Approximately ten hours after teaching Sunday School, I agreed to vacation at a nudist swinger’s resort.
I’ll admit that I had turned down Jack’s suggestions to stay at this place for many years before finally agreeing to go. We’d actually visited the beach at this resort, briefly, over ten years ago when we were vacationing at the Sandals resort next door. Since the beach and water are open to the public, anyone is technically allowed to leave their resort to walk the entire length of the beach. Hedonism II is situated at the very end of Negril’s beautiful Seven Mile Beach, but few people continue past Sandals to the land of strange nudist swingers in all their glory.
Jack, however, did manage to convince me to venture past the beach security guard, who gave us a warning about that swinger’s place with raised eyebrows and a smirk, and to swim nude in Hedo’s plot of ocean. Let’s just say that I tend to get more open-minded with each all-inclusive margarita, and Jack is nothing if not persistent. I did it, but I didn’t enjoy my experience much. Back then, Hedo was run down, its unkempt beach and buildings adding to the aura of chintz and, well, general yuckiness. The few people scattered on its nearly deserted stretch of dirty beach stared at us with their giant bushes of unkempt pubic hair. I got weird vibes, like I didn’t belong or like I was threatened in some way, and I certainly didn’t want to go back.
And yet…I did. Here’s what convinced me to go, opening my eyes to not just a new way of vacationing, but also a new way of living my life.
I was already a bit of a nudist.
To be fair, I had become a veteran nudist, at least by the average person’s standards. I’d been to a couple of nude beaches now, and we’d just returned from a week at Couples San Souci’s Sunset Beach, where we spent more time wearing nothing in public than…well, anything.
We had sunbathed nude, swam nude, and ordered drinks while nude at the swim up pool bar. We’d made friends, while in the nude, with other nude people. We’d even spent five afternoons in a row playing nude pool volleyball. We were transformed from shy, just-checking-out-the-nude-beach virgins to full-on nudists. We came to love the freedom, the comfort, the self confidence, the friendships, and the sensuality of nudism.
I promise you, once you go nude, a vacation that involves wearing a wet bathing suit for any length of time just doesn’t sound like a vacation at all. I’ll admit that it can be intimidating at first, but honestly that part becomes a small fraction of your all-natural experience by the end. It’s liberating, and Jack and I were both desperate to experience a nude beach vacation again as soon as humanly possible.
Hedo isn’t exactly a swinger’s resort…
We weren’t swingers back when we booked our vacation to Hedo, and maybe not even now, depending on your definition. We had no plans to swap partners. However, our interest in Hedo was piqued when some of our Sunset Beach friends detailed their visits to the swinger’s resort.
In reality, it’s not exactly a swinger’s resort. I think a better way to describe Hedo would be to say that it’s an insanely open, sex-positive resort. We hadn’t been aware just how sex-positive it is until our friends described their Hedo trips in great detail, scaring me in a different way. See, at Hedo, public sex is allowed, even welcomed. That’s right, people will just start getting it on poolside. Blowjobs at the side of the pool. Sex on the lounge chairs. That sort of thing. One of our Sunset Beach friends told us about her experience watching women take turns positioning themselves over the fountains in the pool in order to get themselves off, in front of everyone else in the pool. That terrified me…but it also aroused me.
Swingers do frequent the resort, looking to hook up with others, but as we learned at Sunset Beach, swingers aren’t so scary after all. Several of our news friends admitted to swapping and swinging in their marriages, and we came to see swingers in a new, realistic light. They were just sex-loving people like us. What did I care who they had sex with? Plus, if I’m being honest, it doesn’t hurt to have some other cute couples hitting on you and checking you out. It’s quite flattering, actually. Especially when they like you after getting to know you, really know you, during those real conversations that nude people tend to have.
I was still unsure and uneasy about that public sex aspect, about seeing other people doing stuff right in front of me. But knowing that I didn’t have to do anything that I wasn’t comfortable with, and also knowing that I could simply leave that space and go to another, more peaceful spot within the resort, well…that was reassuring. If I was feeling like a party girl, I could simply attend the party and watch all the craziness. I didn’t have to partake. If I wanted to read, there are spots along the beach that would be quieter and remote just for me (and Jack). I had options, and the options were intriguing.
