Cocoa Tea Sweet Life
Every time I hear this song I want to return to Jamaica!
Download Sweet Life on iTunes
TRAVEL MUSIC TUESDAY–Cocoa Tea
Villa In Jamaica
A few years ago, in the dead of a brutally cold winter, I was literally withering away in the cold. Missouri was in a deep freeze and I was really exhausted from it. Since I continually shop for travel bargains, I’m so glad I noticed when a new hotel listing came up on Expedia. A Montego Bay Villa had thrown itself into the mix of accommodations that I had become accustomed to seeing and they were running a New Year’s Eve Holiday special. I still had some days off from work to use, so I booked the trip. I would fly to Montego Bay on December 30 and stay until January 2. It sounded just like a few days of warmth that I hoped would recharge me.
The Villa was in the lower foothills of the Blue Mountains, and close enough that I could still see the sea.
This was quite a change of scenery from the all-inclusive resorts I was used to. The Villa had about 8 bedrooms most with their own bathroom and shower, a parlor, a kitchen, and various other sitting areas. There was also a pool, which none of the other guests seemed to use and a breadfruit tree laden with fruit was right next to the pool! I knew I had found the perfect chill-spot and I was sitting out at the pool within minutes of my arrival. 
Peggy, the cook at the Villa, came out poolside and asked if I’d like to have my dinner there which I thought was an incredibly great idea. I settled on jerk chicken and dined poolside, while chatting on the phone with friends back home.
With the next day being New Year’s Eve, I made plans to go over to the Grand Palladium Resort for their celebration. Grand Palladium is one of my favorite all-inclusive resort brands and I still knew some of the staff there from my previous trips. Did you know you can buy a day pass to most all-inclusive resorts? For New Year’s Eve, GP offered a pass that was good from 6pm until 1am allowing me access to all their amenities for the festivities. I arrived in time to go to their Jamaican restaurant for dinner and then I headed over to the theater for their big NYE show. They had a champagne toast and fireworks display at midnight and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen at any of the resorts. When my pass expired, I had a cab waiting for me outside of the lobby.
For New Year’s Day, Peggy, the cook, had the holiday off so there was no meal service available. The security guard, Duran, suggested some options. I decided on carry out pizza from town because we knew Pizza Hut was open. Duran drove me into Montego Bay where I picked up a pizza and then we headed back to the villa. On our way back, we stopped off at a small, non-descript bar at the bottom of the hills and shot a few games of pool. It was a good thing we kept winning because Duran had been placing bets on our games.
The next day was my departure day, but my flight out wasn’t until evening. Duran offered to drive me into town for a while to do some shopping at some of his favorite stores. I picked up souvenirs to take home before we stopped off at the most incredible jerk center I’ve ever been to, Scotchie’s. 
When you walk in the place, it is a mostly open-air tiki-type bar that serves all kinds of jerk meats and accompaniments. We ran into Sheba and Sheena, (two other guests from the villa) and turned it into a wonderful dinner together. 
If you ever pass a Scotchie’s in Jamaica, stop in and eat there. I highly recommend the jerk pork and breadfruit. The stuff melts in your mouth.
I was sad to leave that evening, but I had such a rejuvenating break from the cold winter that would make it easier to get through the rest of the cold. It was also nice to be able to explore some of the local activities off the beaten path and not stick to the usual excursions. I’m always a firm believer of scratching beneath the surface when you travel outside of your country. It will open your mind and expose you to really unique experiences!
Planning a Destination Wedding
I always dreamed of getting married on the beach. It was not a way to “elope” in the traditional sense of running off to get married without any family or friends around. Quite the opposite–I just imagined being barefoot in the sand and sun–by the ocean with all my family and friends there.
I even made sure to go with an ivory dress so it wouldn’t look washed out in beach pictures. Besides the beautiful environment, there are many benefits to a destination wedding.
Most resorts will do the basic wedding for free if a handful of your party stay at the resort for a minimum number of days.
You also have the option to upgrade to a larger party and can tweak the details. In a gazebo or on the sand? Live or recorded music for the ceremony? Full dinner, or cocktail party reception? And so on…
Most resorts have a wedding planner on staff. This person does this all the time and will take care of everything. No need to stress over any details.
Indigenous flowers in a tropical locale are incredibly affordable and beautiful. Use this to your advantage. This means you can get a LOT of great tropical flowers for a very affordable price.
