Firsts:

• First Tennis Lesson
• First Massage
• First Time Climbing a Waterfall
• First Yoga Class
• First Rum Punch
• First Time Hearing a Steel Drum Band
• First Time at a Beach Party on the Ocean
• First Time in a Suite with Two Balconies
• First Time Being Called Racist by a Merchant

 Favorites:

• Cherry Juice
• Banana, Mango, Strawberry and Raspberry Sorbet
• Sweet Potato Chips with Humus
• Jerk Chicken
• Plum Juice
• Pineapple and Chicken Salad
• Plantain Dessert
• Soursop Juice
• Ting (A Squirt-like Grapefruit soda)
• Fish Soup

Our last day in Jamaican paradise blossomed sunny, hot and very humid! We spent the morning on the beach and Bobby took a dip in the ocean, allowing himself to float pretty far out. I enjoyed reading the latest William Kent Kruegger mystery novel while soaking up the hot sun rays! At 10:30 we had a scheduled photo session with the resorts professional photographer. A complimentary photo session is part of the all inclusive package you get at Couples but purchasing the photos is extra. Because of the $300 credit we had we figured we could buy some of the photos to use it up! Kamar, the photographer was extremely professional and took photos of us both on the beach and in the lush front gardens of the resort. After lunch we visited the resorts, “Photoshop” where we sat down with another Couples employee and went through our photos both from the photo shoot that morning and the miscellaneous photos that had been taken of us throughout our stay. The resorts photographers take pictures every evening at the various restaurants that you can purchase it you’d like. We found 10 pictures that we really liked and ordered a CD of them for a somewhat steep fee of $100 (yay for resort credit!).

Our afternoon consisted of an overly long nap and beginning the sad process of packing to return home the following day. Our flight doesn’t leave Jamaica until 12:15 p.m. but because of the two hour bus ride to the airport and the need to arrive at the airport two hours before the flight, we were scheduled to leave the resort at 8:15 a.m. At 4:00 we had a couples massage scheduled at the resorts spa to use up the last of our resort credit. Neither of us has ever had a massage before and were curious to see what it would be like. It was amazing! So incredibly relaxing and the 50 minutes flew by and we had a hard time believing that that much time had indeed past.

We had dinner that night at the Patio Restaurant where there is a breakfast and lunch buffet daily but in the evening is an a la carte restaurant. The number of restaurants the resort has, combined with two theme nights and one night of room service meant that we ate at each restaurant only once. This was especially nice considering the restaurants menus change on Thursdays so we knew the menus would be unchanged for our entire stay. It was neat how each restaurant served a different style of food (Caribbean, Asian, and Italian) and we were grateful that the food at all of these was tasty! A band began playing on the main stage and we sipped our drinks and listened and soaked everything in for one final evening. This trip has been unlike any other vacation we have taken. The level of laziness and amount of desserts eaten was almost unbelievable! Tomorrow we return home to cold Minnesota and our lives.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that we were the only ones there and therefore had a private lesson with Collin the resorts tennis pro. Now, for those of you who know Bobby well you know that games involving balls and hand eye coordination are not something he excels at… Tennis turned out to be no different! We learned the basics of the forehand, backhand, volley, serve, and the overhead smash. As we struggled our way through the lesson Collin became infamous for continually saying to Bobby (in his lovely Jamaican accent), “Look at the ball. Look at it!” Bobby insisted after the lesson that he had, indeed, been looking at the ball. Collin didn’t seem to believe him because of his many complete misses, continually hitting the frame of the racket, and generally lobbing it completely outside of the courts. Collin was a tough nut to crack with his serious, down to business, and overly critical manner. At one point I hollered out, “This is hard!” Collin responded by saying, “This is not hard, if you do what I am telling you to do this is actually quite easy!” In the end though we had him laughing and joking with us! He even said that we had both improved and he felt we had learned a lot! He encouraged us to come back the next day, sadly we have a time conflict with another activity already scheduled and won’t be able to.

