Pete - April, 2009
Hedo II Trip Report
What a difference just eight weeks makes!
First week in April 09
Since our visit to Hedo II in Feb (see previous report) thinks are looking up. Spring has arrived. The wind died down. The ocean was warm. By the end of our trip, the water was bath-warm, and the nude pool was comfortable for long relaxing drinks and socializing.
The new chef had imprinted a subtle enhancement to the buffet — same basic food items but with better presentation, a little more care, more supervision. Crème Caramel at Pastafari was exceptional.
Occupancy was nothing like 100%, so not all tables were used for meals. It was easy to get a restaurant reservation. Bar service was prompt and friendly.
The towel program (two towels or tickets per guest, upon arrival) was working just fine. No towels dumped behind trees, on loungers overnight, or in the hot tub! That’s nice.
Guests may have gotten the message about the bad manners of lounger hogging. At any time of day we could (and did) find loungers in the shade, or in the sun. Not an issue this trip.
Entertainment staff were/are friendly. But they still need supervision. One day a supervisor’s arrival was announced over the PA, and the girls on the beach jumped into action and got activities happening. Did that have anything to do with my quiet chat to the new resort manager? I pointed out the low level of activity of a couple of the ACs, who preferred to whisper their announcements of a game, so nobody joined in. A BIG improvement after my chat. The list of daily activities bore no relationship to reality. If you want a fun activity, organize it yourself.
Hedo Bucks have gone, to be replaced by tokens (old poker chips).These went into very short supply. Game winnings were then recorded on sheets of paper. If you wanted to reclaim your points (15 points = 1 bottle of rum — worth $9.00 at the airport duty free shop) at breakfast, the lists had to be looked over to tally your score. And of course someone else had some of the sheets and … So you can easily be ‘ripped off’ a couple of dozen points. And you cannot hand over unused tokens to new best friends! I wonder if that’s planned or simply a new hidden benefit to Super Clubs.
Piano Bar was buzzing — more on-piano entertainment (can you spell YMCA?) than sing-along. Some really good, and really professional singers did their turn in the bar. Such talent. A couple of very competent guests entertainers on Thursday too.
The only thundering black spot: the sound systems. We had to ask, then demand, that the volume of rap music be turned down on the beach. Got the point across when the AC handling the music simply could not hear me speak. At the Lunch Time Spin, one AC kept saying “Turn it down DJ,” as he tried to run his game. At the back of the dining room even the waiter at Mumasan could not hear to take orders. A lousy singer was dominating with REALLY BAD, loud volume. This is a serious problem as guests kept leaving to find a place to chat.
A really great week. Even better than eight weeks ago. We would go back at once — if we had the time.