Here goes....My first Trip Report Patrick & Lisa Mar2013....

So..after a good 3 or 4 years of being thoroughly entertained by all you fellow boardies telling your tales of fun in the sun, friendships made and strengthened, etc, etc. Here's my turn. I'm going to try to go by memory as best I can, with pics to boot(if I can do this right)..I'm Patrick, and Lisa is the more photogenic one in all the pics..
1st, let me quiet down the screaming....that's better. We have been going to Negril now for a good 6 years, with the exception being an Ochi trip back in '09. Negril, however, is where our heart is, and where we will continue to foster friendships, and reunite with the dear friends we've made. We do this once a yr, as (believe it or not), the flying part kills us in $$, in spite of the fact that we live in Florida.We are in the very northwest part of the state, which means we have to fly out of a regional, and connect through a major hub like so many others do...Usually Memphis, Atlanta, or Charlotte(last 2 yrs)...anyway...the anticipation leading up to our yearly trip, which we scrimp all yr for, was building to the point of exhaustion by Wed(20Mar), when..I actually had to work on standby right up till the flight(no sleep here).....
Day1
Alarm gets us up at 2, so we have time for shower, coffee, and off to the airport...we're just so happy our daughter is 17 with a d/license now and can(very reluctantly) take us to the airport. 6am take off from Ft. Walton Bch, and arrival 11/2 later in Charlotte..In spite of the fact that our flight was on time, the 50 min. layover we have just gives us time enough to sprint the ENTIRE LENGTH of the airport to make our MoBay flight.. On the plane, and there we are.....delayed an hour because the plane needed fueling that had to be waited for...but hey, it's all good...After making up some time in the air, we arrive in MoBay only 30 min late, which time actually gets made up with a speedy(best time yet) processing through the lines(25-30 min in & out even getting checked bag). Henry is waiting for us as we walk outside, ready to get us to what would be our home for the next 3 days...Seastar Inn. The shuttle is nice, as is Henry who we are just meeting. We are treated to the music of Toots and the Maytals and the company of a great driver. Although at this point we officially are always feeling in vacation mode, I still get that bit of worry in the back of my mind about the likelyhood that that 'fluke' accident that is no- ones fault would occur on THIS DAY...but nope...even through the mid day quagmire of Lucea, Henry's professionalism put my mind at ease.
We arrive at Seastar for the 2nd time ever..Last yr we dropped in to the Sat. night show after the most kick butt Ivan's dinner ever last year, but felt overwhelmed at the crowd and the fact that we only had pool seating when we arrived..This time we are officially guests, and plan on thoroughly enjoying the next 3 nights here(Sat. too), before moving to the beach.
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Within an hour of our arrival, we had already met Samantha, Barbara, Richelle, and Alvin...who are so good at remembering names, that I'm amazed. This is what is one very cool thing about the Seastar..not only do they learn who you are, but we were never asked our room #, or to sign for any of our drinks/meals...they just are THAT GOOD...everyone, that you have NO WORRIES...Oh, I can't forget Junior...who drives his Japanese limosine...awesome guy..he got us around plenty during our stay.We had room 15, although we had booked 12...the place was totally booked, and I don't know the difference between one room from another...so it was plenty good for us... after settling to our room, and a round of cold stripes at the bar, Junior took us to the cambio(which I guess doubles as a motorbike dealer/rental) then on to Canoe for the Thursday webcast. We immediately met with some very happy from a long day at the beach Canadians, who by the way, were also staying at Seastar..Met with Rob and Lisa who recommended the lion fish(which was already on my agenda), and proceeded to order some, as well as several rounds of Rstripes and dirty bananas. The conch cakes were also a big hit..as well as the steel drum band....ahhhh, Lisa...we've made it, finally. I get this thing as a 44 year old man, I can be watching a movie,or landing in Jamaica, or just letting it hit me, where I ....almost....uncontrollably start to tear up from the joy....my buddies I grew up with would have a couple of names for that.. but it's just one of those things where when I look at life up till now, with all the lows, and not so many highs...it's hard not to appreciate the good times, especially when you have to work so hard for them....ok...anyway...luckily I am wearing shades and can keep the waterworks at bay.Attachment 25485Attachment 25486Attachment 25487Attachment 25488Attachment 25489Attachment 25490Attachment 25491

Yeah! Thanks for sharing your trip with us! Looking forward to more!