Our tennis lesson had made us extremely hot and sweaty, being off the beach where it wasn’t nearly as breezy and in full sun for most of the lesson, we were ready for a dip in the freezing waters of the swimming pool! It was most refreshing!

When we originally booked this trip we were told that we would be given a $300 resort credit to use. We had been discussing over the last several days what we should do with the money and had finally decided that a couples massage would be perfect. We made our way to the Oasis Spa at the front of the resort campus and inquired as to how we go about using our resort credit. They sent us to the guest service desk in the main lobby. There, we had to show proof of our original reservation and she had to call Couples main office to verify that we indeed did have the credit. We found it a little strange that they make it that difficult to use your resort credit, but were pleased in the end when it had all worked out! We trekked back to the spa and made reservations for the massage for the following day.

After lunch and a nap we attended the afternoon yoga class. Once again we found ourselves to be the only couple interested and we therefore given a private yoga class that the instructor, Cyndy, catered to our rock climbing habits. Neither of us have taken a yoga class before and found it quite relaxing and found ourselves walking straighter than we have in a long time! Bobby was rather surprised at his level of flexibility, as were Cyndy and I! He turned out to be quite good at yoga! Cyndy was a sweet retired school teacher from Saskatchewan Canada who, with her husband, spends all winter (20 weeks) in Jamaica! They travel from resort to resort where she teaches classes!

Ice cream cones, showers, and some down time followed yoga until the second big theme night of the week here at the resort! Tonight was the beach party where a grand buffet of Jamaican dishes was set up along with lots of tables and chairs.

Following dinner there was a cultural showcase where we heard a Jamaican steal drum band, saw African and Jamaican dances, an impressive limbo display, a chair balancer, and a fire spinner.

It was very entertaining and a must see for anybody at the resort! They asked for help from the audience several times and Bobby soon found himself doing the Limbo! They only did two rounds and Bobby did very well and had a blast! During dinner, we found ourselves sitting next to a couple from Minneapolis who had been married on Saturday and had just arrived to kick off their weeklong honeymoon! Craziest of all was that the woman and I knew some of the same people and Bobby and the man both work at Best Buy only a few dozen feet apart but had never met before! It’s a crazy small world! Overall, despite the early morning disappointment of no scuba diving we had a marvelous day and are now looking forward to our last day at the resort tomorrow before our flight home on Wednesday.

The Catamaran Cruise is included in your stay and sails every Saturday and Wednesday. Reservations are required, and I highly recommend that you make any required reservations as quickly as possible because activities and restaurants fill up fast! The bus ride took us back into the town center of Ocho Rios to a rundown hotel called the “Sea Side” where the boat was docked. Normally the boat comes to the dock at Couples but because of the wind alternate plans were made for safety. Seeing this broken down hotel made us immensely grateful for our beautiful resort!

There were 66 people on the giant sailboat and plenty of Rum Punch to go around. I even partook in a glass and found it refreshing and tasty! I limited myself to only one glass unlike the majority of the other cruisers who seemed to have an endless thirst. Loud nineties music was blasted from speakers on the boat and we sailed head on into the waves.

We were lucky to be far enough back where we were only occasionally sprinkled from the waves. Those at the very front of the boat were not as lucky and soon found themselves completely drenched! They took it in good spirits and laughter and squeals of delight echoed from our boat. It was amazing to watch the crew of the boat carry trays of drinks and hop around hoisting and lowering the sail as needed while we struggled to even stand while the boat was in motion.

We sailed for about an hour and then went into a cove, anchored, and were given a half an hour to swim. Because of my fear of marine life and because it was so windy I was cold without being wet I didn’t feel a need to jump in. Bobby boldly did and treaded water for about ten minutes.