Hedo has undergone some huge changes and renovations since my first visit.
Now, with the nudism and sex issues aside, my remaining hesitation was the resort itself. It had been so dingy last time we ventured over to its beach that I swore I would never stay there. I’m quite particular about my environment; I can’t handle messes or uncleanliness or anything remotely like a Motel 6. I hate to sound like a privileged white suburbanite, but I suppose that’s just who I am. Represent.
Therefore, Jack was ecstatic to present me with the information that Hedo had been bought several years after our brief visit by a guy named Harry Lange. Harry is not just the owner, he’s also a client, and he knew exactly what Hedo needed to attract clientele like yours truly. He modernized the rooms in sleek, sexy, clean whites and colors. He cleaned up the beaches and redid the pools. He made sure that the staff is the best on the island and compensates them more than fairly — and they truly are some of the most awesome people I’ve ever met. The food is fantastic. The activities and entertainment are phenomenal.
I listened to reviews of the place on podcasts and read reviews online, and I was not disappointed. The resort is natural and beautiful — a far cry from the Disney-ish ambiance of Sandals. Hedo feels like home.
Hedo comes highly recommended.
I’m a researcher, so naturally I researched the shit out of this place. Professional travel reviewers surprised themselves by writing fondly of their experiences. People have formed Facebook groups to talk all things Hedo; the majority of people posting are extremely positive about their visits, aching to go back. Hedo has an unusually high number of repeat visitors, perhaps in part due to the fact that this is one of the only places like this in the world, but perhaps also because of the amazing feeling that you get when you’re there. It’s intoxicating and addicting. People really do call Hedo, “Home.”
The recommendation that tipped the scale for me was one from the closest friends we had made at Sunset Beach. While many of our Sunset Beach friends spoke highly of their experiences at Hedo, I was still hesitant…until this particular couple messaged us about their visit. They went to Hedo just a couple months after our Sunset Beach vacation together. They sent us pictures of their Hedo vacation and detailed the fun that they’d had. It hadn’t been too crazy, but it had been fun in ways that I hadn’t expected…
Hedo has theme nights!
Back in college, I was always all about the parties that had a theme. I’m the kind of girl that would have liked having school uniforms…you know, just tell me what to wear. Frat parties that involved a theme gave me permission to be silly, sexy, and fun with my appearance. Toga party? Why, yes, I’ll saunter around in a sheet for a night. ‘80s party? Everyone loves big hair and Jon Bon Jovi tonight!
When our Sunset Beach friends sent us pictures of them in their costumes for Hedo’s nightly theme parties, I was sold. For some reason, I have a hard time just dressing “sexy” — it makes me feel slutty. A theme gives me permission to be bold and take risks.
Hedo’s themes vary depending on the week, but Toga Night is typically on the menu. I most enjoyed Naughty Schoolgirl Night, followed closely by Fetish Night, when Jack insisted that I dress in a French Maid lingerie set. Before getting cancelled for COVID, our next vacation was to include Steampunk Night. The sexy librarian in me was riveted by that one, and I just might plan my next visit around being able to wear that costume.
Even if you hate the resort, it’s in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
If you’re still on the fence, like I was up until I arrived, I understand. What if I just get those weird, uncomfortable feelings again when I get there? I thought.
I rationalized with myself by reminding myself that Hedo is on one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in the entire world. Seven Mile Beach isn’t exactly seven miles long, but you can easily spend an entire day out walking the entire beach if you want. You can stop and swim in any spot along the beach, though you can’t sit in other resort’s chairs or order drinks. You can, however, stop at one of the local bars along the beach and order yourself a drink, or buy some ganja from a peddler. You can shop in the little storefronts. You can even get yourself a cab — or better yet, a catamaran cruise — to the famous Rick’s Cafe and go cliff diving.
