This was our 4th consecutive Christmas vacation to Jamaica. We spent the first year at Grand Lido Braco and then split the next two trips between Braco and Hedo III. This was our fist time to Negril and Hedo II.
We arrived at the airport on December 22, 2006, just before 4 p.m. The immigration lines were short but it took almost 40 minutes to retrieve one of our bags so it still took the customary hour or so before we departed the airport. We spent the first night in Montego Bay at the Wexford hotel. Good location, on the outer edge of the *hip strip* across from a public park area. We had an ocean view room and the balconies are huge. I would recommend this hotel for an overnight stay. Although not in the middle of the *strip* we easily walked the entire strip and stopped for a couple of drinks at Margaritaville where we had a superb view of the bay.
Left the Wexford at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, for the ride to Negril. We took a private taxi for $75.00, and had a wonderful, leisurely drive. On all previous trips and because of our late afternoon arrival time, we've been anxious to get to the resort before dark and so never objected (or really minded) the crazy taxi drive at breakneck speeds. It was nice this trip however to start fresh in the morning, take our time and enjoy the passing scenery. Traffic was light and we made it to Negril in just over an hour.
Check-in at the resort was fast and pleasant. I had a beach bag packed, expecting to have to stow our luggage at the front desk for a good part of the day, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready. We made a brief stop in the room; ocean view, nude side, next to the massage shack, good location. In comparing the rooms between Hedo II and III, we found the room at II to be just fine and not significantly different from the rooms at III. It was clean, we liked that the window opened, the vinyl couch is a much better idea, we think, (more sanitary) than the cloth covered ones at III and we found the drawer and closet space sufficient and comparable. The big difference is in the size of the bathrooms, the ones at Hedo II are way too small, kind of like the beach is at III. The only real annoyance with the room was the A/C unit which was very noisy, despite being turned to low fan. It almost sounded though like waves crashing on the ocean, so I'd focus on that. No problem.
After a quick breakfast, which was very good, as they usually are most places, we orientated ourselves and were set up at the pool by 11:00 a.m. Although Hedo II is much bigger than III, we still found it compact and easy to navigate. We didn't mind the semi-steep inclines on the pathway from the nude side to the main side (even for me in high heels).
We spent the first few days mostly at the pool and never had a problem setting up at our preferred spot or getting towels as needed. The lack of EC's and or games at the nude pool was a bit disconcerting at first however, as we are used to this at III. As the days went on though and the resort filled up this seemed less important/missed somehow. There just seemed to be more of an energy from the guests at II, than at III (and it was definitely an older crowd on average - us, late 40's and early 50's included). I'm pretty sure it was sometime around day 3 that we decided that we much preferred Hedo II over III. By our 4th day there, we had started setting up on the beach rather than the pool which was now getting more crowded everyday as the New Years people started to arrive. Never had a problem getting a lounger and Hedo floats for the chairs at the beach and we even managed to always have a small table (the Friday or Saturday before New Years a load of new tables was delivered). I had forgotten how much I like to spend time on the beach. We just didn't do it at III and after the first year, we had gotten out of the habit of being on the beach even at Braco (which is somewhat isolated from the pool area).
Bar Service. We never had a problem with it and we never waited more than a few minutes, even on our last full day there when the resort was near capacity. Delroy is a gentleman and everyone behind the bar was efficient and friendly.
Foot washers. At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the pool. Loved these. So much more convenient than having to stop and turn a tap on to rinse your feet. I'm wondering though how many people might have taken a tumble into these, after dark.
Misting Pool. Loved the misting pool!!
Nude Pool. We found the water temperature in the nude pool to be just fine. A little cooler during the first few days that we were there and then it tended to warm (but still refreshing) the rest of the week. Hubby liked the massaging pool very much.
Hedo II, III and Braco pool comparison: Braco will always take this for the sheer size of their pool and hot tub but I think Hedo II comes in a close second because of the additional misting and massage pool. Hedo III, well, I'll give it to them over Grand Lido Negril's pool (a few comments on that resort, included here elsewhere).
