This is a comparison report of Hidden beaches resort, Desires resort and Caribbean reef club in Mexico.
We were last at CRC in June 2002 so some things may have changed. We were last at HBR in November 2003 and just got back from Desires June 2004.

CHECK IN
The lobby at CRC is very small but check in went smoothly. The lobby at HBR is beautiful and the service was very good…towels and drinks. Desires lobby is very nice and they did offer drinks and towels. I would give a thumbs up to HBR.

ROOMS
We had the cheapest room at CRC, which had 2 double beds. The room was like a motel 6…clean and sufficient. We had the most expensive room at HBR and while the swim up is very nice for direct access to the beach and pool…it was not worth the extra money. It had a king sized bed and was clean but nothing fancy. We had the Jacuzzi suite at Desires and it was certainly worth the money. It had a queen sized bed and a Jacuzzi tub. It was light and romantic.
The nod would go to Desires.

SERVICE
The service at CRC was very good. We had no complaints about service at all. Service at HBR was very good….they truly wanted to make us happy. Desires had good service as well but we found there needed to be more bar tenders. HBR is the winner.

POOL
All three locations have about the same sized pool…CRC is the smallest resort with about 30 rooms, HBR is next with about 40 rooms and desires has about 130 rooms. So for the resort size CRC has the largest pool. All three pools do not supply floats. Towels were plentiful as well as chairs. However, Desires has the largest towels…though they could use some fabric softener. CRC did not have pool volleyball available. HBR does have a wonderful swim up bar. I have heard that HBR now has an additional pool but I have not seen it. The pools were all well maintained. I would give the edge to HBR.

HOTTUB
The largest of the 3 is probably at Desires, but it is also the largest resort. The view from the Jacuzzi is wonderful…it sits on the rooftop and overlooks the resort and the ocean. There is a swim up bar at one end and several beds located nearby.
The Jacuzzi at CRC is very picturesque and a good size for the resort. There is a bar close by. The Jacuzzi at HBR is nice but nothing special. I think this one is hard to pick but I will choose CRC. I have heard there is a new hot tub at HBR but I have not seen it.

FOOD
The first year we went to CRC I could not sing the praises for the food loud enough. The next year they had gotten a new chef and the food was horrible and the servings small. HBR only has one restaurant unless you want to go to the El Dorado next door. The food is made to order and the lobster is the best thing on the menu. They had breakfast and lunch buffets that were good. Desires has buffet for all three meals and it is average. They do have two restaurants, International and Mexican. The food was good but not great. I would give HBR the thumbs up on food.

ACTIVITIES
CRC does not have any activities to speak of. It all depends on the host couple. There is snorkeling next door. HBR has activity directors and they do play pool volleyball and bingo and they try to organize things but do not follow thru well. Desires has wonderful activity directors and good participation, pool volleyball and sand volleyball were popular, bingo and poolside games. Desires wins this category.

DISCO
CRC turns the dining palapa into a disco after dinner. There is a bar, a pole and the music is a good variety. HBR has a wonderful open-air disco with a bar and an outside area as well. The music selections could be better. There are theme nights but not many seem to be interested. Desires has a nice disco with a bar and a couple of poles…but there are no open windows and it gets very stuffy. There is a playroom in the back of the disco. Theme nights are scheduled but there did not seem to be much participation. I would give the thumbs up to HBR on the actual disco and to Desires for participation.

GYM
HBR did have a gym but it was located next door at El Dorado. We did not go there so I cannot say how good it is. Desires has a very nice gym in a wonderful air-conditioned location. CRC has some exercise equipment in the main palapa up the stairs. Desires wins this one.

SPA
Desires has a wonderful spa. HBR has a spa next door at El Dorado. CRC does have massages available. Friends have told us all three places gave great massages….but as for the actual spa…Desires wins.

BEACH AND WATER
CRC has a beautiful view and they have created a small beach area up from the water, but the actual beachfront is very rocky and not really usable. Snorkeling is available next door and it is very good. HBR has a beautiful beach area with wonderful palapas. The sand stops at the waters edge and becomes very rocky. Snorkeling is available next door at the El Dorado and is very good. Desires has a beautiful sandy beach all the way into the water. They have lots of palapas and chairs. Snorkeling is available for an additional $25 pp. The beach does have a seaweed problem and there is an attempt to clean it up. The edge on this one goes to Desires.

LOCATION
Desires is the closest to the Cancun airport…about 20 minutes away. CRC is next also about 20 minutes away and HBR is about an hour from the airport.


GENERAL
CRC and DESIRES are clothing optional resorts. Clothing is required for dining. HBR is an au naturel resort and you do not have to dress at all. We have seen PDA at CRC and Desires.
At this time we cannot recommend CRC but we do recommend both HBR and Desires. We would go back to either resort. We would probably prefer Desires by a small margin. HBR and DESIRES are not really alike. Desires is more similar to Hedo3 in Jamaica.

COST
CRC is about $250 a night. HBR is about $460 a night. Desires is about $360 a night.
All are all inclusive. Taxes and Air are extra.