A brief (maybe) commentary on my adventures in Negril. Background: second trip to Negril in as many years.
4/23: Spent the night in Boston at the Logan Hilton. Noises, but very convenient. Up at 2:45 am to shower and check out. Shuttle to the terminal and in line at JetBlue. Then to tsa, which hadn't even opened yet. Overall, 45 minutes from start to finish. Not terrible. Another line up at dunkins. Decaf and a muffin for later. Then more waiting. Boarding was late. Once on, more waiting- an "it's not a problem" fuel pump maintenance fix-up. Once in air a comfortable, uneventful flight. Nice people staying at azul next to me. Rested my eyes for a bit but no real sleep. Land in MBJ about 40 minutes late but NO PROBLEM WO-MON... My lovely CMB rep was waiting for me and we walked past the longest line up I've seen (up the ramp). As a note, I was tryin to remember the 'old' customs form, but I can't; the new ones are super easy: name, passport number, flight info, and hotel info. The immigration agent stamps it and the customs agent takes it. I didn't even have to stand in line for customs, my CMB rep handed the agent my form and that was it (nothing to declare so no need to stop and chat, I guess). One small annoyance is this guy who tried to jump in with me and my CMB rep- he literally just started following us past the whole line. I told him he owed me $40 for sharing my CMB rep. He thought I was kidding and we basically told home he can't be in line with us anymore. It is as annoying. The people I sat next to on my plan was I would have gladly had with me if I could have, but this guy was a moochUpon arriving at the sandals lounge ( remember grand pineapple is a sandals brand and that's how I do my transfer)I was informed that I was upgraded to Sandals for 1 night. I didn't know what to think about it until about 8:30 pm (last night). I decided it's ok. I wouldn't ever choose this property, so having a chance to check it out is nice. The wifi is superb and I don't know what differ depending it makes but selected the "select guest" option for log on and I was able to FaceTime, and fully access high speed internet on two devies, no problem. Anyway, once I got into my bathing suit and wandered around the resort a little, I decided to wander down the beach. Now I know that I like being down the beach way better than being up the beach... LONG WALK!!!! Taxi recommended, but I'm a 'walker' so it's not terrible, just long!
On my walk I encountered some new friends! Shout out to groove, billndonna (thanks for letting me use your bathroom), big shiny and rootsy, bostonguy, and Wanda and Wayne (thanks for the sunscreen), as well as some other lovely folks who' names I can't remember right now. I just happened to look up and notice groove- it was one of those, "hey, I know you!" Moments. We spent time with grace at Tony's but ( I think) then past Woodstock and stopped at sunny side. Fist dip in the sea... So nice! A little cool and churned up fromall the rain. But so nice!!!! Time to clean up for the evening. Bostonguy and I start trekking up the beach, he peels off and I keep walking. Made it back to sandals just before sunset. The plan was to meet up at seastar for the show and hanging out, then maybe bourbon beach. I showered, at dinner, sent out an "I'm done" message and went to sleep! A long but excellent day!!!!
Enjoying a couple of cups of coffee on a bench by the sea. The radio stations are basically broadcasting gospel, which (shouldn't surprise me) is full on reggae style! And typing this up. I've got to see what's going on with my "move" down the beach in a few hours, then drifters this afternoon, of course! For now, I think I'll enjoy what Sandals has to offer until I'm moved closer to the action.
My reflection: it's kind of odd being single at a couples only resort, but everyone has been gracious and the service is, as expected, excellent. Even so, I prefer being down the beach, but this is a lovely resort for a couples vacation. If you don't want to taxi, this resort would be perfect for those wishing to lounge, eat, do water sports, and there seems to be an active games and activities staff. Last night the silver birds played but I was way too tired. I heard the show softly while I fell asleep, but the delightful sound of the crickets and frogs was overwhelmingly dominant. I love Negril!!!
Originally Posted by beachballler
