Detroit to Negril, my first ever trip report!

The stress of the last few days leading up to a trip is always enormous. All those last minute details for work & home seemed to cause more anxiety than usual this trip. So, I was very thankful to leave it behind yesterday when I got on the plane.

We were lucky to get a 7:30am non-stop. It's a 4 hour flight but due to daylight savings time at home, we arrived before 10:30am. We didn't check a bag & made it out of the airport in 40 minutes. With Easter week I considered getting a VIP arrival pkg but now glad we didn't.

Kingsley was waiting outside. A delightful couple & their 2 kids also rode to Negril with us. They were so nice, we talked about getting together this week.

It was cool to see the road to Negril in a different light. Normally, my flight gets in later in the afternoon & the light hits at a different angle & things stand out differently. Saw things I never noticed before.....til I fell asleep! My catnap didn't last long & I woke in time to get the first glimpse of Negril!

We are staying at Banana Shout this reach. It's a quaint little place. Milo the owner & staff greeted us. We were early & our room wasn't ready but no big deal. We dropped our bags & headed off to LTU for lunch.

Nice:)

Sounds good! Wish direct flights were available from Grand Rapids!

We stayed at b.s this past feb,once we got settled in we really liked it,oneil will take care of you! One warning tho,there's a particular pesty dude that hangs out by banana shout that wore thin pretty quickly:( avoid him and all will be fine!

Thanks for the advice Striper! I think I know who you are talking about.
Weathermon, i think the NS flights are on Saturdays only during the winter. But good when you can get them.!

Kaycee, As we settle in, today is even nicer! :)

To continue.....The power went out while we were at LTU. Had jerk chick sandwiches & dirty bananas. Saw my old friend TY. & ended up buying a painting from Karl Ricketts who was sitting next to me at the bar. Photos later! Went back to our place & laid down. It was hot. & no fan with no electricity. It rained pretty hard for a while, which helped our nap. Only seemed to make it muggier though. Got up & watched the sunset. After, we walked to the store for supplies. Went back to BS & hung out. Power came on & went off again & then stayed off. As it got dark, Milo came around with candles & sand bags for everyone. Losing power when you have guests is hard. This only added to a hortible week for Milo & the family here, being so close to Catcha & trying to help during the tragedy. As I'm writing this, Life's Sweet by Vybz Kartel is playing. It's all such a good reminder that anything can happen so make peace & joy in your life now.

The beacon in the dark, which was the lights on at Catcha made us decide to walk over there to see if they were open for dinner. We learned they won't be open for dinner until April 2nd. It was QUITE dark so we decided not to venture far & headed back to LTU. My daughter wanted pumpkin soup. They had the soup but didn't have power & the chefs were cooking by candlelight. The power came on halfway through dinner & thankfully, it was a brighter walk home! I showered & we were in bed by 9. It cooled off & the ceiling fan helped too! We both slept well & feel much better today.

Woohoo! Another trip report! :) Thank you, WestEndGirl! I love the NS flights out of Detroit! I think you are right, only Saturdays...and we leave on a Wed. :/ Ah well...as long as we're going to Negril, it's all good!

Now that's what I am talking about!! You go with your bad self......awesome...a trip report from a friend. I am ready!! Sweet trip, a non stop flight to Jamaica is something that I have NEVER experienced. Must have been great!!!

Thanks for taking the time to write an on-site report. Nothing any better!! So anxious to hear more. I'll be checking the board more than normal now! :)

Enjoy to the max!!

Thanks for the TR! Looking forward to more - enjoy your time in paradise :)

TY,TY,TY, for taking the time to post, and letting us tag along. Have FUN~

Thanks for reporting! Can't wait to read more.
Love, love, love our direct flights. They are only available from November to the end of April though.
When we have to connect in Toronto we still only arrive about an hour later though, so not too bad.
Have a great time and keep us posted.

Thank you for reading, my friends! I never realized what an investment of time a trip report takes! I find I'm halfway thru my writing & then something shiny (like the sea or a bottle of red stripe!) comes along & distracts me!

