Montego Bay Jamaica: A Cheeky Beach Break

When I wrote my Summer bucket list post back in June I vowed to travel more this Summer and it feels like I’m finally ticking some of the places I want to see off my list (the world's longest list.) As Wolchin said, 'if we were meant to stay in one place, we'd have roots instead of feet'. I guess I agree with that. When I was invited to Jamaica for a last minute beach trip, I couldn’t say no. My wanderlust began the minute I touched down in Vietnam and I can't see it ending anytime soon, I have the travel bug. Jamaica is somewhere that I’ve never even really thought of going to, I have no idea why, but I like the fact that it's a little bit different from your normal holiday destination; I've been to Greece and Spain countless times so it was nice to fly out a litter further a field this time. When I did a quick Pinterest search of ‘Montego Bay’, the love was instant. I cannot wait to share this trip of a lifetime with you. Pack your suncream, it's a hot one!...

On arrival we were greeted by the most perfect Caribbean water... clear, bright and peaceful...

We got ourselves a spot near the lifeguard's hut...

and quickly got down to business; sampling the cocktail menu. This is a Miami Vice and it tasted just as good as it looks; smooth and refreshing.

It was so hot that after 20 minutes, I desperately needed to cool down in the sea. I popped on my H&M bikini (completely random find and I love it so much: similar here on Boohoo and here on ASOS) and jumped right in... 

Loving the swimwear inspiration here

Vintage:Swimsuit Down To The Wire Top 

It was soon time for the sun to set and a jet-lagged me went to rest my sleepy head after a lovely first half-day.

We ate breakfast with probably the most scenic view every morning, it looks like something from a magazine but nope, no filter necessary, this was taken by me. I did make the mistake one morning of getting tomato juice instead of strawberry juice, oops. 

The next morning we were awoken by a knock at our door, it was our butler, he brought us some champagne for Jack's birthday...

I popped on my favourite new outfit and went for a wander along the beach that afternoon.  

I just ended up back in the sea again though.

Top / Shorts - I love the nautical look. The top is out of stock but you can get similar on ASOS here and here.

As the hotel got ready for a wedding (how perfect) it was time for me to get ready for dinner. 

You may have seen me upload a photograph of this dress to my Instagram (@emshelx), I love it. Available online here. Very similar here too.

We ate at the hotel's teppanyaki restaurant and it was absolutely incredible. We had our own chef, I had the most succulent beef with egg fried rice, naughty but nice. Not forgetting the amazing selection of tempura I had to start with. 

Say hello to our chef, Jason.

Another day quickly arrived in Jamaica, we spent our days swimming, snorkeling, drinking cocktails, lounging and eating, let's just say it was bliss, complete relaxation - something that I really needed.

I fell in love with a brand called Seafolly whilst I was away, I've always had a thing for Australian brands and I think Seafolly is my new favourite. This is the Seafolly Bandit dress and was kindly sent to me by Coco Bay - I know where I'll be heading for my holiday clothes again next time! Next on my holiday clothing wishlist: the Seafolly desert springs swimsuit and the botanical maxi dress. Can I win the Lottery soon please? Hat: Boohoo

Jack learnt how to sail a catamaran...

and I watched from nearby...

After a long day of relaxation, it was time for another outfit change...

You may have seen me put this on my Instagram too... it's from Missguided and is available online here - I couldn't be anymore in love with it.  

The next day we went kayaking, and I think we saw a stingray... I didn't jump in to check, that's for sure.

Oh, I also tried my hand at sailing a bamboo raft, along the same river that Usain Bolt used to sail to school on every morning. I guess you could say that's a once in a lifetime experience yeah?

That afternoon we finally decided to sample Jack's birthday champagne. 

Kaftan: C/O Coco Bay, another one from Seafolly!

On the 4th July we had special 4th July cocktails - the majority of the hotel guests were American so as you can imagine, the atmosphere was electric...

I became hooked on my book, Love Like The movies by Victoria Van Tiem (highly recommend this as a beachy read).

But I did have regular 10 minute intervals where I'd escape from inside my book and run into the sea...

It was extremely hot but my mini Murad Essential-C Sun Balm really did stop me from burning. I feel like this is a hot weather essential for every female. 

Shorts: C/O Oh My Love London / Top: H&M Similar here on ASOS and here on Missguided \ Tan: Natural! 

Later that evening me and Jack went on a walk around some of the other resorts on Montego Bay...

Dress: Oh My Love London / Sandals: New Look / Bag: Aspiga / Tan: Natural, hooray! 

We were up bright and early the next day so ordered breakfast in bed, although we ended up eating it on the balcony. 

Top: Missguided / Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Dress: Boohoo

We spent the day climbing Dunn's River Falls... give it a quick Google search. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was (or that it was safe enough to climb a fully flowing waterfall!) 

Jumpsuit: Missguided / Necklace: LVNDR / Wearing my favourite Kate Moss lipstick! 

The final morning came around but we still had champagne cocktails on the beach to start the day...

I have no idea why I went so brown... Bikini: Primark, similar here and here. 

We had Bob Marley cocktails on our final evening which really did put a cherry on top of the most perfect holiday...

That evening we headed to the surf and turf restaurant for some pretty large steaks and some delicious lobster. 

It was time to kiss goodbye to paradise...

but not without one last dip in the pool...

My Jamaica wardrobe:

A massive THANK YOU to the amazing people that I shared this trip with. If you ever get the chance, visit Montego Bay, white beaches, clear ocean and incredibly lovely people. I had the best time ever and feel very lucky and grateful that I was able to experience such an idyllic place. Next stop... Paris this weekend!

Have you ever been to Jamaica? Would you like to go to Jamaica? Where are you heading this Summer?

Lots of love, Em x

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