Hedonism Trip Reports
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Hedonism
Castaways note to all readers:
Hedonism changed ownership several years ago. The current majority owner, Harry Lange, has made a considerable and substantial financial investment to upgrade the resort, the dining experience, guest rooms, public areas and restaurants. Numerous trip reports below reflect comments from guests who visited the resort since then and experienced both the transition as well as new upgrades.
Old trip reports prior to the ownership change have been deleted. However, several reports from prior years have been shortened but important key elements have been retained as shown at the bottom of the page.
October 2024 J & C couple - Repeat guests
We were at Hedo from October 14 to November 2. It was a good trip and we had a lot of fun. Both your groups were very nice and we enjoyed the bling bags! While we did have a good time, there are a few things to mention about the resort.
Staffing was not enough for the crowd they had. The servers in the Dining Hall couldn’t keep up with all the tables, the food wasn’t as good or diverse, as previous trips and there were a few occasions were the buffet ran out of some of the food and we had to wait. We also had to stand in a long line to get to the buffet a couple times; that is a first for us. Pastafari’s and Flame just couldn’t keep up through most of the trip. We left Pastafari’s one night after waiting an hour and a half. Flame was trying to hurry the orders out and couldn’t get the orders right most nights.
We saw several occasions where management was chewing out staff. Not sure what is going on, but there were some unhappy people. There was some shuffling around of the staff, much to their displeasure and some of the guests. It changed the vibe.
Oddly, the main dining hall has a termite problem. There was sawdust under the tables, and in the overhead wood panels. It was a little strange at breakfast to have saw dust coming down on the table. Several folks pointed it out, but over the two weeks we were there nothing was done about it.
The resort seems to have a thing for using local DJs at the nude pool. One or two of them are good, but mostly, Hedo’s DJs don’t read the crowd well and are locked into playing what the Entertainers can dance to.
We’re not sure of dates for next year, but we do plan on going back; we will cut back on trip length though. Pricing keeps going up and service keeps coming down. I imagine it won’t be too long before this vacation is somewhere else.
July 2024 - J & S couple - Repeat guests
We just got back from Hedo last week. Another great trip.
We're back for another week in December 2024.
We just booked 2 trips for 2025 (May and July), and will probably book December 2025.
I'm emailing you to let you know that we have always booked with Lori of your company.
She has always been helpful and very pleasant to work with. We'll continue to book with Lori and Castaways.
February 2024 - R & P couple - Repeat guests
It was another great trip. I love Hedo. The food was good. The room was nice and clean. The activities were wonderful. I loved the Entertainment Crew shows at night. I loved Karaoke. The Nude side is my home. I love the changes Harry has made. Hedo is getting better. I look forward to my next trip.
January 2024 - E & G Couple - Repeat guests
Remember when we first spoke about my plans for nude vacations in 2019. And I treasure the memory that we both found Hedonism in 1987, certainly different then than now.
My thoughts here are for the people that are entering the space , call it nude vacation , call it lifestyle, whatever slice you might enjoy.
The various vacation opportunities are different as to sexual freedom, get advice from Castaways so you land in a good location
Our experience has been Desire and Hedonism. Both great for different reasons
First check your relationship barometer. Real simple .. if you and your partner are not strong....you will not get fulfillment through fantasy.
Talk ad nauseum about what turns you on … what crazy things you want to do … more important what is a no go!! Focus always on that.
April 2023 - C & D couple
We are home and we left Hedo in one piece. We enjoyed our time with Joe and Angel. We enjoyed our time at Club Mobay going home. We think you did a good job arranging our travel and hope to do more with Castaways
August 2022 - E & R couple First timers
We had mixed expectations going in. Our girlfriend had great things to say about her experiences, as she went with friends. We just went alone, and our main things are quality, not quantity. So we met a few interesting people but the great majority were there to eat. And that, they did and we're in very good shape, so we made the best of it. But kind of no like-minded people, although I met my cousin there and he and his wife insisted that we tell no one, and then they proceeded to come home and tell people. Funny.
Food was great. Drinks, coffee, staff, all great. Club Mobay was a great recommendation.
Service overall was excellent. Room was worn out but very clean.
Entertainment was excellent but geared toward music and volume as opposed to either stagecraft or any type of serious audience participation.
