Agreed, Nik. Next April will likely be our only splurge on a Master suite, but it's a very special occasion.
Interesting read. Covers a lot of our thoughts and concerns. Going to be at TTR for 5 nights in March then give Desire a try for a couple of days. Rooms at Desire appear to be very over priced (and we get a penthouse or master suite each trip to TTR)... but We’ll see ...
We arent swingers either, but we've talked about trying a couple nights at Desire because we have friends that go a lot. The biggest drawback for us are the rates. No way is an "normal" resort worth that much per night. We can get nekkid for A LOT less than $4-500 a night!!!!!!! Thats crazy. We'll stick with good ole TTR and keep using our imagination.
Everyone's entitled to their opinions and impressions, it's true! Here are ours, after a bazillion trips to TTR, 1 trip to Pearl, and 10 trips to DRM. We actually "stayed" at Pearl for a week in 2017, and found it... OK. Can't say we had a bad room, as we had the Penthouse as a bennie of our membership at half-price. That dang thing is so big, we could have hosted the entire resort for outdoor hottub/patio party if we had some bar service (they don't do that, unfortunately, like they do at the Penthouse at TTR apparently). Since they've got only 88 rooms there, that seems to my math to be a max of 176 people there, and yes, you could have gotten almost all of them on that dang deck which surrounds all three "facings" of the Penthouse. Humongous. Overflow could have hung out in either the living room, the room with the bathtub (separate room, which opened right out onto/intot he patio's hot tub, you could crawl from one tot he other if ya wanted), or the bedroom. Like I said, humongous. Their pool is also humongous, there is no way to even make it seem like it's halfway full even if every single person at Pearl got in there, and went to one end at the same time. It's literally that big. Cool-looking, but intimidatingly large if you enjoy being social like at TTR. Hot tub is... I'll stop using the H word, though it'd apply here, too. Y'all who've not been seem to have this impression that it is open season for sex in public at both Desires (we had the same impression before we went, too). It's just not like that, not to the level of what seems to be the general thinking. Pour a drink over someone's business and lick/suck it off on the side of the pool? Sure, BT/DT. But, damn near do that at TTR, too as long as you're quick and don't get sideways with security. Teasing/groping of your play partner, same as at TTR. The thing you can't do at TTR is, if you are of a mind to do so, is to get up & out of the pool and get over tot he palapa around the hot tub, or down at the beach, and enjoy yourself... but ... you've just got to experience it and the "sightlines" for yourself, it isn't in your face. Can you... catch people folling around sometimes? Sure, but I've caught people hitting it righ there ont he Sexy Pool steps before, too. Sort of same-same to me. Food... TTR seems to vary widely as to their food quality. Note the recent trip reports indicating that the Italian is: A) the best food on the resort; or B) probably the worst meal "we had while at TTR." Up & down and all around, the trip reports seem to be about TTR's food. Personally, I think the menu options at Sutra (Asian) are some of the best food options at TTR, but that food isn't for everyone, I get it. Being from Texas, I don't find the steak at Flame even average, but we're totally spoiled for steak in Houston (similar to Kansas City, Chicago, etc.). Mexico doesn't seem to have a supplier of the best beef.... though I hear that the Brazilian steakhouse in Cancun is supposed to be great, though we've never gone. Food at the Desires, both of them, is a more limited selection (at Pearl, MUCH more limited) than at TTR, but, at least to me, it stays consistently well aabove average. Lots of folks comment on Sea Flirt's breakfast, which Stacia & I've only had one time... this isn't a comment on it being good or bad, as the one time we ate there it was excellent. It's just that in the morning, we want to get the fuel and get out in the sun, and the service speed at Sea Flirt isn't conducive tot hat. Oh yeah, the lunch food at the Rooftop Pool & Bar is probablyt he best available at TTR and is better than the lunch options at either DRM or Pearl. Swingers are verywhere at TTR, DRM and Pearl. I/you/we deal with them in the same way when approached: "Are you guys..." "No, we're not." "Cool, no problem. Wanna shot?" "Shots are cool!" "Fantastic! Having a good time?" "Always! you?" "Sure! This place is great..." etc etc etc No problem, no pressure, gentle feeling out and move-along. Easy. We actually end up fending off potential hitters-on More at TTR than at the Desires. Naked: I like naked, yep. Running around naked is dangerous, as you might slip and fall on the tile, as it's slick, so don't do that. Walk around naked, sure. Don't like seeing naked people? Stop looking at yourself or your main squeeze when you get out of the shower, I guess. I really don't understand the drama about nudity. I mean, as stated above, the eyepatch bikini bottom and no top is basically 2 square inches from being nude, and actually (to me anyway) accentuates the "I'm SO CLOSE to being completely naked!" angle I find it confusing to worry about it. I think y'all are just bigoted against naked man flesh. Just admit it and go on. Can't say that I blame y'all, we're ridiculous looking. But... I still like naked. Main component of why DRM (maybe not so much Pearl) is "better than TTR. One word. Service. Bar service is better. Poolside service is WAY better at DRM than at TTR, where sometimes it is nonexistent. Room service is awesome at DRM, merely average at TTR if the thing int he TV system gets the order right... or if it even takes it. Housekeeping service is better at DRM, as there is simply fewer rooms for the staff to contend with, same goes for less guests. Front desk service is much better and more friendly and personable at DRM than at TTR, which I think is a function of so much turnover and newer employees at TTR, which may eventually work itself out. Rooms: I "think" DRM may be their oldest property? The actual room design is obviously dated, sure. But, to say that the rooms "suck," is a huge overstatement IMO, especially when one compares how the 2 year old TTR Tower is already starting to fall apart around y'all who love to go there and "stay in the Tower." My own member base room is the jacuzzi rooms over by the Quiet Pool, and they're just all right. No counter space for the lady, weird closets you can't find your stuff in, closets with lights which come on when the doors open which is all the time because the latches don't work right, no shower door? I mean, the suggestive opening to get in the shower is cool for a minute... and then water is everywhere ont he fllor and now you're likely to bust yourself up just trying to clean up after a day of drinking at the pool.... I mean, really. They're not "better" they're just different. Price Point: DRM & pearl cost more than TTR, sure do. To me, it sort of operates to fund the higher level of service we get over there at DRM (pays to keep that 2000 acre pool properly maintained at Pearl, I guess). Still, as pointed out above, ~$340/night ain't so much more than TTR after the reno, and TTR is Way Proud of those Tower suites.... All the above just my own impressions and opinions. Personally, I think you've got to go and stay for at least a few days at all three to be able to compare.
[QUOTE="We arent swingers either, but we've talked about trying a couple... " We'll stick with good ole TTR and keep using our imagination. [/QUOTE] You had me when I got to the word "couple". lol. I had to read the whole sentance again. But yes, we agree with your imagination statement also. And as you can see, I have a rather vivid one myself at times.