& I am so blessed that my daughter & I get along & travel so well together. She hasn't had a vacation in 3 years, while she finished her teaching degree. Needless to say, she is very happy to be back in Negril & very much enjoying her break from 20 kindergarteners! Only 2 days here & she has this wonderful glow from sun & relaxation.

We heard there was a bomb scare at the airport in Detroit & they evacuated this morning. We both thought 'thank goodness we're already here' as we sipped our coffee & rum Creme! ;)

Yesterday was a lazy day for us. We made peanut butter sandwiches & hung out at our place for most of the day, sunning & stuff. The sea was too rough to swim. Even going down to the sea shower was questionable so we opted for the in-house shower. Not the best sunset but still pretty. By that time we were ready to venture out & headed to the store for supplies on our way to dinner.

Ended up walking to Shark's for dinner. It's across from Tensing Pen. I went there with Yetta & company at Christmas & it was one of the best meals of that trip. & it was just as delicious last nite too! Reasonably priced, we both had snapper dinners for 900J each. It was a lil spicy hot, fresh & delicious. Yum! We didn't talk much while we ate! We were the only diners & our waiter (RJ?) said it has been very quiet for Spring Break. We listened to oldies like 'I can't stop loving you' while we ate, which was a nice change of pace!

It looked like it was gonna rain off & on all day yesterday but it never rained here. The power is back on but the water pressure is low, which was just the opposite the day before! No problem, we make the best of it, just thankful to be here. Milo & staff have been great & we are already settled & comfy here. Went back to BS. It was about 9. Lin went to bed & I sat on the porch with a Rum Creme & a sub. I hate to go to sleep when the stars are out! But, the sound of the waves play their own special lullabye & I lasted about an hour longer than Lin. Apparently, party girls we are not! G'night!

A PS to the music at Shark's. We knew it was time to go when Bobby Goldsboro's song 'Honey' came on! No sappy sad songs for these party girls! Lol

Keep it coming!!! Loving your report. Regardless of small inconveniences...there is absolutely nothing that can beat sitting on your deck, relaxed with your rum cream and sub..gazing at the stars and listening to the sea.

Sounds like you guys are in the Jamaican mode fi sure! BTW, if you get in the "burger" mode, try one of Auubies. The "crew" gave it a try in Jan. Really good. Even if you don't want red meat, there is a chicken burger, veggie, fish, etc. We had a trio of tastes...one tenderloin burger, one veggie, and one chicken. All were quite tasty.

Ready for more reporting whenever you have a chance. :)

Wait for it..............wait for it.............Anxiously awaiting more...............:)

Another lazy day! Where do the hours go?! lol PB Sandwiches & Cheetos for brunch. Cynthia & Percy the fruit vendors paid a visit to BS. We bought pineapple, banana, papaya, oranges & cukes for our afternoon snack. Cynthia said they will be by again on Wednesday. Sunnier here today. But it looked cloudy in the not too far distance all day. It ended up raining hard for a while about 5 but cleared in time to provide a beautiful fireball sunset.

I tried to post pics but it took way too long. Will post them when we get home.

After sunset, we made our way to the store for drinks & supplies. Went back & dropped the goods, then hailed a taxi to 3 Dives for jerk chicken. Delicious! But, you need lotsa napkins, for hands & nose! That stuff really clears the sinuses! I should remember to go the day of arrival cause my head always feels like Charlie Brown after flying!

There was a good crowd when we arrived, but we seemed to miss the rush & did not have to wait that long for the food. 3 handsome Italian men sat & the next table. Linds & I laughed about how people can always manage to eat despite the language barrier! We thought about flirting, which is also universal! ;-) But, it was way past our bedtimes (almost 10pm already!?) considering we haven't made it past 9 yet. We taxied back to BS. A quick stop in the house for a cocktail & we headed out to the cliffs for the star show. Lotsa stars out! I got curious about the constellations but google wasn't much help. Wish I had that night sky app! Linds got sleepy & is in bed as I write this. I'm fading fast too. Thinking about heading to the beach in the morning so I thought I'd write now. G'night!

Sounds like you & your daughter are having a wonderful time! Thanks for the reports - keep 'em coming.

