About two weeks before Christmas, I received a very random and very lucrative invitation to spend some time in Jamaica. Rarely one to pass up seeing a new country, I decided to take up the offer.

Part of what the made offer extraordinary is that one of the places I was to stay would be a very expensive, all-inclusive resort (Couples, Swept Away). For a number of factors (not the least of which being cost) I would generally avoid such a place. But for the reasonable price of free? I’m in.

Rather than narrate the trip I’ll just let the photos do the talking. Suffice to say, we had a great time. Some of the included amenities/activities at Couples resort we took advantage of:

• Food (including lobster, turkey, lamb chops and sooo much more)
• Drinks (though beer was limited to Red Stripe, I did enjoy a variety of cocktails and wines)
• Sailing (with Hobie Cats and as a passenger on their full-sized catamaran)
• Games (from ping pong to tennis)
• Diving (though the resort offers this, I actually didn’t end up going on any)

Not included was parasailing, but I’d never been so we paid for this as well. And although I’m generally not one for marijuana, the term “when in Rome” applies here (sorry mom).

The second half of our stay was at a nearby non-inclusive resort, Xtabi. Though not upscale like Couples, Xtabi offers some cool features of it’s own. Their cliffs make a nice platform for jumping into the clear, blue seas below. They also have interesting caves that guests at the resort or customers of their restaurant/bar are allowed to enter.

I was glad that our stay had a mix of both the inclusiveness of Couples as well as the self-sufficiency of Xtabi. It meant we were able to enjoy our first few days carefree, then spend the last few getting to know a more authentic side of Jamaican culture.