Hi all! Today’s post is so so fun, but it also took me SO long to get it organized and written. Writing a blog post is a lot harder and overwhelming than you probably realize. But that’s okay because I love writing and love sharing!
At the end of June, Seth & I went on vacation to the beautiful island of Jamaica, and it totally did not disappoint. We knew we wanted to go somewhere all inclusive and tropical, so we narrowed down our choices and thought that Jamaica would be perfect for us this year. I thought it would be beneficial to break this post into categories, so it wouldn’t be too overwhelming to read! Now, I am no professional reviewer or traveler, so please bear with me!
Where did we stay?
We initially knew we wanted to stay at an Excellence resort when we were discussing where we wanted to go. We decided on Excellence Oyster Bay in Falmouth, Jamaica! This resort is on a little peninsula on the Northside of the island. It is very secluded with no traffic and is stunning! The water is crystal clear. There is little to no seaweed, and what seaweed there is on the beach, there was always a worker on the beach raking it up.
The style of this resort was STUNNING! It was exactly what I want my future home to look like. All the buildings were white with black and gold accents. The lobby when you walk in is 😍😍😍. That was one of the things that stuck out to me the most. I used the word “swanky” to describe it! Absolutely lovely. The resort is brand new and opened in 2018. You can tell that the buildings, rooms, and restaurants are new and up to date.
How did you get to the resort?
We booked a private transfer from the airport to the resort. We scoured Trip Advisor for transportation company reviews because I was having extreme anxiety about getting to the airport and resort safely and booking someone reputable. We ended up booking with Major 1 Tours and I could not have been happier. It was a young guy who was so nice and talked to us the whole way there. He told us about the island and showed us resorts and celebrity homes. I felt safe the entire time, and we were so so happy with our decision! It took about 30 minutes to get from Sangster International Airport to the resort.
How many different rooms are there?
There are several different rooms to choose from. From a garden view room to an ocean view plunge pool. You can also book an Excellence Club room which comes with its own perks! In my opinion, that is so worth it! I will talk more about that in a bit. We booked an Excellence Club Junior Suite with a partial ocean view. Our room was so nice, the bed was super comfortable, and included a jacuzzi tub, two TVs, a fully stocked bar and fridge, and snacks that were replenished daily. We had a beautiful view of the ocean from our room.
If I were to go again, I would want a beach house right on the ocean with a full ocean view! But that’s just me. I loved our suite room, and it was perfect for us, but I would try out the beach houses next time. I would LOVE to try the brand new beach villas they just opened, but I don’t have that kind of money lol! They are NICE though.
How was the food?
DELICIOUS! Our favorite places were Zenith, Magna, and Spice. Luckily for us, it was lobster season and the lobster was phenomenal. Our steaks were cooked perfectly every time, and the sushi was some of the best we have had at Spice. We basically lived for dinner haha! The room service menu is really good. My favorites were the chicken fingers and nachos! Seth usually got the jerk chicken wings.
A hidden gem Seth and I came to LOVE was the little bakery shop. They had baked goods, muffins, cinnamon rolls, coffee, and….. ICE CREAM. We would go get an ice cream cone in the afternoons when it got so hot. I didn’t even remember reading about this little shop before we got there, but it turned out to be one of our favorite spots!
What did you do during the day/night?
During the day, we lounged by the pool or ocean. Just whatever we were feeling that day. I read 4 or 5 books while we were on vacation, and I LOVED it. Seth napped and looked up food and recipes lol! I’m also a grandma and did word searches and sudoku puzzles while lounging by the pool. #noshame. We were the laziest people that week, as we should have been. We were definitely in our happy place! OH I should mention that one day Seth and I participated in water aerobics lol! It was really fun, Seth probably thought otherwise, but I had a blast. There are all kinds of activities to do during the day by the pool or pool bars.
At night there is always a show, and they are actually pretty good and the performers and dancers were great. The Michael Jackson show was awesome! There is also a sports bar that is open late where they have karaoke. They definitely make sure there is plenty of activities to partake in! We had a blast!.
What was your favorite part?
The whole vacation was my favorite! That sounds dumb, but it is true! The food was amazing. I loved getting ready for dinner and just taking our time eating and enjoying the food with Seth. Lounging by the pool and ocean were so relaxing. After dinner and the nighttime show, we would go back to our room and watch a movie order room service just because we could!! Perfection!
Was it better than Sandals?
This is a hard question. We went to Sandals on our honeymoon and there is absolutely nothing I would change about that trip. We had absolutely no expectations going in and I think that made all the difference in the world. Excellence had overall nicer buildings, lobby, and restaurants. Everything was up to date and the style of the resort was so gorgeous. I would say Sandals is not as up to date, but we still had a wonderful experience at both. Sandals is actually more expensive. We got a nicer room at Excellence for less money than we would have gotten at Sandals.
Affordable?
You can go as affordable or not as you would like! It also depends on how many days you are staying as well. But it is definitely doable as long as you plan in advance and budget/save your money.
Accommodations?
The information below was found via Excellence Resorts’ website.
Our 24-hour, All-Inclusive Luxury service includes:
-Special welcome cocktail and cool towel
Daily breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks: 8 à la carte options for dinner, 2 à la carte lunch options, 1 buffet, takeaway wood oven pizza
-10 bars & lounges
-Unlimited natural fruit juices and soft drinks
-Unlimited international premium and domestic alcoholic beverages
-24 hour room service
-Pool and beach waiter service
-3 swimming pools & 4 outdoor hot water jacuzzis
-Non-motorized water sports (sailing, sea kayaking, paddleboard, snorkeling gear, introductory scuba lesson)
-Daily activities / Nightly shows
-Fully equipped, state-of-the-art fitness center
-Free wireless internet
-All taxes and gratuities
What is Excellence Club?
Highly, highly recommend booking an Excellence Club room! There are so many wonderful perks!
One of my favorite perks is that you have access to two restaurants that you otherwise would not if you weren’t Excellence Club, and the food is wonderful there!! They were our two favorite places, Magna & Zenith.
We also loved the private Excellence Club pool and beach area. You can order little snacks and lunch food at the pool during lunchtime, and the waiters bring it out to you, so you don’t even have to leave your lounger. Yay! The Club beach is so quiet and nice. We went there several times when we didn’t want to be around a lot of noise- just peace and quiet.
I hope this covers most of your questions or just helped your curiosity! Highly recommend Excellence resorts for all your vacation needs. The people were so nice and helpful. We loved talking to them, and they loved talking to you! We would love to go visit another Excellence Resort in the future! ❤️❤️
Your outfits are all on point!! This was a great blog post. Thank you.
Thank you so much Leanne! How kind of you! ❤️
Thank you so much!!
Hello,
about your car service.. was it pricey? Would you share their contact information?
Thank you!
Yes I will get back with you ASAP on that! Sorry it has taken me so long!