Debbie’s Beaches Royal Plantation Trip Report
Background: This trip
report was written while in
Written
September 28, 2001 06:19 PM 
Well, we got up at
The parking lot was
full at city economy, as they have been telling everyone terminal lots in
Most people seemed
to have a ton of luggage.
At the international
terminal, we got a big bunch of hassle because our ticket said 9/29 instead of
9/28. Thankfully, we had a fax from
We carried on my
purse and the little laptop bag. No prob. Nothing searched. Everyone around but
us got a body scan and bag search. Looking conservative helps!
We searched high and
low for the first class lounge. Between gate 8&9 encompasses a lot. Go to
the one that reads "British Airways" that is by the one w/ a big list
of airlines. There are two British Airways lounges.
We had a lovely
glass of chardonnay and some snacks. I had pretzels, and Todd had the little
fish crackers. He had juice, and I had club soda.
The
We had a nice
champagne breakfast w/ omelets after a warm towel and soft drink. We saw a
movie w/ Danny Devito, Martin Lawrence, and Nora
Dunn. The sound was hideous. The flight left 7 minutes early.
Today was to be a
rainy day, and it was, but it was before we came.
We got thru customs
quickly since we were in row 2 on the plane. We got our bags and went out to
the Air Jamaica Vacations area where we were greeted w/ a bunch of orchids for
me and a "Welcome back Todd and Debbie and Happy 40th birthday,
Debbie" sign (thanks Sue and Lynn). We were deposited into a
We got here a little
before
This room has a
lovely 4 poster bed and armoire w/ TV and vcr
and more satellite TV than anywhere we have stayed in Ja.
Second TV in living room. Nice balcony. Two bathrooms,
one w/ lovely jacuzzi in the
window and a big chaise. Bar in bathroom w/ lots to drink. Four top shelf
liquors and champagne, beer, and lots of soft drinks. Lovely body scrub and
other bath stuff.
Big
closet w/ twenty hangers (still not enough and a lot of shelves and a really
nice digital safe.
We went to eat at
Bayside. I had salad w/ tiger shrimp and mango vinaigrette and mixed seafood
grill w/ shrimp, same (fake) scallops as GLSS, and two types of fish. Todd had
chicken fettuccini Alf redo and a shrimp Caesar salad. You can have a 5-course
lunch if you want. I wanted the seafood salad in papaya, but they were out. We
got a lovely bread basket and were offered drinks.
The GM and 3 others
were inside. Too much smoke. We sat there to avoid the chatty couples outside.
I've seen an least 30 unique people so far (they accommodate
148 here), don't know how many are here.
We still didn't have
our bags when we got back from lunch. Had to bug them to
bring them. Had to ask for connection for phone dial
out to be enabled. Had to ask for room service menu.
Still struggling w/ the spa promotion. Our promotion
includes $500 free at the spa, but they are clueless on it, I will obviously
have to push for it. I wasn't up to it today. We mentioned it 3 times. I am
going to the spa tomorrow to pursue.
We unpacked and went
to the double deck jacuzzi
for a while. I love it. One drains in a waterfall to the other. The views are
lovely. The temp is perfect in there at 96. Todd went back to the room to wait
for the guy that was coming about the phone connection. I chatted w/ a
honeymoon couple from
We are signed up for
snorkeling tomorrow. They have it at 11 and 3.
It sounds like the
shuttle runs every hour. BGS looks walkable, and SOR
is definitely walkable. Our hot breakfast will come
at
Having
a wonderful time. I am enjoying everything to the fullest. I feel great w/ the
freedom to fly. We are up to 25 Jamaican resort stays now. This seems so good
to us. Water seems bluer, etc., as we are just so happy to get to be here.
Written
September 29, 2001 08:28 AM
Well, last night I soaked in the tub in the room for a couple of
hours while Todd took his turn at the computer (fantasy football addict) and
sampled the minibar. We couldn't see the sunset from
our balcony, maybe you could see it from that chaise in the room where the jacuzzi is. That is where the bar
is.
They have some yummy
stuff for the bath, all signature stuff w/ lemongrass. I tried the bath gel and
the body scrub. I didn't want to get out to go to
dinner.
