Jamaica

When my husband and I were making the decision to move back to Wisconsin, I told him that one of my requirements was that we take a trip somewhere warm when I couldn't stand the cold anymore. He laughed, but agreed.

And that's why two days after we moved into our house in Wisconsin, we were on a plane to Jamaica.

Two days. That's how long I lasted. Two days.

Okay, we'd actually been planning to take a trip for a while and then the move came up. Rather than postpone our vacation, we decided to alter our plans just a little bit but take the trip anyway. Getting away from the snow and the cold was secondary. A bonus for sure, but secondary.

We desperately needed a vacation, but not just any old trip. We take trips and "vacation" a lot. We didn't need one of those trips. We needed a vacation, the kind of vacation where the biggest decision is whether to lay at the beach or the pool, where sightseeing involves watching the sunset from the balcony of your hotel room while sipping on a pina colada and getting ready for an amazing dinner, where the wallet never leaves the hotel safe because everything is included and none of the staff expects a tip. The kind of vacation where I can relax. I'm talking about the all-inclusive Caribbean resort vacation.

Iberostar Rose Hall Beach

We booked our vacation through Apple Vacations (love them!) and stayed at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach in Montego Bay, Jamaica. We've been to Jamaica before, and stayed in Ocho Rios, but opted to stay a little closer to the airport this time around in order to maximize our time at the beach. We were far enough that we didn't hear the air traffic, but close enough that we were airport-to-pool in less than 30 minutes. Plus, I am a huge fan of the Iberostar brand of hotels. We stayed at the Iberostar Punta Cana for our honeymoon, and I was blown away by the level of service they provided. We've stayed at other brands of all-inclusives and they've all been great, but Iberostar has always been the best so I was eager to test them out again. They didn't disappoint.

 

The beach



We were only there for three nights, so we decided to stay at the resort the entire trip and make the most of our relaxation time. My days consisted of a little exercise (I did water aerobics in the Caribbean Sea!), but mostly lounging on a chair either at the beach or at the pool, reading my Kindle, and periodically jumping in the pool or the sea to cool off from the hot sun. My days also involved having a friendly server come around asking me what she could bring me to drink, as if nothing would give her greater pleasure than to bring me a glass of water. Sometimes, when I was feeling really ambitious, I'd get in the pool and swim over to the bar to get my own drink because they had bars IN THE POOL (a "swim up bar" for you novices). I ate jerk chicken and curried beef (which I am convinced was curried goat, a Jamaican specialty) and a lot of fresh fruit, and left the island feeling warm, happy, refreshed, and relaxed. Most importantly, I reconnected with my husband.  



View from our balcony at night

I'm lucky that my husband and I really enjoy being around each other, whether we're exploring baseball parks or enjoying a dinner out or watching television. When we go on vacation together, especially a vacation like this trip to Jamaica, we leave everything behind and can just focus on us. We are forced to be our real selves, and can't hide behind the daily distractions of work or school or television. We don't even have to think about what we need to do for the day because the only things on the to-do list are eat, drink, and relax. We have to talk. But we want to talk.

Moving is one of the most stressful life events and we've moved three times - to three different states - in five years. Everything with this move back to Milwaukee happened quickly, and while we discussed it extensively, we didn't really have a chance to process all that it meant to leave behind our life in Charlotte and move back to Milwaukee. We needed this vacation for our own personal sanity, but also to strengthen our marriage as we deal with the stress of moving. In Jamaica, we talked about our expectations and our concerns, and we planned for the future. We set goals for ourselves and for our family, and left Jamaica feeling closer, connected, and ready for the next chapter in our life.

If you've never taken an all-inclusive vacation, you should. And if you think you won't like them, then something is seriously wrong with you. I mean really, what's not to like about this...



The infinity pool looking out over the beach