Here's the short version:
We stayed up late every night. We slept in every morning. We ate three meals a day, and sometimes four. We swam in the pool and the beach. We kayaked and sailed and glass-bottom-boated. We sat a lot. We climbed steps A LOT. We had massages and intimate candlelight dinners. We danced. We sang every night. We exercised. (Yes! Even on vacation! Some more than me.) We napped. We made new friends from all over the world. We got sunburned. We rekindled our passions. We had the time of our lives. And we never stopped smiling.
Want the long version? Here you go!
We had no idea where were were going in Jamaica until we arrived at the St. Louis airport. We had signed up for the Couples Resort's "Secret Rendezvous." Couples has four all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, and we knew we would end up at one of them but didn't know which one. We found out we were going to Couples Sans Souci, which is about a two hour drive (eastwards) from the Montego Bay Airport. I was excited, but kind of a little ho-hum because out of all four resorts, this was ranked last on my list. Our travel agent had told us it was a quiet resort, so I thought maybe it wouldn't be much fun. Then again, I knew that I needed quiet and rest away from the kids. And, besides, I couldn't complain because it IS Jamaica after all!
When we landed in Jamaica, the first time my heart skipped a beat was when a Couples employee found out we had been to Jamaica before. He greeted us with, "Welcome home!" And I finally exhaled.
The sun had already set that Monday night, so we were driven to the resort in the dark. We arrived and were given champagne as we checked in at the front desk. We couldn't see much in the dark, but our rooms seemed pretty nice. We dropped our bags off there and wandered to the beach to try and get some dinner. It was around 9pm and we were hungry! Turns out the late night restaurants weren't open yet, and the other ones had already closed. So we went back to Beth and Sean's room and ordered room service. The guys watched TV in the room while Beth and I sat on the balcony. Our dinner arrived, then we ventured up to the Balloon Bar and found what would become Dan's favorite feature of the entire resort: a piano man! We sang along with him for a little bit, then explored the grounds some more and headed to bed.
Tuesday morning, Dan and I woke and he decided to work out on the treadmill. I did some reading and ordered breakfast to our room for him to share with me when he got back. We ate on our balcony and finally got to see the view from our room. It was lush and green and you could see the ocean down below, peeking through the trees.
We went to the pool, where Beth and Sean had already started their days with a trivia game - led by the Social Director Miguel.
After a few hours of relaxing, we had lunch on the beach and then swam in the ocean. Dan decided to take me on a kayak, with the strict rule that I was not allowed to paddle. My job was just to sit and relax. After our kayak, we went to the lobby to make reservations for the week. The guys took the upper hand and made all our plans for the week, so Beth and I didn't have to bother with a thing. What a treat! Afterwards, we went to the beach and I took a nap while Dan got to know the bartender. I woke at 6:00 when I heard a saxophone starting. I grabbed my camera and captured the saxophonist playing in the sunset. It. Took. My. Breath. Away.
That night was the resort's weekly Beach Party. The food was more local, like jerk pork and roasted sweet potatoes (which were white, not the orange I'm used to) and slaw and fire-roasted peanuts. The entertainment was a fashion show by the social directors and a steel drum band.
We woke Wednesday and BOTH decided to work out. Dan did the treadmill while I took a kickboxing class. I hadn't eaten breakfast (bad idea) and it was very hot and humid already (another bad thing), and the instructor kicked my butt. Halfway through the class, I turned to see Beth and Sean watching me from the comfort of their balcony. Grrrr! The one nice part was the view of the ocean in the exercise mirrors. Who can get angry while seeing that?!
Once class was over and I had regained feeling in my limbs, I went to watch the staff feed Charlie. He's the sea turtle that lives in a grotto at the resort. He's more than 100 years old and he is HUGE. He swam out and ate conch and seaweed and I snapped lots of photos.
We stayed up late every night. We slept in every morning. We ate three meals a day, and sometimes four. We swam in the pool and the beach. We kayaked and sailed and glass-bottom-boated. We sat a lot. We climbed steps A LOT. We had massages and intimate candlelight dinners. We danced. We sang every night. We exercised. (Yes! Even on vacation! Some more than me.) We napped. We made new friends from all over the world. We got sunburned. We rekindled our passions. We had the time of our lives. And we never stopped smiling.
