I went to Hedo3 5/30 to 6/5, well, 6/6 really but read on.
Getting There: Early flight out of Boston on Air Jamaica... On a sunday that meant no lines anywhere, and I had an entire row to myself on Air Jamaica. Smooth flight, good nap, good drinks. I even got to take some nice pictures of Boston, Cuba through the clouds. No problems at the airport, and when I checked in at the superclubs counter they held up a van about to leave, just for me - so no time for a red stripe. I was too tired anyway, and except for the half-way stop slept the entire time. First problem of my stay, when we arrived (around noon) I had to wait a few hours to get a room -- the wild bunch group was leaving that day, so many folks to check out and many rooms to get ready for those of us arriving... So I had lunch, a few drinks. I got a room to myself initially (single-share), building 1 3rd floor - not the best, but who cares. After changing I went to the water sports shed and got one of the staff there to take a hobbie cat out with me. Then more drinks, relaxing in the sun... I had dinner with a couple I met on the bus, then the piano bar, and back to drinking (only a little because of scuba-diving the next day)
First day (5/31): Early rise at 8am, went to the dive shop to get my check-out in the pool (PADI certified but didn't have my dive log). Then off to first dive at 9. Water was a bit murky that day, but still got some decent pics. Nice break to relax before the 11:30 shallow dive, slightly better conditions. Note to other divers, I dive with hedo3's equipment, swim trunks and t-shirt only. Got to know most of the divers, made friends with all, and most stayed as long as I did. Ann-Marie is a bit stressed out as they are short of staff (divemasters, instructors), but Kevin (divemaster for deep dives) has the typical relaxed Jamaican attitude, which compensated very well. More food, booze, sun, relaxing, sailing... The windsurf boards, or rather sails, have not a single working rope for bringing up the sail out of the water! I went out with a "fixed" rope, which fortunately broke on me when I was tired and already almost back at the pier - so not too much swimming/towing.
I kept pretty much the same routine every day, 2 dives a day (9am and 11:30am), light drinking, water sports, relaxing... The waters were a little murky on monday, but cleared up well over the next few days. I have many pictures (mostly underwater), several of which are really quite nice. I ate at the Japanese restaurant twice, and at the italian restaurant once. I almost won the worst toga award, and generally speaking enjoyed the various events. I got a bit scraped up on friday, during a scavenger hunt, but again that didn't keep me from enjoying the rest of my stay. I took the hobbie cats out a few times, and had a great time getting people wet on purpose -- who somehow didn't realize that sailing could get you wet :D
Last day (6/5): Well, this turned out to not be my last day... It started with an announced delay in the morning (thanks to the front desk for the warning). Seven hours ahead, Air Jamaica already planned on 2-3 hours of delay for my return flight. Ok, this happened to me last time so I didn't panic. It basically gave me an extra 2 hours to enjoy the resort. When checking out, I jokingly mentioned the delay and how I maybe should stay an extra day, so Paulette tells me I should, and I reply "do I get to stay for free?" to which she says "just say the word"... I was *sooooo* tempted, but had plans and needed to get home (I regretted this decision later) Same van ride back to Montego Bay airport, quick walk-through (already my boarding pass from checking in at resort) at security, shopping (rum, jerk spices, etc) and waiting. Dinner on Air Jamaica at Margaritaville. More waiting at the gate, announced longer delays... Finally we board the plane (4 hours after planned departure time), and wait some more. Then 1.5-2 hours later the crew announce they had found a hydraulic leak, investigated, found replacement part and expected to get going within 20 minutes... 30 minutes later another announcement: flight is canceled. All this time I've been sending text messages to my cousin who was going to pick me up, and now have to send a text message to my pet-sitter as well! Big mess at the customer service center, one couple who are apparently lawyers hold up the lines making a huge fuss demanding Air Jamaica get another airplane, etc... Tired parents and kids not making the ordeal any easier... I eventually end up at Holiday Inn all-inclusive fairly close to the airport, hang out a while before getting a few hours sleep. Early morning departure for the airport, long lines for check-in... After a while with the line not moving much I decided to ask if I could get my boarding pass at the gate since I wasn't checking in any luggage. Man tells me well, not really, but then takes me to the front of the line... :D First flight out was to Atlanta, then several hours waiting for next flight to Boston. Because I got through the line faster than other stranded folks, I'm the first at customer service desk - and the lady there manages to get me on an earlier connection to Boston! So now things are going a little better, and while I didn't get a day's rest before the real life, or an extra day of fun, things could have been much worse, I guess.
Quick summary: great weather, great people, dive shop understaffed, water sports underfunded (ropes can't be that expensive!). I caught a cold that didn't slow me down any, until I got home. I won't be doing this again with Air Jamaica though: checking in at the resort is very nice, but the airline is just not reliable in my experiences for getting back to Boston. Also, as much as I did have fun, this 2nd time at H3 by myself was probably my last. I'll wait to get someone to go with me next time. In the meantime, I will probably check out other resorts in other countries.
Check out my pics on yahoo (mostly underwater) http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pduvelle/album?.dir=/cf2b&.src=ph