Jamaica!

We had the most wonderful vacation we've ever had. I can't say enough about it. It was so relaxing and wonderful to really escape our reality for a few days.

Our trip started early in the morning on Sunday, May 31st. Our flight left Austin about 8:00. All of our kids were awake and it was a little sad to say good bye to them. However, they were excited to be spending time with Papa Kenny and Grandma Cindi. With Dennis and Marcia close by, we knew the kids would be exquisitely cared for. We were giddy with excitement as we headed out on our adventure. It's been years since Scott and I have done anything like this. It was rejuvenating to feel independent adventurous.

From Austin, we flew to Houston. We had a very short layover (just barely time to get to our next gate) and then we were off to Montego Bay. The flight is only 3 hours from Houston to Jamaica. The plane was full and it was unusual. Almost everyone on the plane was in a couple, and everyone was in a great mood! There were several newly weds on the plane heading off to their honey moon.

Once we landed in Jamaica, we had to go through customs and immigration, it really wasn't a big deal (30 minutes I think). And then, the royal Sandal's treatment began. There were Sandal's reps waiting outside immigration and they asked where we were headed. "Sandal's Whitehouse" was our response and they pointed us to a large group. Over there, they tagged our luggage and gave us the stubs and then directed us to their lobby to wait for our bus to leave. As we were walking to the lobby, Scott was thinking "I could use a beer", and then what should appear, but a tap with every kind of soda and Red Stripe beer, free for all Sandal's guests. This is a theme from our trip... every time we think of something we want, it's almost immediately in front of us.

We wait for about 5 minutes and then we are called to head over to our bus. After about 30 minutes waiting at the bus, it leaves and we are on our way to the Southern coast of Jamaica. We had been told that the bus ride is a little scary. It wasn't so bad... The road is only large enough for 2 vehicles... they drive on the Left side of the road... we are driving up and over a mountain with lots of twists and turns. I think it's all about expectations. There were some people on the bus that were obviously tense and scared, but we weren't. After a short stop for water and other refreshments, we arrived at Sandal's Whitehouse.

They greeted us with ice cold towels and welcomed us to the lobby. There we were checked in as a group and each given our room assignments. We had a welcome glass of champagne and then were off to our room. Sandal's Whitehouse has three "villages" which are clusters of rooms. Each has it's own pool. We stayed in the Dutch Village. The Dutch Village is the middle of the 3 groups. The French Village is known as the "party" pool and is the furthest cluster from the main lobby. The Dutch Village is quiet and is known for relaxation and book reading near the pool. It's between the French and Italian Villages. The Italian Village is the closest to the main lobby and includes the most luxurious rooms.

Our room was wonderful. We had an ocean view (I think EVERY room has an ocean view!). We immediately got our suits on and went out to look for some food. It was about 4:00 pm, so a little early for dinner and late for lunch. There is always someplace open with food, but 4:00 pm had more limited options. We headed up to the French Village to try out the Jamaican Cafe. We sat on the beach and ordered some wonderful Jamaican food. Still in shock that we were actually there and that we had nothing we needed to do! The easy slow pace of the island had not yet set in. We were still feeling the stress and excitement of the travel and anxious to have fun.

For dinner, we went to Jasmine's. It's an Asian inspired restaurant and one of the fancier places to eat. The food was amazing and the service was great. After dinner we stepped out side and there was a musician singing country songs. I have to admit, it was unexpected to find a Jamaican Cowboy, but he was pretty good! There was bar, so we grabbed a couple of drinks and listened to a few songs. Next we headed up to the Martini Bar. We asked the bar tender what her favorite drink was, and she recommended the Pearl Harbor, so that's what we had! It was delicious. There was a piano in the bar, and there was a group around it singing. We sat, talked and sipped our drinks. Finally, relaxing and letting the pace of the island overtake us. Then we realized how tired we were and what a long day it had been.

We tried to sleep in, but we were both awake and excited to start our day at 6:30 am. So, we went for a jog on the beach. We headed to the French Cafe for a coffee. French Vanilla Coffee - my new favorite thing. Then run back on the beach to our room to grab our shoes. We headed over to the gym for some more exercises. I showed Scott my weight lifting routine. To my surprise and delight, they had the exact same equipment that Lifetime Fitness has and I was able to do my entire routine. Then, we got cleaned up and put on our suits and cover-ups and went looking for some breakfast.

We went to Bayside - the breakfast buffet. My new favorite thing. We were greeted at the door with a Mimosa each (let the drinking begin!) and then shown to a table. More coffee (not the fabulous French Vanilla Coffee, but decent) and all the food you can possibly imagine. They had European breakfast choices, American breakfast, and everything else. With my diet in mind, I tried to go heavy on the fruit and leave the pastries and pancakes alone, but I wasn't entirely successful. Scott found his new favorite thing, bacon pancakes.

