Ted & Darnet

Took Champion Air from Dallas-Fort Worth, non-stop to Montego Bay. Flight was perfect. We arrived early and bags were first off the plane, we were first through customs. Total elapsed time from departing plane to getting on bus to Hedo III --- 25 minutes. No joke. Never had a better flying experience

It was the usual bumpy trip with a couple of stops for Red Stripe. The only pitfall was a flat tire which the driver changed in five minutes. Then we were on our way to Runaway Bay.

Again, no problem. We got to the front desk about 1:30 p.m. and we had the keys to our room by 1:45 p.m. after filling out paperwork. It's never gone smoother.

This is where we made the bee-line for after check in. You could never leave here for your entire stay. It's where all the action is. The people are extremely friendly, and we never met one individual our entire stay who wasn't exceptionally nice. The body shots are a must, the pool volleyball's a blast and the body painting's a riot, also. You need to participate in all three.

Virtually deserted. Why stay at Hedo III if you're going to stay here? It seemed like a place for depressed people. All the people having a blast were at the other beach and pool.

Don't miss this! Exhiliarating and a little scary. Haven't ever been on a luge, but this would seem close. Fast and exciting.

All were fun and the staff does an excellent job of keeping everyone involved. Particularly liked Carol (Tina Turner). Nightly games were always fun. The PJ party at the disco is a must. All inhibitions go out the door here if they haven't already. Piano Bar is a nice alternative, though we didn't spend a lot of time here.

Dec. 12 was our anniversary and the staff gave us a bottle of iced-down champagne and treated us like royalty all week.

The Munahana, Japanese steakhouse, was good. I'll have to disagree about the Pastafari, though, from previous writers. I thought Hedo II's Pastafari was much better. We didn't like the atmosphere as much, either. All the grills in Jamaica seem the same. We usually get the jerk pork or jerk chicken and stay away from the jerk burgers. Food at The Terrace was always plentiful, ranging from average to above average.

Top-notch. Only complaint is that we didn't get our wake-up call upon departure. Everything else was excellent.

The only one is the gift shop. Hedo II has at least three or four shops. But Hedo III is young, and we expect more shops to open.

It was 85 degrees and clear or slightly overcast all five days. In other words, ideal.

The beach at Hedo II is much better. Hedo II seems much more spacious overall, also. The rooms at Hedo III were much nicer. Ours had seven mirrors, all strategically located. The spa/bathtub was nice, which we've never had in three trips to Hedo II. Have to give the edge in landscaping to Hedo II. Hedo III seems a bit cramped, but maybe that's because of the seven-mile beach in Negril.

What was nice at Hedo III is that there wasn't an overabundance of people. Yes, they were plentiful, but you didn't feel like you were in a sardine can. The pool was crowded, but not overly so. Same for the beach. It was a very relaxing, enjoyable trip.

Flight delayed three hours out of Montego Bay because of ice at Dallas-Fort Worth airport. The only negative of the whole trip. Better losing three hours leaving than those poor souls coming in that lost three hours off their vacation.

Without a doubt. We've never been to a Hedo resort when we didn't have a totally enjoyable experience. We'll probably be back in the spring or summer. Any first-timers who are going, let yourself go. You'll be addicted and keep returning. That's it, and would love to hear from others. Thanks.

Ted & Darnet - 12/00