We decided to head
over to Bayside at
Todd had the spring
roll (raw kind) appetizer, I had shrimp cocktail (4 large shrimp). We both had
the conch chowder. It is red based and was great, too hot for him. It was not
presented like last time. Last time, it was served from a silver tureen and
they brought wine and pepper for us to put in it.
For the entree, I
had crayfish. Todd had sirloin steak. The accompanying stir-fried veggies were
great, but the potatoes were ice cold. It was like they had been on the plate
for hours. Chef Hugo didn't come around this time, neither did the managers. I
did see Chef Hugo, and he looked stressed. Probably working
too hard.
These 4 courses were
all we could handle. Wine and bar drinks were offered, but nobody offered dessert
(I wanted to be offered even though I didn't want it, and our wine went dry, so
Todd went to the bar himself. I guess they thought we were done.
We were serenaded to
"Lean on Me" and "Rum and CocaCola"
by the calypso band. They were fun. They sang on stage after they went to
everyone's table. Then at
We headed up to the
room and had a glass of wine on the balcony. At
I awoke at
Today, I have to
figure out what is going on w/ the spa credit and how you sign up for golf,
French place, etc. We are used to going back to places we have been, so I had
forgotten the little annoyances that accompany going to a new place. They try
to keep it non-intrusive around here, so you have to search and find all info!
If you don't get a
room service menu, ask for one, as they have good stuff, and the tours are
listed there, I think.
Written
Saturday's Report
I got up at about
Regarding our spa
certificate--it was on the ground underneath the couch. It had blown there when
the pushed it under the door.
Yesterday, there was
no New York Times fax. That happens at all the resorts,
they just don't get it sometimes. The front desk made a note to bring it to us
on the days they get it. Normally, you can pick it up at the front desk. They
run out, though.
I went down to the
spa and used the steam room. You can get it with eucalyptus or without. I went
for eucalyptus. They check on you every few minutes and bring you water and
cold towels. They are open from
I signed us up for
the indoor couple's massage. It is $120 + the service charge, total of $138. If
you come on the spa promotion, they just keep track of how much credit you have
left.
At
The water was
crystal clear. There were so many colorful fish. Todd and I saw a black
stingray with white spots. Nobody else saw it. We swam along with it for 5 or
10 minutes. It was great. Later, we saw a gray manaray.
It was just laying on the bottom near the boat.
Everyone saw that.
We got back a little
after 12 and sat in the jacuzzi
while we decided whether to eat at Royal Cafe or Bayside. Todd kind of wanted
to go to Bayside because it was so good, but we decided we were a mess from
snorkeling and ate outside.
Our waiter was Hiro. They bring out chips and salsa. I had soup of the
day--cream of gungo. Todd had honeydew melon. He
ordered chicken quesadillas and fries. I ordered the seafood salad with mango
vinaigrette. The salad had a couple of small mussels, several large shrimp, and
a lot of those fake scallops and some fish. I ate everything except the fake
scallops. Todd's quesadillas consisted of chicken with cheddar cheese in
tortillas, 4 pieces. We ordered another order to share. The soup was very good.
I like bayside better. Both lunches were good, however.
I went to Sandals
Ocho Rios and Beaches Grande Sport for photos and planned to play slot machines.
Both resorts have a large number of slots, but they do not begin play until
SOR is right next
door to BRP. If you go to the other resorts, you must bring the membership card
they give you when you check in. Show this to the guard, and you have no
problems. Once on property, you can enjoy anything the other resorts have to
offer. I arrived during lunch to get pictures of the buffets, but I found that
after a few pictures, I accidentally stuck my camera in a strange mode and got
nothing. I only got 7 pictures at SOR and zero at BGS! I walked that big hill at
BGS and got rained on and fell on the wet pavement and didn't get a single
picture!
At SOR, those that
weren't at the buffet were either at the beach or one of the pools. There
appeared to be quite a few people around. There were a number of people doing
watersports and always seem to be, as they come by BRP all the time. A number
of people do optional parasailing, too.
On the way to SOR, a
lady asked me to look at her crafts. I did not. There are stalls on both sides
of the road. Items appear to be of good quality. I did not look except from a
distance. A few steps down, a guy asked me to take him with me. I just told him
I had a husband. Thankfully, I arrived at SOR. I ordered a drink at the bar. I
didn't like it, too fruity/sweet for me. I normally don't drink hard liquor but
wanted to try something there. I could not drink half.