We wound up, for a very awesome rate, getting married on the beach at the RIU Negril in Negril, Jamaica. We had 30 of our closest friends and family there, most of them for the entire week! It was a great time to get to spend time vacationing with everyone for longer block of time than we usually get to spend with them.
The staff at the RIU, from the wedding organizer, to the hair stylists,
the florist, wait staff, even the steel drum quartet were absolutely wonderful. The planner and I set up everything prior via email. My hubby and I filled out all of our legal paperwork for the marriage certificate before going down to Jamaica. She also arranged everything else with input from me. I didn’t even meet her until the morning of the wedding. My best advice, trust that your wedding planner will plan an awesome wedding. Even if any details fall through the cracks, your guests won’t know it. Don’t sweat the small stuff!
My dad walked me down to the gazebo on the beach, where I kicked off my fancy shoes and met up with our officiant and soon-to-be-husband.
Don’t think for a minute that it wasn’t hot out! It was, especially at midday in Jamaica. A steel drum quartet played during the ceremony and we had a champagne table ready for our guests after the ceremony.
Once our vows were exchanged, we were given a few minutes to mingle, then it was time for pictures. We used a resort photographer, who took some great shots of our day.
After pics were done, we bussed our crew over to Rick’s Café to kill time until our reception dinner. We munched on appetizers and partook in some Red Stripe before returning to the RIU for dinner.
Our dinner was wonderful. I had the rib-eye steak and hubby had the shrimp. But even better was that all of our friends and family were there. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
If you’re considering planning a destination wedding, with a little research and a good wedding planner, you can have the day of your dreams while still keeping your sanity.
Jamaica Comes To Thanksgiving Dinner
Our Jamaican friend has come to visit us for Thanksgiving. He flew into St. Louis via Baltimore/Washington. After delays leaving MoBay and delays in Baltimore, we finally got to pick Paul up at the airport at 2:40 am the weekend before Thanksgiving. No problem man! Just another 2 hour drive home after that, just in time to get to bed at 5 am.
After a quick sleep, we got back on the road to head to the Lake of the Ozarks to show Paul that part of our state. It was actually a pretty mild weekend for November, so we were able to spend time outdoors on the deck. We also took Paul to his first of many visits to Menards (a chain store of home improvement products) and bought new flooring for the condo. 
After finishing a little bit of work, our friends Francis and Marissa came to visit for a bit and have some wine. We chatted, sipped, and had fun hearing about their new boat they would have down at the lake this summer. When they hit the road to head back home, we went into town and had a tasty dinner at Tucker’s Shuckers. If you’re ever in the historic Bagnell Dam area, check them out. They have all kinds of food, but are known for their incredible oysters.
We returned to Columbia, put in a few days at work, and prepped for Thanksgiving dinner. For those who know me, this is one my favorite holidays of the year and I LOVE turkey dinner. We were having Francis, Marissa, and another friend Marsha over for dinner. We started prepping the menu for traditional roast turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, salad, rolls, cranberry sauce and pies (pumpkin and chocolate) for six. 
Paul was so generous to make Jamaican Rice and Peas to add a Jamaican spin to our dinner. It was so delish, and dinner wasn’t complete until Paul shared the recipe. (He also left us some extra coconut milk powder, so I can make it myself later.) And if Marissa reads this and let’s me know she did, I’ll even share the powder with her!
Shortly after dinner, it was time for some Black Friday shopping with Paul. I’ll have to post later about that as Paul’s still here and in the event any of his friends or family back home that he bought for are reading this, I don’t want to spoil any surprises. This was a Thanksgiving to be grateful for good friends who are like family.
Flashback to Jamaica
Ahhh, Jamaica! One of my favorite places in the world to visit. It is an island in the Caribbean and is part of the Greater Antilles. When you fly into Sangster Airport, you land right on the beach on the North Coast. So, as your plane descends, you feel like you are incredibly close to the water. I remember being overwhelmed with the stunning blue colors of the sea. I had never seen such beautiful hues.
