Let me start by stating our prejudice. HEDO is our favorite place in the world. We are not Lifestylers, yet this was our 11th trip since 2008. We were there April 8 – 15. There were 2 groups that week. Dirty Pervs and Tabu. Pricing was the same, so we booked through the Dirty Pervs. All went smoothly. We did not participate in any group activities, so can’t address that..

Room. We were in “H Block,” garden view nude. Room was fine, clean comfortable. It had gone through upgrade phase 1 (paint, mattress, flat screen). Water was too hot one evening, but by the next afternoon all was resolved. Housekeeping as always was excellent. We were told by Harry’s Brother and his wife that all rooms were in line for another refurbishment, to include the showers, new furniture, and reconfigured shower door to make the bathroom usable space greater.

Food. We decided in advance that we were going to eat dinner at the a la carte restaurants as much as possible. To our surprise we did not have a wait at any of the 3 except one night we showed up at Harry San late and all places were taken (hence we did the buffet). We ate at Pastafari twice. The first night my wife got pasta bologna and I had the lamb chops. Both were very good. I had ordered the filet, but no big deal, we’re on vacation! The 2nd night I had the chicken carbonara. It was only OK, but it’s a hard dish to excel at, and was as good as some I’ve eaten in Italy. For dessert, don’t miss the crème Brule. Service was very good.

We also ate dinner twice at the Chop House. Nancy had the filet one night and pulled pork the 2nd, both were excellent. I enjoyed the flank steak so much I had it both nights! The parmesan potato wedges are also excellent; though better the first night because they were crisper. Desserts are OK, service was very good.

Our dinner at Harry San was good. Chef was fairly entertaining. Food was fine for the hibachi style. Wine service was slow.

Buffet. It certainly is better than in the Superclubs days. However it continues to disappoint. Our first stop was at 9 pm when Harry San had too long of a wait. I realize it started at 7, but at 9 PM there is a a full 1/3 of the dinner period to go. If the buffet is to go until 10 PM, the food should be good until then. The suckling pig looked pretty pitiful but appeared the best choice. The nice serving of fat I was given was disgusting. Coupled with some chicken that had been in the warmer too long, it was a sad dinner. The high point was the peas. Friday night all restaurants are closed so we of course did the buffet. Dry jerk chicken, a turkey that the very nice girl seemed to have no idea how to carve had some decent dark meat was accompanied by cold “O’Brian” potatoes (shouldn’t they be warm, crispy and seasoned?) and other tired offerings. The tempura chicken and vegetables were both excellent (tempura + salad and roll next time).

Buffet for lunch has been disappointing each time I have ever tried it. This visit featured WAY OVERCOOKED and dry grilled pork chops and chicken. Mac and cheese was OK, salad spread was good.

Buffet for breakfast is uniformly excellent! Nancy especially likes the superior fruit selections. Eggs cooked to order are always good. Pancakes and waffles, however, don’t do well on a steam table.

Service at the buffets was the best I can remember. Some evenings in the past it was an effort getting my wine glass refilled, but not this year.

Lunch. We ate 6 days at our favorite, the nude grill (fna the Scotch Bonnet). It’s a bit of a walk, but peaceful and relaxing. Service was excellent when Arianna was there, just OK the 2 days she wasn’t. The food is fresh and we’ll made. Jerk chicken moist, the fish sandwich was juicy and delicious, as was the grilled jerk chicken and cheese sandwich. And the fries! We speak of them often at home …… extra crispy and delicious. We are addicted!
We didn’t eat at the nude grill, but liked the idea of the seating area.

Drinks. The nude bar seemed less crowded than previous trips. Faster bartenders? Not sure, but service was faster that prior visits. Much is made about “top shelf” liquor. That’s fine, but why is a better glass of wine an additional cost at the “wine bar?

Entertainment. Winston continues to do a marvelous job with the nightly shows. Our favorite is always his performance Friday nights. Whoever had the idea to have the Roots Explosion Band play after for dancing should get a bonus.

The situation with Deon from the piano bar is very saddening. We understand he is walking, and wish him a full recovery. The variety of activities replacing the every night piano bar worked well. Young Ashiel did well, and of course we had Stephanie who is always terrific. The karaoke night even was well attended. The Friday night concert featuring Stephanie is a great idea. She deserves it and is a pleasure to hear. Just a note, if the dance floor is empty (as it was mostly this Friday as she sang) you are singing the wrong material. Maybe mix the genres instead of all reggae.

The playroom is fun and we understand there will soon be a 24/7 playroom in the old squash courts. Why wait until 10:30? Considering the percentage of 50+ (and 60+) that aren’t stay up late types (like us) an earlier start is a great idea.

POOL AND HOTTUB. We are beach people so only visit to refill drinks and go to the hot tub late afternoon. Most days that the music in the afternoon was really loud and obnoxious. Do the groups really have to control the atmosphere of the resort? The incessant THUMP, THUMP, THUMP was even too loud way over near the pier. Who makes those choices? Shouldn’t the EC’s regulate the volume? A couple of afternoons someone actually played some familiar songs ( probably a mistake). By the way, do we really need a pool party every day?

I have read past reviews wherein people felt the staff was sometimes unfriendly. I can only think those are the type people that are never happy, or need there butts kissed all the time. The staff could not be friendlier or more helpful. Harry and Kevin have clearly created a culture that attracts and nurtures that wonderful staff attitude. Congratulations to all!

For a couple of years the practice of picking up bags for departing guests was discontinued. It has been started again, and is much appreciated.

The gym is excellent. Nancy also really liked the power walk at 8 AM.

In various venues we have read people’s opinions regarding the price increases the past few years. It seems to me that prices have risen about 30% since we started coming in 2008. Considering the improvements that is quite small. To the complainers, Ownership takes no profits out, but rather plows any back in to improve things, so stop whining, you have to pay to play.
All in all, another terrific week at the funnest place on earth.