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Desire Resort & Spa: Traveler Reviews


Carretera Cancun-Puerto Morelos Km 27.5 SM 12 | Mza 41, Lote 1, Fracc. 2, Cancun 77580, Mexico
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84% Recommend
4.0 of 5 stars 164 reviews
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Nude and swinging but not a luxury resort.

Desire Resort & Spa

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3 of 5 stars
SoBeRetired   1 contribution
Miami Beach, FL
May 4, 2009 | Trip type: Couples
12/17 found this review helpful

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.

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay April 2009
  • Visit was for Leisure
  • Traveled with With Spouse/Partner
  • Age group 50-64
  • Member since May 04, 2009
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Very initmate and sensual

Desire Resort & Spa

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4 of 5 stars
honeygirlsugarsugar   4 contributions
Alexandria, VA
Apr 18, 2009 | Trip type: Couples
1/8 found this review helpful

We have visited Desire several times and completly enjoyed it. We also visited Hedo. The atmosphere and food at Desire are better, but the beach is smaller. We would be willing to share more detailed information with anyone who contacts us at honeygirlsugar@yahoo.com (one sugar).

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay April 2008
  • Visit was for Leisure
  • Traveled with With Spouse/Partner
  • Member since April 06, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Desire Resort & Spa

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5 of 5 stars
Emptynesters09   1 contribution
New York
Apr 17, 2009 | Trip type: Couples
7/9 found this review helpful

This was our first experience at a clothing optional resort. I have to say that the drive up to the front of the resort was quite underpar, but since the entrance was not a big issue, it really didn't matter. Once inside, the staff cannot do enough to make you feel comfortable and welcome.
We had selected an oceanview room. It was located directly behind the ocean beds and the view was outstanding. Our room was always kept meticulously cleaned by the friendly staff. There were some individuals who were not happy with the location of their rooms, but the staff did everything in their power to make changes.
The food and service in the International restaurant was wonderful. This is the one restaurant that requires the men to wear pants (no shorts/jeans), which adds to the quality of the restaurant. Very romantic and the food was great. Breakfast was always good with a varying selection to choose from. Didn't go into the Italian restaurant, so I can't comment here.
I have to admit being a first-timer at a clothing optional resort was a little disconcerting at first, but that feeling certainly doesn't last long. I have never been on a vacation where everyone is so friendly. It was very easy to chat wherever you were: bar, restaurant, pool, jacuzzi or disco. Any apprehensions I had were gone within minutes. Young, old, well-built, not-so-well-built...everyone was friendly and on an even par. It was relaxing and wonderful. I was a little awe struck when first visiting the jacuzzi area. Things were going on that were incredible to see...but there was absolutely no pressure to participate whatsoever. You could just enjoy the warm friendly atmosphere or take it further if you so desired...
Definitely would recommend visiting this resort if you're debating...we can't wait to go back!

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay April 2009
  • Visit was for Leisure
  • Traveled with With Spouse/Partner
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since April 17, 2009
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Great Time For This Newbie!

Desire Resort & Spa

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4 of 5 stars
raymondTennessee   4 contributions
tennessee
Apr 6, 2009 | Trip type: Couples
7/8 found this review helpful

