When I think back to why I held on to fish and dairy for so long, it was primarily to make eating out easier, especially on vacation.  The first six months of my vegan diet were a little hard for me to navigate, but two years later it feels like something I have embraced my whole life.  So when my husband asked if I would be interested in going to a Sandals resort for vacation, I was ready to take on the world of all-inclusive eating, even though I  was fairly certain there would be nothing “inclusive” about it.  If nothing else I assumed I could handle living off of a steady diet of salads and pina coladas (coconut milk) for seven days.

We booked the reservation and in the comments section, I wrote “vegan”, then I got nervous, and wrote “vegan – no meat, dairy or eggs”.  Hmm..  Changed to ” vegan – no animal products, meat, poultry, fish, dairy or eggs”.  That should do it.

D and I have been to Sandals before and I know one of his favorite parts (next to sailing a hobie cat) was the idea of eating anywhere and everywhere without having to plan or clean up.  I was sure we wouldn’t have to do dishes, but not so sure about the blissful indecision of last minute dining choices.  For weeks I envisioned that we would arrive and, given my “comments” above, we would be instructed where to eat in order for me to retrieve my carefully planned salad.

Thankfully, I was very wrong.  The resort boasted seven restaurants all complete with amazing staff that would ask about dietary restrictions before taking your order.  Once any restriction was mentioned they would bring out the Head Chef who was more than willing to customize any menu selection or would make up a delicious chef’s special.  Even the buffet was highly accommodating and by the end of the week, the sous chef called out from behind the entrees “Hi vegan – are you getting enough food?!”.

The very best part was the room service staff who went off menu any morning that we wanted to enjoy a delicious breakfast on our gorgeous balcony.

So if you are considering a plant based lifestyle, but afraid it will stifle your vacation plans, fear not, Sandals is ready for you!