Dorian's Days: 2010

It's been a long while since I've posted on 'Dorian's Days'. The last post involved an engagement, and about a year and a half later I'm writing on blogger again-after the wedding! I have to admit that I've been sleeping on my blog big-time. So, I've decided to wake from my long blog nap and write about my honeymoon which is a new and exciting thing for my husband and me. Several months before the wedding, Eddie and I decided on the Couples Resort in Negril, Jamaica based on a two-thumbs-up rating from Amy and her husband Joe as well as reviewing a DVD called Unforgettable Honeymoons which gave us the run-down on all the top resorts.

I must say that with over a year of wedding planning, Eddie and I were secretly waiting for honeymoon time when we could get away from the stress and work involved with wedding planning. It was fun at times, but we're glad the planning is over :) We were excited to become husband and wife but more excited to get away as husband and wife to a place that neither of us had ever been to-Jamaica.

We took off on our journey on the Tuesday after our wedding. We really needed those couple of days to see family off, unwind, and pack our stuff. A couple of Target trips were necessary to get all the supplies and beachwear needed like swim shorts for Eddie and a white bikini for me. I don't know why, but I just felt like I needed a white bikini to add to my collection of swimsuits :)

After landing in Montego Bay and going through Customs, we had about an hour of shuttle bus ride to the resort. I fell asleep a couple of times during the drive, but I was awake long enough to see the Jamaican people living everyday life. I didn't know that they drive on the left side of the street in Jamaica! The roads are pretty narrow as well, so we had a couple of uneasy moments that seemed to almost result in head-on collisions, but our driver knew what he was doing and so did the Jamaican residents. On the roadside we saw all types of houses ranging from shacks to middle class homes to what seemed like they could be mansions-all nestled very high in the sides of the hills. All kinds of businesses are on the side of the road-fruit and vegetables, clothing...you name it, they have it. They will even walk us to your vehicle and and offer their products. On our ride up, we had the option to pick up some honey buns and drinks. We did not partake, however.

The Lobby Entrance to Couples Negril

After a little more than an hour on the road, we arrived at Couples Negril. My first impression of the place was quaint, tropical, and open. That's what it felt like to me. The open lobby was equipped with ceiling fans which brought a nice breeze. It looked a bit gloomy when we arrived, because it had just rained. Eddie shared with me during our trip that it rains between 2 pm and 6 pm every day at this time of year on the island. He was right, because it did just that all during our trip. But no worries, as they say in Jamaica, because it's a predictable cycle: sunshine, humidity, a short rain, coolness, sunshine again. We got used to it.

We were shown to our room which had a perfect view of the tropical foliage. We decided to drop off our bags and go find something to eat. The great thing about an all-inclusive resort is that you've already paid for food, drinks, entertainment, etc. It's all yours to take while you are there. So, we visited the Heliconia Grill and ordered food while sitting on a deck next to the beach. BBQ wings for Eddie and jerk chicken for me. The next four days were thoroughly enjoyed!

Relaxing on the beach chairs

Wednesday was our first day on the beach. We spent most of our time gazing at the blue sky, frolicking in the water and eating chilled fruit served by the beach waitress. I learned while Eddie's family was in St. Louis for the wedding that not one of them is fond of water. This includes Eddie, so I was glad that he got out with me and splashed around during our trip. Eddie and I spent quite a bit of time floating in the ocean. I must say that it was nice being served frozen fruit kabobs as we just hung out on our beach chairs between dips in the ocean!

Having fun in the white bikini. Cheese!

Eddie floats in the ocean

Enjoying frozen fruit kabobs

Our favorite thing about being on the resort was just hanging out-not knowing what time it was and not caring! We checked e-mail very little and never turned our cell phones on. This was peace! We basically ate and did what we wanted. There is definitely no shortage of food at this place, so we had to sample everything! Well, I had to anyway. One place that had ambiance and pretty decor was a Japanese restaurant called Lychee. Eddie was kind of skeptical about going here, because he likes his food pretty basic, but he ended up liking his meal much more than I liked mine.

Eddie using his chop sticks at Lychee.

