That Means Comfort: May 2015

Ahhh vacation. Now, don't get me wrong, Leslie and I both enjoy our jobs... but going a whole week without looking at spreadsheets or attending meetings is a great thing. We decided to do a different kind of vacation this time around - somewhere tropical and relaxing. You may remember that last year was the year of weddings (we were invited to 12 and attended 10, thank you very much), and all the newlyweds (yes, slight hyperbole) were headed to Jamaica afterwards for their honeymoons. This got us thinking, "Hey, we've never been to Jamaica... we should go!" So we did. And this is the blog post that follows.

[TL;DR - We had lots of fun and it was great. Pictures are at the bottom - feel free to skip over all these boring words and go straight there.]

I tend to put a lot of planning into stuff. As such, we spent a lot of time picking out what sort of vacation experience we wanted and, accordingly, which resort we wanted to visit. After talking with our friends and reading reviews online, we decided that a Sandals resort would be the best way to go. This way we knew exactly what we'd be getting - a top of the line, all-inclusive, couples only vacation with beautiful resorts, some people our age, and a well established infrastructure to ensure a smooth experience all the way through. We also decided we wanted a resort that was a little more relaxed, might not be the first choice for all newlyweds, and was a little more out of the way. Which resort in the Sandals catalog met those criteria? Whitehouse!

Our flight was out of O'Hare, so we decided to spend some time in Chicago before flying off to the beach. We drove up Friday night after work and settled into the basement of my parents' rental duplex with some delicious BBQ from down the street. On Saturday we visited a restaurant in Greektown for lunch, spent some time at the Lincoln Park Zoo, and then hung out with some of my mom's family over Giordano's pizza that evening. It was a great way to get a taste of Chicago before our flight out early on Sunday morning (plus we got Portillo's for dinner on our way home!). And, before we knew it, we were in Jamaica!

The flight, customs, and the bumpy bus ride to the resort were not so fun - I think they do that on purpose so you appreciate the relaxation of your vacation all the more. But then, after enduring all those things, we reached the resort where we were greeted with champagne and checked in quickly. From there things only got better.

Everything at the resort was absolutely wonderful. They have an army of groundskeepers and maintenance staff keeping the resort spotless and the waitstaff at all the restaurants are all very friendly and helpful. It's a very relaxed atmosphere and the workers were always joking around with us and having fun. All the details were executed perfectly - everything from planned activities to themed meals to the well manicured lawns and beaches. This truly was a top-notch establishment.

A typical day for us consisted of sleeping in until around 7:00, then taking our time getting showered and ready for the day before heading to breakfast. Our choices for breakfast were Eleanor's, which featured an a la carte menu with such offerings as Eggs Benedict and smoked salmon, or Bayside, which was a buffet with all the usual bacon, egg, fruit, and bread options you'd expect. From there it was off to our favorite spot along the two-mile long beach. We'd sit there and read for a few hours, then decide drinks would be a good idea, at which point we'd shuffle along the shoreline to one of the three main pools. We'd pick out some good seats, then hop in the pool and swim up to the bar. After a Strawberry Daiquiri or two, we'd head back to our seats (fresh drink in hand, of course) and read for a bit longer. And then, not long after, we'd realize it was about time for first lunch. This meant a Jamaican beef patty from Bluefields Beach Club or a stone oven pizza from Giuseppe's. Our meal complete, it was time for more lounging and reading. The rest of the afternoon would usually be spent alternating between lying on a raft in the pool, sitting on seats next to the pool, or getting fruity drinks from the pool bar. Maybe we'd eventually get hungry enough for a second lunch - jerk chicken from the Jerk Shack, burgers and fries from Bluefields, or maybe pastries from Cafe de Paris. Then eventually, with the sun setting over the ocean, we'd pack up and head inside to get ready for dinner. After a quick shower and change out of our swimwear, it was down to the main strip for Asian cuisine from Jasmines, Caribbean dishes at Eleanor's, Italian food from Giuseppe's, French cooking from Bayside, or seafood at Neptunes. Then a quick trip to Casablanca Martini Bar usually ended the day.

So, while that may have been the usual day, we had some unusual days too. On Wednesday, the middle of our trip, we used the resort credit we got when we booked to go on an excursion. We visited Dunn's River Falls and did the touristy climbing thing that everyone expects you to do while in Jamaica. After that we went down the road to Dolphin Cove where we got to interact with, and even kiss, a dolphin. It was a pretty cool experience, and Leslie loooooved the dolphins (no surprise there).

The resort also put on an activity night where they had some of the staff perform. One guy balanced things on his head, which was... a thing. There was a guy swallowing fire. Another guy limbo-ed under stuff, including fire. And there was dancing and music and everything like that. It was pretty fun and gave us something to do one evening.

On another departure from the norm of relaxing-so-hard-it-hurts, I went snorkeling one morning. The water was a bit murky from the wind and the waves, but it was pretty cool. The coolest part was really putting the waterproof camera we got for this trip to the test. It was very handy for our trip up the falls, but it's not like I took underwater pictures there. Having a camera while snorkeling was neat, even if I didn't see anything too exciting.

And that was pretty much it. We had a great time and hated to come home, but we knew the pets missed us and we eventually wanted nothing more than to sleep in our own bed again. We'll hopefully make it back to Jamaica, but probably not for a long while - we have too many other adventures waiting for us!