The Honeymoon in Jamaica: Part I

the honeymoon

It is quite chilly up here in Chicago! Did you know that on Monday Chicago was colder than Mars?? Not okay.

That being said, I’m daydreaming of the Honeymoon we went on back in November to Jamaica, where everything was sunny and warm and perfect. It’s going to take a couple posts to share all these adventures and photos!

{Getting There}

Eric and I took off for our honeymoon bright and early the next morning after the wedding. Well, actually it was still dark it was so early, so nix the bright. We rocked these awesome (and original) Married AF shirts and koozies by The Daily Tay, and got lots of compliments.

the honeymoon

We had booked our trip through Southwest Vacations. Loveee Southwest Vacations, you guys! They make it so easy to have everything taken care all in one place.

{The Resort}

On the plane we could hardly contain ourselves. We knew we wanted to find an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean, one where we could relax and soak up the sun, but one where we could still be adventurous! After lots of research, we landed on Couples Swept Away (CSA) for seven days in Negril, Jamaica.

the honeymoon

the honeymoon

Let me say this place is a real life dream, in case my pure joy above does not convey that enough.

Not only are the facilities gorgeous, but the entire staff is beyond kind. I can definitely say that we left with new friends. CSA is not too big, not too small, and it’s impossible to not feel the romantic vacation vibes.

This resort is located along a gorgeous strip of Seven Mile Beach and has two big pools, six restaurants, bars throughout, and a variety of nighttime entertainment. In addition to food and drink being included, your stay also includes a whole bunch of other water recreation and island activities – glass-bottom boat tours, snorkeling, windsurfing, catamaran cruises, etc.

the honeymoon

I said it was a real life dream, right??

{The Room}

So beautiful and literally located steps away from the beach. At night you could hear the waves gently crash. There was also a balcony that had us feeling so adult and fancy when we’d sit out there.

the honeymoon

the honeymoon

{The Eats}

Oh my goodness, so yummy! I know people hate on resort food sometimes, that is not the case at CSA. Eric’s favorite was probably the jerk chicken, while I fell in love with a fresh fish sandwich on the softest bread ever.

A light breakfast could be delivered to our room, or we could go to a couple restaurants for a sit down menu or buffet. Everyone knows breakfast is my fave, I was not disappointed.

the honeymoon

the honeymoon

At one spot for dinner, there’s a pasta bar that served as an appetizer for a three course menu. Basically, like four dinners in one. It’s a miracle we didn’t come back twice our sizes.

We particularly liked one cafe for the afternoon munchies, Seagrapes. It was technically the vegetarian restaurant, but I guarantee a majority of the clientele was not just vegetarian. There was all sort of healthy eats to enjoy.

{Catamaran Cruise}

This was the first big activity we signed up for. The crew had Jamaican music going and Red Stripe flowing, the Jamaican beer everyone drank. They took us along the island for sightseeing and even stopped at a giant cave for us to go swimming.

the honeymoon

the honeymoon

the honeymoon

We caught all these pictures with the GoPro we bought just before our wedding weekend! Eric and I had talked about getting one, and then knew we couldn’t leave for all these water adventures without it. Highly recommend –  we were able to get some awesome shots and were totally carefree about any concerns of it getting wet!

the honeymoon

{Snorkeling}

I had never been before! This was one of the biggest things on my to-do list. We signed up for a daytime snorkel and loved it. We got to see a giant barracuda, feed fish, hold starfish, see a sunken cannon and anchor…it was all so beautiful. I kept telling E it was like opening my old science text books and seeing the coral reefs from the pages come to life.

the honeymoon

the honeymoon

GoPro was clearly also a star for this outing.

We had such a fun time, we signed up to go again at night. Jumping off the boat that time around was definitely a little freakier, but very awesome. The reefs seem totally different, and we saw more creatures, like an octopus and sea turtle.

the honeymoon

the honeymoon

We loved snorkeling so much, we thought we’d take it one step further and get scuba certified. More on that in Part II, along with other adventures!

That’s all for today, friends! I hope no matter where you are – beach, mountains, or in between – you’re having a great Thursday, with holiday spirit in full swing!

Days By Day

10 Comments

  1. Janine
    December 22, 2016 / 10:14 pm

    Love your photos! I’ve been on the fence about getting a GoPro but I really think I need one before my next vacation!

    • Dayna Reyna
      Author
      December 30, 2016 / 9:24 am

      Hi Janine! Yes, yes you totally should! I think you’ll really like it. We had so much fun using it all over the place. 🙂 xoxo

    • Dayna Reyna
      Author
      December 30, 2016 / 9:58 am

      Thanks lady! The GoPro was so awesome and so fun! xoxo

  2. December 30, 2016 / 9:44 am

    Looks like so much fun! Congratulations!!!

    • Dayna Reyna
      Author
      December 30, 2016 / 9:59 am

      Thanks so much girl! We were lucky we got to go on such a wonderful trip! It was a blast. 🙂 xoxo

  3. December 30, 2016 / 11:36 am

    WOW! These pictures are seriously stunning! This trip looks like such a dream – love the underwater shots. Congrats to you both!!

    • Dayna Reyna
      Author
      December 30, 2016 / 12:15 pm

      Thanks so much, Shannon!! I know, it was so cool to be able to take some underwater shots. 🙂 xoxo

  4. Julie Ziegler
    January 7, 2017 / 9:56 am

    First of all Congrats on your nuptials! And secondly- loved your CSA pics! We’re from the Quad Cities in Iowa and have been 5 times! Got every dive certification to Rescue diver there! Going back in July! Your blog is EXACTLY how we always feel there! It was a perfect review/preview for us on this super chilly Saturday morning!

    • Dayna Reyna
      Author
      January 7, 2017 / 6:46 pm

      Aw, Julie this comment made my day!! It’s so nice to hear from someone who feels the exact same about CSA! We can’t wait to go back and dive some more. So excited for your upcoming trip. Stay warm, friend! xo Dayna

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