Lyle - December, 2016
Hedonism II
12
– 24 December 2016
I just completed a
visit to Hedo 12 – 24 December and following is a brief trip report.
I used American
Airlines for travel from St. Louis to Montego Bay, via Charlotte, and
everything operated per schedule with no delays or complications.
Arrival in Montego
Bay was very smooth with minimal delay and short lines in Immigration
and Customs.
I used Rocky's
Taxi & Tour Service (http://rockystaxiandtourservice.com/)
for ground transportation from MoBay to Hedo.
As promised, a representative was waiting immediately outside the
airport exit to greet me and call in the car from the waiting area
across the street. The car
arrived moments later and I was on my way to Hedo with a cold beer in my
hand.
Arrival at Hedo
and check-in was very smooth.
The front desk staff had all the documentation ready when I
arrived, so there was minimal delay in getting my room key and I was on
my way to drop off my stuff in my room and go to the beach.
I normally have a
room near Delroy’s, but the nude bar / pool / grill complex was closed
for renovations. As a
result, I was assigned a room behind the dive shack in close proximity
to the normally ‘prude’ grill and bar area.
The room was in good condition, the air conditioner worked
flawlessly the entire visit.
I’d heard the nude
end amenities had been closed for renovations the day before I arrived,
so I walked down to take a look at things.
I was very impressed to see how much had been accomplished in
such a short time. Because
of that, I made a point of walking down the beach to look at the
construction site every day and I was very impressed with the speed and
intensity of the progress.
By midway through the week, they were ahead of schedule and on track to
re-open the complex on Christmas.
They were nearly complete when I left on the 24th and
subsequently did re-open the complex on the 25th (so I’m
told).
The Guest
Relations folks were very visible and checking with guests throughout
the resort on a regular basis to make sure everything was working
properly and there were no problems.
Donna Grant was also quite visible and accessible if anyone
wanted to talk with her for any reason and also was checking with folks
to make sure everything was going well.
I think the attention and actions of these folks speaks volumes
about the general commitment to making sure things are done right.
They’re not just spewing words; in every case that came up that
needed their action, they immediately followed through with the correct
action to address whatever the issue was in a timely manner.
I certainly couldn’t ask more of them and I think they are doing
the right things in the right manner.
I was very
satisfied with the food the entire time I was there and never heard
anyone complaining about the food during this visit.
I thought the food was tasty, variety was good, the service and
presentation were good, etc. and overall suitable.
The beach was in
good condition and there were plenty of lounge chairs, floaties, and
towels available (perhaps due to the low occupancy during this time).
I never had a problem finding a chair where I wanted one or
something to float on, and there were always plenty of towels available.
During the
renovations, the ‘prude’ end essentially became the nude end.
Because the pool adjacent to the
bar is small and tends to be fairly cold, a lot of people migrated up to
the main pool and hot tub and that essentially became a nude or clothing
optional area during the day.
My observation is that people covered up when in the dining room
or hanging out at the main bar in the dining room.
The dining room
and bar staff was doing a very good job the entire time I was there.
The bartenders were all doing their usual great job of taking
care of everyone and keeping things lively.
The weather was
very good while I was there.
We did have some fairly breezy conditions on one or two days, but
nothing that hindered or altered any of the activities.
I watched the show
after dinner on both Friday nights.
The whole crew, and especially Winston, provided a GREAT
performance. The closing
number on both nights was Hotel California and included something I
hadn’t personally seen before.
We’ve seen the
band, Roots Explosion, many times and I personally think they’re a very
good stage band. In the
closing number, the guitar player (Sweeney?) stepped out for a long
guitar solo. Winston did an
excellent job of setting up the moment for him, and the guitarist TORE
IT UP. I always thought he
was a good guitar player, but he sure surprised me and got me out of my
seat. Well done!
At the end of the
visit, check-out at the front desk was smooth and effective with no
issues. Overall, I thought
the front desk team did a great job with everything while I was there.
When I was
checking out on the 24th, a guest was in the lobby looking at a video
camera equipped drone he brought with him.
I don’t know what he was planning to do with it or whether Hedo
has a policy regarding operation of drones over the resort, but that
probably will need to be addressed at some point.
I subsequently
researched the regulations in Jamaica regarding use and operation of
drones. I found the Jamaican
Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) has a very clear and comprehensive set
of regulations for operation of drones by both hobbyists and
professional or commercial operators.
Provisions within those regulations prohibit operation at Hedo
due to the operational proximity to the Negril Aerodrome.
Regardless what additional policies Hedo may choose to implement,
compliance with Jamaica law will still prohibit operating drones at Hedo.
At the time of
departure from the resort, the driver from Rocky’s appeared exactly on
time to take me back to the airport.
Even though it was the day before Christmas, the trip to the
airport was smooth and speedy with minimal delays due to traffic along
the way.
Check-in and
departure processing at the airport was very smooth and everything was
operating right on schedule.
Arrival in Charlotte was right on time and processing through
Immigration and Customs were both very smooth, orderly, and everything
was operating exactly as it is supposed to.
The connecting flight to St. Louis was also right on schedule and
a very smooth final leg of the trip home had no delays, issues, or
problems of any sort.
All in all, it was
a very good trip and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
It was great to spend some time with many long-time friends and
also to meet a few new ones.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time and I didn’t really observe
any significant issues or problems with anyone.
It just seemed like everything was working well and everyone was
simply enjoying themselves and each other, without a bunch of drama,
issues, pretense, etc. (like it’s supposed to be….. right?).
Guess I’ll go do
this again sometime soon …………… !