Jesse & Debbie - June, 2013
This was what we think was our 23rd visit to Hedo – at this point we’ve lost count. Our annual trip to Hedo has become one of the most important things in our lives. So in recent years it’s been a bit troubling when we see occupancy go down, and certain aspects of service and the physical plant deteriorating, and we were thinking maybe it was on its way to being defunct. But we heard about the sale of the resort, and were heartened by the fact that it was bought by people who seem to understand what Hedo is all about. We’re very happy to say that after spending a week there we’re excited about what’s been going on since the sale. If feels that now we can rely on the fact that Hedo as we know it will be there for as long as we can get ourselves there!
We arrived at lunch time and noticed immediately a big improvement in the food. There seemed to be more variety and creativity, with lots of fresh, interesting and good-tasting options. There seems to be a lot more effort going into lunches and dinners (breakfasts were always great and continue to be so). The week we were there they also added white netting as a food guard over most of the buffet, which is a really good idea. Another great idea was that they had sweet potato chips and a hummus dip at every lunch, which was fantastic. We at lots of that, and hope it becomes a permanent fixture.
The next thing we immediately noticed was the new pads in the dining room. This may not seem like a big deal, but they’re very thick and comfortable, and boost you up to a much more reasonable height in relation to the table. Over the course of the week all of the old pads were replaced.
The grounds were all in great shape – they’re being maintained beautifully, and we noticed a bunch of new plantings.
And there’s lots of construction going on – some of it major. The prude side was closed, since they’re beginning the process of room renovation over there. We walked by the construction area a few times, and couldn’t see anything but a gutted room – but it’s getting done. To be perfectly honest, since we spend so little time in the room this isn’t a big deal for us, but I’m sure once we do stay in a renovated room sometime in the future we’ll be very happy about it. And I think this will contribute a great deal to making the place more attractive to guests, particularly new ones, which is something we all want. During the course of the week they completely replaced the ramp that leads down from the courtyard in front of the spa. This isn’t something we’ve given any thought to in the past – but it was just great to see that they’re putting money into the place and doing important renovations.
The next major thing we noticed was that all of the beach lounge chairs have been replaced. And over the course of the week all of the pads were replaced with brand new ones, right out of the box. They still had that new pad smell. Again, this wasn’t anything we had thought about much, until we compared the condition of the new pads to the old pads, and realized that this should have been done a long time ago.
There’s now a pizza oven at the grill by the nude pool. This is a totally brilliant idea. They only start making pizzas at midnight – I figure it’s hot enough back there and they have enough to do during the day. But really, how great it that you can stroll down on a beautiful night, order a pizza, and sit there by (or in) the pool and eat a fresh pizza right out of the oven? The first night we decided to try it we got there right at midnight, and the chef told us the oven hadn’t quite warmed up yet, and it would be a few minutes before it was ready. So, we decided to head for the cave behind the waterfall, where we spent a little while engaging in adult activities. And just when we’re finishing up our adult activities, we look out from the cave and see the chef walking around holding a pizza, looking for us – we were getting pizza delivery! How great was that?! We did come out from behind the waterfall to get the pizza.
One other change is that Munasan is now called Harry San (Harry is the name of one of the new owners). Last year when we went the service was unusually bad, which we really found disconcerting, considering how good it had been in the past. But this year things were back to normal – in fact, better than ever.
There’s a new wine bar in the back of the dining room, where you can buy bottles of what looks like good-quality wine. We don’t know anything about wine, but we figure it’s probably fancier than what you can get for free.
The piano bar (where we seem to wind up in every night) has a new pianist, and he’s excellent. He’s a great player, really knows how to use that synthesizer, and plays all new and different songs when the women get on top of the piano. And while I’m on the subject of the piano bar, I’d like to single out Eldon, the bartender there, who not only is a really great guy, but makes a hell of a martini, and took the time every night to make us Flaming Bob Marley shots, which take a lot of skill and patience.
Here’s 2 pieces of advice we’d like to offer – during or after a rainstorm, when you’re walking down a path, don’t step on the speed bumps. They get very slippery. And this year we brought a string of Christmas lights with us, and strung them up around the mirror in the room. They make for some very romantic lighting, and it’s fun to come back after a late night out and have them lit up. We recommend it highly.
So, to sum up – we always have a great time at Hedo and meet the greatest people ever. We’re thrilled to see that the owners are putting so much money and effort into the place, but most importantly they really understand what Hedo is all about, and it looks as if they plan to keep it that way. It sounds crazy to people who don’t understand, but Hedo is one of the most important things in our lives, we’re really heartened by the fact that it’s going to be there for us for the foreseeable future, and we’re very grateful for that.
And on a completely different note – before coming to Hedo we spent 3 nights all the way on the opposite side of the island, in Port Antonio, which is an amazing place. It’s a completely different experience, but well worth checking out. Write us if you’d like to hear more about it.
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