The Vacation
We have now returned home from an absolutely amazing weekend at Jungle Bay with Josh and Krista. We left early Friday morning for the arduous two-hour drive to Jungle Bay (Andy just about lost his breakfast toward the end of it). Because our driver called the resort ahead of time, we were able to check in at 11:30, instead of at two… which was a really nice touch. This enabled us to change and quickly get settled in our rooms before heading down to the restaurant for a much-needed lunch. We spent the next two days by the pool, relaxing, swimming, and napping. The pool was made entirely from volcanic stones and the temperature of the water was perfect- totally refreshing, but not too cold. We had massages on Saturday night before dinner and that really helped us relax and feel totally pampered. The spa facilities, though small, were lovely. Everything was open-air, just like the cottages, so as we were massaged by candlelight, we could listen to the ocean. At dinner that night, we listened to Jing Ping music- the music of Dominica, which is like calypso or reggae music with its steel drums. Sunday, we grudgingly packed up our things, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, and started on our hike to Victoria Falls (the one in Delices, Dominica, not the one in Africa). After our hike, we set off for home and had another two-hour bus ride home. Thankfully, Andy did not get sick this time (probably because he took Dramamine this time). Now we’re safe and sound back at home, hopefully ready for the weeks to come! Only two more months until we get to go back to Nashville! Here’s some more detail about our vacation… but really, when I add the pictures, they’ll speak for themselves.
The Food
Being an eco-friendly resort, our meals were delicious and very healthy, predominantly consisting of locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables. Breakfasts included omelettes and banana pancakes with local honey, lunches were curry roti wraps (a very Caribbean dish with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and green curry), salads, or grilled chicken sandwiches, and dinners consisted of very beautifully presented feasts of chicken or fish with unique sides like breadfruit (which tastes JUST LIKE potato) and callaloo soup. Both Andy and I tried a lot of new things while we were there, so hopefully our ever-expanding palette will allow us to add new foods to our repertoire. The same old chicken every day gets very old very quickly.
The Accommodations
We were in Cottage Six, the lemongrass cottage, which always smelled wonderful and was a bright, lemon yellow color inside. Each cottage is set upon a hill overlooking the ocean so you are truly amongst the trees, giving you the feeling that you’re staying in a tree house… every boy’s dream. There were six large windows on all sides of the room that opened up giving you an unspoiled view of the rain forest. There were no screens or glass in the windows, so there was no barrier between you and the great outdoors. The patio in back had a great hammock which you could spend hours in just listening to the ocean crashing below. And I don’t think the word “crashing” quite explains just how loud the ocean was outside our room. Unlike the gentle lapping of the Caribbean, the Atlantic had huge waves crashing into boulders and large stones which made for some very loud waves. The mattress was hard – a little too hard- and the rooms were a little warmer than I’d prefer at night (no air conditioning), but it was total luxury compared to what we’ve had. The shower was in an outdoor addition, with a huge rain shower head and an open view of the ocean… and if you leaned out too far, gave your neighbors a very open view of your shower habits. The shampoo and conditioner that were included in the cottage were fantastic so I took all the sample bottles that I could find in our room. One of our favorite parts of the cottage was knowing that we didn’t have to worry about where we left our towels… at home, they mildew within three days if we don’t hang them outside to dry fully each day. The towels and the sheets smelled amazing all weekend long!
The Jungle Bay Experience
I was really impressed with the staff at Jungle Bay and everything they did to make you feel special. Our waiters and bartenders always made a point of introducing themselves and asking for our names- oftentimes remembering it. The owner of the resort went around at dinner one night and asked if everyone was enjoying their stay and if there was anything she could do to improve the quality of our vacation. She even fetched all of us water. The only time I’ve seen that sort of attention paid to guests was at the Fairmont in Maui on our honeymoon, where we were ALWAYS addressed as Mr. and Mrs. Herda without ever introducing ourselves. There were towel animals in our rooms, which to me is the ultimate sign of service, and people really went above and beyond to help us out. Apparently, that’s the way most Dominicans are, with the exception being that around Portsmouth and the school the locals tend to be a bit cynical and much less welcoming than the rest. Service was quick- very unlike the “island time” everyone else seems to be on. It’s obvious that the focus is on treating American tourists the way they like to be treated and we were not disappointed.
Our weekend at Jungle Bay was wonderful and we were really sad to leave. It was so nice to be treated well, to be served, to be pampered, to be able to lounge around and actually feel like we were in the Caribbean for the first time since we’ve been here.
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