Very poor review of Pearl on Trip Advisor

[feverpair]

Just reading through TripAdvisor reviews for Pearl and was quite shocked by the most recent review.

From previous reviews on here and Trip Advisor, Pearl sounds fantastic, but this review makes it sound terrible. Do you really have to pay extra for the items identified, especially the food choices?

“Misleading and Scam (actually a weird "time share")”

We booked an 8 day vacation at an "All-inclusive" resort, Desire-Pearl as advertised! When we arrived the very first thing is we were pressured to set an appointment for a "presentation". We paid good money at regular rates for an "All-inclusive" vacation--- not at a "time share" with a mandatory presentation and to constantly be pressured for more money!!! To make it "mandatory" they tempted you with a coupon book (actually worthless)!

We planned our vacation there from December 18th through December 26th, 2014 or over Christmas! We expected it to be a festive holiday in Mexico (Christian nation). The only Christmas decorations was one about 6 foot tall white Christmas tree in the main lobby! Nothing in the restaurants, pool, etc.! The restaurant staff did wear Santa hats on Christmas eve and day...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my definition of "All-inclusive" is you pay one fee, up-front that includes everything (food, drinks, activities, entertainment, water sports...) so that you can experience much less stress on your vacation because everything is already paid for! At Desire Pearl this only got you the basics! If you wanted a better position by the pool, a better position on the beach, better cots, better food, better wine, snorkeling, etc. EVERYTHING was much more $$$! And the basics were terrible! They were constantly trying to make you feel inferior because you hadn't upgraded!!

I'd estimate the occupancy at this time was about 50%, but they never issued rooms to the arriving guests until after 3:00 pm. However, we didn't depart until 1:00 pm on our last day and we didn't get any hassles. Our room included our own outdoor jaccuzzi which was at best warmer than the tap water but was supposed to be heated. We called the front desk every day about it...

Food: Breakfast and Lunch were OK (how can you not prepare a decent breakfast or lunch?). But the dinners were terrible!!! I guess that's part of what they were trying to get you to upgrade for!! The upgrade or VIP membership cost a whopping $14,900.00 in addition to the $5,000 plus airfare we had already paid for this vacation!!! Yes, it did buy you another 8 days (after an administrative fee) and a 25% discount on the next/ future 40 nights you stayed with them! Whoppee, 25% off on the next 40 nights is a GREAT SCAM!!! Then you would be locked into them for at least 6 more vacations at 8 days each!

The main restaurant was situated pool side and has glass walls which at first sounds nice and convenient... However, with the theme being "clothes optional" it could be quite disturbing (requiring tough stomachs) to go there for lunch or dinner with having to walk past guests who would lay at the VIP/ reserved cots right near the restaurant's door totally nude! Our last day at lunch, an obviously exhibitionist woman laid at the closest cot to the restaurant's door with her feet toward the door totally nude! Unless you walked with your eyes closed, you had to look at her genitals going into and coming out of the restaurant!!! Not my idea of appetizing!

Snorkeling was an additional $98.00. There was a great snorkeling reef about 1/2 mile off shore directly in front of the resort (boats from other resorts would take their guests there all day...) Scuba diving was an additional $298.00, etc. Should have been "included"!

The dinner up-grade menu was about $35.00 to $45.00 per person extra per meal, the preferred wine started at $14.00 per bottle, etc. Preferred cots were $20.00 per day...

The entertainment didn't start until 10:30 pm each night and was only about 20/ 30 minutes. It usually consisted of guests being asked to have a contest, etc.

The rooms were nice and the beds comfortable. The staff was very pleasant and friendly.

The coupon book that was offered as an incentive to attend the "Time share" presentation including a coupon for two FREE temporary "Henna" tattoos. My wife wanted to try these and we scheduled an appointment. The guy came to our room two days prior to the appointment trying to get it done prior to the appointment (supposedly because of Christmas holiday but he was there every day) and suggested several patterns to my wife. My wife agreed and had the tattoos applied. Then the guy wanted $90.00 for the FREE tattoos! He was insistent and argumentative and we had to call the front desk for a manager! The manager arrived and defused the situation. However, this incident and the argument that ensued (for about 30 minutes) really got us upset and ruined at least one day of the vacation!!!

