Hedo and the Single Man
While many excellent travel reports have been written about Hedo, they typically leave a gap as to what the experience is like for the single male. That is certainly understandable, given that Hedo is overwhelmingly coupled, but I thought I would provide a trip report from a single/male perspective.
I am a 40-something psychologist, and uncoupled in the past year, decided to go to Hedo at the suggestion of my travel agent, and based on the image I had of Hedo from several years ago when my ex and I stayed down the beach at the Charela Inn.
I arrived at Mo Bay, on Tuesday August 4, and discovered to my dismay that American Airlines had not forwarded my luggage from Miami. I was told, "no problem mon," I would have the bags by 8 that evening. Well of course they did not arrive on time, and it took numerous calls to the Mo Bay Airport to ensure their arrival (finally at 1 o'clock in the morning), which was a giant relief since no contact lens sundries were available in the Hedo store. I mention this incident only because Hedo was surprisingly unhelpful in getting the luggage, and didn't seem to know how to contact American Airlines. Further, I was given a garden view room for a day, rather than the single ocean view I had paid for. That was corrected the next day. PRUDE SIDE
Originally I had opted for the nude side in my reservations, but after researching the matter, had come to the conclusion that the prude side was more singles oriented, and had changed the reservation. My research proved to be correct--superficially. There were far more singles on the prude side; however, it was a very young group, that reminded me a bit of a Fort Lauderdale fraternity crowd, a bit too noisy and one-dimensional. Also, I was surprised to find that the prude side was, well, prudish! Women wore tops at virtually all times on the beach, and for those seeking titillation (and who isn't at Hedo?) the eroticism of the beach paled in comparison with South Beach Miami, or for that matter, the Charela Inn in Negril, where much more freedom was exercised. I would characterize the prude side as largely lifeless, unless young males noisily high- fiving while playing water-volleyball is your cup of tea. The only real attraction of the prude side was the trapeze, which was a well-subscribed activity by guests testing out their gymnastic skills. But in general, the prude side had little to offer, so I quickly, and without hesitation headed for the nude side and doffed my duds. NUDE SIDE
Activity on the nude side centered around 2 areas, the pool/ hot tub area, and the beach. On the beach one found abundant water rafts for use (there seemed to be no need to bring one), and the standard mode was to grab a raft, a cap, and shades, and while away the mornings floating in the water under the Jamaican sun. The folks were friendly, interesting, and quite diverse. Favorites included Dick and Allison from Texas, she a British transplant and social worker, he a veterinarian. I was a bit of a misfit at Hedo because I read the newspaper every day, both USA Today and the local Gleaner and Observor and was unapologetically interested in keeping up with the world. I enjoyed the fact that Allison would grab my newspapers and read them with interest, and engage me on topics far and wide while we floated on rafts. Another memorable couple I met, from Chicago, regaled me with stories from their 18 years of coming to Hedo (they started when it was the Negril Beach Village Hotel!).
The nude beach was pleasant and relaxed, and one saw the full range of body types there, from obese to rock hard body. Two visual observations about the people: First, there was a greater representation of breast implants at Hedo than in the normal population (not a lot, mind you, but, I think, more common than the norm); second, the predominant fashion among the women seems to be shaved pubes, a bit of a surprise to me.
