Trip number 3 is in the books. And I am going to spoil the punch-line and tell you right now…it was the best trip yet.
We do not often have the luxury of planning a trip months in advance. We wish we could because one of the best things about a Hedo trip is counting down the days, planning, and dreaming about that moment when we are walking off the bus, and into the Hedo lobby. The count down and anticipation is so fun! We can literally discuss every aspect, every movement, every expectation, of a Hedo holiday for weeks. But for us, this trip was booked on a Monday, and we traveled on Saturday morning. There was not much anticipation those four days before. They were just a blur of travel preparation.
I booked this trip as the others, through DennyP. I have always received good service with Denny. We travel a lot, and I always book all our travel. Hotels, air travel, cars; I take care of it. I have this thought that if I book directly with the service providers, I will have less “issues”. And my system has worked good for me. But for Hedo I use DennyP. Booking Hedo through any of the groups or travel agents is the best way to go. If you are considering Hedo, use an agent.
Our Saturday flight left Beijing at 10:10am, scheduled to arrive in Chicago at the same time, same day, and 13 hours later. But we had an issue. As we were flying over the Bering Straits, the cabin crew broke the silence of the darkened cabin and asked if there were any medical personnel onboard. Now believe it or not, this is not uncommon. In the last year, I have been on two flights that have had the same request.
We flew for another 4 hours, when this time the pilot broke silence and announced that do to a medical emergency we would be landing in Winnipeg, and that we would be on the ground in 20 minutes. I have had some unique experiences while flying, but I have never been at 39,000 feet, and been on the ground in 20 minutes. It was like we fell out of the sky. Honestly, it was crazy. But we landed in 20 minutes. Maybe a bit less.
We heard after we landed that there was an elderly person who while sightseeing in Beijing, had fallen and hit their head on the pavement. They had gone to the hospital in Beijing for a concussion, but had wanted to get back to the States for proper medical treatment. The pressure in the plane was causing brain swelling that had become dangerous. So understandable.
After landing, the ill passenger was taken off the plane quickly, but we had to wait for re-fueling and a new flight plan before taking off. This took 3 hours and yes, sitting on the ground 12 hours into a 13 hour flight is a kick in the crotch. Once airborne, we were a short 90 minute flight into Chicago. And you know what? After taking off again they have to play the safety video and the airline advantage advertisement all over again. Such a beating.
We laid-over the night in Chicago to see relatives. Left Sunday afternoon for a few days in Dallas to see some family, do some work, work on getting over jetlag, and shop for sexy Hedo outfits.
I have issues with Jetlag. Qian, less so. The time difference is 13 hours, and it takes about a day to adjust for every hour of jetlag. I like to be in the State for at least a week before heading to Hedo, to get partially adjusted.
You might think Jetlag would be good for Hedo; sleep all day, up all night. But it isn’t. It is very hard on your body. It hurts when you feel like it is 3am and the sun is shining bright, or wide awake at 4am. You are hungry for dinner at breakfast time. You are not hungry for dinner. It is a very bad feeling. So we do a week in the States before.
On Friday March 30th we flew non-stop Dallas to Montego Bay! Still not quite in vacation mode, but doing our best. It was all just to quick. The flight was on time, arriving about 2pm.
On the plane we were given customs forms to fill out. We were told on the plane that one form per family. Qian and I both filled out a form, as we are not married...yet. We were sitting in first class, and we were the first off the plane, and walked quickly to immigration. Quite a long walk. And we kept commenting that we saw no one else in the airport. I mean, no one. Like some strange apocalypse movie. As we approached the customs hall, there was a security lady asking if we had each filled out a form. We said yes, and were allowed to go. But the people walking behind us had only filled out one form as instructed on the plane. This held up everyone on our plane, as they all had to fill out additional forms.
When we finally did get to immigration, we had to do the health check. Not because we live in China this time, but because we had been to Singapore two weeks earlier. Even with the health-check time, no one from our plane had yet walked into the hall. We were through immigration in the blink of an eye.
Sun Holiday took us to the resort. We used Sun Holiday on our first trip, and quite like them. Not sure why. They just do a good job. Two other couples on our bus; a young couple, and an attractive mature couple. We all said hi to each other, but did not speak after that. About 15 minutes into the ride the skies turned dark, and the rain started. Hard rain. Between the rain and jetlag, we were just not in the talking mood. We just chilled out and watched the wet landscape pass by. I think the other couples felt the same.
We enjoy the bus ride to the resort. We look forward to it. It feels like the travel is almost over and we can finally start to relax. When the driver closes the door and asks if we are all ready to go, we feel like we are in good hands. We like the drive also. We like to look at the people and the buildings. It is a really beautiful drive.
