Arrived 7/2 (via American Airlines) and were on our
way to Hedo via the Bus Ride from Hell (which we actually enjoy) by
1:00pm. The new parts of the road
were great, the old parts were worse than ever.
Oh well! Stopped for
refreshments (no Dragon Stout, damn!) but still arrived at Hedo by 3:00pm
thats when things went downhill. Despite
the fact that we booked six months ago through one of their biggest booking
agents (All-Inclusive Vacations), we got bumped (oops, we were informed the
correct term is downgraded) from our reserved nude ocean view room to
the prude side all the way down by the gate to Sandals! No problem, mon!
We move you tomorrow. Right.
So, strip down and take a nude stroll across the
prude facilities (what the heck, we PAID for NUDE!) to the nude side.
Met a bunch of new friends and hung at out the nude pool until the jerk
chicken was ready at Roberts shack. Waited
a bit before going to dinner and socializing at Veronicas.
Went to the disco for a bit (what
the heck, topless night is a great theme), but headed off to bed shortly
after the midnight snack. All-in-all,
a good first day (aside from being bumped).
Day two, up relatively early for breakfast (love
those omelets) and beach until our 10:00 transfer to our new room or so we
thought... Got to the front desk
and were told it would be the next day, Tomorrow, mon!
Well, we at least got it in writing this time, so off to Roberts for
lunch and drinks at Delroys to console ourselves.
At least the front desk said it was okay to stroll the prude side in
the buff since so many other nudes had been bumped there as well!
Started to fall into our normal routine... nude volleyball at 4:00pm,
jerk chicken at 6:00pm... Had dinner at Pastafari with good friends, then PJ
night (in the dining room!), followed by the disco until midnight and the
Jacuzzi and fun until 4:00pm ouch! Cant
stay up that late too much.
So, were up by 8:30am for breakfast and re-pack
for our move to the nude side. Hit
the front desk at 10:00am as instructed previously, only to be told the
transfer was now at 2:00pm! Argh! What
the heck, strip down and head to the nude beach where Augustus has already
figured out our favorite spot and set up our lounges what a great guy!
After another fattening lunch at Roberts (love those bacon
cheeseburgers!), 2:00pm finally rolls by and we get our room!
All is good again... :o) Nude
ocean view overlooking the volleyball courts!
Just in time to get down there and join in the games...
Well, now that we finally got our desired
accommodations, theres no need to detail every day. We quickly fell into our routine of breakfast before 10:00am
(need our omelets and fresh fruit), beach and veg with friends until lunch at
Roberts (we dont think we made a single lunch up at the dining room),
participate in any interesting daytime entertainment (body painting, scavenger
hunt, body painting, nude volleyball, etc.), then jerk chicken at 6:00pm.
Dinner in the dining room (especially the two lobster nights) or
Pastafaris with friends. Check out the nightly entertainment (if its interesting)
or socialize at Veronicas before hitting the Disco and maybe the hot tub.
If we were up too late to catch the midnight snack, its always fun
to raid the front desk for cold sandwiches (tip: you get faster service if you
are nude they want to get you out of the front lobby!).
A few exceptions to our routine... The catamaran
cruise (Tuesday morning nude cruise) was great this trip.
Not too crowded, but good people.
We took an ocean kayak out a couple of times and proved that you
CAN tip them over even while youre seated!
Fun to paddle around by Lido and Sandals, catch some sun out on the
water, and just get some much needed exercise!
For the first time, we went off the grounds and visited the shopping
area (easy walk) and another time took a taxi to Ricks Caf.
It was good to get out and see a bit more of the real Jamaica.
Also, we participated in the Fourth of July parade to Sandals.
Highly entertaining! We even recruited a few prudes en route .
We went all the way to the other end of Sandals (most of us decorated
in some sort of red, white and/or blue paraphernalia), mocking the people
trying to take pictures and generally having a good, half-drunken time.
If youre at Hedo over the Fourth of July in the future, you have to
participate and have fun!
Okay, yes, there were some disappointments and
problems (aside from being bumped). SuperClubs
had just changed to a central laundry which resulted in huge delays
getting room towels (the maids usually had to make a trip back to our room
later in the afternoon to bring towels) and chronic shortages of pool/beach
towels. It really was
unacceptable that guest towels werent available until well after 10:00am,
usually more like 1:00 to 2:00pm. Hedo
Management needs to take care of this right away. Another serious problem (in our own selfish opinion) was that
Roberts fry vat didnt work for several days (we dont know if/when it
was repaired since it still wasnt working on our last day!).
It made for fun trips to the prude grill to get fries, but should have
been fixed quickly. In general,
the place just seemed more run-down than during our past two trips.
Some of the over-sized chess pieces were missing from the set outside
of Veronicas (yes, we did actually play chess there during past trips!),
paint was peeling, there were more leaks in the dining room roof, and the
pool/jacuzzi really needed more attention!
The water was truly gross a couple of times!
Just as we were leaving, they were breaking ground for some new
construction (where the basketball courts were) and we hear of other projects
coming in the immediate future. Thats
great, but hopefully wont detract further from the routine care and
maintenance that is needed.
That all said, we thought many people dwelled too
much on the negative things. We
still had a GREAT time and will definitely be back.
Beach towels and French fries dont make the Hedo experience, the
other guests, staff, environment, attitude and opportunity for fun, adult fun
do. And, Hedo still has that in
aces. We truly hope they fix the
problems we experienced, but still enjoyed everything else.
Besides, while puzzling over the situation, we came to a realization...
part of the attraction of Hedo, for us, is the fact that its not in
pristine condition, making you constantly mindful of your surroundings.
While the grounds and rooms are normally very clean and tidy, it is
comfortable and relaxing as well. You
dont panic about spilling a drink on the floor or tracking some sand into
your room. More upscale resorts
can be uncomfortable as you worry about your appearance, tracking sand around,
going to your room with drinks or food (wouldnt want to spill), etc.
Hedo is comfortable, no worries, and we like that.
No, we dont want to see it get run down or skanky, but wouldnt
want to go somewhere that we werent comfortable letting our hair down
either. Its all good.
Highlights? Seeing
old friends again and making new ones. Nude catamaran cruise. PJ and Toga nights (theyre always
fun). Jerk Chicken and fries. Lobster
nights (all you can eat!). Late
night in the Jacuzzi. Daytime in
the jacuzzi. Heck, anytime at the
nude beach/pool/jacuzzi... Naked
kayaking. Naked snorkeling.
Roberts bacon cheeseburgers. Charleys
omelets. Charleys special grilled lobster. 4th of July parade to Sandals.
Nude volleyball!!! Just vegging on a lounge chair by the beach or
floating on a raft. Hurling water
balloon at passing lookie-loo boats with the giant sling (great
entertainment). The afternoon
rainstorms were fine by us (cooled things down), but made us wonder why nude
people in a pool look for shelter from the rain (even when there is no
lightening). Just being able to
leave all the worries behind, lose the clothes and inhibitions and hang (so to
speak) with friends. Paradise.
Words of advice for those following us... Travel
weekdays much shorter lines at the airport and much, much quicker check-in
(even if we did get bumped). At
least once, take the bus to or from the airport.
Its an experience and gives you a perspective of the island and
inhabitants that you just dont get from the air. Go off premises for a bit.
If youre anxious about doing this, go with a group of friends or
arrange something through the tour desk.
This was our first time venturing off-grounds and we really enjoyed it.
Be friendly to the staff and theyll more than triple it in return.
Most of all, lose your inhibitions (and your clothes), relax, meet new and
very interesting people, and have fun. No
problem, mon... Irie!