10 Years, 12 Nights, 6 Hotels, ONE LOVE - April 2012 Trip Report

So my goal is to finish this trip report before the world ends. That's scheduled to happen this Friday so clearly it's time to wrap this up.

I have a cold and I'm at home sick from work right now. This gives me some time to post a new update and some more pictures. I apologize in advance for typos, I'm kind of foggy in the head from all the cold meds... But here goes...

Day 11 continued...

I agree with everything Markus wrote about Banana Shout. It definitely does have a hippie commune feel to it. I love the bright colors and the entire funky vibe of the resort. There was no one else there at the time, so we really felt like we had the entire place to ourselves.

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This was our first time staying in a room right on the edge of the cliffs. It was an amazing experience for us... to step out the door of your cottage and have the beautiful view of the turquoise ocean right in front of you. I loved hearing the waves lap against the cliffs while swinging on the hammock and feeling the warm breeze. This was truly heaven.

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We went for a dip in the sea...

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And afterwards we enjoyed using the outdoor shower built into the cliffs. It was really refreshing. (We also gave the boat floating by on it's way to Ricks Cafe with a crowd of tourists quite the show...)

Next up was a trip to Fun Holiday on the beach end to say Goodbye to Beachgirl66, +1 and Becky.

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I was glad they were all still there! We had a round of Dirty Bananas on the beach and then We all went swimming together. The weather was beautiful

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Beachgirl66 had to leave early to see a friend before catching her flight. We hugged her goodbye. She gives the best hugs and she is truly the sweetest person you'll ever meet. She is so filled with joy. You can't help but smile and feel good when you're around her. +1 is wonderful too!

The next goodbye was Becky. She's a strong woman with a soft core. We shared an emotional moment and the waterworks started back up again. Yet another tearful fairwell.

FYI: I make people cry. Apparently that's what I do...Just a warning for anyone that meets me in the future.

I'm really bad with goodbye's...If we're in Negril together, just avoid me on your last day and I think you'll be fine.

We continued down the beach to visit Robert and Maureen at our favorite bar on the beach. SUNNYSIDE BAR!

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We just missed Maureen by a few minutes but Robert was still there. He gave us a warm and enthusiastic greeting. It was so good seeing him again!

We noticed there was a new sign up and there is room on the back for visitors to sign their names. If you look closely you'll see ours up there:

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Wpyogi and her +1 were happened to be strolling down the beach and greeted us. I was psyched to bump into them again and so glad they were still in town. They hopped up on the bar bench and joined us for a few rounds of cold Red Stripes. It was a lot of fun!

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At one point Markus disappeared to take another swim in the ocean. He was gone for a while but when he returned He was in very good spirits.

"I just saved a bee!" he announced with a smile.

I laughed "Um, That's nice, Dear"

It wasn't until a month later when I was going through the video footage from our trip that I saw what he was referring to. I smiled from ear to ear when I saw this. The footage was so oddly touching and heartwarming to me that I pieced the video clips together and posted it on Youtube.

For those who haven't seen it yet, Here it is:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N-lFHgzH54


This video shows you a glimpse of what I love about Markus. He has so much awe and respect for every little living thing on this planet. He's really a gentle soul with the biggest heart. I'm so grateful every day that I have him in my life. He makes ME a better person.

http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...psd716d9f0.jpg

Love this beautiful man with every fiber of my being.

Sorry I have to stop here. I'm feeling really drowsy and my head is pounding. It's time for me to drink some hot tea and head back to bed.

To be continued...

Bonfire webcast party at Seasplash w/ Spottycatz, Lorax, Indybob, Bella Bea and a whole bunch of great boardies coming up

Oh so nice....... Love the video of Markus and " I can Flyyyyyy" Medicine head what? This is one of you best updates........ Good times soon come...

Well Daisy hope you get to feeling better before the world ends so the trip report gets finished. As for crying or making people cry you just keep being you.i like it :-)

Awww Thanks Angel and Boogs!
I'm feeling a lot better now and ready to finish up this trip report today!:D

Well, the world didn’t end after all. It’s time to wrap this trip report. This is it, the FINAL update. The day we finish this “War and Peace” length trip report has finally come.

