Hedo vs Desire Pearl

[KBBB6776]

Hello All,

Last year we went to Desire Pearl and this year we are thinking of going to either Hedo or Desire Pearl again. Last year was our first experience at a lifestyle or clothing optional resort and we had a lot of fun. I have heard a few negatives about Hedo (condition of resort, lack of amenities, poor quality of food etc) so I was wondering if that's all true? I read a lot of tripadvisor.com reviews, but I often find those to be sugar coated (both negatively or positively…some people complain about the oddest things, like weather, how is that the resort's fault???..lol) I would not consider us to be full on lifestylers, however we do…errr..dabble…lol. Do you HAVE to be naked all the time at Hedo or is it acceptable to wear swimsuits around the pool/jacuzzi? I'm looking for experiences and opinions from those that have experienced both resorts or have friends who have gone to both resorts. We are having a tough time deciding on what to do. We are planning on going in late january, but haven't booked yet. Thanks in advance for any help you provide us.

[happy2us]

We just returned from our 1st Hedo trip. As many told us before, Hedo is not a luxury resort except in the sensual and sexual sense. It's not what you go there for and if was luxury and expensive, it probably wouldn't last long. There is new ownership and I'm told many positive changes have been made. The bathrooms were all pretty clean. Our room was very clean (when we arrived at least).

The rooms are 3 stars with some nice extras. We stayed on the Prude side which was fine but if/when we return, we'll like stay at an upgraded beachside nude side room. Food is good, much better than we expected. There are clothing optional pools and beach areas and there are mandatory nude pool/beach areas. The party is at the nude pool/hot tub, day or night. The nude beach would be the 2nd party area in our opinion. The clothing option side is quiet with far less people, some dressed, some not, some somewhere in between. Only once did a guy come up to us and do something inappropriate (took the wife's top off). We were a 3some at that particular moment and departed quickly. Other than that, the single guys were pretty much nice, friendly if surely full of intent but backed off easy when it was clear we were not interested in that.

We loved it and had a great time. If you've been to Desire, try Hedo for variety. I doubt you'd regret it and the Negril beaches are nicer than the Yucatan I think.

P.S. If you want smoke, buy from Shell Boy on the beach, reliable and good guy. We bought a chunk of hash that lasted well passed our departure day and was excellent.

[Peemoney]

who is this shell boy? does he have ganja too, or just hash? how are the prices?

[loverstriangle3]

who is this shell boy? does he have ganja too, or just hash? how are the prices?

Shell Boy!!! You will quickly find out. He sells shells and other goods there along the beach line. He is positioned right at the seperator between Sandals & Hedo. Although we did not know he sells goods last time we went in June

[Brian&Terri]

who is this shell boy? does he have ganja too, or just hash? how are the prices?

He sells both. All I wanted was a shell to take home lol.

[Cdn_cpl]

We have been to both Pearl and Hedo, in our opinion they are dramatically different resorts. Pearl is very upscale, beautiful facilities and great food. The only problem we have with Pearl is that it's very quiet and a little on the boring side. We found people not nearly as open and personable as they are at Hedo.

You will definitely find negative reviews about Hedo, it's not for everyone. The facilities are not as nice as Pearl, the rooms are somewhat more basic, a little dated. However the new owners have spent a significant amount of money lately and there have been fantastic improvements over the last year. I would guess that most of the negative reviews are from before the change in ownership. In our opinion the food is every bit as good as at Pearl but the dining experience at Pearl is much more upscale and the service is definitely better at Pearl.

Don't worry that you're not full on lifestylers, you will find many people the same at Hedo, there will be a mix of everything from full swingers to people that are not in the lifestyle in anyway. While Pearl is clothing optional throughout the resort Hedo is split into two sides, the nude side and c/o side. On the nude side you must be nude but on the c/o side it's your choice. You will find the vast majority of people hang out on the nude side at the nude pool and beach. There is also a pool on the c/o side.

Ultimately it depends what you're looking for, if you like the quiet upscale atmosphere at Pearl you should definitely return but if you want a fun party atmosphere with genuine fantastic people you should try out Hedo. We prefer Pearl for the quality of the resort but Hedo wins hands down for us for the quality of the experience.

[Cdn_cpl]

BTW if you're looking to go at the end of January you're probably out of luck. My understanding is that Hedo is already oversold for most of January.

[happy2us]

who is this shell boy? does he have ganja too, or just hash? how are the prices?

Shell Boy will get you anything you want. I would suggest stick with maryjane and hash. He asked for $60.00 for hash. I offered him $40 and got more than we needed for the week and it was excellent quality. We bought something else from him that grows naturally (damn, shoulda gone to Tedd's as planned) and that didn't work at all. I told Shell and he got a different batch that was a bit better but still not excellent. He tried and was very cool about it. Respect mon. Again, I'd stick with the 1st 2 items I mentioned.

