Newb questions

[BCB]

Hi everyone. We decided to take the plunge into Hedo. We've never done anything like this place before but figured it could be fun. We have a few questions

1: is it worth going with a group? We are thinking early October. There are groups like the sunny buns during our time frame. Or should we just book ourselves with whatever travel sight has the best deal?

2: club mobay and travel to and from. Is it worth paying for the upgrade both ways? Also what company do people use to transfer to and from the airport and hotel.

3: nude vs prude side rooms. We are on a pretty tight budget is it worth the extra couple hundred bucks to stay on the nude side or would that money be better spent on club mobay or transportation?

Thanks in advance

[Elviorion]

I have yet to be there, but am booked. I am also a research junkie, and always trying to get the best deal I can. Here is my take on what I’ve learned.

1. I booked on my own, but later joined up with a group and paid a little dues in the form of a donation. The prices any groups were able to get me were actually quite a bit higher than I was able to get on my own. Being with a group seems beneficial, especially as a newbie, socially more than financially.

2. I believe this wholly depends on time of visit. I did club Mobay just for the experience of it. We’ve never had a vacation, just the two of us, and so I splurged here. Regarding transport, private taxi is faster (usually) but you don’t get to “pre meet” people like you would on a bus. I went with Rocky’s as it was highly recommended.

3. Room doesn’t matter. If you’re in it much, you’re hedoing wrong. No room is far from the fun, save a couple bucks and go prude garden view.

[toohorny]

We have been to hedo almost 20 times....here are our thoughts.

1. We have found booking with a group is usually cheaper than booking with the resort. We have heard sites last me Expedia can be a bit cheaper, but we never did that. The thing we like about the group we book with is all the extras they have, cat cruises, meet and greets etc. keep in mind not all groups do these things.

2. Club mobay can be worth it. We flew in with friends that had it, we did not. We beat them thru customs and immigration. That was on a Friday. On the other hand one time on a Saturday it took almost 3hours to get through. Our opinion is if you arrive on the weekend it is worth it.
On the way back, if you want to shop at the airport it is not worth it, but if you were planning to grab a drink and something to eat it is a great deal. We have done club mobay a number of times and liked it.

3. We always book the cheapest room m available, our thoughts are save the money for an extra night or for next trip. Plus a little extra walking helps burn off a few calories. Lol

[ShyinOntario]

We've gone several times...

1. Shop around. The best price and the worst price options rent you the exact same room no matter who you rent it through. Generally the group rates are better, but it depends where you're travelling from. Being from Canada, the group rates can be higher for me... so we booked Air Canada last time. Being part of a group is great for your first trip because you can kick off some friendships before you get there... but I wouldn't say this benefit is worth more than a couple hundred dollars for the week.

2. Club MoBay is not worth it in our opinion. It may possibly save you some time on arrival, but it's very hit and miss. The consensus is that it's a nice to have, not a need to have... and it's generally a "nice if you have the money" type thing.

3. If money is a concern, go for the cheap rooms. They're nice and offer good value. We went for the prude garden view room on our last trip and found that we didn't miss being in the more expensive rooms.

[Habfan68]

I have yet to be there, but am booked. I am also a research junkie, and always trying to get the best deal I can. Here is my take on what I’ve learned.

1. I booked on my own, but later joined up with a group and paid a little dues in the form of a donation. The prices any groups were able to get me were actually quite a bit higher than I was able to get on my own. Being with a group seems beneficial, especially as a newbie, socially more than financially.

2. I believe this wholly depends on time of visit. I did club Mobay just for the experience of it. We’ve never had a vacation, just the two of us, and so I splurged here. Regarding transport, private taxi is faster (usually) but you don’t get to “pre meet” people like you would on a bus. I went with Rocky’s as it was highly recommended.

3. Room doesn’t matter. If you’re in it much, you’re hedoing wrong. No room is far from the fun, save a couple bucks and go prude garden view.

You are correct on all of your points.
We have never done Club Mobay on our 3 visits and had no problems getting thru customs, but timing is everything.
We booked on our own twice and with Topless Travel once. Had a great time all 3 trips. (Though I would HIGHLY recommend either booking with or at least when Topless Travel is there) And the rooms are all great, and nowhere is really too far from anything.
We have taken the bus and taxis - both were good. We really didn't pre-meet anyone on the bus as we were the only Hedo couple on it. Made for some interesting looks when we were the 1st ones off on the way there, and interesting questions as we were the last ones on on the way back lol

[swing4_us]

We have booked both ways, direct through resort and with a group. Group is better price in our opinion. We always go though club mobay because immigration and customs and be a long line. The group we book with always come with transfers. From what I hear October is a busy month

[sunandsea]

1. Yes, groups are fun and usually cheaper. Hang with the group as much or as little as you want. We have booked both ways.
2. Club MoBay is great on arrival when you really cant wait to get to the resort. (and yes, it is hit or miss with the crowds. You can check the incoming flight schedules to get a better idea) We sometimes use it if we are doing a private transfer (Rocky's for us. Always.) If your group provides bus transfers, you will be expedited out of the airport with MoBay, only to sit on a bus waiting for others. On the way home, we're in no hurry.
3. Prude side rooms = more nights with the savings.

Congrats on taking the plunge!

[LisasLovinLife]

Price compare and be sure to ask what is included in the rate. I use an agency that includes the airport transfers for free and has a military discount, etc. both for my own group and when I go as a single. Also ask, does the group have a website where you can get to know other peeps and/or their vibe before the trip (different weeks have different things going on). Things to consider. Groups give a group of peeps who know or quickly get to know you and many are sounding board peeps for questions. Not all of them are equal rates-wise, so that's why you should ask specifics.

