This year, I spent the week of Christmas nestled between the lush mountains and the warm Caribbean waters, in Jamaica. It’s hard for me to even put into words how incredible the trip was, but I’ll try.

Saying that the trip got off to a rough start is an understatement. Here’s a rough timeline of my oh-so-pleasant airport experience:

9 p.m. – Arrive at SFO for my 10:45 p.m. flight to Atlanta.

9:05 p.m. – Get in line at the Delta check-in counter (the line was abnormally long).

9:25 p.m. – Reach the front of the line, approach the counter to check in with a Delta representative who I will later determine is named Joseph.

9:30 p.m. – “Do you have your passport?” Joseph says.

9:31 p.m. – “My parents have my passport. They’re meeting me in Atlanta and will give me the passport in Atlanta,” I respond, my voice trembling.

9:31:02 p.m. – “You’re not going to Atlanta.”

9:32 p.m. – Silence. Running options through my head.

9:34 p.m. – “There’s nothing you can do? It’s a domestic flight to Atlanta – not to Jamaica yet. There has to be something you can do!” I start to panic.

9:36 p.m. – “Nope. Your final destination is International, therefore, you need your passport. Sorry,” Joseph exclaimed as he slammed a piece of paper with the customer service number scribbled on it.

9:37 p.m. – Call Dad.

9:38 p.m. – Dad is cussing. Dad wants to talk to Joseph.

10:00 p.m. – Dad talks to Joseph. Joseph hands me back the phone when Dad is in the middle of a sentence. Great.

10:01 p.m. – Tell Dad I’ll call him back. Approach Joseph. Batting eyelashes and tears welling up in my eyes I say, “Isn’t there anything you can do? Isn’t there a way to split the tickets or something?”

10:03 p.m. – It appears as if Joseph does, in fact, have a heart as he explains what needs to be done and that I need to call the customer service number he gave me because it is a ticketing issue.

10:05 p.m. – Dial customer service.

10:40 p.m. – Reach customer service, hand phone to Joseph who makes the arrangements for me to fly domestically to Atlanta at 6 a.m. (I had obviously missed this 10:45 p.m. flight) and then fly to Montego Bay, Jamaica shortly there after, arriving in Jamaica at 7:30 p.m. instead of earlier that afternoon. Ok. Great. That’ll be $1,053.

10:45 p.m. – Call Dad. He calms me down. Says it’s not a big deal, it’s more important that I’m there.

So. I sit at the airport for nine hours waiting for my 6 a.m. flight just so I can go to Atlanta, pick up my passport my parents were leaving for me at customer service, get my bag from baggage claim, re-check in, go through security again, and get on a plane to Montego Bay. Bottom line: I did the same exact thing I would have done had I gotten on the original flight but 10 times more difficult and $1,053 more expensive.

Lessons learned:

1. Arrive at the airport the full three hours prior to an international flight

2. Make sure you have all proper documentation – including a passport, at least 48 hours prior to your flight.

3. Check the expiration date of your passport – it needs to be valid for six months after your scheduled departure date.

4. Kill ‘em with kindness. If you’re faced with a problem, the best thing to do is be nice. If you panic and start yelling at customer service representatives, they will not help you. Be nice and patient and they will help you reach a resolution.

After a five-hour flight to Atlanta and a three-hour flight to Montego Bay, Jamaica, I made it to the resort to be greeted by my family in the lobby. And, they had a surprise! We stayed at the Iberostar Resort in which there are three resorts within the property: the Beach Resort, the Suites and the Grand. Not only was my family thrilled I had made it to the resort safe and sound, but we had been upgraded to the Grand Hotel! The Grand is an all-inclusive (like the others) hotel that is 18+. That means, no kids running around the beach, splashing in the pool, or hokey pokey on the pool deck every afternoon. This was going to be true relaxation.

Immediately after my arrival, I dropped my bags off my room (shared with my brother) and headed toward the buffet. Oh man. The buffets were incredible in this all-inclusive resort. They offered the “normal” hamburgers and sandwiches but also the authentic Jamaican food like baked plantains and jerk chicken.

