Honeymoon Travel Tips: Jamaica

Next up, a post from my college roomie, bridesmaid extraordinaire, and awesome gal pal Erin!  Erin and her husband Anthony planned a destination wedding and honeymoon in Jamaica (you've seen them before on The One!) and so when planning some post for while I was away, obviously Erin had to be a guest author.  Read on for everything you've ever wanted to know about honeymooning in Jamaica!

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Let me preface this entire entry by saying that if you are a high-maintenance person or someone with little patience, Jamaica is NOT the destination for you.  I mean it.  Don’t even bother reading on.  Jamaica takes “island time” to a whole new snail-paced level!  From the time you get to immigration and customs (prepare for a long, hot wait), to the time you get in line for your boarding pass home, you will be inching your way through each day.  But if you’re looking for an escape, isn’t that part of the draw?  Bring your patience!  There.  Now that we’ve gotten that business out of the way, let’s continue!

[caption id="attachment_2054" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Pancakes of the day: worth the patience!"][/caption]

My husband and I chose Jamaica as our weddingmoon destination for myriad reasons: it’s easy and relatively inexpensive to get there (compared to other Caribbean destinations), it’s absolutely covered in all-inclusive resorts, it only has a 24-hour “residency” period before couples can legally wed (and no pesky blood test),  it has a definitive island culture (I loathe islands that make me feel like I’m still stateside!), and it has LOADS of things to do.  Plus, as neither my husband nor I had ever visited Jamaica, it would be a new adventure we could forge together. 

[caption id="attachment_2053" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Seriously, how cute are these two?"][/caption]

Ultimately we zeroed in on Negril, Jamaica, home of the famed 7-Mile Beach,  often featured in “world’s top beaches”-esque specials, and Rick’s Café, a great place to enjoy some cliff diving.  Negril has a wide variety of hotels and resorts ranging from economy to luxury.  The majority of the hotels are on right on the 7-Mile Beach (Couples Swept Away, Hedonism II, Sandals Negril, Negril Treehouse, and Idle Awhile), although you will find several all-inclusive resorts further north on the Bloody Bay (Couples Negril, Riu Palace Tropical Bay, and Breezes Grand), and a variety of smaller hotels and resorts further south on the West End (Rockhouse, Catcha Falling Star, and Tensing Pen).  Picking a hotel when you’ve never visited a location before can be quite daunting.  I find that maps are helpful to put things in perspective [for a fabulous map of Negril’s hotels (and restaurants, shopping, and more!), click here!]  Do your research, but beware of online reviews.  If you’re a seasoned traveler, you’re probably already aware that the Internet and sites like TripAdvisor give a voice to any and everyone.  For every glowing positive review, there is a scathing negative one.  Sometimes it sounds like they’re talking about two completely different resorts!  Try to keep realistic expectations and read reviews with your eyes open.  I was floored that people complained about bugs around the resort, or that restaurant service was slow, or that it rained every day.  Um, hello, folks?  You’re in the Caribbean; there are bugs, island life moves more slowly than the hustle and bustle of the big city, and tropical islands are visited by rain (almost every afternoon in Jamaica – a great time to enjoy indoor honeymoon activities).  Why did you even visit a tropical island?  Sheesh.  At any rate, you have more than ample choices!   

[caption id="attachment_2051" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Oh, yeah, THAT's why I visited a tropical island!"][/caption]

I poured over travel books and websites and magazines before finally convincing my husband that we wanted to stay at Couples Swept Away on the 7-Mile Beach because it was a couples-only, all-inclusive resort with inexhaustible entertainment and dining options on the premises.  I was also bowled over by the die-hard Couples fans on the resort’s message board (and quickly became one upon our return).  CSA has six different restaurants, ranging from a nearly all-day buffet to a Jamaican-Mediterranean fusion restaurant to a dress-code-enforced gourmet restaurant.  My favorite was the Sea Grape Café, a tiny café right on the beach with slightly healthier fare (and a soft-serve machine… I did only say “slightly,” right?).  There are also bars everywhere you look – bars that look like little tiki huts and serve the most amazing frou-frou concoctions ever (I recommend anything involving rum crème).  Another selling point for CSA was the full spa located on their sports and fitness complex.  If you get any spa service (which you must – a massage at least!), first grab a pineapple-infused ice water from the spa juice bar, then show up early to take advantage of the gorgeous Jacuzzi (we were lucky enough to enjoy the sights and sounds of a relaxing tropical rain shower during our visit to the Jacuzzi and spa).  The final selling point for CSA was the variety of activities available each day (all of which are included).  You could go SCUBA diving or snorkeling (seasoned divers – beware – the reefs are pretty torn up from inexperienced divers flailing around, but there is a lot of great marine life to enjoy), take a sunset booze cruise down to the cliffs, take a kayak out on the ocean, learn how to sail a Hobie cat, join a game of beach volleyball, learn some margarita mixology, take a couples massage class, learn the history of Negril, partake in a squash clinic, or just relax on a beach lounge chair and have the frou-frou drinks delivered right to you (thank you, little green flags!).  Honestly, the beach and the ocean are so gorgeous in Negril that it’s hard to pull yourself away! 

[caption id="attachment_2050" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Laze around in a hammock?"][/caption]

Despite the fact that CSA met all of our entertainment and dining needs, its location also gave us the freedom of direct access to any public 7-Mile Beach activities.  We could walk down the beach from our resort and hail a parasail boat or a jet ski rental, swim out to Margaritaville’s giant water trampoline, or patronize beach vendors selling various crafts.  Being on the beach also allowed us to take advantage of roving musicians and vendors selling “fresh crab, banana, good smoke,” if we were so bold.  Of course, the resort was so fabulous that we only left it to spend time with our family, who were staying elsewhere.  Destination brides, you may want to consider that!  We also ventured off campus to visit Rick’s Café (twice).  It’s a great place to watch a sunset, listen to live music, and enjoy the entertainment of some truly amazing cliff divers (or jump for yourself!).

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Let’s talk weddings, since this is a wedding blog, after all.  If you’re going to get married in Jamaica, you need little more than a birth certificate.  Jamaica is a relatively popular wedding destination, so most hotels and resorts have wedding planners who will literally take care of everything for you – you just have to mail your documents, pay the bill, and show up!  Many of the all-inclusive resorts even offer complimentary weddings (with the potential to pay for any upgrade you might imagine).  This was the draw for me, as I’m relatively lazy.  CSA’s wedding planners took care of everything for us; we opted for the complimentary wedding package with upgrades to my bouquet and the arch, plus we arranged for our own photographer, Diana Campbell, to shoot the wedding.  Again, though, be patient; you’re on an island!  Just relax and enjoy your own special day. 

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I hope some of you decide to spend time in Negril.  My husband and I have no regrets about our decision.  Negril set the perfect stage for our vows, and we look forward to returning there for future anniversaries.