Once upon a time there were three angels…(Charlie’s Angels reference)
Oops, wrong story. Once upon a time there were three girls who took a trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. They stayed at the Grand Palladium Resort, which is one of my favorites.They made the most out of the sun, sand, pool, beach and cocktails. The weather was perfect and they were able to go on some excursions and take in some sights. One morning, there was a jeep trip up into the mountains where they got to see and taste raw cocoa growing on a farm. Who knew chocolate would end up tasting so different from the actual cocoa it’s grown from?
Cocoa pod, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
They also went horseback riding and ziplined through the jungle. On their ride back down the mountain, they encountered this entertaining gentleman. They tipped him for his antics–he did a dance too–and returned to the resort.A couple of days later was scuba diving day.
There was a Dolin Dive Center on resort and Marcos was a great dive master. He took them through a shipwreck where they not only got to see some beautiful sealife, but they also were able to practice their skills. They also had the pleasure of diving with Inez from Uruguay.
The Palladium had a lot of activities to keep them busy. The food was good, the entertainment crew kept them involved in the fun games, and the pool and the beach were gorgeous.There was even a dance clinic happening at the resort with hundreds of dancers from around the world visiting that week so evenings in the disco were filled with incredible talent. At the end of the day, the girls had a relaxing, fun time.
The girls couldn’t wait to start planning their next trip. It sounded like they would be meeting again in Mexico next!
We’ve recently returned home from a fun-filled week hanging out with in Mexico with our friends, the Beards. I originally met them 7 years ago at The Grand Palladium when they were a family of four. They are from England, I’m American. In those 7 years their kids have gotten older, their family is now a party of 5, and I’ve gotten married. We had a fun reunion! I introduced them to hubby, they introduced me to their newest family member Alfie Bear, and it was wonderful to see how their two older kids, Jasmine and Harvey, have grown up and matured.We got to catch up on some of the stories that we’ve each accumulated in the interim years. Hubby and Beard Dad, Matt, hit it off as I had predicted. They are like 2 peas in a pod with different accents. Mum Beard, Emma, told me the story of how she found out she was expecting Alfie Bear. Jasmine talked a lot about boys, like any teenage girl does. And Harvey shot me in an incredible game of pool. He’s pretty good, too!We got to eat, drink, and be merry together. We went snorkeling and hung at the pool together. We fed fish and went to see baby sea turtles hatching on the beach.We had cocktails in the lobby and watched some of the dance shows. We got to discuss the differences between our countries and make fun of each other’s accents.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention we also got to spend a little time with Emma’s parents, brother, and his girlfriend who were on the trip with them. Although, by the end of our time there, we were lucky enough to join in celebrating with them after Emma’s brother John proposed to girlfriend Robyn. We wish them all the best!
But as all good things come to an end, our 1-week vacay ended a week before their 2-week holiday and it was time to again bid adieu.We said our goodbyes and promised to meet again here, there, or on another vacay. We’ve returned home and re-entered the grind of daily life.
Here’s my dilemma. We’re putting together a care package to send across the pond. We have some personal requests for specific items like a Hooters T-Shirt , Twizzlers , Flavored Oreo Cookies, and Cheetos . But what else? Please drop me a comment and make credible suggestions about what an English family would consider a treat from their American amigos.
Ha! We got off the plane in Cancun, Mexico and what were we greeted by at the airport? Margaritaville! If you’ve read any of my earlier posts Margaritaville Island or Smoky Mountain Getaway you’ll know that hubby and I are HUGE fans. I’m still wanting to get my hands on that frozen concoction maker! Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas.
Anyhoo, we actually bypassed Margaritaville this time. I would have had to order a frozen concoction or a beer and I didn’t think that was a wise idea since I hadn’t eaten anything yet that day and we still had an hour commute to the resort. I didn’t want to be that passenger to stop our bus because I had to use the restroom.