So...after much imbibing, laughing/singing/jammin'/eating/partying at Canoe, my 1st worry...how easy is it gonna be to get home...We could wait on the Canada crowd, but they are pretty far behind us meal wise...nope, best to just walk on out, and hope for the best with this "route cab system"..well what do you know...there's one sitting right across the street, as if we had called a service 20 min ago...I remember reading<make sure you settle on price first> "Seastar for $200?", .."$300 will do it" he says...good enough for me, based on the rough exchange rate in my head, it's like $3.25US...no complaints here...So, we get back to room, it's after dark...take what I might call a combat nap for like an hour, and decide to go down to the bar...after a round or 2 of Red Stripes we decide to for the 1st time ever try some poutine.....I dunno how Quebec authentic this stuff was, but.....WOW!!...heart attack on a plate yes, but we were on it like it was opium...why had I not thought of this creation myself? The irony of it is that folks in the South would LOVE this stuff. Sorry folks, I couldn't get a picture but trust me...try it. .....well that did it...after we shared that plate we were officially death marching it up to the room for our first sleep, barely even took in the gleeping of the tree frogs before we were Out!!

Sweet reporting!! I had to crack up at the "tears" comment. I can bust a cry in less than 30 seconds in Jamaica. Just the joy itself is overwhelming at times. So many times...especially when arriving and leaving!!! So ready to hear more. Wish I could hear the gleeping of the tree frogs hear at home! Thanks for your posts.:)

Thanks, Yetta...I'm new at this, and did'nt know if I was up for the task...but it's kinda fun reliving it, even though the sting of only being home 5 days is bittersweet as I write....more to come manana...:)

Nice report ☺ The taxi driver quoted you the standard fare, as it costs extra fare to go up the lane to Seastar.

love the pictures-- now I am hungry!!

My two favorite subjects - Seastar and Negril ! Looking forward to more - yesterday it snowed here in Montreal - just not fair !!!!

Looking forward to more! and all the food looks soooooo good :)

Day 2
We wake up rested, in spite of the fried food hangover. After figuring out the in room coffee maker, and getting said coffee, we head down for some breakfast.Let me just tell you that the kitchen at Seastar puts out the yummiest, warm, blueberry muffins I've ever had.My mouth waters just thinking about em. And they are no slouches on the coffee, too...hit the spot.Our plan today is to either walk to...or cab it over to place where we can chill for the day cliffside, get a round or two of redstripes, some lunch, and snorkel/jump/swim/sunbathe...Our friends from the previous night at Canoe arise(I hate this,it was a group of like 8..all from Winnipeg..we love you, but for the life of us can't remember your names..as we went our way, and you guys went yours, diving, beachin' it, etc)...anyway, they tell us to go check out Tensing Pen, right across the street...So, after some after breakfast transitioning back at the room, we venture out down the lane. Careful cross a scary section of One Love drive, and are at the gate of Tensing Pen, where the guard lets us in...after fumbling a bit to find the path, we find cliffside HEAVEN!!..For all those who have been to Catcha and love that location, let me tell you that this rivals it very closely.Awesome vistas, the layout of the terraces, and concrete work on the cliffs, and buildings is breathtaking...We are very quiet as we check it all out, but we feel a bit like a fish out of water. This place is so quiet, and serene...and practically empty?, that we feel like trespassers, and maybe rightfully so. We were let in, but don't feel sure if we are really doing the right thing to make this our "hang out" today.So, after a few pictures, we decide to try Xtabi..as I've read that it encourages visitors. 1st...a stop a wise choice grocery...many of you may think this wrong, but Lisa and I like to get our drink on, so we decide that a couple of sixers for $1,500 J is fair, and take them back to the Seastar bar, for some icing down in our collapsible Thermos cooler which looks like a purse, of sorts...(yes, folks..we smuggle a few...been doing it at festivals back home for quite some time, it's a habit of ours)...Now, we're ready for some cliff action!
Junior runs us to Xtabi, where we settle into a couple of loungers near the cave entrance, and begin our day, getting our cliffs on. Around 10 we buy our first round of red stripes from the cool Xtabi bar...which would last us a goodly portion of the day, as it turns out..get our lunch...Thanks Guirigay for making me can't wait to try the Conch Burger...yum!!!Attachment 25494Attachment 25495Attachment 25496Attachment 25497Attachment 25498Attachment 25499Attachment 25500Attachment 25501

