There has been a lot of discussion about the level of security at TTR this year and the much more controlled environment. Through this post I hope to provide some background and insight for understanding at least from my point of view. I’m not looking to piss anyone off, offend, or chastise. I don’t plan to get into a long drawn out philosophical discussion about the validity of any response or defend any actions taken by the hotel management but to try and provide some insight on what and why things were happening. This year I had the opportunity to sit and talk with a lot of different people at TTR. From the GM, to the Head of Premiere, on duty managers, entertainment staff, bartenders, and other guests. There was a lot of talk about the current atmosphere and the controlled environment. In order to help establish the baseline it might be good to set the stage that presented itself in late April and early May. In early April there were 5 guys from Chile that became upset one night in PadyO’s and ended up in a fight with the bartenders. In the end, 3 bartenders, 5 security guards and a couple of hotel management ended up involved in a skirmish that lead to trips to the hospital and jail for some. Next you had the 42 lads from England arrive that swooped in on every female, accompanied or not, in a pack mentality. There were a couple of girls that decided to provide them with body shots. In the end, the frenzy left the hotel management afraid that there might be a gang rape just about to happen from the liberties being taken at the time they put an end to it. At the same time there were 4 or 5 guys wandering around whipping out their junk and dropping it on shoulders and laps of ladies as a way of introducing themselves. Face it, it was really bad. We met a couple that came back in May after being there in April, just to get the taste of what happen out of their mouths. When we got there, there was a guy wandering about drunk groping and trying to kiss ladies as they sunned on the beds by the pool. Later in our stay there was a couple at Diego’s bar that were both drunk and basically having clothed sex on one of the stools. They eventually grabbed one of the single girls and started kissing on her before they left the area. The girl was traumatized for a while by the event. You’ve also read in a few of the trip reports some of the other incidents that occurred. With the exception of the guys from Chile, no one was punched, slapped or otherwise accosted. Security was alerted to several incidents that happened while we were there and they immediately shutdown what was happening. There were also at least two fights around the sexy pool in the two weeks we were there. Previously it took at least 4 years to have two fights. So as you can see a sexy vibe, sexy ladies barley covered, and unlimited alcohol puts the resort on a knife’s edge of going from a fun place to a riot. For example, to a person, both male and female, the guests I talked to would have reacted in a violent way to the dropping of the junk. So from week to week, even day to day the management struggles with what crowd is there and how prominent security should be. We all know they are monitoring the situation via the cameras located around the resort but sometimes they put guards in locations so they can respond more quickly to any incident. An easy example is outside Nice Shoes on lingerie night. If the ladies leaving the club are bothered by other guests, the guards are right there not having to respond from the other side of the resort. Now when guests look up and see the guards they have one of two reactions. They are there to protect us or they are there waiting to hassle us. For example, at the end of Casino night one guest came out shirtless to PadyO’s. The guard there told him that he had to have a shirt on to be in PadyO’s. Any other night, the guard was right. This night he was wrong. The guest felt he was being singled out, watch and persecuted. He went to his room and changed and said that he felt that was easier than fighting city hall. Because he felt watched, he told everyone that came out later about the event which then made everyone feel even more watched. The guard came up and apologized when the guest returned saying he was sorry and that no shirt was permissible for tonight. The guest felt that the apology really wasn’t sincere. As with any event, one perceives the event though their shade of glasses that are colored by their emotions and feelings. Witnessing that same event I saw the first guests come out of casino night by themselves. The guard spaced that it was Thursday and seeing a guy with no shirt told him that he needed a shirt. Later more people came out and the guard realized his mistake. When the guest returned, the guard came over and in his limited English, which was much better than my limited Spanish, apologized for the mistake and told the guest that it was alright for him to be without a shirt and apologized for making him change. Given the option of realizing the mistake and going “oh well” versus biting the bullet and coming up to apologize for the mistake, I think the guard when way out on the limb. Perceptions are reality to folks. We all get that. But we sometimes have to step back validate our perceptions. Just like in the United States, sex on the beach, sex in public, full nudity, and things like mouth to nipple and other private parts in public is illegal in Mexico. But we’ve all seen it happen at TTR and rather that accept that when we did it was special, we’ve come to expect it. When