Eric & Christine - January, 2012
Just wanted to take a moment to write up a quick trip review of our recent stay (Jan 25-Feb.2 2012) at the SuperClubs resort Hedonism 2 in Negril Jamaica. This was our fourth trip to Jamaica and our third stay at H2 (with one time @ H3). Arriving on a Thursday this time we breezed through customs in probably only 15 minutes, once in the main lobby of the airport we found the regular hustle and bustle of the cabbies and tour desks normally seen, but this trip we decided to splurge and book a flight from Montego Bay to Negril via TimAir, which was by far the right thing to do. The porters took our bags straight through to the plane and check in was quick and friendly. We had pre-booked online before departing and our tickets ran about 120 per person at the time of this writing, and for what we got it was cheap at twice the price!. Curtis was our pilot and the flight was amazing, while he pointed out the different bays and points of interest, we both asked ourselves why we hadn’t used them before. Flying along the coastline we were soon buzzing right over the Hedo beach in around 20 min as opposed to two plus hours we normally spend on the resort’s bus. If there’s one thing I can impart from this review at the very beginning is pony up a few extra bucks and book a TimAir flight, SO worth it.
The taxi ride from the Negril airport to H2 was about 3 minutes ($6 before tip).. we could have practically walked across the street. Check in was pretty easy, though when we booked I had specifically asked to not be near the disco and we were put into the dreaded 1101 immediately next door. If you’re a light sleeper this room is the kiss of death. We’ve had this room before so before the porter even put our bags in the room I was back up asking for a room change which they were able to do the next day so the first night was a bit of a mess, but after that our room was nice and quiet with a great view of the beach that is raked and cleaned each morning.
Couple of unique things we learned in our week there I will impart for your benefit. We took a short boat trip over to the small island just off the coast, the watersports guys will flag down a boat for you and for about $20 you can get a round trip over to the deserted island, great for beach pics. When we went we were the only couple there except for one local with a lobster trap where we landed who for $10 will pull up his traps and let you select your own lobster caught fresh that day. Second, don’t wave down one of the many Jet ski guys for a ride, all they want to do is sell you drugs, instead go to the ski rental hut on the other side of Sandals and rent one, much easier.
There are plenty of other reviews mentioning all of the inclusive activities the resort has to offer so I won’t really go there, instead I’ll keep this a little brief and just touch on a few items we have noticed that have changed since our last visit. The downturn in the economy has obviously hit everywhere, and H2 is no exception. We took note of the level of disrepair at the resort here and there, from the gazebo mattresses no longer having covers, just rubber mattresses, and in many cases no mattress at all just wood planks, to roof top hot tubs shut down with just a sheet of plywood laid over it, and the smaller hot tubs the resort had sprinkled here and there are now all broken with parts lying next to them. This was also the first out of four trips we were asked for tips a couple times, but it was always on the down low, unlike at the Desire resorts. And the number of times we were asked if we wanted “smoke” had increased by probably 50% from our previous visits.. Maybe we just looked more like party people this trip. It may also have been the fact that Hedo appears to have gone more towards group take overs, but for the most part everyone there was acouple with a group, I think we saw maybe three single guests the whole week.
There were a number of other instances where one could tell belts were being tightened and corners being cut whenever possible. For example we could not be pushed out the door faster on our check out day and ended up spending an hour just sitting across the street at the small airport when a farewell cup of coffee would have been nice.. But, with that being said, I can hear you asking, “Would you recommend the resort?” To which my reply is a resounding absolutely. Even with some of the luxury and flair that we experienced a few years ago showing signs of age, the reasons to go to Hedo are still there. Everyone on the staff makes you feel like a king, the people and service is amazing and you still can’t figure out how Superclubs breaks even with everything they provide for everyone there, even not being part of one of the resort take overs we still felt like an honored guest. We’ve done a number of other clothing optional resorts, but from where we live the two most asked about are Hedo and Desire, and each seems to have its own fan club, for our two cents we have to say, hands down it’s always going to be Jamaica, even with the need for renovations.