We are very disappointed with Desire Pearl and our Mexican vacation!!! We have vacationed dozens of times at Hedo II in Jamaica which is a true "all-inclusive" resort and enjoyed it very much more! Hedo includes everything including all water sports and isn't constantly trying to get into your wallet!!! It seems that Desire Pearl is desperate for money and is trying every underhanded scheme they can think of to get you to pay them more money!!! We will be going back to Jamaica in the future and not Mexico!

Overall, we wish we had spent this vacation at home and do not recommend this resort to anyone unless you don't value your money and want to try to impress others by "upgrading" everything to attempt to appear better than everyone else!!! This place sucks.

Stayed December 2014, travelled as a couple

[TandD]

...Overall, we wish we had spent this vacation at home...

I bet the staff and other guests wish they would have stayed home too!

[feverpair]

...Overall, we wish we had spent this vacation at home...

I bet the staff and other guests wish they would have stayed home too!

Very funny. Just hope there's no one like them there in May

[CokeMann]

From previous reviews on here and TripAdvisor, Pearl sounds fantastic, but this review makes it sound terrible. Do you really have to pay extra for the items identified, especially the food choices?

Both Desire RM and Pearl as well as many other resorts do offer an extra cost "optional" extended menu of specialty entree items that guests may order from "if" they choose to - ie: selections such as a large prime fillet or surf and turf, etc

At the Desire Properties, I believe the cost of the specialty entree items off of this "optional menu" is in the range of $35 to $45 USD per entree selection.

[TandD]

From previous reviews on here and TripAdvisor, Pearl sounds fantastic, but this review makes it sound terrible. Do you really have to pay extra for the items identified, especially the food choices?

Both Desire RM and Pearl as well as many other resorts do offer an extra cost "optional" extended menu of specialty entree items that guests may order from "if" they choose to - ie: selections such as a large prime fillet or surf and turf, etc

At the Desire Properties, I believe the cost of the specialty entree items off of this "optional menu" is in the range of $35 to $45 USD per entree selection.

From our experience, they don't push these extra cost items. Maybe I was just oblivious but I never even knew about them and didn't miss them. The portions *are* on the smaller side but there are several courses and we never felt that we didn't get enough to eat. Besides, with the amount of calories in the alcohol we drank, we didn't need any more food anyway.

[tikihutguy]

This is total BS We all know better... It's just too bad someone picked Christmas to try a resort where people may not be clothed close to the restaurant

[Talisker]

This is total BS We all know better... It's just too bad someone picked Christmas to try a resort where people may not be clothed close to the restaurant

Exactly! That's so obvious and I've never been there. Unappetizing genitals? Speaking as someone who has never met a pussy he wouldn't like to eat, that just makes no sense. Guess his wife doesn't get much fun then.

[jandr1013]

...a coupon for two FREE temporary "Henna" tattoos. My wife wanted to try these and we scheduled an appointment. The guy came to our room two days prior to the appointment trying to get it done prior to the appointment (supposedly because of Christmas holiday but he was there every day) and suggested several patterns to my wife. My wife agreed and had the tattoos applied. Then the guy wanted $90.00 for the FREE tattoos! He was insistent and argumentative and we had to call the front desk for a manager! The manager arrived and defused the situation. However, this incident and the argument that ensued (for about 30 minutes) really got us upset and ruined at least one day of the vacation!!!

Thought this part required particular notice. Unless the coupons changed in the 8 days from when we arrived to when this couple arrived, the henna coupon was "Buy 1 Get 1" Free, not "2 Free". J used the coupon to get one on her shoulder and one on her ankle, and did something similar the previous year at RM. This makes us question the rest of the review, ignoring how different their experiences were compared to ours. (We really should get to writing up a trip report...)

