When my husband was deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom last winter, we decided that when he came home, we would take the "vacation of a lifetime" with our kids to make up for the five months we were apart. Thanks to Carol at Comfort Tours and Travel, we had that vacation at Beaches Sandy Bay. But we’re calling it "vacation of a lifetime, Part I" because we are already saving to go back.

We went to Sandy Bay November 21-27, 2003 with our sons, ages 10 and 13. Some great family friends joined us with their 10-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. Carol arranged for us to have upgraded rooms. We each had two-room suites with two full baths and balconies overlooking both the Caribbean and the pool. The living room had two sofa beds and the bedroom a king-size bed. The rooms are not luxurious, but are comfortable, colorful and clean. We were only in them to sleep and shower off the sand and saltwater! (The TVs do get the Cartoon Network, ESPN, Fox News,all the comforts of home if you need them.)

Everything at Sandy Bay is within a few steps of the beach and the resort is small enough that we never worried about where the kids were. They loved the freedom and we loved the relaxation.

We did it all, scuba diving (for the older boys and dads), snorkeling, sailing Hobie Cats and Sunfish, wind surfing, water skiing, kayaking, water trike, Aquafitness in the ocean, beach volleyball, pool volleyball, lawn chess, sandcastle competition, ping pong and shuffleboard. The kids loved the game room, but usually went there after dinner because they didn’t want to leave the beach in the daytime.

At Sandy Bay, you can do it all, or do nothing at all. The "Fun Pals" from the entertainment staff were friendly and encouraging, but not pushy. If you just want to sit on the lounge chair and read, "No problem, Mon." And while you’re sitting there reading, "Flakey" from the water sports staff may just knock a coconut out of the tree and open it for you to drink and eat!

The food at Sandy Bay was good to excellent, depending on the dish. We ate dinner at both the Caribbean restaurant and the Italian restaurant (which require reservations) and the buffet. Our kids are "adventurous" eaters, so they tried marlin, mussels and even oxtail (not their favorite.) Our friends kids’ are pickier, but they always found something they liked (beef, chicken, pasta). One night, the diner buffet was on the beach with a fire dancer and a limbo contest. Another night, it was served around the pool. We met several couples who were honeymooning at Sandals Negril down the beach. They said Sandy Bay’s food was much better than Sandals! One couple was a "mixed" marriage, a KU husband and K-State wife who joined us Missouri Tigers in the sports bar to watch the MU vs. K-State football game! The Tigers lost, no problem. We’re in Jamaica!

We also visited Beaches Negril twice, once to try out their water sports (and swim-up bar) and once to eat dinner at the Tex-Mex restaurant (great flan for dessert, our oldest son had three!) It is a 20-minute walk or a 3-minute shuttle ride from Sandy Bay. It’s much larger and "flashier" than Sandy Bay. They have a water trampoline and a "banana boat" which were fun. I don’t think I would have been as comfortable about the kids’ independence there as I was at Sandy Bay. Many of the rooms at Beaches Negril have no ocean view. For the same price, you can be right on the beach at Sandy Bay.

The grown-ups also walked down the beach the other way to Sandals Negril to see what life without kids in Jamaica would be like. That may be "vacation of a lifetime, Part III" when the kids are in college!

Everything about this trip exceeded our expectations, the warm and accommodating staff, the clear and calm water, the sparkling clean beach, the variety of water sports, the incredible weather. (What! It’s raining! No problem, grab a drink at the bar and sit in the hot tub. It will be over in less than an hour!)

It was our first all-inclusive vacation, but it definitely won’t be our last. It’s the way to go when you have active kids who love to eat and play. We had to buy a new blender when we got home because the boys learned to love (non-alcoholic) blended tropical fruit punch and the Sandy Bay bartenders taught them how to make them. (They also taught us grown-ups some new favorites, like the Bomb, Purple Rain and the Dandy Lion.)

Thank you to Carol for taking care of every detail and for suggesting Beaches Sandy Bay. We will never forget this vacation, and we will be back!