In fact, at first I consented only to 3-4 nights at Hedo, and then another 3-4 nights at a nearby Couples resort in Negril. That way, I would at least get the kind of vacation that I enjoyed out of the deal, and it would be something to look forward to in case the whole Hedo thing was a bust. But after doing some research, Hedo didn’t look so bad at all. In fact, parts of it looked nice. I didn’t want to miss the toga party. And wouldn’t it be awful to have to put on a bathing suit to swim after a couple of days of freedom? I decided that I needed a full week at Hedo to give it a fair chance.
Negril is a bumping, beautiful place. If for some reason we hated Hedo after all of our research and recommendations, we figured that we still had some great options.
My husband really wanted to go.
Whenever I post something along the lines of “Jack convinced me,” I worry that some people will take this to mean that I’m being coerced. This is not the case at all.
See, Jack and I feel like we have the best type of relationship, especially when it comes to sex. We communicate about everything honestly and openly — sometimes to the point that we hurt each other’s feelings in the short term, but in the long term we come out better and stronger.
With sex, we tell each other everything. We detail what we want, how we want it, and when we want it. We update each other when plans and desires change. Our sex life is actually not just a physical act in our marriage, it’s an ongoing discussion.
Jack had been interested in Hedo since discovering the resort while no doubt Googling something akin to “natural nude women” while still just a teenager (though I think those are still his favorite search keywords). With the promotion from our nudist friends at Sunset Beach, his interest only intensified. It became a constant topic that he would bring up, particularly as he spoke aloud his fantasies during sex, just before orgasming. Jack loves to show me off when I’m naked, as we discovered at Sunset Beach. He’s proud of me, and he’s proud that he gets to be my guy. It’s quite sweet, actually.
Jack also loves being surrounded by other naked women. I don’t blame him; he’s a man and he’s very visual. I’m also not the jealous type. Jack has always loved telling me in detail about the cute/hot/beautiful/sexy women that he’s encountered, and I’m secure enough in our marriage to not be offended or bothered by this. I’ll even tell him when I encounter a women that I know he’ll find hot…truth be told, I might have also been looking for myself a little, too, but that’s another story.
Jack also has exhibitionist tendencies. It’s long been a part of his sexual dialouge to imagine fucking me in front of others…women he finds hot, friends, onlookers at a nude sex resort…you know. If it was going to happen anywhere in real life, Hedo would be the place. I was uneasy with that idea back then. A fantasy is one thing, doing it in real life is another. But I’m a nice wife that likes to make my husband feel loved in all sorts of special ways, and I’m open to possibilities…
This was my Call to Adventure.
“You’ll never find out about yourself working in some fucking factory in Ohio.” Apparently, according to Jack, that’s a line from a guy movie called Apocalypse Now. I haven’t seen it, but I can empathize.
With each foray into a situation that I found strange, initially, I came out a better version of myself. I found myself, really, and each little adventure that I partake in helps me to find myself even more.
My twenty-something self never dreamed that I would ever be a thirty-something nudist, sort-of swinger. I didn’t ever envision sharing my most intimate details on the web, either. But here I am, trying to make the most of myself on this journey.
I’ve become more comfortable with making myself uncomfortable. It makes me analyze myself, really considering what I want and who I am. With each new situation that I put myself into, I come out ahead in some way. Even if it’s just to know that I don’t want to do that thing again, so be it. Lesson learned. Moving forward. To learn, I have to experience, and to experience, I have to put myself in the ring.
Well, how was it?
Now, I’ll admit that it did take the combination of cannabis, red wine, and fun, flirty conversation in a dark kitchen after a long day of church and kids to get me to say yes to Hedo, but I’m so glad that I did. What started as a vacation ended up being just the beginning of what I hope to be a lifelong adventure. We came out of our shells and our eyes were opened to possibilities that we didn’t know existed, at least in our marriage. I even orgasmed at a Tantric Sex Workshop (and many, many times after, armed with our new knowledge!).
To say that I can’t wait to return…that would be putting it mildly. During this pandemic it feels like I’ll never leave home again, but when it’s finally time to go, Hedo “Home” is where I want to go.