With full tummies, we headed over to the water sports cabana. It turned out that we were just in time for a snorkeling trip. So, we signed up and headed out on the boat. They took us out to a coral reef and told us we had 30 minutes to snorkel. They suggested we not go past a certain point and then let us go. This was my first time to snorkel. The mask kinda scared me (because it covered my nose) and I really didn't like wearing the fins. I panicked a little in the water and decided that I didn't think I could do it. So I told Scott to go without me and I got back in the boat. After a couple of minutes, the boat driver asked if I was okay and I said that I panicked and that I couldn't do it. He came over and helped me fit my life vest and showed me how to inflate it. Then he fit my mask better and gave me some tips on how to breath to keep the water from coming in my mouth. I felt more relaxed and I tried getting in the water again. It was better, so I headed out to find Scott. He was easy to find and so happy that I had decided to join him.

The reef was amazing. We saw lots of schools of fish, my favorite was the "Dory" fish. I found it very relaxing. With my life vest inflated, I just had to float. Scott held my hand and did all of the swimming, so I just let him pull me around and we looked at the ocean floor. There was a very large sting ray! It scared me. It was huge and partially covered in sand. There was also a blow fish. I didn't see it, but the other couples on the trip were talking about it. It was definitely a memorable experience.

We spent the rest of the day eating and hanging out at the swim up bar. Swim up bars are my new favorite thing. We met some delightful couples and played some games with the entertainment staff. Once we were sufficiently intoxicated and sun burned (mishap with sunblock that was NOT waterproof!), we headed back to our room for a late afternoon nap. The resort was planning a beach party that night. So, we got cleaned up and then went to the beach party. The dinner was a delicious Jamaican buffet. I had to have a coconut filled with coconut juice and rum. We met a nice dorky couple from Canada. They were very excited about bird watching and their camera. After dinner, there was entertainment! A delightful steel pan band and a fire eater! I was picked from the crowd to hold the flame when he ate it. It was so scary! We went back to the piano bar and then to sleep.

On Tuesday, we slept in! It was 7:00 before we woke up. Ha ha. Oh well. Scott went for a run, I got cleaned up. We had made an appointment for the glass bottom boat at 9:00. We headed down to the French Cafe for our favorite coffee (today we tried the mocha, ooh! So delicious.). Then to Elenore's for breakfast. I had salmon and a bagel. It was wonderful. The salmon was thick and tender. Just thinking of it makes my mouth water. Scott ordered juevos rancheros. Probably not a good idea to order Mexican food in Jamaica. He shared my bagel and salmon with me. It was a really large portion, so it worked out great. Then to the glass bottom boat. After snorkeling, the glass bottom wasn't very exciting. But, it was fun to be out on the ocean with the ocean breeze and to see the resort from a distance.

Our next adventure was sea kayaking. I rode and Scott paddled. It was fun. The water is so clear. You can see the bottom of the ocean. There were star fish. I think we had a nap next. I actually can't quite remember. At some point we went up to the beach near the French Village. We were told that part of the beach was best for swimming. There were the white fish with black stripes swimming all around. Another couple brought some bread into the ocean to feed the fish. We went over near them, and they shared the bread with us. It was amazing! When I tossed some bread in the water about 50 or so of the white fish swarmed and one of them got the bread. They never touched me, but I was completely surrounded.

This was our last night in Jamaica. We got cleaned up and had pictures taken on the beach. The resort has "paparazzi" that roll around taking pictures of all of the guests. You get tickets with the photo number every time your picture is taken. Then, before you leave, you pop into the photo studio and you can see and purchase any pictures that you want. So, we had some pics taken of us on the beach before dinner. Then we had a wonderful dinner looking out at the ocean, watching the sun set. After dinner, we went to the photo studio and picked 3 pictures that we really liked. There was an art auction. We went to it, but were not inspired to purchase anything. The auctioneer was a Scotsman and was pretty entertaining. After the auction, we had some more drinks and waited for the Midnight Chocolate Bar. Awesome. By the time it opened, we were so tired that we just grabbed a bite and then headed to bed.

The next morning, were were heading home. We went back to the breakfast buffet and made sure to have our favorite coffee. Our journey home was uneventful. We were so excited to hug and kiss our little kids. Neither of us had ever been to an all inclusive before. We are big fans now. It was so relaxing to not have to think about money the entire time we were there. We can't wait to go back to the Caribbean. We'd like to take our kids next time.

Below are some of our pictures from the trip!