[foxxyandhound]

3rd and 4th week is sold out for jan. thats what we have been told anyway.... never been to Desire at all.... but we have heard to many things about it... like was said... way to quite and boring... we will stick with hedo...

[CapnMorgan]

3rd and 4th week is sold out for jan. thats what we have been told anyway.... never been to Desire at all.... but we have heard to many things about it... like was said... way to quite and boring... we will stick with hedo...

I checked WestJet Vacations and Redtag Vacations and there is nothing available for Hedo those weeks. Glad we booked with Tom's...last August!

12 more days in this deep freeze!

[Newfie Screech]

KB - we went to Hedo for the first time in September of last year and had read many of the same reviews. We also found this site and asked for input. As folks stated, the new ownership has put a load of effort into revitalizing the resort. And since our trip, there's even more work that has been completed (bathrooms at the nude pool redone, courtyard added, new wine bar and coffee area, new theme nights, etc.). We had a nude side room, but it was one of the older ones. It was still fine and other than sleeping, changing and, other things , we didn't spend much time in the room.

We had talked about going to Hedo in the mid-1990s and had we known then what we know now, we would have gone much sooner.

I'm sure a Desire is also great (we have friends going there this spring) but as people have said, all indications are that it's a lot quieter atmosphere there. It's also a smaller and more upscale place (and thus more expensive too).

In the end, it's up to you, but we'd recommend giving Hedo a look if it's available to suit your schedule. If you determine you like Desire better, you can always go back there next time (because you know there will always be a next time).

[RCTravel]

KB - Comparing Hedonism II and Desire Pearl is not an apples-to-apples comparison. They are very different resorts.

Hedonism has 280 rooms to Desire Pearl's 88 rooms. That's 3 times the number of rooms at Desire Pearl. Desire Pearl is a more, up-scale resort with over 60% of all the rooms being suites. The rooms at Hedonism are broken up between Garden View and Ocean View and all the rooms at Desire Pearl are Ocean View. (Ocean View means you can see the ocean from your room, not necessarily Ocean Front where you are a few steps from the beach).

Both resorts do a good job with their meal choices. They even work with guests that may have certain dietary requirements (Vegan, Glutton Free, allergies, etc). The quality of food at Desire Pearl is a little better, but Hedonism is still very good. There were some reviews criticizing Hedonism, but if you look at when they were posted, they are several years old. The new owners have done a great job correcting those problems.

Getting to the resorts can be an interesting proposition. Most airlines now charge you for checked baggage unless you are loyalty program member. The most common charges today are $25 for the first bag and $40 for the second on international flights. That is $260 round-trip for 2 people with 2 bags each. The good news is that as of the past summer, Southwest Airlines has started flights to both Cancun and Montego Bay AND the still have 2 free checked bags. That is something to look at when booking flights. The travel time from Montego Bay to Hedonism II is just over an hour, while Desire Pearl is about 20-25 minutes from Cancun International.

The other big difference between Hedonism II and Desire Pearl is couples vs singles. Hedonism allows singles to stay at the resort and Desire Pearl is Couples Only. Desire actually defines a couple as one man and one woman. Hedonism also offers day and/or night passes to the general public. Desire Pearl also has passes available, but they have to be purchased by a registered guest.

Weather can be a problem anywhere in the Caribbean. Hurricane season officially starts in July, but the only time you need to check the forcasts in Lay August thru mid October. With any travel plans, we recommend that you purchase travel insurance.

As for room availability, Hedonism has one room category (Garden View nude) available for 5 nights... That's it for the second half of January 2015. Desire Pearl has to categories available (Junior or Master Suites), but they will be gone in the next few days.

If you have any other questions, please ask.

[loverstriangle3]

BTW if you're looking to go at the end of January you're probably out of luck. My understanding is that Hedo is already oversold for most of January.

3rd and 4th week is sold out for jan. thats what we have been told anyway.... never been to Desire at all.... but we have heard to many things about it... like was said... way to quite and boring... we will stick with hedo...

I checked WestJet Vacations and Redtag Vacations and there is nothing available for Hedo those weeks. Glad we booked with Tom's...last August!

12 more days in this deep freeze!

Club we go to here by us a group going down end of Jan . I'm sure its sold out. Anyone who is going tell the folks from TPA Deana & Fred say they are a great group. Party Hard with these guys.

[T and J]

Hey check you in box sent you a PM

[Cdn_cpl]

Somebody said in the Facebook group that some dates in late January are oversold by as much as 40 rooms.