Bev & Bob at Hedo 3 - June 17th to the 24th
First a bit of background. Bev and I are Hedo 2 "vets" and wanted to get a look at the new place this year. I’ve been to Hedo 2 about seven times and Bev four. In fact, we were married there three years ago last June 18th. I have read a trip report some where from a "Jamaica Jim" and in it he says not to compare the two resorts. In part this is a true statement but many things are so similar at Hedo 2 and 3 that it’s almost impossible not to compare.
We flew, as usual, on air Jamaica which has usually never disappointed us. >From there we took the bus (a very small one) from the airport to the resort. We were treated with a great driver who gave us a "history" lesson of the areas we were driving through and also pointed out places of interest. Being our first time driving west (Hedo 2 is east) this was great for us. I also gave him a nice tip for the extra service.
Check in was without any sort of trouble. The staff at the desk were very professional and friendly. We were met at the "front door" by a girl named "Stretch". She was very nice and as it turned out got her name because she is a contortionist. Our room, which we were told was a suite, was fantastic! What a big improvement over Hedo 2! King size bed and mirrors which are the same as 2 but we also had a great bathroom with a nice big window over the tub/shower, a mini-bar, TV with VCR (Playboy channel was nice) and a sitting area with couch and desk. The room was decorated in a "topical" decor. Again, very nice.
We were disappoint a bit with the location of our room, 529. We asked for an ocean view and if you looked out the window, got up on your toes you could see a little bit of Caribbean blue. Not our idea of an ocean view. I suggest asking for a room in building 600, 700 or 800. They all defiantly face the ocean and in the case of 600, the nude pool.
The rest of the resort was great. Do try the water slide, ride on a Hobie Cat (sail boat), eat at the Scotch Bonnet (great ocean view) and do BOTH restaurants. The Pastatfarie (spelling?) and the Japanese restaurant. Service in both were excellent and the food was very good too. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the main dinning area. Service was fair. I had to get up a number of times for coffee and a drink I ordered never came. At Hedo 2 they’re always filling your cup. Food was fine but not as lavish as Hedo 2’s spread. Still, it wasn’t bad and I’m sure the service will improve. After all Hedo 2 has been open a lot longer than 3.
The crowd was fun. We meet many new friends and had a blast. Especially the first night. Bev and I started in the nude hot tub at around 3 in the afternoon, skipped dinner and went back to our room about 3 AM! The rest of the trip was very relaxing and fun.
Now to some other problems and things to watch out for at Hedo 3. One, Hedo 3 management are you listening?! Get rid of the art auction at dinner!!! One night, in the main dinning area painting after painting were brought up to the stage and auctioned off. A group, not from Hedo 3’s staff, ran this joke and tried to sell art work ranging from $25 (US) to $600. It was like eating during an auto auction and it was very loud and annoying. In fact, the group we were with ate as quick as they could and left to go to the bar. Not too many people really cared for it and it is something best dropped from the program.
Watch out for those slippery tiles! Around all of the pools there are tiles that when your feet are wet can be treacherous. I personally saw three or four people fall at the nude pool and a number more had bruises from their falls. I came close a couple of times. One day my wife was walking by the pool when a guy, about twice her size fell and he instinctively grabbed her to catch himself. They both went down but her got the worst of it because she fell on him! A few people were wearing those beach shoes but most didn’t and we all were walking around like we were on ice. So please be careful and get that trip insurance in case you should break something.
Will we go back? You bet! Hedo 2 and 3 are in some ways the same but in others very different. Two has great rooms and facilities but three has better service and more of a (dare I say) "culture" behind it. But that’s because Hedo 2 has been around a lot longer and I’m sure 3 will get there too some day. I hope that a "refurbishing" of Hedo 2’s rooms are in the planning stage. We are just happy that we now have two great places in Jamaica to go to. If you have any other question then e-mail us at bandb@paonline.com