TRAVEL: Did not experience any of the problems previously reported with Air Jamaica.
We are VERY frequent flyers and know what to look for. Flew from Miami to MoBay and it was great. On time service, hot meal, movie, great attendants, on time arrival. Who could ask for more? Check in and so forth was painless in both directions. Caution: If you are traveling on a Delta code share ticket, be sure to check your seating. It may have changed.
ARRIVAL: Again, painless. Superclubs got us out of MoBay in 15 minutes on a huge bus with only two other people. Stopped for ten minutes for Red Stripes on route, but we were glad for the break. Had a super travel talk from the driver.
Hotel greeting was nice, but like others, our room was not ready. Our friends met us with drinks, so who cares? Resort is beautiful to see on arrival and just gets better during the stay. Small mix-up with rooms, but with an intelligent, dispassionate discussion with the staff, they resolved it to our satisfaction. (Thanks Marjorie.......you were great!)
PEOPLE: We were part of the Jamaican Waterslide Team (really). We even developed T-shirts with our own logo. We all met from Denny's Visitors List (Thanks Denny) online before we went which included the revered Jamaica Jim. All the folks were really fun, but we also met lots of people who had not connected with us online in advance. The key is to be relaxed, non-pushy, and just be friendly and say hello. We actually adopted about 10 or 15 folks who were not part of the group during the week.
GOOD STUFF:
Go down the waterslide. Get involved.
Take your clothes off early (you'll never put them back on).
Bring costumes for theme nights or just fake it, but get involved. Go to the Hot Tub after 1:00 AM.
Drink Mudslides (they lower your inhibitions, just ask Nancy),
Make reservations more than an hour before you plan to eat in the Italian or Japanese restaurants, (Like maybe the day before).
Try the snorkeling, it's really fun, or any of the other watersports offered.
Get a body painting........but if he offers to do a bikini on you, try not to have an orgasm when the brush hits those strategic points. It's worth it though.......they look great.
FOOD: Average to excellent, but never bad. Breakfast is wonderful, lunch in any location is great. (Get to know Kevin who cooks at the nude pool.) Italian is wonderful every night with a varying menu and a fantastic anti-pasti bar (Say Hi to Keisha). The Main restaurant has a differing theme menu every night and it's always good. (Say Hi to Lonnie). All the folks who take care of you at the nude bar are really fun, especially Nola and Anne-Marie. If you're really nice to them, they always remember what you drink.
ENTERTAINMENT: Not bad. Sometimes left a little to be desired but the staff try hard (this is not Las Vegas). They are always around organizing things and trying to keep people involved. PeeWee is one of a kind and one of the nicest and entertaining guys you'll meet. Just don't whine.........he hates it.
AGE: Doesn't matter. We're 50's and we had a super time with folks from 20 to 70. It all depends on your outlook. If you feel particularly old or young, that's how others will see you. Just be a person, not an age! We even won a dance contest!
CHALLENGES: They do need to turn down the music a bit during the day. The leave speakers out at the prude pool blasting at a million decibels all day. Usually no one is there to even listen. They seem to drive you away with the sound. Disco wasn't too bad at all and had a mix of music on different nights, but seemed to generate to Jamaican rap later in the night. Disco music did not permeate the evening, but those speakers during the day usually spoiled the ambiance of the beach and the moment. Forget an afternoon nap with all that booming. They also talk too much. Most of the announcers never met a "mike they didn't like" and talk, on and on, when they have a chance. When we were having a nice quiet breakfast in the main restaurant, enjoying the beauty of the morning and the sea, some idiot would turn up the mike and make a million non-sensical announcements no one listened to. The same with late mornings laying on the beach. The funny thing was that because of the reverb set on the amplifier, no one could understand a word of what was being said if we wanted to.
Also, don't forget this is Jamaica and not Atlanta or New York, so don't expect the same service you would there. These folks live by a different clock and things don't happen as quickly as we would like sometimes, but they really are nice people. Overall, the staff is great, and unfortunately many guests forget to say THANKS, to the workers.
On another note, be careful in the disco. Lots of very strange people in there and you don't know if they are guests or locals. We had some experience with some unrequested groping, etc., and had to deal with that. When we figured it out, they were not guests, but locals, who were allowed onto the property by management. On weekends, they pushed out the guests and took over. The management needs to re-look this policy or it might impact future bookings.
SEX: It's there if you want it. Not much public sex, except in the hot tub Always kind of interesting, but never in bad taste. Be sure to ask about the full body massage in the Grotto by ten men! (May not be available since the Waterslide Team left). Other arrangements develop between couples who just seem to like each other but seem to slide off into more private settings.
SUMMARY: Go with an open mind and prepared to have fun. It you ain't havin' fun............you're doin' somethin' wrong!!!!!!! Leave all your bitching and whining at home, it has no place at Hedo (and pisses PeeWee off). We had a great trip and we're trying to figure out how to go back next month! Special thanks to all the members of the Jamaican Waterslide Team for inviting us to join in the festivities.
Best wishes to all.