Grounds at Hedo2

**Canada_Chris** · 06-28-2010, 03:17 PM

After reading through the archives of information on this great site I have a couple questions regarding the acual premisis. I have been to some high end and low end all inclusives and just wondering were this one falls. It seems to be a general consensis that the amenities are worn. trip advisor rates this place as a 3 star. Now I know H2 is the kind of place were you go for the environment not the rooms but I just want to make sure its sufficient. How do you all feel about the grounds compared to others you have visited. Any comments are greatly appreciated.

**Oncenotenough** · 06-28-2010, 03:54 PM

The friends you meet, the atmosphere, the socializing, etc.., is what Hedo is all about. The Entertainment Team will do a good job trying to keep you entertained. If your looking for 5 Star amenities, you won’t find it there. But I find the more you drink during the day, the better the room looks and you don’t have to worry about hot water to shower.

**PNK** · 06-28-2010, 04:04 PM

The grounds are immaculate! The grounds crew work tirelessly to sweep the beach, tend the lawns, trim the trees and bushes,... They have a small but useful herb garden hidden away. In fact there are many interesting places in the 'campus' that most first timers never find -- because they are way too busy having a great time at the bar, the pool, in the ocean.

Honestly: you are worrying this vacation idea WAY too much. If you want a ***** resort with all the conveniences, and slave service, then do not go to Hedo -- you'll hate it. But if you want a care free (as in I don't give a shit what I do, what I see, what I eat -- I'm going to have an excellent time) then stop worrying, get out your credit card, and go visit.

PNK

**chrisandlizvt** · 06-28-2010, 04:13 PM

The grounds at Hedo are lovely, tropical and full of mature foliage. The groundskeepers take wonderful care of the property and we've always found it pleasant walking the grounds, whether on the pathways or on the beach...they are very well taken care of. Yes, the rooms are old, as is most of the resort...but Hedo is about way more than the rooms...it is really & truly all about the people and the experience. You really can't 'get' this until you try it and no...it is NOT for everyone....but if you like to party, enjoy meeting new people and have a wicked sense of humor, then you likely won't find a more fun vacation spot. If you truly require 4 or 5 star amenities and service, then you might want to try another resort...because Hedo does not offer that.

Compared to other all inclusives we've visited in Jamaica (H3, Enchanted Gardens (now, sadly closed)) and in Mexico (2 different AIs) and St. Lucia, Hedo is definitely one of the older resorts. That said, it is also the funnest and we love it there, so we're pretty biased. Seriously, whenever I think of going to an AI now the ONLY one I would ever go to is Hedo. I prefer smaller hotels ... but LOVE the freedom of no money, no worries, food and drink whenever that Hedo offers....and yes, a room where I do spend plenty of time and don't mind.

Hope this helps!

Liz

**Canada_Chris** · 06-28-2010, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by PNK

The grounds are immaculate! The grounds crew work tirelessly to sweep the beach, tend the lawns, trim the trees and bushes,... They have a small but useful herb garden hidden away. In fact there are many interesting places in the 'campus' that most first timers never find -- because they are way too busy having a great time at the bar, the pool, in the ocean.

Honestly: you are worrying this vacation idea WAY too much. If you want a ***** resort with all the conveniences, and slave service, then do not go to Hedo -- you'll hate it. But if you want a care free (as in I don't give a shit what I do, what I see, what I eat -- I'm going to have an excellent time) then stop worrying, get out your credit card, and go visit.

PNK

Its not a case of worrying at all. Its just a case of curiosity of what to expect. As I mentioned I have been to the high end and low end and I am just looking for some experinced options.

**harry bawls** · 06-28-2010, 07:20 PM

Grounds are nice & well kept. Not as fancy as Sandals or whatever the other resorts next door are called. The sand is raked daily and Augustus & crew keep everything cleaned up. Lots of nice trees on the beach. Cool to be able to lay nude in the shade drinking and watching folks. I would go with the 3star. After you hit the nude side and get in the vibe you won't much worry about the grounds unless your slipping off into the jungle...

