John & Stephanie

Resort atmosphere had really notched up since our trip in January. There was alot going on, folks, daytime and night time. The prude side is always boring, but the nude side was happening big time. We felt alot of energy this trip, alot of comeraderie and playfulness, and things were very sexy. And the resort was VERY empty for the first three days of our visit, but it's a matter of WHO was there, not how many. There are more repeaters all the time, as the resort gets more established. It was nice being a repeater, being recognized by many of the staff, knowing our way around, what to do, what not to do. What we can get away with, what we can't (not much of that, but occasionally you do cross some sort of line). Unless you were a prude, I don't know how you could have found the place boring this particular week. PDAs day and night, every day, if you want to know.

As usual, every Jamaican we had contact with was super nice, and the entire staff at Hedo was great. We had excellent service, with a smile, from everyone. I've travelled all over the world, and the Jamaicans are among the friendliest people I've met. The ECs are almost completely the same as from January: Crazy Sean, Foxy, Lacy, Carol aka Tina Turner, Romeo...Spicy was new to us. They are all wonderful and we love them! Circus staff is still headed up by Vladimir and Stephanie, and the circus show is still marvelous. Watersports staff is just the BEST. When I flipped the Sunfish over within 60 seconds of leaving the beach, righted it again but got stuck in the waves and couldn't get my sails filled, they came out with the rescue boat and pulled me out past the breakers and got me going again. When I made it back to the beach later after some mostly successful ocean sailing (and another capsizing and righting!) they told me that normally they would have just pulled me back to the beach after my disastrous start, but "you said you knew how to sail, so we let you go"...you better believe that guy got a huge hug.

We really found our spot in the 500 building this time. It was wonderfully quiet so that when we decided to call it a night we could actually go to sleep. No hot tub partying noise, no disco noise...it was heaven. The whole trip I kept saying, "I love this room!" And we could see the ocean from our window so that every morning we'd know what to expect with watersports.

The daily naked slide run was great fun, and we had over 100 participants the last day we were there. My plan for avoiding slide rash didn't work out, but I have a plan for next visit. If you don't know what I'm talking about, slide rash is what I call the cuts and/or abrasions and/or bruises you get from the slide if you are skinny or bony (I'm both). I tried different positions and tried riding down on my arms, but all that did was get my elbows torn. Next time, I'm bringing moleskin, or adhesive tape, or something similar in a sticky tape that I can put over my contact spots -- it won't stop bruising, but it's the cuts I worry about.

* Leaving Mobay on Sunday was way busy and we'll not return on that day if possible in future. Hour late departing and, huge crowds at the airport. New thing with Air Jamaica that was great -- airline check-in at hotel the day you leave, bags tagged and boarding passes provided so all you have to do at the airport is go to the gate.

*Our room was ready when we got to Hedo! This threw me all off, because I was all ready to head into the bathroom at the lobby to change and go eat and then go get naked, and what do you know but we have to go up to our room!

*Place looked great. Landscaping is gorgeous, everything clean and constantly being maintained, room was spotless and luxurious as before. Pools were crystal clear except on nude side, where pool was somewhat cloudy and hot tub more than somewhat, but you could always see the bottom, and they do their best.

*The disco still mostly sucks. We made the scene, did some dancing, won a small prize PJ night, but darn it, the music sucks, it's too loud, it's too hot...but alot of people love it. I'd been wondering about these complaints about locals in the disco, and people being intimidated, and one night we saw a good example of this. Between 11pm and 11:30pm we watched couple after couple do what we did: walk up the stairs, look in the doors, see the small group of locals, one woman swinging a video camera all around the room, the loud, kinda rap, kinda hip-hop, kinda reggae all mixed up music...and turn around without going inside. This was bare-as-u-dare night, and the people in the disco were fully dressed, and here we were all coming up in these tiny things, and it was intimidating, I have to admit. And I don't really intimidate easily. Later, when an EC or two showed up things got more relaxed and accessible and people went in.

*There was real variation in the quality this trip. First dinner at Munahana was marvelous, had the real deal with a Japanese chef...but our second dinner there we had a trainee and the meal was so bad (snapper grilled to dry death, fried rice greasy and undercooked, vegetables burnt, etc.) we left and finished up in the main dining room. Sushi was fine, because the grill chef didn't do that part. We were disappointed that they would train their chefs on the job like that. Likewise, two tasty meals at Pastafari and one we walked out on. Their antipasto bar is always great, though. Main dining room was hit and miss, as usual. Jerk at Scotch Bonnet is about the best thing going, but their hours were 11am to 4pm during the week and until 7pm on Saturday and Sunday, and we like our dinner later than that. We find the desserts at Hedo uniformly and amazingly awful -- I don't know how they do it! BUT, we don't go to Hedo for fine cuisine. And overall, we ate well, sometimes very well, and definitely too much!

Alot of this stuff sounds like fun but may or may not be available or practical. We wanted to go to the Dolphin Swim, but we would have had to pay the entire $60 transportation fee unless one or two other couples wanted to go and share the fee, but no one wanted to go. So we didn't do it, because with transportation added we would have been up to almost $300 for the two of us, and we couldn't justify that. Later I heard that the swim wouldn't have been what I wanted anyway...email me if you're curious about the details.

Thought I had packed absolutely everything I'd need or want, but once again have made a couple of notes for inclusions on the next trip (December, I hope). Small liquid soap for showers at nude side. They have soap in the bathrooms, but none at the shower itself. This is most important for the day you leave, when you want to stay at the nude pool until ten minutes before the bus leaves for the airport so that you shower and dress right there at the pool. Also, a bar of hard water bath soap for the shower in the room...we just used their liquid soap dispensers this time, and the stuff wouldn't lather unless you used about a gallon of it. Although it might work better if you have a body puff thing rather than trying to use the washcloths.

Well, we got a prepaid AT&T phone card, as many people recommend. Couldn't figure out how to use it from the room, finally discovered you dial 0 for the hotel operator and they hook you up with the AT&T operator. Maybe there's another way, but no one we asked knew what it would be. Anyway, had heard the ratio was 1:8 or 1:7 on the minutes, but our 120 minute card was good for 7 minutes total. I'm going to call AT&T and ask them about that.

*This is a unique and wonderful resort, but it's not for everyone. I really noticed alot of prudes that didn't have a good time. One remarked she wished she'd gone to Breezes. A couple who'd been at Hedo for 10 days and hadn't yet gone to the nude side(!) thought Hedo was "okay, different"....Folks, Hedo isn't for prudes. If you don't sincerely want to get naked, if you don't like a sexual atmosphere, Hedo isn't for you. Go to Breezes, Sandals, Couples. Hedo isn't the lap of luxury; it's more like a really, really nice summer camp for grown-ups. If you want classy, go to the Lidos.

*We go to Hedo to get naked, to get naughty, to relax and to party, to enjoy the magic of Jamaica, to meet new friends, to celebrate our sexuality in the company of others who are celebrating theirs. It's the greatest adult playground I know of.

John & Stephanie - 06/01