Mushroomin’ in Paradise: A Review of Psychedelic Mushrooms at Coral Cove Wellness Resort in Jamaica
Art Courtesy of Casey Renteria
Coral Cove Wellness Resort takes recreation and relaxation seriously.
There is no shortage of activities across its coastal property and beyond. This is supplemented heavily by the Jamaican sunshine, food, cannabis, and a mushroom or two (or ten) from the psilocybe cubensis family.
Choose Your Own Mushroom Adventure
The choose-your-own-adventure vibes were real as the group explored the property and lounged in the pool all week. There were quite a few mushroom varieties available and many ways to consume including capsules, tea, delicious smoothies, and (my preferred form) dried and natural. It’s not that I “enjoy” the taste of them, per se, but I appreciate what they’re bringing to the table, so I like to have them unaltered. I also like to take little pieces throughout the day, weekend, or event to ramp up slower than eating a gram or two at once.
Everyone could choose their dosage, frequency, and style with no pressure and a perfect set and setting to unwind and connect with nature and good folks.
The options we had to choose from were:
Cambodian
Fatback
Monster Mack
Golden Teachers
Some, like the Golden Teachers, were capsules and were perfect for smoothies, while others were available in many forms. For a psychonaut, it was relative paradise for sure. Wake up, have a joint, yoga, and breakfast, if you’d like, then put in an order of mushrooms for the day. With opportunities to re-order at any time, it’s safe to say I was in good spirits.
On the first day, we arrived in the afternoon, and most, including myself, turned in early to recover from travel. The next morning, I signed up for a gram of dried Cambodian, 1.5 grams of dried Fatback, and .1g Golden Teacher smoothie to kick it off. When in Rome, right?
The snorkeling that day after consuming was unforgettable as the sunlight refracted through the water and coral. Swimming through the waves and feeling the ocean all around was otherworldly. Unwinding in the saltwater pool to watch the sunset with good music, conversation, cannabis, and more mushrooms accented the day.
We continued to explore the property and visited Wabba’s grow on day three. A fourth variety of mushroom was made available that morning: the Monster Mack. I had a heavier and much more introspective trip from this variety, thinking about work, family, and life. It was needed but consumed my thoughts. This was a healing, cathartic experience to think about things and make some resolutions on what I want to do differently going forward. That night, I watched constellations in the sky over the island and enjoyed some bass music alongside the crashing waves.
On the last day at the resort, I had more Golden Teacher smoothies as well as a 1g chocolate bar in the evening. I had a very positive trip after clearing some things out of my mind the day before - I can still see the horizon and feel the breeze from this one. We sat around with Wabba and the steam chalice until late in the night to get the most out of our time before early morning departures.
Shroom Reflections
Because of the way I was layering on the different strains, it’s a little difficult to describe them separately. I’ll have to go back and dedicate one day to each kind!
The Gentle: Golden Teacher & Cambodian
I can say that the Golden Teachers and Cambodians were gentler and maybe more “spiritual” in the sense of fostering a connection with the folks around you, the world beneath your feet, and the stars above. There was a keen awareness there of the threads connecting us all. Both of these strains were excellent and are sought after and found across the globe.
The Unique: Jamaican Fatback Mushrooms
The Fatback variety I tried was very visual with trails of light and a kaleidoscopic effect on the sunset and the stars, as well as an intense connection to the music I was playing. This one is a strain local and unique to Jamaica, fruited outdoors on the bank of Wag Water River in St. Andrew.
The story and attention to detail here made the experience unique. The tryptamine content in these is higher than average around .055% which probably contributed to the “uniqueness”.
The Introspective: Monster Mack
Monster Mack was the one that sent me inward on day three. It's bringing .11% tryptamine to the table, along with a full gamut of psychedelia from interesting visuals in the air, wood grain, sand, clouds, and smoke to time dilation and odd moments of deep introspection accompanied by some ups and downs throughout the trip.
Thoughts on Shrooming in Jamaica
I was mentally scrolling through the different aspects of life and priorities as I thought of them. I can’t say there was a particular realization or breakthrough from this, but it allowed me to get some things straightened up and prioritized around my family and projects. The resort was the perfect place to hang out and think through this with the rest of the Fat Nugs fam there smiling and smoking.
The mushrooms we had there were provided by Psacred Therapeutics out of Kingston and facilitated by Irijah and Annie, two very caring individuals who checked in on the group throughout the week. Irijah is a multi-certified wellness practitioner who led the yoga sessions and sound therapy for the group. I was too much of a night owl to make it to yoga, but I did experience sound therapy after a long day of sun and mushrooms. It was memorable and took me by surprise. Deep resonating primal sound waves washed over and through me as she changed bowls and moved among the group creating an unrivaled ambiance of meditative peace.
I’m grateful for the experience at Coral Cove with Fat Nugs. It was unlike anything I’ve done before and the opportunity to explore their mushroom offerings was perfect. It was my first time at a wellness resort but definitely won’t be my last. With and without psychedelics, there’s much to enjoy and appreciate in Jamaica.