Want the long version? Here you go!We had no idea where were were going in Jamaica until we arrived at the St. Louis airport. We had signed up for the Couples Resort's "Secret Rendezvous." Couples has four all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, and we knew we would end up at one of them but didn't know which one. We found out we were going to Couples Sans Souci, which is about a two hour drive (eastwards) from the Montego Bay Airport. I was excited, but kind of a little ho-hum because out of all four resorts, this was ranked last on my list. Our travel agent had told us it was a quiet resort, so I thought maybe it wouldn't be much fun. Then again, I knew that I needed quiet and rest away from the kids. And, besides, I couldn't complain because it IS Jamaica after all!
When we landed in Jamaica, the first time my heart skipped a beat was when a Couples employee found out we had been to Jamaica before. He greeted us with, "Welcome home!" And I finally exhaled.
The sun had already set that Monday night, so we were driven to the resort in the dark. We arrived and were given champagne as we checked in at the front desk. We couldn't see much in the dark, but our rooms seemed pretty nice. We dropped our bags off there and wandered to the beach to try and get some dinner. It was around 9pm and we were hungry! Turns out the late night restaurants weren't open yet, and the other ones had already closed. So we went back to Beth and Sean's room and ordered room service. The guys watched TV in the room while Beth and I sat on the balcony. Our dinner arrived, then we ventured up to the Balloon Bar and found what would become Dan's favorite feature of the entire resort: a piano man! We sang along with him for a little bit, then explored the grounds some more and headed to bed.
Tuesday morning, Dan and I woke and he decided to work out on the treadmill. I did some reading and ordered breakfast to our room for him to share with me when he got back. We ate on our balcony and finally got to see the view from our room. It was lush and green and you could see the ocean down below, peeking through the trees.
We went to the pool, where Beth and Sean had already started their days with a trivia game - led by the Social Director Miguel.
After a few hours of relaxing, we had lunch on the beach and then swam in the ocean. Dan decided to take me on a kayak, with the strict rule that I was not allowed to paddle. My job was just to sit and relax. After our kayak, we went to the lobby to make reservations for the week. The guys took the upper hand and made all our plans for the week, so Beth and I didn't have to bother with a thing. What a treat! Afterwards, we went to the beach and I took a nap while Dan got to know the bartender. I woke at 6:00 when I heard a saxophone starting. I grabbed my camera and captured the saxophonist playing in the sunset. It. Took. My. Breath. Away.
That night was the resort's weekly Beach Party. The food was more local, like jerk pork and roasted sweet potatoes (which were white, not the orange I'm used to) and slaw and fire-roasted peanuts. The entertainment was a fashion show by the social directors and a steel drum band.
We woke Wednesday and BOTH decided to work out. Dan did the treadmill while I took a kickboxing class. I hadn't eaten breakfast (bad idea) and it was very hot and humid already (another bad thing), and the instructor kicked my butt. Halfway through the class, I turned to see Beth and Sean watching me from the comfort of their balcony. Grrrr! The one nice part was the view of the ocean in the exercise mirrors. Who can get angry while seeing that?!
Once class was over and I had regained feeling in my limbs, I went to watch the staff feed Charlie. He's the sea turtle that lives in a grotto at the resort. He's more than 100 years old and he is HUGE. He swam out and ate conch and seaweed and I snapped lots of photos.
Dan and I had breakfast at a restaurant this time, the Palazzina. My favorite was the crispy bacon, French toast, and the omelet bar. Yummy! After stuffing ourselves, we went to the mineral pool to watch Beth and Sean get their butts kicked by the exercise instructor for water aerobics. 
The poolside bar served only fruit smoothies (non-alcoholic), and also some canned beer. (Guinness for Dan!) Dan and I found a shady spot under a gazebo with four adirondack chairs, and Beth and Sean joined us when their workout was over. We sat in that gazebo for at least two hours, just watching the ocean and feeling the breeze blow over us. It was heavenly.
The poolside bar served only fruit smoothies (non-alcoholic), and also some canned beer. (Guinness for Dan!) Dan and I found a shady spot under a gazebo with four adirondack chairs, and Beth and Sean joined us when their workout was over. We sat in that gazebo for at least two hours, just watching the ocean and feeling the breeze blow over us. It was heavenly.
Lunch was a late one at the Palazzina again (with a have-it-custom-made-for-you Caesar salad bar!) and then lounging at the pool. We met a great couple from Wales, who are both veterinarians. We played water volleyball, and then Dan and Sean joined in beach volleyball until it was time for us to shower and then watch the sunset at the other beach.