Oh - and yes - you should have flirted :) LOL

Would that de a Delta direct flight on saturdays? I am getting tired of the 3 hour drive to Toronto,lol Last time at Shark,s they let me change the music:cool:

Thanks for the comments & encouragement to keep writing!

Nutz- You know we are kicking ourselves today! But, we were prolly asleep by the time they got their food! Googling Italian phrases, in case we see them again?! ;-) & Maybe Milo our Italian host can help! Lol

PGW- Yes! Nonstops to & fro from DTW on Delta on Saturdays during the winter! Prices are prolly higher, especially with your spur of the moment departures! But, worth a look.

Haven't run into any boardies yet. Tomorrow on the pub crawl maybe?!

More later! Enjoy your day!

We paid $385 the non-stop delta flight in January. I just check every day and when a fair prices comes up I book it. Loving your report BTW.

Alright, another trip report fix!! Thanks! Sounds like you guys are having a great time. I'm sure after the "pub crawl", there will be plenty of laughs to share. :)

Here at home, it is now in the 40's but at least the sun is shining and the skies are blue. So, guess I'm just going to have to enjoy Negril via your posts. Thanks again for taking time to do it.

Heater, that is a great price on the non-stop on Delta. Ours is over $700 for later in the year. Usually it is in the $5-600's range!

My daughter & I just had perfect timing! We were lounging on our cliffs watching the shenanigans at Rick's when Linds said 'It's starting to get dark sky like yesterday, maybe we should go in.' So, we packed up & within 5 minutes it's pouring. Good call, Lin!

Figure I'll write more now that it's raining.....

It was sunny this morning..... til we got in the taxi to go to the beach about 11:15. We needed to stop at the Cambio on our way to Sun Beach. The 2 in town ran out of money so our driver took us to the Cambio at Bourbon Beach. After the other two were so packed, we were the only customers at BB. I told them they put the word out that they have cash! The exchange rate was 94.

We were in & out & on our way to Sun Beach in a few minutes. Dennis was there. He pulled up 2 loungers for us & we ordered 2 dirty bananas. Must not have been too strong cuz wimpy me didn't even feel it! Didn't take long before it was cloudy. Then the sun started to come out & it was sprinkling at the same time. We finished our drinks & sat there watching the never-ending parade of life! After a bit we decided to walk. Not really sure where we'd end up. It felt good to walk after all the lazing we've been doing. We needed a towel & sunscreen so we stopped at a souvenir store, near Chances? The prices were high but we needed what we needed. I picked up a couple extra things & ended up bartering a bit, which I hate to do. Then he got shady about the exchange rate when we didn't have enough J. I called him on it & told him to forget it. He made some excuse & then ended up giving it to us for what we had. It happens. Just need to pay attention.

We continued walking. At one point we hit the AIs & knew we weren't in Kansas anymore. The security guard laughed when we stopped to ask where we were! We ended up walking to Cosmo's & had a late lunch there. Chicken sandwich, fish sandwich & an order of jerk to bring home. (<which we shoulda done at 3 dives last nite! 1 order of Jerk Chicken & 2 hot Italians, please! eh-you know.....hindsight! lol)

Cosmo's has good food & reasonably priced. It's a nice quiet spot on the beach too. There was a big Jamaican family celebrating a birthday on the beach there. After, they came in & had a nice buffet. A good place for a celebration! The sun finally came out and we went swimming after we ate. No worries, I'm sure we took care of the 1/2 hour rule waiting for the check! ;-)

We decided to head back to BS. After eating, drinking, shopping, we had $500 J left & hoped it was enough to get us home. The taxi driver said it was not enough.....but took us anyways. Thank you very much!

So, I've caught you up for today, so far. & it stopped raining in the time it took to write this. Lin is napping. I'm drinking Ting & contemplating a shower. Water pressure is usually decent at this time of day! The sun is breaking through the clouds forming a huge silver spotlight on the sea! Not sure what we are doing tonight.........

Yetta, I can't believe it is still that cold where you are! You poor thing!

Isn't Cosmos where you spent New Year's Eve?

Really think you would like it here at BS!