[two4funinpa]

We are days away from our first Desire vacation and we are too excited to put into words. Vacation is what you make it. As far as we are concerned, time away from reality with your favorite person can't be bad in any setting. First negative review we've seen.

[rentman]

We have stayed at all 3 Desire Resorts for a total of 11 trips and I have never spent an extra dime on anything. Just sayin.....oh wait, we did do the body painting at RM a couple years ago. Money well spent!!!!

[youngmicouple]

This review makes me want to cover my genitals and give them a hug. If they can't have fun at DP they surely need a hug. Then I would uncover my genitals, grab a drink and hit the hot tub.

[Budlee]

This review is ridiculous. We never encountered an instance in which we were asked to pay extra for anything. Yes, we tipped Victor each day to set up our loungers on the beach, but it would have been happily done for us, tip or no. I wasn't aware of any premium menu items (food), but I did know there were wine upgrades (what AI doesn't have that?). And, for them to be disturbed by naked bodies near the restaurant, at a CO resort... well that just puts them into the idiot category. Sorry..... this review has zero cred, in my book.

[BeantownNewbs]

I think there's some legitimacy to some specifics, but not the flavor.

I think the membership presentation was very well presented and is a reasonable deal if you want to go...but you don't have to take the presentation, or buy into the program. They don't push it on you.

I think there are possibly a few too many extras at Desire: I would expect non-motor sports to be free (snorkeling) and some AI resorts do offer scuba for free and additional activities, but I would generally expect to pay for scuba and things such as jet skis (which Desire doesn't have); same with spa treatments, hair salon services, etc. ..

The free wine by the glass is not very good and not comparable to the other free liquor, so you either have to buy the supplemental wine or bring your own, if you like nice wine with your dinner.

The food, in our opinion, is not particularly good, with some exceptions, so you are more likely to spend up for items from the supplemental food menu.

The hot tub off their room should be hot if that's what they are buying.

The complaints about seeing naked people from the restaurant -- come on, you're at Desire.

I think Desire does offer a lot of ways where you CAN spend additional $, but they are generally for personal or private or extras which are typical extras for AI resorts, with the exception of my similar feelings about the food and wines. As for the X-Mas decorations...that's just downright complaining for the sake of complaining.

[feverpair]

From previous reviews on here and TripAdvisor, Pearl sounds fantastic, but this review makes it sound terrible. Do you really have to pay extra for the items identified, especially the food choices?

Both Desire RM and Pearl as well as many other resorts do offer an extra cost "optional" extended menu of specialty entree items that guests may order from "if" they choose to - ie: selections such as a large prime fillet or surf and turf, etc

At the Desire Properties, I believe the cost of the specialty entree items off of this "optional menu" is in the range of $35 to $45 USD per entree selection.

I was aware that items like large prime fillet or surf and turf were extra, but from the review it felt like if you wanted decent food you'd have to pay extra for it. To say that all the food that is included is terrible is shocking, but each to there own. Just glad they won't be there when we are, hopefully.

I agree that snorkelling should be included, but to be honest, even though we like the finer things in life, for us, this vacation is all about the experience. As long as the food is pleasant to eat, as you'd find in normal restaurant chains, then we'll be happy. From what I've read on here and Trip Advisor, the rooms a great, the place is clean, the food is wonderful, the staff are fantastic and most importantly the clientele are friendly and approachable.

Even though it is 4 months away we are so excited, and can't wait for the day to arrive where we can experience something new to us and meet some great people. Shame that it'll fly by once we are there, but we intend to make the absolute most of it.

Looking forward to seeing you all.

Caz and Andy

[CokeMann]

I agree that snorkelling should be included, but to be honest, even though we like the finer things in life, for us, this vacation is all about the experience.

FYI
- snorkeling equipment is available to guests at both Desire RM and Pearl at no charge - you can snorkel off the beach area in the nearby surrounding waters.
- what is not included free, is a boat, guide and the daily cost of a small mandatory Federal reef tax to get you out to the amazing large reef located about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile off shore that runs from just south of the Cancun HZ to just north of Cozumel.