**CandG** · 06-29-2010, 12:50 AM

You know what's interesting? I read trip reports and postings here and elsewhere that talk about there being mildew in the shower, a loose tile here or there, seaweed on the beach, the same item on the buffet two nights in a row, etc. and I try to think whether we experienced any of those things on our last trip (which was only in April). You know what? I have no idea about any of these small details and can't recall whether I experienced any of them or not, because if I did, I didn't care about them, but I can recall specific people like we had dinner with them two hours ago. I can recall specific conversations about nothing important at all like they happened this morning. I can recall a specific trip to the nude grill and what I had for lunch! Some of these trip report that start out, "I would NEVER go back!" seem to be written by people who actually LOOK for these little things and then let them bother them for their whole vacation. It's not the place that ruined their vacation, it's their attitude and their own heads that ruined their vacation. No, it's not 5 star (and I have stayed at many 5 star resorts over the years), there are no little flags on the back of your beach chair to put up so you can order your next $15 drink from the beach server as she walks by. There are no half million dollar fountains spread through the resort. There is no concierge to take care of your every whim and the waiters don;t wear white gloves. What there is though is the best party you've ever attended with the best people you've ever met and a sense of freedom that you can't get anywhere else. This is not directed at you, Canada Chris. I understand your concerns. A Hedo trip is not cheap, reviews of Hedo online can be mixed and some are downright scary and it's reasonable to be concerned about the huge investment that you're making on a Hedo trip. It's definitely not for everybody, but as has been said over and over on here, if you are a fun, open minded person who likes people and a good party, none of the things that you're focusing on will matter...none of them. By the end of your first day you will wonder why you spent so much time fretting about these little things and by day two you will be planning your next trip. By day three you'll be sad about the fact that some of the great people you met when you got there will be leaving tomorrow and by day four you will already be thinking that you only have three days left. The bottom line is that the grounds are beautiful, the staff is great, the food is ok, the drinks are plentiful and more often than not top shelf, the rooms are dated, but who cares, you'll only be in it to change and sleep, the guests are fantastic and the party is over the top. As I say all the time, if you don't have fun at Hedo, it's your fault, not Hedo's. If you fit the profile of a Hedo guest, go and have a helluva time.

**Loni and Jim** · 06-29-2010, 06:26 AM

The above responses are all correct. We have been to H2 many times and are seasoned travelers. The grounds and gardens are among some of the best available. The rooms are acceptably clean and in reasonable repair. You will likely find over-applied caulking used to fix a leaky shower door; spackled-too-many-times, slightly rotted bottom 2 inches of door trim in the bathroom; worn-down wood deck boards on the walks that will have a nail head raised that you won't want to catch your toe on and other issues consistent with a 3.5 out of 5 star resort in the Caribbean. The rooms we have had there have always been clean and maintained though. The showers have body jets on the wall that my wife says are nice. -Jim

