Hedonism II: ‘Be wicked for a week’
There was a “prude side” and a “nude side.” But during our afternoon and evening visit to the Hedonism II Resort, a short drive or beach walk from the Riu, very few guests stayed by the white sand beach on the quiet prude side. Those who did quickly disrobed. But the nude side, especially the pool, was crowded and noisy. Nakedness was mandatory. Only newbies had tan lines. The popular 280 room resort at the extreme west end of the famous Seven Mile Beach is obviously adultsonly but we were surprised by the lack of young people. Very few were in their 20s and early 30s. The majority were older, mostly in their 40s and 50s but some were well into their senior years. The scene was definitely not from Playboy as all body shapes and sizes were on display without embarrassment. No one was shocked by the gentleman with a Prince Albert piercing (look it up). The resort prides itself as being non-judgmental. As one recent guest posted, “Nearly everyone here is decidedly imperfect ... and nobody cares.” The motto of Hedonism II is “Be wicked for a week” and, judging by the pool activity, guests from around the world come here to shed inhibitions (as well as clothing) and to live out their fantasies. We stayed mostly on the prude side (but greatly enjoyed the freedom and relaxation of swimming in soothing warm water in the altogether) but heard guests talking about the erotic pool games on the nude side. One was called “Car Wash” which involved plenty of soap bubbles. We can only imagine. We quickly got used to nude couples walking back and forth between the two areas of the resort, saying hello and chatting to strangers. Nakedness is also allowed in many other areas of the property but not in the dining rooms. We were invited to stay for the Friday night gala buffet and, with everyone clothed, it was much like buffets at other Jamaica resorts. The executive chef at Hedonism II is Anthony Miller, a displaced Texan who seamlessly moved from barbecue to jerk chicken and ackee and salt fish. He told us that jerk is extremely complex and takes barbecue to another level. The food at the buffet was indeed excellent, especially since it included unlimited lobster tails, perfectly roasted over coals. Being curious about these things we were very happy with our short visit to Hedonism II and consider it to be among our travel adventure highlights. And, since we were asked many times, there was never a Hedonism I.