Trip Report 10/17-10/24
Greetings All
My wife and I returned on 10/24 from our first Hedo 2 trip and WOW was it a liberating eye-opener. We'd been reading this board for months getting ready, making lists, and gleaning the best of the advice offered, and thought I'd share a few tidbits after the fact.
1: If you didn't know what Hedo looked like before Hurricane Ivan you wouldn't even know they had been through so much. Kudos to the grounds crew who were working 24/7 even as we watched. The resort is in fantastic shape, and was the only place open on the entire 7 mile beach.... almost. Lido opened mid week but Sandals may be closed for a some time to come yet.
2: Definitely use the visitor section to meet people before you go. This became more fun to us as newbies than we ever thought. Having strangers greet you as ready made friends while you checked in is such a rush. But take care to also contact people who will arrive during the middle of your week to replace the sad faces that are leaving you behind and potentially temporarily alone.
3: Booked an ocean front nude room #2268. Best view in the resort in my opinion. Well worth the extra money. We couldn't have been happier.
4: Invest in a tan before you come. There is still plenty of shade at Hedo but the sun is hot and can ruin your trip. ST lotion requires much care and can result in a less than ideal look if you mess up. We visited a local spa for 10 sessions and never burned once while there. Be kind to your body.
5: Plenty of A/C and hot water (just avoid the 5 o'clock shower rush) and we slept well when we slept. Be sure to push the red button on the shower knob. Took us a whole day to figure that one out.
6: Forget the prude side. All the fun people were on the nude side. In fact almost all the people at the resort were on the nude side. I don't mean to be judgmental but we found the prude side people noticeably less friendly and less likely to engage a conversation than the nude guests. And it didn't have anything to do with sex. To tell the truth it took us about 3 hours getting up the courage to go nude. Yep... three wasted hours!
7: I suggest a new Hedo 2 policy. Make the entire resort clothing optional. The main pool and jacuzzis were seriously underutilized. Hardly ever saw anyone in the small pools or on the prude beach. What a waste of facilities.
8: If you can plan a trip that spans part of a wild week followed by a quiet week you will get the best of both worlds. A few days of hot entertainment followed by some much needed relaxation and less demanding crowds was the perfect combo for us.
9: Delroy and Sumba(sp) greeted us like old friends even though we had just gotten there. And despite what some said we never waited very long for drink refills. Those two guys and their helpers are really swamped during the day so be polite, be friendly, and use the time to make new friends at the bar. People who reported being ignored were probably impatient and pushy and forgot their manners. Respect!!!
10: The ECs were beautiful. Ray Ray, Winston, Amanda, Foxy, Simone and others worked their buns off to make us welcome. High five's all round!
11: Eating is not a main reason to go to Hedo. The food was very well prepared but you won't like everything and and you could certainly eat better for more money. We found the meals quite satisfactory and the deserts to die for. But mostly the meals got in the way of the fun (lunch) or sleep (breakfast) and so we mostly ate dinners and snacked at Robert's during the day.
12: Lots of board talk was made of the lack of ketchup. So much so we felt compelled to bring our own. That was dumb. The ketchup at Hedo is just fine. Plenty thick and just a bit sweeter than at home.
13: Lots of Ganja for those that want it. The bus stops for a beer and potty break on the ride from the airport and locals will offer you some in the bathroom and say how hard it is to get and how expensive it is in Negril. It was all BS. You can get what you want where you want and at any price you want to pay. I didn't see anyone being bothered about smoking at the resort but it is against the law in Jamaica so keep it private and be discrete.
14: Lots of public sex on the nude side if you care to watch. Just be polite. If you are really lucky you may get some too. If #13 or #14 really bothers you you're at the wrong place.
15: Also on the message board there was much talk of taking rafts but Hedo has hundreds of brand new foam rafts just waiting for everyone.
16: Went diving 5 times and found the dive team to be superb. My wife had a sinus block part of the week and Derek and Richie were like fathers making sure she was clearing properly. Although Hedo supplies adequate equipment we brought our own mask and snorkels and were glad we did. We were more comfortable and it gave us the flexibility to skin dive on our own. Some people suggested diving nude but I remembered that at home when I dangle a lure in the water I expect to catch something. Nuf said
13: Watching is fun but playing is better. Be part of the action. Let your hair down, dress provocative everywhere, garner some attention for yourself by being crazy at the events. Do some things you'd never do at home. The other guests will love the show and you will feel oh so special. Simply put... The eccentric people make life more interesting for the rest of us. Nobody will care how outrageous you get as long as you are polite and the memories will last a lifetime. (Just to clarify we were not overtly sexual with other people on this trip, we could have been but we're not lifestylers. However the energy between the two of us was electric and the openness of the resort is to die for. One friend put it this way.... Summer camp for adults, only no rules.)
14: Take the catamaran cruises. Both of them!!! The best part of Hedo is meeting people and the best way to meet people is to share in the group fun. Rasta Ralphie Rocks!!!!
15: You can't do it all so don't sweat it. We didn't sail or ski but should have. Maybe next time.
16: Go easy on the liquor. You could be like a kid in a candy store but the price you'll pay will put a bummer on your vacation. Hedo time is to valuable to waste. Our pattern was 1 drink, 1 water, 1 drink , 1 water. Come to think of it we didn't see anyone drunk but most everyone had a buzz on.
17: The coffee was from heaven and I never had any problem getting rum cream to go in it for breakfast even though the bars were not yet open. (they open at 10)
18: Purchase a ride from the local water taxi dudes, you'll see them at the beach offering their services. For a few bucks your can have a private tour of the 7 mile beach and enjoy some smoke along the way.
19: Purchased for my sweetheart a surprise silver nipple shield (non piercing) before we left. She said she'd never wear it. Guess what!!!!! Everyone loved it and she loved the attention. (See item 13.)
20: Tipping is not necessary but seemed acceptable at the end for those that make your stay special. I also brought a few gift items which were enjoyed by our favorite people. Nothing too fancy just our way of saying we appreciated their attention. We left the dive team and the housekeeper some cash because they did a lot to make our stay comfortable. We did not tip daily but we decided that a few bucks at the end were worth more to the Jamaicans that worked their asses off for us than the extra cash would have been to us back home.
21: Air Jamaica is the way to go if you can. Great rates. Fast service both at home and at Mobay. And the on resort baggage check saved us hours of hot ugly lines at the Mobay Airport ticket counters.
22: So take your best friend, lover, soul mate or whatever and go there now. Stay as long as you can. You will quickly realize that the reason for the high repeat rate at Hedo 2 is because once you've been you'll ask yourself why would you go anywhere else. We'll be back!
Thanks to all of you who helped us get ready for what was the best time of our lives. And a special thanks to all our new friends Frank & Bev, Nancy & Randy, Mike & Kelly, Eric & Chrissy, Ross & Wendy, Brenda & Don and all the others who made each day an adventure. We're no youngsters but we'll feel like it for some time to come.
Respect Al & Margo Still Crazy After All These Years