99 percent of the people just watched. We like John Coltrane, The Ramones, Bill Burr. Could've done with some standup or some music other than disco. Parliament Funkadelic but it was all just a melange of afro beat which was basically rave music. Fine if that's your thing but no one seemed to dance or stick around for it.
But all the performances were excellent.
We'll only go back with our girlfriend, if we go because our time is not unlimited, and Jamaica is great but it's nice to be able to walk off the site. So if she decides to plan something, the three of us will go back but for us, as of now, it was a once in a lifetime experience which we do not regret. Always open for new experiences, and we're looking at maybe Thailand in April, if you have any recommendations.
June 2022 - H & J Couple - Repeat guests
Thanks again for all the help and support. The trip was wonderful as well as the support from your staff. The hotel was back to pre COVID days and the excitement was back up as well. We look forward to next year and continued enjoyment in Jamaica.
March 2022 - Single Lady Host for Lovin' Life
For a dose of unreality and chuckles along the way, take a few moments to enjoy the latest installment of this year's Lovin' Life trip - not to be missed. Read her story and view the photos.
https://sites.google.com/view/lovinlife/trip-reports-photos/2022-lovin-life-trip
March 2022 - A & D Couple - Repeat guests
Thank you for your follow up email.view
This was my 5th time with Lisa's Lovinlife group and she is an absolute gem. She is energetic and passionate about her role as group Leader. Lisa's focus on 'good peeps' in the group and her inclusivity with those on site at the resort showcase her awesomeness.
A huge thank-you to the Castaways team members. I have had nothing but great service from every team member that I have interacted with. It has been a tough couple of years for the travel industry and your team remained impeccable with their dedication and customer service.
I look forward to more travel experiences with the Lovinlife group and Castaways Travel.
July 2021 - GW - Single male - First timer
I had a wonderful time during my first visit with AWOL. I want to go back. Yes.
Wonderful hosts, nice resort, crazy people. Just what I need. I enjoyed meeting Champagne and James again.
Airport transfers were good going down, excellent going back to the airport.
I’ll skip Club MoBay next time. Jamaican technology moves check in to the 21st century for immigration.
July 2021 - Single lady - 30 trips to Hedo
See her lengthy report at: http://castawaystravel.info/mail/AWOL-July-17-24-2021-Trip-Report.pdf
April 2021 - D A - Single, Repeat Guest
Giving you feedback on Hedo II Trip.
First of all Castaways is the best. Super great team and always there for the traveler. Jennifer, Lori, Marilyn and the crew are super great. With Covid they worked so hard to get everything done perfectly not only for me but for the Kitten and Angel group, and in my case, last-minute planning.
As far as the kitten and angel group our group leaders are always on top of everything from group activities to communication with castaways travel. Makes for smooth travel and a great experience.
Travel (arrival/departure) at airports was about the same other than having Covid information. One thing that travelers have to have correct is on Covid info and all documents with a proper name (must match passports) and info correctly done. The name must be the same on documents that match passport. In our group we had a couple who lost one day because of incorrect names.
Transfers to and from the airport on the shuttle bus were the same as before Covid with no problems. Thanks to castaway‘s travel for the complementary shuttle.
Covid testing at the resort was simple, fast, easy, with results within five minutes for return trip home. Thanks to Hedo II for the free testing.
The entertainment at hedo has so much improved and so entertaining still with a little touch of past. Thanks to Winston for his expertise in dance, choreography, costumes, leadership etc. just an awesome job very entertaining every evening. Most beach and poolside activities are low key. Maybe add times should be a few more activities to fill in any voids.
Buffet lines were not bad being served by employees. Service was fairly fast with mostly little wait times. There were moments when they could’ve used one or two more people serving. (Especially salad bar)
The food selection with the new chef has greatly improved with not the same items day after day year after year. Very many new selections in the restaurant, beach grills, and main buffet dining area. The only complaint is that lunch would’ve been preferred to be in the main dining room buffet by many people instead of going to the prude Beach Grill.
One complaint that maybe castaway travel could work on is with the getting “room request” that we ask for “prior to arrival.” Being a repeat traveler you would think they know that we are coming in on a certain day, approximately a certain time, and accommodate our requests. It’s always annoying to arrive and be held up trying to get certain room in a certain block area. This always goes on year after year and maybe castaways could help with this issue. (Castaways note: Although Special Requests are sent in advance to Hedonism, the resort will NOT guarantee a room number or location. Instead of assigning rooms in advance, the front desk indicated it would assign a room number upon the guest's arrival. This policy and procedure is not guaranteed and may be modified again without notice. This change may have been implemented due to a shortage of staff during Covid).
