Two years ago, before the world went crazy, my husband and I planned a last-minute getaway into Caribbean waters two weeks before his birthday. One Uber ride, one plane ride, and one bus ride later, we returned to the Rockhouse in Negril, a paradise we’d explored eight years earlier to celebrate my 40th birthday. From the moment we stepped into our room and out to the sea, we knew the splurge was well beyond worth it!

That first sunset captivated us and we relaxed from one moment into the next. In fact despite the reggae music pounding in the background, a slight hush overcame the crowded poolside as the sun began its descent.

Truthfully, we mostly moved from one chaise lounge to another, beverage in hand relishing the time to do absolutely nothing. Sometimes we jumped off the cliffs into the ocean, sometimes we people watched. Amazingly enough, we worked out in the gym every day–a first for us. With a view this spectacular and the ocean to cool off in, it was actually a treat!

After spending our weekdays oceanside, we moved over to a sister hotel to spend the weekend at the beach, where we dug our toes into sand, took long walks and people watched some more before it was time to go to bed.

Of course we dipped out toes into the ocean, waded in the surf, ate more food than you can imagine at Miss Lily’s and enjoyed some of those fancy tropical drinks one expects to enjoy in a tropical setting.

And then it was time for one last walk on the beach, one last sunset and one last toast to the sea before heading home.

And that was the last time I had the good fortune to travel far and wide before Covid. Our fellow passengers had already started wearing masks on the flight home, and by the time we made it back to Philadelphia, there wasn’t one bottle of hand sanitizer left on the shelves! Luckily I already had plenty of toilet paper secure in our basement!

I hope you enjoyed reminiscing with me about my last travels. I’d love to hear what your final big trip was in the comments!

Until next time,
Holly ~ Soupatraveler