Hedo 3, May 17th – 24th, 2003
This trip report is our comparison between Hedo 2 and Hedo 3. (I am going to use numbers instead of roman numerals so there is no confusion) When we first started writing this report it was just going to be about Hedo 3 but we found ourselves consistently comparing the two resorts. For those of you who have only been to one of the two resorts, it may be difficult to follow the comparisons, but I am going to go into a little more detail of property lay out than we have seen in other reports. That will make this report a little long. I apologize in advance for the long read. While I, Frank, am writing this report, it has tons of input and thoughts from Deb and 8 other Chicago Hedo Club members that were there with us. So here we go….
Our History.
We went to Hedo 2 for the first time in 1991, before all the Internet hype, before the Hedo Bible, and before all the Playboy, Men’s Health, and other various media stories. Delroy’s was a little shack on the beach and the nude pool, the point, and Robert’s grill didn’t exist. It was also our first nude experience.
We returned to Hedo 2 in 1999 and were delighted with the additions to the nude side. We made two more trips to Hedo 2 in 2000 and 2001. We just made our virgin trip to Hedo 3 May 17th – 24th, 2003.
The Bus Ride from Hell
Our first three trips to Hedo 2 we always took the bus. As many of you know, the road was in horrible condition in 1991 and total reconstruction was under way during our 1999 and 2000 trips. By Aug. of 2001, our last trip to 2, the road was complete and the bus ride was a breeze.
The ride to Hedo 3 reminded us of our 1999 trip to 2. Total reconstruction has just begun and will likely take 2 to 3 years to complete, as was the case with the road to Hedo 2.
Hedo 3 Overview
We found Hedo 3 to be a very nice clean resort with many similarities to Hedo 2. But in as much as they resorts are similar, they are very different. We found that the layout of Hedo 3 made meeting new people and conversing with anyone very difficult. One of the things that we love about Hedo 2 is how easy it is to meet people, seemingly effortless.
Hedo 2 has its hills; Hedo 3 has 3rd floor rooms and 2nd floor disco and piano bars. Hedo 2 has some sidewalks that are treacherously uneven for an inebriated soul and/or heels. Hedo 3 has numerous tiled areas that are dangerously slippery when wet. There are some areas, such as around the nude pool, where they have knocked out sections of tile and replaced it with rough concrete. Not too easy on the feet but at least you can walk.
The Main Dining Room
The dining room at 3 is approximately one third the size of the dining room at 2. There are only two levels at 3, the main floor and the dance floor in front of the stage, unlike 2’s dining room where there are three levels. The difference being that even though the dining room is smaller at 3, if you’re seated more than two tables away from the stage on the main floor forget about seeing the show. 3’s smaller dining room also makes for much more crowded conditions than at 2.
The food at both resorts is mediocre at best, although we found the food at 3 to be much more spicy than the food at 2. We also found that the selection of side dishes at 3 was not as ample as 2. The layout of the food at 2 is more compact than at 3, which we thought made it easier to find food items at 2.
Pastafari’s
Too similar to compare. However, we found the food at 3’s Pastafari’s sucked. It could have just been that night. Who knows? All we can say is, it sucked.
Munahana’s and Scotch Bonnet
We can’t compare these two restaurants because we have never eaten at them at 2. We did find that the food at Scotch Bonnet was without a doubt the best food at Hedo 3 and possibly the best jerk chicken and jerk pork we have ever eaten. Scotch Bonnet at 2 is an open air area on the main pool deck and at 3 is it’s own structure, with it’s own bar, tucked away in the corner of the resort. The food at Munahana’s was good, very similar to any Japanese steak house we have been to here in Chicago.
The Nude Beach
Hedo 3’s nude beach is man made. They have cleared large boulders from an area of shoreline and used them to box in an area in the water that is approximately 30 yards wide by 30 yards deep. There are piers on each side of the beach that can be used for lying out in the sun. We found these piers to be deserted most of the week which made them nice places for some quiet time early in the day before joining everyone in the nude pool. Hedo 2’s beach is natural, with the exception of the point, which was built to act as a water break. The point causes garbage to collect in the water and around the shoreline. This is not the case at Hedo 3. The water is clear and lots of fish congregate in the boxed in area. Hedo 2 has a large group of beach people and floaters; Hedo 3’s beach is empty. At the most we saw 6 or 8 people on the beach and in the water.
The Nude Pool
This was our biggest disappointment and where I will go into the most detailed description of the differences. Those of you that have not visited both resorts may want to take the virtual tour of the nude bars at Superclubs web site either before or while you read this section. I will be referring to the bar at Hedo 3 as Antoinette’s because she is by far the most personable, friendly, and happy bartender we have met at either resort and she deserves to have the bar named after her.
