Hi all – After some pleading and threats from friends we have decided to try and write a trip report that compares Desire and Hedo II. Please remember that this is from our perspective and covers 10 days spent at each resort. Both trips were taken during non takeover times.
Resorts:
Desire: What can one say, Desire is a gorgeous resort. The grounds are very well kept and everything is very clean. Since Desire sits so close to the mangroves they do spray twice a day to keep the mosquitoes and other flying/crawling nasties away. Beware if you have any medical problems such as asthma you do not want to get in the spray cloud. One afternoon we got caught by surprise and it did affect my breathing to the point I had to struggle to get back to the room to get an inhaler. Thankfully it was only once and I never had to use the inhaler again. The only place we really saw any bugs was around the light above our door and the patio doors. We used a little bug spray we had with us around these areas and did not have any problems with bugs in the room. We never did use the spray on ourselves and was around the resort and beach at all times of the day and night without getting bit once.
The resort was also very well laid out with a few exceptions. See hot tub below.
While on the resort we or the great people we hung around with never had a worry about security or the safety of the ladies if they had to use the facilities at any time of day or night or wanted to walk back to the room by themselves. Desire is a very intimate resort so it does not take any time to go from one end to the other.
Hedo II:
Not the nicest of resorts as far as the grounds. While the grounds were kept up nicely the layout and design was not of a higher level resort but then again we are not sure Hedo II bills itself as a high level resort of Desires stature. Hedo II was not kept nearly as clean as Desire and it showed in the condition of the facilities. While usually not dirty they were not as well kept as the ones at Desire.
Again we did bring some bug spray with us, okay on both trips I think we actually brought an entire drug store with us but it always seemed to come in handy for us or someone on the resort.
We did not use the spray at Hedo either and again did not get bit up by noseeums or any other type of creepy crawlers.
One large difference for us between Desire and Hedo was safety. With Desire there was no worries, mainly due to the compact size of the resort and no day/night passes given to locals/hookers and no single wallies/vinnies.
We definitely had an issue or two with some of the wallies/vinnies or crocs as we started calling them. Crocs because all you could see was their eyes as they slyly tried to move around the hot tub to get as close to an actual lady as they could then if they did get close they would spring and try to attack any part of them they could reach. Not a huge issue with us as the ladies would usually dunk them until the bubbles stopped then drag them to the side and watch them crawl away. LOL
The ladies never did go to the restrooms or back to the rooms by themselves. They always went in groups and the guys watched over them pretty well. The overall feeling of ourselves and the folks in the group we hung around with was the Hedo is not a place to let the ladies venture very far by themselves. While we were there there was an issue with on of the locals cornering a female guest in the restroom and if not for luck that another lady walked in it could have gotten very bad. To Hedo benefit this local was removed from the resort.
In our opinion Desire wins this category hands down.
Rooms: Okay, the room to us is not a very big deal as we are usually only in them to sleep, take a shower and of course fool around. At both Desire and Hedo we had a garden view no frills room.
Desire:
Our room at Desire was just fine for us. We had a second floor room with a King size bed. From talking with other guest as Desire we were pretty lucky. We had the King size bed (Very Very VERY firm, backache type firm), a ceiling fan and the major thing everyone was jealous of - a 5 drawer dresser!
The TV worked well and while they had channels in Spanish the football games were all in English! Yes I know, why were we in the room watching football? We were in the room because there was not a TV at any of the bars and I am one very lucky guy, my much better half also likes college football. Even better is she likes football but she likes to watch the Cheerleaders even more! Eat your hearts out guys!
The only complaints we had about the room was the hard mattress, the air conditioner controls did not work the best and no hot water in the shower on more than one occasion.
Once we found out the time not to take a shower everything worked out just fine.
The room was cleaned and restocked everyday – The housekeepers are definite keepers!!
HedoII:
Again the room at Hedo was just fine. We were in a Garden view right next to Sandals. Quiet but a bit of a walk to the nude side. This was okay with us usually, less we were stumbling back to it at 3:00 AM – long walk when you take a two steps forward and one back. We did like the mirrors on the ceiling and the playboy channel was good when we were getting ready for dinner etc. We never had any problem with lack of hot water no matter what time we showered and the best thing about the room was the magic closet.
After a very long flight and bus ride we walk into the room, I look at the shelf in the closet and what do I see? A large offering of the local herb, a couple already rolled up and a note telling us to enjoy our vacation! What a great magic closet!!!
Again the room was made up everyday and we had not worries about leaving anything lying out in the open.
No big issues at either resort but in my opinion Hedo wins this category due to the magic closet! If not for that this is a tie.
Beach: Definitely differences between the two resorts here.
