We are off for the trip of a lifetime at
The Grand Palladium
Lady Hamilton Resort and Spa
Lucea, Jamaica
* There are a few photos I grabbed off Google. They were key features in our story that fell through the cracks.
Mike and I hadn't been on a major vacation together since 1989. Thus the excitement and anticipation every one we know has put up with from me, for several months. Though we'd like to make up for the years we've missed out on, there will be no photos of us parasailing, zip lining or riding down the mountain on the Jamaican bob sleds. 😎 I'm doing my first beach walk since I broke my hip and I will test my mettle (and metal) that way. Besides, I think there will be much more interesting scenery to capture. Beaches, eye candy, swimming pools, more eye candy, tropical drinks and yes, more eye candy.
Thanks for stopping by. We hope you enjoy our pics and stories. I'm excited to share our special vacation with you. March 19th was our 30th Anniversary and I retired one year ago and Mike in January 2018.
Let me know if you run into any bad links Note that I set up the site for my desktop so it is best viewed on a computer. Friends have mentioned they find the text difficult to read in places because of the background. Some can't view movies and others can't see all the photos in albums when viewing with phones or tablets. I have no clue how to set it up for smaller mobile devices. It is what it is.
Every little thing is gonna be alright.
Mike and I woke at a very uncivil 3:30 and 3:50am, respectively. Our flight was at 10:15 and was on time so we were out of the house at 4:50 for the 5:13 GO train. Enough time for last minute checks, tending to all our furbabies, loading the truck and saying bye to Chris. He took the week off to be home with the animals, but I'm pretty sure he was looking forward to a week on his own too. We chose to take the GO Train and UPExpress trains into Toronto's Pearson Airport from our home in Whitby, 62 km East of Toronto. It was an easy trip and gave us time to actually wake up and absorb the fact that we were on our way! We were into Union Station, had a smoke & potty break, transferred to the airport express and were in the airport around 7:15am. Plenty of time to do everything necessary and grab a light breakfast. A neighbour picked up our truck at the GO station and delivered it to our driveway. It's good to have great neighbours.
Every aspect at Pearson was uneventful. Customs and security was a lot less stressful than what we anticipated. Mike got a quick pat-down and I went through the full body scan. We didn't even remove our electronics from their cases. We booked the Sunwing Elite Plus option and it was well worth the extra money. Advanced check-in and right to the front of the line (after wheelchairs & babies) on boarding. Spacious seating with extra leg room. Lots of empty seats and we had a spare. Looking at the regular seats, there's no way Mike would have fit in them. There was almost no mid-flight turbulence that was noticeable, but our decent into and touchdown at Sangster International in Montego Bay was bothersome. There was a fair bit of bouncing. My ears buggered up on descent into Jamaica and didn't "pop" until our flight home and clear until the next day. Mike got used to repeating himself often 😏 As we made the turn to follow the coast east we saw 7 mile beach through the clouds, just barely. It was enough to have my excitement levels almost off the charts! The coastal flight was a bit clearer. I think my heart skipped several beats watching everything! We arrived 1/2 hour early 😀 Our touchdown bounced me around in my seat a bit then ended with a heavy hand on the breaks. I probably got jostled more, because I was leaning into the window filming and not holding on to anything. I don't think I was the only one. There wasn't the big, obligatory round of applause. It just kind of trickled out from a few passengers.
Ding, Ding - here we go!
Ding, Ding - here we go!
We are here!
Downtown Toronto & Lake Ontario
Wooooo 🤣🍹🍺🌞 Hoooooo
Customs in Montego Bay was a breeze. Again, we had fast access and busy lines moved quickly. We never did find our Rep. so we made our way to the transfer area and had a smoke and found our transport to the resort. Our Rep. eventually showed up and tossed us our Sunwing booklet. No info or instructions. We were good! We're big kids and managed. Our bus was full and we were being tourists on the 40 minute ride to the resort and neither of us got any photos. We're bad. We were paying too much attention to the scenery and "Island driving". We were the only ones getting off at our resort. Everyone else was headed to Negril, another 45 minutes further. They were all very impressed with the size and look of it as we approached the entrance and kept asking what hotel it was. 2 women went so far as to tell the driver they needed to use the washroom. They really just wanted to get a better look at the view from the lobby. I felt something akin to pride. I admit, it was a very awesome first impression. We couldn't wait to check in, get introduced to paradise, enjoy a little pampering and take advantage of all we could. Being the only new arrivals, and nobody checking out, you can imagine our pleasure at having the entire check-in area and attention of the staff to ourselves. No Problem Mon!
Grand Palladium
Lady Hamilton Resort & Spa
Shuttle goes past our bungalow to the end, u-turns back to the Lobby.