jamaica, post #2

Picture this: Hendrik and Steve playing in the sand, and me, with a napping baby by my side (in the shade of my beach chair), sunglasses, sunscreen, shades on, reading magazines with a frosty drink in hand. Everyone is outside, everyone is happy, and the weather is good. Now….. infuse reality and you get our – still fabulous, but nothing like the picture I flew south with – vacation. Alana puked all over me at 3:00am on night one, and was up to feed at least once every other night; Hendrik was up at least once in the wee hours to pee all over himself and have his diaper and pyjamas changed, every night. (And so the 11-hour sleeps we were enjoying in Beijing still elude us.) Alana wouldn’t nap outside or anywhere but her crib, and Hendrik, being a two-year-old, challenged us constantly. (“Hendrik! Let’s get our bathing suits on and go to the pool!” “NO.” “You don’t want to go? Come on it will be SO FUN! The water slides! Swimming!” “NO.” etc etc.) Soooo after day one we were wondering what on earth we were thinking going on vacation with a teething six-month old baby and a (sometimes) terrible two. And then it got better and we got our system down. We went to breakfast as a unit every morning, and then while Alana napped one of us would log some alone time reading mags or whatever, while the other enjoyed the water slides or the beach with Hendrik. We at lunch together, and then after a late-ish afternoon nap, we’d all head out to the water park or waterfront or pool. We made an effort to have dinner together (Alana wanted to nap at dinner time, and again, would only really do so in the room) and then again, try to catch some evening entertainment together too. The evening entertainment being Sesame Street takes the stage and/or Hendrik takes the stage – how amazing are his dance moves? We LOVED how much he loved Bert and Ernie and Big Bird, despite the fact that we have never watched the show. It was definitely a highlight. And so, shall I not just make a highlights list? I think so.

Highlights:

• Sesame Street. There were multiple activities every day, and quite a few different characters made appearances. Hendrik’s favourite was Zoe, though he kept asking for Big Bird (“I want to meet Big Bird daddy, I want to meet him”), and then was not at all his usual shy self when we saw The Bird bobbing around our lunch spot; he went right up and said hi and gave him a hug. 
• The food – it was amazing! There were several dining options (save for a singular breakfast spot), and it was all good. 
• The staff were all so nice and so friendly, and the vibe was great. We loved their Jamaican “yeah man” that works anywhere and anyhow (instead of thank you or cheers or hi … yeah man!). 
• The place was really geared towards families, so most people there were more or less on the same page we were: up early, to bed early, fairly quiet, none too much drunkenness etc etc. The premium brand free-flow meant that there were some toasty people (which, to go off on a mini tangent, seems a bit questionable for families there with kids: the parents get drunk and the kids do whatever? There were definitely some that fit that bill…) but we were never kept up by hooting and hollering – just by our kids, crying and peeing. 
• The weather was great, the beach was nice, there were tons of activities. Solid. 
• There was daycare. We put Hendrik in Camp Sesame but a few times, and whether we should have felt guilty for sticking him in there or not, we kinda did. We were both of the philosophy that if you want to vacation without your kids – leave them at home! There were definitely a few little girls and guys that were there all day, and that makes me feel just a little sad, even if there were activities and outings galore. 

And yeah, there were a few cons, or mmmm things we would have changed. Next time we might stay in a two-bedroom room at a place more like this – quiet, small-scale, more freedom to move, wander and explore. I would definitely consider going back to a Beaches or all-inclusive type place, but it’s not the only experience out there for us.

And now, more of the pack-unpack-pack. Our stuff has exploded all over Steve’s parent’s house again, and we’ll have to try to pack it all up and get it to Gatineau on Sunday. One more move and we’re home!