We had such a time celebrating our anniversary in Jamaica! When we were planning and deciding where to go, we weren't really thinking tropical at first. We have always leaned more towards mountains or urban. But some friends of ours had such amazing things to say about this resort in particular, and we landed such a great deal, that we ended up have an amazing time on the most beautiful beach I have ever seen!
Before we left for our trip I got really panicky about leaving. We had never left the kids that long before, and while Kyle and I have both travelled internationally (Kyle more than me since it's his job!), we had never both been out of the country at the same time. It was VERY disconcerting to me to not be in the same country as my babies. This totally caught me off guard, because I didn't anticipate that I would feel that way. In the long run, I did NOT let it ruin our trip. I know how important time with just each other is, and I think 10 years of marriage is absolutely worth celebrating. It was so nice to have his undivided attention for 5 days. Totally worth the time, money, and leaving the kids anxiety.
The ONLY thing we had to pay additional for for the whole trip was to tip the porter who carried our bags to the bus (only $1 per bag though), and then to tip the bus driver to and from the airport. Everything else was included in our package. And that was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I have never been to an all-inlcusive before, but I LOVED it. It was so freeing to not have to budget at all on the trip because it had all been paid for. This particular resort is awesome because they don't skimp on the food or drinks and they have several activities that are included in the package. There is always more you can add like off-site excursions, private dining, and spa packages, but we didn't add a thing and still had an amazing vacation.
The bus ride to the Swept Away resort is an hour and half from the airport. It wasn't bad at all! We loved getting to see Jamaica!
When we pulled up to the lobby, there were staff members there to take our bags and to offer us cool towels while we checked it. Check-in was quick and easy and then we went to check out our room.
The lobby.
The grounds were so plush and green! This surprised me so much, because I was just expecting straight beaches. All of the greenery was SO BEAUTIFUL!
This is the outside of our room. We were on the 3rd floor and we had a garden view room (aka facing the street). Our friends had told us that it was worth the price to pay extra for a beach view room because it was about 50% more in price. I have to agree. The resort is small enough that it wasn't that much more walking and the walk is so beautiful through the resort anyway.
Our room was so crisp and clean and it was beautiful! I only had 3 complaints from our whole trip and unfortunately the bed was one of them. While it looks beautiful and comfortable it was a VERY FIRM mattress. Our other friends that have stayed there had no complains about the bed, so it is very likely just a preference thing,but it was not the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in.
My second complaint was that there was no bath tub. I know this is not a big deal to most people. And the shower was great, but one of my favorite ways to relax is a nice bath. It's for sure not enough to make me not want to come back or anything, but it was noted.
Our first night we ate dinner at one of the restaurants called the Lemongrass. It has kind of an asian feel to it, but the atmosphere was perfect out on the balcony overlooking the main pool and the beach.
The breakfast buffet was one of our favorite things at the resort. Talk about amazing food. I don't even love breakfast that much, but I could eat here every morning! My favorite part was the fresh fruit smoothies (I'm pretty sure they had just picked the fruit off the trees an hour before they opened... it was that fresh) and the amazing omelet bar.
All of the restaurants were great. We didn't have a bad food experience the whole time we were there. A few of the restaurants require reservations 3 days ahead of time (we had called the resort before we left to make ours). It still in included in your package, but they require a reservation. There were also a couple "fast-food" type places where we grabbed a snack or lunch.
The water front was everything you could dream of a tropical vacation. I have never seen water that blue, sand that white or soft. It was unreal. I told Kyle that the ocean was like a swimming pool.
See that little cabana right through those two palm trees? That was our spot. It was perfect because it was right next to the security hut so the Hawkers didnt come up and try and sell us beads, and cigars or pot, and it was right across the side walk from the beach bathroom and just about 15 steps from the bar. Not that we needed to walk to the bar, because we had a little flag we could put in the ground any time we needed a drink and they would come and serve us. Which brings me to my last minor complaint. This is a PEPSI resort which means no Coca-Cola on property. The Pepsi tasted better to me than American Pepsi, but it still wasn't Coke. I persevered through though ;).
Beach Bathroom
Beach Bar
This was the view from under our little cabana.
And this is what I spent the majority of my time doing. Reading under our little hut. Then, I'd get hot and go take a dip in the ocean. So amazing.
There were two pools on property. This is the main pool. I only ever saw one person swimming in it the whole time. I guess because the ocean is basically a swimming pool so why swim here? It was still lovely, but always empty.
The other pool is where the pool bar is located. I guess this was a draw because it was never empty! That wasn't really mine and Kyle's scene and the pool was TINY and always full of people so we opted for the beach.
We saw several Weddings over the course of our time there. This is where their wedding venue is and it was lovely! Sunset wedding here are beautiful!
I mentioned that the resort has a lot of activities that it offers in the package. Water sports is one of those! There was beach vollyball, paddle boarding, kayaking, snorkeling, glass-bottom boat tours, and more. Kyle went paddle boarding and kayaking. Those aren't really my thing and he didn't mind if I didn't join him so I just stayed and read and slept under the cabana. Blissful.
There were other activities like the Croquet Court, as well as just walks throughout the resort which were so beautiful because of all of the greenery.
My favorite were the sunset walks on the beach. So peaceful and beautiful.
On our last night, there was a movie on the beach! The movie was lame (The Transporter 3), but the experience was wonderful. They pushed lounge chairs together and draped fitted sheets over two making these extra large bed-like chairs. They served popcorn and drinks and it was so fun! A perfect way to end our trip!
Is this somewhere you'd like to check out for yourself one day? I'd love to help you plan a trip! Contact me a carrie.wiley@keytotheworldtravel.com .
Wow! What a glorious resort! Glad you had a marvelous time, Carrie. Blessings!
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