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My Trip to Sandals, Dunn River Jamaica
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I've had the pleasure of an all-inclusive vacation at the Dunn River location of Sandals in Jamaica. It was a great idea that my girlfriend Angie came up with and the best vacation getaway I've had in years. It was a magical time for us and I'll remember it always. This inspired me to create this blog about our trip to Jamaica so that others can share in the same, luxurious experience. I took my girlfriend there for a romantic getaway when I took extra time off from work around the holidays and met many wonderful couples along the way - men and women on their honeymoon, a senior pair celebrating their 50-year anniversary and lots of nice people. |
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We flew into the airport at Montego Bay, enjoyed a cold beer in the waiting area and took the free hotel shuttle over to the hotel. The first thing we noticed about this luxurious vacation was that all-inclusive meant exactly that. We had to get used to the staff not accepting tips and free access to all the amenities. It's something we haven't been used to at hotels and resorts here in the U.S. Everyone greeted us with a smile and a friendly, "yah man." It was a term of endearment that we carried on for many weeks after our trip. I'd ask my girlfriend if she wanted to go out to dinner and she'd say, Yah Man!
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After sorting out our arrival, we went to our room and an excellent porter quickly brought up our luggage. I tried tipping him but he politely refused. Instead he showed us all of the nooks and crannies in the room that we might have missed. It was spacious and included a private balcony with a table and chairs. We made use of that balcony with a few cocktails here and there, and I got a little alone time with my morning coffee and the paper that was dropped off outside of our door every day.
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After taking hot showers, we went downstairs for a little breakfast. We mostly enjoyed the full breakfast buffet that was included in our vacation package, but stopped in for restaurant-style meals once or twice in the morning, plus lunch and dinner. Every morning we were greated with a host of delicious food. That alone was enough to make us want to come back to Sandals year after year. My favorite was the fresh fruit, crispy bacon and eggs. They also had muffins, yogurt, home fries, cereal with milk and anything else you could possibly want for breakfast. They even had a dessert section with danishes, donuts and other sweets.
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When breakfast was over, I'd hit the gym while my girl enjoyed a relaxing massage. There was a nominal fee associated with the massages but oh my God did it feel good! I treated myself to one or two when I didn't feel like relaxing on the sandy beach. Anyway, the workout room had clean, new equipment and was open-air. I spent my workout in flip-flops and swim-trunks, plus had the whole gym to myself. I guess most people take a break from hitting the weights and cardio while on vacation. I'm really into keeping in shape, so this was an important, though optional part of my day. When my girlfriend finished her massage, she'd walk downstairs to meet me in the gym, tell me what a great boyfriend I was and we'd walk over to the beach for some fun in the sun. I'm from New Jersey and love the Jersey Shore, but can I tell you, they're nothing when compared to the beaches of Jamaica. The sand was warm but not too hot. Even the water was just the right temperature; slightly warm rather than the cold oceans of the Northeast. We'd jump in and swim then do some tanning on the provided beach chairs and towels. Although it was more of a spectator sport for Angie, I joined a few games of beach volleyball.
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Volleyball was a great way to work up an appetite for lunch. I suppose reading a good book provided the same effect for Angie. She's funny but I love her for that. Luckily, the weather was amazing for the entire two week package we selected to spend at Sandals. We had our lunch outside every day, except for the one day when we got a little drizzle around lunchtime. These meals were split between brick-oven pizza and a local favorite, Jerk Chicken. After lunch we'd lounge around the room for a few hours, watch some tv and enjoy each other's company. I won't get into too many details but let's just say that Angie was very appreciative of the gift that I got for the two of us. She let me know this every day and I couldn't have asked for more. After our quality time we went downstairs for a luxury dinner then either jumped in the pool with its swim-up bar, or sat in the hot-tub and socialized with other couples. On a few nights we went to see performances at the other Sandals resorts and ventured into town for the nightlife once or twice.
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Angie and I spent one day apart during our stay. I played 18 holes of golf and made friends with the other three guys in my foursome, while Ang spent the day getting pampered with spa treatments. She said her masseuse was the best she ever had, with special techniques only found in the islands. On a few occasions we partook in some local adventures. Second only to the snorkling that was included in our package, my favorite was a hike up the middle of Dunn River. We were introduced to a great group of about 20 people and linked hands in boy-girl order as we traversed the smooth rocks on our way up the river and through pools and waterfalls every step of the way in our water shoes. Our tour guides were encouraging with their, "Yah Mahn's" and somewhat comedic. There was one spot where I stood holding Angie under a waterfall. The water poured over my head and splashed all over her. It was both cool and hot. The water part was cool, I'll let your imagination run wild with the hot part. It only lasted for a minute, but I'll remember every second. Another daring part was this big pool of water. Everyone in the group took turns standing facing our guide. He'd then push us over and we'd fall back with a huge splash into the water. It was quite the lesson in trust and I think it's what I needed to hopefully explore my first adventure in skydiving. There were a few other events outside of the resort area, like our bus tour of the countryside. The driver gave us tons of information about the local culture, plants and trees. There were narrow, windy roads up and down mountains, but it was worth it for the views of lush vegetation and seascapes over the mountains and across the valleys. We learned about the people and their simple way of life. All along the way were smiling faces and waves. It was weird, being from New Jersey I barely would say hi to people on the street. Even cars we passed would give little toots of their horns to say hi. Now, perfect strangers were waving at everyone in our tour bus. After our trip I found myself being more outgoing with strangers in line at stores and even those I passed on the sidewalk. On the last day of our stay, I popped the question. Angie and I were standing neck deep in the ocean with big smiles and laughter. I reached into the pocket of my swim trunks and pulled out a ring. She cried tears of joy and gave me a big hug, so I took that as a yes! So, that was our magical journey to Sandals, Dunn River. We'll be spending many future vacations at some of the other Sandals resorts in the Caribbean until it grows old, if that ever happens. One of our ideas is to visit St Lucia after our wedding for our honeymoon and try one of their bigger packages, like renting an entire bungalow with a private pool and other amenities. Angie and I brought home lots of memories from our trip that we've shared with our friends and hopefully one day as a family vacation with children in the Bahamas.
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