SOR seemed to have
all amenities open and available as they do at BRP. Same
story at BGS.
At BGS, there are
golf carts and shuttles all over, and I think you can get a ride where you want
to go. Both the Manor and Orchids were nicely decorated. The rock wall looked
interesting but was not in use. The beach shuttle seems to run quite often. The
villas seem to be a slightly different color from the last time I had been on
the property.
It was starting to
rain, so I headed back to BRP. The guard directed me to the fastest route to
get there. I passed a number of shops and things. Just about every car honked
at me and seemed to drive close to me on purpose, but nobody spoke to me or
bothered me.
At
We did have to fill
out a small questionnaire (medical) before the massage. At
Anyway, I had Leone
and Todd had Vera (I think). This is a 50 minute full body massage on both
sides. They play soft music. Both of us received medium pressure. You can get a
sports massage on this package (costs extra), so ask for it if you want it.
What we got was just superb.
Next, it was time
for the in-room jacuzzi and
then getting ready for dinner. We were scheduled for the French restaurant, Le Papillon, at
Be sure to ask where
entertainment will be before you decide where to eat. Only 3 couples were at Le
Papillon. We all ate outside, and the view is lovely
of the pool (lit up) and the entertainment stage. However, they had moved the
entertainment indoors in case of rain (which did not come), so we didn't get to
hear any. Everyone at Bayside ate inside that night, and it was lit up
beautifully.
Our first course was
a salmon mousse wrapped in smoked salmon. Next, we had a quiche. It was bacon
and egg and was in one of the tastiest crusts I have ever had. Next, we had a palate
cleanser sorbet. I believe it was grapefruit. For the entree, I had seafood
rendezvous, and Todd had beef tornadoes. We both had broccoli and other
vegetables. Todd had a potato, and I had rice. My seafood contained fish,
shrimp and the fake scallops. I ate all except for the scallops. Todd ate
everything. This was a very thick piece of steak, and he really enjoyed it. The
vegetables were lukewarm, warmer than at Bayside.
For dessert, we had
a crème brulee. Each of us received a small dish, and the topping was a
blueberry and cherry pie filling type of thing. We had a little spun cookie
thing in the top.
We left after that
and went down to the bar. The waitress followed us there w/ petite fours and
said she hadn't given us permission to leave! This petite four was something a
chocolate lover would have died for. There was a sponge white cake, chocolate
cake and a little chocolate mousse with chocolate sauce on top. I was already
so full, but both of us ate it all. So far, that bathroom scale is up 2 lbs. (2
days).
We were back in the
room at about
Sunday
We had scheduled
breakfast for 7-7:15 so that Todd could be ready for golf by 8. At
Todd was on the
This morning, my
plan is to go to the gym. I have not made it yet! I have a deep cleansing
facial at
Monday
Well, Sunday came
and went.
I did go to the gym.
They have great equipment there. Everything is new. They have treadmills, stair
machines, elipsers, bikes, free weights and some
stuff for exercise like a step, some mats, reflex band, and a few
resist-a-balls. They don't have a weight circuit set of machines that I recall.
I will go back and look. An instructor, Michael, teaches something every day
except Sunday and is supposedly available for instruction. Since I went on
Sunday, I am not yet sure. He is supposed to have a class by the pool today. I
plan to go over there. I used one of the treadmills while I listened to a CNN
interview of the president of
I returned from the
gym and got in my swimsuit. I headed down to the beach to see what this beach
butler stuff was all about. I think it was about
The waitress came
around about
I headed to the room
at
I headed over for my
treatment at about
There was a sweet
girl there that is getting married today, and she had pictures in her gown with
her hair done. She had done this to show them how she wanted it done for her
wedding.
I had scheduled a
deep cleansing facial. My treatment was with Genevieve (Gene pronounced like
"Jenna"). She did a terrific job in analyzing my skin and said that I
should get a seaweed facial, as my skin was dry, and this would do deeper into
the skin. Whatever. She knows best. The facial
involved several layers of things and some steam. Lastly was a very thick peel
off mask. She massaged my face and feet. The treatment went on until
When I returned to
the room, Todd was into football. We went to lunch, deciding to go for Bayside
on this day. At
Next, we changed
into swimsuits and went down to the beach to ask Wesley about this sailboat
ride. He said the wind wasn't just right (odd since there were 4 or 5 people
from Beaches GS, SOR, and BRP out on such boats. I assumed he didn't want to
give us the lesson, but can't say for sure. We (I) did get him to take us in
another boat for pictures. I had bought an underwater camera at the gift
shop--$20 for 27 pictures--it rang up w/ a value and came in at $17.69. I
didn't know what that was about. Anyway, we took offshore pics of BRP, SOR, and
the beach for BGS.
