We were virgins this trip, so I'll address a few of the things we got right(thanks to the many posts on the message board), and the few things we got wrong. I'll try not to drag this out, but I rather expect that the joy of reliving the experience will make it hard to be brief.
We signed-up for Hedo looking for a place to be romantic with each other, have really great and uninhibited sex if we wanted, and meet other couples of like mind. We had no pre-conception about what we'd do or who we'd do it with, but really appreciated the fact that "respect" seemed to be, literally, the word of the day among Hedonites. This proved to be true throughout our stay.
Dan Hill and Laura Elmore [Global Discount Vacations (800) 966-0002] did a great job for us from initial questions through getting us our tickets, custom forms, and upgrade. I understand that there's some price competition among agents, and maybe some whose service isn't what it could be. Dan was great. When he left town for his own vacation I got prompt and courteous service from Laura. We even thought of taking her along for our trip, but decided to wait and see if we liked it first ;)
Air Jamaica is great. Better than most of the more traditional airlines I travel on, and I recommend them. They have a program now called (something like) "Island Hopper" where, for no additional cost, you can add another Caribbean island to your itinerary. Next time around we plan to fly back to the states by way of Havana for two or three days.
The bus ride isn't all that bad. We did the bus both ways in mid-day heat and it just wasn't really a problem. The drivers were great and talked as much or as little as we liked. I learned more about John Candy and his drug habits while filming "Cool Runnings" from our driver, Dearse, than I wanted to know! The bus ride was also a good time for those who partake to buy weed. It is (supposedly) cheaper and better quality than if you buy it from the boatmen who hang about at the resort.
Check-in does suck, but everything is relative. I mean, being told to hit the beach or have lunch with a room full of half-clothed people while your room is readied is a hell of a lot better than a DC traffic jam or dealing with a dysfunctional fax machine! We eventually got our room with 'no problem, mon.'
PJ night is not to be missed! For virgins, whatever you're thinking about wearing, be more daring! It's the best evening activity of the week and, for our first night, was a great way to get into the 'Hedo frame of mind.' In fact, we generally napped through most of the planned evening activities so that we'd be fresh for the disco, pool, and hot tub later that night.
A note about the "prude-vs-nude thang:" We'd done a nude beach in Europe, so we knew we could do it. Actually, anyone can. It's no big deal, really. Just fun. As Lewis Grizzard used to say "There's a difference between being 'naked,' and being 'nekkid.' The former means being without clothes. The latter means being without clothes and up to something!' At Hedo, you can get naked or nekkid, and everyone will respect your space, dignity, and privacy. We found that (counter-intuitively) people were ~much~ more outgoing and friendly on the nude side. But we did spend a little time on the prude beach too (mostly to take 'tame' pictures to send home to family, but also when the sensory overload of all the nudity and fun on the other side became too much).
A note about single guys: I personally wouldn't come to Hedo single. But I'm basically shy, and not so good looking that couples would be fighting over the right to worship my body. But I also think single guys in general get a bad rap because of a few morons who can't behave. During our week there were a couple of single guys who did really well at fitting in on the nude side. They were social, nice to chat with, not boorish, and knew to talk to a woman's eyes, not her breasts (or at least not ~just~ to her breasts). And I don't think they were ever lonely! There were also some pitiful fellows who had that 'stray puppy' look that breaks your heart when the hang about the nude pool, clearly dying for 'some action,' but unable to be social enough to get it. Finally, there were the 'Wallies.' They bothered me at first, in no small part because it made my partner feel creepy. But once we got used to them, they stopped being a problem. None were ever disrespectful. The worse we got were some very intense gapes and stares (which we probably deserved ~wicked grin~)
Anyway, we'll continue to make single guys feel as welcome as we can, but only those who can behave. We'll continue to ignore the others.
The quality of the food was really inconsistent. Sometimes it was really good. Other times it wasn't. But there was always plenty of fresh fruit, bread and cold cuts, and Pastafari was really great the night we ate there.
Entertainment: Everything we did was excellent. I wish they had more than two Hobie sailboats (and maybe fewer of the Sunfish), but that was no big deal. I did a SCUBA dive, and meant to do more but just got too involved in other stuff (which will give you an idea of how much there is to do!) We also did a snorkel trip which was very nice. We showed up at the dive shack and asked when we could go. They said "How 'bout now, mon?" And we went! It was easy and, with the flotation belts, even a weak swimmer could float along and see all the beautiful fish on the reef.
