Brian and Deb
December 8-11, 2002
This was our fifth and shortest trip we have ever taken to Hedo. Obviously, three nights wasnt close too long enough, but it was better than not being there at all, and besides our new windows and doors do look good on the house.
The best part of our trips to Hedo is all the friends we have made over the years. You just never know when they will be in town and/or stop by for dinner.
This year we had a special treat, a few days before our trip Diane had a connecting flight through Chicago. She had an over night layover, so I had the extreme pleasure of picking her up at Midway Airport. The poor thing, she left sunny and warm and landed in snowy and cold, I felt so bad for her. Its a whole lot colder in Chicago than it is in Phoenix this time of year. J We had a good time eating dinner, hanging out and she got to see our kids be goofy, live and in person. J It was a great, relaxing and fun way to start off our vacation a few days early. And a better than perfect excuse to see a wonderful friend. I took Diane to her hotel later and was really excited knowing that we would see her and everyone else in just a few days.
Brians parents were staying at our house with the kids and it was a flawless departure for us. We slept in the living room, or rather; we stayed in the living room since we gave them our bedroom to sleep in. The taxi was early and we were ready to go. We got a bit confused at OHare, however, because they finally moved the Air Jamaica counter to the international terminal where it should always have been, instead of over with Delta. But we were soon on our way. Checked in, through security and changed into our summer clothes in no time flat.
The fight was uneventful, other than it was the very first time I (Deb) was able to sleep on a plane. We got to Mobay early after an early departure from OHare. Raced through immigration, waaaaaiiiiiiittttteeedddd for our luggage and were waved through customs with them barely glancing at our paperwork.
We took the bus this year instead of Tim Air because we had heard the road was finished. It was wonderful seeing Robyn (a former EC for anyone who doesnt remember) at the Super Clubs desk, it seemed like we were already at Hedo for some reason. I didnt remember hearing that he was working at the airport so it was a nice surprise. He said hes working there while finishing school.
The bus ride was, in a word, FABULOUS!!! We loved it this time around. We were both so tired, but it was hard to doze off because we were so excited to be on our way. We were also totally amazed at how quickly we got to Hedo. It only about an hour, which was a far cry from the two and a half hours it took when we took the bus on our first trip. The ride was very smooth, still quite fast and, while there were animals near the road, we didnt have any getting IN the road in the way of the bus.
We were soon on the doorstep to home. YEA!!! And some day, I will learn how to fill out those silly forms we have to fill out upon check in. Every year I always forget to have Brian and myself sign where we need to sign. We were immediately issued our keys and given room 2232. Wow that was fast, we werent there five minutes before we had our room. I think weve gotten lucky each time weve arrived, as the longest wait we ever had was about a half hour and then we just headed to the beach.
Paul tossed our luggage in the back of his truck and invited us to crawl in the back for a ride to our room. COOL!!! A chauffeured ride down to our room. J I hadnt ridden in the back of a pick up since I was a little girl. Anyway, we got to our room and found a problem. We couldnt get in! ARGH!!! We couldnt get the knob to turn to save our lives. It really was pretty funny, but finally Paul got the door bullied open for us and we put the luggage in the room. Okay, now we thought we were on our way to heading down to the beach/pool area to see everyone.
OOOPPSS!! Another problem. Now we couldnt get OUT of the room. ARGH!!!! Again only we were laughing. Okay, Brian was doing more laughing than me, I was feeling like I was going to have a panic attack because I felt caged in. Oh well.Brian told me I could always jump out the window. LOL!! Brian figured out that if he took the pocket knife he smuggled out of the country with us (ssssshhhhhhh dont tell!) and pushed in the latch while he was turning the knob, the door would open, granting us access to the outside world. So, I guess we actually were breaking out of our room.
Please bear with me from here on out. I truly went brain dead this trip, not from too much booze, but because my brain just went into vacation mode and shut off. I may have Brian fill in for me as I go along. I still havent fully recovered.
We went back up to the main dinning room to get drinks and lunch. We were both starved out of our minds and found more than enough to eat. We ran into Steve and Char and they told us they had a heck of a time getting there. And just as we were about to head back to the beach we saw T. Wayne come in. So I had to run up and give him a quick hug and we rushed off. I didnt see Thea until later in the day, and we were lucky enough to end up with them as neighbors. Thanks for the candles! J
Now, back to the room, fight with the door to let us in, get naked and NOW we were ready to head down to the beach. We found everyone we were looking for. If I tried to name names, Id forget everyone, because like I said, my brain turned off and it still refuses to come out of vacation mode. It was wonderful to see everyone again. It didnt feel felt like it had been a year since seeing everyone, it felt like we had never left. That is one of the things I love best about Hedo..the friends you make there. Even if you only see them once a year, or dont keep in touch very well, its like youve known them forever and you can about pick up where you left off when you last saw them. J
Our days were extremely fun filled for us.
