First time with a couple questions

[VFR]

Hello all
Have been reading this forum for a little while with lots of great info.We have finally did it and booked for next month, a little nervous but also excited we are sure it will be a fun and a unforgettable trip. First question is we are travelling with West Jet and arriving in the afternoon with transportation included both ways after reading here we booked the VIP MoBay Club, i am leaning towards using this as we can wait in the VIP room but is the bus ride that long with multiple stops or should we book a private taxi. Don't want to waste that much time lol. Also we are staying on the prude side garden and i believe there are no balconies, my wife is always up early and a smoker who likes to drink multiple coffees every morning so i assume a ground level unit would be best that she could sit outside the door on a bench/chair maybe? There is a coffee machine for sure right? How about Towels should we bring a few of our own or are they issued to your room and your are responsible for that towel or are they just there to freely use. Also I assume the room key is the plastic card type,should bring wrist strap or something to hold it? one last question, seen a few threads about not tipping, we have been to many other all inclusive resorts, not Jamaica but it was always understood that it wasn't required but most people did it anyway. Any other suggestions appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

[gsml]

Your Westjet transfers are already included; this is usually a large bus that services multiple resorts. It will probably make only a couple stops before Hedo (Palladium near Lucea, then the Riu in Negril), Hedo is at the start of the Negril resorts stretch.
You will probably be stuck to wait for the rest of the plane (and perhaps others) to go thru customs while you wait in Club Mobay, so you may want to consider a private transport if taking Mobay,but for a round trip for two it costs about $140US.

There is a coffee machine, but we usually just walk up to the main buffet and fill the carafe (also in the room) with coffee and bring it back to the room. You do not need to bring any towels. Yes, bring a wrist strap...

Resort policy is NO tipping allowed. Staff can be fired for accepting tips. If you do tip, be very discreet, we love the staff there and would hate to hear that someone was fired! The resort has a program to ensure all employees are compensated, not just the few that you come in contact, but those that make you deserts, clean you towels...and so on. The best tip you can give them is to mention them on the comment card when you leave.

Have fun, you will be booking another trip before you leave!

[JayNSteph]

Congrats for taking the plunge! When next month did you book?

Depending on what room you have, you may not be able to just walk outside to drink your coffee from your room, again, depends on the type of room. All "regular" rooms do not have patios/balconies. But there are many other places you can drink your coffee, hang out, read, etc. and it is quiet as can be. There are some spots along the decking out the front doors that have tables that most smokers sit at, drink coffee, smoke and so on. But you will catch on and find "your spot" so don't worry to much about that.

Enjoy your time, go with the flow and meet lots of people. gsml covered the rest of your questions pretty well.

[funfortwo]

I don't think that there is a resort policy that says NO tipping allowed. Superclubs used to have that policy when they owned Hedonism. But I don't think that it is still a policy. I would like to hear from ownership or management on it though to clarify it all. I think that a lot of people use this former policy to justify not tipping. And that might have been fine at one time when Hedonism staff were considered to be paid among the top in the tourism industry in Jamaica. But this is certainly no longer true. Consider that what we pay for a single night in the least expensive room at Hedo is far more than the average entire monthly wage of the employees there. Many of these employees travel for more than one hour in each direction to work their shift. And we've all seen the kind of housing that they live in, limited electricity, sometimes no running water or sewers. If we can all afford at least $400 per night to stay and play there surely we can afford $5 or $10 a day in gracious thanks. Okay, Go ahead now and jump down my throat.

[Allan_Elizabeth]

Harry Lange who is the majority owner of the resort has replied to the no tipping policy on the Hedonism II Facebook page (HedoJoe runs it). Policy is NO Tipping. There is a large pool put aside for the staff as a gratuity to share. This way everyone (the staff is treated fairly) i.e. the guys who comes to fix your ac. The staff (as in the past) can still and will be fired for taking tips. Really that simple. BTW we are not big drinkers and do not tip the bartenders, yet when my lovely wife goes up to get her nightly drink, and the bar is full, she smiles and voila she is served with a smile.

I am not jumping on you ^^^^...just its all inclusive and that includes tips.

[PNK]

We always take the mid-afternoon WestJet to MoBay. The shortest bus ride to the resort was 55 minutes. The longest about 75 minutes. The longest wait for the WestJet-provided mini bus to Hedo was about 20 Minutes. So just time to get to the washroom before the bus left. I'd not waste a cent on the MoBay Club. Remember: the plane is almost the last to arrive in MoBay so clearing immigration and customs takes all of 10 minutes. you are not waiting for another plane load. You'll be in Negril in time to get something to eat, and drink, and head to the hot tub. Never traveled with more than four people at another resort (next door). Not a concern. Usually we are the only ones on the bus.

You'll get a coffee pot in the room, but the coffee at the dining room is far better. The resort will assign you a room. Take it. Good chance you'll be upgraded anyway. No smoking in the rooms, and not too popular outside someone else's room. So you might want to reconsider. No take outside chairs available. But the beach and gardens are there. The upstairs and downstairs room are exactly the sameBeach towels available all day. Take a couple of clips to keep towels attached to the loungers. Bad and Bath have them for cheap.

You are Canadian. You do not need to have a guilt complex about not tipping. It is not the way to go -- though a discreet $20 to the room maid might be nice. Be subtle -- don't need to get the staff fired.

[funfortwo]

Well. We're glad to to know that if Harry has actually said it himself and it has not just been said by someone else that "Harry told them...". If it is the case we'll have to trust that management is properly sharing out a fair tip to the staff.