Ninety minutes after leaving the airport we arrived at Hedo in pouring rain; about 5pm. We are not sure what it is about us but on all three trips, our check-in has never been smooth. I am not complaining. It has always worked out fine. But we always hear how after five minutes everyone is checked-in, and that has never happened with us. How long did we wait? 35 minutes. Maybe a bit more. At one point I was joking with the person at the desk that I thought the lobby would be a great room….as I lay across the sofa. It was good natured teasing and they knew it. A bellman finally came with our key and because of the heavy rain, we all climbed into the truck that delivers baggage for a ride to the room. You can fit three people in the cab, just.
When arrived to our ocean view nude room, we found all the furniture pulled away from the walls. Turns out the room had just been treated for ants, and still had a smell. The doorman called the front desk, and then went back to the desk to get us another room. We waited in the ant-room another 30 minutes. Just looking out the window at the now dark beach. Watching the rain. Waiting for the bellman to return. Not a bad place to be at all. Felt like we were in a dream. Jetlag had something to do with that feeling.
And the dream got better, because our new second floor room was a premium room with a balcony. It took an hour, but we had huge smiles on our faces. I actually asked the bellman if this was our room for our entire 12 day stay. I was in complete disbelief. He smiled at us and apologized for everything.
I need to write a bit about the room. On our first two trips, we stayed in garden view nude rooms, and we like those rooms. A lot. Coming from China, the Hedo rooms are not that bad. The bathroom in our apartment is not much bigger than a Hedo bathroom. That is our reference point. So the premium room to us is luxury! I have read some nit-picking of the design of these rooms. Just stop it. The premium rooms are fantastic.
I guess the biggest comment on the design of the premium rooms I have read is that the toilet is visible through the glass walls. Qian and I do not practice the ‘open-door policy’ at home, and after walking into the room this was the first thing I looked at. You know what? It is not bad at all. If someone is sitting on the toilet you can see the person’s knees and feet, IF you bend over and look under the frosted glass. That is all you can see. If however, you are doing anything else in the room (like sitting on the bed, watching porn and playing with yourself…for example), you will never see a thing.
The premium room’s bathroom might be its best feature. The shower is big. There are double sinks and plenty of counter space. The sliding glass door does not take any room, and when left open makes moving about the room effortless. Especially in the evening when getting dressed for dinner.
I will say; as much as we liked the premium room, it did not influence the quality of our trip at all. We would have had just as nice a trip in one of the regular rooms. Is it worth the cost? I don’t know. Probably not for us. But again, our perspective is wack.
What would be worth the extra cost for us was the patio. The patio absolutely, positively, influenced our holiday. The patio was a game-changer for us. The patio is an extra room. We used it to lounge, to watch people, to smoke a bit of herb, to dry wet clothes. We kept shoes on the patio. We had sex on the patio. We were actually hoping it might rain one day, so we could sit on the patio and watch the rain (it never did rain).
Our patio room was on the 2nd floor and, I am sure many people will disagree with us, we think the second floor balcony is better than the ground floor. It is more private than the ground floor, but you can still say hi to people walking by….if you want. We felt we could leave our belongings on the patio and not have people walk-off with them. The patio essentially doubled the size of the hotel room, and gave us our own outdoor vantage point. We will always do patio rooms in the future. On this, I am sure.
So, having the room sorted finally, what seemed like a week of travel finished, jetlag under control (mostly), we causally took showers and dressed for dinner. Rock Star night was perfect for our first night. Jeans and a t-shirt for me. Jean shorts, and an Affliction shirt for Qian. Walked up to the dining room for the first drink and meal of the trip. And it was the best meal I have ever had in my life. Just was.
We are not foodies, but like most people we enjoy a good meal with good atmosphere. And in the same way one of the best meals in my life was sushi at Nobu in London, I have had an equally good meal that was a peanut butter sandwich while hiking in the Adirondack mountains. The food and the envirnment need to come together to create an occasion. And in this way, Hedo food is quite exceptional. And yes, best meal ever.
As we enjoyed the magic of our first night at Hedo, we watched the show. The rock star show is one of the best. Winston is always up for this show and the crowd is egger to participate.
Friday night they moved the piano bar entertainment to the courtyard. There was a big stage constructed and large speakers to deliver the sound. This was new for us and I have to say, we liked it. We have never been piano bar fans. Mostly because we do not like being inside a crowded room on a beautiful Jamaican night. We get lots of inside crowded rooms in China. Dancing in the courtyard is so nice. People standing around watching. And if you wanted to have quieter conversations you could easily wander into the Piano Bar, or walk over to the main pool deck. Always lots of people hanging out on the main pool deck socializing.
The other event held in the courtyard this trip was the foam party, and this was not as successful. I mean, for us it was fine. We did not want to go in the foam any ways. So for us, we actually liked watching the people frolic around in the big foam bounce-house. But for those people that wanted the foam-party experience, I am not sure they got it. But I would suspect that an unsuccessful foam party ruined very few Hedo vacations.
