Desire Pearl Resort & Spa

My wife and I had been to Desire RM a few times and wanted to try Pearl. We are glad we did. The trip straddled my birthday and our anniversary, so we went an extravagant route. We stayed in the Master Suite, which is a massive space larger than some apartments I've lived in and comes with butler service. Hector and Erick were our butlers and they did a solid job of helping organize some cool birthday events. Our housekeeper, Marle did a great job with the room, decorating it for my birthday and the anniversary and keeping it looking fresh. We wanted to get SCUBA certified while on this trip, which was easy to set up thanks to Adolfo, who also helped us book a trip to Chichen Itza. Another new experience for us was the sensual/erotic massage hosted by Taimi and Rebecca, which was an incredible sensory experience that set the tone for a lot of our time there. We also booked a relaxing massage. I got to work with Taimi again, who is probably one of the best therapists I've encountered so far. Food at Desire is excellent--especially if you're there for Te Amo México/Día de la Independencia de México and have the opportunity to enjoy local cuisine (some of the best food on earth). My only complaint is that I like a little more heat in chile-based sauces than the average resort guest. Luckily, I asked where the spicy salsas are and got introduced to xnipec, one of my new favorite condiments. We visited all the restaurants as well--Aphrodite for breakfast and lunch, where the first people we'd see in a day were usually Mayrani and Oliver, who often brightened our day with some humor and helped establish a positive vibe for the day. We'd often see them at Suki as well. At Pearl, we usually had Isaac or Miguel at our table, who are also super fun. Pearl is oriented around fine dining, but I appreciate it when things aren't too stuffy. As a former cook, I love joking around while enjoying delicious food instead of adhering to formality. One unforgettable dining experience was when we had our anniversary dinner for two in the wine cellar, a room adjacent to Pearl. Martinez, the sommelier, and Isaac hooked us up with a fantastic dining experience that included good conversation (I love learning about the staff), great jokes, and a pyrotechnic that set off the fire alarm. My face still hurts from smiling! The bartenders and playmakers did an excellent job of building a party atmosphere. When we went, some travel agency was doing a pretty lame "takeover" event featuring a DJ who would get mad and yell at people for not dancing next to his gear (or dancing in general), so we'd retreat to the disco during his outdoor set to practice salsa and bachata while Pedro hooked us up with cocktails and got the DJ to increase the Latin music in the mix. We found out that he enjoys bachata and liked to see a couple of tourists practicing before the takeover DJs came in to kill the vibe. Out at the Melange, we'd get cocktails from Luis and Cob, who are stellar at making great drinks while joking around and being all-around cool guys. We spent time at Saul's bar later in the hot tub, where it would be quiet enough at times to practice my very limited Spanish. All the playmakers work their butts off to engage with and keep guests involved in the party, but we interacted the most with Candace, Jessica, and Mat, who we learned is Argentinian after he saw us dance tango. The playmakers do such a good job of making sure people are on the dance floor and playing games at the pool. I'm sure I am leaving people out--there is a small army of hard-working people who make this resort special and I wish I could name them all. I would have posted this review earlier, but had to hit the ground running with work when I got home. The takeaway is that anyone who is thinking about visiting Pearl should give it a try. It has an intimate feel and excellent staff. Any issues we had with the visit (sargassum was RIPE) had nothing to do with the people working there or the resort itself.

We just got back. We have gone more than 30 trips across 10 years. Since the change in leadership, we've found too many changes to make this 'desirable'. While there are still some good things like the staff and some guests, there are many things less than fun any longer. There has been a total change in the playmakers short of Kia and communication and interaction lacks and even the sharing of nightly schedules never occurred. The new CEO now severely overcharges for the spa/massage parlor but he also now charges for the sauna/steam room area at $40 per couple per day. These areas came with the resort when it was bought many years ago and they are beyond written off the books. But the new CEO looks around every corner to see where he might earn a penny. I suspect he is raising income and cutting expenses to potentially sell the properties for a major profit. I'm not a member and never will be given the risk of this so called CEO making a bad decision. The creation of the outdoor area for nightly activities has even further divided the guests. When the nightly shows were inside the lobby or even better inside of the night club, people were much more engaged and much more fun was had. The only things that make the resort desirable is the staff including: Sophie, Giselle, Eddy, Manuela, Victor, Antonio, Alexis, Saul, Kia, Jairo. If we do decide to come back, it would be due to the staff that is doing their best to stay motivated under poor leadership. If you do go, please remember to take tips for the outstanding staff members that work beyond hard to make your day fun and enjoyable. One last thing to consider is that there is no longer any usable beach area. It is completely covered with sargassum and the beach sand is even further gone. The smell is unbearable and we never saw a soul out there cleaning the beach while we were there. We are planning to look for a clothing optional location for the future with a gorgeous beach focused on the pleasure of the customers. Apparently the new CEO is Rodrigo de la Peña. Might be worth writing him a letter but I would definitely not purchase a membership. Make him earn your money. Also, they are now selling 2 night packages from Temptation to RM to Pearl totaling 6 nights. This could be good or bad...interested to see what others think.

