About us: we are 8x TTR veterans, 4 pre renovations, 4 post. We have gone 2x a year each year. This year, due to family commitments, we couldn't go during our normal 1st-2nd week of February, and thought to ourselves, well, let's do something totally different. There is not a way to directly compare/contrast the 2 locations, for many reasons. We just thought we'd describe the pros and cons instead. Arrival: It's an hour and a half ride by private transfer from Montego Bay to Negril. Our driver, with a sign in hand, met us outside the airport, gave us a few Red Stripes, and we were on our way. Never having been to Jamaica, he was more than happy to give us a lot of information, making the time fly by. When we arrived, we each got a glass of champagne, were checked in quickly, and were taken to our room. Rooms: There are 280 rooms there. The layout at Hedo is expansive, maybe twice as far as from the Quiet Pool to the Garden View Rooms. The structures are all 2 story buildings, and provide either a beach or garden view. There is a "nude" side, and a "prude (clothing optional)" side of the resort. More on that later. (We had a "prude garden view"). On the outside, the facilities are in a similar state of repair as TTR was before the renovation. Inside, the rooms were larger, had more storage, and the A/C was so phenomenal that we actually turned the heat on a couple of times. The TV had multiple porn channels at no extra charge. Restaurants: There is a main (buffet style) dining area, which is the only place you can get breakfast. You can also get lunch and dinner there. For "fine dining", there was a Hibachi/sushi restaurant, (no reservation required, but only at certain times), and an Italian restaurant. Aside from that, there was a grill at the main pool, and another at the nude pool, (burgers, salads, pizza - the go to food after the night is over). At night, the prude grill turned into a steakhouse. We did not like the food in the buffet, at all. The hibachi (we ate there twice) was OK, but the cooks at Sutra were far more entertaining than the ones there. The Italian food was our favorite, (we ate there 3 times), and we think it was better than Romanza. We did not try the steakhouse (also called Flame), but did not hear good reviews from others. Dress is VERY casual in any of the restaurants. I can't say that there was a dress code... Flip flops, theme wear, sheer clothing, next to nothing, swimsuits/shorts, tank tops - you name it, that's what dominated all restaurants. While a decent number (less than half) of men wore nice shorts, very few wore pants. Ladies did dress sexy, but not nearly as many as at TTR. The wait staff at all of these places were extremely pleasant and friendly. Pools: There are pools and hot tubs scattered throughout the property. Most are not in the best state of repair - they have jagged edges, uneven tiling, you have to be careful walking around the surfaces in and around the pools. We both have several scrapes. At any given point in time, there are at least one or two pools and a hot tub open. The 2 biggest pools, the main pool (clothing optional), and the nude pool) are where people mainly spend the day. There are activities at each, and while the Entertainment Crew are fun, and high energy, they are not a match for the Playmakers. Bonus: If you participate in their pool games, you earn "Hedo bucks", which you can use at the gift shops, wine store, or just put towards your room charges. Bars: There are 7 bars there, and we NEVER had to wait more than a minute for a drink. The bartenders rival the ones at TTR, with their great attitudes. They make the drinks strong, and have top shelf alcohol available to everyone. They make bunches of shots, pour Fireball, you name it. The only beer available is Red Stripe. Catamaran Cruise: They have a Tuesday Morning and Thursday afternoon catamaran trips (3 hours each, clothing optional). We went on both. ($60 pp if you go on one, $40 pp if you go on a second). The Tuesday trip takes you snorkeling, and then to some caves you can swim through. The afternoon (sunset) cruise takes you to Ricks Cafe - a big tourist spot, where you can eat, drink (at your own cost), and watch cliff divers. There is an open bar on the boat, which you have to walk to, and there is no person to "get the party going" (ie Chinos, Sara, Omar). They have a DJ that plays music, and you just sail along. Tipping: Tipping is forbidden at Hedo. Seriously. If the employees get caught with money, they will lose their very good paying job. I saw a couple of people trying to palm money to the staff, and it was generally refused. Night time entertainment: Immediately after dinner, there is a show at the stage on the main dining area. The shows go on for nearly an hour, and are top notch. After that, the entertainment can be hard to chase down some times, as you have options. They have a schedule, but some days it is on the beach, or at the nude pool, the main pool, the night club, and some days, it moves around. The piano bar is open every night. There is karaoke. They have a foam party on Thursday nights, in an inflatable pool they just put on the grass. You cannot say there is not something for your taste, but there might not be a lot of people there. Afterwards, people tend to head to the nude pool area to finish out their night with some drinks, pool time, and get a pizza. Theme nights: We like theme nights, and participated in all of them. They are similar to TTR, but you can be generally as naked as you'd like. Also similar to TTR, there are groups that go there, and they have their own themes. Participation was always very high. Music: A variety of music was played throughout the day and night at various locations. A group took over the DJ booth a few of the afternoons. Different music abounded the resort. I can't imagine anyone complaining about the music there. Prude vs Nude side: The prude side is clothing optional. The rules for the nude side are that if you are walking (not gawking), no big deal if you are wearing something, but you need to be 100% nude to get in the water, or even grab a slice of pizza. This is strictly enforced. There are a lot of chairs around the pool, and little cubbies on one side where you can put your bag. (No one messes with your stuff). At the nude pool, nudity seemed to be the great equalizer, and just like after your first hour at TTR, you quit noticing the nudity (or boobs, in the case of TTR), and just talk to people. PDA: It's allowed, in all forms, and you will see lots of it. I'm not going to go further than that. There are also public and private play areas. Summary: I think that about wraps it up. We spent 8 nights there, and we had a really great time. We can't say that it was better or worse than TTR, it was different. The things that people complain about most in this forum (whether or not we agree) are: lame, repetitive music; too stringent dress codes at dining facilities; no pools/hot tubs open at night; no areas to "play"; top shelf alcohol not available... Well, all of those are at Hedo. Does it make it better? No. Just different, and fun in it's own way. Some things at TTR are superior, and the same is true for Hedo. Will we come back to TTR? Yes. Will we try and go back to Hedo? Yes. Hit us up here or via PM if you have questions. We're happy to answer them.
Thanks for the review- just curious - who did you book through - We typically use one of the big travel sites (expedia) but it looks like they have stopped allowing reservations ? every date shows booked ?
Great comparison. Still going to TTR every year but have looked at Hedo as a change of pace for 2nd trip each year. We'll either do that next year or Desire Miches DR (if it ever opens) since supposedly Desire and TTR are being built next door to each other and Desire guests will be able to use both. Miss you guys!
Unfortunately, we were booked with couplestravel.uk, and that was a hot mess. In the end, it worked out, but it was a nail biter. We will be researching more in the future. Expedia etc are having a dispute with the resort, and the resort is no longer taking reservations from Expedia or its partner companies. So, they’re not likely sold out, but can’t offer you a room. Check the Hedo website for availability, and go from there.
Great review. I liked the comparison aspect with TTR. I have read a lot from others on this and your review puts it into perspective. Thanks for taking the time to write and post it.
@Al_n_Kristie Nice review! So glad you had a better time than we did. We are TTR/Desire addicts but wanted to try Hedo. We had an OK time. It was definitely much better with a group and was absolutely boring without one. We didn't go with a group but there were groups there duing the first 3 or 4 days of our stay. We actually found some staff members to be rude and indifferent, but others were very pleasant. I wrote about it here. We may consider trying it again (with a group) if rates and flights are low enough to justify it.
