Hedo Trip #4;
8/11 8/18/01
This was our 4th trip to Hedonism II, about the same time each year, so I know about what it should cost. Very annoying this year finding a proper price for 7 nights. Eventually found an Air Jamaica ad in the Sunday paper (Boston Globe) that looked reasonable, so I checked it out. As expected, the room category was Gardenview Prude, where we pretty much insist on the Gardenview Nude side. I had travel agent check on the GVN rate and they quoted $300 more per person per 7 nights. This is what I meant by annoying, since the Superclubs web site shows GVN rooms for just $10/night more pp than GVP rooms. OK, so AJ is doing a loss-leader ad; I told the local TA that wed take the cheaper room and deal with it at checkin.
The AJ flight down was just perfect, leaving BOS Saturday morning at 7:30 and arriving MBJ at 10:30 local. Legroom a bit snug, but Im just 60/180 lbs. Much bigger and youd be uncomfy for the 4 hour flight.
Took the bus to Hedo as always we do. Once a year isnt often enough for us to be annoyed by it, and I have to say, its clearly only a matter of time now before the new road will be finished. Major progress in the last year. Actual workers slaving away at multiple places enroute. Only Lee and myself on the bus with the driver this time.
1:45 later were at Hedo and I take charge this time, explaining nicely to the check-in woman our situation and that were willing to pay the upgrade cost for a GVN room. By the time Im back from the bar with my drink, shes ready and gives us the key to 2133 in H-block with no extra charge. Ahh, nice. A fine room, easy access to the dive shack and hot tub. Window seat is made up as a bed, with drawers under, first time weve had that. Assume its for the 3 girls for price of 2 promo they sometimes have.
Ill just touch on some of the odds and ends this year compared to previous. Seemed to be low attendence this week, perhaps less than half full. Hard to get a volleyball game put together several days, and the 9:30 dive boat had just 2 or 3 divers, along with Antony or Derrick, most mornings.
One of my complaints this year was that some of the chalkboarded activities did not take place some days, even allowing 10-15 minutes for Jamaica time. All the entertainment staff were great, cant say there was a problem that I knew of except somedays no one showed to call 3:00 VB on the prude side or 4:00 VB on the nude side. Other days it was fine.
Hedobucks. We accumulated about 400,000 Hedobucks over the week. Seven bottles of booze clinking around in the luggage on the return. Some of the Hedobucks I got had Expires August 31 stamped on the back. Others had nothing stamped on the back. The prize person said not to take any home and return with them on next trip because theyd be no good then. I dont know, but it seems a lot of work in the hot Jamaica weather to be cranking out a new series of Hedobucks each month. Predict it wont stick.
The food was mostly as good as ever. Service in the main dining area was better than before. You had to guard half-empty plates if you got up to get something else, or theyd be taken. The outdoor Scotch Bonnet wasnt so great. Food was a bit salty, the shrimp seemed overcooked and the veal rubbery. Pastafari was about the same as before, but to be honest, disappointing in contrast to Italian restaurants around here. I propose we start a scholarship fund: Send-a-Hedo-Chef-to-Italian-Cooking-School, we can call it. Garlic, olive oil, oregano theyve got to get a more intuitive sense how to steer properly with these things.
This year, I didnt make any attempt to connect with people on Dennys list ahead of time. But met a few repeat offenders anyway. Frank&Debbie from Chicago and The-Couple-That-Speaks-No-English from the previous week last year. Then chatting in the tub midweek, a couple seemed vaguely familiar, and theyre Jack&Carol, from Connecticut, whom we briefly met at a CT Hedo group meeting last October a boat ride on the CT river from Hartford. Finally, on our last day, Eric, the Boston Bad Boy arrived; we knew hed be there since we chatted at a BAHG gathering a few weeks back.
Towels werent much of a problem this week, so guess they figured how to make the arrangement with Grand Lido work. But I dont use a towel much and sometime drag mine back to the room if its convenient.
Construction on the Hedo grounds was pretty much as others have reported. Not real disruptive, since theyve relocated the Prude VB court and, heaven help us, the Basketball court. They seem to be making progress with rebar and concrete, so expect theyll be done before the highway is.
The nude pool/tub area was busy as usual all week, though some days were just too hot to see much activity in the hot tub, which was running on the hot side most days. But Friday, our next to last day, things seemed especially frisky there, from mid-afternoon on, as I commented to Lee. A lot of the game where one sits on the pool edge and has a frozen drink poured down his/her front while the other is positioned down beneath waiting to slurp it up. Synchronized u/w muff-diving competitions, too. Then after the 6:00 jerk chicken, the cool tub was especially popular with several couples, in addition to us, having a grand time being coupled. Things were on a roll so well they had cut the power to the cool tub at 7:20 to get the bunch of us to leave so the evening cleaning could be done. Well, to make a short story even longer, it seems that someone took exception to all this festivity and, as I found out the next morning, the infamous masked pool-shitter struck again! Saturday morning the pool had been drained and a thorough cleaning was in progress. Even by 3:00 PM, the firehose had it filled to less than halfway. Gotta wonder what the hecks going on. Easy to think that this might be the result of a frustrated Vinnie making a statement when all the couples are jollying up.
OK, on the last day, I usually break pattern, since I dont do the 9:30 dive. No exception this time. First, I did a 90 min RT walk, starting just after 7 AM, down to Swept Away and back. A friend stayed there on honeymoon few months back; looks like an OK place. Then, getting back, the winds up a bit for a change, so took one of the small Hobies out for a good hour of sailing. Later, find the wind is the fringe of TS Chantal, but only 20-30 mph at that time. The Hobie needed fixing: the clamp that holds the main line would let go when I got a good bit of wind and Id lose it all.
Id been thinking about swimming out to the island for a couple days, so that was next. Mask, snorkle, and fins and Im off. My rump had a great time with this, though be advised that even wet, it still picks up considerable UV from the sun! Fighting the current a bit with the wind beyond the Point, but got to the island (Booby Cay?) OK and wandered the path a bit. Guess Hedo doesnt use it anymore; things are rundown and overgrown.
Then swam back, rinsed off, got the 3:00 bus, a delayed flight about 7:00 PM from MoBay and got back to my house by 1 AM. Not sure when our next return will be; we may break our pattern next year