HEDONISM III TRIP REPORT
10/27/99 – 11/4/99
We returned to Jamaica for the 15th time and decided to check out the new Hedonism III resort in Runaway Bay. We are 46 and 44, and have enjoyed HII 10 times, as well as GL Negril and Braco, and Couples. We will not detail every moment, but will try to highlight the pros and cons of this new resort, as well as provide some contrast to HII.
Having become accustomed to flying into Negril, we were hesitant about the bus ride from the airport; unfortunately we arrived on a very rainy day, and the normally 1hour 20 minute ride took us over 2 hours, as we sometimes seemed to float through flooded roads. Super Clubs tries not to make anyone wait more than 15 minutes at the airport, so we were loaded into a taxi for our trip, and despite the extra length, our driver gave us a tour along the way and helped to make the trip more enjoyable. The roads to Runaway Bay are in much better shape than the current Negril road, and our return trip to the airport was 1 hour 20 minutes.
When we arrived at the resort, we were given our paperwork to fill out, and the drink of our choice. Be sure to look up and check out the chandalier! The lobby was flooded, but rubber walkways were laid out all over the resort to help with the slippage. This is a major problem for HIII, because the majority of the main pool area, bar, lobby, and restaurant are tiled; it is beautiful to look at, but extremely dangerous when wet, even just from wet feet. We saw several splints and/or ace bandages while there….this situation can be worse at night when the women are in heels. The management is well aware of this problem and they are working on a solution. We asked for a room in building 6 and were readily accommodated, and within 15 minutes the bellman was escorting our luggage and us to 635, overlooking the nude pool and beach area on the third floor.
There are nine rooms on each of three floors in nine buildings, the middle digit tells you what floor you are on. The ninth room on each floor appears to be a mini-suite, which gives you a little (very little) extra room, an extra window, and a mini-bar (slightly redundant in an all-inclusive resort); in our opinion not worth the extra money, but there are those who would disagree. Buildings 1 – 4 surround the quad pool, which is beautiful, but underused because the bar is shut down at 5. Building 5 is oceanview, set back from the nude beach. Buildings 6 – 9 are oceanfront, but keep in mind that the higher the number the closer to the main pool and bar, and the disco – which is pumping (literally) until after 5 each morning. While we were there they had two dance marathons, with a free week being the prize, and the winner never left the floor until after 5am! The rooms are very nice, a definite improvement over HII. There are shades over the bath windows now, but still no shower curtains (which we learned can be enjoyable for the person not yet in the shower!) and there is no hair dryer. AC works very well, the satellite TV not so reliably. Your room key is a card, so bring a chain type necklace to wear it – small chains will fit through the key holes if you cannot find a maintenance worker with a drill. We did not realize there were locks for the in-room safes – make sure you ask when you check in. It also helps to ask how to set-up your phone voice-mail, although there is no guarantee anyone at the desk will know how.
The nude pool, bar and grill, and beach are very nice, but way too small and the bar should have been placed between the pool and beach for better access. There is also no access when you are dry (on land) without leaning over and around the "safety" rails, although this did not stop too many of us! Bartenders are rotated weekly in the resort, so you may not see the same ones we did. Courtney and Kevin were there the first few days, and they worked together well. The last few days Ovrell was there to take care of us, and he did a great job also. But our personal favorite at the resort was Sophia, who runs the grill. She walked up to us and introduced herself and welcomed us the first night we were there, and she was looking for us each day. She makes a secret sauce for the fish sandwich that can’t be beat, and she will add a little crab salad to it if you ask, making a "fish oscar" that is awesome! We cannot wait to go back and see her again! We also were impressed with Andrew, an entertainment coordinator. He always seemed to be running late, due to the fact that he takes a genuine interest in each and every guest, and wants to make sure they are having a good time.
The Caribbean restaurant is a short walk down the boardwalk, and the jerk chicken is great here! But the best-kept secret of the resort is the bar above this restaurant, which overlooks the bay and has great sunsets. It is also a great place to watch the trapeze practice sessions each day. The stairs up to this bar are treacherous at night because they are not lit, especially when they get wet, so beware! It looked like the only difference between the restaurant in the day (a grill) and at night (Scotch Bonnet) was tablecloths and napkins on the picnic tables; the menu appeared to be the same.
The main buffet is a step above HII in food quality, but the dining room is much too small, another problem the resort is working to solve. The view overlooking the main pool and beach is very nice, and the constant seabreezes keep this area much cooler than Negril. There is a bartender named Junior at the main bar who puts on a show carrying bottles and drinks on his head – he even lets you do shots from his head if you want! And of course, situated behind this area is the infamous waterslide – it is everything people say it is, and definitely better without clothes! We saw very few people using it with suits on regardless of the time of day!
Pastafari is better here than at HII – they have a killer antipasto bar, and better wine than outside. Make your reservations in the morning; when the resort is full this place fills up. The Japanese restaurant is not yet open, but when it does it will help to diffuse some of the groups. Overall the food and the availability of call liquor is better here than at HII.
The disco is on the third level, and has an outside patio. It was rocking each night, and it is much more comfortable than HII because the AC works, although there are no benches built into the walls to sit down on. When the slide is being used it is a kick, although people going through are just a blur. Really makes you appreciate the picture Castaways Travel has on their website! The piano bar is beautiful, but we never made it up there at night. Everyone seemed to have a good time there. The gift shop was built too small (is this a theme here?) so it is in a guest room in building 3 temporarily. There are two saunas and two steam rooms, but they are rarely used.
Some of the things we recommend you bring: Chain for your key, non-slip shoes, big sipper cups so you don’t have to fight the crowds as often at the bar, hair dryer, a float (they do not have any at any of the beaches or pools), and your own toga. HIII does not use a whole sheet per person, and they are very understocked. We never got a sheet, and neither did a lot of people, so bring your own. We have always thought half the fun of toga night was tying the sheet, then seeing the mess others made of theirs! We think it is unfortunate that the trend is towards ready-made togas, and would like to see a return to prizes for sheets only!
Our overall impression of this resort is that SuperClubs is not trying to copy HII. They have built a very nice resort that is somewhere in between HedoII and the Lido resorts, closer to the Lidos. While the energy level is higher than GL, it is not the same as at HII. We experienced the resort for three days at about 30% occupancy, and the rest of our stay at soldout capacity. It does wake up when there are more people there, and while we rarely felt crowded, the size of a lot of the facilities is puzzling to us. The jacuzzis are way too small, and get very cloudy very quickly. If you are going to HIII for The Jacuzzi, you will be disappointed – it is not there. They do have room for it, and we hope they will consider building one. As for nudity, it is accepted and seen pretty much everywhere in the resort, except the dining rooms. We were constantly being told "there are no boundaries" here, and that seemed true. This could become the premier nude resort of the Caribbean if management wanted it to. The crowd seemed younger than HII in general, and consisted of a lot of first-timers. If you are looking for an upgrade from HII (and who isn’t?), this is the place. The so-called ‘energy’ of HII is the product of the guests interacting with the entertainment staff – this staff is young and still learning, but they do a good job, and will continue to improve. While there are lots of kinks to work out, most do not detract from your vacation, and we urge people to visit this resort and help be a part of determining the direction it will take. SuperClubs does not appear to be trying to replace HII, just improve on it…we can help make that happen!