Jamaica (Monday, Day 2)

Monday, Day 2

We woke up fairly on Monday, even though we had been exhausted the day before. I think we were up at like 6:30 or something crazy, but once we woke up, we couldn’t go back to sleep because the view of the ocean from our balcony was so wonderful. So we dressed for a day at the beach/pool and went to breakfast at The Bayside, which basically has a huge breakfast buffet of just about anything you could ever want for breakfast, including made-to-order omelets, which we took advantage of several times while we were in Jamaica.

After breakfast, we signed up for a 10am snorkeling trip. We had been snorkeling the last time we were in Jamaica and it wasn’t that great. For some reason, the reef isn’t very colorful and there isn’t that much to see, which isn’t always a bad thing, depending on the kind of things you might see in another area of the ocean. This time wasn’t any different. While it was fun to go snorkeling, there wasn’t that much to see. But it was included in our stay, so it was something to do.

After snorkeling, we did a little shopping. Because Sandals Whitehouse is so far away from any of the cities in Jamaica, every Monday they bring in local vendors to set up their goods on the resort. That way, people can do some shopping local-style, and this provides a few more options than the gift shops on the resort. We bought some wood carving decorations, a dress for Anya, and a doll for Anya.

By then, it was about time to eat, so we headed over to Bluefield’s, which serves Jamaican fare. We had Bammie (a type of fried bread) and Ackie (a fruit). This is actually the Jamaican national dish. The other appetizer we had was some kind of hushpuppy type of thing. Eric had Jerk Chicken with Rice and Beans and I had a Red Snapper Sandwich with fries. Then, we headed to the beach for a bit to lay out.

At some point in the middle of the afternoon, we went to the Café and got ice cream and some pastries for a snack. Then, we met up at the pool just in time for a reggae “class,” where they taught everyone some reggae dance moves. There were lots of people doing this and it was pretty fun. Afterwards, we ended up taking another nap in the hammock.

That evening, we decided to eat at the Beach Party on the beach. It was a beach party buffet. The food was alright but we probably would go to one of the restaurants if we had it to do over. There was a band playing during dinner and then we stayed for the show, which was a circus-type show that included a contortionist, jugglers, and fire dancers. After the show, we got some coffee at the Café and went to The Bayside for some evening snacks of cheeseburger and fries before heading back to the room.

I realize it sounds like we did nothing but eat while in Jamaica, and that is partially true. However, the portions are much smaller than we have here, so two people eating 2 or even 3 appetizers isn’t really much food at all. However, I kind of like it that way because it’s not so wasteful and then you can try a lot of things. Honestly, the portions are probably the right size. At our particular resort, there were 7 restaurants: Giuseppe’s (Italian for dinner and they also serve pizzas from 3 to 5 every day), Neptune’s (Mediterranean or Seafood, open for lunch and dinner), Jasmin’s (Asian, only open for dinner), The Bayside (breakfast and lunch buffet and international fare for dinner), Café de Paris (bakery, open all day), Eleanor’s (Caribbean fine dining, open for breakfast and dinner), and Bluefield’s (Jamaican fare, only open for lunch or early dinner). There were lots of options so we tried to eat at each place at least once over the course of the week.