Contraband's Tips

	Contraband's Tips

Here's my latest installment of Hedonism II Hints !!!!!!

10-13-97 Contraband@aol.com

1. Bring sunscreen. The sun is intense and depending upon your skin type and how easily you burn, bring the appropriate strength. If you are planning on exposing parts of your body that are not usually exposed to the sun, then make sure you apply sunscreen there too. You can also prepare for the intense sun by going to a tanning parlor in preparation for your trip and expose all the parts you plan on exposing in Jamaica to the sun lamps....... (Nothing will ruin your social life like sun-burned extremities)

A good sunhat can also help, especially a wide brimmed Tilley-type hat which is waterproof and keeps rain out of your eyes if you plan on being in the hot-tub during the rain.

2. Air mattress. Easily the most popular (outdoor) activity on the beach is just floating around in the calm of the water. A mattress can also be used for snorkeling in the shallows and if you get one that has holes in it that can hold drink cups, it will make you very popular and bars runs easier. Some mattresses are left there when others go home,but PLEASE make sure that they are no longer being used before you take one. Most people write their names and the dates that they are going to be there on the mattresses so that you know. A magic marker with waterproof ink is handy to write on them with......Please ask around before taking a mattress to see if the owners might be around. If its not being used, then most do not mind you borrowing it for a while. Just return the mattress to the area that you found it.

3. An insulated cup. These keep your drinks cold and saves runs to the bar and cup waste. These can be purchased at the boutique there, but the store sometimes runs out. One that has a plastic straw in it seems to work the best.

4. Snorkeling gear (mask,snorkle,fins) There is some excellent snorkeling right off the beaches at Hedonism II. The nude beach is usually the best, especially in the morning or around the pier area. There is a sunken barrel holding the western-most raft in place that almost always has a good growth of small coral animals including anemones,sponges,tube worms,arrow crabs and cleaner shrimp. Be careful of boats in the pier area and stay within the buoys elsewhere. There is also good snorkeling in the area just around the corner from Hedonism IIs nude beach towards Grand Lido. You can walk through the condominiums next door along the beach and you will find some very nice clear water with a very good variety of fish/corals. You can get gear from the dive shop,but to ensure proper fit/function, I would bring my own. There are also regular snorkeling trips by boat from the pier.

5. DO NOT TAKE/KILL/TOUCH ANY ANIMALS FROM THE WATER !!!!!!!!!!!!

Many of the animals will sting/bite you in defense. If you want a souvenir of a nice starfish ,then buy one, dont kill one and try to clean it out. You dont have the tools for it.......

LOOK AT EM, ADMIRE THEM, LEAVE EM THERE !!!!!!

6. Plastic,zip-lock type baggies. Very good for keeping things in on the beach and in the hot-tub so that they stay dry. Quart size seem to work the best and can hold just about everything.

7. A belt and some safety pins for use in creating your toga for Toga night (Thursday). It can be helpful to practice making a toga at home prior to your trip. Just take a single sheet and see what you can do......

8. Water shoes. There are numerous creatures of the water-world that dont like being stepped on and will give you a nasty sting. (especially sea urchins....) If you go walking in the early morning in the water, shuffle your feet a little bit to warn the animals that you are coming. Stingrays (which will only sting you if you step on them or try to grab them) are very common in the early hours.

9. DO NOT , UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BRING AN ATTITUDE !!!!!

10. If you smoke cigarettes, bring along your own supply. They have a few brands for sale at the store there, but they are known to frequently run out and smoking Jamaican cigarettes is not a pleasant experience unless you want a good reason to quit......

11. When you are finished packing for your trip, go through your suitcase and remove half of the clothing that you have packed........(then remove half again as much....) A t-shirt a day and a pair of shorts per day is the standard. You do not need to dress up for any meals and can wear beach wear anyplace, except Pastafari. Pastafari, the Italian sit-down restaurant, does require shoes to be worn and you must wear clothing there (they also do not allow tank tops...).

12. Treat the staff and people of Jamaica, and other people there, with respect and be friendly. They will treat you the same. If you do not want to be bothered by people selling stuff, then just tell them you are not interested and they will leave you alone.

13. Souvenirs, like coffee,liquor, and jerk spice, can be purchased at the airport when you leave for the same price, or less, that at the resort. On 10/12/97, Tia Maria was $12.00/liter and Blue Mountain coffee beans were 12 oz. for $15.00 at the airport.

14. Beach towels can be found at the Dive shop (near the pier) each morning and at the pool and hot-tub later in the morning. Make it a habit to pick up some towels when you see them since fresh ones can sometimes be hard to find later in the day.