We arrived at the resort in time for late lunch. We headed over to one of the buffet restaurants where I had the most delish cream of asparagus soup and some chicken wings. During the next couple of days we determined that the buffet restaurants seemed to repeat the same items for each meal. They didn’t really knock our socks off with a ton of seafood and we found what worked best for breakfast and lunch. However, some of the displays were really neat to look at.
We decided that the a la carte restaurants had the best dinners at the resort. Two of them–Sumtuori, the teppanyaki grill restaurant and the Fish & Rice Resturant were the only ones that required reservations. The rest were first come-first serve. Here’s my quick rundown in case you are headed to the Grand Palladium in Riviera Maya:
Sumtuori (Teppanyaki grill)–the food was pretty good, but I think our chef was pretty new. He didn’t say a word throughout the show (in Spanish or English and our table was made up of both), and a number of our orders were mixed up. So, we didn’t really get the “show” but his cooking skills were good! Chang Thai (Thai)–this restaurant was incredible and delicious! I started with the chicken soup and then had chicken for my entrée as well. The interior of the restaurant was very unique in décor as well.
Ribs & More (Ribs/Steaks)–my food was awesome! I had a rib-eye (cooked perfectly to order) and baked potato. I do think the food seemed even better because of the company we were with, the Beards.
Portofino (Mediterranean/Italian)–this was my favorite dinner at the a la carte restaurants. I had salad and lasagna that was incredible!
La Adelita (Mexican)–I had the steak fajitas, which were very good. I loved the plates and décor of the restaurant and the menus were especially gorgeous!
Lola (Spanish tapas)–last but not least, the Spanish restaurant was good, but I had expected more of the Brazilian steakhouse. We had a lot of tapas (the salad bar was mostly tapas and our entrees were tapas) that were very yummo. Beyond that, the décor was beautiful and there was live entertainment which made the dinner very romantic.
I do have to mention some additional food and beverage options that added to the gastro experience at the Palladium. The beverage options were not only endless, but they were always presented beautifully, even when we ordered drinks to go, which were served in plastic cups.
And, one late afternoon, we had the “Chocolate Bar”. One of the indoor bars actually set up a display of nothing but chocolate. There were chocolate drinks, a chocolate fountain, white chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate cupcakes and many other goodies. Some of the goodies were also decorated with artisan chocolates which were my favorites. I really just wanted to take all the chocolate decorations off the desserts for myself.
So, if you are headed to the Grand Palladium, I would definitely recommend you eat at the a la carte restaurants, you will not have a bad meal at any of them. Be sure to try the unique selections and seek out the chocolate bar. You won’t regret it!
Recently, while in Riviera Maya, Mexico, I needed to do some souvenir shopping. I’m the kind of shopper who likes to look around and weigh my options. I’m not very splurgy, I know who I need to buy for and I usually have a good idea of what I’m looking for for each person. I quickly determined there were two basic ways to shop at our resort.
The Grand Palladium had 3 large shops that were open while we were there.. I found some items that interested me. The prices were all listed in Mexican pesos, so I had to do some calculating for my USD brain. Let me also mention, I hadn’t converted any of my money to pesos. The store would give me an exchange rate of 17:1, which wasn’t the exact exchange rate, but was better than other shops that were going on 10:1 exchange or anything in between. When calculating the prices, I realized that the gift shop prices were slightly higher than I would have paid for similar items at home. So, while I would have saved money by paying in pesos, since I didn’t have any, I would actually be paying more. AND the prices in the shops were non-negotiable.
