sajon19885: Travel | Our Trip to Couples Tower Isle

In case you're new around here, my husband and I spent a long weekend in Jamaica to celebrate our anniversary last month. It was our 2nd anniversary and for personal reasons we wanted to make sure to celebrate it in a big way. I thought that a relaxing trip somewhere beachy would be a perfect way to celebrate so I started to look for cool places to stay. Since we live in Florida we wanted to go somewhere different. (We're used to the beaches here and wanted something new.)?

Usually when we travel we like to pick boutique hotels or research really unique and less "mass market" places to stay and visit. But when someone suggested the idea of an all-inclusive resort I was intrigued by the idea of having everything paid for in advance and just being able to enjoy our trip without worrying about remembering to budget ourselves or worry about exchanging our money or worry about having to tell the bank we were traveling.?

I've had a not-so-great experience at a different all inclusive resort before so I was a bit wary about trying that again. But when I found Couples Resorts I was instantly swayed by their modern architecture and the way they described their all-inclusive (and adults-only) resorts as being a boutique experience inside the all inclusive market. We decided to give them a try and ended up with a reservation at Couples Tower Isle.? The most "high design" and recently renovated (a $40 million dollar reno, to be precise) of their 4 resorts in Jamaica, Couples Tower Isle is located in Ocho Rios. With 6 restaurants, 4 bars, an organic herb garden, a world class spa, and a bunch of activities like snorkeling and kayaking, we thought it sounded like perfection!

When we arrived to the Montego Bay airport we were welcomed into the Couples Resorts lounge where we were given refreshments and a comfy place to wait for the shuttle that would take us to the resort. The resort is about a 2 hour ride from the airport but the ride is gorgeous as it takes you along the coast, up and down the hills, and through the lush wooded area. When we first arrived at the resort we were welcomed into the lobby by these talented guys...

?I was IMMEDIATELY impressed by the retro design, modern lines, and soft colors. Lots of shades of blue and green and turquoise compliment the palm trees and gemstone colored water outside. Graphic black and white stripes are used throughout the decor too. Which, you know, you can't really go wrong with.?

?We were welcomed right away by friendly and smiling faces and taken to lunch at the open air restaurant that serves both entrees and an all day buffet of rotating goodness

?Since it was already afternoon, we decided to lay low our first day and just soak up some sun.

?The resort actually has 6 restaurants, 2 are more like cafes. We chose to try out the Bayside Asian restaurant our first night and it ended up being our favorite. The food was equally delicious at all the restaurants but we loved the ambiance and view from this one the best.?

?Our second day was full of activities. The resort had suggested we go on the Catamaran cruise first. Then they scheduled us for a couples massage at their world class spa which Nate was super excited about since he had never before had a professional massage. Lastly, we were scheduled to have a private romantic dinner on the island after the sun went down. Time to power up, it was a big day!

?The Catamaran cruise lasts around 2 hours and takes you around the coast a bit to a gorgeous cove where you can get off the boat and swim in the turquoise water. The cruise staff are all hilarious and gregarious. They played reggae and party music and served us never-ending cups of rum punch.?

?We chose to dive right off the boat instead of going down the stairs. We also chose to go lifevest-less. I just loved that the Jamaicans were so go with the flow. Here in the states they would have forced us to wear them because everyone here are so afraid of anyone ever getting hurt. But Nate and I are strong swimmers and grew up in the oceans so...

?After the cruise it was time for our couples massage at the Oasis Spa. It was voted "Best in the Caribbean" by Travel and Leisure. It's on the opposite side of the resort in the gardens which are super lush. It is tucked away and doesn't disrupt the visual aesthetic of the gardens as it seems to seamlessly blend in while still being modern and well designed.?

?Time for our private dinner. This is an upgrade you can choose when you make your reservation. I saw a few brides and grooms partake of this special dinner as well. It's on the little island and you are given your own personal waiter. A private chef is waiting on the island as well as a table surrounded by glowing candles, with chilled champagne and wine. This was the perfect dinner to celebrate our anniversary!

?Our last day was spent, for the most part, laying around by the pool and playing on the beach. But I really wanted to go snorkeling so we signed up for the afternoon trip. We got our gear and headed out on the boat...

?The stars were INCREDIBLE and I wanted so badly to get a photo of them but we missed our chance since every night after the first one cloud cover blocked part of our view. There was lightning off in the distance each night so we decided to take a long exposure to capture the lightning and whatever we could get of the beautiful stars. I love how it turned out.

?Our flight left at noon which meant that we had to leave the resort at 7am. I was sad to say goodbye. Nate and I both wished we had 1 or 2 more days but when you've got a wee one at home with a babysitter you've gotta take what you can get. Jamaica from the air is amazing, it looks like the inside of a cracked open geode:

So... that was our trip! It was wonderful, we had a fantastic time and have really happy memories. There was nothing that went wrong, we were treated amazing the entire time. The staff was so nice and friendly we ended up making friends with a few of them. Since the resort is adults-only the vibe is pretty mellow, there's no children running up and down the halls or screaming early in the morning to wake you up.?

Some things that we just didn't have time to do but that are also available at Tower Isle are: a bunch of jacuzzis, kayaking, golfing, diving, nude sunbathing on the island, even more watersports, paddleboats, ?yoga, a workout room, an internet cafe (in case you leave your laptops at home but still want to connect), glass bottomed boat tour, shopping excursions, a piano bar, tennis, a tour of Dunn's River Falls, and a vegetarian cafe for you veggies out there.?

You can get married at the resort too. They have a bunch of options for couples looking to get married and if you are up for something not-so-traditional this would be a really cool option. I was told you can even rent out the small island for your wedding which would be oh so beautiful! They have photographers included in the wedding packages but you are allowed to bring outside photographers with you. (LIKE US, DUH!) The only downside is there's a fee if you choose to bring an outside photographer. BUT... we talked it over and decided that... if you want to get married there and have us shoot it, WE WILL PAY THE FEE FOR YOU. Because we think it's just that beautiful there and we don't want anyone to feel like they can't have us there because of that additional expense. Hop over to our photography portfolio if you wanna look at our stuff.?

In conclusion:?

Would I recommend Couples Tower Island for a great experience and relaxing vacation? Absolutely! That was probably the LEAST STRESSFUL trip Nate and I have ever taken together. We didn't take our debit cards out until we were in the airport to come home and wanted to buy some souvenirs. Bring a bit of cash though if you want to be able to leave tips. It's not required, but it's nice. The beauty of this style of traveling is that it's so turn-key. You make the reservation and that's it. You don't have to organize anything. I loved that transportation to and from the airport was taken care of because that is always something that stresses me out when we travel, especially to other countries.?

This would make a wonderful anniversary getaway (like we did) or a great honeymoon. Or a just-for-fun-because-you-need-a-break-and-unlimited-pina-coladas trip. There is, in all honesty, not one negative thing I can say about our trip. It was wonderful from beginning to end and we are already talking about returning. We plan to go back absolutely.?

See part 1 of my recap here.?

*One note, the couples massage and private island dinner are an add on or upgrade to your vacation package. Any additional spa services are extra and you can pay for them when you are there. Same with the private island dinner if you don't book it in advance. But all the other dinners at the resort restaurants are included. Didn't want there to be any confusion.?