Mr. X does Negril (2010) with No Reservations

I need more....i'm hooked after reading your previous trip report. Lots of laughs, thanks

Mr. X Does Negril (2010) with No Reservations



Chapter 2 – Why Jamaica?


Distance from my home.
No since getting into debate about vacation length. Lucky to be able to go for a week. Period. This is not some kind of sabbatical. I don’t get any “summer vacation” anymore (guess that was long ago). I do not have unlimited amounts of time (or money). Basically a week with maybe extra day added in. Traveled enough to know that the last day coming home is not going to be fun so to me the only question is how long it is going to take me to get somewhere and get settled and start relaxing or having fun. Going to friends’ beach house is a 7 hour drive. Only a 1 hour flight but when you add all the airport BS in. Takes about 5 hours door to door flying. Plus I got to get rides to and from airport on both ends. Easier just to drive so I can control the times.

For the most part I can get entire East Coast of US in that 5 to 7 hour range driving or flying. West Coast and Las Vegas take me a couple hours longer door to door. Europe, Far East etc way longer and hence to me out of question for a 1 week trip. Going south I can go anywhere along the panhandle of Florida and/or Atlantic side all the way to Miami. Cancun. Jamaica. Several other places in the Caribbean all fall in this basic time frame. So these are what my choices are. Might be a beautiful and perfect place on the other side of the world but time wise I cannot do it now. So this is timeframe WHEREEVER we are going on vacation. I can leave my house at 7am on Saturday morning in Atlanta and arrive Jamaica before 12noon.

Price
Because of taxes and fees it is more expensive for me to fly to Jamaica than NYC and Miami but not much more. About the same price for me as flying to LA or SFO. Bora Bora may be the bomb but cost and time wise not really an option for me. Even paying tourist prices in a tourist part of Jamaica the prices are lower than NYC, Miami and San Francisco for me. Additionaly once you get off the main tourist path which can litterly be a few steps away you can dramatic lower ur costs on everything from food to lodging.

Weather
I don’t like to be cold and damn sure don’t want to be cold on vacation. It is always warm in Jamaica (almost). Like at home the late summer/early fall is about the hottest time. I like to be warm. I do not like to be hot. I find the weather to be perfect at this time. Except for the hottest part of day. Then I just don’t want to be in direct sun light for prolonged periods.

Food
Lots of Fresh Seafood – Favorite food my whole life.
Jerk Anything – Jamaican BarBQue. Love me some jerk.
Fresh vegtibles and fruits. - Including many I am not familiar with but taste great.
Food is a big deal and many places take pride in what they serve. You can but you don’t have to spend a lot of money on food. Locals are not paying tourist prices for food. Many local places where the food is outstanding and inexpensive (by US standards).

I went to St Lucia 15 plus years ago. Beautiful country. Extra friendly people. Read up and ate at best places. The food was not that good. I ordered orange juice at nice breakfast place. I am sitting outside on a restaurant patio and less than 15 feet away is some kind of orange tree growing with oranges all over it and they brought me a little rusty looking 8oz can of “orange juice” from England. Probably charged me $5 for it. I am a foodie. Not saying I am planning vacations around food (ok maybe I do). No matter how much fun I am having bad food is going to effect my vacation. Better the food better the overall vacation.

Music
In Jamaica music playing everywhere. Every car. Every house. Every business seems like. All types. I am not music expert guy. I am probably stuck in 60’s and 70’s time warp for both American and Jamaican music. Despite being out of date on music I still enjoy hearing all kinds of good music. Live music all over. During times of the year huge music shows with big name stars all over the island.

Language
English is spoken. Like Mr Smith744 says even the guy who is talking in the thickest patois had English in school and English is official language. More English spoken in Jamaica than Atlanta that’s for sure. Love my Spanish speaking peeps and I can communicate in Spanish but just not the same for me. I can walk in some back village and have a conversation with about anyone in Jamaica. May take a few minutes to get ahold of each others’ accents but eventually we will be conversing. Not same for me in Mexico. I guess same for the DR and Puerto Rico. Enjoyed visits and would go back but not the same for me.

History
This is not some podunk little island. Reading and reading about history is a lifelong passion of mine. Jamaica is a country of tremendous rich and diverse history.

Topography
Is that the right word? Anyhow an island surrounded by beautiful water. Interior is tropical jungle and hilly. Makes for stunning views in so many places. Mountains, rivers and waterfalls. Natural beauty all over. Beautiful rolling green hills. I could just sit on one of those hills and stare at the view all day.

