Quote of the Week

"My darling girl, when are you going to understand that 'normal' isn't a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."

Stockard Channing as Frances Owens in Practical Magic

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on return." -Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

HAPPY 2010!

A new year, a new decade... you can't help but reflect on the highlights of the last 12 months and think a bit about how you'd like to see the next 12 play out.

All in all, I'd say it's been a pretty fantastic year for me- especially in travel terms. I was lucky enough to go on 3 vacations! Maybe not the greatest idea, now that I'm left working extra over the holidays since I used up all of my paid time off, but I'd say it was worth it. None of the 3 trips were planned very far in advance- opportunities arise and I'm never one to say no to the next adventure. :)

Here are a few (but, by no means all) of my favorite moments in 2009 :

Sailing- Grenadine islands

Ole! Splash Mountain, Disneyland- Los Angeles, CA

Pt. Reyes blue cheese with thyme infused honey picnic at the lighthouse- Pt. Reyes, CA

Last night in France- Picnic at the Eiffel Tower- Paris, France

Massage Point at the Rockhouse- Negril, Jamaica

Let's hope 2010 can be even better. I've got a good feeling about it...

Gonja farms & Gurus

"How would you like to see a farm?", said our taxi driver after taking us to a field in the middle of nowhere. "umm... no thanks, we just wanted to go to Jackie's on the Reef. Shouldn't we be there by now?," we said. "No mon, it's far to Jackie's! You should see a gonja farm on the way! I have a friend... He can take you. You'll take nice pictures," he says as he stops the car on this abandoned dirt road. Then, proceeds to call a friend and speak in Jamaican patois that we can't understand. "Don't worry. I'll take you to the farm. You will love it, mon!"

I turned to Mark, trying to express my mounting concern telepathically. I've heard the stories about Jamaica. Have we really just been hijacked to work as slave labor on some gonja farm??? Our map says we should have past Jackie's a long time ago! We are no where near the town anymore! He's looking a little concerned too. We spot a couple ladies coming down the road 9(the first people we've seen for miles) and he (somewhat frantically) leans out the window to ask them if we are anywhere close to Jackie's on the Reef. They roll their eyes and keep walking.

Great... who knows what that means! "Please sir, just take us to Jackie's. We don't want to go to any farms." "Calm down mon," he says, "if I don't treat you right, you won't come back to Jamaica." uh huh... We get moving again, and finally pull up in front of a huge metal gate with a hand painted sign that says "Jackie's". We feel a little embarrassed for getting so scared, but this can't be right... we were looking for a spa with a nice spot to grab lunch & an afternoon massage. How do we even get back to the hotel from here? There hasn't been another soul for miles and I'm not getting in the cab with that guy again! So, we ring the buzzer and are ushered down this path to a huge open yoga studio filled with crystals, beds, drums, and all sorts of other accessories. "Jackie" gracefully walks up the hill to meet us wearing a little swimsuit bottom and a very loose fitting sarong across her chest. She's an older woman with an air of wisdom, and complete peace about her. You can just feel how calming and spiritual she and this place are. But, seriously, where are we???

We have no reservations, no expectations, but she happened to have massage openings at 2:00. "Feel free to wander around, swim in the ocean or the sea pools, have a bite of lunch and hang out until we're ready for you," she says. So, we made ourselves at home.

What had the potential for disaster, quickly turned into my favorite part of the entire trip! We let the waves crash over us on the reef, watched the waterfalls pour down, basked in the sun, and then ate one of the best meals I've ever had. We picked from the 2 or 3 options that change daily and ate at this tiny traditional cooking hut. They had smoked the chicken all night, marinated it in fresh fruit juices, placed it on a bed of shredded lettuce, and topped it with a homemade dressing. We both got giant fresh fruit smoothies to go with it. I was in heaven and the massage hadn't even started yet.

She escorted us to another small hut on the edge of the reef overlooking the ocean. We laid down and let the crashing waves lull us into complete relaxation. The massage was incredible and at some point, it started to sprinkle. You could hear the pitter patter on the thatch roof above. I couldn't think of a single other place I'd rather be. Miraculously, the rain stopped as we emerged from the hut. Jacki invited us to continue resting on the beds in the studio, sipping cucumber water and reveling in the feelings of peace and comfort that her home seems to exude.