The atmosphere in the pool/hot tub area was a bit less relaxed, a bit more charged, with folks scoping each other out and strutting their stuff. This area I found to be a bit awkward for a single male, since the bonding that took place flowed naturally from couples getting to know one another, and it was hard not to feel like a third wheel in the setting. This was a sentiment I heard from many other singles, both male and female, while I was there. This feeling never really faded, and I tended to gravitate far more to the nude beach than the nude pool. SEX
Sex is not far from anyone's mind at Hedo. One of the themes of my stay was people wondering, speculating, and gossiping about what was or wasn't going in the nude hot tub after one in the morning. The answer was, plenty! One night, after disco-ing til 2AM with an assortment of age-inappropriate Lolitas, hot, sweaty, and half asleep, I stumbled over to the nude hot tub. There were about 30 people in the water, but all were focused on the 5 men sitting on the edge of the tub, getting oral sex from 5 women (each others' mates). After about one minute, someone would call out "rotate" and each woman would move to another man. After around 5 "rotations" (eventually I think they experienced the disappointment of winding up with their own partner, lol) the women said, "it's our turn," and the five women hopped up to the side of the tub while the men went began their own oral efforts. It was highly erotic and entertaining, a perfect marriage between those looking for an audience, and those looking for a cheap thrill. It sure woke me up! But alas, the swap session was of course for couples only--no single men need apply. Ah yes, only at Hedo! Night Life
One of the real selling points of Hedo is the staff, and the gentle dignity of the Jamaican people. Hedo would be a very different resort without the sensuousness and spirit that the Jamaicans lend to the atmosphere. The week I was there happened to be the week of Jamaican Independence Day. In the evenings, the atmosphere went right to the edge of outrageous, without seeming to offend anyone: The "battle of the sexes" in which men and women competed as teams, in such contests as faking the best orgasm, and how many sexual positions you could put yourself and your partner in, was hilarious. The Wet T-shirt contest, in which 5 males rubbed ice over the body of a topless female contestant, then proceeded to lick it off, seemed to make everyone happy, including her boyfriend in the audience. There was almost a complete absence of noisy guitar-driven rock n roll at Hedo, which pleased me no end. Rather, I heard great R&B, both old and contemporary, and great Reggae, much of which I hadn't heard before. There was a funkiness about the place that infected young and old alike. The Disco, reviled for its hot temperatures and monotonous techno music, I found to be better than its reputation. Toward the end of my week it WAS air conditioned, and quite often the techno would give way to real identifiable dance music, and a great dance groove would result. My only quibble with the Disco was the aforementioned youngish crowd there. For the curious, there was toplessness on display on the dance floor, but only on Pajama night--but that was purely by choice--it would have been acceptable any night! The Piano Bar has drawn much praise in travel reports, but you couldn't prove it by me. The several times I attended I found it to be off-key, smoky, and generally uninspiring. Must be a matter of taste. Sports
I'm a fairly serious tennis player, and spent each early morning and late afternoon playing tennis. One of the little secrets of Hedo is that virtually nobody plays tennis there, at least during the summer. Ironically, Hedo has two quality pros in Tony and Brian, and while I was there had 4--count ‘em--4 visiting pros from Atlanta. This gave rise to the odd circumstance that every afternoon there would be more pros sitting around the courts than guests. The lack of interest in tennis was a double-edged sword: On the one hand, I played with the pros every day and found great competition; on the other hand, disappointingly, there was no social activity to be found at the courts. Social
Eventually my unflagging social overtures were rewarded, and I met and hung out with some delightful (not to mention age-appropriate) women, who had the added charm of being almost as hot-to-trot as I was! I hung out with Sandy and Pat, 2 teachers, who by coincidence live 20 minutes from my home. We had great conversation, enjoyable dancing, and a measure of the "intimacy" I was seeking. While that sounds like a happy ending, I must say that the effort expended looking for companionship was far greater, and far more tiring than I would have hoped or expected. Perhaps, you say, I should have lowered my sights and contented myself with a few good mystery novels? Not a chance! Hedo is nothing if not a Babe- (and guy-) watch! Summary
Hedo is truly a unique resort, in its openness to nudity and freedom of expression. It lives up to its motto: "Be wicked for a week." But Hedo realized long ago that its meal ticket is the return business that couples provide, and even though stateside travel agents have not yet caught on, Hedo is predominantly a couples resort. While I am sure that some singles thrive there, most I think, risk feeling somewhat marginalized, particularly on the nude side. While my trip, on balance was enjoyable, I can say that I would never return as a single male, nor would I recommend it. Would I return as a couple? Possibly, but just as I think of Hedo as a unique and rich playground to experience, so do I think of the French Alps, the beaches of Thailand, the snorkeling in Australia....well, you get the idea. But Hedo certainly deserves consideration for any couple looking for a little spice for a week..... Respect :-)