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 :)