We made it to Jamaica on Sunday morning after more than 24 hours of travel (including negative COVID testing all around). My parents, sister/Marco, and we planned this family beach trip for Iver's school break back in 2021 when it seemed like COVID would be (mostly) behind us... with the occasion to celebrate in belated fashion our 10th anniversary/my parents' 45th (2021) and which also happened to include V/Marco's actual eighth anniversary (which fell during this week). Even though our country is in a much better place with respect to the pandemic and all adults are triple-vaccinated, Niall is still not yet vaccine eligible, and we (I) still held our breath prior to actually boarding our planes, hoping nothing would derail the trip (COVID-wise or other. Vanessa apparently had a COVID exposure shortly prior to leaving DC but thankfully tested negative. I am still quite opposed to asymptomatic COVID testing in general and find this travel requirement highly annoying and anxiety-provoking).
We've been on a couple of other family resort vacations since having the kids--
Maui, Hawaii in 2016 and then to the
Dominican Republic for Christmas 2019 (with just my parents and us four) prior to the pandemic. This was our first international trip since February 2020 and, while I'd been to Jamaica as part of a cruise in 2009 so it wasn't a new country for me (but was #68 for Vanessa, who has pulled way ahead, darn it!), it was new for the kids and despite the distance for us, it was definitely a lovely place to pass a week on the beach! While my parents visited us last May, we hadn't seen Vanessa and Marco in over two years and the kids wouldn't leave them (mainly V) alone!
We stayed in Montego Bay on Jamaica's northwestern coast at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort, which was a former 18th century sugar plantation. While I'm usually the trip itinerary planner for day-to-day activities and Kelvin usually does the hotel and airline bookings (and was in charge of COVID testing coordination), I had to do nearly nothing with respect to this trip's arrangements which was a nice change. A beach resort vacation is not my normal go-to for travel, as I'm more of a go-getter/doer and being served makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable and acutely aware of my privilege, but the kids loved it and I did get plenty of reading in by the pool and we didn't have to worry about navigation or food foraging for the ever-hungry munchkins, which was a huge relief (and I must say, did allow me to relax). My parents, Vanessa, and Marco flew in from DC on a later flight and we reunited in the evening on the first day.
While the forecast projected "rain most days," we mostly had spectacularly warm and sunny weather (with a few short-lived scattered rain showers the first day). The hotel had notified us that the air conditioning had broken the week before our arrival without an expected fix date, which was a bit of a bummer at night, as it was really warm; however, the hotel provided high-quality fans and, as we spent very little time in our rooms, it was not really a big deal. They also kindly provided us a voucher for another complimentary stay in the next year due to the inconvenience. The wi-fi was really spotty at the resort and so I pretty much stashed my phone and just enjoyed being unplugged, swimming, reading, and enjoying the sunshine and warmth (I heard that the Humboldt weather was cold/rainy/snowy while we were gone!).
The hotel was right on a private beach, with lovely views of the Caribbean Sea and had two large pools, one of which was very kid-friendly with slides and a lazy river, where Iver passed upwards of eight hours each day we were there (pictures to come)! All staff were masked, and masking was required for guests in public areas until our second-to-last day, when Jamaica lifted its mask mandate. There was ample hand sanitizer stations and it felt very COVID-safe, as we were almost always outdoors. The hotel offered complimentary rapid COVID testing prior to departure, along with insurance in case of a positive test (allowing you to stay in a low-cost isolation room until cleared for travel).
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View from our hotel room balcony
It was an all-inclusive resort, and so there was no shortage of good drinks (including something we'd never tried called a "dirty banana," which is sort of like a banana slushie with rum) and all kinds of amazing food including fresh seafood and tropical fruit, Jamaican specialties like patties (which are like flat samosas) and jerk chicken from a hut (which, apparently per a friend of Vanessa's, may be the best on the island). The kids were amazed by their access to fruit punch and delicious fruit juices (and virgin daiquiris and "clean bananas") on demand, while they (sadly) mostly subsisted on the safe kiddie foods like chicken nuggets and plentiful ice cream from the coffee shop. Thankfully, they learned the importance of generous tipping as well.
Despite ample sunblock, we all (excepting the kids) got notably sunburned on our first couple of days in the hot Caribbean sun. My Dad is probably the only guest at the whole resort who didn't set foot in a swimsuit or the water (but the back of his hands still got burned!). Iver was peeling off strips of skin from Vanessa's shoulders by the end of the trip (“soooooo satisfying!” he exclaimed).
We had some amazing seafood at Seaside Grille, but mostly hit the Fresh buffet for dinner where everyone could choose whatever they fancied. There was live music including reggae and steel drums and some kind of evening entertainment (Iver was thrilled to stay up a bit late to catch a magic show on our last night).
Lucky charms were a huge breakfast hit!
You can really see my sunburned shoulders here!
Cute little photobomber!
All together at last!
The resort had a kids club (which our kids would not go to) as well as lots of activities including trivia, poolside and outdoor games.
Some afternoons, to escape the heat, Niall would play legos with Grandma in the "nests" at a shady deck.
My Dad brought an electronic chessboard for Iver, and they had some competitive games.
My sister and Marco gifted Iver a cork soccer ball and Niall this Jamaican Spidey which were really cool souvenirs.
It was a relaxing and fun week (I may even wager to say a "vacation"). Travel is so good for so many reasons— it exposes kids to people, food, and customs from all over the world, and now Iver is a pro at navigating international airports and customs, ordering food with manners, getting around a hotel and asking directions from hotel staff, using elevators independently, as well as tipping. The kids are at ages when it's much easier to move around, and even fly across the country (with long layovers). We’re so glad we got away and that COVID didn’t stop us. I no longer feel particularly in high COVID alert around large groups of travelers and travel is starting to feel more normal again— hurray! More pool and beach photos will follow…