Luckily, I quickly figured out that the Grand Palladium allowed vendors to come in each evening and sell their wares. If you’ve ever been to a craft market in another country, you already know that their prices are negotiable. I chose to shop mostly with the vendors.My first stop was at this jewelry booth that was being worked by David Renteria. He basically had me sold on everything—it was all so shiny and beautiful! I really had focused in on a pendant that was decorated on both sides. One side had the Mayan calendar on it and the other side showed the Aztec calendar. It was so versatile with the colors on it. Unfortunately, I hadn’t really planned on shopping that night and had limited funds with me. I had to remind myself that souvenirs for friends and family came first and it wouldn’t be smart to spend all my money at the first booth I came to. I settled on two cool identical bracelets with skulls on them for Harvey and Jasmine, two of my favorite, young English friends. I figured, even if they never wore them, the bracelets would be a funky reminder of our time in Mexico together. David sold me both for the asking price of one, which was so nice of him. My next stop was at the booth being manned by Charlie Brown (he swore that was really his name too.) His specialty was in making pendants out of pesos.He had quite the collection and even demonstrated some of his craft while I was making my choices. When I asked what he would sell me my picks for, he shot me a price way higher than the amount I had left. That’s what I get for shopping when it wasn’t planned. I went to go find hubby (he hates the haggling so usually disappears when I start shopping the vendors.) I emptied the cash from his pockets and went back to see Charlie Brown. I pulled out every dollar I now had, which still wasn’t his asking price, but he was so kind to sell me the pendants I had picked out for the kids for the amount I did have.I thought they were pretty neat looking and appropriate for each kiddo. I just hoped they would like them as much as I did. That wrapped up my shopping for that night since I had no more cash with me. But, little did I know, I wasn’t finished yet.
A couple of nights later, we walked into another gift shop located in a different part of the resort. It had a lot of the same selection as the shop we had already visited, but a few different items. I didn’t buy that night, but a couple of nights later when we had to go that direction again for dinner, I popped back into that store and picked up a quirky little handbag I had seen previously. I don’t really buy much for myself anymore—I have way too many t-shirts and refrigerator magnets, but I do try to find one unique item for myself as a reminder of places I’ve been. Now, don’t laugh or think I’m one of those weird cat ladies, but the handbag I bought DID have cats on it. And the price WAS NOT negotiable, so it was honestly a splurge.Who knows if I’ll ever even get around to using it. In hindsight, I think I had cats on the brain. I was really missing our kittens back home by that day of the trip.Even though I’m sure they didn’t even notice we were gone, I still considered my two different shopping methods to have been a success!
We’re headed to Mexico soon. Meeting up with our British friends, the Beards, for a replay of a vacation 7 years ago at The Grand Palladium in the Riviera Maya. Here’s a list of what I’ll need to get done before we go:
Check cambio to see what the current exchange rate is so I can decide how much money to exchange (please be a good exchange rate, so I can shop more!)
Gather up travel insurance info, which is already saved in my email
Make color copies of our passports to leave behind with trustworthy friends in case they’d need to bail us out of any situation. I also keep a copy on my phone.
Switch my phone over to Mexico calling and text package (we rarely use our phones while out of the country, but you never know when you may need more than wi-fi
Alert my bank and credit card company of our travel dates, so they don’t think someone stole my cards and ran off to Mexico
Bring the suitcases up from storage, so we can start packing
Water shoes or dive boots (probably boots this time considering how many sting rays we saw in that area last time)
Underwater camera—I’ll make sure everything is cleaned and fully charged before packing it in my carry-on
Ear buds and a book for the plane (I will also have a sweater and pair of socks in my carry-on in case it’s a cold flight)
Band aids, nail polish, and polish remover pads
Prescription meds and OTC meds–Tums, Benadryl, ibuprofen, Imodium just in case. It costs way more to buy them there
Sunscreen and insect repellant to ward off mosquitos
Snorkel gear: mask, snorkel, fins—the last time we needed to borrow fins the crew could only find one fin in hubby’s size
If we decide to dive, I can rent that gear there
Dive log
Clothes wise, I will mostly pack:
bathing suits
Cover ups
Dresses for dinner
Flip flops and sandals
One pair of tennis shoes
Some gym/workout clothes (the resort has a pretty cool gym)
Pretty much anything else beyond that, is going to be overkill for a week-long trip. Honestly, I probably don’t need much more than the bathing suits anyway.
