You’ve asked and we’ve answered! Welcome to your weekly column ‘Planning Your Happily Ever After’ with wedding consultant Shikima Hinds. Her focus this week: Wedding v acation locations

Let’s face it: One of the best parts about planning your wedding is that you get to take an awesome vacation after your “I do’s.”

These days, couples are looking for more reasons to get away apart from simply a honeymoon; they are looking to begin the romance experience from the days leading up to the moment they tie the knot. This is ideal not only for international couples who want to get away to our beautiful island but also for locals seeking fantastic domestic alternatives.

As a wedding planner, I know that COVID-19 may hinder original wedding plans, but a local destination wedding is the perfect wedding idea in these times.

Several hotels and resorts are catering to couples by offering exclusive experiences that are chock-full of amenities for your wedding getaway; one such resort is The Cliff Hotel in Negril.

With only 22 suites and four private villas nestled within five acres of lush tranquillity overlooking the Caribbean Sea, in Negril, the resort is small enough to be intimate, yet large enough to provide all the five-star amenities you would expect from a luxury island resort.

The Cliff Hotel is the perfect location for weddings, vow renewals, and special celebrations. Their philosophy of relaxation and fun makes it the perfect place to escape with friends, family, or the love of your life. With a world-class restaurant, yoga pavilion, fitness centre, beauty salon, saltwater pool, and spa, The Cliff Hotel is more than just a place to lay your head: It is a complete destination.

The hotel offers a variety of outdoor and indoor locations to suit a variety of needs. With five ceremony locations and six reception locations on the property, every couple is sure to find something to suit their heart’s desire. For the bride who wants to be surrounded by lush tropical greenery with the ocean as the backdrop… the Sunset Vow space is the perfect location. The couple who may want to feel the wind in their face with the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks, the Cliff Terrace is the perfect option!

Adding to the charm of the hotel is the culinary appeal of the Zest Restaurant with its rich diversity of island cuisine; showcasing fresh farm-to-table ingredients woven together in a seasonally driven menu of signature dishes.

With world-acclaimed restaurants in Miami, Grand Cayman and the Bahamas, award-winning hospitality duo, Chef Cindy Hutson and Delius Shirley (son of famed late Jamaican chef Norma Shirley) bring their globally renowned ‘Cuisine of the Sun’ philosophy to The Cliff Hotel. Even internationally inspired classics are given a unique Jamaican twist. Think: Breadfruit turned tropical taco encasing locally caught fish; how about mid-Atlantic crab cakes given a spicy West Indian curried makeover? And what would a banana fritter be if it didn’t get drunk on rum-soaked raisin whipped cream!

“Zest is one of the five character strengths that contribute most to a sense of life satisfaction. The other four are curiosity, gratitude, optimism, and the ability to love and be loved. If you’re looking for a way to increase your happiness, add Zest to your life.”

If exclusivity is up your ally, based on the intimate vibe of the hotel, guests are often inclined to buy out the entire property which allows them to take advantage of additional areas on the property to have their nuptials and various activities. This includes the Zest Restaurant, which offers floor-to-ceiling views that open onto a softly lit cliff-top patio overlooking Negril’s breathtaking coastline.

The Cliff also offers a flexible meeting and event space in its conference room, which is coupled with services such as state-of-the-art LED lighting, a fully air-conditioned area with modern furnishing, and comes equipped with high-tech amenities like audio and visual provisions.

This resort can be your very own utopia to rest, relax and celebrate love. Stylish, yet casual. Elegant, yet unassuming. Chic, yet unpretentious. From the moment you step into the open-air lobby of The Cliff Hotel and breathe in the view, you will know you have arrived.