Trip Report for Hedonism III – Runaway Bay, Jamaica – Week of July 4th, 2006
Lisa and I have friends who’ve been to Hedo a few times. We were asked to try Hedo with them….and we accepted. We also traveled there with friends that we’ve vacationed with on several occasions. Having been to Desire Resort and Spa near Cancun a few times…..we felt like we knew exactly what we were getting into….and we were excited about this trip. We booked it 6 months early…..and waited anxiously. Having set up a Yahoo board to meet others…..we chatted and exchanged photos for a while before we departed. I would suggest EVERYONE do this. It makes for some VERY fun times…..and it’s really easy to do.
June come soon, mon…….
June 30th finally rolled around. We met some of our friends in Charlotte the night before our flight was to leave. We were supposed to meet other friends the next morning….but their flight was delayed in another city. They ended up having to be re-routed through several cities……and we wouldn’t see them for a WHILE. We got to MoBay (Sangster) with no hitches……and we made our way through the tunnel to immigration. NO ONE IN LINE……so we walked right up to the desk. The entire process (plane to bus) took probably 30 minutes. We paidd some gentleman $3 a beer (bought a 12-pack) and he brought us a bag of ice cold red stripes for the bus ride. I was offered marijuana no less than 4 times on our way to the bus. Of course we refrained. That would be illegal.
The bus ride there……
Bus ride wasn’t as spooky as we had heard. Though they drive a little carelessly…..the actual bus driver was really good.
Arrival……
We arrived to the front desk……checked in……and we’re off to our rooms…..no time flat. No issues. They did a good job. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon….and all of our rooms were ready.
The nude pool…….
The nude pool was rocking when we got there. If you’re into PDA’s and such…..this was your spot. In three trips to Desire…..we’ve never seen the pool have this much action. In fact…..we didn’t see this much action at the pool the rest of our trip. Hey…..I’d pay to watch a couple of goats boink…..(if they’re good lookin goats…..and if what they’re doing is ‘classy’). We chose to NOT watch a lot of what was going on there that day, though. Make your own inferences……..
The Disco……..
We found this little place to be one of the highlights of the trip. It’s a great place for everyone to meet after a long day and a short nap. It’s big enough….and the music is pretty good. There’s cages…..platforms…..and a pole….if anyone is so inclined (and they were). There’s only one thing wrong with the disco……….GETTING A DRINK. Lisa and I are neither demanding nor huge drinkers. We ONLY want to be able to keep hydrated (and we drank water more than 50% of the time). The attitude of the bartenders (in the Disco, especially…..but it’s predominant throughout the entire resort) is ……hell…it’s PITIFUL. I make it a POINT to say “please” and “Thank you”. This is the time when the first bartender I see tells me “You take care of me….and I take care of you”. I say…”OK”. I’ll GLADLY give a few bucks for good service. I just NEVER saw the good service. He and the rest of those guys behind the disco bar are the laziest, uncaring employees I’ve ever been around at ANY vacation spot I’ve ever been to. I even went so far as to discuss this with my friends. I thought that maybe I was being over-critical. Maybe “I” didn’t understand the Jamaican culture??? Maybe this is just the way things are in Jamaica????? We ended up either going to the main bar (had our own problems there…..see below) or just keeping a cup and re-filling it with water in the bathrooms. I know for a FACT that 2 bartenders with a good work ethic and a good attitude could handle that place. They’d also have to FIGHT OFF tips. More to come on this, later…… Still….all-in-all….the disco was a great experience.
(In proof-reading this segment….It sounds as though I’m a demanding bastard. It’s just not true. They’re THAT bad. TRULY)
Lobby bar……..
