If you remember my post back in February, you may recall that deciding on a place to go for our honeymoon was a bit of a challenge. But y’all, we just loved Jamaica and could not imagine celebrating our first few days of newlywed bliss anywhere else! The location of our resort was far from most of the touristy sites, which made it feel even more secluded. After such a whirlwind couple of weeks leading up to the wedding, it was the perfect place to relax and unwind. It was the perfect decision for us, and I’d love to share a few of our favorite experiences!
Prior to arriving, I was concerned that I would get tired of sitting all week, especially since I was constantly on the go on my previous vacations. To my delight, I loved hanging out in the pool and heading out to the beach each day! It took us until our third day in paradise to fully feel energized again, so floating in the pool with my new hubby was just magical. We also lucked out by having our room adjacent to the pool with the swim-up bar. Jody and I found it so convenient to be able to walk out onto our patio and into the pool. As our room didn’t have a mini-bar, it was just as nice to be able to go just as far to get a refreshing tropical drink. 🙂
We ate so well while in Jamaica. Apparently, there is a stigma with all-inclusive resorts with the food not being all that great, but boy, did we luck out. We had thought it was delicious our first night there (albeit, we were exhausted), but after talking to several other couples who have visited other Sandals resorts, South Coast has the best food, at least out of all of their other resorts in Jamaica. We made sure we ate at all of them at least once, and then saved room towards the end of the trip to frequent some once more. Most of the restaurants reflected the resort’s European theme. There was Mediterranean, French, a patisserie (yum!), Caribbean, Italian, Sushi and Asian. While we never had a bad experience, our favorite dining experience was breakfast. Jody and I barely saw each other in the week leading up to the wedding, so to start our mornings off with coffee, small talk and omelets, these moments became one of my favorite memories from our entire honeymoon experience.
We were so spoiled as honeymooners as well! On our first night, we received a bottle of champagne in our room during the turn down service. Later in the week, we received a do not disturb honeymoon sign for our door, a congratulatory note, and breakfast in bed. The staff would often ask how our honeymoon was going and give us their best wishes — it was so fun to be pampered all week! We also enjoyed a couples massage, which was singlehandedly the best 60 minutes of my life (after our wedding ceremony, of course!). We giggled that as it was designed to rejuvenate our love, it was only the beginning for us. Nonetheless, a little pampering can make you feel like true royalty.
We went on two excursions — one of which was a wedding gift, and the other came with our package when we booked our trip. And y’all, we had more fun than I ever imagined. Our first excursion was the Black River Safari tour and trip to YS Falls. We didn’t know much about it, other than it was the closest excursion to our resort, so we weren’t really sure what to expect. But after cruising on the Black river, spotting crocodiles and Jamaican wildlife, and then jumping OFF OF A WATERFALL CLIFF, we were blown away by how much fun we had! We lucked out with an amazing driver and tour guide, who gave us a glimpse into Jamaican culture and we had such a blast facing our my fears, especially when it came to the falls. I honestly thought that all we were doing was taking pictures of it and playing in its natural pools, but am so glad that we had the opportunity to climb up the falls, and then jump off of the cliffs with my new hubs. It was such an adrenaline rush!
Our other excursion was a sunset catamaran cruise that left from our resort, and sailed along the coast until sunset. We dropped the anchor shortly into the cruise, which gave us an opportunity to (again) jump off of the side of the ship into the Caribbean waters below. Even though that excursion was towards the end of our week, it was still the first time we had been in the ocean since we had been there. We enjoyed drinks and snacks, once back on board, and we sailing into the sunset, when we experienced another surprise — a torrential downpour! Our captain did a great job keeping everyone’s spirits up while we were all damp, and for surprise #3, the sun came back out as we were sailing back up to the resort. We loved that the staff were such happy people. They love to laugh and everything was “no problem, mon”, which was such a great environment to be in. It is hard to complain when you are surrounded by so many blessings!
In the evenings, we typically would wind down after dinner by attending the entertainment on the resort that was provided to us. We attended a Newlyweds Game Show, Jamaican night, White night, and live music out on the terrace. My favorite moment was when one of the musicians started playing “Wagon Wheel” and Jody and I join other couples and danced. It was so surreal to be dancing with my husband to a song we played all of the time in college, danced to a number of times in the kitchen and dancing to surrounded by our family and friends just days before. It was one of the moment when it hit me that I have the rest of my life with my best friend.
After seven blissfully wonderful days in Jamaican paradise, we couldn’t believe that our honeymoon had already come to an end. We weren’t ready to leave, but anxious to begin married life back home. We were excited to visit with our families, open wedding gifts and settle into our new apartment together, but we wouldn’t be lying if we said that we were sad to leave Jamaica. Although, after being greeted to a welcome home goodie bag in our car at the airport, champagne at our apartment, and of course, Jody carrying me “over the threshold” and up the stairs when we arrived home, I began to realize that our time in paradise wasn’t over, it was only just beginning. And from what I can tell so far, it’s going to be pretty great.
blissful moments 
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