Dan and I had reservations for the “fancy” restaurant called Ristorante Casanova. It was an amazing meal with lobster bisque, a seafood kebab for me and oxtail ravioli for Dan. Between courses, the pianist came to play in the dining room. Dan stood up, extended his hand to me, and, even though there wasn't a dance floor, he waltzed me around the room. You know when someone says they are "drunk on love?" Sounds cheesy, right? Well, it isn't. That man had me head over heels in love with him. All over again. And the icing on the cake? DESSERT! They served my very favorite, creme brulee. Did I mention "heavenly" yet?
We met up with Beth and Sean after dinner and listened to a live reggae band. There was dancing and singing, finished up with karaoke. Dan even sang with me!
Around this time, I was having serious glute and hamstring pain from my kickboxing class, but the bartender's special ("Leighton's Rainbow") helped with that.
Dan and I had reservations for the “fancy” restaurant called Ristorante Casanova. It was an amazing meal with lobster bisque, a seafood kebab for me and oxtail ravioli for Dan. Between courses, the pianist came to play in the dining room. Dan stood up, extended his hand to me, and, even though there wasn't a dance floor, he waltzed me around the room. You know when someone says they are "drunk on love?" Sounds cheesy, right? Well, it isn't. That man had me head over heels in love with him. All over again. And the icing on the cake? DESSERT! They served my very favorite, creme brulee. Did I mention "heavenly" yet?
We met up with Beth and Sean after dinner and listened to a live reggae band. There was dancing and singing, finished up with karaoke. Dan even sang with me!
Around this time, I was having serious glute and hamstring pain from my kickboxing class, but the bartender's special ("Leighton's Rainbow") helped with that.
Thursday morning, Beth and I had breakfast (bacon and French toast!) while the boys played tennis. We spent the rest of the morning laying under a palm tree on this upper "beach," then swam in the mineral pool again. We had a late lunch at the beach grill, then left for a two-hour shopping trip in Ocho Rios that was planned by the boys. It was just enough time to see the touristy souvenir shops, buy some Cuban cigars and t-shirts, and check out the Burger King advertisements.
When we returned, we went straight to the Balloon Bar to wet our whistles before showering and having another romantic dinner. This one didn't involve dancing and had a much slower waitstaff, but it was still very tasty. We headed back to the Balloon Bar and listened to another live band before our favorite piano man Trevor started performing. Our new Welsh friends joined us for the singalong, and we were up until 1am.
Friday's breakfast was more bacon and French toast (surprise!), then a ride in the resort's glass bottom boat. Dan opted out, so I tagged along with Beth and Sean. We saw lots of coral, fish, and even a sunken ship. And we got to float by Bryan Adams' beach house. Not too shabby!
I met Dan on the beach afterwards and we sat quietly together and read, then swam in the pool. All four of us had couples' massages scheduled for Friday afternoon. Dan and I enjoyed ours immensely. Isn't the inside of the massage hut gorgeous? Imagine laying there, getting a rubdown and hearing the waves crashing below. Heaven!
We had another late lunch at the beach grill, followed by beach volleyball and another visit to sunset beach.
That night was the resort's weekly Starlight Gala. Buffet stations are set up under twinkling lights on the resort lawn by the beach, and we stuffed ourselves with food and danced a bit.
The party continued on the sunset beach that night, where the boys enjoyed their Cubans. We ended up at the Balloon Bar again that night, before bed at 2am.
Saturday morning was our usual breakfast (Bacon! French toast!), then we went in search of Dan's missing sunglasses. We couldn't find them, so we gave up and joined Beth and Sean at the pool. Then I remembered a backup pair I had in the room, so I went to get them. The maid was in our room, and she told me I just missed a call from my sister. My heart dropped into my stomach as it took forever for me to dial the long distance code to call her back. I already knew what the call was about, so Mary answered with tears and "Are you okay?" I made her tell me for sure that Grandmother had died. Mary told me that she was there when it happened, less than 30 minutes earlier. I cried and the maid couldn't quite figure out how to handle me. Mary told me the tentative funeral plans, then we hung up (it cost $2 a minute, so I couldn't cry much to her) and I found the sunglasses, thanked the maid and left the room. I stepped outside to my view of paradise, which was obscured by tears in my eyes. I stumbled down the stairs and got to the pool. Beth knew what had happened the moment she saw me, and I confirmed it. I tried to yell for Dan across the pool, but couldn't. Beth called him for me and he and Sean came over and heard the news.
