2nutz in Negril - our December 2012 trip report

Everyone starts their trip report with their "story", so this is ours...

My first trip to Jamaica was 1986 and I instantly fell in love with the place. Took a "booze cruise" out of Mo Bay to Negril. One engine died, a lot of people sick, myself included. The boat pulled into a bay (near Lucea maybe??) and a catamaran came and "rescued" those of us that were sick. I was amazed at how friendly everyone was and how well they treated us! That was my first experience with a roadside hut that will sell you anything and everything. Attachment 21101

One of the boat crew who came with us flagged down every bus on the road trying to get us a ride to Negril and finally one agreed to come back for us. We stopped somewhere on Negril beach before heading to Rick's to meet up with the rest of the gang from the boat. It was love at first sight... Attachment 21102

As much as I wanted to go back, I just couldn't afford it. Then in 2002 I got a great deal on a cruise leaving from Mo Bay. Watched the Canada US Olympic gold medal hockey game from a beach bar before sailing, one of the best days of the entire trip! A few hours in Jamaica just wasn't enough and left me wanting more.

Fast forward to 2008... After many trips to Mexico, Cuba & DR, I finally made it back to Jamaica with the love of my life, we'll call him Mr. Nutz, and was hoping he'd love it as much as I do. He's had to listen to me going on and on about how special it is and I'm afraid I've raised his expectations too high. No need to worry, it didn't take long to realise he loves it as much as I do! So much so that we were married on the beach in front of Our Past Time the following year. We love to travel and try to see a little bit of the world, so sometimes it takes us a while to get back to Jamaica. Our last trip was last November to the Jewel Ocho Rios. We loved it, but I really missed the activity on the beach. Starting thinking about a trip to Negril before we even returned home...

It started out innocently enough, my birthday is in December and I like to go away somewhere to "celebrate", even if it's just going away for a couple of days. Well, since this year was a big one, I thought it would be nice to spend it in Jamaica. I figured out the dates we could go, cleared it with my boss, convinced the hubby that we should try non-AI and that Negril is THE place to do that! Originally, the plan was to return to the Jewel for 5 nights and then hit the beach at Negril for 5 nights and try a non AI property for the first time. I found a good price on direct flights and booked them, now to find a place on the beach. After a lot of reading, research and stupid questions, I decided on Country Country. Feeling brave from all my research and reading, a new plan started to hatch in my little brain. What if, I said to Mr. Nutz, we stay on the cliffs instead of going all the way to Ochi? I'd found this little place that gets great reviews and looks absolutely beautiful. The rest, as they say, is history. It didn't take a lot of convincing, and Catcha was booked and the 8 month wait began!

About 3 weeks after booking, Mr. Nutz was diagnosed with brain cancer. Surgery and radiation done, chemo ongoing... We had to cancel our September trip to Italy, and for a long time, I thought we'd have to cancel this trip as well. Up against the cancellation deadline, the doctor gives him the green light to travel. This is great news!! He's feeling really good right now and I couldn't think of anywhere better to heal our spirit and celebrate life than Jamaica. We were both so ready for this trip!

Wow, nice beginning. So sorry about Mr. Nutz illness, hope he's improving. I have a feeling Negril will help.

G-d bless both of you

Loving your story. Hoping Mr Nutz is recovering well.

What a great story .... wishing you much Rest & Retreat in Negril:D

hoping Mr. Nutz is doing better. Great report..........looking forward to more. :)

So good to get to know you better. I've been following your plans for this trip for quite a while via TA. Of course, no idea of what you and your love have been battling until now. I DO hope the trip was wonderful and helped heal and fill up your cups and that it is truly all uphill from now on.

I'm so looking forward to the rest of your report.

Belated happy birthday girl!!

Thanks everyone! Mr. Nutz is doing very well, he's handling his chemo like a rockstar and generally feels pretty good. The biggest issue is a lack of stamina/energy. The trip to Negril did us both a lot of good, I just wish we were still there! Thanks Melody for the birthday wishes!

Now that the snowblowing (yuck) and errands are done, Day 1 is coming up shortly...

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Originally Posted by 2nutz4travel

Thanks everyone! Mr. Nutz is doing very well, he's handling his chemo like a rockstar and generally feels pretty good. The biggest issue is a lack of stamina/energy. The trip to Negril did us both a lot of good, I just wish we were still there! Thanks Melody for the birthday wishes!

Now that the snowblowing (yuck) and errands are done, Day 1 is coming up shortly...

