Wow, it’s been a very, very long time since I have stayed at a resort. In fact, I don’t know when the last time was.
We stayed at the Riu Palace in Montego Bay. I’m not sure DH and I would go back to an all-inclusive if it was just us, but it was a great way to spend a fun weekend with family (thanks to Matt & Jen for choosing the place!). The food was decent (we are SO spoiled here in DC that I’ve become very picky about what I eat and I could always find something). The drinks were good. The dirty banana was addictive (it’s like a mudslide with a full banana….nomnomnom). The germaphobe in me found that the rooms were really clean, and the staff was incredibly helpful and nice.
My First But Not Last Dirty Banana
But I’ve become accustomed to boutique hotels. To small areas. To quaint spaces. To personalized service. To fewer people.
I was like a fish out of water when we first arrived in Jamaica. What do these people do all day? Lay on lounge chairs? Swing in hammocks? How can they? Don’t they get bored? Can they really eat three plates piled high from the buffet three times a day?
[And don’t they use SPF? I’ve never seen so many lobsters in my life. And these sun-crisped people were still lying in the full sun.]
I don’t think I’m cut out for resort life, at least not for more than 4 days. I get antsy. I like to read (and finished the wonderful book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in 2 days), but sitting and lazing around for hours at a time with no plans in sight makes me anything but relaxed.
Fortunately, DH’s brothers & girlfriend like to go and do things, too. Otherwise, I would have gone stir-crazy. I don’t think that most people that were staying there ventured out much–maybe once during their stay? Most just parked their crap on a chair at 6am (not permitted by the hotel, technically), and camped out there all day.
There are definitely good things about resorts. It was fun to do some relaxing, and to have drinks delivered to the beach. It was nice to dip into a pool the temperature of a hot tub, and be able to grab a snack when I was hungry with little effort. It’s nice to have a 2 minute walk back to your room after a dip in the ocean, or when you forgot your sunglasses.
Clean Room. Gah I’m a sucker for towel art. Lame, I know.
So we had a great time in Montego Bay. We had 2 great trips out for some snorkeling, good laughs, and just the right amount of lazing around (in the shade and in the pool). I finally finished a book on my pile of “to read” that has been there since December, and I stayed away from too much email and internet.
And even though it sometimes makes me more anxious to “just relax”, a resort vacation was definitely just what was needed.
