Jamaica

On December 4th Lenny and I met my four children, John, Will, Joy and Michelle, my grandson, Drake, Joy's boyfriend, Noah and our friends, Joe and Colleen in Jamaica for an 8-day vacation (my daughter-in law, Rachel and granddaughter, Eva were with us in spirit!). We rented an incredible villa called Greatview, high on a hilltop overlooking Montego Bay. We have stayed in some nice places over the years but this topped them all.

My favorite part of the trip, other than spending time with family and friends, was the pool. They kept it at a balmy 88 degrees, which allowed us to swim from early in the morning until late at night. The men soon discovered that they could jump from the second story balcony into the pool. It was great fun until the staff kindly asked them to stop. We also spent many hours in the beautiful hot tub.

Greatview caters to children so Drake had a treehouse with a hammock, various arts and crafts, a small bed and ropes to climb on. The villa also provided us with a wonderful nanny, Christine, who played with Drake for 3 hours a day. Drake and Christine spent many hours exploring the grounds of the villa and catching (and releasing) lizards. He was in Heaven!

Aside from swimming in the pool and ocean, we also took various excursions. We went to Rick's Cafe where Will, Joy, Noah and even Drake (age 7) jumped from a 25 foot cliff! Michelle jumped from a lower one, John watched and took pictures, and Lenny and I observed it all. I thought about jumping but decided against it!

Another favorite excursion was going to the Luminous Lagoon, a place where the algae glow as you swim through the water (bioluminescence). The day we went, Drake had gotten stung by a jellyfish so he was reluctant to get back in the water. But our captain assured Drake that the jellyfish where we were going weren't the kind that sting (ummm...I have since learned this may not be true). And so in the black of night we boarded a boat and headed out to sea. The Captain played the theme to Titanic as we made our way to where the algae live.

When we arrived, the first thing the captain did was to reach into the water and pull out a jellyfish larger than his hand! He encouraged us to pet it which both Drake and I did. I was so proud of him! Then we all jumped into the water and laughed as it started to glow. A million stars glittered above us. It was a truly magical night!

Other highlights of the trip include golfing (for the men), getting pedicures, facials and massages, dancing to Jamaican music performed by a 3-piece band we hired to play for us one night, and enjoying the incredible food and drinks prepared for us by the staff. We couldn't have asked for a better trip!

To see more photos and videos of this trip click here.