Jamaica MON!

Like most amazing things that have occurred in our lives, this trip started out as little more than a casually entertained idea, which eventually metamorphosed into this incredibly well-thought out and equally well executed life-changing event. In short, Cheryl and I had a wonderful time and will cherish the memories we made in Jamaica.

We decided to take a flight that would have us arriving mid-day, allowing us extra time to enjoy the resort; However, this meant that we would be taking a red-eye with a layover in Dallas Fort Worth. We made the most of our timing and enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the airport before starting the last leg of our travel into Montego Bay, Jamaica.




Flying in we noticed that we were fairly close to some beachfront resorts. Although, the reviews of our resort, Sandals Montego Bay, stated that there was some noise due to the low flying airplanes, one reviewer suggested that couple staying at the resort make a game out of the sound. Everytime a plane flies over, kiss your spouse. Needless to say, not only was that idea fun, but upon return home, had me looking at rental property surrounding LAX. Another bit of advice that we had the fortune of taking was the upgrade to concierge service. 2 weeks before our trip, we were contacted via email regarding an optional upgrade that provided a beachfront walkout room plus 24 hr Concierge service - and get this, for only $150 dollars extra for the entire week.

Here are the first two examples of the laundry list of perks that came with the upgrade. Upon arrival, Cheryl and I were whisked away, out of the sweltering humidity, into a finely furnished private entrance where we sat and enjoyed a glass of champagne while all of our check-in and account management information was completed for us.

Here is our room located directly on the beach. Tile flooring with a four post mahogany bed and matching furniture.

What's the first thing you do when you arrive in Jamaica? Get in the water!

The beach and resort were absolutely stunning.

Every morning, the "creme de la creme" send their butlers out at 7am to reserve the most coveted beach chairs. Well, guess who set their alarm clock for 6:45 and woke up just enough to throw a couple beach towels and a magazine in a prime spot. ME!

To the victors go the spoils.

This is where Cheryl and I spent several hours a day - doing absolutely nothing. It was marvelous.

And once the sunset, that's when the real fun began. FOOD!

The resort had 5 places to eat: Tokyo Joe's (pictured above), the Oleander Room, The Cucina Romano, the Cricketer's Pub, and the beach bar/grill. Tokyo Joe's was a type of Tepenyaki style cuisine where you choose your vegetables, protein, and noodle or rice and they cooked it for you - open flame style.

A word of caution: Sweltering humidity+ giant open flames = nearly unbearable heat. I still can't believe we survived the evening. Dry cleaning anyone?

After dinner, Cheryl and I decided to explore the grounds. Montego Bay was the first resort to open under the Sandals company name and was designed as it's flagship. With the largest private beach in all of Jamaica, you were never far from a kodak moment. The Resort had two pools, one with a swim up bar. Cheryl loved this place not because of the bar, but because of the popcorn machine inside. By the end of the week, the bartender would have a fresh batch waiting for us by the time we strolled in.

The Oleander Room: The Dress code was formal, but if I had worn a long sleeve and a jacket, i might not have even made it to dinner. Needless to say, Cheryl looked stunning and exceeded the dress code for the both of us. The traditional Jamaican cuisine was served here, and because our resort was all exclusive, all inclusive - if we didn't like one dish, we just tried another :)



A nighttime shot of the main pool.

Not only was all of our meals and drinks included in the cost, but all on-resort activities were also included. Windsurfing, wake-boarding, snorkling, tubing, hobbycat sailing, and the list goes on.



Cheryl and I got adventurous and tried out some of the water-sports. So much fun!

Much to our pleasure, our resort offers whats called "Stay at One, Play at Three". And, if you have a single deductive bone in your body, you would realize that Cheryl and I had to explore the other resorts. Unfortunately, due to the shuttle schedule and the heat, we only had enough time and energy to visit one. Sandals Royal Caribbean.

Although this resort was a bit smaller, it did have a private offshore island with a restaurant and a....



nude beach. :/

After exploring the resort, we grabbed a shuttle and headed back home for an awesome beach party. Music, food, entertainment and much more.

The food was delicious, but it wouldn't be a traditional Jamaican meal without the Jerk Chicken.

Cheryl and I had a wonderful time and got to know another married couple who lived in Canada. Ivy and Bruce became great friends and great photographers. Since the whole resort was crawling with photographers capitalizing on the fact that couples didn't have anyone to take pictures of them, we both benefited by the friendship.

Apparently in Jamaica, limbo dancing is taken to a whole new extreme level - WITH FIRE!



Speaking of fire, this guy was amazing - however, his performance had a certain flamboyant characteristic that focused alot of attention on the men of the audience. Flaming indeed.

The next morning Cheryl and I got ready for an excursion in another area of Jamaica. A shorty drive through some townships and we had arrived at our destination.



Starting at ocean level, Cheryl and I jumped in our Dune Buggy and got ready for an incredible journey up the mountain.

On the way up, we stopped and took a break for some Jamaican history, compliments of our tour guide.



Near the top, we stopped at a old farm which was still in use. Although coffee is a huge export, fruit such as guava and cherries were also farmed.

On the way back, it started to rain.... HARD! If you've ever felt the rush of flying down a mountain through a lush jungle in an open air dune-buggy while rain smacks you in the face and your getting your wife completly soaked in mud, you'd understand why I was smiling from ear to ear.

We got back to the resort and washed up. It was at this point that we deemed our clothing ruined, but both of us agreed that it was a memory worth it's weight in laundry. We headed out to the beach to watch the sunset before we headed to dinner.

One of my favorite pictures of our entire trip. I loved it so much that I eneded up submitting it into the photography category of the fair and ended up getting an honorable mention.

After dinner Cheryl and i took a walk along the beach, enjoying the beautiful reflections of the resort in the ocean water. This picture was taken from the end of the dock looking back at the restaurant.

After our stroll, we heard some Calypso music coming from the outdoor stage. Upon further inspection, we found out that it was the evenings entertainment; a group of kids who played some amazing steel drums. We grabbed a drink and enjoyed the wonderful performance. Each night, Sandals puts on an evening of entertainment called Showtime which features performaces by professional and semi-profesional talent. Solo singers, full bands, and even comedy acts. Although we didn't go every night, the few acts that we saw were fantastic.

Cheryl and I had an incredible time in Jamaica and are truly blessed to have enjoyed such luxury and beauty in a country full of smiles. We were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived and truly felt rested and relaxed by the end of our trip. No Problems Mon!