Braco vs Hedo III
After traveling to many resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico as well as Florida, I found Grand Lido Braco last year and fell in love with the place. The place was so great that I was there 3 times in one year. Recently my wife and I made a visit to Hedo3 for 5 nights and thought many of you would like a comparison of the properties.
When most folks hear the term Hedonism, they immediately draw their own conclusions. Some of these may be accurate, but I would say that after my first trip there, most people have some less than factually based assumptions. Following is what we witnessed during our stay which may or may not be representative of what happens every week there. Like at GLB, each week and sometimes each day is different based on the current clientele.
As in our trips to GLB (Grand Lido Braco), we stayed on the A/N side. At H3 these rooms face the ocean and are very close to the water. You may have some trees that block your view, but you are right there. Actually, between these bldgs and the ocean you have the pool area.
Pool Area:
The pool at H3 sits on/above the water. In fact, during storms I am sure the pool gets ocean water in it and this area might not be available. This is a big plus over GLB. Downside would be that on chilly days after a rain, the ocean breeze might be cold. The nude pool is small and not one that you would swim in. Great for sitting around or cooling off. Volleyball games went on everyday. The pool bar and grill sits just past the back volleyball line so it is easy to grab a few more players if you need them. Grill is open from late morning until around 5pm. The bar itself stays open until 5am. Yes 5 in the morning. The hot tub can hold 20-40 people (or more if cozy) and is less than 30 feet from the bar and shares a dividing wall with the pool. If you get too hot you can just sit on the edge and fall into the pool.There is a fair number of lounge chairs to sun, sleep or read on around the pool. Many people sit around in the water at the shallow end of the pool talking and drinking. There are two ‘tables’ with umbrellas in the pool that you can sit at and talk or eat. The grill has a good selection of snacks and sandwiches. Fish and chicken, burgers, nachos, fries, crab salad, chili and cheese for fries or nachos. Sorry, no lamb chops here.
Other Pools
: There are two other pools at H3. One is the main pool and is nice, but somewhat quiet most of our visit. There is also the QUAD pool and bar. This sits in the middle of 4 buildings that face each other, offering rooms that front on the pool. Somewhat quiet there as well, but very peaceful if you want to get away from it all. These are the site of the swim up rooms. Sounds great, but no big deal.Beach
: If you are looking for a great beach to walk on, this is not the place. They have a small beach and swimming area, protected by manmade rock formations. Nice place to just chill out with your honey. Alongside the beach, on both sides are piers that have lots of lounge chairs to get sun. These seemed to have less use and were a good place for the bashful ones to get sun A/N. The beach on the main side is larger though I did not see many people use it.Waterslide
– going through the Disco and landing in the main pool is the water slide. This thing really moves fast and is fun. Open from 10am to 5pm,then again from 10pm to 5am. Late at night this usually is full of naked people getting late night thrills. (not sex)Rooms:
Nice rooms, very different than Hedo2 (based on what I have read and heard). In talking with folks that have been to H2, they were very surprised at the accommodations here. Tub with shower and waterjets, CD, clock radio, iron and board, hair dryer, safe, etc. They do have mirrors on the ceiling, but kind of weird. Cheap mirrors like carnival ones where you look thin or fat, tall or short depending on how you are positioned. Cute but non functional. Non of the rooms have balconies. Big change from GLB. Tub has big window. Though there are shades, not everyone uses them or knows they are there. Sitting around the pool at night, always funny to see people taking showers with shades up. A/C works well. All in all, nice rooms. Ground floor rooms that face beach or pool on quad side can also walk right out those doors.Of the 3 buidlings that face the water, one is right in front of the nude pool. Late night parties might get noisy. We were down at the end and could hear them once in awhile, but not enough to stay awake. At the same time, the view from these rooms means you will not miss much.