They had a number of life jackets and noodles for people to use to simply float about (The water was about 14 feet deep where we were). They were all gone by the time Bobby decided to leap in. On the ride back to the dock the crew got the whole boat up and dancing, laughing, and smiling. Overall the experience was wonderful, memorable, and exciting! We tipped our hosts and headed back to the resort.

Saturday nights at the resort is one of two theme nights. On Saturday all restaurants are closed except for the buffet, where it is larger than normal boasting a large selection of international cuisine. The options ranged from Chicken Tikka Masala to Spaghetti to Sushi and everything in the middle. At first I was rather disheartened when the usual spot for desserts was taken up by a selection of sushi and desserts were nowhere to be seen. I asked a nearby couple if they knew where the desserts might be hiding and they informed me that the desserts were given their own room at the nearby poolside grill. Bobby and I trekked over there and a wondrous sight greeted us! A whole room of desserts with a giant ice sculpture as its center piece! I felt giddy. Bobby gave me the honor of filling up a plate with everything and anything that looked delicious and we split what was on it!

Bobby had been developing a cold over the last couple of days and tonight it hit his body hard. He was exhausted so after our delectable desserts we headed back up to the room and he was asleep before 9:00.

On Sunday we woke up with no idea of what we were going to do! Because of the early hour Bobby had gone to bed the previous night we were up earlier than normal and decided to participate in the Dunn’s River Falls excursion that is included in your package. The bus departs at 9:00 a.m. so we had just enough time for a quick breakfast and a stop at the resorts gift shop where I purchased the most styling pair of shoes around, Water Shoes!

We had been told by several other couples who had already experienced Dunn’s River Falls and various staff members that these shoes were invaluable while climbing the falls. We had been told that you could rent them for $5 along the way but, honestly, the idea of rental shoes where people aren’t wearing socks, freaks me out! So we bought a pair for $15. Bobby decided that his Chacos would suffice in the climb. I was foolish and only packed my backless Chacos that do not stay on my feet well.

We boarded a bus, met our kind guides and found ourselves at the base of 900 feet of cascading falls. These falls are world famous and have been featured in several films (Cocktail and a James Bond movie).

You form a human chain with your companions holding hands. They make sure that all men are holding on to their own wives and another man’s wife. The going is not nearly as treacherous as we expected. The rocks had a surprising amount of grip on them and weren’t at all slimy! Thankfully we had a waterproof camera along that a guide took and shot many photos of us!

They also had a “professional” photographer taking photos that you could then purchase and a videographer that you could buy a DVD from for a mere $40! The videographer was amazing and kept everyone’s energy up throughout the whole climb! I don’t know if I have every said “Ya Man!” so many times in such a short time period as I did during the climb! Overall, the staff were outstandingly helpful, fun, and energetic and we showed our appreciation with a large tip at the end!

After the climb you can exit straight out and go to the bus or you can journey through a small craft market. We were immediately set upon by merchants trying to lure us to there shops. We went to the market and bought a beautiful conch, something we had been looking to acquire on this trip. He originally wanted $20 for it, which I said was far too much and was able to talk him down to a mere $8! Bobby was so proud of my bartering abilities!

That evening we had reservations at the Bayside Restaurant, the Asian restaurant at the resort. It is incredibly picturesque being set directly above the water in thatched covered huts! The appetizers, soup, and salad were all delicious. Sadly, our main course of Pad Thai was bitterly disappointing with very little flavor. We were challenged with eating the whole meal with chopsticks and I think we did fairly well considering! They do offer you utensils but we decided to live dangerously! It was another early evening for us, as Bobby’s cold had him feeling pretty miserable. Although, before turning in we did stop at the Piano Bar where there are historical photographs of the original owners of the resort with their celebrity guests in the 1950s. Celebrity guests included Louis Armstrong, Debbie Reynolds, and Walt Disney (just to name a few)! We also learned that Couples Tower Isle was the first “All Inclusive Resort”.