we can’t do it or can’t watch it – well management is just being unreasonable and over controlling. That’s one of the things that make Steve’s Boobs Cruise so special.. out on the ocean there are no rules, it’s anything goes. But back on land, things aren’t as simple. What they want to allow and can allow on a regular basis aren’t always the same. For those that have been to BBG/TTR in the past, we’ve all seen the pendulum swing on exactly how wild one can get when at the resort. Some years it seems we can get away with anything, some years we can’t do anything. But rather than come in and see where the pendulum is at the time and adjust lots of repeaters, and newbies, come in looking for the wild times and chaff at anything that keeps them from living those times. I had a PM from some Newbies that were looking forward to their X rated vacation and were highly disappointed that they may have to settle for PG-13. First of all we all have to remember that TTR is about the tease. Read the advertisements. “A hip vibe is the hallmark of this beachfront, topless optional hotel where the vibrating, sexy and adults only atmosphere gets you totally invigorated and relaxed.” No where in there does it say body shots, balcony shows, sex in the pool or on the beach. So expecting an X rated visit to the resort is unrealistic. Yeah it might happen but in no way is it promised or guaranteed. If you want the guarantee head to Hedo or Desires. The hotel really appreciates repeaters. Honest, they do. But they have real problems when they arrive with demands that exceed their ability to provide at the time. Their first concern is your safety. Like when security walks up to you when you’re having sex on the beach. They are not there to get pointers. Besides the fact, as already stated, that it’s illegal, they are looking to make sure that the lady on the bottom is there willingly and not getting raped. Some folks have said, why don’t they let us have fun and see that we’re not there to cause problems… most of the time it’s not you that they are worried about but the reaction of others to what you are doing. Remember the girls mentioned about? They were looking to have fun with a couple of guys, not 42. I know last week when we were there that when we didn’t push back against security they stopped hanging around. Sure we started off having less fun than the year before but also were able to turn it up now and then and as long as we didn’t attract the attention of those around us, we had no problems. And as far as inconsistent application of security, or one security guard saying one thing and another doing something else.. remember that things are done differently in different countries. Those up a 6 AM to get chairs at the pool in the morning witnessed the typical shift change and debrief between security guards each day. 6 AM approached, the guard on duty came to the same spot each day, his replacement walked up, got handed the walkie-talkie, and the guard on duty ran for the bus to go home. So when policy changes it might take a little time for it to filter through the ranks. We’ve all experienced the guard at PadyO’s saying go out to Diego’s to do body shots, then the guard out by Diego’s saying go back to PadyO’s. So you bring them both together and get them to decide.. usually Diego’s. The point is that they aren’t there and don’t want to play the Gestapo. Yeah they present a stern don’t mess with me face… in Mexico, unlike the US, when they apply for a security job they kind of expect to go at it sooner or later with someone. The Latino blood runs hot and people don’t always back down. Sure they are working with tourists at the resort but most people only have one game face. And I’m willing to bet that sensitivity training is not high on the list of things to accomplish. It is what it is. OK.. so this is a really long post but the bottom line is the level of enjoyment of your vacation at TTR is up to you. Go with an open mind, go with the flow and play within the pendulum while you are there and you will have a great time. You will probably even get to push the current envelope while you are there. The entertainment staff knows what you want. They will push the envelope with you to the full extent they can. If they can’t do body shots on the pool bar, then they will do jelly shots on the pool deck. It the atmosphere allows it, there will be naked tequila volleyball. Either way, you will have a great time. Go with preconceived plans and expectations and you are likely to be disappointed and clash with security the whole time. Take the post as you will - dismiss it, take it to heart, laugh or cry. It’s just my humble attempt to bridge a gap I see growing and bringing negative feelings into what should otherwise be an outstanding vacation. Temptation is a unique resort. We’ve all described it at one time or another as a college frat party for adults. Well remember what happens at frat parties and how they work.. in the main room there is partying going on and occasionally you’ll see some T&A. The heavier stuff happens in the rooms upstairs. If you approach Temptation the same way, you’ll never have a problem and occasionally you’ll be surprised at some good times in the main room. Thanks for reading…….. Jamie
Thanks Jamie. I had a great visit and can't wait to go back! I am so appreciative of everything that every single person does at the resort. Its so nice to be able to go somewhere that you can be someone that you can't be at home. Hugs to you and Chris - it was wonderful to see the both of you again.
