Mike & Mel - February, 2003

Dates Feb 23-Mar 2, 2003
Overview

We had been to Hedonism 3 last year, and Hedonism 2 this year, as I go through this trip report I will try and compare different aspects of the the two as to which one had the edge over the other. This will be kind of a long trip report but since I didn't submit one last year this will make up for it.

Getting there.

We traveled out of Logan in Boston on Air Jamaica. Our flight was supposed to leave about 7am but we sat on the tarmac until 8:30. They were waiting for clearance from the tower to leave.
Took one of the mini busses to the resort, got there in just over an hour, not too bad at all.
It's amazing to me that you can leave a rainy cold place and be in a warm tropical setting in about 3 hours.

Checking in
We were traveling with another couple and we had rooms very close to each other over looking the prude beach. Our room wasn't in very good condition, the air conditioning never worked, we lost power several times throughout our stay, our bathroom sink didn't drain well at all,
(they did fix that) and lost we phone service and never got it back. But like they say you don't go to Hedo for the rooms. Our only other complaint was that the internet cafe had server problems from the time we got there to the time we left, and were never able to use it, which we planned on using to keep in touch back home. Other than that there were no other complaints. Well OK 2 minor ones there is an ice skating rink outside the disco, there was never any ice in it and I doubt it has been used in years! It's Jamaica for Christ sakes, ICE??? #2 They boast this glass bottom Hot Tub you can see through from the disco, there was about 2 inches of green water in it and obviously is on their fix it list, behind the Internet and telephone service. But hey No Problem Mon! Soon Come! I guess thats part of the beauty of Jamaica, you just don't care about anything while you're there, except getting another dirty banana!

*Edge to Hedo 3 for quality of rooms, Internet Access, Glass Bottom Hot Tub.

*Edge to Hedo 2 for the water slide, it's just better, & faster especially nekkid! Try it both ways and let me know if you notice a difference.

Activities
I found it quite amazing how many activities that Hedonism 2 offers, there's basketball courts, tennis courts, miniature golf,
a T.V. room, Pool Tables, Ping Pong, Slot Machines, karoake,  an air conditioned squash court, horse shoes, shuffle board, volleyball, Bocci Ball, The trapeze setup, water slide, rock climbing wall, paddle boats, wind surfers, catamarans, scuba, snorkeling, a fully equipped gym, and aerobics center with steam room, sauna & showers. (BTW this makes a great place to shower & dress up after having to check out of your room, and departing on a later flight.) Not to mention all the scheduled activities planned by the EC's. Almost all of these activities are ignored by the guests, but there there if you choose to use them.

*Edge goes to Hedo 2 for activities!

Food

We ate at all the eateries there except for the Scotch Bonnet, they all were excellent, but I enjoyed the Dinner buffet most, something different was served every night and there was lots to choose from, and the desert selection seemed better. Breakfast was always good, love those omelets!
Even the hot dogs, burgers, fries, and Jamaican patties were awesome, although I've never seen a hot dog quite like the color of the ones they serve in Jamaica, let's just say I hope it's a hot dog BETTER be a hot dog! Here's a little hint the Jamaican Ketchup SUCKS! We brought our own from home, a tip I learned from our friends W & J who we met on our last vacation to Hedonism 3 and have remained close with.

*Food Slight Edge to Hedo 2

Nude vs Prude
They both had there pluses and minuses, first let me say Nude or semi nude people are everywhere, so there really is no prude side, you may be better off to say clothing optional and nude, cause on the nude side is a sea of naked people, in fact you have to be naked. Most of the main activities are located on the Clothing optional side of the resort, including 2 Main Pools and several small pools, and the water slide. However I thought the   atmosphere at the pool & hot tub were much nicer on the nude side. The action definitely was better on the nude side, lots of PDA especially at night, every night in the nude hot tub. That thing should be a national monument! Boy did we see some good shows there! We saw just about everything from lesbian sex to swapping partners, they should figure out a way to put a swim up hot tub bar there.
Minuses, definitely were the vinnies & wally's, sorry guys but it's true it's so obvious to see one side of the hot tub loaded with wally gawkers,  and the other side nothing but couples trying to get their freak on. I can understand the "shock value" to newcomers, hell I am one of them, you don't see shit like that in Connecticut! One guy there was really obnoxious and thought because he & his girlfriend were getting it on that sitting next to them &cheering them on was going to somehow get him included, he's lucky he survived the night. Well I guess we'll just have to live with the fact there will always be Vinnie's & Wallys at Hedonism.

*Edge to Hedonism 2 for Nude Atmosphere & hot tub.
*Edge to Hedonism 3 for Prude Side & Pool & Quad area. Loved to watch people taking showers with their windows wide open!


The People
Listen I have read lots of trip reports here on Denny P, and everyone of them talk about how great the people are, well I didn't find that to be the case at Hedo 2. Most people had their own little click, I never had a stranger come up and start talking to me out of the blue, or even say hi for that matter. It was odd, maybe because we were a bit younger that the most. Now I am not saying that people were rude at all, but definitely not these great bunch of socialites I have read about. Now I know this can be hit or miss depending on who's there and what groups etc, so I am not going to make a big deal about it. Except for these obnoxious French Canadians who were there and just were loud, and snooty.
Hedo 3 was more laid back, less sexual energy than 2, and it was easier to meet people.

*Edge to Hedo 3 for people.

*Edge to Hedo 3 for the Disco
*Edge to Hedo 2 for the overall property.
*Edge to Hedo 3 for Both swim up pool bars.
*Edge to Hedo 2 for the Piano Bar
*Big Edge to Hedo 3 For the snorkeling & blue water.
*Edge to Hedo 2 for overall selection of water sports.
*Edge to Hedo 2 for Sunsets
*Edge to Hedo 2 for EC's
*Edge to Hedo 3 for the Bartenders. Especially Kevin & Sunshine

Jamaica Overall is very addictive, it is true paradise, the music, the people, the weather, it's all just the best, and a Hedonism experience can't be beat!
Mike & Mel