The honeymoon.
Given that our wedding was a little more DIY than most, I wanted our honeymoon to be simple. Something with a short, direct flight and all-inclusive options. Living on the East Coast, this is an easy ask and after doing some research we settled on Jamaica. Neither of us had even been before, plus it's four hours from Newark Airport and littered with resorts.
Our adventure brought us to Montego Bay where we stayed at Secrets Wild Orchid. The property had its perks, tucked away just outside the city (not far from the world's biggest Kentucky Fried Chicken) with two other adjacent AMResorts on the grounds. I wasn't totally blown away by the service we received but overall it was nice play to unwind post-wedding. Multiple restaurants to choose from, several bars, outdoor entertainment and a swimming pool right outside our room. If I'm being totally honest, the swim out feature was probably the biggest selling point for us.
I spent the majority of the trip on a quiet beach just steps from our room, under an umbrella reading voraciously while sipping piña coladas with dark rum. All about that life. We did venture off resort one afternoon to visit the "Glistening Waters" Luminous Lagoon. This part of the island is famous for two things: Usain Bolt and the lagoon, which is home to millions of dinoflagellates that light up when the water is agitated at night. You can see a picture of this below along with some other highlights.
From the top, left to right:
- Flyover view of Cuba
- Part of Secrets Wild Orchid
- Starfish
- Bar swings
- Marina in Falmouth
- Marina in Falmouth, part three
- Jesse making friends
- Wildlife at the resort
- Jesse surveys the swim out room
- A "Bob Marley" frozen drink
- Sea urchin
- Turn down service
- Marina in Falmouth, part two
- Glistening Waters luminous lagoon
- View from Secrets Wild Orchid
- Saying goodbye
