Laura - November, 2009
We went to
Hedonism II for the first time November 14-18, 2009 for LoveVoodoo
Fest '09. So glad we went!
Here are our thoughts on our trip:
Day 1: Early flight out of BWI on Air Jamaica (with lots of others
with Love Voodoo!) Everything went smoothly and we arrived in
Montego Bay by 10:00am. We departed from most of the crowd and
instead of getting on the shuttle to Hedo we met with a private
driver we had arranged with another couple ahead of time (he gave us
cold Red Stripes upon entering the van). We headed to a local
restaurant specializing in jerk pork and chicken. Best meat
ever - and they even took us out back to show us how they cook it.
We headed from there to the Rocklands Bird Sanctuary. There we
each had hummingbirds land on our fingers to sip sugar water from
bottles we held in our hands. Truly amazing. I have a
picture of myself with the national bird of Jamaica on my finger!!
From there we made the trek to Negril and Hedo II (about 1 1/2 hours
from Montego). Upon arrival, everyone was very friendly. We
were a little nervous having never been there before but the moment
we got out of the car, the bellman said - "you are only allowed to
relax and have fun from here on out:" And so we did.....
The check-in staff were a little distracted (perhaps overwhelmed by
the large group) but got us checked in eventually. In the
meantime, we met one of our hosts form Love Voodoo (Todd) who
also made us feel welcome. We then headed to our rooms where
the bellman met us with our bags. The rooms were not luxurious
(we were warned about this) but very clean (note: throughout our
stay the housekeepers did a great job and were very friendly) and
honestly, we spent so little time in them, we didn't care too much.
We took a long nap to prepare for the evening ahead. We
were pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of the food at
dinner as well as the attentiveness of the staff. Then it was
time to explore the nightlife options. After dressing for the
"leather and lace" theme we headed to the Piano Bar. Lots of
energy there from both the staff and guests. Sing-a-longs and
karaoke aren't our thing but the vibe was fun. We then checked
out the disco. Didn't really get going until about midnight
but once it did we had a great time. Good music and energy.
Sometimes the lights were flashing too much for us but we have that
problem at every club we go too!
Day 2: After an early (yummy) breakfast, we hit the fitness center.
We were fairly impressed with the equipment available. I was
fun to workout and watch all the interesting people walk by.
The center was attended by Tyson - very sweet guy! Next was
the beach. We're not "lay around on the beach" people, but if
we were, there were plenty of beach chairs available and fresh beach
towels can be exchanged as much as you want. There were many
water sports available - sailing, windsurfing, snorkeling, diving,
and jet skis (this was the only one that cost extra). During
our stay, we sailed and snorkeled - both of which we enjoyed very
much. After lunch and another nap, we participated in the
"class reunion" theme. After dinner, the entertainment staff
held a contest for best costume - cheeky but fun.
Day 3: Tennis lessons!!! Our only regret is that we didn't start
these on the 1st day! Note: you need to sign up for these 1 day
ahead. Garfield, the tennis pro, is amazing. Some of the
best lessons we've ever had - I wanted to take him home with me!
Peter, the other tennis pro was great as well. We didn't bring
racquets but they had basic ones there for us to use. We then
got a massage and facial at the spa. The massage was amazing -
ask for Peta - the facial was so-so. For lunch, we
headed off the resort into Negril for some curry goat and shopping.
We got taken at the tourist shop, but hey - had to get t-shirts for
the kids! That afternoon, we experienced the nude pool for the
first time. Definitely a new experience for us and we did get
a few angry stares until we took our clothes off... But "when
in Rome" so we went for it. The nude pool was where most of
the action was in the afternoons/evenings. I've heard that
when LoveVoodooFest was at Hedo 3 there was a quad for both the
clothed and nude around which the majority of people congregated.
This would have been nice so people opposed to being totally nude
didn't feel left out. The theme this night was "Jamaica
colors/reggae". I had a lot of fun with this one in my new
bikini and wrap. Loved the entertainment!! The staff danced
for us and there was steel drum music. This was one of the
highlights of the trip for us.
Day 4: Last day - tried to cram a lot in... more tennis,
snorkeling... hanging out at the nude pool. People seemed to
get more loosened up as the week went on and there was definitely
more wild behavior going on but nobody stopped anyone and it
certainly didn't bother us. The daytime bartenders at the nude
pool were a bit surly but they have a pretty hard job... That
evening we took some sunset pictures - some of the best pictures
we've ever taken - just make sure your camera is always pointed out
to the ocean and never at the beach. This night was"pajama
party" - lots of fun to go out in your lingerie! The disco had
strobe lights going so I couldn't dance but it was still fun to hang
out. We did check out the on-premise action in the spa this
night which was definitely a new experience as well. The
champagne there was a nice touch! A couple times people
walking through stopped and stared which was a little disconcerting
but we were in a public space so....
Day 5: More tennis before leaving... The staff slipped a
notice under our door about what time to catch the bus so we would
make it to the airport in time for our flight. The bus ride
was comfortable and the trip home smooth.
We're looking forward to going back next year!!
Laura