The trip report on the Desire Resort & Spa!

The Desire Resort & Spa in Cancun (Mexico) is, in my opinion, the most beautiful and enjoyable nudist and couples only resort on our planet. It is true that I say this without having visited all the possible alternatives, but from listening to Desire guests and their accounts of other places such as the Hedonism 2 Resort and Hedonism 3 Resort in Jamaica or the Orient Beach in St. Martin, and from visiting places such as Cap d'Agde in Europe, I have a good frame of reference.

So on to Mexico's paradise, on to Desire Resort & Spa!

Desire is exclusively for couples (single people are not permitted), and aims to combine nudism with erotic experiences. Desire can be purely experienced with your partner, or also combined with partner swapping, when so wished. Just the same as in a swinger club; each person sets their own boundaries. Desire's atmosphere is a high-end holiday club, similar to Club Med. It is truly all-inclusive; all year round you can swim either in the waters of the Caribbean or in the pools, there is a certain vibrancy as people dine at different restaurants, sip cocktails at different bars, and enjoy themed nights at the disco. And this all happens almost around the clock; from 6:00am until 4:00am the next day. In fact, you never need to leave the resort.

The Area around the Desire Resort & Spa

The resort lies in the North-East of the Mexican Yucatan peninsula, on the so-called "Riviera Maya", a coast stretching around 250km, behind which lies a coral reef system. A huge holiday zone has developed around and south of Cancun city, (comparable with Andalusien). It is mainly visited by North-Americans, but more and more by Europeans. Cancun is the main city in Northern Mexico, with an international airport, which can be easily reached (we flew a route from Germany via London and Miami, but there are also all-inclusive offers with direct flights). South of Cancun, along the coast, stretches a long band of holiday resorts and towns, all the way south until Tulum (the largest of these is Playa del Carmen).

Around 2km into the hinterland is a large, wide road running North to South, which the driveway to the hotel connects to. Most areas are closed off by huge gates, and are only accessible to guests. The road from the airport meets with this large road to the South of Cancun. Desire is just a few kilometres south of the small fishing village "Puerto Morelos". The directions on the Desire Homepage are precise, and led us, without problems, to the resort (as we had a rental car, I cannot report on the other transfer possibilities such as the Resort-Shuttle or taxis). The Desire Resort lies directly on the coast. To the North it borders other(normal!) grounds, and the land to the South is currently undeveloped.

The road stretches through typical Yukatan bushland, bends around a small area of marshland (with the sign: Beware Crocodile Area) and reaches an entrance gate. Your name will be waiting on the guestlist, and the guard will let you straight in. Infront of the lobby, which like all the buildings has a typical Yukatan palmleaf roof, the Bellboy greets you and collects your baggage.

At the frontdesk you will be asked to sit down and enjoy a glass of champagne. From here you will have already have caught a glimpse of the beautiful surrounding gardens through which guests stroll naked or in swimming wear. The check-in is efficient, and it soon becomes clear that you have arrived in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere. The staff speak in English throughout (and can naturally also speak Spanish. Without knowledge of English, guests will find it difficult to communicate with the staff and other guests). We received a short introduction talk, and some reference sheets to read, as well as a voucher for a reservation at one of the A-la-Carte-Restaurants. As with many all-inclusive resorts we also received the plastic armband that acts as an ID pass until the end of your stay.

Rooms in the Desire Resort & Spa, Cancun Mexico

The rooms are in petite two-storey houses arranged in rows. There are rooms on the ground floor that share a terrace with their neighbour, and likewise with the balconies on the first floor. We booked the more favourably priced Garden View room. In my opinion this room was just as picturesque as the more expensive Ocean View room on the beach, because of the wonderful view of the tropical and well-tended garden area. There is a large bedroom with a large 2x2 metre bed. When lying under its canopy you immediately get the impression that the bed is more of an area for guests to play rather than sleep. The floor is laid with terracotta, there is a built-in wardrobe with a safe, an all-inclusive minibar, a chest of drawers, a large mirror and a wash-basin. There is an adjoining bathroom with a toilet, bidet and spacious, tiled corner shower behind a head-height dividing wall. The houses all have a Yukatan straw roof, and at night I would look up at the wooden beams and feel I was in a beach house in paradise. In the room there is a covered ventilator and temperature regulated airconditioning, so that the temperature can always be set according to your wishes. There are also bigger (and thus more expensive) suites on offer with a Jacuzzi in the room. I think these are only really for the shyer guests, we preferred being with the other guests under the sun or starry sky in the large Jacuzzi pool (see below).