Love it. Great start. Our tree frogs in NY have started to "Peep" within the last few days. They don't "Gleep" like the ones in Jamaica.

So, our plan was...to hang at Xtabi all day, the segue over to Three Dives, for dinner...well, as it turns out, you canonly get so much sun as a ginger like me, so we hail a cab to get us back to Seastar...well, 2 taxi drivers stop, then decide to drive away after the sight of us..As it turns out, even the cab drivers demand a level of respect that we were shortsighted in noticing....our dripping wet swimsuits!!! Finally, a 3rd river stops, and pulls the floormats up, flips them, and throws them on his back seat to give us a ride..I offer him $500J for the effort, and with that, he gets us to the gate od SSI, where Capt. Kirk greets us with a big smile. Not quite ready for showers, yet(actually we were afraid of that kiss of death nap that may do us in)we belly up to the bar where who intriduces himself, but Chris!!..We shake hands and congratulate him and Francine on their beautiful new edition to the world, talk some fishing over what is THE BEST ....Caesar I ever had!!!, then decide to hit the pool for a few minutes. Our Winnipeg friends find us there, where they ask us if we'd like to walk down to Sir D's Firewater for the sunset..We agree to meet em in 30, and now have a reason not to crash upon room arrival. ...Back down to what can only be called the "worlds biggest, most comfortable living room", we meet our buds, who have had a fun day of scuba while we got our cliff fix. To the road, and single file we march through the narrow turns, past Rick's, and it's late day van empty-ing pile of vehicles and A/I crowds...to Firewater..just in time for a gorgeous, albeit cloud blocked dropping of the big yellow ball.
Now who happens to pull up, but none other than Lenbert, and his One Love Bus. He lets out his passengers and I'm wondering,does he do the crawls every day now? It IS Friday, after all...We go over to say hey and I ask Lenbert if we are set for this coming Wed. He looks in his notebook and there we are <Patrick, GrandPineapple -8> Cool beans, baby!! So Lenbert tells our groupl there is room for more, and proceeds to give us a ride back to SSInn. Needless to say, with the edition of 10 more it was tight in there..I had to sit kind of on my knees forward on the engine hump, and thought I may have taken one out with a sharp braking once...nope...all good...so back to Seastar we are, and about ready to get some dinner. ...We met another group of fellow Seastar folks earlier in the day at Xtabi(again with the names) it was an adult brother, his gf, mom and dad from New York, and adult sister from Florida, if I remember right. We were talking to them in the SSI lounge and they said they were also going to Three Dives, as there was a party going on there tonight...I do recall seeing the sign...we told them we would meet up with then later, as we were gonna mosey over now(7pm?)...so, off we go(thanks, again..Junior)..instead of walking in, they have a gate set up for tonights festivities...$500J apiece to get in...no sweat...in we are, and the bonfire is in full swing, as is the bar, and the grill pit..Lisa gets the lobster, and me...half chicken....Wow!! after all these trips to JA, I must say..I arrived in jerk heaven. This chicken had the flavor of the pimiento smoke all through it, and the skin was blackened up to a perfection.. while we are enjoying our meal, keep in mind it's night...and I had made a small puddle of sauce on my plate, between the chicken and the rice/peas, which I couldn't see...I had gotten a forkful/mouthful of rice that harkens back to the memory of some random hanna barbera character "blowing their top" as I sat 5 yrs old watching the tv..."Holy Crap is that hot" I struggled, with a bit of a cough, and some heavy pulls of my stripe....Very good though...