I always find it hard to find time to do an onsite report, espeacially if it doesnt rain :)

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Originally Posted by WestEndGirl

Yetta, I can't believe it is still that cold where you are! You poor thing!

Isn't Cosmos where you spent New Year's Eve?

Really think you would like it here at BS!

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No sh--!!! Not my idea of spring!! I have no doubt that I would enjoy BS. I have toured the resort but have never stayed there. Being on the wata is always phenomenal in my book. Only can live my time vicariously through you right now....and the message board in general. Hopefully, it will be a nice hot summer here. At least that will help me wish it all away in order to get back to Jamaica in December. Sad but true!! LOL I do enjoy summers at home, especially when I can work in the yard and watch my grandkids play ball. That is the highlight of my summer. Bring it on..........then, Jamaica...soon come!

Milo & Marianne(sp?) had a small ceremony with a fire thrower after sunset. There has been an underlying sadness since last week so we paid respect to those who lost their life in the sea. We hung out with the other guests for a bit.

After, we walked to LTU for a drink....with the intention of having dinner at Catcha. Well, that never happened! We stayed at LTU for dirty bananas, coconut shrimp & pumpkin soup....then more coconut shrimp.... & chocolate cake to go! By that time it was 9 & Lindsay was yawning! We went home & she plopped on the bed fully dressed, lights on! & she was lights out! We are not partying either. I think the sun & sea & fresh air has something to do with it. & maybe the Benadryl she took on Monday night? That stuff knocks me out. I stayed up for a bit then got in bed. I was only there a few minutes & the stars began calling. So I jumped out if bed & scurried barefoot to the waters edge. There was a million stars! Best star night so far. I only stayed about 10 minutes & then back to bed for a peaceful sleep.

Marianne made breakfast for us this morning. A couple from Montreal was departing today. They had long faces. The wife was already thinking about work tomorrow & the husband said no! He'll worry about it tomorrow! Thankfully, my coworkers know I run on Jamaica time after I return to work & cut me some slack. Ok. That is the extent I am going to think about work! Lol. It was just cute to see how we all deal with the transition of returning to the real world in our own way.

Hot & sunny today on the cliffs. Did some sunning. I'm a lil burned so taking it easy though. Lenbert is picking us up at 2 for the pub crawl. Looking forward to seeing Lenbert & some boardies! That's all for now!

PS: We've seen dolphins the last 3 days!

Well, you should be well into the Pub Crawl by now. What fun!! Dolphins the past 3 days in a row......truly magical!

Pub Crawl was fun! Met boardies Dan & Sue & Viper & Deb. not sure if there was more! We had a packed bus & a lot of fun! We were the 1st ones on the bus. Lenbert picked us up promptly at 2, just as he said!!!! 1st stop- Mi Yard, then no limit, choices, xtabi, Seastar & Sir Ds Sunset out toward the lighthouse. Lots of fun & frolicking! Lol

I think they were going on to CW Country Bar but we had Lenbert drop us off at home on the way back down. Had a snack & walked down to LTU where we ran into Dan & Sue & co. who decided it was time to eat & skipped the last stop. We hung out with them & walked to Rick's. there was live music & some diners but it was after 8 & pretty quiet.

We left them at Rick's & walked the rest of the way home. I'm hungry but again, it's 9pm & my daughter is in bed. I guess she's not sleeping yet though! I just sneezed & she said bless you from upstairs! Lol

There has been a lot of cotton floating around from the trees & some folks have been complaining of allergies.

I'm tired.....but antsy too. Would love to check out the concert at Bourbon Beach tonite. But that's probably not gonna happen at this point. Probably more like a peanut butter & bed night!

Your trip sounds very relaxing. What a blessing to get to spend this time with your daughter. I feel staying on the cliffs is way more relaxing last trip we stayed on the beach and I felt like it was party all the time. I'mim e

OAngie, we are having a wonderful time. The only thing that would make it more perfect would be to have my 2 sons here. The 21 year old couldn't adjust work & the 17 year old is with his dad for Easter Break. Next time, I hope we can all be here!

loving your trip report!

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Originally Posted by Seveen

loving your trip report!

