# Negril.com Message Board Forums > Negril Message Board >  Just a couple of thoughts from December trip

## Islandbouy

We haven't been to Negril for 2 years and just my observations and thoughts.

First off  Skylark was great for breakfast and the famous Red Stripe Battered fish sandwich. (best fish sandwich ever)

The Marathon was a good time with the rasta pasta party and music afterwards.  But we noticed a cutback on the music at the parties and while running.  They had a DJ instead of live bands, just an observation.  Not many cars playing music on the race course to drown out my crying and moaning.

Our stay at Catcha Falling star was great as always.  The food at Ivans was good but lacked the wow factor.  
A nice surprise came from dinner at the Lodge at Tensing Pen.  Had the Seafood rundown.  Lobster, calamari and shrimp in a rundown sauce.  WOW.  We will be back to eat there again.

White sands started serving dinner.  We had whole snapper very good at a good price.

Vinnies was good.  Had Jerk chicken and conch soup.  Good prices and very good food.  We ate there a couple times

Sunshine plaza is a ghost town now,  Most shops shut down getting ready to move to the new mall. 

We stopped to see Gordo at Red Dragon on his birthday.  Pork was fantastic and the coldest red stripes in Negril

We had a great time and will be back next year for marathon (10k)

Mike

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## jojo p

Vinnie's is my new favorite place, love the atmosphere at night, the food, the prices !!

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## Shaggy

where is the new mall

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## Rob

> where is the new mall


Here is the link to the new mall discussion from last month!

https://negril.com/forum/showthread....ming-to-Negril

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## rocknrollfarmer

Just my observations...Vinnie's is very good. White Sands has great breakfasts.  The motor bikes & most vehicles were driving way toooo fast on the beach and cliff road!!!  The crowds at Roots Bamboo music nights were half young Jamaican boys/men selling weed, and lots of workin' girls.  The word "no" means nothing. Hustlers very aggressive.... Hardly ever seen law enforcement.  Just my thoughts...the ocean is amazing.

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## SVW

I don't like walking past Roots. I find them to be the most aggressive people on the beach. I never cared for it as my husband was almost robbed there many years ago (thankfully just almost) but this year & last time 2 years ago they seemed even more aggressive. No one else on the beach bothers me. If we say "no thank you" most are fine with it.

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## ukran1ans

> Just my observations...Vinnie's is very good. White Sands has great breakfasts.  The motor bikes & most vehicles were driving way toooo fast on the beach and cliff road!!!  The crowds at Roots Bamboo music nights were half young Jamaican boys/men selling weed, and lots of workin' girls.  The word "no" means nothing. Hustlers very aggressive.... Hardly ever seen law enforcement.  Just my thoughts...the ocean is amazing.


I actually kept count one night, sitting at Roots bar while the band played and had 16 wrk'n girls approach. Near the end I'd greet them with 'Hello Mz 14' or Mz 15... etc. LOL

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## ukran1ans

> I don't like walking past Roots. I find them to be the most aggressive people on the beach. I never cared for it as my husband was almost robbed there many years ago (thankfully just almost) but this year & last time 2 years ago they seemed even more aggressive. No one else on the beach bothers me. If we say "no thank you" most are fine with it.


Yeah, it's starting to get like Bourbon beach (which I stopped going to a few years ago)

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## ripstar

> Yeah, it's starting to get like Bourbon beach (which I stopped going to a few years ago)


Ugh, not good to hear. I miss Bourbon Beach sooooo much. Where is your "go to" place now on the beach?

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## ukran1ans

> Ugh, not good to hear. I miss Bourbon Beach sooooo much. Where is your "go to" place now on the beach?


Well Alfreds is still pretty laid back when they have a band (I rarely get hassled/hustled there), Woodstock on thurs is pretty good with their outdoor concert and since Rudy moved to the Yard Beach House, I like it there as well...

My 'after dinner' warm up bar is usually Tony's Hut...

I still haven't given up on Roots yet either (I went back a couple of nights later and had a good laugh with a group of the wrk'n girls, talking about it, because even they realized it was ridiculous)..

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## ripstar

> Well Alfreds is still pretty laid back when they have a band (I rarely get hassled/hustled there), Woodstock on thurs is pretty good with their outdoor concert and since Rudy moved to the Yard Beach House, I like it there as well...
> 
> My 'after dinner' warm up bar is usually Tony's Hut...
> 
> I still haven't given up on Roots yet either (I went back a couple of nights later and had a good laugh with a group of the wrk'n girls, talking about it, because even they realized it was ridiculous)..