Great trip report and photos! Can totally relate to your comment about the tears.

Hi Pat and Lisa.
So enjoying your report. You 2 stay busy busy! It was nice meeting you at the Canoe. Keep this report coming

Hey Lady Jane!!! was so nice meeting you,too....We only wish that our 10 days could have been more....although we were so active(for us, anyway) that we would just spend the extra time relaxing:o

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. :cool:

So, here we are, at Three Dives....loving life, eating yummy local food, and gettin' down to the sounds of Beres Hammond over the speakers...there is an anticipation of the band/bands that will be playing later, and the sweet aroma of subs in the air.Well, the red stripes are going down way too easy, we see our New York pals and sit a spell with them, then decide that there is NO WAY we are gonna make it for the live entertainment(we kinda knew this going in..it IS Jamaica, after all). Say our goodbyes, and walk on out of Three Dives...(kind of a LITERAL pub crawl, you might say)..No cabs, at least none that are interested...till we walk a bit, and finally one comes to our rescue..I say "Seastar Inn?" ...and he replies "I know, mon..I take you there earlier today"....Well alright..our mystery driver from Xtabi who delivered our wet hides earlier in the day where others wouldn't is back.....too cool for school...Now, we heard a day or 2 later that apparently, on the side of the road, near the entrance to Three Dives, there is some sort of crevice/drop off that if a pedestrian is not careful, can FALL IN!!!...and apparently, someone DID!!. Sounds like it could have been near the time we had left Fri. night....I guess it took a bit of doing to get her out..like basket wenching or some such thing...Ouch!! This was going to turn out to be a not so good week for accidents on the West End....Now safely home, we don't NEED to, but can't resist just one more beer at the bar, which Alvin is quick to deliver...now who do we see? fellow boardie Robin...who just got in today....although we've never met, Robin greets us with big hugs as we are really starting to feel at home here on the West End....We are "getting it" now...As seven mile beachers every trip, we had been entertaining the thought of a west end stay for a while, but felt like we would miss out on the vibe we know and love....well this one rocks, too...different, but just as stellar....Now Chris appears to tell us about his fishing on this day, between watching Winnipeg Jets powerplays on the tv. He asks, "Can I buy you guys a beer?" which normally we would jump at...but graciously gave him a no thank you as our livers were threatening to escape from our body cavities if the punishment didn't stop.We are really grateful that we had left 3 Dives when we did because although not staggering dumb drunk...we are there!! Our Winnipeg friends would tell us in the a.m. that we appeared very happy last night....and right they were.Attachment 25504Attachment 25505Attachment 25506Attachment 25507Attachment 25508Attachment 25509

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqSdx...VqwnoUIAu3jkmg

Hey Patrick, great trip report and awesome job on the video.

We were at the 3Dives party also and left around midnight or a bit later, kind of slow, light turnout.

Love your idea about your 17 year old dropping you guys off at the airport, I think that's what we are going to do in a few weeks, we won't know how to act with a personal taxi driver dropping and picking us up. (Although I know he won't like getting out of bed that early:)

Jamb

GREAT STUFF.....absolutely loved your video...thanks very much!!

Great job !!!!

Thanks all.....I'll have more to come...but my butt's falling asleep from all this reminiscing...better get productive and put this weekend to good use;)

excellent job

Thanks for sharing Lisapat,we are loving it and it helps us get by until Nov.on the cliffs!!