Clothing Optional in the Desire Resort & Spa

The whole resort is "clothing optional". This means that each person decides for themselves when and where they want to where shorts or a beach towel, be topless or in a super-skimpy Wicked Weasel-Bikini, and when and where they want to wander around completely naked. I would say that most people are completely nude, especially around the large pool and on the beach. When moving around the resort most people wear a little more. 90% of the women are completely shaved, and the rest are at least partially shaved. The men have shaved their pubic hair at least partially.

During our stay the average age was between 35 and 40. You can see the over 60s, enjoying themselves just as much as the people in their twenties. Most people look great, although there are some fatter men to be seen with a beer-belly, walking around with much younger and more attractive women.

For us as Europeans there was a frightening amount of artificial breasts on display. While in the Orient the wealth of a man is judged on the jewelry of his wife, it seems that in North America the status of the man is judged on the amount of plastic surgery his wife has had done, awful!

I saw young women with super-model figures, whose appearances had been completely destroyed by silicon implants, or by poor quality plastic surgeons. We hardly saw any intimate piercings, although we would have responded positively to it as long as it didn't look too fetish. In the evenings at the restaurants, people wear clothes to meet each other. The men wear shorts or trousers with a T- or polo-shirt. The women dress sexy/elegant, sometimes already ready for the dresscode of the themed disco (the best thing to do is to look at the timetable on the internet beforehand so you can take the right costumes with you).

I must say that I found the dress sense of some men, who wore baggy clothes at the resort, inappropriate for the erotic atmosphere. Unfortunately there were also one or two women whose erotic clothing did not suit, or fit, them. Consequently I can say that the typical Cap d'Agde evening wear is just as good as that of Desire (I feel that in the A-la-Carte-Restaurants you should always look sexy/elegant). The evening meal in El Arrecife, the buffet restaurant, provides good entertainment with a fashion show.

Features of the Club at Desire Resort & Spa

In the resort there are two pools: the large pool is encircled by many sunbeds and the poolbar (offering drinks, snacks and a buffet lunch). By day the whole animation programme is played by this pool. Everybody lies here to enjoy the fun of the animation, to bathe in the pool, or just to see and be seen. The pool is kidney-shaped and has a chest-deep area, where water polo or volley ball is played daily. There is a shallower area for relaxation. The beach borders directly onto the pool area. By the pool there is also the towelstation, where, just by stating your name and room number, you are presented with a beach towel to lie on. You can take and give back as many as you wish each day. Generally the amount of people lying by the pool and those on the beach is well balanced, so you can always find a place for yourself.

The second smaller pool, named the topless pool, is right infront of the lobby. People in the pool and at the adjacent bar tend to wear more clothes during the day, the postman could walk by and be shocked by the full nudity ;-) At this pool there are free swinging 2x2 metre divans with transparent curtains around them. One can also be found by the larger pool and the Jacuzzi. Two or more people can go in to lie down and relax, or chat with each other. In the evenings guests like to use the swinging divans, either clothed or naked, to take a break from the disco, or simply enjoy the mild nights.

There is a certain drawback of the resort; the beach. It is as long as the resort, I would estimate around 400m and 10m wide, with fine white sand. There are numerous straw sun-umbrellas and shades, and ample sun loungers. There is enough space for everyone, without having to be too cramped, as a considerable amount of the guests choose to sit at the pool instead. Furthermore there is a small pier with a large straw roofed sunbed on a wooden platform in the water. So, what drawback? On this part of the beach on Riviera Maya there are a lot of aquatic plants. Therefore dead plants collect in the water and on the beach, and some areas of the beach have become overgrown with plants. The staff work daily, clearing away the washed-up plants.

The sea is about 1 metre deep and the depth increases very slowly. Until the far-off coral reef, which can be recognised by the breaking waves on the horizon, the water is never deeper than between two and three metres. I didn't find the plants too much of a problem, there are areas all over the place where the sand is not overgrown and the turquoise water of the Caribbean can be clearly seen. At the end of March wind and clouds pervade, certainly this is season and weather dependent, so it is best to read up about this in a travel guide.