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Me too!! You know, you guys really should head down to Bourbon Beach for the concert. Life is short and vacations...shorter...I know it can be a late night but I vote....go for it!!! Of course, I am a music junkie....esp. reggae. Being from WV, doesn't give my any chance in hell to see reggae. Being "not a morning person" doesn't hurt either....LOL I try to hit nearly every concert I can while there. Gotta "make hay while the sun shines" or when the sun goes down. Whatever....enjoy and have fun! :)

LOVE this trip report. Missed you by a day or so

Thanks, Ladies! It's been fun to write, even though I don't normally spend much time online when I'm here. We have pretty good wifi, as we are close to the office. So, that helps !

I was up before 6:30 because of some dang bird! It was truly a Flintstone moment! Linds muttered something & rolled over. Once I saw it was light I got out of bed & went to the edge of the cliffs. But, before I did I looked to see what the heck was making so much noise!!! It could NOT have been that lil bird outside our window?! Lol

It is so wonderful to be able to wake slowly in such natural beauty. I usually sit for a few minutes staring at the sea & often when I turn around, James, our Rasta 'Night Man' is sitting there smiling at me. (No, I'm not wearing a skimpy nightie! ;) I think he hears my pitter patter & when he goes to check, must enjoy the sleepy eyed rapture on my face! Sometimes we chat, sometimes not.

Today was a LAZY day! Not many clouds & no rain on the cliffs. The first day so far, I think. We sunned on the cliffs for a few hours today. Lotsa sunscreen & cooling off in the shade was necessary! There was a good breeze today. Other than our pink noses, we are brown now! We are still careful of the sun, but not as fearful now!

We walked down to LTU for lunch about 1:30. I had a jerk chicken sandwich & Lin had jerk chick skewers. LTU was the first place I went to in Negril, we stayed next door at the big house at Villa Sur Mer in 2004. I still like LTU's casual vibe & the food is good too. Plus, all kinds of characters visit LTU! :)

We hung out for an hour or so then made our way to the store. I've been out of Rum Creme since yesterday & wasn't going another day without it. We stopped by Mr Fixit's place. He's one of my friendly faces in the neighborhood.....despite the fact that I've been telling him for 9 years that I don't need fixing!!! Lol I couldn't decide what to buy. I asked him about the ankle bracelets. But, often when I'm here my ankles swell from heat & salt & they don't fit. He picked 1 out & fastened it on me. It was the perfect one too! Good fit & pretty colors. I couldn't have picked better! Lin got a thick JA woven bracelet. We stopped to talk to Kevin the jerk guy too. When we got to the store we ran into Carol who is a waitress at Catcha. She always took good care of us when we stayed there & we still stop in to see her when we stay elsewhere. We talked about going to see her tomorrow anyways but this was a nice surprise!

We bought a few things at the store & went home. It was close to 4:30 & the sun wasn't as strong. We hung out by the cliffs & sea for a few more hours. The sea was calm early this morning but otherwise, has been extremely rough today. Like a washing machine! & after the relatively cloudless day, clouds had to come at the last minute to muck up our sunset! Of course, it was still beautiful but I want green flash spectacular! :)
The next thing you know it's almost 8pm! We decided to walk over to Ivan's since it was close & we haven't been there yet.
Lin had jerk chick pasta, which was delicious! I had seafood curry with mashed tatoes & veggies. Mine was good. Hers was better! We both nibbled on her pasta & still brought some home. We split a piece of mocha cheesecake too! After, we wandered around the grounds a bit. Love to see the lighthouse flashing & there is a great lighthouse view from Catcha.

The road seemed very quiet, considering it was only 9:30. I don't think a car passed us on our walk next door. We got settled & headed out to our yard to see the stars. The sea is still crazy rough! I had some Rum Creme & a puff. We sat out there for about an hour. Lil Miss made it to 10:30 tonight! I guess it's a good thing for this trip report cause if she was a party dog, I prolly wouldn't have the time to write at night! Now, it sort of feels like when she was little & I tucked her in for the night! Next time, I'm going with a grown-up who can stay up late & party! (Yetta?!) Lol

While we were sitting there we saw a shooting star! We laughed & said it was good verification that we both saw it & not just 1 of us imagining it!

