Why go to Hedo II? The people. There is no other reason
to go. BUT.....more on that later.
First off let me say
that Claudia and I had a wonderful vacation together (in spite of the
resort) and met many warm and friendly people. The atmosphere amongst
the guests was great and everyone made us feel welcomed and relaxed.
The guests are truly the secret of Hedo II. We would like to thank
everyone we met, including the staff, for helping make our vacation
such a memorable time.
Also, many thanks to
Denny P for being a gentleman and professional in the way he handled
our booking.
It was Claudia's first visit
and my third. Claudia said she would come back and I feel the same way
too...........kind of. My first trip to Hedo II was in 2000. I went in
March and July of that year. At that time the condition of the resort
was dingy and rundown. But, like we are all so use to saying....."it's
Hedo".........(which is the universal excuse for all of the resort's
shortcomings for all you Hedo virgins out there) so I didn't let it
bother me. This time around I found myself saying "it's Hedo" quite a
bit. The resort has gone from dingy and rundown to filthy and dumpy.
I have been told many times
that Hedo II has the highest return guest ratio in the Caribbean (if
not the world). I don't know if that is true but, I do know to meet
someone who is there for the 17th time is not unusual. In fact, we met
someone who was there for the 76th time. To say that Hedo II has a
very loyal following would be an understatement. The resort must be
aware of this and I can't help but think that they exploit this fact
when it comes to the quality and condition of the resort, as well as,
the food they serve.
In all fairness, they have
made improvements since 2000 and they are in the process of upgrading
the rooms and doing some "back of the house stuff" in time for
their anniversary in October of this year. All that is fine but, we
went in April of this year. The place desperately needs to be painted
and professionally cleaned. In fact, I would go as far as to say, that
the majority of the resort's exterior is a total eye-sore.
Overall the food is okay to
just plain bad. There were some bright spots though (for us anyway).
The Japanese restaurant was good and Roberts Grill was good. I ate
grilled cheese everyday for lunch for two reasons. 1- I liked it
and 2- couldn't take the lunch in the main dinning hall. When a guest
feels compelled to eat at the "snack grill" in lieu of the main
dinning room........that's a problem. A few of the other guests felt
the same way. In fact, they looked at me with a big smile and a shrug
of the shoulders and said "it's Hedo."
The elevated walkways around
the nude side rooms need to be power washed, the concrete curbs around
the nude side walkways are crumbling, the grounds do not seem as well
kept as the last time I was there, the floors in the main dinning hall
need to be professionally cleaned, the overall condition of the main
dinning hall is dirty and dilapidated, the seat cushions and chairs in
the main dinning hall should be replaced, central air in the rooms
would be a great addition or at least AC units that don't make so much
noise, our sink was clogged and we asked for a plumber which never
came, the bathrooms themselves are not the cleanest, okay, okay,
okay........now for some good things.
Hmmmm.........let's
see........oh yea..........the people. The people who visit Hedo II
are the best part of the Hedo II experience.......by far. Not enough
can be said about our fellow guests.
Yes, at some point we will go
back. Though first we will check out some other resorts. We go on one
vacation by ourselves each year (everyplace else we go is with the
kids) and to expect the resort we visit to be (at least) clean is not
asking for much.
There may be Hedo-ites who
will read this and agree. There will also be Hedo-ites for whom this
trip report will bother. Either way, Claudia and I will try to make it
down to Sandy Hook, NJ this summer for the Hedo party. There we
will tell and listen to Hedo stories and have a great time with all
the other Hedo-ites. Hedo II is a place that Claudia and I love. We
hope that this resort will stop taking its guests for granted and get
its act together. Taking a little more responsibility for the
environment, atmosphere and good time everyone has when they go there
instead of relying on its guests to do that for them would be a great
way to start showing some "respect, Mon."
Will making improvements and a
new coat of paint increase business at Hedo II? Probably not. But, I
would not assume that question and its subsequent axiom of an
answer are anything the owners of the resort don't already know. After
all..........."it's Hedo."
Max Respect,