People
If you asked people who go to Jamaica regularly the main reason. They would say its many things but on everybody’s list would be the people. Sounds like a weird answer especially for guys to say. Hard to explain if you have not been. Does not mean you don’t run into as*holes like everywhere else but most of the people are very friendly. Sounds like a cliché but it is true. You will run into nice, smart, funny, athletic people who are hardworking and care a great deal about their family, community, country and future. They may not be as well off financial or as formally educated as you. Or the other hand they might be both.

In general they are going to be direct. Sometimes too direct. Nowadays many people avoid direct. Some cultures never say no to a visitor. They got no intention of doing what they say but they will not tell you no. I don’t like that. Say what you mean. Do what you say. In Jamaica people are more direct (most of the time). Don’t beat around the bush out with it. You would be surprised at the depth of a conversation you end up having with a complete stranger. Just not the same at home. At home mostly just BS about the weather or small talk.


This chapter has been the hardest to write. Mostly finished rest of trip report long ago just kept skipping this part. I will come back to it I keep telling myself. Some thoughts are hard for me to express in words. Since I first went to Jamaica with my parents as a teenager I have always felt like I had a bond with Jamaica. (Does not mean Jamaica has a bond with me.) People always ask me why Jamaica and I just kind of laugh it off and joke around. Certain comfort zone that I don’t seem to have anywhere else.

Completely agree! My heart is in Jamaica too! Please continue...

I like this Chapter 2, my husband and I were just discussing this topic earlier tonight. People always want to know why we keep going back to Jamaica and it's very difficult to summarize in a single statement or a few sentences...it's all the reasons you list. Especially identify with what you said about the people and the in-depth conversations you can strike up with perfect strangers. Loving your report, can't wait to read more!

Mr. X Does Negril (2010) with No Reservations

Chapter 3 – Why Negril?

I am often accused of being a Negril “snob” by friends and family. Negril has all the things for the most part that the rest of Jamaica has. Negril is a tourist town. Yes I know but I am a tourist so …

Location
Easy to get to from airport (now). Good roads. 90 minutes from airport. Anywhere I go it takes time to get from airport to where you are going so less than 2 hours is no problem. Closest big city in US to airport is Las Vegas. Last trip I waited an hour and half to get my bags. Add 15 minute ride to hotel and an hour to check in. It is not going to happen again. Cause my ass won’t go. Even if you were staying in MoBay it would take you half hour to get there. If you are riding a bus with lots of people going same place as you I am guessing you going to be waiting in line upon check in.

The ride to Negril can be part of the fun of vacation. I enjoy the ride from the airport. Scenic. Beautiful. Most tourists who land in Jamaica go the opposite direction in big buses towards Ocho Rios. I see that as a positive for me. Use to be a lot harder to get to Negril. Bad roads. Long waits. Now it’s a piece of cake. Inexpensive to get from airport to Negril. Basically same cost for me to get to airport in Atlanta from my home.

Food
So many great places to eat and many within walking distance from almost anywhere you are staying. Because it is a tourist area there are tons of places to eat. Most are small mom and pop type places instead of mass produced food places. Local people got to eat as well. They cannot pay tourist prices yet they want good food. Plenty of these places around as well. Can get excellent food at both tourist and local places.

Weather
Is the weather the same all over Jamaica since it is a small tropical island? It is actually a pretty big island but not near the weather diversity of say the US of A. In general it is mostly the same weather on the island. In mountain areas like Mandeville it is going to be cooler. What is really different is when during the day it clouds up in the rainy season. Other side of island it clouds up at lunch time. In Negril during the fall it clouds up and rains in the late afternoon. This is perfect for me. I am up early and have had a full day by this time. It cools the hottest part of the day down. If it rains it’s only for a short time. Maybe 10 minutes of actual rain. If I were to take a “nap” this would be the ideal time. Additionally due to the clouds (I guess) the sky has beautiful dramatic colors during sunsets.

Music
Like the rest of Jamaica, Negril has music playing everywhere. Because it is a tourist town it attracts many musical acts including big names. Concerts are usually held in the high season when the most tourists are on the island. Rest of year there is always live music somewhere.

Easy to Get Around
It is actually a pretty small town/area. Broken into a few parts. Only one main road is Norman Manley/Highway #1/Beach Road/One Love Drive/Cliffs Road/Interstate #1/Autobaun. Once you get lay of land it’s easy. I am telling you this because I can get lost in a parking lot.

Beach
Best beach in Jamaica by far. 7 miles is a lot of beach. No high-rises. No tall buildings. Can’t be that many people without high-rise hotels. Beaches are mostly cleaned. Not stuff in the water. You can go away from the 7 mile area and find beaches in their more natural state. When swimming and hanging out I prefer a clean beach with nothing to step on. Clean beautiful sand. Not mud or gook. Some parts are more crowded but off season there are lots and lots of beach with hardly anybody around.