This past winter, we headed down for a week of R and R. Since this wasn’t our first trip to Jamaica, or the second, or the third (have I mentioned it’s one of my favorite places?) we knew exactly what we did and didn’t want to do this time. For this trip, we wanted to stay in Montego Bay, close to the airport, so I found a sale for the RIU Montego Bay on Apple Vacations. If you’ve never shopped for a vacation on Apple Vacations, you’ve been missing out. It’s one of the travel sites I watch regularly and they run some great sales on trips. While we’d never stayed at this particular RIU resort before, I am a fan of the RIU brand, so this was an easy decision.
In Montego Bay, I knew we would be close enough to see our friend, Paul (see post Everyone Should Meet a Paul). I also wanted to take my husband Sonny to eat at Scotchie’s, which is known for their jerk chicken and pork. I also love breadfruit, which I was hoping was in season. Scotchie’s serves the majority of their dishes in tin foil or on paper plates, and with gravy (think hot sauce) made from scotch bonnet peppers. Also on the itinerary, was a trip to Luminous Lagoon, which I’ve wanted to check out for a while. The tour starts at sunset and takes you through the lagoon, which is home to phosphorescent micro-organisms that glow in the dark when agitated.
As the saying goes, ” the best-laid plans of mice and men, often go awry”, so did ours. We had some transportation issues and didn’t get to go to Scotchie’s for jerk and due to a small monsoon (flash-flooding, thunderstorm) our trip to the Luminous Lagoon was cancelled.
What we did get to do was hang out at our resort, meet new friends, and visit with old friends. Paul was able to come visit our resort on a day pass and he brought his wife, Tansia, and daughter, Talia, along. He also brought us a bottle of Sangster’s Chocolate Rum Cream. If you’ve never tried rum cream, you must–it’s what every good dirty banana is made from. I knew it came in flavors, but this was the first time I had had Chocolate. And since I can’t order it online back home, I was very grateful for Paul’s gift!
Paul, who is a jack-of-all-trades, entrepreneur, and a lifeguard, took us out for a quick sail around Mahee Bay in a small catamaran. We also walked up the beach to watch a wedding with Talia and our new friends Don and Stephanie. We sampled numerous frozen drinks “Jamaican style” compliments of a friend of Paul’s who was the bar supervisor. It was so nice to visit with Paul and his family for the day. Next time we hope to go visit the villa he is building just outside of the town of Lucea.
The following day we got to take a snorkeling excursion/sunset cruise. We loaded up on a big catamaran, cruised west down the coast a bit, went snorkeling, and ended up at Margaritaville in Montego Bay.
We did a little shopping on the Hip Strip before heading back for a cocktail at Margaritaville, and then headed back to the resort for dinner which was right on time.
I’ve never eaten so many seafood dinners as I have at RIU Resorts. It turned out this night was seafood night at the buffet restaurant and they had lobster tail available. My husband ate nothing but lobster and I think he topped out at 8 tails. I partook of the incredibly good lobster, but also enjoyed the shrimp and fish.
The next day was departure day. We got to the airport early, which is great because Sangster Airport has excellent duty-free shopping and we love to shop there. We picked up some souvenirs, and a little jewelry, and then finished waiting for our flight at Margaritaville with lunch and a beer!
Until next time Jamaica. Soon come back!
Gorgeous Sunsets
In scrolling through pics I have saved over the years, apparently I snap a lot of sunrises and sunsets. Here are a few of my favorites:
Cozumel, Mexico Sunset
Captiva Island, Florida Sunset
Negril, Jamaica Sunset
Riviera Maya, Mexico Sunrise
Riviera Maya, Mexico Sunrise
Lake Ozark, Missouri Sunset
Rocheport, Missouri Sunset
Guanacaste, Costa Rica Sunset
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Sunrise
Negril, Jamaica Sunset
Grand Canyon, Arizona Sunset
Glacier Bay, Alaska Sunrise
Which one do you like best? Comment on your favorite, or share a pic of one you’ve seen.
Travel Music Tuesday–Gingah
Never Lost My Way – Ginjah
A positive Jamaican song about staying your course!
Download the song by clicking below:
Travel Music Tuesday–Chronixx
I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this song. Please take a listen and let me know what you think. It’s not just that the tune is so happy, if you listen to the lyrics, Chronixx tells a beautiful story. I would love to see this song go beyond Jamaica and become an international hit!
Chronixx – Smile Jamaica (Official Video) – prod. by Silly Walks Discotheque
You can buy and download the song by clicking the pic below:
My First International Trip
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 Meet a Paul
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.
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.