Desire Cancun falsely advertises itself as “all inclusive.” Despite average rates of about $600 US per couple per night, the resort charges for “premium” meals, for use of kayaks (a “fee” because the water is a marine reserve), for “reserving” a palapa bed on the beach ($20 US per day), for a WiFi connection, for Internet use ($5 US per 30 minutes), for bottles of wine (about $40 US for a Mexican wine widely available in Mexican restaurants for less than $10 US), and for bottles of liquor. Guests are expected to tip for every service, and upon arrival they are greeted with a hustle that turns out to be a thinly disguised attempt to sell what amounts to a time share in the resort.
What does one get for these charges? The beach is nice; nudity is permitted in public areas, though not in restaurants; and there is a disco and party room for lifestylers or those curious about swinging. There is also a limited room service menu and free drinks by the glass at the bars, in the restaurants, and on the beach; although, as noted, unlike in better resorts like Jamaica's Grand Lido, one is encouraged to tip. There are not nearly enough lounge chairs at the pool, so guests are supposed to get up at 7:00 a.m. [sic!] and register for them with the pool attendant. Alas, in our experience, the attendant wasn’t there at 7:00. When he did show up, all but two of the lounges were already reserved. How did this happen? There are wonderful palapa beds on the beach, but an insufficient number—unless one is willing to pay $20/per day to reserve them, forget it.
The food we had over five days was barely above cafeteria quality—poor ingredients, dishes prepared en mass, little creativity, no skill in using spices or herbs—and the service we experienced was most often indifferent. Anyone used to fine cooking at home, in urban restaurants, or at better resorts in the Caribbean will be appalled.
Desire exploits its customers. It can do so because it has no competition. The other resort on the Riviera Maya allowing nudity, Hidden Beach, has a great pool but no usable beach. And Hidden Beach does not attempt to create a sexy atmosphere or to welcome lifestylers. People who want a sexy atmosphere, a nude beach, and fine restaurants would be better off in South Florida where all these are available.
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