Single Lesbian Traveler's Report updated
This is a fascinating report by Jenny Block from Dallas, TX. She is married and traveled to Hedonism alone as a single. Jenny is both a model and an accomplished author who approved this post about her visit to Hedonism.
See her report about: A married lesbian travels to Hedonism alone.
It was originally published on HuffPost Personal and Updated on April 23, 2020. See link above to the HuffPost piece, as well as her own site: https://www.thejennyblock.com
Photo by permission fromJenny Block. Photographer - Aryka Randall
M R Single male Repeat guest
Castaways note: This is excellent content. Take a moment to read it.
This is my first trip report since I've been going to Hedonism annually for more than 10 years now. Usually, as a couple, sometimes as a single. Because my main goal has always been to have a relaxing and fun vacation, without any pre-set expectations that could potentially result in disappointment, I've always had a great time and amazing experiences that you simply won't find elsewhere in the world to that extent.
This year, I went as a single again. However, I've never acted as 'that* kind of a single guy' and, consequently, I've had as much fun or even more so compared to going as a couple. I guess it all boils down to ethics, manners, and the main Jamaican cultural rule of 'Respect'. I've met great people over the years and am still friends with many of them.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I knew there would hardly be anybody at the resort, so it's easy to think that there won't be enough people to have fun with*, but that was not the case. When asked one day if there were a lot of people at the party the night before and if it was fun, I responded: "Not many people, but they were the right* people"! This sums up the overall experience, Hedo is first and foremost what you make it yourself (don't expect others to make your vacation fun, that's your own job). And, oh boy, did I have fun! (and earned some nicknames that night)
At first, I hesitated going because there wouldn't be a lot of people, but if there's any time that Hedo needs our support the most, it is now! Hedo is so kind to remain open, even though they undoubtedly operate at daily losses, while many other places are closed, I felt that this is a good time to 'give back' to the place I love so much. Besides, airports are empty, line-ups non-existing, so Club MoBay-lounge not needed, airline tickets are cheap, the Covid-19 resort-credit was very welcome, and -above all-the entire staff is working even harder to keep everybody as happy as possible.
I had the pleasure of having several conversations with Harry (the Hedonism owner) and I commended him with how well his entire team works so hard for us and does such a great job. One of his staff told me voluntarily that Harry is the best employer to work for that one can wish for! You can feel that the staff is overall quite happy, despite the harsh times in a poor country like Jamaica. There were some minor upgrades again, including better ocean views from the main pool area and finally some Italian dining music in the Italian restaurant, together with some nice updates of the interior and better control of the A/C's.
You may have already read about the staff serving you small plates instead of self-service, due to Covid-19, and because of the low number of people, some restaurants and grills close on a rotating schedule that you'll receive when checking-in; not a big deal, in my opinion; there's always food somewhere. The midnight pizza (I usually ordered half a pizza) was amazing as always. You'll also get a Hedo water bottle and a Hedo face-mask; now, wear that mask next time you're going somewhere 😉
Another reason why I hesitated to go at first was because of the hurricane season. Sure, we had the usual late afternoon rain showers every day, but I guess we were lucky and it was sunny every day till mid-afternoon, then cloudy for an hour, some showers till dinner time, after which it cleared up again for dry evenings almost every day. The catamaran trip was as crazy as always, and one of my diving buddies rented another private catamaran for his Birthday, while his family joined (this was a clothed affair, obviously). The trip South of Rick's Cafe was beautiful and I hadn't been that far South often, so that was nice. Crazy but beautiful thunderstorms while sailing back; quite the experience.
The diving was also amazing. Because the previous plague of Lion Fish is now under control, marine life is indeed slowly coming back. We saw large Manta rays, turtles, a nurse shark, barracudas, lobsters, more rays, a lot of other marine life, great corral, and a few small wrecks (planes). We didn't go to the tugboat this time, but Frenchman's reef was a great addition this time around. On a side-note, Boysie a.k.a. Grantley just retired last week, so I bought him a nice outfit. He might return as a contractor at some point, working on the compressor or the dive-boat, but for now, all contractors are laid-off.