15. If you are scuba diving, or getting trained, while there, check in the day you arrive at the Dive shop and sign up for the next days dives. Make sure that you bring in your certification card. basic gear like BCs, regulators, and weights are free to use there. They do not have cameras, underwater lights, or other supplementary gear available. The gear is acceptable, but you may wish to bring your own regulator. None of the regulators have computers. Advanced divers must go through a 60 foot check-out dive prior to going on the deeper dives is they have not dived at Hedonism II before. They usually have a deep (60-90) foot dive leaving at 9:30 am, a 60 foot dive at 11:00 am , and other shallower dives in the afternoon. There is a resort course available for those that wish to try scuba. The classes are held in the pool (prude) every morning at 8 am. You can also go through a complete basic PADI certification while there. Check with the dive shop regarding the classes.

16. Lock up ALL your valuables, plane tickets, passports, etc. in the safe located in the closet of every room. Keep the key for the safe with you at all times. There is a $50 fee (and a days wait...) to get into the safe if you lose the key...........Make sure that you always put $15.00 US/person with your return plane tickets, as you will need that for the departure tax when you check in at your airline counter upon returning home.

17. There is an activities board in the main dining room and at the Dive shop. This lists all the scheduled activities for the day in English and Spanish... There are a lot of local places to visit in Negril, and they can be reached by hiring a cab or bus at the hotel for a fee. The roads in Jamaica are not the best and distant travel to other parts of the island can be all day or longer excursions. There are regular scheduled tours daily listed on the boards or ask at the front desk. There is almost always a bus to Ricks Cafe in the late afternoon and returning after sunset.

18. If you need to, or want to change rooms, or cant get a long with your roommate, then go to the main lobby in the morning and the staff there will try to accommodate your request(s).

19. There is air service from Montego Bay airport to Negril provided by three carriers. Trans-Jamaica has regularly scheduled flights, or as I prefer, Air Negril or TimAir are local charter companies that will take you whenever you want to go. The cost from Montego Bay to Negril is (or was at the writing of this) $120/person round-trip. The flight takes 15 minutes and is in small 4 or 5 seat Cessna aircraft. The main advantage to TimAir or Air Negril is that it gets you to Hedonism II quicker (which avoids the crowds from the buses) and you dont need to take the bus-ride from Hell !!! If you take the bus ride from Montego Bay to Negril, which is free, and decide later to fly back, you can contact the office in Negril and make reservations. If you opt to make the flight to Negril, you should contact TimAir or Air Negril prior to your arrival and make reservations. Their telephone numbers are:

TIM AIRAir Negril

Montego Bay: 876-952-2516 876-979-1114 Montego Bay: 876-940-7747

Negril: 876-957-3374

20. There are no TVs in the rooms..... Each room does have a CD player/radio next to the bed, so you might wish to bring your favorites CDs with. There are no clocks available in the rooms anymore,so a travel clock is always helpful (the power frequently goes out, so a battery powered clock would be the choice..). Your electrical gadgets (like your shaver,hair dryer,etc....) will work without any special adapters.

21. If you are in for a change from alcoholic drinks, ask the bartenders for a Ting. It is a grapefruit drink available all over Jamaica and is very refreshing.

22. There are also soda and beer dispensers available 24 hours a day on the nude beach at the massage shack and at the nude hot-tub area. You will also find these dispensers at the main bar in the dining room.

23. Coffee and either fruit or cookies/muffins are usually available at DelRoys (bar on the nude beach)

each morning around 7 am.

24. To meet someone, there are a variety of activities on the beach and every lunch hour in the main dining room which are mainly geared towards singles.

25. Bring a supply of $1 bills for tipping porters/etc. at the airport and elsewhere. Tips are not given at the resort. There is a money exchange office at Hedonism II in the main lobby. You can use US dollars everywhere although the exchange varies greatly from place to place. If you exchange your US money for Jamaican, make sure that you save the receipt from the exchange as that will be required to exchange it back..... You usually can tell if the price listed on an item is in Jamaican $s by the J next to the $.

26. BEST HINT !!! : Have a good time !!!!!

27. Other useful info.....

Pajama party night: Tuesday

Toga Night: Thursday

Island Picnic: Monday and Wednesday

DelRoys (or the Bare Buns Bar): bar on the nude beach. Hamburgers,grilled ham/cheese,french fries available there for lunch.

Pastafari: Pasta,sit down restaurant next to main dining room. Must make reservations. Included in resort package.

Disco: opens usually at 11:00 pm and stays open until the last one leaves (usually about 7 am...)

Veronicas: Piano bar on the court next to the shops. Sing alongs and karaoke.....