My wife and I just returned from our first trip to Desire and I wanted to write a review while everything was fairly fresh. We had a short 3.5 hour flight into Cancun at which time we were herded through immigration along with the other Spring Breakers. After a brief time there, we picked up our bags and made our way outside to find the representative from Olympus for our transportation to Desire. After about 10 minutes we loaded up on a small van along with 5 other tourists that were going to other hotels. The drive to Desire was about 20 minutes and we were stopped at two security check points where I had to sign a sheet. It was kind of funny because I'm sure the other folks in the van were wondering why all the security. The front of Desire is a large swamp type lagoon but I never did see any alligators as seen in some of the other photos. We were greeted by a bellman who took our bags and led us to the front desk. The guy at the desk said, "I have you down for a garden view room." I corrected him and said no I actually have an oceanview. I showed him my voucher and he replied, "Oh, let me look into that." After a few moments, he told me he had found a room. We listened to a short talk about the resort and the lady started talking about their timeshare/points program. I politely told her we were not interested and she said ok and never brought it up again. We were taken to our room which was 1002 directly behind the pool and on the bottom floor of the building with the rooftop jacuzzi. To call this an oceanview room was a real stretch as you had to look through bushes, the pool, beach beds, etc . to see about a one foot square area of ocean view. It actually turned out ok though as this room location was very convenient to the pool, restaurants, jacuzzi ,etc. In fact, the resort is so small that there really is not a bad room at the whole resort outside of the infamous room directly underneath the jacuzzi. We arrived about 4pm and headed to the pool with our swimsuits on. Once we laid out, we quickly noticed that 99% of the guests were all naked. There were all body types and I mean all. (good and not so good) We quickly shed our suits and thoroughly enjoyed the freedom the entire week. Sylvia at the pool provided outstanding service with a smile. I usually gave her $1 tip per round and she seemed very grateful. I was probably in the minority on the tipping but enjoy helping out these hard working staff. There is a restaurant at the pool area which is pretty good. They always had hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, etc but also some nicer lunch items as well. To the left of the food line was a bar where you could always get water, soft drinks, and alcohol. I primarily stuck with beer and margaritas and both were tasty and cold. One thing that was sort of funny is that some of the guests will walk up to the bar to get a drink buck naked. They walk right past people eating their meal with nothing on. I thought this was a bit inconsiderate but it didn't seem to phaze others. I always put my trunks on when going to the bar. You are required to have bottoms on to eat at any of the restaurants. Our room was just ok. Very simple with a nice big king bed. There was no dresser in the room so everything had to be stacked on a ledge or placed in the small closet. The bathroom was pretty big and had a huge shower. (no tub) The water pressure was great and we had plenty of hot water. We did see a few mosquitos in the bathroom on a couple of nights. I think they were getting in through a small screen in the shower area. Once we shut the window, that problem went away. The restaurants were all good. Breakfast always included a good omelet and sausage, bacon, etc. We usually ate lunch at the pool area as already mentioned. We ate dinner about three nights at the Japanese restaurant. They had great sushi, spring rolls, wonton soup and main course. We ate at the international restaurant on two occasions and it was excellent as well. Many of the women wear very sexy outfits to dinner which was great people watching. Roof top jacuzzi--I was not that impressed with this area. We did make use of the beds but it got too crowded for us in the tub at times. Disco--We loved the theme nights and had a great time each night partying with friends we had met on the trip. The playroom was fantastic and we used it as well many times. Some nights we were about the only ones and on other nights it was quite crowded. Will we go again. Absolutely! One of the most romantic, erotic vacations we have ever been on. You must try the couples massage at Desire. Best we have ever had.

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay March 2009
  • Visit was for Leisure
  • Traveled with With Spouse/Partner
  • Age group 50-64
  • Member since April 11, 2008
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Average price*: $539 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Desire....our desire is to return again...as soon as possible

Desire Resort & Spa

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5 of 5 stars
phildog15   1 contribution
Louisville, KY
Mar 25, 2009 | Trip type: Couples
10/13 found this review helpful

After reading a ton (and I do mean that) of reviews about Desire Resort at Cancun and getting such conflicting information…we promised ourselves that we would write a review about our stay at the resort as soon as we returned home. I want to start out by saying that we had a fabulous time on our vacation…it was amazing and definitely exceeded our expectations. We are swingers in the true sense of the word so we were looking for a resort that offered us a relaxing vacation with a lifestyle option. We seriously considered Hedonism but I (the female…whenever you see I from here on out…it is me) was concerned about the food, cleanliness and overall atmosphere of those properties. We started searching the Internet and I found Castaways Travel which offered us some different options. I am a big fan of the Riviera Maya area and loved the resort’s website and thought it seemed like a great place for our first “swinging” vacation. Jennifer at Castaways travel is just amazing…she helped us so much and was wonderful in arranging everything and answering all of our questions.

We arrived at the airport in Cancun and immediately found our travel arrangements to the hotel…we didn’t wait at all and were quickly on our way with cold beer to make the journey even more enjoyable. After a short trip, we were greeted by the exceptional hotel staff and proceeded with our check in…we spent some time with the concierge going over the resort and amenities and then went to our room. Our room was very nice…it wasn’t that large (we had an ocean front room) but had all the necessary amenities. It was beautiful…very stylish…predominantly white furniture and bedding with plenty of room for us. We never experienced any issues with the water…it was always hot and plentiful. One night…our power did go out…but after a quick call to the front desk…a wonderful maintenance man arrived and had it fixed…in less than ten minutes from the time that it went out. The suites are much bigger and very nice (we enjoyed some wonderful times in a couple of them…big wink) and we would consider that for our next stay. The view was amazing…we had a lovely patio that we shared with four other couples and it was a great way to make new friends. We looked out over the beach beds and the fabulous ocean.

We cannot say enough about the staff at the resort…they are exemplary. I have been fortunate to travel to some of the most luxurious resorts in the world (4 and 5 star from the best known chains to the private, exclusive resorts) and I have NEVER had better service anywhere. I could list them by name but, in all honesty, they were all fantastic…any desire was met. We especially loved Hector (our bartender), Sylvia (our pool server) and the activities coordinators were amazing. They provided tons of entertainment by the pool every day…but you were never forced to participate (like I hear you are at other resorts). Who wouldn’t love naked Bingo by the pool?