We have been in contact with Dan&Sue from the board today. We enjoyed hanging with them at the Pub Crawl last night. & talked about getting together again tonight. We've been using iMessage with our wifi to keep in touch with my sons at home & suggested to them that we do that as a quicker way than email. Guess that worked in theory only...... We never did hear from them tonight....until 3 iMessage/texts came thru. The time stamps were 8:30 & 9:30..... But they came thru at 12:30! Oh well, good try anyways! We'll try again tomorrow!

& with that I'll say goodnight!

Sounds lovely, so relaxing and laid back! We really have to check out LTU this trip, I've heard so many good things about it :) Thanks for the live reports, I need my fix daily :)

Dan and Sue are great. We met at Nirvana last March

I've enjoyed reading this trip report quite a bit. I think the daily "journal" style works very well and I feel like I'm already there. Just 11 more days!

TKim, Thank you! Consider this your appetizer! :)

Nutz, You crack me up getting your fix first thing in the morning every day!

LJ, They are great. We made contact today (smoke signals this time!) & will meet up with them later.

We've been lazy again today. The seas are rough again. We are getting a lil shade & the sea spray that comes up now & again is very refreshing! Gonna shower & go visit Carol at Catcha, then off to meet Dan&Sue & co! Til later!

Just had to tell you...finally the temp in my hometown is 65 right now...with sunshine!!! YEAH....Last night in Roanoke Virginia, they had a few inches of snow. Go figure!! So, enjoy the warm weather to the max!!! Hope your remaining days are great! :)

It's about 5am. I've been up for a couple hours & can't sleep. We went to bed early last nite, prolly about 9. I think I fell asleep before Lin did last nite!

Someone needs to tell that darn rooster that he needs to learn to tell time, it was only 3am! Figured since I couldn't get back to sleep I would get up & write the next installment before Nutz gets up! :)

Yesterday's title should be Lazy Days! By the time we got dressed & out the door it was 3 & we missed Carol at Catcha. Dan & Sue & co were at Rick's so we walked over there. They'd been there since early afternoon & had a great spot on the upper deck. It was shady & breezy & a great spot to people watch! It filled up pretty quickly after we arrived. In 9 years, umpteen trips & usually nearby in the West End, I'd only been there once before & we didn't spend as much time as we did yesterday. We had fun! I'm sure the company we were with helped a lot!

Not much of a sunset last night, which was just as well since there are too many heads in the way to block your sunset view at Rick's. I took D&S for a quick tour at Banana Shout next door.

Dan&Sue & co invited us to go to LTU for dinner with them after. There is a DJ at LTU playing classic R & B on Friday nights. Noreen, our waitress took care of us with grace & humor despite the fact she got pretty busy after we arrived. We might have been lazy yesterday. But, at least we were ahead of the crowd! Lol

After dinner, we said our goodbyes & walked home.

Before we went out earlier, Milo & Marianne invited us to have dinner with the staff & other guests at BS. They'd invited us the nite before but the stove wasn't working & we ended up at Catcha as plan B. We graciously declined last night's offer since we were on our way out the door already. When we got home after LTU, everyone at BS was gathered around the central tiki hut eating. We grabbed a glass of Rum Creme & headed out to the hut. We said hi & stood there for a minute but it felt awkward. We took a seat away from the group by the water, since it felt like we were interrupting. Not many stars tonite & we were tired. After a few minutes we said goodnight as we went back to our place.

Over the last few days we have changed with all new guests. Interesting how the chemistry changes too! I'm guessing after dinner the drinks started flowing cuz the volume got louder. & I kept hearing someone bash Detroit!?

Sort of weird to lay there & hear that. At that point I didn't care & drifted off to sleep......

Next thing you know, it's 3am & I'm wide awake! Lin has been complaining of 1 stuffed nostril & now I have it! Hoping it's allergies from the tree cotton stuff floating around!

The sky is starting to lighten. I think I'm gonna try to go back to sleep now. We are 'sposed to go to Dan&Sue's to try to swim off the cliffs today. They are staying about 1/2 down the cliffs & said the water isn't as rough as it is in our end.

Later!