That beach at BGS is
more narrow than the one at
Next, we got into
the jacuzzi. The bottom
temperature gauge said it was 104, and the top said 96. Todd sat under the
waterfall there. We had a drink there and talked to the girl that was getting
married today on her way to and from getting a painting. She had bought a beach
silhouette and had asked for the bride and groom to be painted into it. She got
it for $35. That is what we paid for a painting some years ago. She was elated.
She showed us where she is getting married. She didn't choose any of the
gazebos. She chose the deck by the jacuzzi
because she likes the light fixture there and the statues from the jacuzzi area (a la Royal Bahamian). I would not have
thought of this location, but it is overlooking the water, and I plan to go see
her wedding today at
I started smelling
garlic cooking and did not know what it was about. It was down at Royal Cafe.
Todd had gone to the room, and I didn't check it out. So far, I have not found
"high tea" in the afternoons.
When I had gone over
to SOR before, I had been told that slots open at
We tried slots and
lost money right away. They were not loose at all. Our playing got others
interested, so soon the place was active. There were pool tables and ping pong
tables around in very active use. We discovered the video blackjack that is set
up with several bar stools and has a talking dealer. This took $1 bets. We
played there a long time. Todd never bets conservatively like I do, so he spent
his $40 and $10 of my $40. I still left with $37. Not bad, considering I lost
$10 in slots. They have a few quarter slots, a few dollar slots, a progressive
machine, and some video poker. If we went back, I would just stick to that fun
blackjack table. The only trouble with that thing is it expects you to be very
fast, just a very few seconds. If you don't hit the "hit" button, you
can end up w/ a 10 in your hand or something less. After contributing $43 to
the local economy, we headed back to the now dark Royal Plantation. If I didn't
mention it, they have a good number of slots and other machines at BGS.
We had gone to SOR
in our dinner clothes in case we could not resist a sunset dinner at Reef
Terrace. Since we missed sunset playing blackjack, we decided to return to
Bayside. We arrived at just after
They still had not
received in any lobster. Both of us had the tiger shrimp appetizer. I had the
market salad, and Todd had a Caesar salad. I had soup. We had soup. This time
it was served from the silver terrine. It was similar to the conch chowder but
was something else. I ate it all. Todd did not. For the main dish, I again had
the prawns, and Todd had steak again. They have a lot of dishes, but we have
been sticking to the tried and true. We did not have dessert. This meal was
served with a savignoin blanc.
Our bed had been
turned down when we returned. It had not been made up until nearly 5, and that
is about the time the bar was stocked. Sunday is a big arrival and departure
date, so expect late service in the room that day.
Now on to Monday,
this morning I got out of bed at
Written
Next chapter:
Monday
I got some excellent
photographs of the sunrise this morning. Due to the layout here, there isn't
much sunset to see. You can see the sunrise, though. I really enjoyed sitting
on the balcony listening to the waves crash this
morning.
I got the impression
nobody used the French balconies. I haven't seen one open yet in the East wing
but did see a few open today in the west wing.
We went to breakfast
today at Bayside. You can get pretty much the same items in room service that
you can get at Bayside, but the service at Bayside is great, so it is worth a
try.
I ordered papaya and
the American breakfast. There was no papaya, but I "settled" for a pineapple
boat served by an apologetic waiter. Todd had a fruit plate. We received a
pastry basket that we didn't order, but the banana bread was good, and there
was some sort of flaky pastry with melted chocolate chips that was absolutely
decadent. Yum.
We both had American
Breakfast--steak, eggs, and potatoes and white toast. Todd had scrambled, I had
over easy. Todd ate most of the steak and potatoes, but I got my taste.
We barely made
breakfast by
We finished
breakfast right at 10. I intended to do the workout at 10, but it had rained a
bit, and the instructor did not come. I went to the gym and rode the treadmill.