I'm not expecting all males at TTR to be MMA fighters.....but.... Who in the world stands by and lets some of these acts (perverted/rude/offensive/etc...) happen (knowing the offended female or not)? It sort of sounds like you're trying to imply that the security restricts patron fun for the safety of the patrons (like...something may get out of hand if they allow body shots/partners touching/etc...). I can't buy into that. If they need more security to make the place safe.....hire more security (without being oppressive). With the "possible" exception of the band of 42, I'm disappointed that the rest of the male patrons didn't come to the aid of the ladies. I'd like to think I could leave my wife to go to the room, and...the "next guy" (or guyS) would have my back. Is this resort safe or not?
The resort is safe because security is around.. Those that go know if you swing you leave. So rather than fight they leave the area and notify security. So sometimes security is omnipresent in order to react quickly and that is seen by some as oppressive. Kind of a catch-22... hence the explanation.. or attempt at it.... By the end of our trip everything was calm and security was back in the shadows... Jamie
So....someone could: Grope my wife Drop his junk on her shoulder (___________) ....and, I'd have to leave the resort if I hit him? Noted. And, thanks for the post above. Well-written. Based on some of the prior actions of some....I'd welcome them, too.
Yes but contacting security has the effect of them leaving. The guy that was trying to grope and kiss the ladies while we were there was reported to security and in 5 minutes he was gone. I was funny to watch his drunk friend spend the rest of the afternoon walking around the pool looking for him. Jamie
Thanks so much for the post explaining the security situation - as newbies my wife and I were concerned that Temptation was going to go more the way of other plain ol' all inclusive places instead of having more of a risque atmosphere. I haven't read much about the other side of the coin either in many of the posts (i.e. fights, unwanted gropings) - I know one of the things that has my wife nervous is having someone be physical when she doesn't want it (i.e. groping). We weren't really concerned about that sort of thing all that much until we read the stories about the 42 drunkards since most of the posts were along the lines of "no means no". It seems to me that there has to be a line somewhere at Temptation or it would be like the stories we've heard of Hedonism - it sounds like they're re-setting the line a bit closer to the R or PG13 side than the "hard R / soft X" side. As newbies (and people who've never done ANYTHING like this before), we definitely would not want drunken @ money money clowns hitting on my wife - but regular ol' drunken people . . . who knows? Thanks for all the informative posts, D & K
Jamie - I completely agree, when I was in my late teens up until I was just about 25 I worked part and full time for hotels in my hometown of Saskatoon. Lots of friends of mine have had the added experience of working in the nightclub industry and my experience coupled with that of my friends (and living viacriously through them) leads me to much the same conclusion. This last time in April was tamer than previous trips but I still had a lot of fun. It's easy to tell that security had their marching orders as to what was and was not acceptable, and the staff to their credit did what they were told day to day. The incidents you describe concerning the fighting guys, the group of 42 and the penis models seem to have become more noticeable in the last couple of years. Part of me wonders if senior management may occasionally wonder if picking Temptation as the resort name was a good idea. The name stikes a cord with the casual traveller who has heard of hedo and some of the stories (be they true or not, even in exaggerated form) of easy and free flowing sex. It's not a large step to see Temptation show up in google see a website with sexy models, read a few reviews and think that they are going to get laid 5 minutes after arrival. By their actions we can see they don't want to turn the resort into an orgy palace and that's a good thing. TTR isn't Desire, nor should we expect it to be. Over time I am sure that they will settle on a set of rules and level of security/staff enforcement that most of us will find acceptable. Now that I have finished writing that, where is my beer?
