I think it’s finally time that I write the incredibly overdue post about the Couples Tower Isle resort. I mean, it is the whole reason Rebel of Nothingness came to be after all!

 

So, it all started one night while daydreaming about an adult getaway. My hubby has always had the travel bug, and has always been a bit spontaneous. Within days our first trip to Jamaica was booked, and we were anxiously counting down the two months until we left for our adult only vacation.

 

While we ordered Jamaican currency it was NOT needed in the least bit. Even if you travel outside of the resort US currency will be accepted.

 

Fast forward to our arrival in Jamaica, where we waited in line at customs for what seemed like FOREVER! No worries though, because that was completely made up for by the Couple Resort lounge, friendly faces, and cold drinks that welcomed us until our shuttle to the resort arrived. Within twenty minutes our shuttle was there, and we were given one last drink to enjoy during our two hour ride to the resort. Please believe me, the two hour ride is 100% completely worth it!

 

 

The Couples Tower Isle was the last stop on the route. We pulled into the entrance and were instantly greeted by lush greenery, gorgeous flowers, a beautiful fountain, and an open air lobby. As much research as I did, I was still unprepared for the breath taking beauty that surrounded me. When stepping off of the shuttle you are given a cool wet towel, which is very refreshing, and offered a drink. Check-in was simple and quick. Drinks were made and brought to us within minutes. Right after that, we were escorted to our room.

 

 

Upon entering our room we noticed a bottle of chilled champagne, two wine glasses, and a cheese platter. Our room, while not an ocean view, was still gorgeous. There is beauty everywhere you look, so if you opt to get a room without an ocean view you will still be very pleased. The walk-in closet and spacious bathroom were an added bonus. The tiled shower had excellent water pressure that had an endless supply of hot water. That’s big for me! The king size bed had light yellow linens with light green accents. The mattress was firm, yet very comfortable. The flowing white curtains against the pale blue walls added to the island feel. There was a flat screen TV with cable, but we barely used it. Oh! The other great thing about the room was the personalized mini bar! I absolutely loved their local soda, Ting, so they kept me stocked while we were there.

 

Okay, so we quickly unpacked, changed into our suits, and headed out to explore the resort. The events coordinator showed us around the resort and gave us the low down on everything from the entertainment, restaurants, and activities both on land and in water, to the best way to ensure your spot on the beach.

 

Alright, now on to the good stuff…

 

Alcohol: There is absolutely nothing lacking in this department. During check-in we requested vodka, cranberry juice, and orange juice for our room. To our great surprise we were given a FULL sized bottle of vodka with small bottles of both juices. SCORE! There’s a piano bar, two swim up pool bars (one is located on the private au naturel island), and the main bar that overlooks the ocean. If you plan on spending the day at the beach, have no fear! You are given an orange stake flag that you hold up or stake in the ground when you are ready for another drink. A waitress will come over, take you order, and have you back in business within minutes! The Piano Bar, which is designed to look like old school Hollywood glamour, is the place to be at night. This is the place to be after dinner and into the late night if you want to have a good time singing along to tunes that you love being played by someone on the piano.

 

Restaurants: The resort is FULL of great food options at their six restaurants. My absolute favorite was the Patio Restaurant. You can eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. There is no need to dress up to go there, but women must wear a cover-up over their bathing suits, and men must wear a shirt. There is a wide variety of food to choose from. My favorite time to go there was in the morning. They made amazing omelets exactly as you wanted. There was French toast, pastries, fresh fruit, yogurt, coffee, tea, orange juice, mimosas, and so much more. My favorite place to have lunch was the Pool Grill. Everything we had there was great, but you MUST try the Jerk Burger! OMG!!! Amazing is an understatement. A burger with jerk seasoning, mango salsa, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole. Seriously, a must try! You can thank me later. The Veggie Bar was open from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm and offered fruit smoothies, salads, sandwiches, fresh cut potato chips, and dips. The only thing we had from here was salmon dip and the fresh cut potato chips. They were delicious! Bayside, Eight Rivers, and The Verandah restaurants are open for dinner. All require a reservation and have a dress code.  We did not get the chance to try The Verandah, but we heard great things about it. Both Bayside and Eight Rivers were delicious, although I had no clue what I was ordering. I just went with it, picked items off of the menu, and hoped for the best. I was pleasantly surprised at both. I think my hubby’s favorite at Eight Rivers was dessert, which included a selection of sorbets. He LOVED them all. Let me last say that food, as well as drinks, are always accessible. There is no need for anyone to ever go hungry or thirsty here!

