Trip Report
Last trip was February 6th thru 12th
DTM & JUJU
We meant to write a trip report a little over 2 years ago when we went to Hedo 3 August of 2002, but when we got home we jumped right into our extremely hectic "real" life. Having been "hedo-ised" it was very difficult to get our mind and bodies to adjust to our daily grind. In the process writing a report, well, it just didn’t happen. Then we went to Hedo 2 and 3 August 2003, we also intended to write a trip report as soon as we got back to real life. Although we were far more prepared for the shock of returning home…. We still found ourselves procrastinating writing. The story remains the same even after our last trip in February.
So, Now … due to great dedication/ effort/ community spirit/ and a desperate need to take a break from our every day stresses, we give you a slightly less than conventional Hedo trip report.
A Quick history: (for reference only… there will not be a test)
Some time in 2001 Juju decided that for our Vacation we should go, "Where we can be naked on a beach." So, we looked into a trip to the only place we really knew or so we thought at the time, St. Martin, and discovered that it was way out of our price range. So, off to the Internet we went, searching for "Naked" and "Beach". That’s how we found Denny’s Site. After much discussion, budget assessment and reading a huge amount of trip reports, we came up with Hedo as the place. Like many 1st timers we were a little nervous, so we (after much more research) planned our trip to coincide with The Cocktails International Travel Group and joined them in August 2002. We had one of the best vacations we have ever had. As soon as we came home we were already planning to go back the next year. I guess we made an impression with the group because the host couple of Cocktails International asked us to be Co-host Couple. The group membership was growing so they thought they could use some help.
In August 2003, we did a 2-week vacation the 1st week at Hedo 2 and joined our friends (new and old) from Cocktails for the 2nd week at Hedo 3. Another great time was had.
We (of course) started thinking about August 2004 on the plane home, but some time in December decided that August was way to far away (DIF) and managed to wangle time to go for a week to Hedo 3 in February for DTM’s Birthday. It was different without our friends from Cocktails but we had a blast.
Now, we are gearing up for August 2004 to be with our friends as co-hosts again. We are counting down the seconds with anticipation of going "Home".
We assume that you have been reading lots of trip reports and message boards. We find they are really useful in getting ready for our Hedo Adventures. So, if you haven’t yet, YOU SHOULD!!
We decided not to do a Hedo 2/ Hedo 3 comparison since most of our time has been at Hedo 3. Suffice it to say, they both are great vacation spots and they each have strengths and weaknesses (Many already listed in other trip reports). It’s a matter of personal taste as to what is most important. With that said, here is our list of the things we loved and hated about our trips at Hedo 3.
We Love (In no particular order):
*The Piano Bar (Sing’n songs with and for your friends is great)- *Dancing (more Juju than DTM)- *Theme nights (It takes a minimum of 1 whole suitcase to carry all the costumes-n-stuff, but it’s well worth it)- *The Hedo staff (they are amazing)- *Being Naked (Once you actually do it you wonder what the big deal was.)- *Our Cocktails Friends (Everyone in a travel group says this about their group, but we mean it.J )- *The Quad pool (by far our favorite, lots of room so it’s less likely to be over crowded, and its better for pool volleyball)- *Pastafari’s (An Italian candle lit dinner after sun fun in the pool is great)- *The Scotch Bonnet (Genuine Jamaican style food is good, but the view is amazing, watching the sun set from there is a real treat)- *The made to order omelets every morning (so great)- *The roman style Jacuzzi tub/showers in each room ( ;-) )- *Knowing that you can do and/or get just about anything you want and, if not when you want it, then "Soon Come Mon")- *Relaxing on a pool float, drink in hand (nuff said)- *The Entertainment Coordinators (beautiful people always on the go to be sure that you are entertained or are entertaining)- *Nothing is very far away. (The resort is small but structured well for privacy should you want it, but close enough that wherever you go the walk isn’t a journey)- *The resort scuba certification is excellent.(the instructors are great and they take care of you…little hint, try not to be hung over for the class)- *You can be active and social, or you can have private time. Whichever you want. - *Pool Volleyball (it’s very cool to play volleyball in a pool less effort required and if you fall you splash.)
Things we don’t particularly care for (also in no particular order):
*Main Dining room fare (not really bad, but is not great for good reason…it’s mass produced to feed everyone! You can always find something you would like to eat, but if you can’t then you certainly can find something that works for fuel… keep up your energy anyway you can you will need it.)- *The maids mop the floors every day (good thing) however to make sure the floor dries, they crank the AC to maximum…(this means that your floors are dry and not slippery but the room is an ice box compared to the outside. This makes for an ideal sinus effect/cold scenario. We would prefer less mopping just so our room temperature is less jarring to our systems.)- *Participation in the talent night used to earn hedo chips… now they don’t. (our first year we participated we got some hedo chips… the next time we got none… to participate it is required to meet the band mid afternoon (prime activity/sun time) to rehearse what you want to perform. And then you need to "watch your time" to be sure to be there for your performance… for a Hedo vacation that’s a lot of commitment, a few hedo chips in return seems little to ask.)- *Sea Urchins (we haven’t stepped on one… but some friends have… Hedo tries to clear out the beach areas of urchins regularly but, they do work their way in/ plus it’s easy to encounter them should you go out for some water sports. So keep an eye out for them.)- *The beach is…well … small and closed off. The there is not an open view. (To make the beach work there are stonebreakers to create and protect what little beach they have from the surf.)- *In 2003 … there was a stomach bug going around… there was a septic/sewage (smell) issue also … both officially un-connected. In spite of all that, much fun was had)- *If you have "an issue" things get dealt with on "Jamaican time"(It only really a problem early in your vacation. After a little while you find yourself living on "Jamaican time". Early on it can be very nerve wracking)- *As of our last trip the Quad pool was not included in the resorts generator system (it seems like a little thing but, the power is very… well … sketchy. So, when the power goes out…and it has on every vacation, we have been there… the Quad pool Bar is extremely limited in what it can serve)- *The Nude pool restrooms are small and used a lot , after all just about everyone is there most of the time, so keeping them clean is a real challenge .- *On tap 2 beers… neither very good… 1. Red stripe. 2. At the main bar only, Ridge Rock (I think it’s called) (a Jamaican attempt at Rolling Rock)
I’m sure there are things we have forgotten to put in this report. We could go on and on about every little thing, but I’m sure that they are covered in other reports. No sense in re-inventing the wheel.
Now that we said that… these things bear repeating.
If you are going as a single: 1. Do your research. Read all the trip reports. Don’t just rely on what Playboy and Wild On E! say. And 2. Respect the people you meet and just have a good time… Don’t try too hard. Relax! You’re in paradise.
If you are going as a couple: 1. Do your research. Read all the trip reports. Don’t just rely on what Playboy and Wild On E! say. And 2. Talk clearly and frankly as a couple about your expectations, what you would like to happen, and what you wouldn’t. Have your rules and respect them. No one wants, what seems like a little misunderstanding to put a damper on anyone’s vacation. Relax! You’re in paradise.
Probably the best part of going to hedo is the people you meet and make friends with while you are there. So, if you decide to make Hedo 3 your next vacation, we hope to see you there and share a drink or 10. The more the merrier.
DTM & Juju - Dan & Jewel