August 27th - Sept 5th 1998
How do you spell paradise? We spell it HEDONISM II. From the moment we stepped through the entry way until we took those final dragging steps back across the threshold we were transported into a world of sun, fun, and pleasure.
We have heard it said that Hedo is what you make it. We found this to be absolutely true. No one pushes you to do anything. They may invite, encourage, and conjole but never force. No means no at Hedo. If all you want to do is soak up sun by yourself, you can. But if you want to try new experienced from Scuba Diving to Muff Diving to partying with others, it's all there waiting to be done.
We flew the red eye out of Idaho to Jamaica then got a room in Montego Bay and crashed. We could have gone straight to Hedo but we wanted to be fresh for our first day at the resort. The next morning we took TimAir from Mo Bay to Negril. I had never ridden in a "tiny" plane before but my husband, John, kept telling me "Honey, you'll love it. It's fun." "Uh hummmm. Yeah right." Well, it WAS fun. The pilot was really nice and put me at ease right away. It wasn't until later that John told me that, that plane was REALLY old, a bucket of bolts. "Oh good." I thought. At least he didn't tell me at the time or even on our return trip. The view from the air was breathtaking and well worth the $60.00 per person (one way).
A two minute taxi ride (across the street and around the corner) and we were at Hedo! Because we were early things were a little jumbled and our room wasn't ready. But there was "No problem mon". Once we registered they told us to go have breakfast, attend the 10:00 a.m. orientation then come back and check. They'd try to get us a room as soon as possible.
Breakfast was sumptuous and delicious. The variety of choices were staggering. If all you wanted was cold cereal and toast they had two or three cereals and about five breads to choose from. But if you wanted a hot meal they had french toast to custom made omelets. Fresh fruit and pastries were also available. We found an abundance of choices available at every meal, every day.
We finally got our room and were very impressed. It was large and comfortable. Overlooking the nude beach the view was, very fine. Once settled John headed for the nude beach and I headed back to the dining area to find out about participating in the Toga party talent show that night. I wanted to jump into the Hedo experience with both feet.
Once I found someone in the know they told me to come back at three to practice with the band. Having done that I plucked up my courage and headed for the nude beach. All the while telling myself, "O.K. Tam you CAN do this". When I arrived I saw that John was already well into the "natural" experience and I thought "O.K. he's naked and so is everyone else." Deep breath, "Here goes". And off went the bikini. For about two minutes I sat curled up on a lounge chair looking around to see of anyone was staring -- they weren't. I finally got the courage to go get a drink at Delroy's bar and then went out into the ocean. From that moment on most of my inhibitions fled and I've never been the same since.
It's true what they say,even if you're nervous --just do it. It's no big deal. You'll only be stared at if 1. You have clothes on, and 2. If you do something to cause people to want to stare (and it does happen). Otherwise, the people in the nude area are the most friendly, non judgmental group we've ever met.
That night was the Toga party. We saw Togas tied every which way. So even if you don't know how to tie one just drape it over you and go it'll be fine. The party was a blast. At the talent show I sang "Summertime" with a slight Reggae beat (very interesting). I had planned to sing something else but the band had never hear of the song and they don't read music. So a word of warning to those of you who might want to sing. Be flexible or bring a tape of the song so the band can listen to it and try to pick it up (they do pretty well at this) or bring a tape of your own accompaniment.
At the party we had a Toga conga line which gets everyone up and moving. There were also contests for the most roman, most virginal (I was a finalist), most bare, best couple, and worst tied. It was great fun and a great way to start the vacation.
We met a couple of guys from Miami who became "very good" friends of mine. We also met a number of other couples one of which we now count as good friends. I had the privilege of getting to know gentlemen from England, Louisiana, and Jamaica. You truly do get to meet people from all over the world at Hedo.
On other evenings we learned to dance Reggae and Soca. Ladies, this is a GREAT workout for the waistline. And you'll need it with the constant availability of yummy food. It's also great for the love life. We missed the P.J. party. We konked out to soon. Oh well, next time. One other fun contest that I participated in was the Sexual Positions contest. You get a partner, then divide into two teams. Then taking turns you have to stimulate -- I mean SIMULATE a sexual position, but you can't copy any that have been done by either team before you. The first team (couple) that repeats and can't come up with something new lose. So get out the instructive books and "bone" up.
Our days were spent Scuba Diving, relaxing and visiting with new friends. On our last day we went kayaking. I had never been and I loved it. We wanted to sailing but the wind was a little to fierce so we figured "next time".
There are a number of tours you can take for an extra charge but we were having to much fun at the resort so again we decided, "next time". There are always activities being offered although a couple I showed up for didn't happen. Oh well, no problem mon -- grab a drink, kick back and relax.
If you're looking for a different and truly rejuvenating experience to to Hedo and don't be afraid to let it all hang out. We did, and as a result we'll do it again and again and again. Hedo truly is a place to reconnect Mind, Body, and Spirit.
A bit more about the diving from John... I had expected to only do maybe a few dives. I've often heard that the diving wasn't so good off Jamaica. Well to my delight the diving was very good. The reefs are healthy enough. Though there is a lack of fish life, the area is over fished. But the reefs look good, there is life, the water is clear, and warm. And the diving crew, divemasters, and boat crews are GREAT. So you divers, don't forget your C-Cards, and dive. I ended up making 14 dives, that is SCUBA dives.