Not many words this time. I’ll just let the pictures tell the story…

Day 11 continued…

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(party at Seasplash)

We partied with the Spottycatz (I was so happy to see them I nearly knocked them over with my hugs. Mr Spotty looked a little afraid) Indybob was there too, Jim and Donna and we finally met Lorax and his beautiful wife. Bella Bea and Tawnee… a whole bunch of boardies partying that night!

I also met a man on the beach that made me a bracelet with my brother’s name that I treasure to this day.

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When night fell, a bonfire was lit up on the beach in front of Seasplash..

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(Markus and Chicken :D)

Markus did a pole dance for the webcast. I pried him off the pole when he threatened to “take it all off” – After Seasplash we visited Indybob at Crystal waters and then had drinks with Rob, Lisa and Bella Bea at Eddie’s DeBar

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Trip report continued from previous page..

Day 12 - Final day at Banana Shout

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Waking up to the sound of the waves against the cliffs was amazing.. .what a view!

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(the communal kitchen area)

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Morning cup of joe at Banana Shout

After a dip in the ocean, we went to visit Courtney the Carver at Grand Pineapple to bring him some acrylic paints that he was in need of. He was grateful and it was wonderful seeing him again. We bought a beautiful carving.

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Next stop was Xtabi for some snorkeling and breakfast

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Then it was time for the “girly girls and Manly men” Photoshoot in the Xtabi caves…

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This didn’t go over well with me. This is why…

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This video footage tells the tale. When I saw the bats, you’ll see how I hightailed straight out of that cave. Markus grabbed the camera from me which he nearly dropped at one point when he was knocked over by a dive bombing bat. The horror is all captured on film. (see below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sODBKRkTBY8&feature=share&list=UU94dXN_M4S gub-PYn5ej5ig

This didn’t stop Markus from propping the camera on the side of the cave walls and getting a shot for the calendar. He is a brave soul.

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Afterwards we went back to Banana shout to just relax and enjoy our final sunset…

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We sat there together gazing at the glistening sea and reflected on our 12 incredible days in Negril. So much had happened during this trip… We celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary, I met my long lost family for the first time in Mandeville & Belmont, We met the most amazing group of newfound friends and had a whole slew of adventures together. From YS Falls, Pelican Bar, The bellyflop, the one love pubcrawl, Seasplash parties, Luciano concert, and endless nights of laughing at Ivans Bar. we experienced six amazing hotels in Jamaica, Villa Sur Mer, Seastar Inn, Mandeville mountaintop villa ,Seasplash, Catcha Falling Star and Banana Shout Resort.

We made memories that we’ll treasure for the rest of our lives…

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All we could feel was gratefulness. We were tanned, relaxed, happy and at peace. Jamaica had once again given us the gift of clarity. I felt restored and ready to embrace whatever life had in store for me when I returned home..

We enjoyed that last night together in Jamaica to the fullest…

Thank you everyone for joining us on this journey and sticking with us to the end. Hope you enjoyed our ramblings, pictures and videos. I know I’ve enjoyed all of your trip reports over the years and this was just our way of giving back.

Thanks Rob & Lisa for creating this amazing site where we can all share our experiences and our love of Jamaica together. True friendships form through this bulletin board that go deeper than words can express.

Till next time…:)

With Love,
Daisy & Markus

Perfect -
till next time ........no pans just yet?

Great report Clarity. Dirty Banana for breakfast????

Applause!!! Thanks for a great trip report.

Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap! What an adventure, thank you for taking the time to post for us all to read! :-)

Cheers
W99

Excellent trip report, as usual. The words and pictures - just incredible.

Awesome trip report and pictures,thank you so much for sharing your adventure with us!

Just loved every single minute of your report, and loved living it with you too! lol

Thanks for taking the time to write it all out, you guys are truly gifted.
But now that it is over, how will we go on? You should probably just book another trip so you can have more material to write about!

What do you say, want to hop on a plane tonight and meet us there this weekend?!?!?!?!