We're approaching 20 trips to Desire and have moved from RM to Pearl as 'home base'. We hope Pearl continues to have the boutique feel (like RM used to). 2 more trips planned this year. The staff remains undefeated. Just to mention a few names, Eddy at the Melange bar, Oliver and May in Aphrodite, butlers Hector and Irving, all the playmakers, and Desiree at the Spa- we love the entire staff. A few notes for management to consider- not criticisms, as we're a #1 fan. Just suggestions to help improve an already great product: 1. The 'bottle service' areas at Melange seem over the top. It would be great to open those two areas up for more seating so we don't have to stand around watching the shows. 2. The hydrotherapy services in the spa, at least for members, is still free. PLEASE keep it this way. We bought in and this was a free service. RM now charges everyone (maybe not higher up members) so we turned to Pearl and this remains a draw. We're in and out in 20 min (tops) and I'm sure other members are too. Great way to relax and rejuvenate, but not willing to pay for something that has been free for years. 3. While there this time, the shows had a bit more of a sexy, erotic edge. I know a member put a lot of time into making that happen and we all very much appreciated the effort. Won't go into details other than to say we don't mind seeing edgier (but still tasteful) acts. No complaints this trip, or any trip. Back in August for more fun.

Tom and I spent another great week at the Pearl at the beginning of September. Michelle, Carlos and Amir, our mansion butlers, did their usual great job seeing to all of our needs. Hector, Erick and Irving also reached out to see if we needed any assistance. Bellman Alex and Vincent took great care of us during our arrival and departure. We enjoyed the food and great service at all the restaurants. During the day at Aphrodite, Mildredt, Manuela, Poot, Wilbert, Oliver, Ray, Joshua, Eduardo and Maryani took great care of us. At Suki, Ceci and her staff, Guillermo, Santiago, Manuel and Jesus, provided excellent service as did Orlando, Gilberto, Isaac, Raul and Javier at Pearl. The bartenders are all top shelf and this trip we were served by Eddy, Jairo, Eduardo, Pedro, Luis, Luis Lopez, Antonio, Cobb, Christian, Mauri, Aaron, Saul, Jorge and Javier. Victor, Horatio, Antonio and Miguel do a great job setting us up at the pool and Gabi, Monica, Yolanda and Servando keep us hydrated during the day. Playmakers, Candace and Kia and DJ Alex provide great entertainment. The spa is the best place to be pampered and the staff, Alma, Anais, Desiree, Elodia, Selene, Taimi, Emma, Gabriela, Gabriel, Fernando, Jesus, Guillermo, Melisa, Claudia, Zazil, Rebeca, Cinthia, Paola, Magaly and Margarita provide great services. The staff is what makes the Pearl a special place to vacation!

One of our best trips we have had, we have been 20+ times. From check in with Bruno to check out with Frank both guys are friendly and helpful. We come here especially to see all the wonderful staff that have become our family. Miguel he is the nicest guy possible and never fails to get us a bed up the quiet end. May at breakfast always smiling always helpful in our seat selection. Our little manuela she is the cutest most adorable sweetheart treats us so kindly. Oliver is a very helpful waiter always says hello by our name when he sees us walking about. Yolanda is our girl we adore her and follow her to the coffee shop, lunch or at the pool, she always makes us smile and laugh. Gabi always smiling, Selvardo so helpful and knows exactly what we want to drink. The bar staff at Merage are fabulous, Cobb is absolutely the best cocktail maker along with Eddy and Arron the showman 😆 we get looked after by Pedro and Luis in the nightclub never even having to ask for a drink it’s just ready for us. Our favourite waiters are Gilberto he is such a lovely funny guy, and so happy to see Eme back he has always had a place in our heart. Our favourite waitresses are Belan and Manuela, both are adorable. Selena is my favourite in the Spa. But 💯 all the staff work so hard and I can’t possible name them all but they all deserve a mention. Suki was our favourite this time it does seem to alter each time we go, but the food was off the chart this time. Pearl we only enjoyed the Italian meal, we was disappointed with the Mediterranean night and French night, the quiche which I look forward to had changed wasn’t as nice was doughy. We had a lovely lunch in the mansion sea bass and grilled veg was delicious. We love the new bar area it has completely changed our holiday, we love going out early now and chatting to people up at the bar area, it’s such a great addition. We will be back very soon, and already cannot wait.