Desire:
The beach at Desire was very nice. Decent sand and cleaned almost daily. The beds are a very nice touch and while at times were difficult to get it was never impossible like some like to say. Hell, if they are all taken walk up to one and ask the couple there if you can join them. Most (not all – read the guest part to understand) will say yes in a heart beat. We did spend a bit of time at the beds, I had been very sick for two months before the trip so it was pretty nice to be able to lay back and get some energy back. There were days that we got up early to watch the sun come up, have some coffee or juice and lay around on the bed. Then usually around noonish or so would get bored and head to have lunch and go to the pool and let someone else have the bed. We also spent a good 2 or 3 days doing nothing but relaxing at one of the beds. While spending time at the beach beds we saw very little “extra curricular activities” (definite bummer) and was pretty careful when we were messing around but it was probably for the better as you do have families that walk by from the other resort as well as the military that walked by a couple of times during the 10 days we spent there.
While the beach on the resort was very nice as soon as you walked off the resort you could see the damage from the hurricane. While one other resort was running there were others that had not been repaired. What a very sad sight. It is amazing how much damage a hurricane can do.
The ocean was always nice and was easy to swim in even though the resort kept a red no swimming flag flying the entire time we were there. One thing at Desire is that you can not really float around in the bay; the current is too strong and will push you quickly back into shore.
Hedo:
The prude side at Hedo is a pretty decent beach – soft and well kept. Course it was not used much when we were there.
The nude side beach at Hedo is not what you would call a nice sandy beach. It is rocky in places, has a couple drop offs and hurts your feet when you walk on it and does not have beds to lie around on.
What it does have is a great party atmosphere, lots of sexy naked people who do not have to worry about families walking by and some incredible shows seen and supplied! It is about the same size as the beach at Desire but yet the people seem to roam around and party with each other so much quicker than at Desire. Unlike Desire you can put a float out in the water and just float around and the platforms sure are a fun place to hang around!
Another nice thing at Hedo is once you leave the resort you have 7 miles of gorgeous beach and resorts you can walk along. It was nice to be able to leave the resort for a morning walk and once you figure out how to keep the vendors at bay you can stop at any number of restaurants, bars or shops and have a drink, lunch, shopping or whatever.
We knew quit a few couples that would get a cab, drive halfway down the strip and then walk their way back. This was a good way of getting off the resort for a bit if you wanted.
Quick tip on the Vendors. They will all ask you if this is your first time to Jamaica, just tell them no it is your 3rd or 4th and then they will say welcome back and leave you alone. They figure you have been there enough times to understand that their trinkets are the same as the ones on down the beach.
The beach can be a toss up. If you are looking for a quiet relaxing time the beach at Desire is for you. You want a party with lots to watch, Hedo is where you want to be.
In our opinion – Hedo takes it as we like the faster paced more to watch fun at Hedo then the quiet of Desire.
Pools:
The pool at Desire is kept very clean but since the weather was cool, while there we did not use it much. The pool seemed smaller than the one at Hedo but there was lots more chairs and space around the Desire pool then Hedos. There were plenty of chairs and some umbrellas for shade. The resort could use some more umbrellas until the newly planted trees have a chance to grow and offer shade. We only had one instance of dealing with someone “reserving” chairs. We had been relaxing for about 2 hours under one of the umbrellas with some friends when a gentleman walked up and told us he had them reserved. We laughed and asked him if those were his wet and dirty towels that we moved. He made a statement of yes and that is how they had reserved chairs the last 6 times they were there.
Needles to say we laughed and just asked him if he read the no reservation policy and if he wanted certain chairs he should not sleep in and actually use them. Never did have him complain about chairs after that. Seemed to be plenty of room for all guests while there and we had a good time sitting around and bullshitting.
The place we really enjoyed by the pool was the Palapa and it supplied some of the best memories of our trip as well as one very funny moment. While laying around one day with 2 other couples enjoying the company everyone started giving one of the ladies a nice massage. As you can imagine this pretty quickly turned into a sensual massage with the girls playing around just a little. We actually had people turn their chairs away from us and the look of total shock was just too much. We all lost it and had something to laugh about for the rest of the time there. Unfortunately we came to find out this was for the most part the type of crowd that was there during the majority of our stay.
Hedo:
The area around the Hedo pool is smaller than Desire but I think the pool size is about the same. Difference that we saw was that you have a pool with a swim up bar, a misting pool to sit in and the pussy fountain. The girls really had fun in the pussy fountain with jets at different heights around the walls and floor of the pool. Fun for all!
There is also a small cave/grotto area with a waterfall that you can go hide in for some semi-secluded fun. While we were there the pool itself was clean and a good temp.
This is a toss up for us. We liked the larger area to sit in at Desire but the fountain, grotto and swim up bar at Hedo was also a lot of fun.