We got two prime chairs, slathered ourselves in sunscreen, and settled in for a morning in the sun! I was perfectly content as I sat blogging and then reading, but Bobby struggles with being so stationary and was a little restless. Luckily, a lovely couple from Iowa sat down next to us and Bobby chatted with them for quite awhile! The sun was so intense that the breeze turned out to be a welcome ally for the day. And it wasn’t too long before I could feel my skin starting to burn and so we made our way indoors to have some lunch.

At the end of the dock there is a small flag that tells you if water activities are going on if it’s green all water sports are happening, if it’s yellow only a select few sports are happening, and if it’s red nothing is happening.vAfter stepping out of the restaurant after a scrumptious lunch we saw that, for the first time, the little flag at the end of the dock wasn’t red but yellow! We hurried to the water sports area and inquired as to what sports were being allowed. Kayaking was the only thing being offered! We rushed to our room to deposit excess items we had been carrying and put on more sunscreen. We signed a waiver, were asked nothing of our experience kayaking, and found ourselves out in the ocean in no time!

The currents were strong from the wind of the day, but nothing too scary. The woman running the water sports desk, Sanchez, had told us what areas we should avoid because of the currents and rocks. It was glorious out on the ocean, with the wind in our hair and the spray of the ocean around us! We couldn’t stop smiling!

Once we were safely back on the beach we ventured into the ocean, swimming about for a short time.

I was scared because I didn’t have shoes on and was afraid of stepping on something, so I didn’t last nearly as long as Bobby did. Bobby made the mistake of sitting down where the waves were coming in and subsequently had his swim trunks fill with sand. Showers were in order after that!

Exhaustion had taken hold of us and we weren’t able to fight it any longer. We napped the afternoon away! In the evening we ordered a little room service to tide us over until the 8:45 p.m. reservations we had at the resorts fanciest restaurant, Eight Rivers. We got all dolled up and were ready for as tasty of a meal, or possibly tastier, as we had at the Verandah Restaurant the previous evening. We were bitterly disappointed. The waitstaff were not nearly as friendly, actually making me feel like an inconvenience when I simply asked the waiter to repeat the list of salad dressings. The food wasn’t all that amazing until dessert when I had three flavors (banana, mango, and raspberry) of sorbet.

All in all we had an amazingly lazy day with not much to report on! Checking the weather reports regularly it looks like the wind will most likely continue throughout our stay here. As long as the sun comes out I am perfectly okay with the wind! We are still just so grateful to be here, where we have no cares in the world!

After receiving our continental breakfast in bed at 8:00 we took a stroll around the grounds of the resort to try and familiarize ourselves with the area.

We visited the reservations desk where we made reservations for dinner at the two high-end restaurants that require advanced notice and we booked two seats on the Catamaran cruise for Saturday (Although if the wind continues we probably won’t be able to do it). Next we visited the “Scuba Hut” Bobby is very interested in learning to scuba but is also fairly apprehensive. I personally have no desire to learn to scuba, I find the idea terrifying. We wanted to learn more about what the class is like and found ourselves in the company of yet another incredibly friendly and helpful Couples staff member named Darrel. The class is very non-intimidating, seeing as you start your training in a four foot pool! If you don’t feel comfortable at that point, you can simply leave the class. After that the class transitions to the ocean where you do a small 20 foot dive. Bobby knew immediately that he wanted to sign up! He and Darrel somehow managed to convince me to sign up as well… As Darrel said, if nothing else I can try it in the pool and if I feel uncomfortable I’ll still be able to go on the boat with Bobby and sit and wait for him while he dives. We signed up for the Monday morning class, again if the weather continues to blow us over there will be no class.

At 10:00 we met in the lobby to attend the “Resort Orientation”. We were greeted warmly by the Event Coordinator, Kevin (Again, unbelievably kind and helpful). We found the orientation not only really entertaining and fun but also phenomenally helpful. I would highly recommend to anybody visiting a Couples resort to attend any sort of orientation that is offered!