Two others were there. I signed up for a hydrotherapy treatment for
We sat in the jacuzzi for well over an hour. The
drink ladies were not going around due to some thunder (no rain), but we
"struggled" and went to bars on our own and managed to get Pinot Grigio and other stuff. The girl getting married was
inspecting the situation. Snorkeling, scuba, sailing, waterskiing, and sailing
went off as usual today. We are off to lunch now at
Lunch was great. We
both had a salad--Todd had his Caesar with shrimp, while I had market with
shrimp. I had red pea soup. We both had the mixed grill and sorbet. It was all
wonderful and cooked to order. Everything was so good. There were a number of
people around eating and comparing food. I don't like calamari, but people were
raving about it.
At
At the spa, I again
filled out the questionnaire and received the robe and slippers. They asked me
to get into the steam room until the therapist came. I did. The therapist said
she was getting the bath ready. I had selected aromatherapy. I indicated that I
wanted the underwater massage. She indicated that it was $10 extra. No problem,
I have spa credit! The hydro tub has a number of water jets and a number of air
jets. Twice, I was offered a bar drink and just took
water. She (like other times I have had this done) kept turning it off hoping
it wasn't intense. I wanted intense, or I would not pay $63 for a bath! Anyway,
the underwater massage I have had in the past was by hand. This was with a
"wand", it was a spray down massage. I
didn't like it because all the jets cut off when she did it. She had tons of
settings on that tub, so she probably could have left it on. Criticism didn't
seem to work, so I just laid there and made sure she turned the jets back on
before I got out. I got back in the steam room, signed the payment slip and
went back to the room to get Todd for snorkeling.
Todd was happily
watching sports, but we headed on down to the boat. There were 6 snorkelers, and the watersports guy took us off to the
right, even though everyone wanted to go left. As others have said, this side
had more coral and smaller fish than the side by SOR, but it was fun just the
same. The water was not as calm, and this time we were only allowed out about
35 or 40 minutes. It was enough for us this time.
I joined the crowd
that gathered to watch a wedding planned for
The wedding was
beautiful. None of us could hear much but saw it all from the pool and jacuzzi. Next, the couple signed
the license and then went off to their reception.
Scott Werhun, the evening manager that I met in May called to say
hello. He was back from his 30th birthday celebration in Daytona and had been
happy to see his girlfriend (that he met on Aimster!
and is quite in love with). We had a long talk with him at the manager's
cocktail party. He jotted a few of our comments into his PDA. I liked that.
The manager's
cocktail party was at
We met several
others at the manager's cocktail party that I have corresponded with before
arriving or that we have seen around. We spoke to the drink concierge about
getting a lot of Diet Pepsi in our room and getting a tour of the prime
minister's suite. The resort has a governor's suite, too, and Butch Stewart has
his own suite. The governor's suite is currently occupied.
The manager's
cocktail party featured the calypso band. Only about 10 guests attended this.
They had rum punch, some other punch and champagne and red and white wine. I
had champagne, and Todd had white wine. Food trays were passed around. I tried
the escargot! I thought it tasted a bit like sardines. We also had some littled fried pockets that I have had before and was given
the name of, but could not retain the name. I managed to break an empty glass.
I was not tipsy, just waving my arms and having fun. I felt terrible.
The beach party
began at 7. After talking Scott's ear off, we headed down at
The entrees included
pasta cooked to order, steak on a stick, terrific jerk chicken, and a whole
pig. There were also grilled crayfish. The vegetable table (that I never
discovered) had potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and rice and peas.
Dessert consisted of
cherries jubilee cooked on the scene and some pastries made from shoe dough
(??), a to die for chocolate mousse cake, cherry
cheesecake, and several other cakes and a large fruit tart.
Hiro and the other
waiters constantly assisted guests with their plates, brought drinks, and
cleaned up the dishes.
The calypso band
played during dinner, and the steel band played next. Everyone was wondering where
the fire breather was. We were just told that he wasn't there yet. I don't know
if he came. At about
We had dined with a
couple on their honeymoon (lots here on that) that had tried a few adventurous
drinks. In the bar I met Chris and Donna, (lurker) members from my Yahoo board.