This was our third trip to Hedo, and each trip there is more and more activity in the courtyard and on the main pool deck. Three nights a week on this trip, there were Hedo dance party events outside; The foam party, the Friday piano bar dance party, and the glow-night party on the main pool deck. And often there is a group in attendance that holds a party on the main pool deck. I know some people have mixed feelings about night activities and have specific opinions on how they should happen. We are not those people. We have fun no matter the venue. And in Hedo, you can always find something that suits you.
The resort was not busy our first week. As an example, one night for dinner we decided to sit at one of the 10 person tables. We arrived early for dinner and thought it would be a good way to meet people to sit at the big table. In the end, we sat alone the entire night and through the show. Looking around the dining hall, I would had said the resort was about 25% full. But attendance at the other restaurants may have grossed that number up to, say 50% full…tops.
Last October when we were at Hedo and there were five groups in attendance, and the resort was full. So this was a different vibe to the resort. And you know what? It was just as great. Yes, different, but did not lack in any way. We made friends, drank, smoked, danced, and had sex, just as much. Sun was just as bright, water just as blue. If anything, we may have liked the resort a bit quieter. We are getting old, so the chance to sit back and slowdown is more and more appealing. And that can be harder to do with more people.
With fewer people at the resort came many advantages. There were plenty of lounge chairs on the beach, and people seemed to go out of their way not to horde the blue floats. Maybe this is the key thing about being at Hedo when it is not full; people do not seem to stakeout beach and pool property for the week with signs and towels, people do not seem to arrive at the dining room a 6pm to claim tables they want while the tables remain empty until 9pm. Maybe a little bit, people are more considerate when the house is not full. Do not flame me for this observation. But on this trip we saw more people offer beach lounge chairs to other people who needed shade when they didn’t. They actually said ‘please take our place, there is shade here, we can move’. We saw people give up their place in line at restaurants, to people who were anxious to sit and eat sooner. I don’t know, there was just more….curtesy. And it felt good.
But the resort was empty. So empty that we booked the Tuesday nude catamaran cruise and it did not sail because there needs to be seven couples signed up. And there wasn’t. And that sucked, because I was going to ask Qian to marry me on that cruise.
The cruise is a special thing for us. Maybe me more than her. I am not going to go into the reason, but know that was my plan. The cancellation significantly threw me for a loop. I had to go to plan B. But there was no plan B.
We are on the record that we like the food at Hedo. All of it. We ate at Harry Sans three times. Bought some of the sushi for sale. Wanted to try it, and it was good. Flame serves a nice steak meal. Not Morten’s, but nice. Pastafari is Pastafari, which means it is consistently good. And the buffet is easy and good. I like the curry dishes. Qian is a shrimp and salad girl. Wait staff were always on hand to fill a drink, or collect dirty dishes. Very good service everywhere.
And by good service everywhere I mean, everywhere. We are pretty self sufficient people. We do not demand a lot of attention. Don’t really want it. But staff were always asking if we were having a good time, and if we needed anything. Exceptional service.
Our daily routine picked up right were we left off in October. Up at 7am, gym, breakfast and check email. Walk over to the gift shop to buy diet coke. I am a diet coke-aholic and I like to have the plastic bottles for the screw tops; they do not spill and I can toss them in a bag. Back to the room about 10am to shower and apply sun block. Smoke a bit of herb. Go to the beach. Lunch at nude grill. Love the burgers there. Spend a bit of time in the nude pool, before going back to the beach. Maybe lay at the beach until 3pm, and move to the nude pool.
Most afternoons a group would have a party in the nude pool around 1 or 2pm. These parties might last a couple of hours. Sometimes we watched the events, but mostly we listened from the beach. Never at all felt like we were being excluded. It was our choice to stay away. We just preferred the more chilled-out times at the nude pool. And for us, those times were later in the afternoon.
Once the sun turned to shade, we would move from the pool to the hot tub, and back to the room about 6pm. Dress for dinner. Up to the dining room about 7pm for a pre-dinner drink.
During our stay we met some great people and we started to meet them in the piano bar before dinner for our drink. This became a nice way for our evening to begin. Dinner was early for us. Before 8pm most nights. Watched some of the shows. We like the shows.
After dinner we would find something to do. We never went to dinner with evening plans. As a couple, we do not like to have plans. We both like to dance, so we would always gravitate to the music. Trouble is, we like pretty specific music. But even so, we found something to dance to most nights. When not dancing, we would sit and talk with people, or walk between the main pool deck, court yard, and piano bar. Just checking out the action.
We did discover the playroom this trip. And we love the playroom. I think we went 4 or 5 times. We have read the comments about needing some music in the playroom and on this, we feel about the same as everything else. Was fine without music, but would had been nice with music also. When it is quiet you can hear the other people playing, which can be very hot. That is good. But, yes, sometimes it seems uncomfortably quiet. I think either way it would be ok.