For walkers, you can walk along the shore (through adjacent resorts) only from 0600 to 1800. After that the beach access between resorts closes. The walks look like they'd be fun. Especially if you go far enough to the left (from Hedo), since you'll get to stretches of uninhabited beach that look gorgeous! We found them by Hobie, which was much quicker and more fun.
They also have literally dozens of things going on each day. We did the Soca dance lessons which were lots of fun (both to do and to watch). The entertainment staff there could make a root canal fun, so anything they get started is going to be entertaining.
A typical day: Up at 1000 for breakfast. Then a dive trip, snorkel trip, or beach time. Lunch at the nude pool. Maybe a nap in the afternoon, or another activity. MUST be in the nude pool from about 1600 - 1800, jammin' to the good music and enjoying the company. Then off for a shower and dinner. Another nap. Disco. Then back to the hot tub at 2300. Have to pace yourself (don't want to wrinkle up like a prune). In the hot tub. Out on the side. In the hot tub. Out and down to the waterfront. In the hot tub. Out on the side. Then, around 0300, off to a room for a private party if you want and are invited.
A note about private parties and other couples. We knew we wanted to have a wild time at Hedo. We weren't too sure about sex with other couples but knew we'd welcome fooling around in the ~vicinity~ of others. The hot tub was a great ice-breaker for us. We saw other couples that were moving at about the same pace as we were and chatted with them comfortably. I think the key to getting what you want is say something about it. Don't be shy. Our first night there I was kind of lost, knowing that there was a lot going on out-of-sight, but too shy or hesitant to ask about it. On the second night, within 30 minutes of mentioning that we were looking for adventure and hoping to meet others with similar interests, we were invited to our first private party. And from there things flowed very naturally. Generally speaking, Hedo can accommodate almost anyone. A clergyman, no matter how broadminded, might not like the drinking games, the public nudity, or the scent of sex and sensimilla on the breeze, but anyone else could be happy there. If you want to just chill you can, with no harassment. If you want to focus All your time and attention on your one special someone, you can. And if you want to explore fantasies you haven't really even thought of yet, those are there too. Again, the key is to know what you want and be willing to act on it in an environment where you won't be laughed at, ridiculed, or judged.
Cool things: The full moon from the point: A must do thing at least one evening.
Private parties after the hot tub! What goes at Hedo stays at Hedo, and these are not to be missed!
Big mugs: One of the best tips we got and took was to buy big insulated mugs for drinks. I got them at Walmart for $1.50 each. The bar will fill them with whatever your drink preference is and it saves countless trips, not to mention keeping your drink cool.
Floats: There were enough there from previous visitors, but we brought ours, put our names and dates on them and left them, even though we'd never used them (also Walmart, $5 each)
Chris' book, "The Naked Truth about Hedo II" It was funny and invaluable. If you're gonna buy it, get it from her website http://www.wordcrafting.com/hedobook.stm so that she gets more of the royalties (and they'll ship just as fast as Amazon or anyone else will).
Mistakes: Clothing: All the talk about going naked/nekkid went to my head. I was trippin' at the idea of not wearin' a tie or socks and forgot completely that my better half kind of ~enjoys~ the friendly competition of being a well-dressed woman. So she was leery when I said "You don't need to bring anything special to wear," and was down-right pissed when she saw at dinner that women were dressed in their best elegant dinner wear and damned-sexy outfits, and she'd left hers home! So, I suggest that those women who like to dress "hot" put together their best fantasy outfits and bring them along (there are irons in the rooms). I have to admit, after seeing naked and nekkid bodies all day, it was equally erotic to see some of the incredibly hot outfits that women wore to dinner.
Lysol: Was recommended but wasn't needed. The a/c in our room was clean and worked great.
Finally, a big thanks to the staff at Hedo II: They're a third of the equation that makes Hedo such a cool place. And thanks to DennyP and all the people who create and sustain such a friendly, informative and cool online presence for Hedo virgins. And, finally, a "miss you and see you next time" to Scott and Dawn, Mark and Melissa, Abe and Paulette, and countless others. And a "thank you" to Mike and DeDe, who helped make a bunch of virgins a lot more comfortable. Cool people and new friendships are the ~best~ part of what makes us eager to get back to Hedo soon.
Sorry if this got too long, but maybe it'll help other virgins or those thinking about making their first trip. Email us if you want more information or have specific questions.
Cheers,