Brian planned the honeymoon and was even able to keep our destination a secret up until the last moment. I was impressed - particularly because the closer we got to the wedding, the more people knew where we were going. I was so surprised and excited when Brian finally let it slip that we were going to Jamaica!!!!! Not only that, Brian got a sweet deal at a Sandals Resort (complete with a villa overlooking the ocean, our own butler, 24 hour room service and watersports included etc.) Let me tell you that I have never been so pampered in my life:) It was amazing! But I am getting ahead of myself... Brian and I flew out of Missoula Sunday afternoon and made our way to Minneapolis. Brian forgot to pack his jeans and so we ended up with a night in Minneapolis, MN in 14 degree weather. I, personally, was amused by all the looks we got by everyone once we got out of the airport. Thankfully we didn't need to spend much time in the cold. We checked into our hotel - which upgraded us to one of their nicest suites for free - and caught a ride to the nearest TGI Fridays for dinner. It just happens to be one of those restaurants we don't have in Montana, and it serves the best appetizer ever: fried macaroni and cheese. Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it:) Anyway, it was at dinner that I found out about Jamaica - kind of a long, funny story - but Brian still wanted to hold out on all the other details for a while... Keeping me guessing.
Monday morning we woke up early for a direct flight from Minneapolis to Montego Bay, Jamaica. At the airport we we immediately ushered into a VIP Sandals lounge where you begin the wining and dining experience that lasts the whole trip. Food and drinks included...so nice:) We eventually hopped on a bus that took us the 100 or so kilometers to Sandals Grande Ocho Rios. There we were introduced to one of our two butlers for the week (Nicola and Calicia) driven up to our villa and shown the ropes. We ordered some room service and unwound for a while before making our way down to the ocean for a while. We just wandered around trying to get our bearings in the 100+ acres of the resort. It was beyond beautiful! Later we joined a big international food bazaar that was being held and took advantage of the eclectic buffet and open bar :)
We spent a lot of time just swinging here on the dock listening to the waves crash around us...
Our first evening out on the deck of our villa
The International Bazaar...Note the name of the booth in the picture:) How fun!!Tuesday morning we woke up hoping to get out on a sailboat for some lessons but were thwarted by the rain. We opted to make our way into the town of Ocho Rios and do some sight-seeing/shopping after having breakfast delivered to our room. We even found Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville for Brian:) Later that afternoon we made our way the 20 minutes away to another Sandals resort called Dunn's River (The cool thing is that if you stay at one Sandals Resort you can eat/play at any of them). We signed up for scuba lessons and then played ping pong by the pool before taking up a small round of golf and then heading back to our resort. Then we got ready for our candle-lit Italian dinner on the dock overlooking the ocean. It doesn't get much better than this:)!! Later that night Brian and I joined a Poker tournament in which I won some rum for 2nd place...oh yeah...Brian got 3rd:) Beginner's luck, I guess..
Brian and I had a huge jacuzzi just a stone's throw away from our villa...It was kind of hidden and so we pretty much had it to ourselves.
Brian and I after our round of golf...I'm pretty sure he LET me win:)
The view straight out of our villa... The drink on the table is our "honeymooner" made with Dr. Pepper - our butler found some for me:), rum, and ??? (Brian was the creator)
Wednesday we went back to Dunn's River Sandals and took part of the first part of an intro to scuba. We watched a video and then practiced our new "skills" in the pool. Unfortunately, this time, it was the rain that was keeping the scuba teams from going out on the water. So we hung out in the jacuzzi and ate some lunch there at Dunn's river and then returned to Ocho Rios to hang out at the beach and play shuffleboard (surprisingly fun, oh yeah...I won!:))
Our hammok right next to our jacuzzi
Soaking up the sun
Dancing the night away:)
Brian and I chose to sleep in and take the morning slow. We spent some time on the beach enjoying the sun and then had lunch at a beach-side grill before jumping on a catamaran cruise up to Dunn's River Falls. This is the largest waterfall in the Caribbean and is reported to be one of the most picturesque falls in North America, and I am inclined to agree. The best part of the falls is that we could climb from the ocean up the falls to the beginning - about 500 meters away. B and I had a great time splashing around and making our way up the falls. Then we headed back to our sailboat and went out to the Ocho Rios National Seashore to do some snorkeling. The waves were a bit crazy, but we got to see some really pretty coral and the always awe-inspiring tropical fish. We finished our "booze cruise" making our way back to the Resort with the sun setting behind us... Magical. We then spent another wonderful evening dining at the second Italian restaurant there at the resort.
Brian and I aboard the catamaran...I promise that is NOT makeout hair
Dunn's River Falls
This is where the waterfall runs into the ocean...
We had a blast climbing up these falls...and, yes, the water WAS warm:)
I love this picture!! We have so much fun with the timer:)
Brian and I on the canopy tour
Brian zipping away:) One of the rare moments he wasn't spinning or bouncing the rope...
I took this picture mid-flight...What a thrill!
Wishing we didn't have to leave...
Brian smoking his Cuban cigar.
