Come Back Later, Mon

A theme is emerging. Patience is tested and for those who have little, they probably will not enjoy a vacation here in Jamaica. Money needed exchanging - they had none for a few hours so "come back later". It was time try the jerk chicken on the beach - it wasn't ready so "come back later". Need a snorkel? They're all out so "come back later". To their credit, if you do go back later you get that for which you asked.

Speaking of jerk chicken, this is a dish I have tried making back home a few times and, not really knowing how it's supposed to look or taste, did not have the greatest luck. Finding Scotch Bonnet peppers at any and all times a year (you know, when the whim to try a new recipe hits me) in Calgary has been difficult too; perhaps this just spiralled into my downfall with jerk.

We asked a staff member if the jerk chicken here at the resort is authentic and he said it was pretty good but not made the way Jamaicans eat it because tourists don't like spice (hmmmm, this is a problem for me everywhere because I do like spices and I do like to try authentic food). We tried it and, while the cook directed us "white folks" to the non-spiced BBQ sauce I did get the hot jerk sauce anyway. It was fairly spicy and quite tasty. Yesterday, however, during our excursion, that jerk sauce was a few notches hotter and absolutely delicious. I don't think I will get sick of jerk down here! Now to try the side-of-the-highway smoke huts for truly authentic jerk.

The resort, Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton, is very nice - clean, quiet, buildings and gardens are well tended, and rooms are separated by villas. There are 40 villas, each with 36 rooms/suites. The walk between the far end and the main lobby where entertainment and restaurants are is not long, about 5 minutes. Because of this separation, they have built pathways that lead to various beaches and bars, so it feels like you have a small choice in where to spend the day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Turtles and Sharks! - Diving Kauai

Image
Since completing my Advanced Open Water three weeks ago, I have been so excited to go on a dive to the depths of the ocean, having the ability to see wrecks and go inside caverns and tunnels, and to just experience so much more than what I could with my Open Water certification.  I spent the days working up to our trip to Kauai nagging Bryan, "which dives do you want to go on?  what days do you want to go"?  Eventually, I had to just say, "let's go!" We didn't book anything in advance, so on our first, long day in Kauai, we found a little booth at the Po'ipu Shopping Village that had people trying to sell tourists day trips and excursions.  The lady we spoke to was extremely nice, and managed to get us a small discount on a dive trip if we agreed to sign up for a 'free' vacation from Diamond Resorts.  Timeshares abound!  Anyway, as we were talking to this lady, she suggested either a 2-tank or a 3-tank dive.  Well, of course the 3-tank dive see
Read more

Diving with the Sea Lions

Yes, we dove with the sea lions today!  Our two dives were amazing - the water was so warm that I did not even need a full wetsuit.  I was perfectly comfortable in a shortie, no boots or hood.  Unfortunately, the vest I bought in San Diego hasn't been used yet, but I'm sure somewhere down the road I'll need it.   We took a diving tour with Cabo Adventures , the sister to Vallarta Adventures with whom I was certified 2 years ago.  The dive masters, Roberto and Jenny, took great care of us and made sure our equipment worked properly and that we were geared up safely.  The first dive was called North Wall and we ended up near Sand Falls.  We were able to see some beautiful fish and other creatures, including a pregnant sea horse and a scary looking eel!  (It looked like a mean snake so of course I did not like that.)  The moray eel we saw looked ready to pounce so I got out of there fast, too.  The Sand Falls are awesome - it's literally a waterfall of sand down rocks wi
Read more

Laurier Lounge, A Cozy, Relaxed Dinner Club Event

Image
Through all my research, it's been easy for me to overlook Laurier Lounge .  I'm not sure why:  the French-sounding name (and my bad experience at Belvedere)? it's lack of word-of-mouth reputation among my circle of friends and colleagues?  Whatever the reason, I was extremely intrigued by the choice for our dinner club this month.   What I did not realize was, Laurier Lounge, located in the heart of the Beltline (and easy to mistaken for just another old house in the area), offers fondue experiences, as well as a full menu of other delicious appetizers and entrees. For our group of 12, though, a fondue night seemed like the perfect addition to our club's desire to try new food while gathering to make new friends and catch up with old ones.   Walking in through the front door, we were greeted by a friendly hostess who took us up a narrow, creaking staircase to a small alcove where our party was seated.  I appreciate these old homes that have been restored into resta
Read more