One of the main differences you notice is when you arrive. The lobby is quite large, and seems more like the lobby of a really nice hotel. The staff has finally gotten the hang of checking guests in and out, so it took only about 15 minutes. Since we arrived fairly early in the day, our rooms were not quite ready. When this happens, head over to the dining room or the bar to start your vacation. Your bags will wait for you.

ROOMS
Most of our group were in Poolview, which are the rooms surrounding the quad pool. I was in Oceanfront Main, which doesn't really look out at the Ocean. Instead, I had a great view of the Scotch Bonnet restaurant!

Everything seemed to be in good working order, except for the drain in the tub. This seems to be a common complaint, regardless of which room or which resort one visits. The only other complaint was I never had soap (the dispenser was empty), and the maid stole the bar I brought with me.

DINING
Breakfast was pretty much the same each day - eggs, bacon, sausage, omelets, fruits and breads. Lunch had a variety of hot entrees and cold meats, in addition to the salad and fruit bars. Dinner had everything imagineable -- lamb, beef, pork, chicken and seafood. The only thing lacking was lobster; instead, there was crawfish as a replacement. The midnight snack varied from sandwiches to pizza, in addition to lots of sweets.

The service was pretty slow at Pastafari, the Italian restaurant. However, the wait was worth it! An antipasto bar and salad bar come with every meal, and then you get a choice of soup and entree. There are quite a few entree selections, so we ate there a couple of times during our stay.

We ate at the Scotch Bonnet a couple of times. This restaurant offers Jamaican and American foods. The hamburgers are really lacking, and the ketchup is terrible! (bring your own if you want it with fries!). However, the jerk dishes were great, and the service was really good. This is a great place to hang out, watch the waves, and visit with your friends.

The Saturday night Gala on the pool deck was fabulous! The chefs and staff go all out to prepare their best. A sampling of foods included: whole roast pig, grilled crawfish, lamb, roast beef, a huge appetizer bar, a salad bar, and more desserts than can be imagined!

THE JAMAICA JAM
This year's jam was amazing! The bands played twice each day; once during the lunch hour, and again right before the main evening entertainment. Several guests from the resort joined in the afternoon jams. One was Eric -- known as the "Hedo Bluesman". His claim to fame is a song he wrote called "The Hedonism Blues", which he performed during the Thursday night talent show. Other jammers included Steve from Arkansas on guitar, and another guy (who's name I don't remember) who played drums.

Denton, the drummer from Hedo 2, and Bobby, Hedo 3's bass player, joined in on Friday night. It was cool to hear native Jamaican's play blues with musicians from the U.S.

One of the best events was when the musicians played at the nude pool. The band guys were hesitant about being nude, so they showed up in their clothes. However, on the last song, the guitar player stripped down & dove into the pool, much to the delight of everyone. After that, most of the musicians were seen nude around the resort.