Last week we spent 6 nights in Jamaica, focusing on rest and relaxation. We'd never been, but have a couple of friends who have and they absolutely love the island so we decided to spend a belated anniversary celebration at an adults-only (no, not that kind!) all-inclusive resort in Ocho Rios. The resort was very well rated on TripAdvisor and my BFFs husband went previously so we knew we were in good hands.
Because it was an all-inclusive, we were able to focus less on where we would get breakfast, lunch & dinner (huge considerations when you vacation with the Caudills) and instead think about not doing a darn thing but sitting on the beach under a palapa with a good book and a frosty beverage in hand.
Alan learned to scuba dive and we took a trip or two off the resort for some outdoor adventure. Dunn's River Falls kicked my ass (my knees are not cut out for climbing UP waterfalls, apparently) and I got a bit banged up on the White River tubing adventure when we hit some rapids and my tube flipped and pushed me into some rocks, but they were great fun and I'm glad we made the time and effort to see some of the country besides our resort (which we didn't do when in the Dominican Republic).
The resort, Couples Sans Souci, is absolutely beautiful and our room had an amazing view from a giant veranda overlooking the jungle landscape and the ocean. We spent quite a few evenings out there watching the sun set over the property and I'm glad we paid for the extra upgrade, even if it meant having to hike up and down the mountain every time we left or returned to the room.
I'm definitely looking forward to returning to Jamaica some day, but like we do with island hopping in Hawaii, I think we'll give Negril a try next time. But if you're considering a trip to Jamaica and Ocho Rios is your preferred destination, I definitely recommend our resort.