Dave & Pat - November, 2016
Hedo 2 11/26 to 12/3
Pat was just finishing up her chemo and we wanted
to make sure she was feeling well, so we were late in booking. All that
was available was GVP. When we arrived at 1:30 I asked if there was any
chance of buying an upgrade, but they were sold out. When our room was
ready around 3:30, we were prepared for a trek to either the edge of
Sandals or up by the kitchen. We were thrilled to find we were in 2252,
GVN, right outside the gym. We were convenient to the dining areas and
the beach. The couch or whatever you call that window seat was replaced
by a mattress, I guess for use if there is a third person. AC and hot
water were fine. Great start to our 15th trip.
They were sold out for Saturday and Sunday, but the
rest of the week was not so crowded. There was a large group of Germans,
110+ in house. The Bloom group arrived late in the week. We were
surrounded by the Germans on the beach. They were a fun group. The Bloom
group pretty much kept to themselves, but were polite and respectful as
were the Germans. Tom’s Trips were there too.
We ate 3 meals in Pastafari, always our favorite.
Flame was okay, but I guess they still need some work. Medium rare came
out medium well and the pacing of the courses was irregular. The
Japanese was as we expected, but we had a truly international group at
our table: a Brazilian couple, a German couple, a couple from New
Zealand and UK who live in Spain and us Americans. We had breakfast in
the dining room every day and service was great. A server always showed
up with coffee and water right after we sat down.
Staff all seemed positive and upbeat. We were
having a hard time getting the wifi to work as we sat on the beach.
Sunshine stopped by to see how we were doing and took the time to help
us get connected. Bar service was quick. The evening entertainment gets
better each time. More sexy and professional than past years. Winston
does a great job.
We made it to the piano bar a few times but did not
stay long. Dion was out sick. Tuesday night was really great as the
Germans had two guys entertaining. They led the big crowd in German as
well as American songs. Mark, the DJ from Tom’s joined them later.
We saw old friends and made new ones. The place
just seems to get better. The no reservations system works for us. We
prefer to dine later and most people seem to rush in at 7 so by 8 or
8:30 it is easy to find something.
We do wish they had more than a couple tables at
the nude grill/bar area. The two they have are frequently occupied by
smokers. The picnic tables that were scattered around seemed to be gone.