It’s not often that my husband gets to join in our summer adventures, as most are planned during the week.  Boohoo for him!  Okay, I’m not that mean.  Honestly, it’s just the way it seems to fall and sacrifices must be made for the visiting foreign family.

So, when I broke the news to him that we were going to Dolphin Cove on a weekend, he had that hopeful look, the one where he’s fairly certain that he is expected to join us, but there is a slight doubt that he will once again be left out!  Truth be known, my husband is a team player and more than a good sport.  If he has to sit on the bench, allowing others to play, he will do so.  Equally, he will be the first to offer to take everyone’s kids and ensure they have a whale of a time.  In this case, our time was spent with a dolphin named Secret.

Sunday, it seems, is an ideal day to visit Dolphin Cove, mainly due to the fact that there tends to be no cruise ships in Ocho Rios.  It allows for a quiet and peaceful experience, heightened by the absolute serenity of swimming with dolphins.  Dante, one of the dolphin trainers, took us out into the water and smoothly orchestrated Secret and his tricks for each one of us.  As soon as one person surfed in on the board, pushed by Secret, Dante had another one of us lined up for hugs and kisses from Secret, while he asked yet another to swim out on the board, and so on.  The whole operation and interaction was executed efficiently and lovingly.  It is quite clear that these trainers adore the dolphins and, equally, they want their visitors to experience this feeling, as they patiently appeased those who were rather nervous about being touched by them.  In between, Secret was rewarded with fish, of course!

Dolphin Cove has much to offer visitors, as it’s also possible to swim with sharks (no thank you, for me, however!), handle the stingrays and go on a nature walk to pet bunnies, feed birds and whatever it is one is supposed to do with an iguana!!  At least the kids enjoyed holding the reptile!  There are ample areas in which to sit, or lounge, on the beach or deck, and there’s a few refreshing stream-water showers where you can rinse off the salt from the sea or simply cool down from the summer heat.  If you must get a really cold relief, go upstairs to the restaurant, which has AC, and absorb the breathtaking view of the ocean through the glass wall.

The most special moment for me was seeing the sheer delight on all four children’s faces, even the two who had had some trepidation, after they each rode on the boogie board that was pushed by the dolphin.  Their glee didn’t stop there, as there was much chatter among them about Secret slapping noses and toes, as if the dolphin could really have known what he was doing.  But then again, aren’t these cetaceans (mammals who live in water) supposed to be super smart?  The kids clearly know this!  #DolphinCove #TREMbleinFlipFlops

View of Bloody Bay from Royalton

The very same afternoon that we left Royalton White Sands in Falmouth, the six of us piled into my pick-up truck, once again, and drove 2 hours to Negril.  Anyone who tells you that it takes 1 1/2 hours must be driving at two in the morning!

Being from Clarendon and currently living in Kingston, I rarely find myself in Montego Bay.  Okay, I lie.  I never find myself there!  Not that I have anything against this city, I promise!!  It’s just far.  We reached the roundabout by the airport in the height of traffic, so we took the top road.  Upon coming down the hill to a busy set of lights, I had zero clue which way I was to go.  Inevitably, I took the wrong turn – left, and had to do a u-turn so that we didn’t end up in the heart of downtown Mobay.  Success.  I had managed to maneuver us in the right direction…….well sort of, as I realized that I was in the wrong lane…..I was trying to drive against oncoming traffic!  Nightmare.  I just needed to turn left and all would be well in the world again.  You can imagine the honks and road-rage shouts, as my not-so-small vehicle was causing more confusion in a mayhem of impatient drivers.  There was nothing I could do, except safely and apologetically make my way to where I was supposed to be.  We all lived to tell the tale, but I can only imagine what the Montegonians’ side of the story would be!

Needless to say, it was a relief when we reached Negril at 8 o’clock that night to stay at Royalton.  Greeted by extremely helpful staff, assisted with our bags, smoothly checked in and upgraded to two adjoining swim-out suites, which were more than perfect for us, we walked over to Zen Japanese restaurant for a late dinner.   The floor-show was in full soca swing, which added to the good mood our rooms had brought out of us!  Although the restaurant was close to empty by the time we got there, our server Andrean and Chef Ricardo were so obliging and gracious, as they took care of my deathly sesame allergy, my distaste for garlic and, most importantly, our need for some Sake!!!  Trish and I finally let the kids have their electronic tablets, as everyone was exhausted, but they gladly put them down for Ricardo’s culinary tricks, which kept us all entertained and then well fed!

Waking up in the comfort of a Royalton bed, with the ability to brew my own coffee right there in our suite, simply added to the heaven I was in.  I was even able to write one of my blogs at the desk in the room, before the children awoke.  I have to say, I would have thought that stepping out onto one’s patio and straight into a plunge-pool was a bit of a gimmick, but the reality of being able to do so is glorious!

Finally, we headed across the front of the hotel, which looks onto the serenity of Bloody Bay, and helped ourselves to what could only be described as a sumptuous spread of every breakfast variation.  So much so, I had to tell my 8 year old son, ‘Don’t overdo it,’ to which he replied, ‘Why not?’  Indeed.

Sadly, we were only there for one night, but with a few hours left before check-out time, we did not waste a second – lounging on the beach, swimming in the ocean and playing in the splash-park.  Had we known all what Royalton Negril has to offer for children and adults alike, we certainly would have booked to stay at least one more night.  I am certainly going to have to return, sooner rather than later.

All I can say now is Thank You, GO! Jamaica Travel, who had suggested and booked us in to Royalton Negril a few days previously.  This company’s reputation for being the Caribbean’s Leading Tour Operator is no joke.  Knowing that two mummies, along with their four children, were on an island tour in our own car, CEO Dave Chin Tung insisted that we stay in this lovely all-inclusive hotel, so that we wouldn’t have to worry about carrying food to feed the kids and ourselves.  To be honest, we had been quite prepared to lug a cooler of provisions and stay in a simple apartment, but the foresight of GO! Jamaica Travel actually saved us from much stress and what would have been a real headache, had we stuck to our original plan.  As it turns out, they could have organized every single step of our adventures this summer.  Alas, I don’t know much about tour operators in general because I am the quintessential organizer myself.  That said, now that I am aware of the excellent and personal service provided by GO! Jamaica Travel, I might relinquish some of my control next time!

Cheers from Zen!

Morning wake-up call

Breakfast time!

Fresh Local Fruit for Breakfast – Sweet Sop, Passion Fruit, Paw Paw & Pineapple

Smoked Marlin, Smoked Salmon, Omelette, Ackee & Salt Fish, Callaloo & Bammy

Playing on the Beach

No words necessary……