Because of the wind, all water sports were cancelled for the day and we had missed the one resort included excursion that left at 9:00 a.m. We checked the board that contains the days activities and decided to go on the shopping excursion that left the resort at 3:00 p.m. It usually isn’t offered on Thursdays but because of the uncooperative weather it was added last minute. We spent our late morning and early afternoon laying out on the beach with cool drinks from the bar and tasty snacks from the veggie bar (apricot chips with humus and fish pate). The sun continued to only make rare appearances that we tried hard not to waste!

Where to begin for the shopping excursion…. A few descriptive words and phrases perhaps? Like, disappointing, scary, and too long. It was a short bus ride into the town of Ocho Rios where we were dropped off in front of a single shop called, “Gem Palace”. Upon arrival we were told that that was the store the resort “approved and recommended”. We went into the tiny store where lots of shiny and cheap looking jewelry surrounded us. At the back of the store was a chincy little gift shop where we did find a few select items to purchase. We were given a total of two hours for shopping and the store was no larger than a gas station convenience store… We left the store and decided to check out the other stores and the nearby market. Big mistake! We weren’t five feet from the door of the Gem Palace when we were accosted by the first of many people trying to sell us their “handmade” wares. After saying no to whatever craft they were selling they would then offer to sell us marajuana. After saying no to that they would then accuse us of being racist and afraid of black people in very aggressive tones. Bobby was especially uncomfortable in this atmosphere and it became my responsibility to lead the way, while continually saying no to questions and accusations.

We walked along both sides of the road twice, stopping at a few shops voluntarily and a few that we were “convinced” to visit by overly zealous and pushy sellers. We made it back to the bus after less than an hour and found four other couples also waiting. We got back on the bus and spent the remainder of the time waiting for two couples who shopped until beyond the allotted two hour time frame. While on the bus we greatly enjoyed the people watching and witnessed several drug deals. We were glad we went, simply to experience what the town was like but don’t think we’ll be going “shopping” again on this trip. The resort shopping excursions take you to one of three locations and we do wonder if this one is their least popular. All in all we made it back to the resort unharmed and unscathed!

In the evening we went to the resort’s casual Verandah Restaurant which offered an array of Jamaican specialties. It was delicious! I had the best pork chop of my life, fabulous jerk chicken bruschetta, a surprisingly tasty fish soup, a wonderful island salad, and an amazing plantain dessert and scrumptious strawberry sorbet. Overall I was pretty sad when the meal was over. The waitress informed me that the next time I went I could order two of everything! One thing I especially liked about the restaurant was the portion sizes! They were small so you were able to enjoy a variety of island delicacies!

In the late evening we made our way to the main stage to hear live music. It was a fairly decent band doing a variety of covers (from Eric Clapton to Lionel Richie). After a bit of dancing we headed to bed! Now we just have to wait to see what adventures tomorrow brings…

Upon completing the checkin process, we were escorted to our room by our own, personal, bellhop who was kind enough to give us some basic knowledge about where things were in the resort (we will participate in an orientation about the resort tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.). Walking into our room was like walking into another world! (We have the Junior Ocean Suite) The room is very spacious with two balconies (one off the bedroom, the other off the bathroom), a fully stocked and “complimentary” mini bar, a bottle of champagne chilling, a sitting area, and a kingsized bed. The colors are light and bright while the floor is shiny tile. It’s a windy evening and the sound of the waves hitting the beach below us is filling the room with it’s melodious rhythm.

At this point it was well past our dinner time and we were in desperate need of food! There are several restaurant choices within the resort, however, due to our exhaustion (and smelliness from too much travel) we decided room service was called for. It was delivered promptly and politely and was pretty delicious! Having supped it was time to do some serious relaxation in the jacuzzi tub in our bathroom! Having been up for too many hours to count on too little sleep we are calling it a night early with the hopes of being refreshed and ready for a fun day tomorrow on the beautiful island of Jamaica!