I have setup a small FAQ page for my group, but it may also be useful for you here: https://sites.google.com/view/lovinlife/faqs

Keep asking questions, this board is a good one to get a variety of answers.


Lisa

[BCB]

Thanks for all the great advice. I think we'll try the sunny buns group in October!

[jeanie_hotpants]

Hi everyone. We decided to take the plunge into Hedo. We've never done anything like this place before but figured it could be fun. We have a few questions

1: is it worth going with a group? We are thinking early October. There are groups like the sunny buns during our time frame. Or should we just book ourselves with whatever travel sight has the best deal?

2: club mobay and travel to and from. Is it worth paying for the upgrade both ways? Also what company do people use to transfer to and from the airport and hotel.

3: nude vs prude side rooms. We are on a pretty tight budget is it worth the extra couple hundred bucks to stay on the nude side or would that money be better spent on club mobay or transportation?

Thanks in advance

1. Groups often have better rates and extras (transport to/from resort, private parties, swag bags, etc). They usually give you an opportunity to meet others in the group and make friends prior to going.

2. I've never done Club Mobay, but I've always breezed right through immigration and customs even when arriving on a Saturday. I usually do a bit of shopping and grab a bite at Margaritaville on my way back home. I've taken Rocky's for private transport and Sun Holiday for the charter bus. Had to wait a fair bit longer for the bus, but I suppose it just depends on whether you are the first one on and have to wait for it to fill up.

3. I've always booked gardenview prude. Got upgraded to gardenview nude for free a couple of times. I agree with saving the $ for more nights rather than a "better" room. I wouldn't go for less than 7 nights personally.

Enjoy your virgin trip!

[419RT]

I have been to Jamaica 3 times, Hedo twice, after waiting in the security line upon departure for two hours I will Mobay everytime. I like the nude side better personally however I can see the benefits of either side. I have always booked through the Hedo website and we have had fun and meet new people. Honestly I didn’t know about the groups at first and will probably look into this more the next time because there will definitely be a next time!

[D and C]

We've gone several times...

1. Shop around. The best price and the worst price options rent you the exact same room no matter who you rent it through. Generally the group rates are better, but it depends where you're travelling from. Being from Canada, the group rates can be higher for me... so we booked Air Canada last time. Being part of a group is great for your first trip because you can kick off some friendships before you get there... but I wouldn't say this benefit is worth more than a couple hundred dollars for the week.

2. Club MoBay is not worth it in our opinion. It may possibly save you some time on arrival, but it's very hit and miss. The consensus is that it's a nice to have, not a need to have... and it's generally a "nice if you have the money" type thing.

3. If money is a concern, go for the cheap rooms. They're nice and offer good value. We went for the prude garden view room on our last trip and found that we didn't miss being in the more expensive rooms.

Also being from Canada your answer mirrors our experience and recommendations exactly

[DFive]

Club Mobay is worth it on weekends or any other busy times.
And
Nude or Prude, kind of misleading- most people on the beach will be nude, and you probably won't spend much time in your room. Also the walk to the nude pool is about 5 min or so, not bad at all. Either side works for us.
We booked ourselves and arrived alone around lunch time. And we made friends by dinner - didn't have to eat a single dinner alone. People are extremely friendly, outgoing and non judgemental - so it makes for a unique and exhilarating environment where one can really, truly comfortably be themselves.

[ShawneeKat]

I’ve been 13 times and always with a group. Do research on the group before joining. We’re a bit laid back so a few super party groups aren’t the best choice for us. For our room we like ocean view prude/regular. In April we were the second to the last room by Sandals. Hubby had a sore knee that week and we still didn’t mind the trip across the property to the nude pool. That’s the best thing, Hedo’s a nice size so you’re never really too far. Except for a few super fancy and pricy rooms the inside of 5he rooms all look the same. Book a cheaper room and splurge on Club Mobay, Rocky’s taxi, or maybe a catamaran cruise, or a couples massage.

Club Mobay arrival depends on when you arrive. Early in the day on a week day it’s not as helpful. Weekends it’s a must! Great if you want to hang out in their lounge until friends arrive to share a ride to Hedo. It’s a silly little thing but I love the VIP treatment when I arrive. Makes me feel special. Always for departure for us. I like to have a bite to eat and a few rum punches and I sleep all the way to our destination. ☺️

Transportation to Hedo always Rocky’s. Awesome drivers, clean and safe cars. No stops unless you request. Last trip our driver stopped at a local grocery store for us so my hubby could get some bottles of Coca Cola. He doesn’t like the Pepsi at the resort. Got what we wanted and super cheap compared to the bottles in the Hedo gift shop. They also have lots of great stories to share during the ride.

[Desert Dwellers]

Just did our 10th trip to Hedo and our opinion:

Groups are a love/hate thing with us. Love the idea of seeing old friends, hate the soap opera/drama of "who are you banging THIS year...". Screw that! We book with a group for the group rate break but consider ourselves "nomads". In our experience there is almost no benefit to pre greasing the skids... Hedo lends itself to instant and spontaneous friendships, so we just like to roll with it as it comes.

Never done Club Mobay and never saw the need yet. Our last trip (3 weeks ago) saw us off the plane, through customs, and on the bus in about 20 minutes. This experience is highly dependant on your arrival time/date, however.

As for the best deals and transfers, we've used DennyP almost exclusively and frankly his prices and level of service can't be beat. We've tried. He generally offers free transfers and we use that. Last few years it's been JTL and we have no real complaints. There are slightly faster ways the the resort, but the value of the few extra minutes is up to you.