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That is so great to hear 2nutz, Truly hope things continue to go smoothly and successfully with Mr Nutz. treatments. Can only imagine how much this trip meant to y'all and I've been real xcited to hear about it!!!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. :)

We had a 7am flight to Toronto, so we set the alarm for 4:40 AM. The radio came on and "Me and Bob Marley" was playing. This was played a lot in the summer, but I hadn't heard it in months. I knew instantly this was going to be a good trip.

A short hop to Toronto and our flight to MoBay was on time :) We landed a little early, at 2 PM. After a short wait for a plane to come out of the back of the terminal, we pulled in to our gate and stepped off the plane at 2:15 PM. There is nothing like that first blast of warm Jamaican air... As we were getting off the plane, I realized I had Mr. Nutz sign his customs form on the wrong line, OOPS! After quickly filling out a new form, we got in the line for immigration which wasn't too bad. The immigration hall was maybe 1/2 full and 2/3 of the counters were open. Within about 5 minutes, the line was up the ramp; for once our timing was good LOL. Next thing we know, they're opening the remaining booths and start a new line, ushering us to the new line. WOW! We grabbed our luggage, which was already waiting when we got through, cleared customs and were standing outside the airport at 3 PM!

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We booked Rocky for our transfers this trip, and he was there waiting for us. He handed us a couple of Red Stripes and headed off for the vehicle. The airport was very busy that day, it was absolute chaos. We just stood there, drank our beer and took it all in. We were finally back in Jamaica!

We made a quick stop at the Mega Mart for a few things and off to Negril. I really do love that drive; it went quickly and we arrived at Catcha just after sunset. I didn't get any pictures of the sunset that night, and it was probably the nicest one we saw this trip.

We had originally booked Virgo, but had changed to Coral as soon as they'd posted pictures. All I can say is WOW!

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I quickly unpacked and we headed to Ivan's for some drinks and dinner. Keneisha & Kevin were working the bar that night, so we ate dinner at the bar. We shared the plantain wrapped shrimp (yummy) and a lobster pasta which was really tasty, but the lobster was a little tough. We were both tired, it had been a long day, so we headed back to the room to make it an early night. Well, that didn't happen, the porch got us :) We decided to have a night cap , which turned into several and, before we knew it, it was 11:30. Gotta love that porch!

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Very nice!!!Thanks!

more please! Don't leave us hanging!!!

So glad to hear that the trip and health are good. May the good Lord continue to bless and heal all things in both your souls, now get back to the trip report!

Blessings and Respect... Thanks for sharing you time in Negril...

Happy Travels,

Skb...

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Originally Posted by Vince

Very nice!!!Thanks!

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Thanks Vince, it's actually fun to do, it's like reliving the trip...

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Originally Posted by Melody

more please! Don't leave us hanging!!!

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Coming up...

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Originally Posted by Tanfastic

So glad to hear that the trip and health are good. May the good Lord continue to bless and heal all things in both your souls, now get back to the trip report!

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LOL Tanfastic

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Originally Posted by Smokin Kevan

Blessings and Respect... Thanks for sharing you time in Negril...

Happy Travels,

Skb...

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My pleasure :)

Next instalment coming up...

Enjoying your story and trip report! Looking forward to more.

Our first full day in paradise and we wake up to Catcha in the daylight. It's everything I dreamed of and more, I was starting to feel as though I'd died and gone to heaven - this was taken from the porch where our day always started and ended...

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We headed to Ivan's for some breakfast, what a view! These are from our breakfast table

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Back to the porch for mimosas Attachment 21161

and finally made it to the pool for some R&R lol.

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Some assorted pictures from Catcha...
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Banana Shout & the flag at Rick's

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We headed back to the porch in time for sunset. I took a lot of sunset pictures this trip, every one is beautiful and different. These were taken that night, from the porch at Coral.

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After sunset, we headed off to Ivan's for drinks and dinner (which turned out to be more plantain shrimp at the bar). We had planned to go to Seastar for the show, but we just couldn't seem to fit it in to our busy schedule :rolleyes:

One thing I have to say about Ivan's - the staff are all amazing! As soon as they find out you're staying at Catcha, they introduce themselves and ask your name (which they remember!). The service is fantastic, although it takes forever to get your bill, but this seems to be the case everywhere in Jamaica...

beautiful view:)

What a beautiful spot! Thanks for the report!

Wow! Very nice photos of Catcha! Took me back there for a minute. There is no place like it. I am looking forward to trying out the new rooms, that view was amazing.

2nuts, Great report so far so glad you had such a good time! Glad to hear all is well with Mr Nutz as well!!!

