First Timers Caliente Tampa Report
Just got back from Caliente Tampa, even though we couldn't find a whole lot of information on the resort we decided to give it a try between Hedo trips since it's fairly close to us. We were there for four nights, Thurs-Mon was ideal for us and let us hit all their busier days. So for those that do not like to read a whole lot before going into detail we became members of the club before we left. That should give you an idea of how much we enjoyed ourselves and the resort this weekend. We are definitely heading back to the resort at least once this year, going to try and make it twice before the end of the year. Overall our trip exceeded any expectations we had about the place.
So more details...
Hedo Comparisons: So I'm not going to try and over analyze every little detail. In general there were some things that are different and some things that are the same. Also there are things about Hedo we like better and things about Caliente we like better. We kind of expected that going into it. We love both resorts and plan to frequent both for years to come. In general the main differences were:
1. During the day people are just chilling around the pool naked. No PDA in the pool or anywhere in public during the day like you would see at Hedo, we did see some light action a couple times, but mainly the days at Caliente are spent chilling at the pool and getting to know people. Night time is a different story, hot tub and conversation pool had a lot of action going on.
2. Hedo is all-inclusive and Caliente is not. That said we ate and drank about the same per day at each resort and the cost ended up coming out in the wash. We were there on a 4 night special so that helped. Cost will always depend on the couple, if you eat and/or drink a lot then Hedo probably comes out cheaper, if you don't then Caliente probably comes out cheaper.
3. Caliente is more of a weekend party place. We were told Monday through Wednesday is pretty dead with typically only residents of the community being there. Thursday through Sunday are their target days for parties, with Saturday being their big theme party night.
Resort: Caliente is a gated housing community with a resort on premises. So you can walk around anywhere any way you like from completely nude to completely clothed. We typically took walks around the community daily when we were there, it's a beautiful community to stroll through. There are various options to stay on property from a Hotel to Casitas to Condos. Residents own town homes, condos, houses, etc in the community as well. It was a really neat housing community. Lots of pools on property as well as tennis courts, volleyball courts, etc. 99% of people hung out at the main pool during the day, other pools were not used much. Hot tub and conversation pool are frequented at night for "fun time". There are a lot of little things as far as maintenance goes that could be done like weeds between pavers at the pool, trimming trees, pressure washing chairs, etc. Again though it's just details, resort property is beautiful, makes you feel like you are in the Caribbean.
Staff: Staff was amazing. No complaints whatsoever, everyone made us feel like this was our home. A number of the staff knew our names and bartenders knew our drink preference from Day 1 on. The staff was also genuinely excited when we decided to become members of the club and we'd be frequenting the resort more often. The staff also often hung out with the people when their shift ended.
Food/Drinks: We read lots of reviews where people complained food and drink were expensive. I guess it depends on your definition of expensive, but we felt everything was reasonably priced. Food portions were large and cost was exactly what you would expect at a sit down restaurant. Drink costs were what you'd expect them to cost at an "event" or theme park, but they ran specials all the time and the bartenders had a heavy pour. We didn't feel like costs were high on that front. There are two restaurants, a sports bar and a fancier restaurant. We preferred the sports bar, we at the fancier one the first night, but we just enjoyed the sports bar food better. Plus you can order food from the sports bar at the bars and not have to leave the pool. You can't bring any food or drinks into the resort area, but we there was a fridge in our hotel room so we brought some food and drinks for times we were back in our room.
Lodging: Many different lodging options, we stayed in the hotel. Room was nothing great, basic hotel room with a mini-fridge and microwave. I would compare it the unrenovated rooms at Hedo, very similar. They are renovating the hotel rooms though, they have about a quarter of them done and they look very nice.
People: People were phenomenal. We met tons of great people while we were there. Everyone was so friendly whether they were a member or whether they were an out of state guest. Really great atmosphere. Most of the day we spent in the pool just chatting with other couples. Really hit it off with one couple that we hung out with a majority of the weekend and are already planning coordinated trips back. Amazing conversations and a really fun time in general.
Nightlife: Most of our nights consisted of eating dinner, going to the Nightclub when it opened, and finishing off the night at the hot tub/conversation pool deck. Exception to this was Sunday because the Nightclub was closed, instead they did karaoke at the tiki bar and then up to the hot tub. Thursday was ladies night which was fun, ladies drink free and there was a good turn out. Friday had no theme and actually was less busy than Thursday which surprised us, but still well attended. Saturday is when they do their theme parties, this one was a White Party so everyone dressed sexy in white. It was fun, lots of sexy outfits. Already talked about Sunday. We never went to the Disco at Hedo because everyone said it was not good, the Nightclub here was very good.
Hot tub and conversation pool area after 10 was fun. Lots of action, some of it was hot and erotic and some of it we just can't ever unsee, lol. There were times when it helped us get in the mood and then there were times it ruined the mood. I expect very similar at the Hedo hot tub at night. Also the couple we hung out with helped the mood a lot anyways, but it's a fun time up there. I hear rumors they are putting in a playroom soon that will be open on weekends so if that's true that will be fun. That was one thing they seemed to be missing.
Overall just a trip we will never forget. We had our eyes opened to some very new experiences for the first time thanks to our new friends. Especially if you live in Florida I would highly recommend giving this resort a try. It will be on our list of yearly trips along with Hedo going forward.