After five trips we have figured out that we are morning beach people. We like to get up early and enjoy the beach as the sun is coming up, the resort is so relaxing at 7:00 am. It is also a great time to take a quick splash in the ocean before it gets to stirred up to see a variety of sea creatures. After a cup of coffee and danish on the beach, it is time to stake out our chairs for the day. With that accomplished, it is back to the room for a quick shower and then off to the dining room for breakfast. As far as we are concerned, this is the best meal of the day at Hedo! Brian loves to start out his day with one of Charlies omeletsand of course the bacon cant be beat.and this year I found the not donut waffle donuts, they sure tasted like donuts to meyummy!
After breakfast we take our morning walk on the beach all the way to the end of Beaches property and back. If you walk the entire distance in the water rather than on the beach, it is far more interesting. You can see a variety of tropical fish, many in schools, crabs, jelly fish and this year we saw 4 sting rays. These are the things that we cant see at home in Lake Michiganor in the pool or hot tub, so this always adds more flavor to our vacation.
After our walk, it is time to hit the beach, so off with the clothes and down to the beach!
Since we are beach people, we and spend as much of our time there as we can, and if we found the perfect chairs, part of the day will be in sun and part will be in shade. Im half-German and extremely fair skinned, even with a tan Im still pale in comparison to some. So we always try to find beach chairs that have some sun and some shade. The sun doesnt bother Brian one bit.
We like to float a bit. This year we didnt bring our own rafts, but I think next year we will. I cant think of anything more relaxing than floating out in the water. I nearly fell asleep each time we went to float. Heck, I kept nearly falling asleep on the beach too. It was just a very relaxing time for us the four days we were there.
At night the beach did not seem overly lit because of the new lights. We really didnt notice them the times we were on the beach after dark. You can still find places that are in the shadows. We were able to make use of the shadows our first night for some quiet time. So anyway, the lights dont seem to be too intrusive.
The water slide is, in a word, FUN!!!! Oh my goodness! Ive never had quite that much fun going down a slide in my life. It was great! Brian and I both had a blast going down it. I usually dont do things that go down fast like slides and roller coasters due to extreme fright of the things, but this was the best fun, just make sure to take a deep breath before you hit the water at the bottomand make sure you SCREAM all the way down.it makes it that much more fun!
We ate at Munahana one night, and while it was a nice change of pace for dining choices and a great way to have some fun while eating, we have been spoiled by the sushi and other Japanese fare we get at home and so the food was just so-so to us.
We didnt get a chance to eat at Pastafari or Scotch Bonnet this time. Although, it did appear that for Scotch Bonnet they were seating people in the main dining area, just off to the side.
On each of our last four trips we have always remembered to pack a flashlight and candles, but on this trip we forgot, so wouldnt you know it, this was the trip that the power went out. It sure does get pitch black when the power goes out. Luckily T Wayne and Thea had an extra candle that they loaned us. Just as everyone was starting to have fun with the situation, the power came back onI guess that was a good thing because we needed the hair dryers to get ready for dinner.
Dinner in the dining room on Tuesday night featured Lobster, it was great and the dining room was full.
The best lobsters we had on the whole trip were the ones we had down at Roberts Grill. You cant beat lobsters and Roberts cheeseburgers for lunch. We bought fresh lobsters from the local divers and had Robert grill them upwhat a yummy lunch time treat.
Our trip was over all too soon and we were checking out after 4 wonderful days. Note to self: Forget home improvements..book a LONGER trip next time. LOL!!! We took the bus back and the ride was just as good going into Mobay as it was coming out of it.
We had tons of time to kill at the airport, so we shopped for a while and went to Margaritaville for some dinner. Then we found out that that there were flight delays going to the Mid-Atlantic states and one of those flights (to Baltimore I think) was at our gate and our plane was stuck in Ft. Lauderdale anyway, so we werent going anywhere. We ended up being delayed about an hour and a half, but no biggie, even though I had to work in the morning. ARGH!!! (Another note to self: Dont do that again!!)
We laughed and laughed while we were waiting. Everything seemed funny to us. There was one couple sitting next to us that was on the Baltimore flight and the woman was VERY pissed off because ice storms in that part of the country had delayed their flight. Didnt the ice know she wanted to go home? She for sone reason asked me if I knew where a cash station was because she needed to get some money for something. The conversation went something like this:
Her: Do you know if they have any cash stations here?
Me: Im sure they do. But you do know that you will get Jamaican dollars, right?
Her: You mean they dont have REAL money in them?
Me: Well, you are in Jamaica.
She was quite put out because the Jamaica ATMs dont carry US cash. And for some reason, after she huffed off I started just roaring with laughter. I know it isnt nice to laugh at people, but I couldnt help myself. It was just too funny.
We were still laughing at everything when we finally did get on the plane. This was the best trip yet and the most fun we have had in two years. Its amazing what a difference it makes when you arent nursing a newborn or pregnant when you go on vacation. I think it was Patty who told me she didnt know which was worse. I really cant decide which was worse either. But Im VERY glad that I wasnt in either shape this time.
Whew! This was a long one for me. J Im such a goofball too, I have already booked for next year! ARGH!!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!! Im a Hedo addict! LOL!!!
We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone again next time. Its been great fun writing this trip report, but it makes me wish we were back sitting on the beach again. <sigh>
Deb and Brian