Once upon a time there were two 30-somethings who were ready to take a vacation. A REAL vacation, like for a whole week instead of a few days. Even better, they decided to go out of the US for this vacation. After researching several destinations, they decided to go to Jamaica because 1) English is spoken there, 2) they could get there non-stop and 3) there were All Inclusive resorts there, which sounded really appealing.
Before they booked their trip, they needed to get US passports issued.Anytime you travel to a foreign country, including Canada or Mexico you will need a passport. The easiest way to acquire one, is to work with your nearest post office or visit www.usps.com/international/passports.htm. Tips to remember:
Apply early–it can take 6-8 weeks to receive your passport
you can get expedited service which gets your passport delivered in 2-3 weeks
if you are traveling within 2 weeks, you will want to make an appointment with a passport agency
Prepare your application
you can print a passport application online
you can pick up an application from your local post office that has passport acceptance
Get a passport photo taken at your post office, Walgreen’s, or any other photo service shop
Send the appropriate payment with your application
Track your application until you receive your passport in the mail
They were all set to book their trip. After shopping around on the various websites, and with a travel agent, they went with the best price they found for the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton resort, which was available through Apple Vacations. (Apple Vacations is still one of my favorite travel websites.) Apple included flights, hotel, AND transportation between the airport and resort, which set it at a better price point.
Things they learned about traveling internationally:
take smaller bills for tipping at an all-inclusive resort or shopping
take photo copies of your passport along so you can leave your actual passport in your room safe, yet still have ID with you
always take along insect repellant, band-aids, and tennis shoes (you never know when you will need them)
apply for a credit card that charges no international fees (just in case)
you do not have to exchange your money, but Jamaican dollars will go a little farther
you do not need to bring your own beach towel to an AI resort
sign up for US Embassy alerts here so you are aware of any dangers in the country you are traveling to
What they experienced on the trip:
what a banana tree looks like
some drinks are not meant to be drank
make new friends
play the crazy pool games
go on excursions
don’t be afraid to zipline
do the water aerobics in the mornings
the (coconut) water is fine to drink
stop and smell the hibiscus
experience the culture
They made sure to save some of their souvenir cash for duty free shopping at The Sangster Airport at the end of their trip which was a good call. There were shops for perfume/cologne, booze, including Jamaican Rum Cream which cannot be purchased on US soil, jewelry, t-shirts, and other souvenirs, all sold duty and tax free. I bought some Australian Opal jewelry that was the same color blue as the sea in Jamaica which has been one of my best bargains ever and will always remind me of this trip.
The trip home was topped off by a beautiful sunset flight and that was the first bite of the travel bug. I couldn’t wait to start planning my next trip.
Everyone should be so lucky as to meet a Paul. I originally met Paul a few years ago in Jamaica. He was the lifeguard manager at a resort. I was there with my friend Sara and Paul had told us that if we needed a driver to take us anywhere, we could hire him. From past experience, I knew that having a friend to drive us in Jamaica is really the way to go. With a driver, you get to experience a little more authentic interaction of the culture, you don’t pay exorbitant rates just to run to the craft market, you have someone who will help keep you safe, and if you’re lucky, you end up with a Paul!
We hired Paul to take us over to Rick’s Café to watch the divers and catch the sunset. If you’ve never been to Rick’s Café you HAVE to go. It’s one of my favorite places in the world and the best place to view sunset in Jamaica and enjoy a cocktail.
Paul advised us not to order dinner there. He said since it’s a tourist attraction, they charge high prices for the food and he would take us somewhere else for dinner. After the sun set over the sea, we left Rick’s and Paul took us to a local restaurant called Sweet Spice. Talk about one of the best meals I have ever had! I had a bowl of seafood (fish and shrimp) in broth with a side of rice and peas. It was a huge amount of food for the $10 US I think it cost. If you stick with the local foods in Jamaica instead of stuff that has to be imported, the prices are very reasonable. After leaving Jamaica that trip, I kept in touch with Paul via WhatsApp which is a free way to text, talk, and video talk for free. Actually, it’s more fair to say Paul kept in touch with me. I’m a little slow on some of the technology. But, all you need is an internet connection and you can forget about paying those international fees ever again.