Hot tubs:
The hot tub at Desire is definitely smaller than the one at Hedo and at 3:00 AM can be kind of dangerous to leave as it sits on the 3rd floor of one of the buildings. The stairs can be pretty treacherous for someone who has had a drink or two. The tub itself was pretty nice and kept very clean. A huge plus there. The weather was pretty odd while we were there so keeping the hot tub at a constant temp was a challenge. Still always warm enough to sit in and never too hot. The bar and deck beds also were a bonus. The activities at the tub were fun but pretty structured on the times when people used the hot tub.
The hot tub at Hedo – Well the best way to describe it I think is nasty. The water always had a scum on it. We actually only sat in it once, right after they cleaned it that day.
This was the only time we seen it cleaned in the 10 days we were there.
We did sit on the side and dangle our feet in it but if we wanted to fool around at all there was no way we were going to get in the water than have to shower before touching each other. Did not seem to bother some people but to us – ICK.
There were a lot more shows to be seen around the Hedo tub but again you had to be watchful of the local/hookers and wallies/vinnies.
Hedo also has some hidden 4 person tubs around the resort. These did seem to always be clean it was probably because a lot of folks did not know about them and they did not get used much.
The shows were better at Hedo mainly due to no deck beds etc and no set time of when people went there but the bar and cleanliness of the Desire tub lets Desire take this one hands down.
Staff:
The staff at Desire is one of the best staffs we have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
We have been lucky in our lives and have been able to explore many places in different ways. We have been on trips around the world that included cruises, inclusive and non inclusive resorts as well as other venues and the staff at Desire were some of the nicest most helpful people we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. We hung around with them quite a bit while there and will keep in contact with many of them. I can not come close to explaining just how great these folks are. They work their butts off and still have a smile on their face.
Now on the other hand the staff at Hedo II was some of the rudest, laziest most worthless resort staff that we have ever had the displeasure of meeting. We got so tired of hearing soon come man and then soon come never came. Trying to find a clean towel at times was just hilarious and if you asked for some all you got was a blank stare and a look of - you want me to actually do something mon? We did find the trick to getting drinks at the bar. Send the girls up, they got a drink rather quickly but if one of the guys went up to the bar, no matter how patient and nice you were there were times they would just continue to ignore you.
Without a doubt, the Desire staff wins this one and we consider ourselves very lucky to have met these folks. They will be fondly remembered for many years.
Guests:
We met people from all over the world at both resorts and made many new acquaintances as well as some very good friends that we will definitely keep in touch with.
We did notice that the type of guest were different at both resorts. To us it seemed like that some of the people at Desire thought of themselves as more of an uppity type people.
There were some that over the 10 days we spent there not matter how many times you would smile and say hi as you walked by they would never acknowledge you and you got the feelings they thought way more of themselves than anyone else did. I see a little of this attitude on the Desire boards with people needing to put down newbie’s to make themselves feel important. I guess this is the way the world is going. With the internet now people are more aggressive and lacking of common courtesies and manners. They feel they can get away with it online but would be the type that would cower in a corner if they ever had to face the same people face to face. Okay I am off my soap box now and want to clarify that these were a very very small percentage of the people there.
The large majority of guests were very friendly and we enjoyed meeting all the folks that we did as well as made some lifelong friends. Carol and Gordon – We are looking at changing some of our trip to Europe next year just so we can get to Scotland to see you!
You two and Chuck and Jody made this one great trip.
The guests at Hedo were a different sort also. Talk about of bunch of kids. When was the last time you saw a bunch of naked adults running around like kids screaming how great a water slide is? No matter what time of day you saw someone they would smile shake your hand and ask you if you want to go have a drink or come over to the group they were in and have some fun. We definitely met some very fun people and will keep in touch with them. John and Jaq you two are the best and well this report is getting very long so I will keep from putting down the other dozen or so folks we will always remember.
The drawback to the guest at Hedo were the locals/hookers on day passes as well as the majority (not all but most) of single wallies/vinnies on the resort. In our opinion making it a couple’s only resort would improve it immensely.
This one is a tie. The large majority of the people at both resorts were fun, caring, great people that we feel very lucky to have met in our life time.
Activities:
We did not participate in many of the activities at Desire. The activities staff had a hard time getting anyone to do much of anything while we were there. Everyone really seemed quite content to just relax and enjoy the friendships they were making.
The activities during the day were not very sexual/sensual and the ones of en evening outside were really not well attended. The activities in the Disco were fun and most everyone dressed up and had fun. The Disco was a little small and we prefer more of an old time rock and roll and even country sound more than the techno dance club music that was played but was still able to find music to dance to and have fun.
The playroom is an interesting place but stuck back in a corner of the disco and rather cold at times. It was fun to goof around in there but was only used late at night.
One area of Desire that neither of us really liked was the structure of things.
Up in the morning to sit around the pool and relax, then around 3:00 or so everyone would head to the hot tub for a couple hours, take a shower at 6:00 then go to dinner.