THE FOOD…this was one of my biggest concerns…I am a gourmet cook and self professed “foodie” so I didn’t want to spend a week at a place with mediocre options. I was SO impressed by everything that was offered. The breakfast buffet was wonderful…too many options to choose from…Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s or whatever you wanted. During the day, the poolside grill/café was open and there were lots of choices…we recommend the Caesar Salad and the quesadillas…they are amazing. We also enjoyed the wonderful restaurants and the theme buffets were great. Please take it from someone who can be incredibly picky…it was all fantastic.

THE DRINKS…pretty much exactly what we expected…free flowing and generous…we had to make sure that we monitored ourselves or we wouldn’t have enjoyed our nights so much. I will say that I was slightly disappointed by the all-inclusive wine selection (again…I am a big fan)…they were passable but if you are like me…you want something a little better. They are available for purchase (and at very reasonable prices) but you do still have to purchase them. However, once I was turned on to D”Aristi Xtabentun…I didn’t care too much about the wine…you have to try this amazing liqueur…it is made in Mexico and a yummy concoction with flavors of licorice and honey.

THE BUGS…not a problem at all…we did have a few ants in our room around the sink in the bathroom only but they were never an issue after the first day. I am deathly allergic to mosquitoes and can be in a group of 500 and the only person that will get bitten…so they will find me. I did get 5-6 bites while I was there (I took bug spray and sprayed my ankles at night…but forgot one night hence the bites) but that is nothing for me. He never got a single bite and overall the bugs shouldn’t be considered an issue.

THE PEOPLE AND EVENTS…there are a lot of people at the resort that are just there for the nudity…not everyone is into swinging…but they aren’t hypocritical or edgy about you if you do. If you are worried about the sizes, shapes, etc… of the people…of course there are all kinds…but there were plenty of fabulous and amazing couples there to meet and play with. We made some amazing friends and can’t wait to see them again (we are planning on going next year at the same time so we can make sure that we do). The nightlife was fun…didn’t really stop until you wanted it too…our favorite place was the wonderful bar outside of the lobby and that is where a lot of fun was to be found. The theme nights were great whether you decide to participate or not…the resort provides capes and masks for the “Eyes Wide Shut” night so don’t worry about bringing your own (we did and didn’t need to). The disco was a lot of fun but it could have used some updated music…they tend to play the same songs every night…but it didn’t seem to matter when you were having so much fun. The “playroom” was fine…we belong to a great swinger’s club in our hometown so we have some pretty high expectations and the room could possibly be better…but most people just enjoy each other and, if they are of like minds, hook up in their private rooms.

THE RESORT…the sexual atmosphere is comfortable and enticing…I was unsure about the whole “nudity” thing…the first day I did wear my bikini bottoms but very soon I was as naked as most people and having the time of my life. One of the greatest things about the resort is that nothing is forced…if you want to be naked…great…if you want to wear a one piece and be completely covered up…just as great. It was truly 100% relaxation…everything at your own pace…whatever that might be. The pool was wonderful…we ended up spending most of our time here just because it was where the action was. The beach beds were fabulous and we enjoyed spending time here…but the pool and our friends always drew us back. The Jacuzzi bar was breathtaking with a great bar and tons of fun…it was the perfect way to end the day (before dinner and fun) and we enjoyed it immensely.

Overall…we cannot say enough about our stay at Desire…neither one of us wanted to leave and he kept threatening to run off down the beach so he could stay and play forever. I swear that neither one of us has any business or personal ties to this resort (in other words, we weren’t paid to say these things) and just wanted to give those of you that are thinking of planning your next trip here our story. Please do it…you will never regret it. We are already planning next year’s trip and trying to figure out how to go in the fall. If you want to speak to us personally…we have given Castaways Travel our permission for you to e-mail us. We hope you have as wonderful and sinful time at the resort as we did…maybe we will see you there.

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay March 2009
  • Visit was for Leisure
  • Traveled with With Spouse/Partner
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since March 25, 2009
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Desire Resort & Spa Also Known As

  • Desire Resort
  • Desire Resort Spa
  • Desire Resort Mexico
  • Cancun Desire Resort
  • Desire Hotel
  • Desire Resort Cancun
  • Cancun Desire
  • Desire Resort And Spa
Address: Carretera Cancun-Puerto Morelos Km 27.5 SM 12 | Mza 41, Lote 1, Fracc. 2, Cancun 77580, Mexico