My Kind of Vacation

(February 1st, 2023)

It's actually very easy to fall into relaxation mode. With a handy beach, no schedule, no kids, and nice weather, the senses melt into a delicious non-stress puddle. We had some goals for the trip, but nothing that couldn't be adjusted. 

First up, Tyler took advantage of the atmosphere and he would go meditate or read out on the beach in the mornings. I would stay in the room and do yoga to keep my body limber. 

Then we'd meet up for breakfast. Most of the time we used the buffet. I don't always love a buffet, but I thought the buffet was pretty decent there. Also, WAY faster, and that meant more beach time. (Can you see Jason back there?)

Caroline and I took a little tour in the morning. They do it every morning and it's about an hour long. I was so glad that we went. We were bosses and we knew where everything was. Gift shop? Yep, go to the bigger one on the other side of the resort. Library? Yep, it's upstairs with fun chairs. Billiards? Yep, in the hidden room. 

Then to the beach. I think I died and went to heaven. Reading, spikeball, napping, repeat... I think Ivory said it best. This was her text: Are you just existing on the beach? 

The resort is on a public beach, so anyone can walk by. There was a handful of vendors that came by every day, but the resort security wouldn't let anyone stay long. I didn't mind them. I liked the guys who played bass and drums, I almost bought a brownie from Bob the Baker until I realized they were Jamaican brownies. (More relaxing than I wanted, and Jason told me later they were $45 a brownie :) The Ring-Ring Jamaica calling guy was my least favorite. We did cave and bought one thing from a vendor. We got a Moana conch shell for Ivory. It was gorgeous and very reasonably priced.

We tried the outdoor cafe for lunch and the fish tacos were amazing! They were one of my favorite things there.

There were two mirrors above our bed. They reminded me of angry eyes. What do you think?

There were a lot of cats at the resort. Not a crazy amount, but very noticeable. I think there were about a dozen. Most were friendly, especially when you were eating. I would stop to pet them. We actually saved a lizard from one. I noticed there weren't a lot of lizards around and I think that is exactly why the cats are allowed.

Back to the buffet for dinner. Right outside the open air restaurant is a pool. I never saw anyone swim in that pool. Why would you when the beach is just a few steps further, but I still was surprised that no one ever seemed to go in there. I also saw some flowers outside the restaurant. I really like how they look like little stars. Very pretty.

We finally saw Cari and Jordan at dinner. We missed seeing them for a whole day. In case you were wondering, there were six couples in our group. Tyler and Me, Jason and Caroline, Aric and Janille, Cari and Jordan, Melody and Chase, and Jared and Star.  

There was a theme to dinner most of the evenings. There was Mediterranean, Italian, around the world, Jamaican, and others. And then there was a dessert bar that always had a dozen options. It was hard not to try everything.

The Palms was a happening restaurant. There was entertainment almost every night. And sometimes in the morning. Tyler and I went up to play some pool (in the hidden room), but we could still hear the music and steel drums in the main area.

That night they had a bonfire on the beach. It was really cool. They stacked all this wood up and set it on fire and then they had a singer serenade us while the bonfire burned. It was really nice. 

Most of the couples went salsa dancing after that, but I was happy to get some extra sleep. Remember, my kind of vacation.