They have been to GLN a few times and didn't like it last time at all and
switched to Sandals. We talked a long time while they had cognac and I had
white wine. Finally, I left and brought Todd a Hensley special from the bar. It
was about
Tuesday
This morning I
watched the sunrise again on the balcony. Breakfast is due at 7, and Todd is
going to golf at 8. I have a deluxe sampler massage at the spa at
Written
Another chapter:
Our room service
breakfast arrived just after 7, right in the allotted timeslot. Todd had his
omelet. I had my egg and toast. They called to say they were out of papaya
again. We got a fruit plate instead.
They do have a wide
variety of juices available here and also serve lovely tea in a silver pot. You
always get china no matter where you eat. This time, we ate in the room rather
than on the balcony.
Todd went off for
golf on the
I had a nice jacuzzi soak and then headed off
for the deluxe massage sampler. This time, they called me by name when I went
in the door. I did not have to fill out the medical questionnaire, and my
slippers were already in the locker. I got in the steam room with eucalyptus
and then went into the massage. This massage starts with a lengthy reflexology.
Then it is followed by a full body massage that combines Swedish, Shiatsu, and
Sports massage. She did a lot of good things with my neck and shoulders. That
is where I am tense and knotted up.
While in the spa, I
noticed a sheet showing a few packages. They have a bridal package, a groom
package, the moonlight couples massage, and a few others. One of them was a Sea
and Scrub. It is $60 or $70. You have a body scrub and then get in the ocean
for the thalosso effect.
My treatment ended
at
At
The guy that took
our picture at the beach party came around to sell us the picture. It was awful
and $8 US, but I bought it.
I was upset that I
left my wine on the table, as the wine there is so good. I went back two
seconds after I left the table, and it was already cleared.
We went down to
Royal Cafe. Todd ordered quesadillas to go. I ordered jerk chicken. We took
that to the room. Sophie gave Todd a Heinekin for
later. I was disappointed to see that I forgot to ask for white meat. I only could
eat one piece. I don't even like dark meat, but it was good. They gave us so
many fries. We put all of that in the fridge.
I watched
After the tour, I
had a drink in the bar and then went to the jacuzzis
(both not that warm) and chatted with various people for a few hours, including
Chris and Donna. One couple I spoke to had just arrived the previous day and
was excited when I told them about the video blackjack. They were disappointed
the resort is out of Jamaican patties. By the way, Sophie is so great, when I
spotted her, I asked her to bring us drinks. She did and also got the
maintenance guy to fix the jacuzzi
temperature. Sophie goes home around 6. She is great. She brings you towels on
the very rare occasion there aren't any (only when they thought it was going to
rain and get them wet).
Todd had been
napping. When I returned he was up and showered, and we went down to the jacuzzi. It was after dark, and
the band started to play, so we sat and watched them in the jacuzzi and heard some great 70s easy listening
songs. I felt like they were playing them just for me!
We went in and got
dressed for dinner at Bayside. We were seated at a table right up front. Mark
was our waiter, and he is a lot of fun. I ordered the pot stickers. It was 3
dumplings, pan fried. The sauce was spicy and good. Todd had the tiger shrimp
cocktail. We both shared these appetizers. We had the cream of vegetable, again
excellent. Todd had Caesar, I had market salad. Always
excellent. I had the lobster (yes!). Todd ordered surf and turf so that
he could save me the lobster tail. Mark said it wasn't on the menu and that
Todd would have to settle for the sirloin steak with it. That was fine! He said
he'd have explaining to do to the chef. Herbert came out and made sure everyone
loved the lobster. We were so full already. By now, we were into the second
part of the entertainment and enjoyed a lot of reggae singing. The same band
was playing but a lady singer was singing. I wish people had been dancing. Todd
would never be the first one on a dance floor. We had them wrap all the lobster
(I did eat a few bites) and the potatoes and vegetables (Todd ate the steak).
They turned the foil wrapping into a swan and had me close my eyes to see it.
Wine was served all throughout dinner. We finished with the cranberry sorbet.
This was my least favorite, but I ate it all.
Wednesday
Well, I started my
40th birthday with champagne and chilled lobster on the balcony. Maybe 40 isn't so bad after all.
After another sunrise on
the balcony, we eventually went to breakfast. Today, we were offered pastries
on a tray. I had an orange muffin like I made with my grandmother when I was a
kid. I had fruit and toast. Todd had an omelet and blueberry pancakes. Service
was good again.
We spent some time in the
jacuzzi and at the beach.
