Jamaica - Ya Man !!!
Being the hyper-active person that I am, I never thought I would enjoy a laid back beach / resort vacation. Well, I was wrong. I had a really good time in Jamaica and it was because of the people there whose sole purpose is to treat you like a King / Queen, spoil you and make you miss them when you are back to reality.
I stayed at the all-inclusive Iberostar Grand Hotel Rose Hall (Adults only). It was truly “Grand”, like a palace. They have 2 other adjoining properties which allow families. The hotel had good amenities such as 2 pools (one with a swim-up bar), rooms with balconies overlooking the Caribbean Sea, beach, sporting activities, fitness center and a butler service. The butler ensured that your room was always stocked with items of your choice e.g. if you prefer light beer to wine, then your mini bar will be replenished accordingly every day. The property had several restaurants on site and 24 hours room service.
My daily routine involved doing nothing 🙂 . Its amazing how you can so quickly get used to a life doing nothing. I would start my day with a 2 hour workout ensuring I made enough space to eat and drink all day long, shower and hit the breakfast buffet which had a huge selection of local & international food varieties, fresh fruit and juices. Rest of the day was spent by the poolside, reading, drinking and occasional dips in the pool.
The resort had several activities arranged during the day like water aerobics, beach and pool volleyball, cooking classes, a magician / wizard entertaining guests with really cool tricks, massages etc. They also had wind-surfing, kayaking at the dive center (costs extra). Lots of books for reading, table tennis, pool and a huge collection of DVDs if you wanted to sit in the room and watch movies.
Night entertainment started at 2145 which was a little too late for me as I am an early sleeper and early riser. I missed out on that. Restaurants included Japanese hibachi style, Surf & Turf Steakhouse, Italian, Jamaican and French restaurant. My favorite was the Italian specifically the squid ink risotto.
Some things that could be better 1) quicker service 2) starting the night entertainment earlier 3) opening the fitness center at 6am instead of 7am.
Overall a great experience and memories that I will cherish forever.