**Canada_Chris** · 06-29-2010, 06:33 AM

Originally Posted by CandG

You know what's interesting? I read trip reports and postings here and elsewhere that talk about there being mildew in the shower, a loose tile here or there, seaweed on the beach, the same item on the buffet two nights in a row, etc. and I try to think whether we experienced any of those things on our last trip (which was only in April). You know what? I have no idea about any of these small details and can't recall whether I experienced any of them or not, because if I did, I didn't care about them, but I can recall specific people like we had dinner with them two hours ago. I can recall specific conversations about nothing important at all like they happened this morning. I can recall a specific trip to the nude grill and what I had for lunch! Some of these trip report that start out, "I would NEVER go back!" seem to be written by people who actually LOOK for these little things and then let them bother them for their whole vacation. It's not the place that ruined their vacation, it's their attitude and their own heads that ruined their vacation. No, it's not 5 star (and I have stayed at many 5 star resorts over the years), there are no little flags on the back of your beach chair to put up so you can order your next $15 drink from the beach server as she walks by. There are no half million dollar fountains spread through the resort. There is no concierge to take care of your every whim and the waiters don;t wear white gloves. What there is though is the best party you've ever attended with the best people you've ever met and a sense of freedom that you can't get anywhere else. This is not directed at you, Canada Chris. I understand your concerns. A Hedo trip is not cheap, reviews of Hedo online can be mixed and some are downright scary and it's reasonable to be concerned about the huge investment that you're making on a Hedo trip. It's definitely not for everybody, but as has been said over and over on here, if you are a fun, open minded person who likes people and a good party, none of the things that you're focusing on will matter...none of them. By the end of your first day you will wonder why you spent so much time fretting about these little things and by day two you will be planning your next trip. By day three you'll be sad about the fact that some of the great people you met when you got there will be leaving tomorrow and by day four you will already be thinking that you only have three days left. The bottom line is that the grounds are beautiful, the staff is great, the food is ok, the drinks are plentiful and more often than not top shelf, the rooms are dated, but who cares, you'll only be in it to change and sleep, the guests are fantastic and the party is over the top. As I say all the time, if you don't have fun at Hedo, it's your fault, not Hedo's. If you fit the profile of a Hedo guest, go and have a helluva time.

Thanks for the great reply !!

**Jeff & Cindy** · 06-29-2010, 09:48 PM

CandG is spot with their reply. We just returned on June 18th and that makes our 4th trip and we are already planning our 5th and we spent 11 days on this past trip. We would'nt think of going anywhere else. Jeff & Cindy

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**Face Down** · 06-30-2010, 11:43 AM

CandG...great fucking post!!!! Cound not have said it better if I tried!!!

**lauraff7** · 06-30-2010, 11:51 AM

I agree- CandG could not have said it better! And I have never been to Hedo2- but have been to Hedo3 five times and feel EXACTLY the same way about it. So, thanks, CandG, for confirming to me that I will love H2 just as much as I did H3.

43 days till my first trip to H2 and can hardly wait!

Laura

**aliyt** · 07-01-2010, 12:34 PM

exactly candg!
- if your the type of person that can NOT get over those little types of things - hedo is simply NOT for you.
if you dont notice those things or notice and it passes right out of your mind b/c your planning your next escapade - then hedo is for you.
doesnt get much more simple than that.

**lilinbobby** · 07-01-2010, 01:42 PM

I think I would give it a 5 star rating and here is why:

Yeah we paid $1700 but for 7 days and 8 nights. So that’s $242 per couple per day…cheaper than a 5 star hotel, and especially one that gives you nothing.

We land and the weather is amazing and our bus driver is fun! Stop for a yummy Red Stripe which is the only drink we pay for on the whole trip! $4 well spent! The scenic drive, including the scary drive through the town, is awesome. It’s just anticipation to getting there and I wouldn’t get there any other way!

We get to the resort and we see some freaky naked people! Love it!! Right in the lobby none the less! Walk to our room, throw some stuff in the drawers for the next few days and out the door in 20 minutes or less. Walk on the beach, past the watersports hut and enjoy the amazing view of my favorite place in the world! Did you all notice how the sun looks just perfect from the Hedo beach every second of every day? Keep on walking over and say hi to Delroy and ask for the famous Woo Woo and Coconut rum and Pineapple for my hunny! And we take it all in for about 5 minutes and walk on over to the pussy fountain where our friends will be. The most awesome part? Going there and knowing, just knowing that you will see your friends from last time. Hugs, kisses and laughs and we are set for the week. We are young people too so don’t listen to those folks that mention age either…it doesn’t matter. I think we were some of the youngest last year at 28 and 30 and I didn’t care for one second because everyone acts like they are 18 anyway! LOL

The rooms – Last year was our first time at Hedo 2 and to tell yout he truth I was pleasantly surprised. The rooms were big, cool window seats with pillows, nice safe that really worked in the closet…HUGE closet and the bathroom was cool. Enough space for us to both get ready and the huge mirror in the bedroom helped. Plenty of drawer space too and 2 night tables. All my clothes were hung up or in drawers and enough space in the closet for my make shift hamper and suitcases. The tub and shower were great. Great water pressure, nice and warm and no bugs at all. I don’t recall seeing any bugs really my whole trip, and no, it wasn’t all of the drinks. The staff was awesome. We had Eugenie as out room maid and she was the best. A great bug hug and hello every time I saw her. Yeah, I left her some lotions and presents every day but she deserved it. Extra towels, pillows, anything we asked for she was right there and waited every morning until we left to ask us if it was ok if she go in. Nothing was ever touched…she just made everything, including my earrings, necklaces and hats were well aligned and ready for me to put on. I pray to God that we have her again this year! I will def. ask!