I think ya'll should write a book of ya'lls adventures:)~IRIE REPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~Thanks!!!

Bravo! Standing ovation! Wonderful - thank you. I'm planning for next year and every time I read an update to your report I want to stay where you stayed! How to pick? Which was your favorite?

Fabulous trip report, as always - Loved it! Reading your reports always puts me in kind of a trance - makes me feel like I am right there in Negril. BUT this time I actually am in Negril! SO, In honor of you guys finishing this report I think I'll head out for a dirty banana now :) Thanks Again for sharing!!

Ok time for you to book, pack and go so you can write another trip report. Thank you for posting this. :-)

Thanks IrieAlways, Justchuck, Walleyed99, Mike_D, BillnDonna, and Vince! So glad you enjoyed our TR! I can’t believe we’re finally finished… it only took us 8 MONTHS. Lol!

Gerryg123 – lol! Only in Jamaica!

Angel – I think you’re right ;)

Jennn – Thanks!! Enjoy every minute in Negril and your Dirty Banana!

Thanks JaJodi –That’s a hard question…It depends on what you’re looking for in a hotel

If you want:
…To party on the beach… Seasplash (Although I only know it under Jim Hurt’s management)
…To party on the cliffs…. Seastar
(I felt like there was always something going on at both hotels, webcasts, live music and a lot of boardies. So much fun – If you’re going solo, I would recommend either hotel because you’ll have a lot of friendly people to hang out with.)
…To feel like ‘Brangelina’ in an intimate resort all with just you and your loved one… Villa Sur Mer
(Very quiet, Very Romantic… I felt like it was just the two of us in the world. This is good for anniversaries and special occasions –I feel like Markus and I fell in love all over again there)
…To Feel like a more laid back hippie vibe with a cabin right on the cliffs for an affordable price… Banana Shout
...If you want a little mixture of ALL of that on the cliffs… Catcha Falling Star. It will always hold a big place in my heart. I just love the resort, the staff, the vibe…everything! I guess that makes Catcha my favorite.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by marley9808

Just loved every single minute of your report, and loved living it with you too! lol

Thanks for taking the time to write it all out, you guys are truly gifted.
But now that it is over, how will we go on? You should probably just book another trip so you can have more material to write about!

What do you say, want to hop on a plane tonight and meet us there this weekend?!?!?!?!

---

Sure! Why not??? ;)

I’m packing my bags now! I’ll see you this weekend!!:cool:

Clarity, I just want to say to you and hubbyman...thank you. Thank you for giving me hope that true love and happiness really does exsist. In april, I was really searching for anything that could make me feel better about people and relationships. Just getting to watch you two interact from a distance, made me want to believe that there could still be someone out there in this big old world, made for me and me made for them. That morning at Seasplash when I brought you two fresh mangos that I personally picked, it was one of my trips high points. And, it was a way for me to share something that meant alot to me and show you my respect. I feel very blessed to have met you two. The day you saw me bodysurfing, I was in my own world. Again, something very special to me, cuz the last time I did it...my lil boy was with me. Anytime I am stressed(or have to get my blood pressure taken) I take myself to that day with him in the ocean. It always lowers my numbers and relaxes me..lol Much love to you two....and all my other friends I was lucky enough to meet....I miss you all and hope to see you in April!! Peace!!!

Great memories:) Thank you.

Now go make some more!

Thank you so much Clarity & Hubbyman - I loved reading your TR and seeing your pictures. Now you have it all in writing so you can remember it always - very cool. You both write so well, you have a way of making people feel as though they are there with you.

Can't wait for your next trip :)

Thanks again!

Bravo! Thanks for sharing so much of your trip and yourselves with us. Happy New Year!

Loved your trip report!!!

Clarity - we booked Villas Sur Mer #6 down for our 20th anniversary trip in May. A few days there followed by a few days at Idle Awhile on the beach - thanks again for the wonderful pictures and information, it helped me talk my hubbyman into it. They really should give you a few free/discount nights (babymoon some day soon?) Wishing you all the best!