Food. We were pleasantly surprised by Hedo II's buffet. Foods that were meant to be hot, always were and we found the choices to be very tasty. We tended to avoid III's buffet as much as possible so we definitely give II the nod for their buffet. We ate at Pastafari's 3 times and enjoyed it, although I might give a slight edge for choice and presentation to the Pastafari's at Hedo III. As a side note; we spent the last night of our stay at Grand Lido Negril because of an overbooking problem on Hedo's part (got 2 free nights stay for next year, so no problem). We were able then to check out the buffet at Grand Lido, had breakfast there on our last day and checked it out for lunch the day before. We preferred the buffet at Hedo II. Grand Lido's food was warm when it should have been hot and they didn't have any more selection than we found at II.
Grand Lido vs Hedo II. Hated the clothing optional area at Grand Lido. Pool area was small, cramped, deathly quiet, pool was tiny, hot tub was tiny, bar fronted onto the edge of the pool (although it's not a pool bar) you were meant to stand and order there or walk around, in front of the rooms, to the other side of the bar which had a bit more room. No smiling (staff) faces here. The beach was small, very rocky at the shore, and the whole thing was just unpleasant, configured in such a way that if you wanted to lay out facing the sun, you had to turn away from the ocean. Thankfully, we were able to go back and forth between there and Hedo II for the balance of our stay. I think we lasted an hour at GLN's clothing optional (dislike that concept to) pool/beach. The one area that Grand Lido excels in is their rooms. We were given a beautiful 1 bedroom suite which was huge (on par with Braco's luxury suites) and the patio area had room for two loungers at one end and a table and two chairs at the other. Love the pink lounger pads at the Lido's. All in all, I could never consider breaking up our stay between Hedo II and GLN as we did with III and Braco.
Off Resort. Seven Mile Beach.
We walked the entire Seven Mile beach!! And I'm so glad that we did, it was great. We tend to think though that it's actually longer than seven miles...probably measured in Jamaican miles, 1.5 miles to every one of ours. It ended at the wharf, where the old boat is and straight ahead, you can see the Burger King. Had to go up and through a small crafts area to reach the road and it took only a minute for a taxi to come by for the ride back to the resort.
Off Resort. The West End. We loved the west end!! Took a taxi to the lighthouse and told the driver that from there he could drop us off at Rick’s Cafe. Wasn't until we were done at the lighthouse however that the driver told us Rick's didn't open until noon (and it was only 10:30 a.m.). No problem and glad it worked out this way, the driver let us off at LTU's, a bar/restaurant on the cliff/ocean side, all contained under a big palapa roof and where I could have just sat for the rest of the day. It was gorgeous there, very peaceful, the woman behind the bar was wonderful. Across the bar were a Jamaican man and a Japanese man, eating the best looking banana pancakes I've ever seen. Turns out these men are chefs at Grand Lido Negril (good testament for the food at LTU's) and in one of those quirky twists of fate, we literally bumped into Maxwell, the Jamaican man and chef at the International, Cafe Lido, the day we *moved* over to GLN. He invited us to his restaurant that night and prepared a meal, especially for us. It was a highlight of our trip.
Off Resort. Rick's Cafe. We also just loved Rick's Cafe. The location in the west end is just breathtaking. It's almost like being in another world entirely. We went early in the day to avoid the crowds and I'm glad we did. We enjoyed a couple of drinks in the pool at the chairs and tables set up in the shallow end, very nice, and watched the daredevil Jamaican men and a few others, cliff dive. We were pleasantly surprised by the reasonable prices for food and drink at Rick's, considering it's such a tourist draw. They're definitely not out to take all your money at Rick's and we would definitely return there.
Sunset. Didn't miss not seeing it at Rick's as we watched an incredible one from our own beach at Hedo!!
PDA's, PDS's. Lot's of them, especially after the first few days, everyday day, everywhere. We only ever made it to the hot tub during the early hours, 5 to 7 p.m., so can only guess at what it was like there at night. It was all good though, and seemed more couple centered than what we've seen at Hedo III, a much nicer vibe, we felt.
Conclusion. We loved Hedo II, we loved Negril and the west end and we will definitely return. We flew Tim Air back to Negril, a first for me in a tiny plane, not quite sure how much I enjoyed it but it was definitely worth the quick trip to the airport!!
Tatlyn – 12/23/06 to 12/30/06