Day 3 - Bittersweet....
So now we awake and it's Saturday...We had thought of possibly doing a Mayfield Falls trip this reach, but just because the West End doesn't have that much sand, doesn't mean one still can't get a serious case of sand gravity...So, the Winnipeg gang are down for breakfast, and tell us that....by no means should we feel intimidated to spend some time enjoying Tensing Pen if so inclined....they did, and didn't feel like interlopers one bit.Well, I have to honestly say that the idea of the general public having free reign access to that property while we were staying there would kind of sting my ego just a bit...but, maybe it's one of those things where if we tread lightly....all will be well....<the verdict still isn't in on whether we were crashing the resort or not, folks>...anyway, after breakfast, ....cooler iced down and some redstripe travellers in tow...off we go....Gate man let us in, no sweat( a good sign, I guess).....also, this place doesn't have a lot of "common areas" per se, ..meaning that although you can explore and walk around a bit, you might find yourself approaching the doorstep of someone's cottage....we got a quick feel of it before settling in at the pool.....which is located directly under the restuarant/bar.....well, Lisa goes up to grab a few red stripes, and, once again...they became sort of like everlasting gobstoppers once the koozies covered 'em up(I know, we're bad...trust me,this theme will continue;)). Got some awesome pictures and instantly made friends with 2 resident ( I want to say Rhodesian) hounds. They seemed to be the most pampered pooches in all of Jamaica...and very affectionate.Lisa's not a big dog person like me and was unimpressed(try not to hold it against her LOL) A wonderful day in a spectacular place...The place had a few guests but otherwise seemed all ours...After a few hours we decided to head back to our room, and clean up in prep for another sunset...this time we decided Rick's Cafe(mind you, not cause we ever have to visit there again after one time...it's enough)..the whole tourist trap thing isn't really our scene, but it's just so darn close..what the heck. Lisa figured the divers are always a good show, plus I figured there's always tons of 20 something eye candy so ok, ...Awesome sunset, we sat next to a nice couple from Mass. who were staying at CSA..so we got on the Couples subject, as Lisa and I are 5X veterans of Couples Resorts...Hands down the premiere A/I in all of everywhere, but just not our bag anymore....We love CN, but have decided that our love for Negril is bigger...and if you try to do both......somewhere you're gonna miss out. Anyway, back to Seastar Inn where we have been graciously invited to dine at the Winnipeg table....awesome!!! Anyone that has seen Rob's webcast on Saturday knows that Seastar will fill to capacity on a Sat. night, ...so it's best to have your night planned out somewhat, especially if you're a guest....no problem....Great show, great meal....everyone said the buffet rocked... but, let me tell you...it really did!! that snapper was to die for!!

So we're diggin the show and .....poof....out go the lights....Chris grabs some staffers and gets on it, there are generators to wake up...Well the band had barely got into their groove, when....all you have now is percussion fro the drummer...So he keeps it going, and ....what's this? the Seastar drummers get started a little early...in the dark, but it rocked just the same...A couple of near misses, and the generators are going....and the beat goes on...I guess the whole west end lost power that night.. Anyone that was watching the webcast must have got the hint fairly early...As Rob and Lisa had to pack it up as far as that went. Again, though....it was all good.. The next morning....we checked out, said our goodbyes and caught a ride on the shuttle to the beach, where Henry dropped as at the Grand Pineapple, where we had stayed last year..We had finished our stay on the West End.....but would definitely be back......Attachment 25547Attachment 25552Attachment 25553Attachment 25548Attachment 25550

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdDy-R_g5l0&feature=share&list=UUMbZ--S5NVqwnoUIAu3jkmg

wicked video ........ wicked

Jamb

nice... thanks for sharing

thoroughly enjoying your trip report...thanks for taking the time to share!

Lovin' it!

Love the pics, especially the close up shot of the two of you but I can't watch the videos. Boohoo

Thanks, all.....as you may have noticed, it has NOT been a productive weekend for me, outside of pic/vid posts...our daughter had her prom this weekend, leaving us in a holding pattern...so I've been killing time here:cool:

Lisapat great report, sounds like you had fun! By the way we just flew out of your airport this morning after a long weekend in Destin.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is just what I needed this morning :)

Hey Pat, It was great meeting you and Lisa......and always nice to confirm what went on.....in case I have gaps in my memory LOL........great pics and report....hope to meet you again soon ....Robin

Thanks for a great report and for all the pics!

Tanfastic... Hope your time here was fun...we do love living here, even if we always have Negril on the brain. Robin, it was awesome meeting you, I'm sure we will cross paths again.Rinakim glad I could brighten your day!Justchuck, stay tuned.. I'll try to get more reporting done soon.

Be back in June for a week, staying in Seagrove Beach this time but will make many trips to Destin (Big Kahuna and Back Porch) during the trip.