Good morning, cakies! Today, we want to take you on a little tropical journey with our editor, Jillian. She recently traveled to Jamaica with her family. You may have been following along when she posted on her travel style or via instagram. Well, from what we saw, it was nothing short of amazing! We’ll let Jillian tell you all about it…
Have any of you ever been to Jamaica? I have to say, it’s never really been on my radar. But, as we started researching destinations through Mr & Mrs Smith hotels, Jamaica continued to pop up. And, once we saw Goldeneye, we knew we had to visit this stunning property. This vacation was the tropical getaway we had been dreaming of…Why had we not thought of this sooner?!
Goldeneye is rich with history, and the story is best told by the owner himself, Chris Blackwell. Who to our suprise, was staying at the property while we were there, so needless to say we were a bit starstruck. As we entered the property we were amazed by how discrete and hidden this oasis is from the main road. It was like we had received the secret code, and were now entering our own private island. We were greeted with a warm smile, and rum, of course! But not just any rum… This was rum made by Chris Blackwell himself. Can you say attention to detail?! As we walked from the entrance to our own private beach cottage (how amazing is that?), the beauty was absolutely breathtaking. We crossed over a beautiful lagoon that ran straight to the ocean. My husband instantly pointed out that they had paddle boards and kayaks…he was sold! Typical dude. I, on the other hand, just wanted to jump into my suit and enjoy the views. I knew from that moment, that I didn’t want to be anywhere else, and that I wasn’t going to leave our private piece of paradise.
Hello! Yep, that’s me in front of our beach cottage. The way the property is laid out you would never know it was at full capacity. It always felt like you were the only one there, and the staff treated you that way as well. Always catering to any of your needs and going out of their way to make you feel comfortable. For instance, our son Liam had a lot of little bug bites on his leg. As soon as they saw him feeling aggravated, they picked off a piece of aloe from a nearby plant, and applied it to his “ouchy.” Instantly the pain went away and Liam’s tears turned to joy. It was a small gesture that went a long way, and made us feel like these people were’t just staff, they were our family for the next few days.
Incase you’re wondering…this suit is from Lolli Swim. I’m so in love with this style.
Crazy, epic alert!!! Behold…the spa. I mean seriously, I felt like I was in Bali or Coast Rica, not Jamaica. Remember me talking about the lagoon earlier? Well, in order to get to the spa you could take a road, sure, but why take a road when you can paddle the lagoon to your treatment? From the paddle board you could view a few of the other cottages and experience the tropical beauty Jamaica has to offer.
Our son’s first kayak ride! We thought about taking a private sunset boat ride one night, but remembered the kayaks, and quickly hopped at the chance to ride out into the sunset. This moment was so calming and thrilling all at once.
Naturally, Chris Blackwell added his record sleeves to the Bizot Bar. There was this kind of understated cool to the vibe at the bar. Reggae music playing in the background, a rum cocktail in hand… you were instantly transported.
Just around the corner from the main resort is the Fleming Villa. Lucky for us no one was staying there, so we got a little tour, and then hiked down to the private beach for a dip. For just a moment, you could daydream about how Ian Fleming sat on the beach feverishly writing the Bond novels.
We were so sad to leave this magical place. It will forever be a special place to us, and we can’t wait to return again and again. I have to say this would seriously be the ultimate honeymoon spot, and you don’t have to fly all the way to Bora Bora to get the off-the-grid, clear blue water, tropical getaway you desire. And bonus: Mr & Mrs Smith offer a Just Married pass that allows you to travel at ease with lots of special perks.
We hope you enjoyed our journey through Goldeneye, but we’re not done yet. Come back on Friday as we explore Roundhill Hotel & Villas just outside of Montego Bay. Thanks for coming along with me, and feel free to ask me any questions. See you soon! ~ Jillian
Photography: Scott Clark Photo / Venue: Goldeneye Hotel & Resort / Travel accommodations: Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel
