Rudy & Tam - March, 2011
This has got to be one of the most difficult things I have ever had to write. Those of you who know me and hubby Rudy know that we are generally positive people who go with the flow and don’t take every little thing as a major disaster. However, and you knew that was coming…I am now going to pen a not-so-happy TR for Hedo2. Please don’t think I just wanted to bitch about it; we thought you deserved to know.
The beginning of our 9th trip to H2, on March 26th, saw us through almost 2 hours of immigration / customs and on to the SuperClubs lounge. At least we had several friends to yak with while waiting and check-in was fairly quick. Onto the crowded bus we went; even the fold-down seats were filled and the entire back was a wall of luggage. After debarking and hugging our pals who were waiting in the front desk area, all other guests were assigned rooms and off they went. Rudy got called into the back room and was informed that we had been bumped to Breezes across the street. Rudy is a pretty easy-going guy, but was adamant that we would NOT be staying at Breezes. After a lot of back and forth – he did go across the street to fill out paperwork and get keys we would never use to a room of which we would never know the number. Our bags were taken to our friends’ room and we spent the night with them. The compensation for this was 2 30-minute massages and a free night during a future stay.
The next day, we learned that 22 rooms had been overbooked and people taken as far as the RIU to spend the night. 22 rooms! We also learned that there were folks whose agents had a no-bump guarantee. Wish that had applied to us, but we certainly thought that by booking with Denny that there would be no problem. More importantly, 22 rooms overbooked?! WTF! That is almost 10% of the available rooms! It’s freakin’ Hedo! There’s no way 22 room reservations are NOT SHOWING UP AT HEDO!
On the 27th, Rudy made sure that we had our accommodations by 11AM. Room 1102. We have stayed in 1103 and 1105, so we were happy with the assignment even though the safe was inoperative. Until…and you knew that was coming…the disco and prude beach pool parties vibrated the walls until the wee hours (and not in a good way). I am not really sure why the disco was so much louder than in years past as it never bothered us there before. Rudy thinks it was because they kept the back and side doors open. In addition to the noise, there was a profusion of pot smoke wafting though our room most hours of the day and night, apparently siphoning in from the rooms next to or above us. There was a definite haze and smell in the room. For some folks that is not a big deal, but for us it was worrying as our jobs could be in jeopardy if it were thought we’d been indulging. (YES – there was enough constant smoke to possibly cause a positive test.)
After two nights of not sleeping and constant cotton mouth, I could take no more. I happened to talk to Lorna Clark and she agreed we should change rooms. So, day 4 saw us move to 2113, which was totally awesome and clean and an upgraded room by all means! Yet it still necessitated another pack and move.
Throughout the trip, the resort was at full capacity. The nude pool area was hopping and the Hedo Amigos (wonderful and completely insane group) partied like nobody’s business most afternoons. We usually stayed for a while, but when the water became cloudy with rum cream and there was no semblance of personal space, we would move to the prude beach pool and laze/nap/read under the cabanas (which have REALLY NICE mattresses now – sort of like TemperPedic foam) while enjoying the yummy drinks served there by several of our favorite bartenders. (If my life depended on it, I could not determine who makes better Hummingbirds – Paulette, Stephanie, Alicia, Grace, or Michelle Dove)
Munesan and Pastafari / Martinos were both excellent. The buffet was also very good most nights. At lunch, there was always a wide array of salads as well as hot and cold buffet items. Breakfast bacon was plentiful. (Insert Homer Simpson….mmmm….bacon….noise) Both grills now understand what dark brown extra crispy fries are. Plainly, they are HEAVEN in lard! We never had to wait very long for drinks at the bars. A new one to try is a Rum Cream Slush – Rum Cream and Ice in a blender….YUM! Several evenings there were long-lasting prude pool takeovers that bled over into the dinner hour so there were lots of folks hanging out between the waterslide and the main bar. Not a problem; just made it a bit difficult to navigate in heels when people are weaving and bobbing. Meh, it’s Hedo.
All in all, the rest of the trip was uneventful. But it just seemed as if we could not get into the rhythm of it all and truly relax. It was just difficult after the 1st half was spent homeless and in transit. I guess others might find it easier to get back into the groove than we; it just didn’t happen for us – that languid roll-with-the-waves and twirl-of-the-blender attitude. There was just a tenseness that would not go away, even with the massages and voucher.
Perhaps it was because our Spider Sense was aware of more issues ahead. We got our eviction notice, I checked the flight status on the Kindle (yes, it works, though is very clunky and you have to be very patient while using the 3G/wireless features), and we told the front desk it was on time. They said bags out by 8, on the bus at 9. The next morning, we were in the dining room at 7:30ish and saying the sad goodbyes to friends. At 8:40, still no bags. The desk folks assured us they would be brought. The bus arrived…still no bags. Rudy finally had enough and he and a friend went to get our bags which were still outside our room at 9. Once they’d dragged the bags up the hills and through the dining room, it was discovered that there were 6 people with 8-10 bags to be crammed onto a bus with 4 seats and room for no more than half the bags. The staff immediately told one couple that it was their fault because they and their 2 bags should have been on the 8 AM bus (Even though they were on our flight. They had their paperwork – which had originally said 8 AM. They thought it was odd as they’d always been on the 9AM bus….when they asked about it the evening before, a front desk person had told them they should be on the 9AM bus and had written it in by hand over the 8 AM that was typed, but apparently never entered it in the computers.)
After much standing around looking helpless by the busguys who were trying to determine how to cram everyone on, Rudy had had enough. He went to the desk and asked them to get another bus which they said was unavailable. Then, Rudy asked them to hire a cab for the overflow – there was a driver waiting there for business anyway. They again refused. Then, my wonderful logical husband actually raised his voice – you can not know how unbelievably rare this is - and told them that they had started our trip out like shit and they were NOT going to end it like shit by cramming us all like sardines into a bus that should not have been the only one. He and our friends who were “guilty” of following staff directions to be there at 9 instead of 8 hired the cabbie to take us to MoBay.
We got to the airport about the same time as the other bus, but got there comfortably without being shoulder to shoulder, sweating, and in danger of an avalanche of luggage taking us out it there was need to quickly stop.
Well, there it is. We finally have had a trip to Hedonism 2 that left much to be desired. I hope that those of you who read this realize that we have had 8 trips that could not be more positive and that we are praying this was an anomaly. Sadly, after ruminating, it seems that the majority of problems stemmed from the resort being over-crowded. Perhaps they are unprepared for the influx of H3 folks who have been displaced. Perhaps as others have pointed out, they know we will keep coming back so it doesn’t matter how we are treated.
> sigh <
We pray not.
NOTE FROM DENNYP: HEDO DOES NOT HAVE A NO BUMP POLICY FOR ANY TRAVEL AGENCY OR GROUP. THEY OFTEN USE THIS EXCUSE AS AN EXPLANATION TO BUMPED GUESTS.
Respect,