Jamaica Getaway

Thursday, June 19, 2008

9:30 a.m. EST: Waking up slowly this morning, after testing the free food and drink policy last night. So far, so good.

We got to Atlanta early, our flight to Montego Bay was only 15 minutes late, and we sped through customs and onto the shuttle bus to Negril. The driver gave us a not-too-intrusive tour of Jamaica's northwestern coast, and a slightly more intrusive plug for a gratuity as we stepped off the bus. So much for the no-tipping policy at SuperClubs...

A bellhop in a crisp, white uniform whisked our bags away while the greeter led us into the marble lobby. I expected to wait in line to check in, but instead he sat us down at a small table and brought us each a mimosa before taking my credit card. Pretty civilized!

We finished our drinks just as the hostess appeared to lead us to our room. She was tall and beautiful, effortlessly navigating her high heels across the slippery pool deck, sandy beach trail, and paved walkways. She gave us a brief overview of the resort layout, then deposited us in our mini suite to wait for our bags. We amused ourselves by opening the gift bag from Glenn and Toni (the wedding couple) and having a couple Red Stripes from our fridge.

The porter dropped off our bags and stood around conspicuously until Maureen dug a few wrinkled bills out of her purse. Then we walked back to the main complex for dinner. The choices were somewhat limited, but the food wasn't bad—and got better after my second Appleton rum and tonic! After desert, we strolled the grounds to get the lay of the land, danced to the R&B band a bit, and headed back to the room.

Maureen just made herself a mani-pedi reservation for tomorrow, and signed us both up for massages on Sunday. Now it's off to breakfast and some beach time!

3:00 p.m. EST: Just got back from snorkeling. Very nice reefs just around the point. We saw tons of clownfish, eels, sea stars, and more. Prior to that we spent an hour or so on the beach and drifting on floaties in the warm, shallow water—but had to leave when Maureen developed a patchwork of sun blotches. Her Irish ancestry and the Caribbean sun may prove to be a dangerous mix. We did manage to hook up with Glenn and Toni, and are off to join the group for afternoon tea... or cocktails!

Friday, June 20, 2008

9:15 a.m. EST: Posted some photos from yesterday to the gallery. Maureen is off getting her mani-pedi, and I'm wondering what the heck I'm doing in front of a computer when it's another beautiful day outside and there's a huge, free buffet breakfast waiting for me...

Saturday, June 21, 2008

11:05 a.m. EST: Maybe there's a good reason why you don't see many blogs about life on a beach resort property. Since you basically do the same things the same way every day, it doesn't exactly make for thrilling reading.

Yesterday looked a lot like Thursday: Some breakfast, a little beach time, some snorkeling, lunch, a few cocktails, etc.... We did actually get off the property for a bit last night, heading to Rick's Cafe for sunset happy hour. It was a bit of sensory overload, as you can see from the pictures in the gallery.

Came back to the hotel for buffet dinner on the Grand Terrace, then the hard-core party people dropped in for the after-hours action at Glenn and Toni's amazing suite. It had been a long day, so we didn't last too long before dragging our tired carcasses back to our room.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

5:30 p.m. EST: Four days ago I didn't think I was "an all-inclusive resort type of person." Now I just told Maureen I want to spend the rest of my life here.

First, a recap of yesterday. I honestly can't remember how we wasted the morning and afternoon, but I know it involved lots of hanging out on the beach. We did skip the 1:30 snorkel excursion, so I don't believe we actually did anything. Still, time seemed to get away from us and, before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the wedding.

The ceremony was picture-perfect—with a small altar and chairs set up on a grassy area overlooking the ocean. Everyone who was supposed to say something said it, everyone who was supposed to hold their peace held it, and the actual getting hitched went off without a hitch. Check the photo album for pictures.

As cool as the ceremony was, the reception was amazing. Glenn and Toni had arranged for an amazing buffet dinner on the beach, with private access to the beach bar for the evening. A band ("Real Tuff") playing R&B and reggae standards completed the scene. Maureen and I sat with some of the new friends we'd made over the past couple days—Joe and Michelle from Charlotte, and Dave and Carrie from Cape Cod—along with old friend Al, and had a blast.

The evening had everything: eating, drinking, dancing, emotional lows (when Michelle lost her ring in the sand), emotional highs (when one of the staff found it), and even a nice sunset. As the reception wound down, we headed to the disco back in the main complex to keep the party moving. When we first popped in, the music sucked, the place was empty (including no bartender), and the room stank of mildew. We went back up to the main patio for a few minutes, but a few other wedding guests on their way to the disco persuaded us to give it another try. Lo and behold, in 10 minutes the place had been transformed. The music was dancable, there were actually people on the floor, and the bartender was cranking out drinks faster than we could keep pace. (It still smelled, though.)

We felt like we'd been partying into the night, but it wasn't quite midnight when we decided to call it an evening. Congratulations, Glenn and Toni, and thank you for throwing such a great party!

Not surprisingly, we decided to sleep in a bit this morning. Finally, the arrival of the maid motivated us to go get some breakfast. On the way back, we tried to make another snorkeling reservation, but the boat was full. A bit of rain rolled in while we were lounging on the beach, and it must have scared everyone off because we checked back in at the dive shop at 1:30 and were told to "come aboard, mon!"

After the snorkeling, we raced over to the spa for our massage. I'm surprised I can even type right now, between the advanced stage of relaxation and feeling like I was taking body blows from Mike Tyson for an hour. (If you ever encounter my masseuse, Gennifer, in a dark alley, run like hell because I swear she could break you in half with her bare hands!)

Now we're back in the room, enjoying the air conditioning and waiting for our dinner reservation at the fancy-shmancy restaurant with French food and an Italian name ("Piacere"). We have to be ready to leave by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, so I'm guessing (well, more like praying) that tonight will be a little bit more restrained than yesterday.