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At
It was so beautiful there. We had a garden tour
and saw many views of the waterfalls. At the end, Richard took us down below to
He charged us $33 for
entrance to
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At BGS, I took pictures
to replace those that had not come out a couple of days earlier. I went to the
casino room, they had many machines and a pool table.
The spa was lovely, nice aromas, and they had nice packages and a moonlight
massage on Wednesdays for $57.50 pp for 45 minutes.
I had lunch at the
resort, and I ate some shaved coconut, some mussels, and some papaya.
I took photos of the
grounds--they had a squash court, a weight room with a smoothie and fruit juice
bar, an aerobic room, a cardio machine room, the rock wall, and a lot of tennis
courts. The main pool had two levels and a nice whirlpool and a grill.
Neither
the main pool or
the main bar had white wine. One offered red wine, the other champagne.
I walked back to the
resort, and we went to lunch at Bayside. Todd tried to order chicken Alf redo.
They asked if he wanted shrimp. They brought pasta in a tomato sauce with
shrimp. I had the mixed seafood grill. We traded. There was way too much pasta.
Before that, we both had a leeks and onions nice soup. I had sorbet, also.
In the afternoon, there
was more time spent in the jacuzzi.
Then I went to the spa and had the paraffin wrap after a stay in the steam room.
The wrap was nice, at least a gallon of water game off of me, and I received a
foot massage, also.
At
They brought around canapés
and drinks (several times), and everyone chatted in one group about what they
liked about
I was, again given the
bad news about the problems with our "56" nights at Sandals.
At a little after 7, we
went down to Bayside and dined together on a custom menu. We had some shrimp
and salad and soup. I had the leeks and potato, while others had chicken gumbo.
We had beef tenderloins, and they were melt-in-your mouth.
This night was my
birthday, and the band sang to me, and I was brought a nice little plate w/ my
blueberry crème brulee (everyone had crème brulee) that had "Happy 40th
birthday" on the plate and happy 40th crossed out w/ 29th written in on a
cute sign. It was lovely. Another couple had their 21st anniversary. It was a
delightful dinner.
We heard lovely 70s music
all evening until
Written
I skipped Wednesday, but since I don't have it written, I will
post Thursday out of order.
Thursday
As usual, I watched
the sunrise on the balcony. I heard some thunder in the distance, but we never
got any rain. Next, I got on the internet and saw that the laptop I was
supposed to get for my birthday is no longer available in employee purchase, as
I predicted it wouldn't be since Compaq started loading XP 4 weeks early on
their machines, people are buying them up. Todd was really in the doghouse over
that, as I tried to get him to order it several times over the last week, but
he didn't want it to arrive while we were gone (translation, he was hoping I'd
get over it).
The breakfast arrived at
Todd prepared for
golf, while I got into the jacuzzi.
I really like the lemongrass amenities they provide, and I like the rinse-off
shower that room has next to the bathtub. It looks like it would splatter
everywhere, but it doesn't.
Todd was again on
the
I have not figured
out what time the main bar opens, but I headed out to the jacuzzi with my Diet Pepsi in hand and stayed there a
while. I tried the pool and did get waist high this time. Next I went down to
the east beach and pulled a chair into the water. A lot of people do that.
There were several people on the west beach doing that.
I saw several water-skiers
from Grand Lido Sans Souci, and they were staring at us just like everyone claims
people in boats stare at them at GLSS. It is natural to look around at other
resorts when you are nearby and see if you might like to stay there on another
visit.
The weather was
perfect, not a cloud in the sky. The water was so blue.
At
Next, Scott Werhun came in, and I mentioned that
Scott and I chatted
a little outside the office about his life plans. He is a good guy. It is
interesting how diverse the staff is and how they came about to get into Sandals.
It really enhances your experience if you get to know staff and feel like you
are coming home to a resort.
I spent time
packing. My room card had been deactivated, and I had to get in with the
assistance of the drink concierge. Todd's card had not been deactivated, but
wasn't there! They called to tell us our ride to the Grand Lido Sans Souci was
there at
I settled our bill
right at
We went to Royal Cafe to eat a last meal. They were serving us white wine in those tiny champagne glasses, but the waitress was keeping it filled. I tried to get a market salad with any vinaigrette, but they only had French, so I went up to Bayside and ordered one with mango vinaigrette while Todd ordered ou