Exhausted after the last 24 hours, I meandered my way back to the room to unpack. The room was seriously gorgeous – beautiful granite bathroom complete with a glass rain shower, separate toilet room, two separate sinks and mirrors, and plenty of storage. There were two full-sized beds, a seating area with a lounge chair and an incredible deck with another chair, coffee table, end table and swing. It was our palace for the week.

The first three days were cloudy and rainy. This was kind of disappointing, but it allowed us to really relax. There was nothing to do, so we did just that: nothing. I finished my first book of the trip, My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler. Even though it was cloudy, it was still hot and humid so we were able to spend time outside when it wasn’t raining. We spent some time in the gym working out. We visited the Rose Hall Shoppes – a string of duty-free stores (mostly jewelry). And thanks to my Dad and Laurie, I was able to get an incredible relaxing 50-minute massage.

Every night we were wined and dined at the resort’s finest restaurants – Sunday at a Mexican restaurant, Monday (my parent’s anniversary) at the Surf n’ Turf restaurant, and Tuesday night at the Japanese (or “Blackanese” as the Hibachi chef called it) restaurant.

The resort also had a “Disco” which is a nightclub that’s open from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. It was a blast! They played the top hip-hop and dance music from the US and also threw in some great Jamaican music as well. Once again, the open bar was trouble, but it was incredibly fun. I met a fair share of people at the Disco – a couple girls, some guys, and some Jamaican employees of the resort. (I’ll let you figure out who I spent the most time with… 🙂). Every night there was also a show put on by the Entertainment Team at the hotel. There were singers and dancers and the shows were so terrible they were entertaining.

After three days of clouds, we woke up to crystal blue skies Wednesday morning. We spent the day laying out, soaking in the gorgeous sun amidst the palm trees, the warm saltwater beach and, of course, the pool bar. It was heavenly. We did nothing but relax by the pool, play some volleyball and swim in the ocean. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend the days. These Jamaican beaches were unlike any beach I have ever been to before. The water was crystal clear and surprisingly warm, the sand was pure white and incredibly soft, it was pure perfection. I was able to finish book two of the trip, Love the one You’re With by Emily Giffin.

Wednesday was my dad’s Birthday so we went to the Gourmet restaurant and enjoyed some delicious food. Overall, despite past experiences with poor food at all-inclusive resorts, the food was outstanding. And you can’t beat all-inclusive, top-shelf alcohol. That’s just icing on the cake right there.

Thursday and Friday were spent in the sun as well. Every night, a different restaurant. Thursday night, we attended the Christmas Eve Gala which included incredible food and drinks. Friday, Christmas Day, I saw the unthinkable. The resort announced that Santa Claus was coming to the beach. I thought to myself, ok, it’s for the little kids and he’s going to walk up and sit in a chair and give the little kids presents. Well, I was only half right. Yes, Santa did sit in a chair and give the little kids at the resort presents. However, he did not walk. Oh no. The fat, black, Jamaican Santa Claus parasailed onto the beach. Due to the mass amounts of people watching this phenomenon, he was unable to land on the beach. So, he landed back on the boat (complete with two “elves”) and was then driven in a golf cart to his chair. It was ridiculous and amazing. Never before have I seen anything like that.

Friday night was our last night on the island and my last night with the gorgeous Jamaican boy I met. Very sad, but incredibly memorable.

Saturday morning, we packed our bags and headed back to the states after an incredible vacation.

I feel as if I haven’t given this amazing vacation justice through the simple words of this blog post. I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation. It was exactly what I needed; a perfect combination of utter relaxation and memorable fun. I met some great people, of which I plan on keeping in touch with, and made some irreplaceable memories on the island of Jamaica. I was able to finish two books, spend ample time with my family, and drink my fair share of Jamaican rum. The best part of it all? I didn’t think about work, the computer, the Internet, Twitter, anything technology related. I completely unplugged. Not that I didn’t miss you, but it was so nice to get a break. It was a vacation for the books.

Make sure you check out the pictures here!