My next trip to Jamaica was a year later with my hubby, who was still my boyfriend at the time. We stayed at the Grand Palladium again (I do love this resort and highly recommend it) where we got to see Paul a little bit while he was at work.
Later, I asked Paul to take us over to Rick’s for the evening and he said he was nervous about meeting my boyfriend. What if he didn’t like Paul? Well, what if he did? AND HE DID. Those two guys hit it off and we had a blast at Rick’s Café. We partook in a few Red Stripes (I prefer Light) and watched the divers followed by another incredible sunset. Paul got us back to the Palladium just in time to get to the beach party and he headed for home which is right next to a small town called Lucea.
Fast forward a couple of years and my boyfriend was now my fiancé. We had decided that we wanted to get married on the beach in Jamaica. Since Paul is not supposed to fraternize at the Grand Palladium because he works there, we decided the wedding would be at the RIU Negril so Paul could join us. Upon our arrival, Paul was waiting for us at the RIU Negril lobby. He had brought gifts for some of the wedding party and knew I had some shopping errands to run. He drove us all over Negril to get the local items that I still needed for the guest’s gift bags and even negotiated a good price on some pints of Appleton Rum for us. Paul was able to take off work for 3 days to attend the wedding and stay at the resort with us.
He also arranged for a bus to take our entire group of 30 to where else? Rick’s Café. Have I mentioned that I really like that place?
On one afternoon that it rained, Paul drove us over to see his house. We were amazed at his house–it looks just like a Jamaican beach house should. Paul was also building a villa across the road and wanted us to see. It’s going to be beautiful when it’s complete! Of course, building anything in Jamaica takes a lot longer than here, so it will be a while. It will have 4 suites that Paul hopes to rent out to vacationers.
Fast forward a couple more years to this past winter and Paul got to come visit us for a few days! In Missouri, right in the middle of the US, right after Thanksgiving while it was drab, dreary, and cold. Paul’s not used to this kind of cold and thankfully, he had a big, winter coat with him. Paul and Kathy
We picked him up from the airport, and went straight to the St. Louis Galleria so he could do some black friday shopping. From there we headed out to the Trainwreck Saloon where a number of our friends from the wedding trip came out for a welcoming Happy Hour. We stayed in St. Louis overnight, and left for our home in Columbia, Mo, the next morning. That afternoon we had fun hanging in the kitchen with Paul and our neighbors and friends. He made a delicious curry shrimp dish to go along with the turkey our neighbor had deep-fried, and we had a huge meal and excellent conversation. It was real eye-opener to hear about all the hoops Paul had to jump through to get his passport and visa to come visit and how much of his salary he had to save for his travels. Our process and travel from here are so much easier I think we take our options for granted. After dinner, the conversation turned to Jamaican music, patois, and politics. Carlie learned some patois words and thought that was really cool! She can now ask you Wah Gwaan (What’s going on)? But you’d better answer Mi deh yah (I’m here)!
The next morning, Paul got to have two new experiences of his own. It began snowing here which is the first time he’s ever seen snow other than in movies. He said that the snow is much colder than it looks in the movies. Later, my husband took him out to the shooting range where he and Paul had some fun shooting targets.
Being able to share experiences and friendship with Paul have been life changing. He’s planning to come visit us again in November if we don’t get to Jamaica first. He’s better than our friend now. We consider him family.
I’m a huge fan of all-inclusive vacations, which are common if you travel to a non-US locale. Even more specifically, I love all-inclusive resorts! I know there’s a large segment of dissenters who would argue that all-inclusive vacations aren’t “authentic”. Don’t get me wrong–I have vacationed a la carte as well as the rest. But I do think the all-inclusive vacation has created a niche that simplifies vacationing and make it more relaxing. As far as “authenticity” goes, any trip can be as “authentic” as you want. It’s your own opinion that matters anyway.
