Couples Swept Away

Ok, yes that is a dorky name. But when we were researching where to vacation, we looked at the hotels rated high on trip advisor. The caves was actually the #1 rated. But we also wanted to go to a typical beach resort with an actual beach. So we spent two nights at the caves and yesterday came over here to Couples Swept Away. The rest of our time at the caves was wonderful. It would have been nice to stay longer. We spent our last morning there eating a typical Jamaican breakfast and jumping off of the cliffs one last time. Once we checked out, we were driven the 15 minutes to Couples Swept Away. This resort seems huge compared to the other one (over 200 rooms compared to 10 at The Caves.) The room is very nice - more hotel like with a TV, air conditioner and inside shower. Plus a lot less bugs . :-) The grounds are very lush and we're on the third floor of a small building overlooking the ocean. There are 5 restaurants here that have food throughout the day. Lots of free activities too. Little huts are all over that serve drinks any time you want. Yesterday when we got here was was raining and it didn't stop until evening so we hung out in the room and on the balcony. We had dinner at "The Palms". A live Reggae band played while we ate. We're both really enjoying the culture and food of Jamaica. It's a neat little country and it's been fun to learn about it's history and people. Today the weather has been beautiful. After a late breakfast this morning we went to the beach. The water is clear and gorgeous. I kept putting sunscreen on but still got a little burnt - not too bad though. The food and service here is good but unfortunately can't be compared to how wonderful it was at the caves. Tomorrow we're going snorkeling and on a Catamaran cruise. It's our last full day here so we're going to enjoy every minute! We're off to walk along the beach. Most of Jamaica doesn't actually have sand and beach but our resort is set on a 7-mile stretch.

Read more...

The Caves

Here I am sitting on our balcony overlooking the beautiful water off of the coast of Jamaica. Damien and I are here celebrating our 10^th anniversary. Our anniversary won’t actually take place until January 2, but we decided now was the best time to take a trip. Our gracious parents have volunteered to take care of the kids – we’ll definitely have to find a good souvenir to bring back – Maybe a T-shirt that says “I survived my grandchildren while my kids were in Jamaica.” Thanks to our extra tax break this year, we’re staying here in Negril, Jamaica for 5 nights in two different All-inclusive resorts. Our trip out here was pretty uneventful besides being delayed in Miami for 2 ½ hours – not so bad when you don’t have kids with you. Once we got of customs we actually had a guy standing in the baggage area with a sign just for us. He drove us the 1 hour and 15 minutes from the airport to our resort. I was a little worried about the drive because my mom has been here and warned me that the most scared she has ever been was when she was being driven around in Jamaica. The roads are narrow and winding and the drivers will pass the car in front of them going 60miles/hour barely getting back into their lane before the oncoming car hit them. Our driver was pretty good and only gave me a few scares. The place we’re staying now is called “The Caves” and it is breathtaking. The resort is built at the edge of cliffs. There are caves that go underneath the resort where you can hear the waves crashing. There are only seven little hut-like buildings – enough for about 12 couples. We’re in a two story bungalow. Our bed is upstairs with a balcony that goes right to the edge of the cliffs. Our only shower is outside (well hidden of course). There is no air conditioner and the windows are just slats that we can close –sort of – at night to keep out the insects. We have a mosquito net around the bed which we used last night while we slept. It’s actually pretty cool here – although a bit humid – we were comfortable with the two fans in the room. With no TV or working phone, we definitely feel secluded. Our cell phone actually has service but it’s $1.99/min so we won’t be using it much. Along the edge of the cliffs are “diving” points specifically made to jump into the water. It’s hard to say how high they are. We jumped off of about a 30 foot one this morning. This place is relaxing. We did have a bit of excitement last night. As we walked back from dinner to our room, we could hear footsteps on the upper floor. The person must have heard us because we heard him running down the stairs. He hopped out of the back window and Damien sort of followed him around to try to get a good look at him (which he did not). We were a little confused at first but went to the office and got security. When we went upstairs we found that our camera bag and been opened and gone through as well as pockets in our suitcase. There is a small safe in our room and as we were leaving for dinner and had put our wallets, passports and camera in it. I’ve never used a hotel safe before and the only reason I did was because the place is so open I knew anyone could easily get in…I was mostly thinking of other guests or something. But I’m so glad I did. The management came over and spoke to us and called the police to file a report. We never got a good look at the person or what he was wearing so we weren’t much help. They handled it really well and seemed pretty shocked by it. They said the resort has been here ten years and it’s never happened. I was definitely a little scared and they offered to move us to another room. I was all for that but the place is entirely full. So they put a security guard outside our bungalow all night. Today the owner was here and talked to us about it too. I’m feeling much more comfortable today and really feel like it was an isolated thing – someone just looking for some money or something. We’re really enjoying the amazing authentic Jamaican food and service – the people are so nice and because it’s such a small place they all know your name. It seems like there are three employees per one guest. Tonight we have a reservation for private time in the hot tub inside one of the caves, as well as a private dinner. There is a little club next door that has live reggae music most of the day which we can hear from our balcony. This is such a cool place place!

Read more...