I recently traveled back home to surprise my aunt for her 70th birthday. We came together as a family and threw a surprise party which turned out magnificent. There were a number of things that went back and forth in my mind up until the day of the party. I kept wondering how things would turn out overall, the number of guests that would attend, would she enjoy this being a person that doesn’t really like surprises, would the photographer capture the moment, etc. Well, all in all, I must say we outdid ourselves. I still cannot believe how phenomenal everything was. My aunt’s face from the picture below shows pure joy. I mention this event because my aunt’s birthday is on September 22nd and I was celebrating my 2-year anniversary just 3 days after the fact. My husband and I decided to vacate to the Bahamas and this anniversary trip was by far one of the best decisions we’ve made in 2018.
It’s funny to me how you may get a little stressed when event planning but then when the day comes and goes, what do you do next? In this case, pack up and take on Paradise Island. We arrived on Monday to our all-inclusive adult only resort, Warwick Paradise Island, and was promptly greeted with a Bahama Mama while checking in. When we walked in, I knew this was going to be a memorable vacation. The décor was chic, the staff were super polite and the view from the room put the icing on the cake. I vividly remember feeling like a kid would feel who perhaps were visiting Disneyland for the first time. I could not wait to tour the resort hotel, see the amenities and plan activities daily for us to enjoy during our stay.
Usually, I think most people may feel the first day of travel is consumed with all the travel accommodations and noted as the day to just relax. For me, I still wanted to enjoy our travel in day. We ate at the restaurant that was considered more upscale, Edgewater Grill. I planned to eat here for our anniversary the following day as well and just couldn’t wait I guess. This restaurant did not disappoint. OMG! I’ll give more details in a bit. They also had a late night bar that stayed opened I believe until midnight, called Chickadee. The menu had pretty good selections including the sweet and spicy wings, quesadilla, conch fritters and pizza to name just a few that became our favorites. Afterwards, we hung out at the bar in the lobby which seemed to be the place to be that night as many people had traveled in that same day. We met quite a few people and enjoyed unlimited drinks at the bar until the nightly entertainment started. On this particular night, the nightclub on-site was having karaoke night. Well well well. Don’t threaten me with a good time. This was the highlight of the evening. Something about karaoke and unlimited drinks just made the night that much better. People sang their little hearts out for hours and I prepared to rock the crowd with my go to karaoke song, This is How We Do It by Montell Jordan. When there’s karaoke, you have to perform this song! It gets the crowd every time. Overall, our first night was one for the books and set the standard pretty high for the rest of our trip.
The most popular place at the resort would have to be The Hog Bar that was outside by the pool/beach area. At this bar, they played different games everyday like jumbo Uno, Jenga, Name that Tune and poker all while really encouraging you to drink up. Bartenders would usually pass out specialty shots every hour and if you asked for water, they replied “We serve alcohol at this bar”. I learned this early on so I started bringing bottled water from the room or grabbed it from the lobby before heading to the pool. On this trip, I really wanted to focus on relaxation. That being said, I think Tuesday became pool day. Occasionally laying out for a bit in the sun and hearing the sound of the beach waves nearby while catching the slight breeze that came through at times and having endless pina coladas made this day perfect.
I was really impressed by the restaurants and just how good the food was here. All-inclusive is the best option I would say since your food and drinks are covered throughout your stay. With that, it really helps when the food is actually good. Warwick did not disappoint. Edgewater Grill became our favorite place to dine. There was a salad bar that you could enjoy and the menu was made to offer like a land and sea option along with any vegetable sides of your choice. As mentioned earlier, we went here on Monday night and doubled back for our anniversary the next day. My husband had the steak accompanied with shrimp and the truffle mashed potatoes. I went with the short ribs, mashed potatoes and mushrooms. Okay, the presentation was by far the best. The wine reduction sauce that was prepared with the short ribs was simply amazing. Whew, I knew after our first experience, we were definitely coming back to this place. I remember saying, “Hey, this is the place I reserved for our anny”. My husband said “Well, we’ll just be back tomorrow”. So there we had it. Dinner for the next two days were already set in stone. The resort also had a buffet style restaurant that served breakfast, lunch and dinner called the Veranda. I frequented here for breakfast daily. There were so many good options. Cooked to order omelettes, pancakes, French toast, grits, a charcuterie display including meats, cheeses, olives, cornichons, veggies, and pastries just to give you an idea of the many items they had at this buffet for breakfast. On our last day, they even hosted a BBQ outside by the beach. Oh man the BBQ, homemade mac and cheese, potato salad, crab salad, rice and peas…the list goes on and on. Warwick did a phenomenal job with their many great food options and the BBQ finale on that Thursday night was just too perfect.
On that Wednesday, I reserved a sunset dinner cruise for us. The voyage began around 6pm and was scheduled to last about 2 hours. The tour guide gave interesting facts about celebrities that owned properties along our route and also shared historical facts about the island as well. The best part however was in fact the sunset. The view was unmatched. Something about the sound of the ocean and seeing the sunset just gives you a feeling of serenity. For dinner, they served Bahamian BBQ, salad, rice and peas, mac and cheese and a slice a cake. Rum punch was served for the drink of course. By this time, I think I had reached a good rum punch limit for the day and opted for a coke. Nonetheless, the dinner was great and the ocean views were picture perfect. After the cruise, we decided to venture to the Atlantis hotel. We gambled a bit (no victory here but it was still fun), did a bit of sightseeing of the property and finished the night with a slice of carrot cake from one of their bakeries as a nightcap.
The final full day always seems to get there much faster than you want. Although I still wanted to focus on relaxing, I thought it would be a good idea to experience some of the culture outside of the resort too. We took a taxi to downtown Nassau and enjoyed the Straw Market, souvenir shops and did a little more sightseeing. This day it was extremely hot so I couldn’t wait to get back to the pool. We decided to take a ferry back to our resort and this was particularly nice because I couldn’t get enough of the crystal blue water the Bahamas has. Of course we stayed by the pool for hours and finished the night with the BBQ night that I mentioned a bit earlier. Overall, this trip was very much needed and really appreciated. The relaxation it gave, the fond memories created and the peace given cannot be matched. My husband was already mentioning booking the next trip back before we left. Bahamas, you outdid yourself and I thank you for one of the best trips I’ve experience so far. Until next time….
New Orleans is home to so many great things. From the historic French Quarter, to the eccentric beauty of the street art and the musical influence shown by the harmonic tunes played through a saxophone by a local. Oh how I love thee. Another important aspect of this culture is the Creole background which is also reflection of the great cuisine you can find here. Neyow’s embodies a lot of things which I’ve grown to appreciate and love about the city of New Orleans and its food.
lifeofacitygal 