As always, I slept four hours every night between 3 AM and 7 AM, in order to get breakfast before the scuba diving, after which I usually slept another couple of hours on the beach, so just enough sleep in total to survive the week, but I needed a vacation afterward to recuperate :). Actually, I usually stay a few days before and afterward, a little down the beach to 'acclimatize' and recharge respectively. Just one more tip I learned from another diver in the past in order to survive well: alternate each drink with a glass of water. This has worked for me ever since: staying hydrated, so no headaches, and sober again in the morning to be able to go diving again.
With another short list of friends, from buddies to hang out with, to encounters from the invites I received, I traveled back with another big smile on my face; just big enough that people start to wonder what I've been up to. (Covid environment worldwide did not stop this traveler)
Feb/March 2019 The "Leader of the Pack" (Ya gotta take time for this one)
My 26th and the 2019 Annual Lovin' Life Group Trip Report
February 23 - March 2, 2019
Every trip (even after 15 yrs) is new all over again and this one was no exception. I usually arrive a day early to unpack and prep for the group fun. This time 18 peeps decided they wanted an extra Friday too. 🙂 So, the 3-somes began when 2 of us single gals sandwiched a single guy on the flight down – somehow he survived.... LOL!
Once we got to the MBJ airport it was quite a bit slower than previous years. Normally I don’t buy the VIP arrival service, but Castaways gets it for me when I host a group. Last couple years I went right through the fast trak immigration line, waited for baggage and then got right on a shuttle. This year there was a VIP arrival line that took just about as long as the others. Nice thing is my heavy bags were already waiting off the carousel and the Sun Holiday rep saw me coming and started smiling like she always does. The main Mobay lounge was full, so we were guided to a 2nd one that uses some of the old superclubs lounge space. Once again there was an upside to our wait because we ended up on a shuttle full of super fun group and other H2 peeps! There was quite a bit of laughter and even some ‘Canadian Reach Around’ going on during that ride!......continued:
To see the remainder of her report, click on: Leader of the Pack for text and photos
Nov 2018 J & C Couple
We were at Hedo for almost two weeks. Overall it was great and we plan to return.
Reservation process and administration by Castaways travel advisors
This was great. Castaways was helpful and efficient and made several suggestions that were helpful and saved us money.
Your staff was nice answering all of my questions and extremely helpful
Airport transfers and scheduling
Your staff recommended club MOBAY which was great. We will definitely use that again when we go to Jamaica
We used Tim Air. We wonder if there is a competitor that we could check out. Are you aware of one?
Your Hedonism accommodations
Accommodations were fine and exactly what we expected. No problems
The weather was very hot and the air conditioning barely cools the rooms. I guess we will go for a first floor room in the future and hope that the AC is better on a ground floor.
Entertainment, activities and events
The entertainment was good. The music and singer at dinner time were great. I can’t remember his name, but he sang most nights from 7:30 to about 8 or 8:30 and it was excellent. They should do that every night and it should be for a longer time. We made sure to be there in time to hear him in case he was on.
We enjoyed the activities with the Bubbly Bares and meeting their members
Hedo activities were hit and miss. We were at the prude pool/beach a few times and never actually witnessed an activity. The nude pool activities are usually fun to watch.
The events were mostly good. Some of the parties are great. We loved the night there was dancing on the dance floor inside the main restaurant. Some of the parties are just loud music with nothing going on. Not too exciting
The second week we were there, the dirty pervs and others were really into the theme nights (as were we) and that was a lot of fun. It was the first time we experienced that and we really enjoyed it.
Dining and cuisine
The food was fine and pretty much as expected. We never had a problem finding something enjoyable to eat
The “steak house” is a disappointment. They need to do something else. Maybe a pizza place or something. What they serve as steak is not enjoyable.
Other specialty restaurants are good
Over two weeks, the food gets a bit repetitive, but this isn’t really a complaint. Our expectations for dining were met.
Resort service level
Dining service is excellent
Front desk and baggage guys are excellent
Water sports service was outstanding, they went out of their way to make me happy.
Bar service is hugely disappointing. Bar staff, with a few exceptions, treat us with indifference at best. Does their job suck or something? All of the bars are the same. I had good / friendly service from one or two bartenders a couple of times in two weeks of service.
