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A few weeks ago, Alex and I escaped the New York winter and took a weekend trip to Jamaica. My mom took care of the boys (we were so grateful!), and it was such a treat to spend a couple days relaxing. Here are a few photos, if you’d like to see…
We stayed at Jake’s, a quirky boutique hotel on the less touristy side of the island. If you’re looking for an awesome, affordable place, this is it. Super friendly, laid-back, fun. The hotel has a saltwater pool, plus a poolside bar and two restaurants serving local fare, like conch fritters and jerk shrimp. (FYI, this is not sponsored in any way, we just really loved it!)
Guests stay in cottages scattered around the property. Our upstairs room was small but cute, and the best part was…
…the terrace overlooking the sea! We could hear the waves crashing right below us as we fell asleep at night. (So much better than our old noise machine at home.)
The next morning, a friendly fisherman took us on his boat…
…to Pelican Bar, a tiny driftwood bar built on a sandbar three-quarters of a mile out to sea! How crazy is that? (Here it is on Google Maps!)
We chatted with really nice people and had fresh fish and rice for lunch.
When Alex told the owner that it was his new favorite bar in the world, he smiled and answered, “Everyone says that.”
Finally, we cooled off on the sand dune around the bar.
Meanwhile, on our trip, I was reading the psychological thriller The Girl on the Train. I got completely sucked in and couldn’t put it down…
…from morning…
…til night. :) Sorry, Alex!
On our last day, we ventured to The Lobster Pot, a thatched lunch spot a few miles away from our hotel. When we walked up, a guy sitting outside told us that the chef wasn’t there (bummer!), so we tried to figure out whether we should head back to the hotel or wander around a bit. But suddenly we spotted the chef walking down the beach with a bucket of lobsters in each hand. He smiled and told us to stay put.
It’s funny how different Jamaica time is — stores and restaurants seem to open and close without rhyme or reason, and when you order food, you might get it in 15 minutes or two hours. You learn to just chill.
We drank Red Stripes…
…and played dominoes while we waited. (I got totally addicted during our trip.) A local guy, Damien, taught us the rules, plus bit of strategy and technique. (Tap a domino twice to pass; slam down your winning domino; perfect your poker face.)
And then his seven-year-old daughter beat us all. “My mom plays every day,” she said.
An hour or so later, the chef brought out curry lobster with rice. Spicy and delicious.
We swam in the ocean as the sun began to set. The water was warm and salty — you barely had the tread water to stay afloat. Jamaica, what a beautiful and amazing place.
Then we came back home to these little cuties! A huge thanks to Nana for taking such good care of them. xoxoxoxoxo
Have you ever been to Jamaica? Are you from there? What an incredible place and culture. Thank you so much for reading.
P.S. Our very first trip without babies.