Sounds like a vacation to me ;) .... Perfect! Your sunset pic from inside the room made my heart skip a beat! I can't wait to be in that place with "Greg" again! Oh & that porch, HOLY COW!!!

Day 2

This was the day of my 50th birthday and was much the same as the previous day. There is something about Catcha that makes you never want to leave. I knew about "sand gravity", but had no idea how much worse "cliff gravity" could be! We did manage to make it across the street to the store for more supplies. Then to the cliff for some sun, some swimming in the pool and the sunset.

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We were lucky enough to see some dolpins swim by but they were too far out for a picture.

Back to the porch for drinks, then to Ivan's (anyone seeing the pattern here?). After a couple of drinks at the bar, since it was my birthday, we actually made it to a table for dinner! Mr. Nutz had the coconut pimento chicken, which he loved, and I had the famous seafood linguine. I was really looking forward to this, after all of the people who rave about it, and I have to say I wasn't blown away. It was good, but not great, the lobster in it was much better than we'd had the first night, but the fish had bones in it and the shrimp was overcooked. (I think maybe my expectations were too high)

After dinner we headed to the bar and had a few drinks with some nice folks that were also staying at Catcha (thanks to Richard and Russ & Pam, it was great meeting all of you!) . It was a great day, very relaxing and laid back, just what I wanted. After closing Ivan's, we managed to escape the call of the porch and headed straight to bed...

Day 3

This day was pretty much the same as the day before. I tried the sausage hash for breakfast - very tasty but the Jerk Chicken sausage was a little spicy (I'm a weenie and don't eat much spicy food, so I have a very LOW tolerance) We went to the store for more OJ and met a "bush doctor" who wanted to heal Mr. Nutz. Only in Jamaica mon...

We finally met Ben, who came up to see us on the porch, he is such a nice dog!

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Here are a couple of photos from that day...

Young Jamaicans fishing from the cliff

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The swimming area

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Dinner again at Ivan's. Once again the service was fantastic and tonight the food was excellent. We shared the calypso trio (mild) and the lobster thermidor, both of which were amazing.

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It started raining hard while we were eating. They literally picked up our table and moved it inside; we didn't miss a beat!
Ended the day with drinks at Ivan's with our new friends and a nightcap on the porch...

2Nutz4Travel your pictures are incredible!! The airport picture literally sent my mind racing to our past experiences of arrivals and departures, and in my head the sounds that go with it. Almost like a de ja vu type moment.

Great report!!

Have fun and thanks!

Jamb

Nice photo of Ben!

cute doggie!

2nutz, nice report and beautiful pictures...I'm glad you two had a great time :).

What a great place to heal and spend a birthday! So glad the two of you were able to make the trip! Beautiful pictures ~ Happy Belated 50th ~ and prayers for continued healing! Now...waiting for more, please!

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Originally Posted by Jambarney

2Nutz4Travel your pictures are incredible!! The airport picture literally sent my mind racing to our past experiences of arrivals and departures, and in my head the sounds that go with it. Almost like a de ja vu type moment.
Jamb

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Thanks! I only took about 600 pictures or so... Drives Mr. Nutz crazy :)

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Originally Posted by Jaherring

Nice photo of Ben!

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Originally Posted by kaycee

cute doggie!

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He is such a nice dog. It was hard to get his picture, I'd get ready and he'd come running over wanting to play. Made me miss our dogs a little less...

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Originally Posted by Lorax2

2nutz, nice report and beautiful pictures...I'm glad you two had a great time :).

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Thanks! How can you not have a great time in Negril?

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Originally Posted by Jenn

What a great place to heal and spend a birthday! So glad the two of you were able to make the trip! Beautiful pictures ~ Happy Belated 50th ~ and prayers for continued healing! Now...waiting for more, please!

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You're right - it is a wonderful place to spend a birthday, especially when it's this time of year! More coming up...

Day 4
Another day, our fourth full day at Catcha, and things were pretty much the same as the days before. I managed to get my but in the ocean for a swim, I'm not a jumper/diver and I don't do well with heights (big CHICKEN!) so I climbed down the ladder.

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We had planned to go to LTU for dinner, but we didn't make it. Maybe it was because we were a little leary of walking up the road and it just doesn't seem far enough to take a taxi; maybe it was because we just felt so comfortable and at home at Ivan's; I'm not really sure why but we decided it seemed like a lot of work to go out, so we stayed put. Like I said, there is something about the place :)

After dinner, calypso trio again (forgot to ask for it mild, OOPS!), coconut pimento chicken for Mr. Nutz again and Coconut Papaya Boat Shrimp for me, we went to the bar to say our goodbyes to Keneisha & Bradley as well as our friends. Sad to be leaving, but happy to be heading to the beach. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be back to Catcha....