Soft white sand. What does that mean? Gentle on my feet. It’s actually pretty sand. Most places keep the beach clean and well maintained. (Stayed in Ocho Rios when I was younger. The beach was ok but the minute you went in water in was not sandy but like packed mud. Not gross like squishy mud but not nice.)

Gentle Water – Some parts of East Coast we actually get waves and can surf. It is fun to jump in the big waves. But not relaxing at all. A calm sea with little waves is actually way more relaxing and don’t have to constantly be on guard that a big wave is going to crash on top of you. For the most part on the beaches of Negril just a tiny little baby wave that breaks at water’s edge. Very calm and relaxing.

Warm Water - I love the fact that i can get in the ocean at 7am and not feel cold when i get in or out of the water.

Crystal Clear Water – So what? I grew up on the East Coast of USA where ocean water is green. Cannot see 1 inch under water usually. Since I was kid in the 70’s every time I get chest deep in any non-clear water music starts playing in my head. Same music. Always the same music. Dun Dun … Dun Dun … Dun Dun (Jaws). My ass is not going in the deep water and not thrilled about chest deep. Anything that I touch on the bottom or anywhere else that does not feel like sand makes me jumpy. Lakes I don’t hear the Jaws music but I think about snakes and alligators sneaking up on me.

In crystal clear water like a swimming pool I am much more relaxed. I am not saying sharks cannot get me but at least I can see them and decide whether to swim for it or try to poke the shark in the eye or whatever. Does Negril have jellyfish? Of course sometimes but the difference between murky Atlantic Ocean and clear Caribbean Sea is I can see jellyfish so I know to float/swim around them. I can see the bottom so when I walk in the water not going to step on anything. For the most part on the beach is just soft sand in the water. If there is a rock the size of a pebble I can see it and not step on it. Maybe nothing to you but this is a big deal to me. Yes I guess technically that would make me a tenderfoot.


These things alone would be enough to set it Negril apart from the rest of the Jamaica. (Tourist visiting on vacation for a short time not living there) But Negril has even more.

Sunsets
The Western part of the island is where Negril is located in Jamaica. This means the sun sets over water. Living on the East Coast of the US we don’t get sunsets. Sun goes behind the hills or trees or houses or buildings and that’s it. Not that way in Negril. Most nights a giant orange fireball disappears into the vast horizon of beautiful calm water. To me it is magically. I am a guy not the kind of thing I would normally care about but to me the sunsets are stunningly beautiful. Once in lifetime beauty. We often go in the fall and something about the weather causes the sky to have colors you would not believe. Huge Expansive Sky, beautiful captivating.

Cliffs
Negril has an added bonus. It is not for everyone. Unique to Negril that is not in the rest of Jamaica. The cliffs. Hard to explain to people and frankly most photos don’t even come close to the actual beauty. The cliffs are the deep end (adult swim) of the water. To stand on a 25 foot sheer cliff and look down into 25 foot deep water and be able to see small fish 40 to 50 feet below in crystal clear water is amazing. On the cliffs I feel as if I am on the end of the earth looking out into an endless horizon. The cliffs curve in and out so in many places you feel as you are the Westernmost person in all of Jamaica. Last person in entire country of Jamaica to see the sun go down. May or may not be true but you feel like it. Downsize is it makes you feel pretty insignificant in the Cosmos.

Even the sound of the water crashing against the rocks is relaxing to me. Because you are on a cliff nobody is walking between you and the water. All the property is private so it is like being in individual embassies. Additionally since you are elevated above the water it makes the sunsets more dramatic and last longer. Near sunset the colors are amazing. Boats are driving by, people are waving. It is like a small town. You are sitting on your front porch (cliffs) and everybody is driving by (boats) and waving. Yet you can move a few feet and be totally private if you desire. Castles. Caves. Cliff Jumping. Sign me up.

Fabulous! I am gonna book my next trip through bookit.com Had never heard of the site but they have great deals for the dates I need!

Delta...If you don't book via Bookit.com.. Keep an eye out for flights via Orbitz. I got mine RT plus tax for $378 out of Ohare.. Booked my room via NegrilOneStop.com - booked Coco la Palm for $87per night-(taxes & fees included)-Superior room includes continental breakfast. Just an FYI from a fellow
Chi-Towner :)

Thanks Honey! I wish I could just pay for it all right now but I've become quite fond of a few things like, place to live, car to drive, and food to eat LOL.