The EC is amazing too. Always said hello like a million times and asked us how we were. The only people that are more serious are the dining staff and the staff at the prude café but you know what? It’s sooooo hot back there and understandable. The guys selling the crafts are annoying but did I buiy some? Yeah and it got them off of my back plus their stuff really is so nice.

The grounds are really nice… mature trees, gorgeous rocks from everyones trips and the building to me didn’t look run down at all. It’s not impeccable but the views from a lot of the places you stand make the place look great! Ok, watersports are a big plus for me because a lot of resorts have crappy stuff or they charge a lot. I wanted to snorkel and we did, hobycat and they gave us a boat right away. They taught us to canoe on over to lobster island which is the greatest thing. We canoed on over and got off and the most awesome dudes are waiting there and ask me which lobster I want (they catch like 5 right in front of you in a cage) and I picked one and he grilled it right there and gave me some butter and garlic bread too. Yum, Yum, Yum. $15 I spent but the thing about lobsters there is the whole thing is lobster tail. Not the nasty green stuff like here in the US…solid lobster meat! Best I ever had considering it was the freshest I have ever had! That was a pretty cool experience I will repeat! So we wanted to jet ski…5 minute slater we were jet skiing. Parasailing same thing. It was just so much stuff I have wanted to do and got to do it.

Hmmm, I was hungry…best part, I can eat all the time What an awesome thing it not to have to bring money anywhere at all! The food was good…grilled cheeses are so good, add some tomato or bacon or whatever! Jerk chicken was moist and yummy, every day, all day. Dinner in the buffet has something for everything and the restaurants are really good! Not Emerils or Wolfgang Pucks but for an all inclusive I liked it! Ate some great grilled cheese and off to the pool some more. Get buzzed, laugh until I almost cry, laugh some more, fall in love with my hunny every day and have some great sex in between all of these activities. Nightime is great because we celebrate birthdays and Anniversaries at a big dinner our friend Mugs puts together and then we are off to the piano bar, where let me tell you I saw some stuff I will never forget. Did I mention that every woman feels like a princess at Hedo? Between the men being gentlemen but making you feel gorgeous and the women being the friendliest girls ever and the staff making you feel beautiful too who wouldn’t want to be there? The activities are a blast and prizes for all. Tons of rum cream being given out.

If I could give it ten stars I would because the pools and beaches are always immaculately clean and so are the grounds. Staff constantly walking around cleaning even at night. My favorite part is how they don’t care…about anything. Whatever you wanna do is fine as long as you’re having a good time. Anything I asked was always a yes, if they didn’t have it they went and got it. I never thought the staff was slow or rude. And the manager always called us to ask how we were doing. I am sure the group we met and hung out with made it amazing but really, the rooms are nice and cool, I didn’t see anything broken and was pleasantly surprised and I am sure you will be too. Once you get a hang of the atmosphere nothing else will matter and you’ll fall in love too! The time you spend in the room (and be sure to check yourself out in the mirror above) will be an incredible time I am sure but the time you spend outside of it will be the most memorable. Hedo 2 is very nice, awesome views, awesome shade for the beach and very clean. What others may find old I just found part of the charm. It’s better than you think!

p.s…did I mention that I love Hedo 2?? LOL

**divandude441** · 07-01-2010, 10:56 PM

Great post lilinbobby!! You guys got your party on for sure! It was a good group..you are so right...everyone does act 18!! LOL Hope to see you guys again in November!