Rodger and I went to Jamaica for a getaway vacation. He sold a home a few months ago and on top of his commission received a vacation voucher. We took some time deciding on where we should go, we knew we wanted somewhere tropical and warm, and we landed on Jamaica.
We left Halloween night at 12:55am on a red eye to Atlanta. I can't complain much, as I can sleep anywhere, but boy does that wear you out to the max. We had a two hour layover in Atlanta, grabbed some breakfast, and then off to Montego Bay.
We arrived in Montego Bay at about 11:00am. We hopped on the 2 hour bus ride to Ocho Rios and finally got to our resort. We were both tired and hungry but thrilled to be there.
Our room was really nice. The bed was extra comfortable, which always is a plus.
The bathroom wasn't ideal, a little compact with a tub/shower combination, but it worked.
We had a beautiful balcony which was fun at times to sit out on.
The view was breathtaking.
The first night we were exhausted. We only went to dinner, checked around the resort, and climbed into bed to watch a movie/go to bed early. I believe it was 8:00pm. I have never seen Rodger so tired.
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First day on the beach. It felt so nice. I LOVE the pictures below.
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The pictures above were from our first day. We stayed at a Sandals Resort (hello Michael Scott) and the convenience with this was that, two resorts were across the street from each other. We heard around that the big nice pool was across the street. We took the bus and realized the rumors were true, the pool was perfect!
I'm pretty sure we were known as the "Card Couple." We honestly played cards pretty much the whole time while at the pool. They had built in tables inside the pool, which was really nice and refreshing. By the end of our vacation, our deck of cards were destroyed.
Nothing doesn't get much better than 24/7 with Rodger in a tropical location playing cards while getting a tan. We were both in heaven.
Our room was near an exit with a balcony and a beautiful view of the ocean. This was our famous spot to take timed pictures, as you can see from above.
Evening Nights I thought were fun, Rodger got a bit sick of them after a few days. I'm pretty sure it was the fact that most restaurants required dressing up.
Speaking of restaurants, there were about 7 different places to go each evening. One of those you had to make a reservation. That place had the same effect as Teppanyaki. It was pretty darn good. There were a few other good restaurants and a few bad ones. Overall, the food was decent.
This was at our White Party. They had a Chocolate Bar, dancing, and entertainment. Rodger was so boggled why everyone had something white to wear. I was surprised we both had something to put together.
The next day we went on our first and only excursion. Below is Rodger doing my hair in a braid. Cute little thing does it at home as well, I'm extra lucky. I needed my hair up, as soon as possible, as you can imagine with the humidity, my hair was a huge, hot, and curly mess.
This is us on the catamaran. Before we went to Dunn's River Falls, we went snorkeling. That was probably the scariest snorkeling experience I have ever had. Nothing crazy happened, but the ocean life and rocks were so high you had to be stiff as a board swimming over the rocks. My poor little feet were kicking so fast I thought they were going to fall off. I couldn't wait to get to some open space. The scenery of the ocean life was very pretty though, I just wish I didn't feel so claustrophobic. Our guide was pretty cool and gave me a plant of some sort that I held and the fishes were swimming right by me trying to eat it. It was awesome.
For our excursion, we took a catamaran over to the famous Dunn's River Falls. We both love catamarans and always sit out on the front on the nets. They are a blast to be on and always a great people watcher. Anyways, Dunn's River Falls is a famous waterfall that you can climb up. It was really neat and exciting to do, but after awhile it kind of got old. We were in a group of 30 people and we had to hold hands in a row. Luckily, Rodger and I were the very last couple at the end. We eventually let go of the line and helped each other up the waterfalls. Unfortunately, sweet little Rodger took a fall. I feel him reaching for me and grabbing my back and arms and I turn around and see him partway through his fall. Thankfully, he didn't get hurt, just felt stupid.
The slide picture above it not really a slide. I created it. It specifically says "Please do not use the water feature as a slide." Did I listen..., obviously not. I love water slides, water parks, water world anything. This slide, was one of my top water slides I have ever been on, trust me.
One evening we scheduled our free complimentary photo session. It was at 5:00pm on the dot and the heat and humidity were killing us. I was surprised some of them actually worked out, I thought my face would definitely look like a hot sticky mess. Below are the pictures we came home with.
This was us moments before we went with the resort on a little shopping tour.
Rodger was pretty stoked to go shopping.
It was not a fun experience. The reason I say this is because it was a line of about 15 little huts. We started at one end and were getting hounded by each and every person. Because both of us are so giving and have a hard time saying no, especially Rodger, after about the 6th hut, we had bought something from each one of them. It was so hard to say no when this is their living and if you buy one small thing from them, it makes their day. By about the 7th hut, I had had enough and wanted to head back. I get uncomfortable during those situations because of the pressure to buy something and feeling bad if we don't.
Because of this not so great experience, Rodger wanted more of a Jamaican shopping experience. I agreed to go to a more tourist spot.
We took a cab to the Taj Mahal Shopping Center. Unfortunately it was a very small place. We were there for about an hour and that was plenty long.
The stores had the typical tourist items, which we knew would be the case, but we wanted to get out and see Jamaica, rather than just our resort.
Our cab driver was a very nice man. On our way home he took us down Main Street to see the live Jamaican action.
I'm glad we decided to get out of the resort and see Jamaica's everyday life. It was very interesting and neat to see.
The two pictures above are probably my favorite of the trip, even if the one is blurry.
I took this picture and I am quick pleased with the results. This was right outside our room, so beautiful and the water was so clear.
On our last morning we got a couples massage out on the dock, as you can see above. It was under one of the huts on the right hand side. It was so relaxing and hearing the waves from the ocean made you relax even more. Our massage ended with us holding hands, and we both just turned to look at each other and laughed.
After our massage, we spent one last day on the beach.
Out in the ocean they had a platform you could swim to and sit or lay out on. It didn't get used much, so Rodger and I would enjoy it often. On the last day I realized something spectacular. I could slide around on it. I would go up to one corner, wait for the waves to make it move downwards, and off I would go. Most of the times, I would slide right into the water, other times I could catch myself and stay on the platform. I was giving people from the balcony above quite a show, they enjoyed it just as much as I did.
On the last night there was a beach party. They had lanterns you could light and send off up into the sky over the ocean. We, of course, had to do this. The couples in front of us were having a hard time releasing their lanterns and they would end up in the ocean. We knew we had to time it just right and let the lantern leave our hands on its own.
We did it just right and off our lantern went.
We arrived home on Tuesday November 8th. We had such a great trip (even with the small fight we had because I got water in Rodger's eye on accident and he freaked out on me...haha). Anyways, it was a trip, I will never forget. We haven't had a trip, alone, since our honeymoon. It was perfect in every way. Once we got home, I was having Rodger withdrawals, I missed him so much.
Anyways, thanks Rodger for such a fantastic trip. I love you more and more everyday.
P.S. Having eyelash extensions was the best decision EVER on a vacation like this. No make up is needed.
P.P.S. I also believe Rodger's favorite part of the trip was how many compliments he received on his watch. He would smile ear to ear just talking about it.
