Hedo3 - Desire trip report & Comparison

[louden77]

Hedo III Trip Report

About Ourselves

Louise and I are a sixties couple who have extensive experience at Desire Cancun (6 visits) and other clothing optional properties. We spent our honeymoon at Hedo II thirty years ago and returned twice during the subsequent two years. Because of several poor experiences we opted not to return to Jamaica. Chief among these was a feeling of being unwelcome and a total indifference by the staff. More on this later.

Travel down.

We departed Ottawa, Friday the 6th June for a 10 day visit. We left at 8:00AM for Toronto then on to Mo Bay on Air Canada flights arranged by Hedo.. We arrived in Mo Bay a little early at about 1:00PM local.

Arrival in Mo Bay

Arriving a little early we proceeded fairly quickly through Immigration and Customs with our bags awaiting us at the carousel. We were greeted outside the Superclubs office, told to leave our bags outside the door and told to report to the desk. There we were told that our reservation was in order and that the shuttle would depart in about 15 minutes. In short order we were told to follow someone to the bus. Meanwhile, I observed a porter squash our bags (wheelies) under a pile of others. Of course for this great service and a 200 ft walk he expected a tip. There were 10 of us in the minibus who now waited over 20 minutes in an overheated bus (door and loading window open, so AC couldn't keep up) because we couldn't get a release from the dispatcher. After this delay another couple arrived and we finally departed.

Travel to resort took 1 hour and ten minutes over a recently improved road with one stop at Braco to drop off two couples.

Hedo Reception

Reception was efficient and we were soon established in room 334 of one of the Quad blocks (green trim). Despite having sent an e-mail the week before, and following up with a call the day before requesting a fridge for medical reasons I was required to pay $5/day immediately. It required 3 visits to front desk and Guest relations before the fridge finally arrived about noon the next day. I was offered a $5 credit for the delay.
We were very impressed with the cleanliness of the room and general appearance. With the exception of often low water pressure and lack of the usual complimentary amenities the room was OK. After realizing the benefits of a poolside room we attempted to get a room change. Despite the resort only being at less than 50% capacity we were told that because of a Quad takeover in 6 days time we could not get a poolside room.

Hedo has a satisfaction guarantee. If you report a problem they can’t fix within 24 hours of your arrival they will give you credit for a future visit. Unfortunately the problems we discovered were beyond this limit and they weren’t significant enough to pursue without cutting into our other activities.

The Property – General

The property is at least twice the size of Desire. The grounds are lush and well cared for. Because of the design of the complex it is easy to get about from area to area. One very positive aspect of the resort is the abundance of loungers in all areas and most importantly the large number of closed cell lounge pads/floaters available. No more lugging your own cheap air mattresses or relying on those left behind by previous guest like the case at Desire. The main pool area (prude) adjacent the dining rooms is very large and irregular. Different staff members told us that topless was permitted but then others said no. Louise was topless there once and tried to get a drink at the adjacent bar but was generally ignored. She was made to feel uncomfortable. Strange thing is that the water slide is part of this pool and you can use it nude until 5:00PM and then after 11:00PM. There is a little used hot tub above this pool on the stairway up to the Disco.

The three pools are large and irregular and are difficult to keep clean. There was considerable debris on the bottom that no amount of vacuuming seems to clean. This was particularly true of the Quad pool after the construction. Saturday night (14th) we had a severe thunderstorm, which left the nude pool, covered in leaves twigs and vegetable debris. Within 4 hours it was all cleaned up. Quite remarkable effort.

Security is noticeable throughout the resort. Daytime guards were frequently female and wore white shirts. Nighttime guards were often men dressed in black. In our opinion they are too noticeable and I felt that on occasion they were lurking. There are several suspended beds throughout the property in addition to some hammocks. Two of these beds are at the end to the nude area adjacent to the sauna and steam room. There is a small shelter nearby where a “guardâ€

[Ron]

Great trip report. Appreciate it. Starting to get the Hedo itch again. It's been over 5 years since I've been there and maybe I'll give it another go providing they addressed the hot water issue.

[tikihutguy]

Just returned from Desire 8/10/08 and they DO have the watersports back: hobie cat, 2 sailfish and 2 sea kayaks