Thanks for the recs, it's been 4 years since we have made it back to Negril and we don't want to waste our time with places that have since been ruined.

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## Irine

So...Jamaican fun fact....it is not unusual to be walking back to your beach hotel after a concert to be set upon by working girls on the beach. And I mean set upon, hands in your pockets, under your shirt, they are aggressive little devils. Took a tip from another visitor that worked great. If you walk in the ocean just at arms length from shore they will not take off their shoes and follow you in. They will try to badger you for awhile from the beach, but you can walk all the way back to your hotel untouched, and after a short bit they usually go away.

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## MikeyNYC

> Well Alfreds is still pretty laid back when they have a band (I rarely get hassled/hustled there), Woodstock on thurs is pretty good with their outdoor concert and since Rudy moved to the Yard Beach House, I like it there as well...
> 
> My 'after dinner' warm up bar is usually Tony's Hut...
> 
> I still haven't given up on Roots yet either (I went back a couple of nights later and had a good laugh with a group of the wrk'n girls, talking about it, because even they realized it was ridiculous)..



Over the years, I have had some interesting and funny chats with the girls after they accepted the fact that I wasn't going to be a sale.

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## ukran1ans

> So...Jamaican fun fact....it is not unusual to be walking back to your beach hotel after a concert to be set upon by working girls on the beach. And I mean set upon, hands in your pockets, under your shirt, they are aggressive little devils. Took a tip from another visitor that worked great. If you walk in the ocean just at arms length from shore they will not take off their shoes and follow you in. They will try to badger you for awhile from the beach, but you can walk all the way back to your hotel untouched, and after a short bit they usually go away.


Or just tell them you're just about out of money ... lol

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## pine tree john

money finished always works !

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## kwhizz

About dinner at Ivan's...... It was always my favorite restaurant in Negril..... Been going there for years and I always got the Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta....... We went down in October and it was terrible..... Just got back and tried it again...It was slightly better but still not anywhere close to what I had in the past...... You could tell by looking at it that the sauce wasn't the same .......... Watery and nowhere near the blended taste it always had in the past....... Must have a new Chef there.... Talked to the people there and they said nothing had changed.......LOL......We are going back in Feb.  One more try......... Just my $.02

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## Hudson2

Where is Vinnies

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## Rob

It is kinda across the road from Firefly and Sun Beach...

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## SoloTraveller

> It is kinda across the road from Firefly and Sun Beach...


Next to Rayon

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## Islandbouy

> About dinner at Ivan's...... It was always my favorite restaurant in Negril..... Been going there for years and I always got the Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta....... We went down in October and it was terrible..... Just got back and tried it again...It was slightly better but still not anywhere close to what I had in the past...... You could tell by looking at it that the sauce wasn't the same .......... Watery and nowhere near the blended taste it always had in the past....... Must have a new Chef there.... Talked to the people there and they said nothing had changed.......LOL......We are going back in Feb.  One more try......... Just my $.02


My wife had the Jerk chicken pasta..... Not like it has been.
 Try The Lodge at Tensing Pen.  Food is as good as Ivan's was.

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## kwhizz

> My wife had the Jerk chicken pasta..... Not like it has been.
>  Try The Lodge at Tensing Pen.  Food is as good as Ivan's was.



Will Do !!!!…… Just hard to accept that Ivan's has changed that much !!!...… and can't see it !!!

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## Ever72

> About dinner at Ivan's...... It was always my favorite restaurant in Negril..... Been going there for years and I always got the Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta....... We went down in October and it was terrible..... Just got back and tried it again...It was slightly better but still not anywhere close to what I had in the past...... You could tell by looking at it that the sauce wasn't the same .......... Watery and nowhere near the blended taste it always had in the past....... Must have a new Chef there.... Talked to the people there and they said nothing had changed.......LOL......We are going back in Feb.  One more try......... Just my $.02


Stayed at CATCHA a few nights in June. They did have a HELP WANTED: CHEF sign up.  The food seemed fine to us in June. I think I only had some regular pasta though. Jamaican breakfast was good!  Well we are going back to Catcha for a week in Jan. We shall see then!

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## kwhizz

Not to beat a dead horse here about Catcha……. But...… Here is a picture of my favorite dish over the years ……… Jerk Rasta Pasta


 



 So..... Like I said …… in October and December when we went there …………
  Here is a picture of what I received...…



I was told by them it was the exact same plate...….. Not even close...….. Don't get me wrong Ivan's is my favorite restaurant in Negril......We will be back in 4 weeks...…. Hope they can get it figured out by then...……. The taste between the old and the new are miles apart  …… Just Say'in !!!!

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