Mixed drinks are ridiculous. The bar needs to make standard drinks. For example, a gin and tonic takes 1.5 ounces of gin plus tonic water. Even the airlines know how to do this in a small plastic glass. In one case, the bartender just passed the mouth of the gin bottle over the glass without actually pouring any gin in the drink. They aren’t saving any money. When I get a drink like that, I pour it out and try again. I can’t tell you how many times I went back and asked for some gin to be added to my glass after I took a swallow. I know what a drink is supposed to taste like. If it doesn’t taste right, I just pour it out and try again. Does this seem like good service to you? I only drink three or four drinks a day at Hedo. It just pisses me off to have to spend a bunch of time getting a real drink when they could just pour a real drink the first time I ask. This is the biggest source of dissatisfaction I have with Hedo. The bars suck.
Improvements and suggestions
Just pour normal mixed drinks at the bars. Treat me like an adult and let me regulate my own drinking.
Castaways note: Personal opinion - Bartenders may be aiming for an unsolicited tip along with a handshake. The other solution for stronger drinks is to order a separate shot of your favorite libation along with your drink and pour it into your glass while the bartender is standing in front of you.
CASTAWAYS NOTE: Below are select reports from years past since most major improvements have been completed. Prior reports have been removed except for a few excellent responses from our guests...couples and singles.
A Castaways couple ... Four weeks
We arrived on Friday July 29. The Club Mobay escorts met us in the airplane departure hallway and walked us through customs and baggage claim and all the way to the arrival lounge. They handled coordination with ground transportation porters and everything else. It was such a pleasure compared to the normal arrival gauntlet. The wait for the Sun Holiday transfer bus was short and the trip uneventful except for a big traffic jam about half way to Hedo.
At Hedonism: We had come in the middle of the Jamaican Independence celebration and Hedo was 100% booked so until the festival ended on Tuesday we had a room (on the resort) at the south end of the property and the resort was very crowded. Wednesday we got a great upgrade to a room right next to the nude pool. That was really great.
Friday night is the chef's gala buffet and we were looking so forward to the lobster and saffron mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, they don't serve saffron potatoes anymore. More often than not the lobsters were overcooked sometimes into mush. Nevertheless, it was overall still very good and enjoyable. For returning guests the Wednesday loyalty party is not to be missed, The heavy appetizers were often our Wednesday dinner. There are nice door prizes and good information about future events plans and facility upgrades.
Changes & Improvements: During the first couple of weeks Harry Lange, chairman of the owner's group, gave guests a guided tour of the prototype new standard rate room. It has new furniture, gorgeous and functional new bathroom fixtures, a sliding bathroom door that doesn't get in the way so the shower and vanity can be used concurrently without interference. New independent individual unit air conditioning and a new mosquito-tight bathroom window are welcome also. Free resort-wide WiF is supposed to be operational by the end of October. The buffet food when it was open (I'll get to that later) was good but not quite up to the standard we experienced during prior visits. Austin still makes outstanding omelets for breakfast and when Mark is working the nude pool grill, it's as good as ever. The midnight Pizza there is noteworthy. The aerobic equipment in the fitness center is upgraded and it is well enough equipped to maintain a high level of fitness, there is room for improvement in the air movement and air conditioning in the fitness center. Upgrades to the nude pool restrooms were very nice as well as the rest of the public area restrooms.
New Dining Venue: A steak house (FLAME) has been added on the back of the beach next to the disco. We found the crab cakes and sirloin steak to be very good, the filet is OK but was not as tender as you expect for a filet. The flank steak was very tough and to be avoided.
Observations: In the past when occupancy drops below 50% the resort closes the restaurants and keeps the buffet open for dinner. This works well because the buffet is the hub of the evening social and entertainment scene. Closing it screws up the schedule, kills the erotic theme nights as you can't meet the restaurant dress codes in your theme attire and no one is going to dress twice for the evening. This turned the evening atmosphere from an erotic resort to a dead one and deserted old folks' home. It trades a stimulating evening atmosphere for a slightly better meal. It doesn't work and maybe a deal-breaker for us if they do it again next year.