Above: a couple with the same wedding date as us took this for us!

Me shootin' pool. Eddie beat me, but I gave him a run for his money!

Fine Dining

Couples Negril has one "fine dining" restaurant. We had great food around us at all times on the resort, but we had to check this out. The place was so exclusive that if you came a little late for your reservation, you were turned away. This happened to a couple of people while we were there. The restaurant could fit only around 30-40 people at a time! So, we felt kinda special. The funny thing is that after we finished dinner at the restaurant, we headed straight to the buffet so Eddie could get something to eat. He does not do the pretty food thing!

Eddie doesn't typically drink, but he had a sip while waiting for our table.

Cheers for me!!

We had special couples booths. No chairs for us!

Eddie's fancy plate. This is his favorite kind of food. NOT!

It's pretty though.

Casual Dining

The fine dining was cool, but what we really liked were the buffets. 24 hours of whatever we wanted was more our style. Eddie's favorites: fresh fruits and veggies, wings, and little chocolate cookies. My favorites: cinnamon cookies, made to order egg-white omelets, fried plantains, and little fried dough biscuits. I will go back just for the biscuits!

Eddie eating his fruit and veggies

Me eating breakfast-so good!

Our Snorkeling Adventure

Day four of our trip started with a plan. We were to go snorkeling at 9:30 AM, rest, then head to a shopping trip offered by the resort. Snorkeling was cool. Eddie and I suited up, learned how to use the breathing apparatus, and we did pretty well considering the fact that we are not good swimmers. We saw cool fish and other sea creatures, and we were good until we both floated away from the group into some shallow water. I ended up banging and scraping my knee on the hard coral (Did you know coral was hard? I learned the hard way!) After this happened, Eddie and I had had enough and got back on the boat. My knee was burning and swollen, and Eddie had swallowed some of the salt water, so he was quite queasy on the boat. Needless to say we were glad that snorkeling was over, and we couldn't wait to see the shore! I went to the nurse on duty who looked at my swollen knee and immediately thought I'd been stung by a jellyfish. I assured her that my knee was just scraped up from coral. I'm glad she believed me, because I didn't want the jellyfish treatment-whatever that was gonna be. She cleaned and rubbed hydrocortizone on my knee, and still in pain, I headed back to the room. The rest of our morning and part of our afternoon was spent in bed recovering. So, no shopping for us. I will definitely snorkel again now that I know to watch where I"m floating. Eddie has informed me that he will not do it again but said it was a good experience for him. I just regret that I did not get a picture of him in the water during the snorkel trip. I am so proud of him for getting out there!

My snorkeling boo-boo. It's all better now :)

Relaxation!!

Glad that we lived to tell about our snorkeling experience, we spent the rest of our honeymoon chilllin. There was plenty of food, entertainment and beauty on the resort, so we didn't venture out. Part of our all-inclusive honeymoon package included a 30-minute couples massage. We took advantage of it the day before we left for home. Eddie and I were side-by-side in the room, and we each had our own masseuse. We only wish it had been longer than 30 minutes! We must do the massage thing again. Perfect for a vacation!

Our Last Day in Paradise

We took a last dip in the ocean the evening before we were to leave. It was fun, but we kept thinking about our long trip home. It's amazing how you see creatures in the ocean at dusk that are not there in the early daytime.

Going Home-A Trip to Reality

We spent our last morning in Jamaica walking around the resort that we called home for four days. We had our usual breakfast and with suitcases full, prepared for the long trip home. For us the trip included an hour ride from Negril to Montego Bay, a trip through customs, a plane ride to Chicago, a lay-over, then finally a quick flight to St. Louis our home.

Ready to go. NOT!!!

Jamaica The Beautiful!

The travel was long but so worth it to visit an island like Jamaica. Neither Eddie nor I had ever experienced a vacation quite like this. We will look back years from now and remember Couples Negril in Jamaica as the place where we had our first husband/wife vacation. We hope there will be more to come-Paris, Spain, Africa-the possibilities are endless! Of course Jamaica will have a special place in our hearts. We will return again and again.