We spent the next three hours trying to contact the travel agent in the States to change our return flight. It was extremely frustrating, because we found out that toll free numbers don't work on resort phones nor on Beth's cell phone. Finally we got on the Internet and couldn't find any flights that were less than $1,000 per person. We decided to check Mapquest and found that the drive from St. Louis to Lexington, Virginia was 10.5 hours. If we took our original flight that would land in St. Louis at 11:04pm on Monday night, we could drive to Lexington and arrive by the 11am funeral on Tuesday morning. Even though there was a one hour time difference, we figured it was our best bet to get there.
My heart was heavy and it was hard to enjoy the rest of Saturday. At one point, I sat by the pool and the realization hit that Grandmother was finally reunited with her parents, beloved brothers, four husbands, daughter, son, and grandson. I cried while Dan held my hand, and I watched life move on and the palm trees sway in the ocean breeze.
When we returned, we went straight to the Balloon Bar to wet our whistles before showering and having another romantic dinner. This one didn't involve dancing and had a much slower waitstaff, but it was still very tasty. We headed back to the Balloon Bar and listened to another live band before our favorite piano man Trevor started performing. Our new Welsh friends joined us for the singalong, and we were up until 1am.
Friday's breakfast was more bacon and French toast (surprise!), then a ride in the resort's glass bottom boat. Dan opted out, so I tagged along with Beth and Sean. We saw lots of coral, fish, and even a sunken ship. And we got to float by Bryan Adams' beach house. Not too shabby!
I met Dan on the beach afterwards and we sat quietly together and read, then swam in the pool. All four of us had couples' massages scheduled for Friday afternoon. Dan and I enjoyed ours immensely. Isn't the inside of the massage hut gorgeous? Imagine laying there, getting a rubdown and hearing the waves crashing below. Heaven!
We had another late lunch at the beach grill, followed by beach volleyball and another visit to sunset beach.
That night was the resort's weekly Starlight Gala. Buffet stations are set up under twinkling lights on the resort lawn by the beach, and we stuffed ourselves with food and danced a bit.
The party continued on the sunset beach that night, where the boys enjoyed their Cubans. We ended up at the Balloon Bar again that night, before bed at 2am.
Saturday morning was our usual breakfast (Bacon! French toast!), then we went in search of Dan's missing sunglasses. We couldn't find them, so we gave up and joined Beth and Sean at the pool. Then I remembered a backup pair I had in the room, so I went to get them. The maid was in our room, and she told me I just missed a call from my sister. My heart dropped into my stomach as it took forever for me to dial the long distance code to call her back. I already knew what the call was about, so Mary answered with tears and "Are you okay?" I made her tell me for sure that Grandmother had died. Mary told me that she was there when it happened, less than 30 minutes earlier. I cried and the maid couldn't quite figure out how to handle me. Mary told me the tentative funeral plans, then we hung up (it cost $2 a minute, so I couldn't cry much to her) and I found the sunglasses, thanked the maid and left the room. I stepped outside to my view of paradise, which was obscured by tears in my eyes. I stumbled down the stairs and got to the pool. Beth knew what had happened the moment she saw me, and I confirmed it. I tried to yell for Dan across the pool, but couldn't. Beth called him for me and he and Sean came over and heard the news.
We spent the next three hours trying to contact the travel agent in the States to change our return flight. It was extremely frustrating, because we found out that toll free numbers don't work on resort phones nor on Beth's cell phone. Finally we got on the Internet and couldn't find any flights that were less than $1,000 per person. We decided to check Mapquest and found that the drive from St. Louis to Lexington, Virginia was 10.5 hours. If we took our original flight that would land in St. Louis at 11:04pm on Monday night, we could drive to Lexington and arrive by the 11am funeral on Tuesday morning. Even though there was a one hour time difference, we figured it was our best bet to get there.
My heart was heavy and it was hard to enjoy the rest of Saturday. At one point, I sat by the pool and the realization hit that Grandmother was finally reunited with her parents, beloved brothers, four husbands, daughter, son, and grandson. I cried while Dan held my hand, and I watched life move on and the palm trees sway in the ocean breeze.