Lol... I KNOW the feeling, seems like it never ends! One good thing about Negrilonestop and what I really liked and appreciated is that you can put a deposit on the room.It just has to be paid in full 30days prior to you leaving.. * I WISH* air fare worked that way!:rolleyes:

Mr. X Does Negril (2010) with No Reservations

Chapter 4 - Negril.com

I felt I always had a comfort level and fascination with Jamaica. Since visiting long ago I tried to read every book I could find. Travel books, history books, James Bond books, etc. Before the internet it was much harder. The travel info was so dated mostly useless. Only ways basically was if someone told you about a place or you stumbled across it urself. To me so hit or miss on everything from food to hotels to basically all facets of travel. Yes I can see the adventure in that. I had a 13 year break from Jamaica. Can’t get that time back. I am short of time. Don’t want to wait 5 years or more of once yearly weekly vacations to find exactly where in Negril I want to be.

Every previous trip before 2009 would be a great time but Jamaica would still be such a mystery to me. Like I had a few pieces to the puzzle but not enough to make any sense of it. I somehow got into arguments with people. This is the kind of thing that bothers me and ruins my day. I am thinking next time I go to the beach if this jerk starts in I am going to knock his ass out. Turns out the guy I think I am about to get in a fight with has been pissing 100 tourists off per day every day year after year. He forgot about me the second he walks off. I am still mad about it hours later. Once I learn other people have same problem as me then it is not a problem for me. That’s just some crazy person just like at home or NYC or San Fran. No reason to get mad or let it upset me. I can forget about an idiot no problem.

All has changed for me. Why? How?
Don’t know for sure but I would guess it is a combination of things.
Growing up? Maturity? Doubt it.
Access to quality useful information. Mostly I attribute it to this site Negril.com, Rob and the boardies who contribute to it. The information now is so vast on the internet. Since this board was started so long ago I can search and still get valuable information in so many areas. Other sites and travel stuff is ok and I can get some broad general information.

Problem I have with that is many people who write are people I have nothing in common with, have an agenda or are reporting stuff I already know or don’t care about. Difference here (Negril.com) is that in general most people like me have a deep love for Jamaica and its people. Always talk on the board being one big happy family. Too funny. VERY DIVERSE GROUP. Other than love of Jamaica and its people would be about the only thing we all could agree on. I know it is not a lot but that is exactly 1 more thing I have in common with you then I do with everybody else in the world.

It’s one thing to read in a travel book that a food place is good. Problem is that writer may (or may not) have stopped in that food place 5 years ago. Different chef, different owners maybe. So outdated. With this board (archives) I can search and get tons of stuff about a particular place. Not just 1 person who I don’t know anything about giving me an assessment of a place.

Travel reports are the best. A good one gives me insight into the people. I can figure out if they are newbies, what type of lodging and food they like. A million people can like a place but that does not mean I will. Same thing on food. Just cause McDonalds has served Billions don’t mean I want to eat there.

With the vast updated information available on the internet. Anybody can read all about what is currently happening anywhere including Negril. Harder part is trying to decipher what is useable and applicable to me. I try to go thru as much stuff as I can and pull out information. If you wrote a trip report in the last couple of years and put it on Negril.com I read it. Like what kind of information? Anything. Location of clean bathrooms. Places to stay. Fun things to do. Places to eat and what people ordered and liked. Costs.

I have been to Jamaica enough to know that it is possible for 2 similar people to go to the same places and have the total opposite experience. Expectations. All about setting expectations. (JoeT). Last year (2009) I went and stayed a week at an All Inclusive in Jamaica. Frankly I am not an AI person but I knew that was the only way we could go so just had to make the best of it. I knew EXACTLY what to expect from the RIU Tropical Bay (from boardies) and had the best vacation of my life. By the time I found Negril.com we had already booked the AI so it was just a matter of making the best of what we had. We had a blast at the RIU but our trips outside the AI were way better.

I understand Jamaica and Negril is not for everyone. Actually this is a good thing. In my opinion many people go and stay at the “wrong” place, eat at the “wrong” place and go about trips in the “wrong” way. They have bad experiences and don’t go back. Normally I cannot let this worry me. Tourism is down and it was way down in September of 2010 in Negril Jamaica. Like at home times are tough. I will attempt to regale you with tales of my last vacation (2010) to Jamaica in hopes of you saying Hey even this guy and wife seemed to have lots of fun on a moderate budget. Maybe we should go (or go back) to Jamaica.

I am going to tell you where we stayed, ate, what we did, costs and how we arrived at those decisions. All info for trip was gleaned from Negril.com. Trying my best to give my honest opinion. Dealing with real people and real lives and real places is well you know tricky. Read whatever you want between the lines. Each person has different standards, traveling companions, budgets, wants and desires, etc. This is true of me as well. In this particular case these are what my choices in 2010 are:
Wife and me and whatever money we got for 7 nights/8 days in Jamaica.