Here’s what I like about the AI vacation:
You can make all of your arrangements–airfare, resort, transportation between airport and resort–in advance, usually in one place if you’re using a travel agent or booking yourself with AppleVacations, FunJet, Cheap Caribbean,etc., and for one price.
You can choose flights that accommodate your time frames.
I like to fly non-stop when possible (I don’t want to waste vacation time on travelling), so I shop for charters and typically have to fly certain days.
I prefer non red-eye flights since our nearest international airport is 2 hours away.
You can shop your resort.
Do you prefer a 5 star with a view of the ocean, gourmet meals, and decked out rooms or are you just looking for a place to lay your head for a few hours at the end of the day?
Do you have to have your usual top-shelf drink or can you make do with the local beverages?
Do you want to vacation with children (or without, and don’t want to share the pool with any)?
You can choose your transportation between the resort and airport.
Do you need a quiet limo ride for only your group?
Do you have a small group who all want to share a van or mini-bus?
Do you want a fun-filled bus ride that you share with all others going to your resort and others nearby?
Once at your resort, your AI includes:
your room–always ask for the upgrade at check-in.
all food, beverages, and cocktails while you are there.
non-motorized sports like kayaking, snorkeling, tennis, gym facilities.
daily and evening entertainment which can be anything from games, sports, aerobics/yoga classes poolside to fun-filled evening shows that may be audience participated or musical/dance shows.
If you choose a Super Inclusive, or Luxury Inclusive you may even get:
gourmet dinners, 24-hour room service
American beverages and top shelf cocktails
Scuba diving, golf, jet-skis
evening performances by local celebrities
sunset catamaran cruises, candlelight dinners on the beach
The AI eliminates the needs for:
carrying cash on the resort.
trying to compute the resort’s foreign conversion rate when paying for anything.
accruing foreign transaction fees later after charging everything on your credit card.
tipping. Be aware, some resorts don’t allow it.
leaving the resort while you are there.
Things that cost extra:
you can book any extra sight-seeing trips or excursions as you wish through your resort.
most resorts have a spa that will offer massage packages.
tipping–if you choose to.
gaming in the casino and souvenir shopping
Basically, you can schedule a ton of activities (free and otherwise) if you want, or you can schedule nothing and sit at the swim-up bar all day. At an AI resort, it’s your vacation, your choice to do as much or little as you’d like.
They made the most out of the sun, sand, pool, beach and cocktails. 
The weather was perfect and they were able to go on some excursions and take in some sights. One morning, there was a jeep trip up into the mountains where they got to see and taste raw cocoa growing on a farm. Who knew chocolate would end up tasting so different from the actual cocoa it’s grown from?
A couple of days later was scuba diving day.
There was even a dance clinic happening at the resort with hundreds of dancers from around the world visiting that week so evenings in the disco were filled with incredible talent. At the end of the day, the girls had a relaxing, fun time.
The girls couldn’t wait to start planning their next trip. It sounded like they would be meeting again in Mexico next!
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, and 
. But what else? Please drop me a comment and make credible suggestions about what an English family would consider a treat from their American amigos.
Ha! We got off the plane in Cancun, Mexico and what were we greeted by at the airport? 
up from storage, so we can start packing
and chargers
(probably boots this time considering how many sting rays we saw in that area last time)
—I’ll make sure everything is cleaned and fully charged before packing it in my carry-on
: mask, snorkel, fins—the last time we needed to borrow fins the crew could only find one fin in hubby’s size
Anytime you travel to a foreign country, including 
Talk about one of the best meals I have ever had! I had a bowl of seafood (fish and shrimp) in broth with a side of rice and peas. It was a huge amount of food for the $10 US I think it cost. If you stick with the local foods in Jamaica instead of stuff that has to be imported, the prices are very reasonable. After leaving Jamaica that trip, I kept in touch with Paul via 