This is another one of those places I absolutely have to get back to someday. She has a traditional looking hut that you can rent, complete with picture windows towards the surf, a huge skylight above the bed, and an amazing outdoor bathroom. Breakfast & dinner is included as well as a 2 hour yoga class each morning. I have a feeling you would definitely leave a changed person after a few days with Jacki. What a lucky discovery!

Rockhouse

One of the primary reasons that I fell in love with Jamaica was due to the incredible hotel that we stayed at. It's featured in my Design Hotels book that I'm always referring to at work, it's on Tablet hotels (an equally great resource for boutique hotels), and it's got the highest ratings on every travel website. The Rockhouse is definitely a place that stands out from the crowd. We wandered up and down the beach checking out all the resorts, and there was honestly nothing that even came close.

It's a small group of rooms (only 34) situated on the western cliffs of the island. You have to book early because they go fast. Each villa is integrated seamlessly into the landscape and connected by a meandering garden path. If you're like us and still working on that first million, there's a lower budget option in the small 2 story hotel room block. The furnishings are exactly like the villas, you're just next door to someone. They still have outdoor showers and a beautiful/ timeless set-up that's completely suited to the climate. No TV's. This is where you go to escape it all.

Throughout the resort there are multiple vignettes that serve as your own private oasis. A little hut perched on the top of a high cliff or a couple of lounge chairs at the edge of the water... you'd think that you'd be interrupted by other guests at some point, but there seem to be plenty of hide aways for everyone. There's lots of opportunities for cliff jumping, snorkeling, yoga, and more. You can cap off the day at the pool which is perfectly situated to take in the magnificent sunsets every night.

Follow that up with a fantastic dinner at the Rockhouse restaurant (consistently rated one of the best in Jamaica) or the more traditional Jamaican Pushcart restaurant a little further up the path with live reggae every night. The food is good and the service is great, but it's the ambiance that's absolutely unparalleled. The restaurants sit atop caves within the cliffs. They're lit by ticki torches and you can hear the waves crashing beneath you. One table stands apart from the rest on the next rock outcropping over. It's alone out on the ledge and surrounded by votive candles. It's definitely a dining experience like no other. We had to reserve it for our last night. It seemed like the perfect way to cap off the trip.

Basically, you have everything you could want or need within easy reach. It was pretty tempting to stay put, but we couldn't resist exploring. There were just too many interesting things to see. You always need more time...

Yeah Mon!

There are so many places in the world that I want to visit, that I rarely plan on going back to the same place twice, but Jamaica has made it on the list.

I just returned from an absolutely amazing trip to the island. The landscape is so beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better! In fact, the whole trip was perfect! I can't think of enough positive adjectives to describe it. It was the best blend of relaxing laziness and cultural adventure. I honestly wouldn't have changed a thing- except maybe to add more days... There was basically no planning that went into this and we discovered all sorts of places and activities along the way that we wanted to check out and just didn't have the time for. I guess that's just yet another reason to head back again.

I'm still trying to figure out why everyone is so scared of Jamaica, though. I don't know how many people looked at me with shock when I told them where I was going and said, "Be careful! I hear it's pretty dangerous down there. I wouldn't leave the hotel, if I were you." I'm convinced that these nasty rumors are promoted by the all-inclusive resorts (don't get me started...) to keep you trapped within their walls and giving them all your money. Don't be fooled. The pool bar is fun (strangely, they did have the best jerk chicken we tasted the entire time), but there are many more exciting sites to see outside the hotel walls.

More details to come...

IN THE MOOD

Getting in the mood for my next adventure... 2 more days and I'll be on a plane to Jamaica. I'm thinking this place looks like a must see-The Pelican Bar in Taino Cove. It's a bizarre little floating bar out in the middle of the ocean. I'll be replacing turkey with rum punch this year. Happy Thanksgiving!