Dan & Nancy - May, 2011
We spent 17 days at Hedonism II this May, from May 4th
through the 21st . This was our third trip to H2 and it was
great to see so many familiar faces among both the staff and the guests.
When you tell people you are there for 17 days most look at you
and wonder how there is anything left of you. We move at a slower pace
than many there as we have time to do so. Anyway here is our report:
Travel
Travel both to and from Jamaica was uneventful. We flew first class on
US Air from San Francisco to Charlotte and then Charlotte to Montego
Bay. All flights were on time or early, we arrived at MoBay about 10:40
AM and breezed through customs and immigration in no time. Met a couple
we knew from a previous trip in the Superclubs lounge and were taken to
a bus of all Hedo people. One quick stop to pee and grab a Dragon Stout
and we were at the resort by 1:00 PM. Check in was quick and efficient,
we negotiated an upgrade from OVP to OVN, luggage arrived promptly, and
we unpacked and were at the pool by 2. Only hiccup at all was a broken
luggage carousel in charlotte on the way home that made our connection a
bit tight but all worked out well.
The Resort
Not much had changed at the resort from our trip in 2009, room was clean
and well cared for during our stay. Air conditioner was a little week,
kept the thermostat on 60 the whole time and it was bearable. Hot water
was hit and miss depending on the time of night we were trying to
shower. Had a broken pipe one day so no toilet for a day and then they
forgot to turn it back on but that was quickly resolved with a call to
the front desk. The beach was in great shape and meticulously cared for
by Augustus and friends.
Activities, Entertainment & ECs
Our main activities are tennis and snorkeling. Tennis of course was
great. Garfield was always accommodating as my wife was not dealing with
the heat well so he would show up at 7 in the morning or 7 at night
whatever she wanted. Played almost every day. Had some fun doubles
matches in the evening with Garfield and Mega.
Snorkeling was great, still no boat at Hedo but “Jesus” from Breezes
showed up promptly at 2 PM every day to take us out. We went about 7 or
8 times during the trip.
The ECs were great, always friendly and helpful. Enjoyed the nightly
entertainment, some nights more than others, although we missed Winston
for the first week we were there. Saw a noticeable upturn in energy when
he returned.
Deon was great in the piano bar, always love his energy and interaction
with the guests.
Food
Of the 17 nights we were there we ate dinner at Martino’s 9 times,
Mununson twice and the rest at the buffet. Mununson was ok, not as good
as we remembered although the last time we tried it we had a different
chef and it seemed to make a difference.
The buffet always had something we enjoyed eating. Enjoyed the
dinner on the beach one night although was cancelled the next week due
to the smoke from the fires. Martino’s was just great.
Service was fast and efficient and the food was wonderful. My
only complaint was they seemed to run out of lamb fairly early on many
nights. We only ate lunch a couple of days and mostly enjoyed salads and
fruit. Breakfast was great every morning after tennis. Austin did a
great job of taking the load off of Charlie. They had to work without
the steam tables for a few days while a new fan was being installed but
never missed a beat. The
nude beach grill was good as always, not sure what’s really in those
patties and don’t want to know but they do taste good. Jerk chicken
could be found as early as 1 or 2 on some days. Midnight buffet had some
great wings a couple of nights but was pretty sparse the rest of the
time. One night the ice cream machine was broken but one of the staff
went to the Mununson kitchen to get Ice cream for the wife which was
greatly appreciated.
Service
As mentioned here and there above, the service could not have been
better. Seemingly everyone we encountered went out of their way to
ensure we had a great time. The front desk staff was efficient and
responsive to our needs, was great to see sunshine there. Michael the
night manager always seemed to be around when we needed something late
at night and always with a big smile on his face. The casino staff was
great always making sure I had what I needed, drinks, coffee etc. while
my wife spent time in the casino. The wait staff in the dining room was
always right there with water, wine, and drinks, whatever you needed.
Whatever perceived deficiencies there are in the lodging are more
than compensated for by the excellent service provided by the staff.
Summary/Conclusion
Overall we had another great trip, had a few early nights to escape the
smoke from the fires, had never experienced that before. Met a lot of
great people as our trip spanned many groups, from our old friends the
Zoo Krew, the Cico de Wild folks, the Circus Erotica group, the early
parts of the Wicked Wildcats, John and Terri, Tiffany and Armondo, our
British friends from the casino and many many others from the DennyP
board as well as a few other sites.
In conclusion, we love this place and will be back for another 17 days
in November. Hope to see you there,
Dan and Nancy
Norcalcpl42