I'll close out the Catcha segment with some more pictures of the grounds & cliffs...

For all of you "turtles" - this is your cat...

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Beautiful flowers

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The best table in the house...

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Catcha/Ivan's at night

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Day 5/Moving Day

I finally tried a Johnny cake for breakfast, stuffed with egg and bacon, it was delicious. Sorry, I always forget to get pictures of food!

We hung on the porch until it was time to say goodbye to Catcha. We settled our bill with Mauvette and Kevin (Rocky's driver) picked us up promptly at 11. A quick stop at the Scotiabank and on to Country Country.

I had asked Monique for an early check-in, we arrived before 11:30 and our room was ready! So happy! The property is so very different than Catcha, you feel like you're deep in the jungle in some sort of fairy tale cottage. We were given room 504, 140 steps from the beach...

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We quickly unpacked and headed to the beach for a swim. The first glimpse of that white sand always takes my breath away...

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After relaxing a bit, we decide to head out to the store. The lady on security at the gate tells us it's just up around the corner, beside the Cool Spot...

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It's actually a nice little store...

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We ate dinner that night at Country Peppa, food was very good but they only have 4 items on their menu which changes (sometimes) daily. Mr. Nutz had pork tenderloin which was very good and a little spicy. I had a chicken pasta, which was very tasty but didn't have a lot of chicken. Service was efficient, but I would have to say it was uninspired.:( It's too bad because it's such a nice spot, nothing like eating dinner right on the beach!

Beautiful pictures! Wow! I hope Mr. Nutz continues to recover well and puts this all behind him. Thanks for sharing your trip report with us!

Very nice photos! Thanks for sharing.

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Originally Posted by 2nutz4travel

Service was efficient, but I would have to say it was uninspired.:(

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Seen dat before. In Negril service, you get the gamut from incredible, personalized, butler-like service to, well, uninspired, lol ....

Report is coming along great,thanks for sharing along with all the awesome pictures!!

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Originally Posted by sbeth

Beautiful pictures! Wow! I hope Mr. Nutz continues to recover well and puts this all behind him. Thanks for sharing your trip report with us!

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He's feeling great and looking forward to our next trip to Negril in April. Fingers crossed he'll be in the 10%...

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Originally Posted by Jaherring

Very nice photos! Thanks for sharing.

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My pleasure - I love taking pictures!

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Originally Posted by gerryg123

Seen dat before. In Negril service, you get the gamut from incredible, personalized, butler-like service to, well, uninspired, lol ....

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Kind of surprised us, we've always found servers in Jamaica are very friendly. I could understand if it was just one person, everyone has a bad day, but it seemed to be everyone.

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Originally Posted by billndonna

Report is coming along great,thanks for sharing along with all the awesome pictures!!

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Thanks! Lot's more pics to come...

Day 6

Up early, we headed down to the restaurant for coffee and our breakfast which was included. (As we were waiting for our breakfast, Jason came over an introduced himself to us. Told us Melody said to say HI. Very cool.) I'm not a coffee drinker, but Mr. Nutz absolutely loved their coffee. He likes it crazy strong, so it probably isn't for everyone. I tried the famous banana pancakes and they were very good, only problem being the bees were attracted to the syrup and wouldn't leave us alone.

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After breakfast we took a bit of a walk towards town

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We picked up some fresh OJ from one of the beach vendors - so good! Headed back to Country Country and spent the better part of the day sitting in the Adirondack chairs at the back of the beach watching the world go by. It clouded over a little in the afternoon and the breeze came up, so we went for a walk in the other direction, stopping at Treehouse for a drink along the way. We made it about 1/2 way up the CSA beach before turning around and heading back.

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I have to say I was a little worried about the vendors, so many people seem to have problems with them. We had no issues at all, sure we were asked if we wanted to buy stuff, but a simple "No Thanks!" was always enough. Everyone was friendly and very respectful; we actually found it much worse on Bloody Bay 3 years ago.

We had dinner that night at Treehouse. We were both in the mood for something simple, Mr. Nutz had a burger and I had a club. Food was good as was the service, and the location is hard to beat.

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Great sunset photo. You are a true artiste.

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Originally Posted by gerryg123

Great sunset photo. You are a true artiste.

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LOL Thanks gerryg :) When you take several hundred pics, you get lucky and a few turn out!