John & Cherre – July 27 – August 4, 2001
This was our third trip to Hedo III and we are impressed with the positive growth of this resort. We flew from Miami on American, and we’ll just say this was not American’s finest hour(s), but we will fly them again. The Jamaican airport continues to grow and improve, with a/c all the way out to the last gate (American’s) and 2 additional immigration kiosks that were open and manned when we arrived! The welcome singers were there and it took us less than 15 minutes to clear customs and arrive at Superclubs desk. 15 minutes later we were on our way…the bus driver made several stops on the way so it took us 1 ½ hours to get to HIII, but its hard to complain when you’re on your way to paradise! We had been given a card at the airport to fill out, which on closer inspection turned out to be a disclaimer. With your signature you release the resort from liability for just about any claim you might later make against them, especially injuries. Be sure to read the fine print before you sign. Check-in was simple and fast, we requested building 6 or 7 and got ground floor 7, a great room! We rarely used the front door! Our bags were stowed and our clothes off, and out to the nude pool in less than 20 minutes.
The group when we first arrived was quiet, but we only had to put up with the V103 radio group for a couple of days before they left, which was lucky from what we heard. The group that arrived on Saturday became a moderately wild bunch of people, and everyone had a lot of fun! Although we saw no body shots at the pool, there were some going on at the piano bar one night; truth or dare during the afternoons was all dare; and the PJ party and toga night were well-attended. We saw plenty of PDAs in all locations, mostly at night, although the jacuzzi at 5pm got heated up (and we’re not talking about the water)! Nothing was too ‘in-your-face’ and no ‘groups’ in public that we saw. We did notice a foursome of young girls on the prude side who were not having a good time, and despite some desperate attempts by the bartenders to cheer them up, they pouted there way through a week of great weather and fun times without participating. The fun at HIII is in the participation with the EC’s and with the other guests! The EC’s were not at the nude pool in the mornings much; they showed up in the afternoons. The games were lively, and there were a couple of group excursions to invade the quad pool and the waterslide. The quad pool was topless most of the time we were there, although we never spent any time there, it was too quiet for our taste. It looked like a great place to read a book and relax. We had no problems with a shortage of towels or chairs; both were plentiful and available most of the time. The nude beach was never crowded, and they have a guy down there cleaning the bottom several times each week. There are plenty of rafts around both at the beach and at the pool. We saw a few Vinnies and Wallies, mostly sitting at the nude bar at night waiting for a show. We also met some great single guys who just blended in with the group and had a great time, its all in the attitude! We thought the entertainment was weak this year, except for the oldies group, who were great! The piano bar was rocking every night, with a lot of instigation by the EC’s! We highly recommend doing dinner, then the piano bar, then the disco, before ending the night (or starting the morning) at the nude pool and jacuzzi! It quickly became our nightly routine.
Now for our evaluation of the resort itself. The landscaping is what really caught our eye when we arrived; it has matured and grown tremendously since last October! The palm trees on the nude beach provide great shade now, and the pine trees are as tall as the palms or taller! The bushes between buildings are close to ‘lush’, and the hammocks are hard to find. The wall on the east pier of the nude beach is complete and extends to the end of the pier. It should really be extended onto the rocks about 10 more feet, as the drug guys now sit on the rocks and crawl under the pier for shade. While we ignored them, they can get a little annoying as they list their inventory each time someone new arrives at the beach. A concrete ‘curb’ has been installed on the top ‘deck’ of the nude beach, and that seems to be holding the sand in better. It encourages most people to walk around instead of slipping and falling down the front of the ledge to get to the beach level. Concrete steps have also been installed going down to the west pier at the nude beach, which is much safer both during the day and at night, when that pier gets most of it’s use. We also noticed that concrete has been extended from the walking stones (pathways) to the buildings, which looks nicer and is easier to negotiate when a little tipsy. We noticed disclaimer signs posted all around the property, especially in the nude pool warning guests not to dive, part of the new philosophy that places more responsibility with the guest, where it probably belongs.
The food in the main dining room was adequate, but we only ate there at breakfast and for lobster night, which is the best menu! Lobster were back in season, and they were cooked perfectly this time. The Japanese restaurant was fun, but we suggest filling your table with 8 friends; we had 6, and the other couple who joined us never really managed to ‘fit in’ with our conversations and inside jokes. We felt bad for them, and next time we will make the reservation for 8. We spent most of our nights in Pastafari, our personal favorite. The food and the service here cannot be beat. We were happy to see some of our friends from last year still working, including Teshia, who is now a supervisor in the main dining room, and Marcia in Pastafari. Our favorite bartenders from last year, Nola and Antoinette, are now at the Scotch Bonnet, with Nola in charge there! There is nothing better than walking down the path to get our first lunch at the jerk restaurant and hearing Nola cry out “Get me a TT&T and a BayBreeze!” She remembered not only our names but also our drinks! That restaurant was failing last year, but since they put Nola in charge, it has become the place to eat lunch. The Scotch Bonnet is currently only open until 7pm, but management hopes to extend that to a real dinner service again soon. Hors d’oeuvres are still served on top of the Scotch Bonnet, but the bar is not really open up there, and they are not well attended. Too bad, because that is the best place for the sunset!
We had dinner the last night with our good friend Simone Sutherland, Guest Relations Manager. We recommend you get to know her, not just when you have an issue, but as a friend, she’s great! Simone told us there is a problem with guests tipping bartenders as soon as they arrive at the resort in order to assure good service. This is causing some attitude problems with the bartenders, which can lead to suspension or loss of job. We hope everyone remembers that respect and friendship is all that is needed for good service, and trying to ‘buy’ that service is actually hurting the staff involved. She also filled us in on a few of the planned improvements including: a new, expanded gift shop which is currently under construction next to the tennis courts and should be open by the end of the year; an expansion of the nude pool and bar area, and an expansion of the nude jacuzzi, including fixing the pump to get the waterfall going again; replacement of the mirrors on the ceilings, to take place ASAP (they are aware of the problems with the current mirrors); and adding a couple of buildings along the prude beach, for a real prude side to the resort. They are not planning to build a wall across the front and make the prude pool nude! Management is well aware of the broad renovations going on at HedoII currently, and they are planning to keep pace as much as possible. We think the competition between the two resorts will benefit all the guest at both locations, and look forward to our next trip to HIII!
Anyone who has specific questions can e-mail us at cecerec@bellsouth.net
John & Cherre.