The playroom is as romantic, exotic, or adventurous as you want to make it. The plunge pools are great for cooling down, or playing. There are private areas, exhibition areas, group areas, and a large area in the open air under the stars. Which is right where we want to be when we are in Jamaica. I am not sure the playroom is open when it is raining, but I can imagine it would be awesome if it were. There are areas under cover, and in a big rainstorm the playroom might be the best place on the resort.
I think we went to the hot tub 3 times. We like the hot tub and find it very erotic. And we are not alone. The hot tub was always well attended. More so than the playroom. But here is the thing…the play room is a more comfortable place to have sex. I know the Hedo hot tub is legendary, and more occupied. And it is more outside and public which, lets face it, makes it feel more naughty. But maybe it is just my ‘technique’, but having sex on the lounge chairs or in the hot tub is not as comfortable, and a bit more physically demanding, than the mattresses and lounge chairs in the playroom. Or maybe I am just getting old.
If you did the math, our nights at the playroom and hot tub do not add up to our 12 nights at Hedo. Most of our nights were early by Hedo standards. I think midnight was our typical bed time. We had one 2am night, and several 1am nights. But we also had a 9pm night. We will blame that one on jetlag. But even the 9pm night set us up for a fantastic next morning, and an energy that carried on the entire day. You want to party hard? Go to bed one night at 9pm. Guarantee the next day is off-the-hook.
We took advantage of the snorkeling boat several times. Qian just learned how to swim last year. She is still a bit intimidated in deep water, but she does great. We snorkel most days. We swim together and I hold her hand. Makes her feel safer. Makes me feel safer. We take bread to feed the fish, and the fish will swarm around Qian. We love the fish.
More than our last two trips, this trip we felt and appreciated the variety at Hedo. Three different sit-down restaurants and a buffet. Playroom and hot tub. Piano bar, disco, main pool deck. And that is even before nude and prude, beach and pools, alcohol or herb, alone or in a crowd. At Hedo, if you are not comfortable or happy where you are, there are options.
We found ourselves alone in special times throughout the trip. Quite unexpectedly there are just moments at Hedo when you look at each other, like it is the first time. Or find yourselves in a conversation about nothing in particular, but that will certainly influence the rest of your lives. This happens at Hedo, and I think it is not talked about enough.
When you are partying, and crazy, and drinking, and dancing all day, and then all of the sudden you are just…together. This is what is truly special about Hedo. We would talk for hours about the past and the future, our dreams, and silly stuff. You can be alone at Hedo in very beautiful places. This is Hedo’s biggest secret; Hedo is a place for romantics who want to spend time together.
And there are places to be alone together at Hedo. Hammocks, gardens, pools, beaches, and if you have been up-graded to a premium room with a balcony…a balcony. You can spend lots of time in all these places, alone. Together. We did.
We left on a Wednesday. Sun Holiday picked us up at 8am, nice and early. We hate goodbyes, so the early departure was good. Really hard to leave. Walking up to the lobby, you kind of look around the resort with some intensity, trying to burn the memories into your brain one last time. Wondering when you will be back. We walked quickly, and got on the bus.
The airport was empty and we made it to the gate with an hour to spare. Flight left on time, back to Dallas for two days. Left for Beijing at 10am Saturday morning, and arrived in Beijing 2pm Sunday afternoon. 15 hours of non-stop fun. Quite unexpectedly we arrived back to a Beijing that had turned to spring. It was lovely, for Beijing. We arrive home by 3:30pm, went to the grocery store, and for a walk. Took two weeks to get over jetlag completely.
We had been gone for three weeks. For us, that is a long time to be away. It is a long way to travel. The flights are tough on the body. The jetlag is tough on the body. Hedo is tough on the body. So is it worth it? Yep. It is. And we will be back.
If you have never been to Hedo and you are considering Hedo as a vacation option; please go. It is not life changingly special for everyone, but you know what? It is more life changing for more people than any other resort you might be considering. So your chances are considerably better at Hedo. Is it perfect? Not even close, and this is reflected in many of the social media conversations. Hedo is a strange kind of place that people take so personally, make it such a part of themselves, that criticisms can sometimes be over-blown. One thing is an absolute truth; there is no doubt, life would just not be quite as fun without Hedo, or the people that go there. So you should go.
One more thing; We took the catamaran cruse the Tuesday before we left and I purposed to Qian. I waited the entire week. Kind of stupid I know, but I panicked. There were not many people on the boat. I think we just had the 7 couples required. I asked her at the back of the boat. So few people on the boat, no one was paying attention to us. We just had our time together, alone, on the boat. It was perfect. And Qian said ‘yes’.
David & Qian
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