Go change again to whatever you were going to wear to the disco, disco at 10:00 then back to the hot tub. Would prefer things be more spontaneous.
The activities at Hedo seemed to be more adult oriented. Instead of throwing darts for example like at Desire they would have the find your mate contest. Blind folded men and ladies finding their mates by touch. The best banana blowjobs etc.
At Hedo they have shows during dinner. Some were good some not. Get rid of the art auction thing. It sucked! A nice part of dinner was just about everyone wore what they were going to wear to the Disco. No changing twice and very nice to be able to see the ladies in their PJ’s or costumes before they hit the dark disco. The disco at Hedo was pretty similar to the one at Desire. Same type music and not much difference in size.
Bonus to Hedo was that if you did not want to go to the disco you could go to the main bar and listen to easy music while talking with new friends. You could also go to the piano bar or karaoke if that is your thing. If you did not want to do any of that the hot tub seemed to always be busy and fun to check out. Hedo does have more choices for evening entertainment then Desire and that was nice.
One activity that I do have to talk about at Hedo that will probably get me in trouble is the diving. I have read so many good reports on the dives at Hedo but they could not have been further from what I experienced. A quick preface here to let you know that I was a SAR (search and rescue swimmer) in the Navy and have been in the water from the Red Sea to Australia to the Bahamas etc and have never pulled out of a dive because I thought it was unsafe until I dove at Hedo. The only equipment I brought was my mask and fins. This was a very unwise decision on my part. I should have known when the first tank I hooked to had a bad o ring and instead of replacing it they had to go get a different tank. The regulator had a split mouth piece that they did not have a replacement for. Okay no big deal. I could deal with that. About 15 divers of varying experience but no advanced or dive masters (other than the one from Hedo and myself) were on the boat. No big deal. One dive master for the 15 divers on a drift dive. This is a big deal. I agreed to bring up the rear of the group. Again no big deal. Within 2 minutes of getting in the water my dive buddy freaked out and got back on the boat. Okay – new dive buddy. Good to go. Ya right! My BC had a jammed release valve and I could not release all the air in the bladder. Hmm no way to go down. Dive master asked me to jam weights in the BC pockets until it was heavy enough to counter the trapped air. Umm NO way to hell was I going to do this. I got back on the boat. The dive master and now 13 other divers did have a good dive and while I understand that I am a little more cautious than most in my opinion this was a very poor showing of a dive operation.
Food:
The food at both Desire and Hedo II while not world class was eatable and varied enough that you did not feel like you were eating the same thing over and over.
Both resorts had a buffet as well as sit down restaurants that served decent meals.
We could always find something that we enjoyed whether it was on the buffet line or in one of the sit down restaurants.
Hard to pick one resort over the other here. We really liked eating jerked chicken on the beach at Hedo but again the staff at Desire always went out of their way to make sure you were happy.
The only drawback we can think of at either resort was the Japanese grill at Desire. It is setup for 6 people but both times we ate there they jammed 8 people into the same area.
We hung around with a couple that had a passion suite I think. They had the butler etc and as such they were supposed to be able to put a reservation in for the grill. This was the one time we felt awkward as we showed up with them at 7:30 for an 8:00 reservation and they had to remove a couple from the grill because they sat them in the reserved spot.
Not our friends fault, Desire should not have sat someone when they knew they had a reservation.
One other grump is a personal thing and most all inclusive resorts we have been at does this but I still do not like it. If you pay an all inclusive fee for a resort that should include shrimp, lobster as well as wine. If I can drink a top shelve liquor at the bar and it is included in the price of the resort why do I have to pay for a mid line bottle of wine at dinner?
This practice has never made sense to me but as stated it seems like most all inclusive resorts do this.
Conclusion:
Well here is the hardest question to answer that everyone asks. Which resort did you prefer and would you go back to either of them.
To be honest we liked and disliked things about both resorts. Our preference would be to take the staff of Desire, put them in an area like Hedo but not Jamaica, add in the party atmosphere of Hedo and you would have one incredible place to play and have fun.
Would we go back to either resort? Yes and No. We are not a couple that usually does things twice. Once we have been there and done it, there are so many other things and places to experience in the world we have a hard time going back to someplace we have been before. We do tend to get bored easily. On the other hand if some close friends wanted us to go with them and was willing to pay for it we just might go again! LOL
Thanks for reading what we had to say and we will leave you with this one last thought that a friend who has also been to both resorts told us before we went.
If you want a quiet, relaxed time with your mate and maybe meet someone you can become great friends with and enjoy getting close with Desire is the place you want to be.
If you want a non stop summer camp type party atmosphere with craziness going on around you at all times of the day or night then Hedo II is the place for you.
Which ever one you choose, go have fun and enjoy your life, after all you only get one and you never know when this crazy ride will end!