After a while, Dan and Sean decided to go sailing and so I got my camera out as a distraction. I took photos of them and some of the great scenery.
Katie had given us her stuffed bear (Apple Bear) to take on our trip with us. I promised her some photos of him on his wild adventure, so I got him out and took photos for her too.
The boys enjoyed beach volleyball again, then everyone cleaned up and I got to play photographer for a little while. Here are some of my favorites:
We had dinner at Bella Vista on the beach, then singing at the Balloon Bar again. (Have you noticed a pattern yet?) After a late night swim, we were in bed at 2am.
Sunday was our last "real" day in Jamaica, since Monday would be busy with our departure. It was also Mother's Day. After checking email for any funeral updates, we spent the day in our usual way: Bacon! French toast! Pool! Late lunch! Beach volleyball! Sunset! And Dan took me sailing (with the Watersports guide Clayton) too. The boys planned special dinners for us that night. After watching the sun set, Dan walked me to the spa gazebo where a private candlelight dinner was set up for us.
The gazebo is set on a cliff above the ocean, so we could hear the waves crash and the breeze cooled us somewhat. I was still blazing hot, so I stole ice from the champagne bucket and put it on my toes. That helped! Our own personal waiter (with the cool name of Blackstock) brought us water, wine and champagne, then a shrimp appetizer, lobster bisque, salad, and surf and turf entrees. Dessert was a chocolate number that was, of course, heavenly. Dan danced with me under the gazebo, and gave me a Mother's Day card. My heart was peaceful and happy.
We met Beth and Sean in the mineral grotto afterwards, and dipped our feet in to cool off for a while. The evening ended at the Balloon Bar singalong with the piano man, and we squeezed every ounce of joy out of the last night in Jamaica.
I woke Monday morning with anxiety attacks as I started thinking of our arrival back in the US and our drive to Virginia. We had breakfast (last bacon and French toast), then packed our bags. That helped me feel a little better. We walked the beach, hung out in the resort game room and looked at photos, then had our last lunch at the beach grill before one last moment in the hammock.
Our taxi drove us to the airport, where we shopped (it's like an indoor mall!) and got some American fast food before our flight took off. This was our last view from the plane, and we were sad to see our Jamaican vacation end.
Katie had given us her stuffed bear (Apple Bear) to take on our trip with us. I promised her some photos of him on his wild adventure, so I got him out and took photos for her too.
The boys enjoyed beach volleyball again, then everyone cleaned up and I got to play photographer for a little while. Here are some of my favorites:
We had dinner at Bella Vista on the beach, then singing at the Balloon Bar again. (Have you noticed a pattern yet?) After a late night swim, we were in bed at 2am.
Sunday was our last "real" day in Jamaica, since Monday would be busy with our departure. It was also Mother's Day. After checking email for any funeral updates, we spent the day in our usual way: Bacon! French toast! Pool! Late lunch! Beach volleyball! Sunset! And Dan took me sailing (with the Watersports guide Clayton) too. The boys planned special dinners for us that night. After watching the sun set, Dan walked me to the spa gazebo where a private candlelight dinner was set up for us.
The gazebo is set on a cliff above the ocean, so we could hear the waves crash and the breeze cooled us somewhat. I was still blazing hot, so I stole ice from the champagne bucket and put it on my toes. That helped! Our own personal waiter (with the cool name of Blackstock) brought us water, wine and champagne, then a shrimp appetizer, lobster bisque, salad, and surf and turf entrees. Dessert was a chocolate number that was, of course, heavenly. Dan danced with me under the gazebo, and gave me a Mother's Day card. My heart was peaceful and happy.
We met Beth and Sean in the mineral grotto afterwards, and dipped our feet in to cool off for a while. The evening ended at the Balloon Bar singalong with the piano man, and we squeezed every ounce of joy out of the last night in Jamaica.
I woke Monday morning with anxiety attacks as I started thinking of our arrival back in the US and our drive to Virginia. We had breakfast (last bacon and French toast), then packed our bags. That helped me feel a little better. We walked the beach, hung out in the resort game room and looked at photos, then had our last lunch at the beach grill before one last moment in the hammock.
Our taxi drove us to the airport, where we shopped (it's like an indoor mall!) and got some American fast food before our flight took off. This was our last view from the plane, and we were sad to see our Jamaican vacation end.