Hardly ever anyone there…..but it was STILL hard to get a drink. The worst was one night when we came down out of the disco (couldn’t get a drink there) to get water. There were exactly FIVE people sitting around the bar…..and they ALL had drinks. There were two bartenders that WOULD NOT wait on us. We weren’t drunk. We weren’t pushy. We were just waiting (with another couple)…….and they WOULD NOT acknowledge our presence. They spent the entire 5-10 minutes we waited (and remember….no one else was waiting on a drink)……putting up liquor bottles…..and chatting with a single gentleman at the bar. If I owned this resort…..I’d clean house of the ENTIRE lot of them. They absolutely made the otherwise BEAUTIFUL and wonderful resort a less than pleasant experience.
The food……
We are NOT picky about food. If it is edible…..we’re “OK”. We were “OK”. I won’t rave over it…..but it was fine. No complaints. We got what was
The water slide…….
FUN, FUN, FUN. You have to do this if you go. It will make you feel like a kid again.
The Quad……
The Quad is a really cool place. Clothing optional……and a cooler place to go to…..if the sun has gotten the best of you. We stayed around the quad…..and we enjoyed the laid back atmosphere…..having spent 90% of our time at the nude pool. Great spot.
The grounds/resort…….
BEAUTIFUL. This is one REALLY beautiful place. The scenery is breathtaking at certain times of the day.
The people……
Honestly…..this is the best thing the place has going for it. We’re all there because we have somewhat similar interests. We had a wonderful time with the people we’d already made friends with, online….and we met a few very nice people, too.
Vinnies, wallies, etc…….
We met the Ultimate…..maybe the ORIGINAL “Vinnie” at the airport in MoBay. After several agonizing minutes in the Superclubs lobby…..we were relieved to find out that he would be staying at H2. Whew……we thought….”he’s the worst” (just a loudmouth). When we got to H3…..we found out we were SADLY mistaken. There was an Italian/Spanish guy there (If you read this….thank your God that MANY people told a few of us to “let it go”. You almost had a VERY bad vacation) that was the most annoying person that never said a word that I have ever been around. My wife’s a beautiful lady…..but never does anything to draw attention to her self. This guy spent his entire vacation simply STALKING her and others. Yes…stalking…..to the point of following them around. He was like VISA…..everywhere she/they wanted to be. Not only that…… but fate is a bitch, sometimes. When we get ready to check out…….he’s there. Yep…..he’s on our bus back to MoBay and to the airport. Yep…..he’s on our airline. Yep…..He’s on our flight. Yep…..he’s at our gate. Unbeleivable. I even caught him standing in the line at the ticket counter…..reading the name on my wife’s luggage…..writing something down on his pad. Scary????? As far as “Wallies”…….there was one old guy (hey…..old is relative…..but he was old in MOST people’s books…..) that got right in the middle of our group in the disco, one night. All the guys stood up in front of him…..and took off their shorts (if they’d had any on……lol). It was a GREAT way to deal with the situation. No problems, mon!
Final word………
We “MIGHT” g back to H3. We feel like we’ve been spoiled at Desire. The Mexican culture….or the management at Desire have made it tough for others to compete. I had thought…..earlier in the week…..that the Jamaican culture just didn’t lend itself to good service…..or…hell….just a cheery attitude. That theory was quelled when we were eating at Margaritaville on the way out of Jamaica. The Jamaican staff there was AWESOME. I can’t say enough about the cheery attitude of the people in Jimmy’s bar (the staff…..the bar is owned by Jimmy Buffet). I can ONLY attribute the service/attitudes at Hedonism III to the management of the resort. They allow what’s there, now…….and that’s all they’re gonna get. It’s sad, really. We LOVED the resort. We are (I say again) NOT PICKY. We’re NOT hard to please. We just want a “little” bit of service……and be made to NOT feel like a second-class citizen. Would we go back?? If they close Desire…..maybe. If not….it’ll take a great group of friends……(OK….maybe just a good group…..lol)…….OK……we’ll think about it. We’ll also monitor the boards to see if things have changed.
We think this place is a wonderful resort…….and could be THE BEST.
Jeff and Lisa (June/July 2006)