Hedo III Trip Report
Pete & Leslie (TX)
12/26-1/1
OK, let me take a shot at this. Since I’ve been reading this board for the past couple of years, I suppose its only right that I finally contribute. My wife and I have an extensive travel resume (Hedo II, several Club Meds, Hawaii, Tahiti, BVI’s, Cancun, etc.) and I want to say right up front that this was one of the best vacations and best facilities we have ever experienced. SuperClubs has really created something special here with Hedonism III.
I’m not going to bore you with our flights, the van ride, Red Stripe, etc., etc. Suffice it to say, everything went smoothly (in Jamaica terms anyway). We arrived at the resort just after dark at about 8:30 and were immediately checked in and whisked away to our room (#717, Ocean view suite) with absolutely no hassle or problem. I imagine the resort was 25-30% full upon check in (it increased about 10% a day until it was a full house by Friday night). Instead of giving you a day by day description (you can get that in other reports), I will just categorize some of my impressions.
The club really went all out and put on a great party. They built a large stage around the main pool and entertained us with music, outstanding food, fireworks, and just an incredible amount of energy. I can’t imagine a better place to be to welcome in 2000. In addition to all the normal Hedo guests, there were probably about 200-300 people from other resorts there to party and it really made for a festive atmosphere.
In a word - spectacular. From the bartenders to the housekeepers, the entertainment people to the restaurant staff, the Hedo 3 employees were the friendliest, most energetic and genuinely caring people I’ve ever seen at a resort. Whether its indicative of the Jamaican people as a whole or something SuperClubs instills (the Hedo 2 staff was great last year as well), these guys were just fantastic and really made trip something special.
Again, after my other experiences with all inclusives (Hedo 2, Club Med, etc.), I was really surprised at just how nice Hedo III was. It is on par with say a Fiesta Americana / Cancun or similar. Everything is, of course, brand new, but it the rooms were great (tile floors, bright furniture, comfortable beds, working showers and yes, even HAIR DRYERS!). The restaurant, the pools, bars, everything was just way above my expectations. Kudos all around for the SuperClubs people!
Again great and way above my expectations (this is an all-inclusive, remember). You have several dining options (main restaurant around the stage & pool, the Jamaican restaurant which is kind of a glorified bar by the beach, the nude bar/grill, the Japanese restaurant and the Italian restaurant). We always slept through breakfast so I can’t comment on what that was like (sorry). We did had lunch each day at either the nude grill (hamburgers, salads, etc.) or the Jamaica bar (“jerked” everything, chicken, sausage, pork, etc.) and they were both OK (the Jamaican bar had the better options, but it was 100 yard walk out of my chair – so I only made it there once!). Dinner was outstanding in both the main restaurant and the Japanese restaurant. Garlic shrimp (every night if you ask for it), grilled lobster on two nights, were just a couple of the wonderful things they fixed each evening. I ate so much fish/shrimp/lobster right off the grill that I never had the desire to try any of the deserts (but they looked great and my wife says they were terrific). The Japanese restaurant was just opened and adds a real nice touch to the resort. You can reserve a table of 8 (you eat Tepinyaki (sic) style around the chef/grill) and get a smattering of sushi, fried rice, grilled fish or beef, shrimp, grilled veggies, etc. (standard Japanese tourist fare) and it’s a great place to hang out with your new friends. We didn’t try the Italian option.
From previous messages, you surely must know about Toga night, PJ night, the wet-t shirt contest, the men’s body contest, body painting, etc. All were as advertised and all were a lot of fun for those who participated. The real pleasant surprise was the disco. It was decent-sized, played great contemporary music, was the proper temperature for both the fully clothed patrons as well as the rest of us and was piped into all the guest rooms on channel 19 all night long! This was really a great idea and was a real hit with those who chose not to actually participate. The camera just pans back and forth with the music all night long, every night – WAY COOL!
I don’t know, what else does anyone want to know? The whole concept of Hedo is what you make it. If you go to have a good time, participate in at least some of the activities and keep an open mind – it’s a lot of fun. The great thing is you can do all this in such a beautiful resort. I don’t want to knock Hedo 2 because I liked it as well, but the facilities don’t come close in comparison. I would never consider going back to II now that I have experienced III. One caveat, however, the crowd is not as wild as II (at least not yet) and I would not even consider going to Hedo III as a single male as I don’t believe there was even one single female there the entire week. It could have been just the week (premium charges for the Millennium and all), and maybe other weeks would be different, but from my observation, I would encourage single males to go elsewhere for now (or better yet, bring a date!).
If anyone has any specific questions that I didn’t address, please feel free to email me. I’m already scanning the calendar to see when we can make it back.
Finally, Hi to Rex and Bruce and congratulations again to Lenny & Lisa!
Pete