Email Robert.Thanks to Robert for sharing his trip report. - Denny
HEDONISM TRIP REPORT - OCTOBER 17 - 21, 1996
I left for Hedonism on Thursday morning. Had a good flight down from
Newark to Montego Bay on Air Jamaica. Got into Montego Bay around 11:00am.. Made my way
down to the Sun Holiday Tours area and there were about 15 other people going to Hedo.
The bus ride was very long and the usual adventure it is when you're in
Jamaica. The weather was cloudy and the tropical storm had come and gone, however part of
the road was torn up and we had to wait while it was being repaired. I thought it had
something to do with a white car that went off the right side of the road. Anyway, we sat
on the bus for about ten minutes when everyone in the cars in front of us got out of their
cars to stretch and to see what was going on. Anyway, we do the same, and the driver
advises us to not go too far in case the traffic starts moving again. So after stretching
for a few minutes we get back on the bus and the traffic in front of us starts moving and
the driver hasn't come back yet. Finally, he comes back and we go on our way.
It was a pretty ride along the coast, however as is the case with most
of Jamaica it is a depressed area (lots of shacks). We stopped for a drink on the way. It
was great to get out of the bus and get a cool Red Stripe.
We arrived at Hedo at about 2:00 (I think Negril is an hour behind
Montego Bay, so it felt like three o'clock, I think they were either an hour behind or it
was on Standard Time, it doesn't matter!). I had booked for a shared room rate (it was
cheaper since I was by myself) and got lucky by not getting a roommate during my stay. I
was on the prude side (and they were painting and doing work so there was a smell of paint
for the first day or so. Of course you don't go for the room. Although, I woke up one
morning and saw the mirror on the ceiling and all I could think of was "BASIC
INSTINCT". Half of the rooms are on the prude side and half are on the nude side (on
that side everybody could walk around nude or topless). The stretch of beaches are maybe a
quarter of a mile long.
On the prude side they have the Trapeze (with Clinics around 4:30 pm.),
volleyball, bocci ball, a bar and grill and hammocks to relax in. They also have a
Trampoline as well. I don't mind flying on a plane even though I'm afraid of heights, but
I'm not crazy enough to swing from a trapeze. There are also vendors set up in a straw
market at tables selling crafts.
I wound up spending most of my time on the nude side because it seemed
like there were more people there and there were fewer trees to block the sun. I wound up
getting a great tan (I have some sunburn on my left shoulder but other than that I'm OK.
It took a little while getting used to the nude beach (but I was on the one at Breezes, so
it didn't bother me). The nude pool (the water was a little cool), bar and Jacuzzi had
just opened the previous Tuesday so it was brand new and the waterfall pool was a nice
touch.. It was a crowded place but a great place to hang out. I say it was mostly couples
and the few people I talked to were regulars to Hedo (I think one guy said he's been there
67 times and some people said they stayed there even before it was Hedo.. they said it
used to be the Negril Beach Village). There was a few single guys I talked to. One reason
the pool was crowded was the ocean was too rough to swim in. It finally calmed down on
Sunday (so I floated on a raft which was very relaxing). There was coral and rocks at the
bottom so I was glad to have my beach moccasins with me. For $40 US you could get a
massage as you entered the nude area. A late night hot tub proved to be relaxing as well.
With the water being too rough I was disappointed I could go on the
snorkeling boats (they have one at 11:30 and 2:00, the Catamaran for Rick's Cafe leaves at
4:00 and there's a Catamaran trip at 10:30 am. But all were canceled due to the weather. I
saw a few boats and a few windsurfers on Sunday but there wasn't much activity on the
water.
The food was good, however make sure you have plenty to drink with your
meal (especially water) because the air is dry and I usually had a glass of water with
whatever I was drinking. This was important especially at breakfast. At Pastafari I
recommend the chicken with olive oil and tomatoes, the broiled fish with an oyster sauce
and the Veal Piccata. For dessert the Mango Mousse and or a Cappuccino.
On Thursday it was Toga Night so most everyone came to dinner in some pretty interesting and revealingly tied togas. It was funny because when I first arrived at my room, the maid came in with clean sheets and the bed was already made. Unfortunately, I missed out on how to tie one so I just went to dinner in my regular clothes. Later they had a Talent Show and I got up and did "Buffalo Soldier" and the crowd loved it. (For all the
activities you are in you can win tokens which were worth a certain
amount of points depending on what color they were; and you can exchange them for prizes
in the morning at breakfast. I won a Hedo hat and a bottle of Tia Maria) I was also crazy
enough to get involved in a best body contest in which things got pretty wild. I also got
into what I thought was a beer chugging contest but it was a drinking game that went on
for about an hour (I gave it about twenty minutes).
I think from the long trip and the sun I wound up turning in early
Thursday and Sunday. But the disco was rocking Friday and Saturday, unfortunately I missed
out on doing the MACARENA, I like the MACARENA it's cool! I had a great time enjoying Red
Stripe, I loved Ting (I wanted to bring some back but the airport duty free shops and Hedo
shops didn't have it), and there's nothing like an Appleton and Coke (mon!). Oh well, I'll
have to get some on my next trip to Jamaica.
The worst thing was the towel exchange thing because it was not a pain
getting them exchanged but remembering not to lose your towels. Also dealing with
misplaced room keys can tend to be time consuming.
The other bad thing was for a noon bus to the airport we had to have our
bags out by eight a.m. But is was great being able to check in for my Air Jamaica flight
at the resort. It saved a lot of time at the airport which was the up side of it.
The ride back the airport was much faster and we even went through
downtown Montego Bay which is a nice area. I had a great flight back home, (I think there
were some musicians from the Jazz Festival in Montego Bay on the flight), but was
depressed about leaving Jamaica. But I plan on going back to Runaway Bay in February. Oh
well, I have my reggae tapes, Hedo T-shirt and sweatshirt (for the cold winter here in New
Jersey) to remind me of the great time I had at Hedonism II. It's a great place to relax
and it can be as wild or as mellow as you want it to be.
Email Robert.
Thanks to Robert for sharing his trip report. -
Denny