Layover in Paradise

Wake up 10 AM. Memory foam bed with 2,000 count cotton sheets, big fluffy white pillows, down comforter. The sun is peaking through the sheer part of the curtains which I've left open to greet me upon waking. I look out and see 6 ft surfer waves crashing against the rocks, palm trees and three large swimming pools.

As I'm lying in my suite, still in awe, and feeling more and more like Diana Ross, I hear my room service knocking, bringing me crepes with strawberries, a soy latte and the daily newspaper. Sifting through the travel section, while eating my crepes, I'm taken to castles in Portugal and cafe's in Athens.

After breakfast, I get up to take a surround jet high pressure shower. The shampoo/conditioner/soap are a luxury brand name I've never heard of, but have herbs that are supposed to "calm" me. The white fluffy towels and wash clothes are stacked ready for 20 showers.

As I step out of the shower the A/C starts to feel a little chilly, I tell the cooling system to raise the room temperature, slip into my dry-cleaned clothes (complimentary hotel service), and get ready to explore the city.

There's a festival going on in the city, there often is here. Getting caught up in the celebration I have to sample several exotic foods. After my taste buds have been satisfied I walk back to my 5 star hotel. My pedicure is still holding up, good.

It's time for the beach, I change into my bathing suit and get ready to enjoy the Caribbean on a hammock stretched between two palm trees next to lapping ocean waves. The sun is wonderfully warming, and every now and then a nice breeze cools my skin just when I need it. I jot down notes in my journal, and make plans for the rest of the day. Skydiving? Rainforests? Surfing? Relaxing?

Stepping off the hammock the pool calls me for a dip and three quick laps. While taking the elevator upstairs I turn on my iPod to hear, "Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right" by Billy Currington. By the time I arrive in my room, I am motivated by my iPod to change into my workout clothes and get ready to turn up the endorphines.

The workout room is fully equiped with every workout machine one would ever desire, bottled water, stacks of clean towels, TV's, fresh fruit and a great view of the ocean. And. as if that wasn't enough, next to the workout room is a sauna, and hot tub room. One word: perfection.

After working out, hot tubbing, and using the sauna I see that it's getting close to the time to meet up with my co-workers. I must shower and get decked out for my "night on the town"!

Meeting up with my co-workers in the hotel lobby we make plans for dinner. Our evening begins at a beautiful outdoor restaurant underneath a small forest of trees all lit with firefly lights and paper lanterns. I feel like a fairy and the mojito's are luring me into an even more mystical state of being.

After the magical woodland encounter we go salsa dancing. Although, I am not trained, I like to pretend that I am, at one point the dance floor becomes a circle surrounding me and my dance partner.

Dancing for hours, I say goodbye at 4 am and head home to my fluffy bed to dream of another layover in paradise.....