Due to heightened security at BWI airport we arrived at 5:30 am for our 8:25 am flight which was late by about 20 minutes. To our surprise the checkpoints were empty and the MD National Guard greeted us with stern, empty looks and M-16's. We had no delays or difficulty checking and advancing to the Air Jamaica terminal. Much to our surprise our flight was not full as two different travel agencies told us.

 

This was my fourth trip to Hedonism II and Lynette's first. We arrived at the resort via Tim Air, which had "no record" of my email registration a week prior (I received a confirmation). We took a taxi/van from the Tim Air landing strip and was charged $5.00--Lynette offered $3.00 as a "tip" but was abruptly told "it's $5.00."

 

Upon checking in we were told that our rooms were not ready, to go and have lunch and check back in about 1-1 1/2 hours--we checked in at about 1:15 pm and the room wasn't ready until about 2:45 pm. At this point our room had ac, working fine but this will soon change.

 

Now the good:

 

The entertainment staff, Leroy, Lucky and Razor were very spirited and made you feel welcome. The Nude Beach grill had excellent burgers, fries and chicken. The Prude Grill was adequate. The frozen drink machine at the Nude Hot Tub had the best drinks. The lunchtime and dinner entertainment was enjoyable. We met some "Hedo veteran's" Art, Anita and Kate. They shared stories and experiences and gave great comparisons on Hedo past and present. They also joined us for meals and Kate gave great ideas for tying togas. The Prude pool was much nicer than the previous times I visited due to the renovations. Toga night was very, very interesting. We chose a basic toga wrap and Lynette had her's re-tied by Lucky (entertainment staff).

 

Now the bad:

The shower ran hot and cold on it's own, all the time. We had to be prepared to dodge the water at a moments notice. After day 2, the ac went into "low" and remained  there until check out, the unit was very loud. There also was a leak of some kind from an undetermined location in the room. The floor on the side of the bed near the closet was continually wet. We never located the leak and used yellow pool towels the keep the area dry. The Nude hot tub was always cold and at night the chlorine level was almost toxic and the crowd never thinned out. The Nude pool likewise was filled to capacity. The Prude hot tub was off for almost an entire day, we summoned pool staff and after an hour or so we were told "there was a breaker problem" but the tub should be on "later." The construction of course was loud and bothersome. Walking from our room on the Nude side for meals and the gym was a small journey. The construction--noise--workers made the gym a little less than accommodating. The food, the food--lousy, horrible, awful. What more can we say. Thank goodness for fruit, salad and bread. There were times when we could actually put together a full meal but.............Pastafari for me was "ok" and my mate found it horrible.

 

Summation:

 

This was my last trip to Hedonism. After touring Couples and Grand Lido we decided that while we will continue to come to Jamaica possibly twice a year, Hedonism II will not be our preference. With the renovations nearly complete and the talk of significant price increases we no doubt will go elsewhere. In my previous trips I can say that the resort had in fact gotten progressively worse. Also, many Hedo veterans agree that the place isn't what is used to be and referenced the service, food and other issues. Lynette's opinion is that she will not be returning and that all the "hype" about the resort was probably more fiction than fact. While apprehensive about the Nude side we saw no open sexual activity or any of the legendary Hedo "be wicked" propaganda. I can't say she was disappointed but she ready to see and experience Hedo at it's best, well, Hedo fell short--real short.

 

To others who had wonderful times and experiences, we say all the best and good luck in the coming years.

Tyrone & Lynette