Vacation mode started on Friday the 29th and I did my best to get my desk at work as cleared up as possible. Once I was off from work on Thursday, I turned off notifications of work email on my phone and I am determined not to look at them until *maybe* Friday (when we should be back home).
So where were we? Oh, we were in Jamaica!
The travel day was a bit brutal but it’s been lovely since we’ve been here. We’re staying at the Sandals Ochi in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Room 2052. (I’m posting this when we’re home so why not detail the particulars?) The weather has been humid, which I am not used to at all. It’s not so bad though, thank goodness.
Since I’m not posting this until we’re home, I suppose I’ll do a daily run down.
TRAVEL DAY
Our flight from SFO was set to depart at 23:00 but let a bit later than that. We landed in Montego Bay at about 10:48 local time. It took about an hour and a half to get to the resort so by the time we were in our room, it was about twelve hours of traveling. A bit brutal. The flight from SFO to MIA was so uncomfortable but the Dramamine helped. The flight from MIA to MBJ wasn’t so bad. I was in the middle seat and I was thankfully seated next to a small/regular sized person.
When we arrived, our room wasn’t quite ready so we had lunch at the Sky Terrace restaurant. It was good to get some food in the tummy, especially after all the traveling. When we were finished, our room was ready.
We’re in a Honeymoon Hideaway Garden Cottage with a balcony that has a lovely view. We haven’t sat out there though. When we’re outside, we’re at the pool or the beach or eating. All good things!
We had room service for dinner then I took a long nap while the husband went out for a bit in the evening. He came back with hot dogs at around midnight.
FIRST FULL DAY
We had breakfast at the Sky Terrace restaurant. It was a buffet and did a good job of filling me up to start the day. I even drank coffee with breakfast, which is not usual for me at all. I liked the coffee and would drink it at every breakfast we had.
After breakfast, we checked out the beach on our side of the resort before taking the Hop to the other part of the resort. We met up with our friends at the Great House pool. We spent a lot of hours at that pool, especially at the swim up bar. I had the first of many Bob Marley drinks there.
We had dinner at Sky Terrace. It took a long time to get our food but we had a nice view from our table. The dinner itself was all right (we went surf and turf) but we ended up getting room service later that night because it wasn’t quite enough.
A GOOD SORT OF MONDAY
For breakfast, we went to the Southern Kitchen restaurant. The food was pretty much the same as Sky Terrace but we had a different view as it was on the hill side of the resort. After breakfast, we did a bit of shopping before heading back to the beach side and to the water!
We spent hours at the beach, in the water. I loved being in the water, listening to the waves and letting the water take me back and forth. I can’t swim, so I made sure to stay close to the shore. I had my phone in a waterproof case and it worked like a dream! My phone suffered no damage while being in the water. It made for some interesting photos and videos. After the beach, we hung out at the nearby pool before going back to the room to get ready for a group dinner.
The whole group of us had dinner at Kimonos Oriental Cuisine. It was a very humid evening and having our meals cooked before us didn’t cool us down at all. The food was delicious! And it was great to sit down and enjoy a meal with everyone.
A WEDDING DAY
We started this day with room service breakfast before going out again to the beach for more time in the water. I really did love listening to the waves around me, moving with the water in a sort of comforting lull. We stopped by the pool again as well for a drink before heading back to our room to get ready for our friend’s late afternoon wedding ceremony.
The reason we made the trip to Jamaica was for our friend’s wedding. After we got ready, I headed to the bride’s room to hang out with the ladies. It was fun watching the preparation and taking pictures here and there.
The ceremony was on the beach and it was short and sweet.
The reception was on the hill side of the resort so after the ceremony, we headed that way. Our friends had a room on that side and we had a short visit there before heading to the reception site.
The reception was probably the best food we had the whole time we were in Jamaica. The appetizers were DELICIOUS and dinner was fantastic. It was hot and humid sitting outside but we had a bit of a breeze every now and then, so it wasn’t so bad. We had a good time. It’s always lovely celebrating love and it was on display not just with the newly married couple but with the family and friends who made the trip. Good times indeed.
OUR LAST FULL DAY IN JAMAICA
We started our day a bit late as we needed a bit of recovery time from the previous night’s celebration. We ended up having lunch at the Southern Table and I had the daily special, which was actually pretty decent. We walked around a bit on that side then headed back to our side and took in the sights there as well.
We had dinner at Kelly’s Dockside our last night there. It was a lovely night and though it was humid, there was a nice breeze as well. I had the Seafood Fritto to go along with our appetizer of the sampler for two. It was all very delicious.
After dinner, we took a bit of a walk then the Hop over to the other side to say good bye to our friends. It was nice to see everyone one last time. Even though we have the social networks to catch glimpses of one another, this was the last time we’d see most of them in person all together for a long while.
TRAVEL DAY
Our travel day started very early, as we were scheduled to check out at 7:15 AM and the bus pick up was 7:45 AM. We stopped halfway through the drive for a potty break then it was onward to the airport. Our flight to Miami was on time but the flight to San Francisco was delayed by about an hour. I didn’t mind the delay out of Miami because it gave us a chance to eat a late lunch with time for it to digest before leaving. We landed in California just before 9 PM and we were home around 11 PM. It was a long day.
Travel days aside, we had a great time in Jamaica. We got to relax and eat and drink and hang out with friends. The hot and humid weather wasn’t so bad when we were in the water. I loved being in the water, especially at the beach. I loved being able to order room service. I loved ordering drinks and food and not worrying about a tab or tipping. All inclusive resorts are the best!
We’ve been to many weddings over the years but this was the first one where the ceremony was on the beach. It wasn’t our first destination wedding but it was our first destination wedding out of the country. I’m glad that we were able to travel for this one and I’m happy for the newlyweds. It was nice getting to know the bride (I had only met her once before) and they seemed happy together. I did feel teary-eyed during the ceremony as I watched them pledge their love and commitment. I’m sentimental in that way, I suppose…
It’s good to be home. I’m glad for the dry heat as opposed to the hot and humid tropical weather. Even though it’s great to have fresh towels and the bed made up every day and turned down every night, there’s something about sleeping in your own bed. All that said, I’m not ready to go back to work and wouldn’t have minded a bit more time off…
