor than anywhere else IMHO. You'll love either of them.

You could also split the trip between the 2 resorts too

Mike

marym2015 wrote:Hi - Thanks for the info, my husband and I have never been to a clothing optional resort and are planning our first trip to Desire (not sure which yet) in Sept. I hate to ask this, but I am seeing such varied info...we are in our mid 30's, where would we find a crowd closer in age? I just feel we would have more in common with other couples in their 30's and 40's.

It really seems both resorts are great. Decisions, decisions!

thanks in advance

Find a group to book with, that's your best bet vs. just going on a random date a couple

Last year was our first trip to a CO resort as well. We were looking for a similar age group. We chose Pearl, and it was perfect for us. While it was incredibly sexy, there was space to go as slow or as quickly as you were ready to move. The people were respectful and playful... And skilled. For us, it was the right choice. I don't think you can go wrong on location, though.
Cheers to a great vacay!

smithvillecouple wrote:

marym2015 wrote:Hi - Thanks for the info, my husband and I have never been to a clothing optional resort and are planning our first trip to Desire (not sure which yet) in Sept. I hate to ask this, but I am seeing such varied info...we are in our mid 30's, where would we find a crowd closer in age? I just feel we would have more in common with other couples in their 30's and 40's.

It really seems both resorts are great. Decisions, decisions!

thanks in advance

Find a group to book with, that's your best bet vs. just going on a random date a couple

Hey,

Firts, thanks for this suggestion, second, how do we find a group ?

Thanks in advance for your help

2McD wrote:Hi - Thanks for the info, my husband and I have never been to a clothing optional resort and are planning our first trip to Desire (not sure which yet) in Sept. I hate to ask this, but I am seeing such varied info...we are in our mid 30's, where would we find a crowd closer in age? I just feel we would have more in common with other couples in their 30's and 40's.

It really seems both resorts are great. Decisions, decisions!

thanks in advance

hi we are 33 and 34 and were wondering the same thing! we will be there sep 28-oct

mikeinnj wrote:We have been to Rm 3 times but this time stayed at Pearl.

Booked through Orbitz and USA transfers booked through the forum. Both flawless. Also did express check in which also went smooth.

Arrived on Saturday around 12:30 and dropped stuff off at the locker in the spa and luggage stored. Wife changed and we went to lunch. After lunch we got a bed at the quiet end of the pool, stripped down, and jumped in for the foam party.

Afterwards we went and got our room (memo to self - find room then start drinking. Will make life easier).

Rooms. Much larger and nicer at Pearl. Liked that we had a tub though we never used it.

Pool. Liked the larger pool but noticed less social interaction than RM as there was room to spread out. So not sure if larger is better or not.

Chairs. Impossible during our week to get a chair at the active end of the pool unless a member. But never an issue getting a chair even when it was full. But we did like the palapas and chairs on the beach. And everything is a short walk, so really didn't matter where you sat.

Beach. RM wins hands down. More seaweed and rougher sand on beach and in water at Pearl.

Food. At RM we've always had good to excellent meals. At Pearl we had good, excellent, and terrible dinners. Lunches are nicer at RM as the restaurant is outside and still part of the pool activities. Friday's lunch at Pearl was cooked outside (as was Saturday's) but Friday's lunch was one of the best meals we had.

Did enjoy not having to make dinner reservations (unless you want to eat at the sushi place) so you could choose when and where you ate at the last minute. This is a plus for Pearl.

Entertainment. We thought the shows we've had in the past at night at RM were better than Pearl's nightly entertainment.

Hot tub. Same as the pool. Liked having more seats and more room but sacrificed the forced socialization in RM's smaller hot tub. Still met a lot of folks but maybe not as many as if we had the same group at RM.

Ages. The scale shifted a little older our week at Pearl but nothing we found that different. Maybe a 5 year age shift.

Staff. Equally wonderful between both places.

So our lean would be to RM but future visits will probably be based on availability and price. If both available, we will go with the cheaper option. On this trip, with the special we caught, Pearl was the cheaper option.

Bottom line, both are wonderful and have pros and cons, but we didn't feel either one soared over the other.

This is very helpful!

Having been to both resorts as well this review is spot on. One complaint I.had was the daytime music at pearl, but that can change daily. All things taken into accout the crowd that is there will greatly influence the atmosphere.

I'm concerned that if we go to Pearl in Sept., when it works for our schedule, there are no groups to book with, and if Sept. is during the low season, that we just might find the resort much less busy and full..we are going for a much desired, and needed, break from jobs, kids, uptight life to explore ourselves and others, bask naked in the sun, roll around as much as possible and to PLAY LIKE ADULT KIDS..we are waffling between the two resorts, as I am 42, my lover is 35. We want to party when we want to, as little or as much as we wish, and retire to a beautiful, comfortable room that justifies the cost a bit. (I'm used to staying at the major "S" resort next to Hedo, and I love their higher-end, classier asthetics. Don't need them, I just enjoy them:)) We know we don't want to feel as if we are crashing a Spring Break party (as some of the Temptations reviews eluded to that) but don't want to be someplace that's too subdued, either...Sandals rolls up their sidewalks by 11pm, it seems. At this point, I could sleep in a tent on the beach, just which beach we aren't sure of yet..RM or Pearl?? Hedo? Split it up? keep the comparisons coming, please, we are learning much from them..

I think the accommodations are nicer at Pearl. With that said, we are happy at either. And even though some people split their trips, we prefer to unpack once and be done. Just a preference.

We have been off season and high season and have noticed a fluctuation in how full the rooms are day to day. And we have never been when a group has been there but have been there when the resort is full. My point is, you just don't know so choose a date and just go.

Mike