Jamaica Day 1: travel didn't slow us down

We've been to Jamaica and St. Lucia to all-inclusive resorts and Jamaica is by far our favorite place. It isn't quite as close to the equator, so not as hot, but the people are so kind and welcoming. We love the Sandals/Beaches chain and likely won't try another. For this trip we left early on a Sunday morning....

Daddy came to get us at 4:00 am since our flight was at 6:00. Normally I would not leave that early, but traveling internationally means they have to do extra passport checks, plus Mike is a hot mess, so we needed the extra time.

And I'm not just saying that. Mike's backpack was chosen for extra screening, where they take everything out then do a chemical test on the bag. It alarmed. He got a full patdown. He wasn't worried until they asked him if he wanted a private room. We have no idea what could have triggered the alarm, but he made sure the travel candles were in his checked baggage on the way home.

We had time in Atlanta for breakfast, but couldn't convince the gate agent to upgrade us. Even though I have platinum status, I got our tickets with points (yes, we flew for FREE), so upgrades were not available. To set the mood for the trip, the agent played Jamaican music and asked trivia questions.

The flight was uneventful, but I completely freaked out when someone about 15 places in front of me in Customs said "this is like waiting in line at Holiday World, without the fun ride at the end." Seriously. A group of students from Indianapolis was in front of us.
It was a 90 minute bumpy bus ride to the resort. Good thing they had free beer in the airport lounge. I was nice and chill all the way, even though the roads were an abomination. Our traveling companions were stuffy old Californians who talked about living in Simi Valley, working in Burbank, and driving Mercedes, so we just enjoyed the views. For instance, even though we've had Suzy the Suzuki since the end of May, I haven't seen another Suzuki on the road since. They were all over Jamaica, though. We saw more of the "Jamaican construction" in action --- as was explained on our last visit, Jamaicans build their houses as they can afford the materials and labor. So, while you may see a house under construction that looks abandoned, it isn't. The owners are saving for the next phase. Here is an example from our trip in March 2011:

  



We arrived at the resort tired and toasty, so cool lavender-scented towels and champagne were a nice little welcome party. We had booked a concierge room, so we were taken to a separate lobby to check in and had a little rum punch. Sandals Whitehouse European Village has three separate areas, Italian, Dutch and French.
 

Our room in the Italian Village was beautiful, with a fourth floor balcony and beach view.  It also had a fully stocked fridge, including champagne, which Mike served to me in a giant wine glass. Italian Village is known as the 'quietest' on the resort, but is also closest to the main pool, game room, and restaurants. Believe it or not, we were not tired, and couldn't wait for dinner. We headed to the italian restaurant for a pizza and salad snack, then did a quick resort tour. I highly recommend you attend the main resort tour at 10am for the full experience, but since this was our third visit to a resort, we went with the quick version.

 

Actually, even though it was our travel day, and we'd been up since 3:30 am, we were really excited to participate in all of the activities. We chose to have dinner in the one formal restaurant, Eleanor's (by formal, we mean Mike had to wear pants). White glove service, fantastic food, and a decadent dessert named "Magic Moment for Two". Really great. There was a "pre-appetizer" of cheese and hummos. I had the crab cakes to start, then the snapper with bacon potatoes. And I've never seen so much silverware in a place setting. Thankfully I knew to "start from the outside" and our server whisked away the unnecessary pieces with each course. We sat for a while on the piazza with a latte and listed to LaShawna sing before heading to the opera presentation at 8pm. I don't think I've ever heard opera (unless there's been some on Dancing with the Stars"), but this guy was great (Puccini, Ave Maria, Van Gogh, Josh Groban, musicals) ... Mike ended up buying his CD. We headed to the Caberet for some music from the house band and watched the "Newlywed/Not So Newlywed Game". Couples had been married anywhere from 8 days to 41 years and it was a hoot, for sure. We stayed and listened to some jazz until the disco opened in the martini bar. I think we got back to the room after 1am, maybe 2am. And I think it was our best day there.