How about drug related violence in Mexico?

[mikelitoris]

We're reading more and more about this. What doe the folks who have been to Desire feel the the overall mood is in that area? Most of what we've read seems to indicate that the violence is happening at the U.S. border (Juarez, etc)

[mfay]

Most of the problem is in the border areas. But there have been scattered incidents in Cancun.
We still feel perfectly safe at the airport and going to Desire. But , we would not be comfortable these days being off by ourselves in Cancun- especially at night.
The employees at Desire don't say much about it, but a good friend in the area tells us that the "mob" has heavily infiltrated many of Cancun's nightclubs in the Cancun hotel zone and the entertainment industry in general. That doesn't necessarily mean that there will be more physical violence against tourists, but it does mean more drugs, shakedowns, etc.
So the best bet is probably to take no chances- stay at the resort , go on tours, etc with groups, or visit the smaller safer towns like Playa and Puerto Morelos.

[shade]

We have been to Desire Cancun/Los Cabos eight times. We have always felt safe at both places. We have also taken several small trips offsite in Cancun by ourselves and always felt safe. That being said, we are now hesitating booking our next trip due to the violence. We know that bad things can happen anywhere you vacation and that it seems like all the violence is between the cartels and the government. But due to number of incidents and the fact that they have spread to cities like Monterrey we are having second thoughts about returning to Desire. We know we are probably overreacting but that is the way we feel at the current time.

[CokeMann]

The facts do sort of contradict what the north american media is currently hyping - (fortunately) not a single tourist has been harmed let alone killed as a result of the drugs violence that is going on in certain parts of the country, as far as I know. And Mexico, Cancun in particular, attracts millions of tourists each year.

Certain parts of Mexico (less so Cancun) are currently very dangerous if you're a politician, a drugs gang member, a drug seller, a drug user, a policeman, a soldier, a lawyer, a big business owner, a journalist.... I could go on.

But if you dont get involved in illegal business, are not a high profile business person that does business in Mexico or in Mexican law enforcement then the risk to you as a tourist is no worse than anywhere else in the world.

[Burnt-enz]

WE agree with Mfay. Just got back from a week in Saint Maarten. 21 1/2 inches of rain in three days. When we got a little sunshine we drove across the island to Grand Case for the wonderful ribs. We locked the car and left nothing in the passenger area. They still popped the locks out of the trunk and passenger door and stole the hotel towels from the trunk. I'm still waiting to get the bill for that. Lovely. We now leave all the doors unlocked and don't leave anything in the car. Anyway, crime is everywhere, even close to home, and you just have to exercise a little more caution, as us tourists stick out like sore thumbs.

We have been to Desire 5 or 6 times now and are looking forward to our trip in May with the Hot Tomales/Ynots. We always take cabs ( to see Claudia) and stay with groups when we leave the resort and it's always during daylight hours. Desire does such a good job with the after dinner entertainment that we never felt the need to visit Coco Bongo. And its way closer to the hot tub. We leave anything of value in the safe. If we take the camera and some tip money to the palapa, one of us stays with the camera while the other swims. Too many people from other resorts walking by. I should note that we have never had a problem at Desire. I have left tip money on the bed for the cleaning crew and found it still on the bed after the room was made up. The next time I left a note with the money and they left a thank-you note. Anyway, that's just our opinion.

[gallivants]

Completely agree with CokeMann. Furthermore, if you go by pure statistics and ignore media reports, you will realize that you're probably at least ten times safer traveling in Yucatan and Riviera Maya than being in any major American city. We do realize that border areas between US and Mexico are more dangerous due to drug trafficking, but we have traveled through various other parts of Mexico and always felt safe, and found people very hospitable. Riviera Maya in particular is very safe - excellent roads (least stressful driving I ever had to do in or outside of US), a lot of police presence on highways.. can't speak for Cancun, but we were out through the nights in Playa Del Carmen, and felt very safe, just like Key West, if not more so.

As for media reports, they tend to hyperbolize and misrepresent so much. To give you an example, our relatives in Europe think that here in the US we're under constant daily threat of tornadoes, violence, hurricanes.. and we live in New England

[tab]

Desire has not one but two gated checkpoints--can't even get back to Desire guarded gate unless yo'er at Azuls or D right? ......this seems much more secure than most resorts......though if a gaggle of armed mutant really pissed of mexicans hell bent on grabbing them some american tourists were to manifest themselves i suppose both of these could be over run..........

[Sharon and David]

Nooooo!!! We believe that once those"pissed off Mexicans"(mutant or otherwise) would see all these naked, fun loving visitors to their beautiful part of the world and would jump in the hot tub with us all an make love not war.

[tab]

S&D--hope that's true! and they bring hot babes w them!!

[miranda]

and they bring hot babes w them!!

That's all the ladies that are at Desire - hot babes!

[mikelitoris]

Thanks All! We pretty much felt the same way - but wanted to hear from some "Desire Veterans"...
We've been to Hidden Beach, but have our innaugral Desire trip coming up at the end of the month...by the way - gallivants, we're in CT also!

[Denver Duo]

just an opinion - assuming you go to Desire for a couples vacation. Desire is a safe resort by most standards. Venturing off the resort during the day to the main tourist attractions is probably relatively safe. Going to areas not frequented by tourists during the day is something we would definitely avoid.

We would not go anywhere off the resort at night unless it was to go directly to or from the airport.

This is probably not a good time to go off the resort and wear lots of bling. Most know it is not wise to flash lots of cash. Also, if asked by anyone of your status in your home land, now is not the time to disclose any information that may indicate you have a position of prominence, "value" or access to significant personal financial resources.

With all due respect, I will differ from previous posts in that there have been a few murders of tourists in parts of Mexico that are likely to be linked (not proven) with the drug cartels. It is rare in major tourist cities and may not always make the national news in all countries. Cancun and Qunitana Roo have had far fewer problems than the Pacific coastal, US border, and Mexico City regions.

Go to Desire and have fun. Just use common sense.

[tab]

Thanks All! We pretty much felt the same way - but wanted to hear from some "Desire Veterans"...
We've been to Hidden Beach, but have our innaugral Desire trip coming up at the end of the month...by the way - gallivants, we're in CT also!

Mikelitoris--what can you tell us about HB?

[mikelitoris]

We loved HBR. Small (42 rooms) definitely catered more to the AN crowd. Not as lifestyle friendly, unless there on a takeover trip. Food far better than our experience at GLB. We haven't been back since it became a Breezes. Staff at HBR - EXCELLENT! You can also walk over to the sister resort El Dorado Seaside where there are 5 other restaurants (not A/N though)

HBR closed Sept - Dec 2010 for rennovations...we'll see what others say after it re-opens. Hope this helps.

Any good words for us before we leave to Desire next weekend?

thanks

[landedesire]

We loved HBR. Small (42 rooms) definitely catered more to the AN crowd. Not as lifestyle friendly, unless there on a takeover trip. Food far better than our experience at GLB. We haven't been back since it became a Breezes. Staff at HBR - EXCELLENT! You can also walk over to the sister resort El Dorado Seaside where there are 5 other restaurants (not A/N though)

HBR closed Sept - Dec 2010 for rennovations...we'll see what others say after it re-opens. Hope this helps.

Any good words for us before we leave to Desire next weekend?

thanks

Have fun and we are so jealous!!!!! (even though we just got back 6 weeks ago )