[mrcaj]

Also we are staying on the prude side garden and i believe there are no balconies, my wife is always up early and a smoker who likes to drink multiple coffees every morning so i assume a ground level unit would be best that she could sit outside the door on a bench/chair maybe? There is a coffee machine for sure right? How about Towels should we bring a few of our own or are they issued to your room and your are responsible for that towel or are they just there to freely use. Also I assume the room key is the plastic card type,should bring wrist strap or something to hold it?

The only balcony is at the door where you enter the room, so there are no chairs, seats, etc. I don't know where the smoking areas are, but I'm sure they are marked. For morning coffee you have 2 good choices. Dress and walk to main dining, there is a coffee station there (in addition to the espresso bar). My wife also likes morning coffee, so what I do is leave my room naked and walk to the nude pool. There is a coffee station set up next to the nude grill. We stay on the nude side, so its a short walk. It will be a longer walk from the prude side, but you can go naked and walk along the beach. I think its a nice way to start the day. They supply towels for the beach and pool, and there are usually plenty. We still each bring a beach towel, mostly to mark our beach chairs while to get drinks, go to the pool, etc. And, the key is a plastic card. Some people bring lanyards or wrist bands to keep the card. If your card doesn't have a hole to attach it to a lanyard, just ask the front desk to punch a hole and they will. We will be there Feb. 13 to Feb. 20. When are you traveling?

[rennie69]

Well. We're glad to to know that if Harry has actually said it himself and it has not just been said by someone else that "Harry told them...". If it is the case we'll have to trust that management is properly sharing out a fair tip to the staff.

Love that avatar, creative pic and of course beautiful woman. Maybe we'll run into you two this year, for some reason we didn't see you last.

[rennie69]

We always take the mid-afternoon WestJet to MoBay. The shortest bus ride to the resort was 55 minutes. The longest about 75 minutes. The longest wait for the WestJet-provided mini bus to Hedo was about 20 Minutes. So just time to get to the washroom before the bus left. I'd not waste a cent on the MoBay Club. Remember: the plane is almost the last to arrive in MoBay so clearing immigration and customs takes all of 10 minutes. you are not waiting for another plane load. You'll be in Negril in time to get something to eat, and drink, and head to the hot tub. Never traveled with more than four people at another resort (next door). Not a concern. Usually we are the only ones on the bus.

You'll get a coffee pot in the room, but the coffee at the dining room is far better. The resort will assign you a room. Take it. Good chance you'll be upgraded anyway. No smoking in the rooms, and not too popular outside someone else's room. So you might want to reconsider. No take outside chairs available. But the beach and gardens are there. The upstairs and downstairs room are exactly the sameBeach towels available all day. Take a couple of clips to keep towels attached to the loungers. Bad and Bath have them for cheap.

You are Canadian. You do not need to have a guilt complex about not tipping. It is not the way to go -- though a discreet $20 to the room maid might be nice. Be subtle -- don't need to get the staff fired.

Great reply Pink.. You can walk up to the dining hall in the morning and grab a decanter of coffee to bring back to your room if you want.

[HedoJoe]

Here is a quote from Harry Lange, the principal owner of Hedonism II that was posted to the Hedonism II Facebook group:

'Harry Lange: Tipping is very rare and is discouraged. Employees who accept cash tips and provide better service because of it or solicit tips will be fired. PLEASE DO NOT TIP. It is embarrassing for everybody."

I don't think that there is a resort policy that says NO tipping allowed. Superclubs used to have that policy when they owned Hedonism. But I don't think that it is still a policy. I would like to hear from ownership or management on it though to clarify it all. I think that a lot of people use this former policy to justify not tipping. And that might have been fine at one time when Hedonism staff were considered to be paid among the top in the tourism industry in Jamaica. But this is certainly no longer true. Consider that what we pay for a single night in the least expensive room at Hedo is far more than the average entire monthly wage of the employees there. Many of these employees travel for more than one hour in each direction to work their shift. And we've all seen the kind of housing that they live in, limited electricity, sometimes no running water or sewers. If we can all afford at least $400 per night to stay and play there surely we can afford $5 or $10 a day in gracious thanks. Okay, Go ahead now and jump down my throat.

[CPO]

VFR,

Congrats on booking your virgin trip to Hedo. I will never forget my first trip. It looks like most people have answered your questions accurately. If you would like to request that ground floor room prior to arrival, feel free to call or email me. My office hours are 8am - 4pm (at least) Eastern and my email address is cpo@hedonism.com. I would be happy to make that request official for you.

Funfortwo,
As for tipping...
Harry has stated on numerous occasions that tipping is not allowed. A recent email was circulated to Team Leaders reminding them to make sure all Staff is aware of the consequences. We want to make sure that all of our Staff are treated fairly and equally, not just the Team Members that are visible to the Guests. It takes each and everyone of our Staff members working together to make each trip a success. As others have stated, the Resort has a 'tipping' pool that is shared equally among all the employees based on the weekly occupancy. We know our Staff is second to none and we are grateful for each of them. If you know of a Staff member who goes above and beyond, be sure to give them a shout out on the comment card, through Live Chat on the Hedonism website, or on the Community. I assure you, it always gets back to Management, Supervisors, and the individual employee.

One Love,

[Peemoney]

Nice to see a staff member around!

[VFR]

Sorry for the delay in response.I wrote the thread the day before i left for work, it was a new location with limited internet access with a lot of sites being blocked and this one being one of them. Thanks for all the suggestions we will be arriving next Thursday, Excited and looking forward to it .

[El & L]

Great questions and great information. We will have our first trip in October. VFR I hope you do a post trip report. I would love to hear your feedback. I'm sure you will have a phenomenal time!