Snow days are down right dangerous, and not because of the weather. Sitting at home listening to the wind howl, the rumble of the snow plow on Cloverville Road, lots of internet and an itchy VISA, it can get expensive! Can you say “TRAVEL”. Yep… the search was on to pick a March Break “where-to” (as “when” is predetermined for us) and isolate some practical flight and accommodation information. Using our past experience is where we start. We’ve had great luck flying out of Moncton, we super enjoyed the VRBO rentals from 2016 & 2017, and aren’t huge “all-inclusive” fans, so those factors all played a role in the decision making process. Here is how it has played out to date.
At first we looked across the pond, and almost committed to my UK loop that’s been in the hopper for a bit. However, that didn’t quite get off the ground. I’m going to end up saving that for a two person March Break tour down the road. Further, with planning kicking in during the month of January, we were having warm thoughts of someplace not requiring shovels or parkas. Not being the type to head back to the same destination twice, we opted for the “new to us” Caribbean island of Jamaica 🇯🇲. And hey… a place that conjures up the taste of good Appleton Rum and the off beat reggae rhythms of Bob Marley tunes can’t be so bad now can it? We all spent copious amounts of time online working to develop some background for decision making.
Quick checks of the all inclusive sites indicated that the deals found in Cuba, Mexico and DR were not so likely at this destination. Digging deeper into the pocket may very well be required this time around. Nevertheless, we trolled flights to see what was to be had in regards to direct flights to the island. We nabbed those from Moncton at what we deemed a reasonable fare, basically getting four flights for what three would have cost departing from Stanfield. Then to the VRBO / Homeaway / Flipkey sites in search of somewhere to stay that spoke to us. We’ve learned along the way, from our stays in Madrid, Puerto Morelos and Paris, that an accommodation can also be an attraction, so we pledged to look long and hard for digs that respond to our passions.
Over the span of a week we whittled our way through online reviews, images, descriptions, and several inquiries, only to rest upon a villa on the north shore of the island. Beach, veranda, beds, pool and a full kitchen no less. All the amenities. In the end, however, we were sold on the space after calling the owner. He was attentive, proud of his property, matter-of-fact, and all about making sure his client was happy with the purchase. It’s always a roll of the dice, but right now we feel very good about the rental. March will be here soon enough… And we will definitely report back on how our initial perceptions translate.