Both pools have a bar attached to them with a swim up portion of the bar. At Hedo 2, the pool is on a hill. When you approach the pool from the beach you come up to Delroy’s bar where you find half the bar out of the water, normal bar level, and you can order drinks there and stand around and socialize. This is also a good place to get out of the rain and lightening storms. Robert’s grill is a separate building off to the side of the pool/bar. As you walk along the outside of Delroy’s toward the pool, you go up steps to the pool deck. The pool at Hedo 3 is on level ground so no matter where you approach the pool you are up on deck level. When you approach the Hedo 3 pool from the bar side you approach the grill, which is attached to Antoinette’s bar at the end of the pool. That means there is no place to walk up to the bar and order drinks or to stand out of the water and socialize.
Next to the stools in the water at Delroy’s, on each side of the bar, there are tables in the water that are great to sit around and solve all the worlds problems. There are no tables next to Antoinette’s bar in the water.
At Hedo 3, the stairs into the pool on one side of Antoinette’s separate the grotto and the bar, and the rather small hot tub is at the end of the bar. Both are within 8 feet of the bar. Because the grotto is so close to the bar all conversation at the bar must compete with the loud waterfall. The grotto at Hedo 2 is at the far end of the pool and separates the pool from the hot tub. The grotto at 2 is much more private and therefore sees much more action than the grotto at 3. (At least the week we were there and the lack of any privacy kept us out of it)
The bathrooms at Hedo 3 are attached to the backside of the grotto. The bathrooms at Hedo 2 are a separate building at the far end of the pool, behind the hot tub. It doesn’t seem that one would be more convenient than the other. The only difference I found is that the men’s room at 3 has a separate stall for the toilet and was much cleaner than 2’s.
Behind the hot tub and the grotto at 3, on the outer sides of the pool, there are tables in the water with benches built into the pool walls. Great place to sit around and talk right? Wrong! At some point since the virtual tour pictures were taken for the web site, they decided to drill holes in the center of the tables, mount posts, and hang a volleyball net across an already small and congested pool. This accomplished two things. It took up half the table space and created a situation where anyone that wants to sit around the tables and talk has to constantly watch out for errant volleyballs. The same holds true for the end of the bar closest to the volleyball net. Over shot balls consistently hit the people and/or their drinks at the end of the bar.
At Hedo 2 there is a cool Jacuzzi that separates the pool from the wading pool and grotto area. At Hedo 3, there is no cool Jacuzzi, but there is some sort of large square table in which they drilled a hole in the center, inserted a 3” pvc pipe, and pump water straight up into the air about 2 feet, creating what is known as the pussy fountain. Pussy fountains are great but when not in use the table is useless because you can’t even set a drink on it without the water knocking it into the pool, much less anything else you may want to keep dry.
The hot tub at Hedo 2 is located at the far end of the pool and is a lot more secluded than the hot tub at Hedo 3. (Not that you can call the tub at 2 secluded, but if you’ve been to both resorts you know what I mean) The hot tub at Hedo 2 is at least twice the size as the tub at 3. The tub at 3 is round. The tub at 2 is kind of 4 leaf clover shaped which makes it a little easier for small groups to get together for conversation or whatever.
The sound system at the Hedo 3 nude pool consists of two very large speakers that are sitting on the deck pointing towards the pool. This places them head level, or should I say ear level, when you are in the pool. Of course the loud techno music, once placed ear level, makes conversation almost impossible.
We felt that Superclubs tried to take all the great things from the nude pool at Hedo 2 and bring them together into an almost in your face type setting at Hedo 3. In our opinion they failed. They tried to hard to make it work. It’s not having all these great things in close proximity to each other that make them so great. In our opinion, it’s the solidarity, almost fictitious seclusion of each of these things that makes them great. Is the hot tub at Hedo 2 private and secluded? NO. But because of the design of the pool area it sure makes you feel separated and semi secluded if nowhere but in your mind. Same with the grotto. Can people at 2 see what’s going on in the grotto? Of course they can. But again, because of its location it feels secluded and private. You may as well do it on the bar at 3 if you’re planning on doing it in the grotto there.
The Quad Pool
This is an area that does not exist at Hedo 2. There is a large, beautiful pool that is surrounded by four buildings, hence the name Quad pool, at Hedo 3. This is by far the nicest and largest pool in the resort. There is plenty of room for the volleyball net. The hot tub is off in the corner. The bar is large, with seating all around it and a roof that has a sunning deck on it. There were plenty of areas within the pool and on the deck that a few or several people could gather to socialize and get to know each other. There were a few small round tables in the pool, but again, these had pussy fountains in them making it difficult to socialize around them. But there were enough other areas for socializing so this didn’t really affect anything. The problem with this pool? It was clothing optional. The perfect place for the Vinnie’s and Wally’s to hang out to catch a glimpse of the nudies. And that they did.
In talking with numerous other people in and around the nude pool area, most agreed that the Quad pool should be nude as well. And really, if they decided to make the Quad nude and the nude pool clothing optional, the only thing you would lose would be the grotto. But that’s another debate J. We would like to see them both nude pools.
