Jamaica (Ya Mon!)

[Click me to hear some Bob Marley]

Dan & I’s vacation this year came a little early when we found out that our friends, Ryan & Traci, were getting married & having a destination wedding in (you guessed it) Jamaica. When Dan was told that he was a groomsman, we decided to incorporate our vacation into the wedding plans. Neither of us had ever been there, but we heard such great things about the vacation spot & when we found out that it was all inclusive we were sold.

We flew out of Dulles International Airport on May 28^th, we had a layover in Miami & from there we arrived in Jamaica around 10:30 a.m. (an hour behind Virginia time). When we arrived at our hotel, we were greeted with fresh cold towels & mimosas; while the receptionist found our reservation, we peeked around & were quite excited that our hotel was so nice. A few minutes later the receptionist informed us that we were not guests at The Grand but at the Iberostar Rose Hall Suites which was 2 parking lots over. After we apologized for the confusion, we were taken over to our hotel by golf cart & after an hour & a half wait we were let into our room. We were unaware that check-in was at 2:00 p.m.

Our plans for that evening were dinner at the Mexican restaurant & then drinks with the wedding party/guests at the hotel bar. From the bar we made our way down to the beach to watch a private fire show that Ryan & Traci scheduled for everyone that made the trip. I had planned on taking photos of this, but once it started I was so engrossed in what was going on & what the guy was doing that I totally forgot to take pictures. It just looked so painful – I was in shock.

Our second day in Jamaica we got up early to do one of our scheduled tours – horseback riding! I was pretty excited for this one. Not only do I love horses, but I really haven’t been horseback riding since maybe middle school. Once we were saddled up we were ready to hit the trails; Dan’s horse's name was Little Big Man & my horse's name was Scumbi. After being warned that my horse was a “speedster,” I was a little worried. He kept wanting to break into a trot & kept getting super close to the horse in front of him. I felt bad having to keep pulling on the reins to get him to back off, but the instructor told me if I didn’t the horse in front of me would eventually kick him & I really didn’t want that to happen. Once we got back to the ranch, we stripped down to our bathing suits so we could get in the water. I have never had so much fun! It was an amazing experience & I loved every minute of it – even when the horse in front of me took a huge poop & it was surrounding my legs in the water...still loved it. =)

When we returned to the hotel it was time for us to get ready for the wedding rehearsal & rehearsal dinner. The guests/wedding party were a lot of fun. Sometimes when one of us is in the wedding & the other is on the sidelines, it can be a little uncomfortable, especially when you don’t know a lot of people; I felt comfortable the entire time we were there. Ryan & Traci’s families were very welcoming & really included us.

Day 3 in Jamaica was wedding day. Dan spent most of the afternoon with the groom & the fellow groomsmen getting ready, which gave me some time to just relax. The wedding was beautiful & I was so glad that we were able to make the trip & be a part of their special day. After dinner, we made our way over to Mango Walk which is the disco club at the hotel. Ryan & Traci had their first dance as husband & wife, but a few minutes into their slow song they broke out into a couple’s routine that was fast paced. I thought it was great & I was smiling the entire time I watched them. They are both great dancers. Not only were they good, but their family & friends were amazing also! Dan & I were so entertained by their expert moves that we only danced a few songs because we were watching them the entire time. To be honest, we probably spared them from watching our horrible dance moves.

Day 4 we woke up early to make our second and final tour of the trip – ATVs. I have to admit that I was more excited about the horseback riding than I was for the ATV tour, but I actually had a great time. Each of us got our own 4-wheeler & we were in a pack of 10, not including the tour guides. Our main tour guide was “Mad Mike” who continually broke out in song & dance throughout the morning; he was pretty funny. They took us out on some muddy trails that I was hesitant to drive through at first – I would slow my speed down & try to lift my legs in the air so I wouldn’t get my shoes filthy. After about 3 huge puddles, I just gave up & decided to go with it. I then started flooring it as I went through the mud & I was laughing so hard that I started to lose all motor function, no sound was coming out & my eyes started to water – not to mention that my 4-wheeler started to drift toward the grassy part of the trail. I quickly got it back together but had a smile on my face throughout our ride. Dan enjoyed himself too, but commented at the end that he wished he could’ve driven faster. By the time we got back to the main building, we had mud from head to toe & we had to throw our shoes away when we got back to the hotel.

Our last day was spent sleeping in, nursing Dan’s sunburn from 2 days before & packing to leave for the airport that afternoon. Unfortunately on our last day in Jamaica I woke up with a sore throat, a low grade fever & feeling quite crappy. Who gets sick on the last day of their vacation? Well, apparently I do. I wasn't looking forward to our flights back home because I was already feeling miserable & being packed on a plane like a sardine was not my idea of fun. Thankfully, Dan took pity on me & upgraded our seats to first-class. He quickly told me not to get used to this kind of treatment & I couldn't help but laugh. Once we landed at Dulles Airport I said, "first-class is the only way to travel." =)
We spent a total of 4 ½ days in Jamaica & the weather was beautiful, the company was great & after booking an all inclusive vacation we realized that's the only way to go. Below is a slideshow of our vacation photos - we hope this shows just how much fun we had while we were there ("everything is irie"):