Charlie: January-May, 2013
Trip Report
The Pluses and
Minuses of
Wintering At
Hedo Vol III
Charlie Versaggi
This year I thought I’d share a list I created early in my stay (e.g. In January 2013) and updated throughout my three-month “visit”. My motivation for preparing this “Plus – Minus” list was simple: like many Hedo guests, I have certain things that bug me about the place, but I wanted to make sure I put those into perspective alongside all the things I really like about Hedo. Now, my list is in the context of someone who “winters” there (for those who don’t know me, this was my third winter of spending three months at the resort). In that spirit, my list may not pertain to everyone reading this.
First though, I’ll give an overall summary of my stay:
I arrived on the 28th of December – the island was experiencing a drought and during my three-month stay I probably had no more than 7 days total where it rained more than 10-20 mins; and only three days where the weather made staying on the all day not desirable.
Before the purchase was completed at the end of Feb, things around the resort were in short supply – after the sale was completed, it was like someone turned-on the money spigot and things were being bought, fixed and improved. Denny’s site has posts on this.
Most noticeable is the overall improvement in food quality and variety. If you’ve not been there in a while, you’ll be surprised to see some new items on the buffet line. I think you’ll be pleased. Also make sure you check-out the new wines-for-sale “bar” next to the DJ booth at dinner – Hedo’s best kept secret is now “out of the closet”. The $20 Malbec is a gem!
The good news is that they’ve discontinued Lunchtime Spin (except for Friday’s Wet-T Shirt contest); the bad news is that they now have games and contests at the nude pool for an hour or more daily. For those of us who like to have conversations and listen to reggae in the pool, that’s no longer an option from approx. noon to 1:30. Some of the larger groups then have DJ’s and entertainment at the pool for the rest of the afternoon. Fine if you need to be entertained – but some of us do a pretty good job of entertaining ourselves – or maybe it’s just me J. In any case, I’ve rediscovered the prude pool – a great spot to escape to with easy bar access and it’s clothing optional. Just bring a towel if you want to sit down to eat at the café.
Evening entertainment is improving with the new ownership as more outside acts are being booked. They still have to work on the sound levels since a lot of us are still trying to eat when those shows start. I’m hopeful.
In summary – all went well and there’s enough promise for improvement that I’m planning on doing my fourth winter there next year. Now, for my list of pluses and minuses:
Positives:
+
Staff – enough said!
+
Weather
+
Friends / Guests I see each year
+
Gym – I’m a heavy user, otherwise I’d be
buying two seats for the return flight!
+
Beach – good enough to spend most of
every day on it
+
Food / Booze – good and improving
+
Finally got rid of “Lunchtime Spin”
+
No regimen imposed – I create my own
routines
+
Overall beauty of the place – the
landscaping is wonderful
+
Plenty of convenient places to escape to
if needed
+
No car needed - taxis always available;
plenty of places close enough to walk to.
Minuses:
- Live DJ’s and games at nude pool during afternoon
- Not enough Reggae played at the pools during day
- Dinner time screaming / contests (best costumes, etc.)
- Dinner Time shows in general too loud
- Until new company completes their planned investments, it’s a one-star hotel
- During some weeks, the guest demographic is difficult to appreciate (how’s that for clever wording!). E-mail me if you need an explanation.