The Disco
The bar is the only major difference between the two discos. The disco bar at Hedo 2 is separated by a wall and doorway from the main dance floor. The disco bar at Hedo 3 is right next to the main dance floor. Advantage or disadvantage? We don’t know, we’re not disco people. There is also a dance cage in the disco at 3 that looked like fun. There is a patio outside the disco at Hedo 3 that we enjoyed on the few nights we did make it up there to see the contests.
The Piano bar
Hedo 3’s piano bar is on the second floor and is about half the size of Veronica’s, which is Hedo 2’s piano bar. The major difference we found here was in the piano players. Dave at Hedo 2 is much more of a showman than Glenn at Hedo 3. This is not meant to knock Glenn in any way. He’s a great player with a great voice and as long as the crowd is in it he’s there. Dave is a great player with a good voice that makes the crowd get into it. Dave’s rendition of The Big Bamboo blows Glenn’s away. Not once did we see or hear Piece by Piece at Hedo 3, which was disappointing.
The Rooms
The much talked about, much anticipated, 100 times better than Hedo 2 rooms. NOT!!!
The only difference between the rooms is the bathroom. The bathrooms in the rooms at Hedo 3 are twice the size as the bathrooms in the rooms at Hedo 2. They also each have a 2-person Jacuzzi type tub. Which, by the way, we never used as a Jacuzzi tub and neither did anyone else we talked to either during the trip or since the trip. Take away the bathrooms and the rooms are the same size, same quality construction. The air conditioners at Hedo 3 were insufficient and leaked on, no make that flooded, the floor every day, all day and night. Many times during the night I awoke to a the sound of pouring water, as if someone had turned on the sink faucet, only to find the air conditioner pissing all over the floor.
The ground level rooms at Hedo 3 have patio doors that open up to the grass areas, or beach areas, or the Quad pool, depending on the location of the room. We thought that was a nice thing to have. (If only were hadn’t been on the 3rd floor.)
The EC’s
This is difficult for us to compare because we are a little biased. We don’t like EC’s. We don’t like that they feel the need to get into everyone’s face. We don’t like that they feel the need to interrupt our vacation, our conversations, or our laziness, to do things that they think we should be doing. We meet plenty of people and have plenty of fun on our own. We don’t need some loud-mouthed intrusive person to tell us how to have fun and how to spend our vacation. That being said and before you all want to kill me, we often participate in the silly games and found ourselves participating in more events at Hedo 3 than we ever had at Hedo 2. They were all fun, outgoing, and sometimes pushy, people, but all in all they didn’t really bother us. (Except for the day of the nude Quad pool takeover when they told us the nude pool was closing during the event which we later found out to be false and would have rather spent some quiet time talking with Antoinette while everyone was gone)
Positives
Antoinette, the nude pool bartender. We cannot say enough nice things about this wonderful girl. She was pleasant to everyone she met. She always had a big genuine smile for you. And she could really hustle behind the bar.
We liked the compactness of the resort. It was very easy to get from point A to point B.
We have also read numerous times on Denny’s board about the male bartenders at the nude pool being unsociable or even rude. We encountered male bartenders every night and they were all friendly and personable. Maybe it’s just us….
Scotch Bonnet. A nice little restaurant with fantastic food in a semi secluded corner of the resort. A great place to watch the sun set or just sit and be with your honey.
Indifferences
We felt that the average age for Hedo 3 was probably 8 to 10 years younger than Hedo 2. I know that this is subjective and changes from week to week. In fact from what we saw coming in to start the following week it was probably going to be 15+ years younger than the crowd at Hedo 2. While this is really no big deal it did make us feel a little bit older and a little bit more out of shape than we have at 2. It was obviously not enough to make us feel uncomfortable but it was still there. That is why we’re calling it indifference.
Negatives
There are definitely more young single males that venture over to the nude side at Hedo 3 than we’ve ever seen at Hedo 2. This could be a product of how compact the resort is or it could be that more young single males stay at Hedo 3. We don’t necessarily have a problem with single males until they start hanging together in groups at the side of the pool commenting about all the old fat folks. Looking, pointing, and laughing. Which unfortunately was the case several nights.
There was one incident with a 30 something single male that in our opinion was allowed to go on far too long. He was warned three times about behavior that should have had him ejected from the resort the second time it happened. In this case we felt a little better enforcement by security and a little better judgment by management was in order.
In Closing
We had a great time but felt something was missing. Deb and I were able to reconnect and recharge our marriage and our love for each other, which is why we go to Hedo in the first place. We missed out on all the casual conversation that we enjoy at Hedo 2, which in our opinion is the beginning of all the great things that happen there. Like the great friendships and stories you gain from your stay.
We will not be returning to Hedo 3 unless there is some fantastic deal that is too good to pass up that makes us go back. (The 5-days for 5 years for 5 grand is close) Hedo 2 is our home and that is where we will return. We’re not sure if we had gone to Hedo 3 first if it would have had a bearing on our preference but we think not.
We had a great time with the Chicago Hedo Club group and met a lot of great people from the Wild Bunch. That Walt kid is a nut J.
Frank & Debbie
Chicago Hedo Club