Food :
GLB for sure has some of the best food around. We loved the French and Italian while we were there. H3 has a sit down (duh – who would stand up?), make that a reservation Italian restaurant for dinner only. Food was good, service was lousy the night we were there. They have a Japanese Rest that is similar to Braco. Great food. But, for some reason, they do not serve you the food until they have cooked ALL the courses. By then you are starving. No sake. Main restaurant is where they also have evening entertainment, which seemed to be fun and varied each night. Seating is not the best because of support columns, so get there early. Wide selection on buffet. Actually had some really good food there. Always nice to pick and choose, then go back for what you really liked. Good at breakfast as well. About the same as GLB. Only difference is that evening is always buffet vs. the menu at GLB. No street or beach parties. Of course, we ate at the pool bar most of the time. Since the evening does not pick up until late, many miss dinner. Eat all day at pool grill/bar then get snack at the midnight buffet. Room service is breakfast only, juice, coffee/tea and breads only. Bottom line, GLB wins out here, but H3 not bad.Service:
Rooms were always taken care of well. Cocktail, bar and grill service was great. Get to know these folks. They are fun. One of the barmaids was transferred to the Quad bar and came back over to see us. She like working with us much more. As you all know, the people around the A/N bar seem to be very outgoing and friendly. Very comparable to GLB.Sex:
Let’s skip this part since none of you care. Okay, yes there was sex there. I did not see any all out orgies, nor did I have to step over couples or condom wrappers or anything like that. But yes, there was some public sex. There were some body shots going on a few times that were fairly sexual. Three or 4 guys sitting on the bar as their mates poured drinks on them and licked it off. I think most of them were too drunk to do much more though. We did witness some coupling in the pool and hot tub. They were discrete about it, as discrete as you could be doing that. (no screaming or tidal waves I the pool) Each morning, one young couple did their morning exercises on the beach and really did not care who was around. Though we went by the hot tub around 1-2 each morning and did not see any open activities, word was that some wild stuff did go on some nights. Swinging? None that we saw.Who was there?
We saw all ages as you do at GLB, but only a few over 50. The under 30 crowd seemed to be at the main pool. Same as singles. Crowd at nude bar was about 85% couples, but group at main pool was about 50% couples, maybe less. All shapes and sizes were there, but it did seem that more, how do I say this, ample woman were in attendance than at GLB. Plenty of plastic. Still, all shapes and sizes were there. Of the singles, it was for sure many more men, but not out of control. Only a few single men hung out at the nude side.Entertainment:
Always something going on. They have a circus thing with trapeze, etc but we never got over there. Entertainment coordinators were great and into their job. Much more than my last visit to GLB last May. H3 has a piano bar that is inside with A/C that is really nice. A bit classy actually. By the way, the Italian rest has A/C as well. Each evening they have some kind of events going on for a few hours. The announcers did not seem to drag things out as much as GLB did. I just always remember how much they like to talk at GLB when you got a mike in their hand. Disco opened at 11 and went late. Much nicer setup than GLB. You do have to walk upstairs to get to it, so you do not just walk in off the street. Same problem as GLB is that they DJ’s want to play rap and other crap. When they play good American disco dance tunes, the dance floor fills. You would think they would figure this out??? Loud but nothing like the blasting they do at GLB. I like the disco here much better than GLB. PJ night was fun, about same as GLB. Some naked dancers some nights. A few women decide to go topless just for the hell of it.
Overall:
Hedo 3 is not as wild as most people expect. It is not Hedo2, based on the half a dozen people that have been there that I talked to. People do not walk all over naked or have sex when and where they want. The property is nice with vegetation taking hold, GLB much more mature right now. Though somewhat less spreadout, after being there a day or so, it seems just right. Food at GLB is better, but H3 still good. Rooms are equal other than the lack of patio. A/N pool is a plus since it is right on the water, could be a negative in bad weather. Service is pretty much the same. Entertainment a bit better at H3. Disco much better. Piano bar fun and comfortable. Both are great resorts. H3 another 20 minute ride in the bus. We had a great trip and were close to staying another day if not for issues back in the land of reality. Would I go again? Yes. The big question, was this a normal week or not? Did talk to one guy that was there a few days before us and he said it had been DEAD prior to weekend and a new crowd. If you like the A/N side of GLB, you could for sure have a good time at H3. If you happen to see something you do not like, walk away. It really is a nice place.