John - October, 2002
This was my 11th trip to Hedo2
and my 4th since I found Denny's site so I guess it is time to give a little
something back and put out a trip report.
I flew down on Tues(10/1) on Air
Jamaica from JFK. When I checked my bag,I asked if anything was available in
first class and was told yes and it would cost $150. I said ok,she did the
upgrade gave me a pass for the first class lounge and never charged me
anything.
The plane was only half full and
left on time.We made great time down,but then had to wait until a thunderstorm
cleared Mobay before we could land. Cleared immergrations and customs and now
had to decide. Fly or try the new road?
Looked for the Timair rep and
couldn't find him. The rep from Burl air said $60 and I could take off in 20
min. OK.
They get me to the domestic
terminal and the Burl air desk is now saying $125. Classic 'bait and switch'
game . I can't believe I fell for it. I argued and waited and argued some
more. Finally went over to the Timair desk and explained what had
happened.They offered to fly me solo to Negril for $60 if I was willing to
wait another 20 mins. No Problem Mon!
I ended up checking in about 1.5
hrs.after landing. Now some might say I should have just gone on the bus,but I
had just spent over 6 hrs.sitting in 2 airports and on one plane and just
wanted to hit the beach.Besides,I love the view from the air.
Once I got to the room,the week
just got better and better. Even though the place was pretty empty,maybe
25-30% full,I had a great time. I had missed hurricane Lili by a day or two
and the weather was good for the rest of the week.
Ran into John & Trish who I had
met in Apr,then started to meet some folks from all over. Hi Amy,Johnny,and
Phil.Then Connie and Tess from Windsor,Ont,and a lot of Brits from all over.
Sunday the 6th was my b-day so
Phil and Tim flagged over one of the boats and took us to the Office of Nature
for grilled lobster.Best birthday I've had in a while!
Then in the piano bar that
night,Amy(bless her little heart)tells Dave it's my b-day and I get to stand
in my birthday suit while the room sings 'Happy Birthday'to me,and would you
know it.That was one of the few nights the place was full. :)
All in all,it was a fun,lazy
week. Snorkeled,taught some people the joy of going down the slide on your
back head first. Yes,I always made sure the slider before me was down in the
pool before going.Took the waterproof camera down on a few runs and got some
good shots.
Since business has been off,alot
of staff have been either laid off or given reduced hours. Several long time
bartenders were telling me that they have been doing 3 days on then 4 days off
one week and then the reverse the following week. This sucks,but not much can
be done except encourage people to go to Hedo.
Thank you Denny for all the hard
work you put into this site and for making this space available.
Respect, John