Hedo trip report for week of August 17-24, 2024
My wife and I have been traveling to Hedo since July of 1982.
We booked through Denny P who is outstanding when it comes to coordinating trips to Hedo and other resorts.
We arrived in MoBay at 12:30 pm from FLL on the 17th. Sangster International was fairly quiet. It took us a minimal amount of time to clear customs. The new electronic immigration machines are quick and easy to use. Especially if you have pre registered through the Jamaican immigration website. We used JTL transportation, booked through Denny P, for our trip to Hedo. We checked in at the JTL counter #22. As previous trips, they had our information. We were given a voucher which listed our resort pick up time for our return trip to Sangster on the 24th. We were headed to a large bus when they decided to put us in a small SUV. We were the only couple and had a private trip to Negril. Our journey was uneventful but the road conditions to Negril continue to deteriorate. We didn’t stop along the way which shortened the trip even more.
We arrived at Hedo about 3:10pm. Shortly after lunch finished. We had booked a room in the Spa building which is where we prefer to stay. We like that building as it is reasonably priced, a great location for everything but beaching. Having traveled extensively, we don’t pay for ocean front rooms as we spend little time there. With major reconstruction to one of the two spa buildings, due to last years fire, we were moved to a second floor room in “H block. We aren’t a big fan of “H block” but hey, we’re back home. The room was as expected. Clean and plenty of room for clothes and sundries. The maid service was outstanding all week. The internet worked well, and we didn’t feel the need to spend extra money for the faster speed.
After unpacking, it was off to the beach. The beach and it’s surroundings haven’t changed much over several decades. Due to hurricane Beryl, more trees were destroyed. This has become a major problem, especially on the nude beach. Shade has become a premium commodity. With the summer heat and intense sunshine most guests were seeking shade under the few trees that are left. The chair whores we’re out early putting towels on the few shaded lounges.
The pools, hot tub, bar, and grills where as usual. No surprises. Several afternoons, the pools are hot tub were closed due to severe lightning in the area.
With my knowledge of the resort and observing how many tables were set for dinner I estimate the occupancy during the week to be 35 to 40 %. Everything was operating even with the low numbers. During our August 2023 visit, the main dinning room was closed two nights requiring us to eat at a specially restaurant.
Speaking of dinning, the food was pretty much the same as previous trips. We eat most of ours meals in the main dinning area. We enjoy breakfast as we don’t normally eat a full breakfast at home. The fresh cut ham (which was absent during our August 2023 trip) is the greatest along with all the other breakfast options. Lunch and dinner are adequate. The salad and fruit table is fresh and well maintained. The soups are always good and are different at each meal. I could survive on soup and salad. The dinner meals have a different flavor each night. There was a problem with the chocolate soft serve ice cream in the main dinning room. It was very bitter. We told the dinning room attendant. The next day the taste was the same. While dinning we saw Diane Lange. We told her of the problem. She tasted the ice cream and agreed something was wrong. She immediately went to the kitchen and later that day the chocolate ice cream tasted fine the rest of our trip. We didn’t eat at Harryson or Pastafari. I’m not much into oriental food. Harryson I talked to several couples who ate at Harryson during the week and said the newly installed a/c didn’t keep the place as cool as they anticipated. Pastafari. I don’t care to spend hours of my vacation waiting to be served in the Pastafari restaurant. Just our choice. We did eat one dinner at the Flame. As in the past, the food and service was wonderful. A must for dinner at least once during a stay. Remember, you may order as many items off the menu as you want. As in past trips, I had both the chicken and beef entree. The banana split for dessert is yummy and refreshing. The Gala Dinner is still the best night of the week. So much work goes into that meal. Unfortunately, it was moved inside as evening showers prevented it to be set up around the pool.
The evenings are a fun time. “Roots Explosion” does a wonderful job playing before dinner music and accompanying the nightly shows. The EC did a good job. The whole group is dominated by Winston.The Piano Bar can be fun depending on the crowd. The present singer is entertaining, but sometimes the music volume is way to high. It would be nice to have him just play the piano instead of using all the other electronic instruments. One night the a/c wasn’t working well. That problem was fixed the next evening. The Disco continues to be the biggest disappointment. Again this trip, attendance was sparse to nonexistent. The bar area lighting has been changed. Not sure what else is planned for that area as furniture was shoved into one corner and seemed to be under renovation. We never made it to “The Playroom”, so I can’t report about that experience.
The weather was typical Jamaica summers. Sunny and hot each morning. Afternoon thunderstorms took place half the days. Evening where warm and humid. Finding a table with a fan was a must to enjoy the main dinning and show.
I have sent reconstructions pictures of the Spa building that caught fire to Denny P. He has posted them on his site. This building is getting a complete makeover. All the wood, including steps deck, and overhang have been replaced with concrete. New windows as being installed in that building. I’m not sure what the inside room configuration will be as I couldn’t see the interior from where I observed the outside construction site. I’m sure the rooms will be completely updated. There were many night work inside continued late into the night.
As always our week went by quickly. We left Hedo at our designated departure as the JTL bus was right on time. No problems at the airport and our flight back to Fort Lauderdale was on time.
I hope this report was informative. If you are considering going to Hedonism ll, and certainly if it’s your first trip, rely on Denny P to help make your trip carefree and enjoyable. Thanks Denny for your professionalism and help.
Our next trip is scheduled for “Repeat Offenders” week in December 2024.