On the beach there is a beach-volleyball pitch and a watersports station (which offers surfing, catamaran sailing, canoeing, snorkeling etc.). I cannot tell you much about this, particularly not which of these activities are charged for and which aren't. The hotel itself offers similar excursions (snorkeling, Maya-sites, Cancun, Cozumel Island etc.). Walks along the beach are possible, but as soon as guests leave the hotel beach(recognisable by the Nude Beach sign) they should put on appropriate beach wear. Amusingly, the neighbouring hotel has a sign on the border of Desire's beach, stating that guests could be confronted by extreme nudity, and that the hotel is not liable for any offence caused.

A further facility is the Spa area with a well-equipped gym (treadmills with TVs, exercise bikes, weight machines etc.), sauna, steam room (why the steam room is divided between men and women, i don't know), massage rooms and cosmetic rooms. Here there are many offers, which are often not that reasonable (for example 25 minutes relaxing massage USD $45). There are also small shops with souvenirs, beach equipment, erotic clothing and jewelry.

Lifestyle Facilities in the Desire Resort & Spa

Then there are the two areas, where Desire becomes a Lifestyle-Place: the Jacuzzi-deck and the disco. ("Lifestyle" is, by the way, the North-American term for openly lived-out sexuality and swinging). The building by the pool has, on its roof, a sun deck with a large Jacuzzi, a big bar and seven divans. All of this cannot be seen from below. This area is open from 1pm to 3am. Couples who want to be out in the open-air, or next to (not necessarily with) other couples when they have sex, simply come out to this area, see whether there is a divan free, grab a couple of fresh towels and make themselves comfortable. Up here you can kiss, stroke, suck, lick and fuck to your heart's content. There is always an erotic atmosphere in the air, as the warm sun or romantic stars shine above you. Simply fantastic!

Before or afterwards you can lounge in the steaming Jacuzzi, sip on a drink and play some more in the bubbling water, or just relax. Many people chat (in English!) especially the US Americans, who are a little too loud and shrill for my taste. By night I saw women lie on the bar as the bartender covered them in chocolate sauce, and then let men and women lick them clean, although it was rather more fun than erotic. It is similar in the disco, as on the Jacuzzi-deck. In the disco there are round, raised dance podiums with two poles, a bar with barstools and at the back a large area with lots of leather sofas. From 10pm the disco gets going, every night with a different dress code, which is sure to be amusing and provides variety, and is not necessarily bondage-themed. Often there is also a contest (best male stripper, Miss Desire, best Lingerie etc.) and then dancing until about 2am. The women are always dressed sexily.

Behind the main room of the disco is a playroom, into which you can retreat if you have found a partner, or if you need to let off steam. It is a classic playroom, just like you would find in a swinging club (although I did not notice any condoms readily lying around). Unfortunately the eroticism suffers slightly because the room is always somewhat full. It doesn't matter that much, because there is always the leather furniture in the dark at the back of the disco. Or you can lie down on the parquet floor and completely strip. You can do anything you want and that you feel comfortable doing in the disco.

Don't be shy! Simply let yourself go and join in with everyone else.

Generally the rule is, that, except for the two aforementioned areas, overt sexuality is prohibited. However, whoever wants to engage in sexual acts elsewhere can do so on the beach or pier. I never saw a member of staff end any sexual acts anywhere on the resort. Who knows the Schweinchen beach in Cap d'Agde? 100 masturbating men circle a couple, who want to have fun on the beach in peace and quiet. You will not find that at Desire! Couples can enjoy themselves without a gaggle of men goggling. But it should be done in the proper manner! The resort really has a high quality service and clientele. Loud orgies in every corner do not happen here - and we thought that was great! Its supposed to be eroticism, not sexual sports!

Conclusion

The standard of the Desire Resort & Spa really is high! Excellent food, fantastic accommodation, drinks from many different bars, extremely friendly and courteous staff, a noticeably high level of cleanliness of all facilities and guests, who all enjoy the positive atmosphere and smile, greet and chat with you freely. The Desire Resort motto at the time of our stay describes the resort best:

Stop Thinking ... Start Living!

The motto is written on the club T-shirts, but unfortunately only on those which you can win in the competitions by the pool and in the disco.

Copyright © April 2005. All copyrights are owned by the author of this description; duplication or copying of the article, or excerpts from the article, without the written permission of the author is forbidden. No guarantee can be given for the accuracy of this report. Travel reports do not neccessarily represent the opinion of Aphrodite Travel.

« Back