Love Blooms - Jamaica Is Wooing The Romance Market
Credit: SuperClubs
Romance is in the air in Jamaica, especially with easy formalities and an abundance of venue and budget options.
Melanie Reffes
The perennial favourite of lovebirds around the world and with easy requirements for Canadians wanting to say “I Do”, Jamaica is wooing the romance market with picturesque venues, resort and hotel wedding planners and an advertising campaign aimed at attracting newlyweds and their families. “It’s a piece of cake to tie the knot in Jamaica, with just 24 hours needed for couples to receive a marriage licence,” said John Lynch, director of tourism. “Whether couples prefer an all-inclusive hotel or a lush private villa, Jamaica has accommodations to fit every desire and budget.”
Jamaica is on a roll heading into high season. With the one millionth visitor received at Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport in August, the sunny isle is poised for a high-octane holiday season. “We congratulate our lucky couple who visited Jamaica to celebrate their wedding anniversary as Jamaica remains a popular wedding and honeymoon destination,” added Lynch.
Credit: SuperClubs
On the beach, in a church, or in one of the islandâs treasured gardens, weddings are big business in Jamaica.
Whether lovebirds opt for barefoot on the beach, formal in an elegant ballroom or amid bright blooms in one of the island’s treasured gardens, fairy tale weddings do come true in Jamaica. “Destination weddings are the fastest growing segment of the travel and tourism business,” said Wayne Cummings, president, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association. “Jamaica is proud of its history in that market ensuring that brides and grooms are totally satisfied with their choice of where to begin the formal part of the lives together.”
At Couples Tower Isle, Couples Sans Souci, Couples Swept Away and Couples Negril, marriage proposals carved in ice are a cool way to pop the question. Add a bottle of bubbly and chocolate-covered strawberries and eager grooms will get a ‘yes’ every time.
Celebrating ‘second time around’ and ‘third time lucky’ weddings, Franklyn D. Resort and FDR Pebbles Resort are delighted to host couples with kids in tow. While wedding planners look after every detail from the minister to the music, newly-blended families have plenty of quality time to bond on the beach or enjoy a round of massages in the spa.
Also courting the romance market, Sandals and Beaches have paired with Martha Stewart for a myriad of wedding options. Six artistic themes include the ‘Vision in White’ for couples who prefer a classic white wedding from party favours to desserts, ‘Flutter of Romance’ that includes butterflies for a splash of whimsy, ‘Seaside Serenade’ where couples exchange vows under a seashell-studded bamboo arch, ‘Chic and Natural’ for the organic twosome, ‘Island Paradise’ ceremony studded with rainbow-hued orchids and an elegantly simple ‘Beautiful Beginnings’ wedding that salutes the Jamaican tradition of romance.
Storied memories are made at Round Hill in Montego Bay where newlyweds toast their nuptials with a chilled glass of the resort’s own Cabernet Sauvignon. “This holiday season is expected to be an improvement over the last couple, but booking windows are expected to remain short,” says Josef Forstmayr, managing director of Round Hill and president of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA). “As a result of rampant discounting across the industry, travellers have become aware that the best deals are often found last-minute.”
On Cornwall Beach fronting the Hip Strip in Montego Bay, weddings are a breeze in a seaside gazebo strung with colourful bouquets. A minister not only performs the ceremony but also offers counselling to warm up cold feet while the chef whips up a Jamaican feast fit for a Queen and King. “We can cater the event from two to 200,” says Lorraine Chung, wedding organizer. “We can also do the rehearsal dinner if the couple is already booked to have a wedding in a traditional church or banquet setting.”
Pampering Is Paramount
From vistas high atop the Blue Mountains to panoramas of the calm Caribbean Sea, Jamaica is chockablock with the crème de la crème of Caribbean spas. Whether it’s rejuvenation for your soul or a massage for your soles, a day at the spa is a must-have guilty pleasure.
All-inclusive at the Rose Hall Resort means more than gourmet fare, fruity cocktails and water sports. Overlooking historic Rose Hall Plantation in Montego Bay, Soothe Spa dishes up a fruity kaleidoscope of rubs from the mango citrus facial to a tropical body scrub.
Life is laced with languor at the KiYara Spa at the Jamaica Inn snuggled in the cliffs of Cutlass Bay, outside Ocho Rios. Translating to ‘sacred place of the earth spirits’ in the language of the Taino Indians, the Spa uses indigenous ingredients in a array of tempting massages like the ‘Hot Stone Energy Balancing’ treatment where the heat from river-smoothed stones penetrates tight muscles to a calorie-free ‘Chocolate Indulgence’ that is good enough to eat and too good to miss.
High atop the Blue Mountains, Strawberry Hill is an uber-hip haven for rejuvenation. An hour from Kingston, the Living Spa specializes in organic healing based on the five elements of Ayurveda philosophies. A world away from the dazzling lights of the city below, the Spa stands proud 900 metres above sea level with a hydrotherapy room, plunge pool and yoga deck.
Grown-ups aren’t the only ones who enjoy a good rub-down after a game of tennis or a romp on the beach. At the Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay and the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios, kids can chill-out Jamaica-style with a host of pampering options. A clever menu of treatments that are geared to young spa enthusiasts and their parents include the ‘Mommy & Me’ package of blissful neck and shoulder massages and the ‘Daddy & Me’ option that includes mini-facials for the boys in the family.
Credit: Palladium Hotels & Resorts
Dining options now include American influences at Grand Palladium Resorts.
Hilton Kingston Jamaica is now part of the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts collection. The 303-room hotel in the capital’s business district opened as a Sheraton 30 years ago and was among the first of the major commercial hotels to be built in Kingston.
On the north coast, GoldenEye will re-open on November 12 after a two-year renovation that added 11 beach cottages, six lagoon suites and two restaurants to the historic property in the quaint village of Oracabessa. “GoldenEye is no longer an all-inclusive resort,” said Jason Henzell, president of Island Outpost’s five Jamaican properties. “We want our guests to go off-property and sample the restaurants, fishing markets and rum shops in the town.”
The Royal Plantation Ocho Rios is now the Sandals Royal Plantation. No longer offering a European Plan or accepting singles, the chic resort continues to tempt with butler service for every guest, ocean views in each of the 74 suites and the Caribbean’s only Champagne and Caviar bar.
Breezes Resorts are selling a bare buns bonanza for those who prefer their birthday suit over a bathing suit. At Breezes Grand Negril and Breezes Rio Bueno, the all-inclusive “Bare Bones” package includes 24-hour room service and a body wax in the Blue Mahoe Spa.
Also in the SuperClubs family, SuperFun Beach Resort & Spa (formerly Hedonism III) opened October 14 welcoming couples and singles (18 and over) with 210 rooms, 15 suites, multiple dining options including Japanese, Italian and regional cuisines, a four-storey waterslide, three freshwater pools and a spa.
Grand Palladium Resorts recently opened the Grand Palladium Burger and an American corner to its already-comprehensive list of dining options. Guests can now choose from seven a la carte theme restaurants – Italian, Indian, Asian, Jamaican, American, fish and seafood. Three buffet-style venues feature show cooking stations where resort chefs display their creative culinary skills.
Get In Touch
For more details on planning a wedding or a vacation in Jamaica, click www.visitjamaica.com, or call the Jamaica Tourist Board at 1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-526-2422).