The entertainment and activities program is generally good and the Hedo Bucks flow fairly generously. Now they spend the equivalent of a dollar for dollar at the gift shop on any item. They need to do a better job of matching the music at the pool and disco to the demographic of the guests. The August afternoon thunderstorms were fewer and less severe this year and mosquitoes were manageable with a little preparation. The grounds throughout the resort were kept clean and well maintained.
Arrival and departure were smooth and Club Mobay is great at the airport both ways. All in all, we had a great time the only significant issue was closing the evening buffet, hopefully they will re-think that one.
Client - Single lady
Castaways Note: The period this client visited Hedonism, the resort was upgrading the lobby and the reception area was being remodeled.
Single non-lifestyle gal: All I know is 5-6 months is way too long to wait for a vacation! This time I overlapped groups to both see good friends and to meet new ones, which worked out purrfectly!
Heads up for those traveling stateside, I do believe that the scanner sensitivity has been increased. I have flown out of BWI many times and was never stopped for the metal parts in my back. This time they did so and did a hand test for explosives (both ways). Was somewhat surprised, but always wear yoga pants/shorts so it is easy to tell there is no external metal on me and the security lady was nice. I did VIP arrival mainly to stay in the A/C while waiting for the shuttle – the lines were not long enough to justify it for any other reason. Departure on the other hand is always worth it (if you don’t need to shop a lot).
I was on the shuttle with 2 other single gals, neither of whom was going to the zoo. No halfway stop and we passed the old Grand Lido or I should say the flattened area that was Grand Lido (no buildings remain). Upon arrival, the Hedo lobby was not completed, so at first the security guy and then Michael (many hugs) escorted me to the room past the piano bar that is temporarily being used as the front office/check-in area. Check-in was a breeze and soon I was on my way to the room where everything worked fine all week. Though I did hear of a few others who had consistent A/C issues even after reporting them (seemed more prevalent on the n-side). Castaways note: All 280 guest rooms and Premium categories have been upgraded substantially including all-new A/C units installed.
As soon as I made it down to the pool, I was welcomed by my friends (staff and guests) and was instantly recharging my smile and laughter batteries. It is so great to see my happy peeps and soak in the positivity that is always present there. Friday and Saturday were spent catching up and joking with good friends I had already known. Also on Saturday the new group I had booked with started to arrive, so the new week started off right away with hugs from brand new friends – a couple of gorgeous peeps even tried to flag me down from the piano bar balcony. This was the 1st time in 10 yrs that I went during a week without knowing someone from previous trips and my fears about not knowing anyone were quickly banished.
Other than the first couple of days, the weather was mostly sunny and steamy hot. The rainstorms that were present the week before disappeared and even staff were hotter (than normal that is...:). I brought a mini-battery operated fan and had been given an extra paper fan (by departing peeps) for dinner times. The pools were all like bathwater. Even the small cool pools were warm. The only cool spots were the prude-bar side pool and places like the piano bar and restrooms. We often sat on the outside edge of the dining room to get some kind of airflow. Of course, being around my ‘hot’ friends didn’t help matters.
Usually, 95% of the people who go are just into having fun in their own ways ‘free to be’ and respect is a constant. There were 2 obvious exceptions to this, one who was more of an ‘it’s my vacation’ type who luckily for us left at the beginning of the week and one who was a very obvious creeper/stalker type – he stopped coming after me after I told him to back off (after moving away from him many times throughout the night). Overall, I would recommend this week for those who want a really fun vacation time and possibly for those who are new to the resort as it wasn’t a heavy-duty LS (lifestyle) week. There was no pressure to do anything (no one asked why I go…) and there were many great people who just wanted to fully enjoy their time away from reality.
Fun/Funny/Interesting Times
- Meeting several new to the resort couples and single gals who all seemed to have a ‘look’ on their face the 1st day while they absorbed the vibes and sights of the place, and then appreciating how much they truly liked it soon after.
- Watching a beautiful vow renewal on Sunday where the lovely lady approached the arch from the water instead of the sand.
- Being lifted up and whirled around in the pool by a very petite beautiful lady who chanted ‘Protect Lisa from the creeper’ after watching the one mentioned above get into the pool.
- Going to the island with new friends who enjoyed fresh lobster ($20). I don’t eat lobster, but the $5 for the round-trip boat ride was worth the new sites and pics. Bring water shoes if you go as there are urchins in the water there (can borrow them from the watersports shack).
- Thinking somethings are ‘almost’ betta than sex, when a new friend brought 5 glasses of plain ice for the table one night and having a post-dinner soak in the prude-bar pool because it was, as the song they play there says, ‘Hot, hot, hot…’
- Chatting with a local guy who I hadn’t seen for about 8 yrs and watching how people reacted to his salami. One friend joked about stepping on it from across the hot tub. It wasn’t for me, but there is always someone... There were many funny chats about pencils vs. sausages that week.
- Meeting several ladies from the ‘DMV’ group (the group mainly stayed on the prude side daytime), who was so full of life and brave enough to hang out and even enter the wild side waters to chat with us. :0)
- Dancing with friends in the pools and disco at night. I don’t pole dance, but there were several around who had brought their own. ;0)
- Watching a gal enjoy ‘snorkeling’ – though she needed a wee bit of encouragement to ‘make it happen’.
- Watching a burly guy sing ‘The Rose’ to his wife of 20 yrs in the piano bar before exchanging new rings – very emotional moment. She had a broken leg and yet they seemed to really enjoy their trip to the fullest.
- New pool activity – the pool float rodeo. Many tried to stay on as peeps rocked and shook them, not many made it past 8 seconds.
- Watching a couple react as a cat snuck under their dining room table reassured them it was a cat, not another wild critter. Then hearing that staff had friends of mine move away from their table when a crab was seen scooting under it. Critters abound, but most are harmless, including people...unless intentionally messed with
- Learned and passed on from my last trip that their ginger ale (which has more real ginger than the US type) with a topping of bitters is the local treatment for hangovers and tummy upset. This trip I learned that sipping Sambuca was a suggested treatment to soothe vocal cords (though if you sip enough you may need treatment #1 too). )
- The no smoking in the pool rule was enforced throughout the trip, even with those who were fairly insistent.
- And, of course, my all-time favorite things: meeting new peeps; smiling until my face hurts; laughing until my belly does; talking and singing until my voice fails, and enjoying hugs from people who just feel like giving them.
Updates
Piano bar speakers have been moved so that there is 1 in the piano area and 1 in each side corner room to spread out the sound better.
Lobby was still under construction/sealed off. I saw many recessed lights and what looked like a metal sculpture being hung on the desk side wall (wall was painted blue).
Dining room bathrooms were re-done. The women’s still needed some tiling on the wall (based on what the men said was in theirs) and was posted as ‘to be completed in September’.
Spa massage rooms closed on Monday for renovation, all massages were then on the beach and heard that the dining room (The Terrace buffet) was to be done from mid-August to September that year
Suggested Changes/Issues
Order more blue floats.
Re-install a light above the large mirror in the bedroom. Many women need it to get ready vs. the bathroom which is warmer and more humid.
Supply different toilet paper in the pool-side bathrooms, current type shreds when in contact with water. Many used PT this week instead.
Allow 6 people RSVP for Pastafari, couple wasn’t allowed to rsvp a table of 4 plus me (5 total).
Fix the A/C in Pastafari, it was quite warm in there each night.
Have an afternoon DJ at the n-side pool. This seemed very sporadic in the afternoon. We noticed that more staff was present for the DMV group on the prude side. Groups should add to the fun/entertainment, not unbalance it for others.
Have uniform security rules for the n-side. Daytime ladies were allowed to keep bottoms on (which is fine to me – medical reasons like women have or sunburn should allow flexibilities), but nighttime people were pounced on for having a towel wrapped around their waist while eating and no bottoms were allowed. Also, later in the week the DMV group came over fully dressed and stayed there beyond getting food.
Rate increases were discussed several times during the week, younger/lower-income guests are being priced out of going and some are opting to go to Mexico or other places because of the continuing increases.
Post Trip Note: Resort contact responded to the above suggestions with some updates. They will start having a DJ poolside from 1-6 pm; A/C in Pastafari will be fixed; consistent security rules will be in place, and they will have fans in the rooms (not sure if this meant room fans or bathroom fans) before my next visit – so guessing 5-6 months.
For all: I highly suggest that everyone use at least the back side of the resort comment card. The staff mentioned on it are given kudos based on the department they work in and management seems to take the suggestions for changes very seriously.
Return to: Hedonism 2 Photo Album • Hedonism II Group Trip