 

 

Private Au Naturel Island: Oh…this place…was scary! Okay, not really, but I nearly had a panic attack when my husband suggested we go over there. With wide eyes I stared out at Tower Isle wondering how I was every going to get the guts up to get on the boat and head out to that little island. Just then my husband, my goodness do I love him, says to me “You want to be a rebel, right?” and there you have it…me getting on a boat and heading over…shaking the whole time. The boat docks and we get off, and all I kept thinking was DO NOT LOOK AROUND! And then I looked around. Tatas and man parts everywhere. People of all ages, shapes, and sizes just hanging out in all of their glory. Oh hey, this is where the other swim up bar is located. Go rest your naked bum on one of those tiled seats in the pool and wait for your drink. I’m sure it’s very refreshing. Being that this was my first real Rebel moment, I opted for the more private section of the island. There are very few people over there. I guess most people feel if they are going to do it they are going all in. Me? Not so much. Ha! I still haven’t lived up to my full Rebel potential yet. Anyway, we did it. Stripped down to what the good Lord gave us, we sunbathed. After my anxiety subsided a bit, I started to understand the draw to such freedom. We didn’t stay very long, but we stayed long enough to be able to say we did it. I can honestly say that was one of the bravest things I had done. I am so glad that I not only did it, but that I shared the experience with my hubby. Coming back to the resort I felt like a damn rockstar! I did it! I actually did it! In my head I was patting myself on the back for my small Rebel moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spa: The spa is amazing! Do it. Don’t debate it, just do it! You will love it. We had the couples massage, and it was absolutely amazing. Those ladies did a wonderful job, and I left not only feeling rejuvenated, but I smelled amazing as well. The atmosphere is so peaceful, and it is gorgeous back there in its own little oasis. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

 

 

This is the Buddha plunge pool located at the spa, which we did not get a chance to enjoy.

 

Activities: The resort offers a wide variety of activities, but my favorite by far was just sitting on the beach, reading a book, while enjoying a nice cold drink. What? That’s not enough activity for you? Hmmm…well, the only thing I can really report on was the snorkeling tour. We never wanted to leave, so we didn’t! We never left the resort and we didn’t try any of the other activities, although they did look like fun. This was our first trip without the kids in nine years, so our main goal was to sit back and soak in the sun. The snorkeling tour was great. I have some issues with motion sickness, so I was a little off my game for the boat ride back to the resort and needed to rest on the beach for a bit. That was so hard…not! We got some great pics underwater, and my husband really enjoyed it! Definitely a great experience! We read a lot of reviews about Dunn’s River Falls, which was an included off-site excursion; however, we opted to leave that for another trip. Some said it was completely worth it, while others said it wasn’t worth it. You’ll have to decide that one on your own. The one thing I wish we would have done that so many told us to do was head to Rick’s Café and jump off of the cliff. I hear it is quite the experience. Maybe next time. Oh! I forgot to mention one little perk that I loved. At the pool and on the beach were foam floats on each lounge chair. They are the same size as the chairs so relaxing by the water all day is rather comfortable AND you have a floatation device when you are ready to float in the water. Yet another score!

 

Ting: In my eyes this deserves its very own spot in this post! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stuff! They stocked our mini bar with it, I had it at the Pool Grill, and I would even go get it while sitting on the beach! Ting is a soda made with Jamaican grapefruit juice. It has a little bit of a bite, but it’s still sweet. If you have not tried it you do not know what you are missing. Make sure you try it! Trust me, it’s that good.

 

Going in November is perfect! It’s less crowded than normal which is great when it comes to reservations for restaurants, standing in line for drinks at the bar or food at the buffet, reserving your time for activities, and snagging a seat at the beach or the pool.

 

We 100% did not need all of the clothes we brought. We pretty much wore our bathing suits the entire time. I would pack more suits and cover-ups for the next trip.

 

We brought three cans of spray sunblock and we ran out. Either we need to bring more cans of spray OR maybe a bottle or two of sunblock lotion. That might be the better route since the lotion seems to go a longer way.

 

Our waterproof camera was more than worth it! We bought the Fujifilm FinePix XP70 Series Digital Camera just for this trip. I spent weeks looking at cameras – comparing them, reading reviews, watching YouTube videos of users testing them, and trying to find the perfect camera for us. This one was the winner, and it was awesome! I have found that if you follow the directions for cleaning and checking it you are good to go. I definitely recommend this camera, and this is coming from a once upon a time photographer who still takes pride in her photographs. An added bonus is the built in wifi. Once you have the app downloaded on your phone, tablet, or iPad you turn the wifi within the camera on, connect your device to your camera’s wifi, and then follow the directions on your camera to download the pictures from your camera to your device. At that point you can add them to Facebook, Instagram, etc. As we all know by now I love bonuses and this was a huge bonus! If you are in the market for a waterproof camera at a reasonable price I highly recommend this one.

 

 

When you are at the airport and ready to head home make sure you stop at Margaretville and leave your mark on Jamaica! We did! I wouldn’t get the Bob Marley shot there though. The hubs and I did as a goodbye to Jamaica and we regretted it. I don’t think it’s anything like the shots or drinks at the resort. Oh well, we’ll just file that away as another rebellious moment.

 

 

I guess that about sums up our trip to Couples Tower Isle Resort in Jamaica. Well, probably not, but that’s all I have for right now. If you get the chance to go…DO IT! If you just stumbled upon this post look into a trip…it is well worth it. The staff is amazing, the resort is gorgeous, the food is excellent, the drinks are strong, and the view is breathtaking!