Why Negril? And first impressions.

My reason for visiting Negril (and in fact, Jamaica!) for the first time is quite lame. Seriously lame. BUT- it got me to Negril ten years ago and I have been going ever since!

I watched the movie Cocktail when I was 12. (*GROAN*) I know, I know. I wanted to go to Jamaica once I saw Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue in the waterfall scene. (*double groan!*) Give me a break, yall! I was 12!

So there I was at age 26 with a fabulous new husband and I had talked about wanting to go FOREVER- so he said research and book it.

After SO MUCH research- I found Nirvana! I knew it wasn't Cocktail, or How Stella Got her Groove Back- but decided Negril was the place. I immediately knew we didn't want all inclusive. I wanted to get the "culture" of the place! So once I read some reviews on trip advisor, I decided on Nirvana.

First Impression- I had only left the country once before. I went to Mexico for a couple weeks in high school. The first week of the trip was a guided tour of Mexico City, Taxco, and the country side. The last week was spring break in Acapulco. So.....that part doesn't even count!

We were SOOOO freaking out on the van ride from the airport- scary driving! I had extreme feelings of guilt for vacationing when so many were living in poverty in front of my eyes.

There is no vending at Nirvana. We didn't know about the Hi Lo- or even THINK to go get groceries that first day. We got in at dinner time. Walked down the beach to find a place to eat. (it was beginning of August-so off season) It looked like NO place was even open. We didn't see people eating. We saw someone washing off a table and stopped there. it was Marleys By The Sea. I looked at the menu- and about freaked. I don't like anything even close to being spicy. (taco bell is spicy to me!) I had NO IDEA what jerk chicken even was- asked if it was spicy and the server said no. Well....Lets just say- it was!

We struggled to find a place to buy soda- we were just in such culture shock that first evening! I seriously thought I had made a mistake by booking this trip. I thought I was going to STARVE and only have water from our room to drink! Ha!!

We were seriously SHOCKED about so many people trying to sell us ganja and everything else they could think of. There were a couple of guys that stopped and asked us to buy something- we said no, we are just trying to find a little store to buy some drinks. Well they said, "this way, we'll show you." and started leading us down the beach, then down an alleyway between two hotels. It was dark by this time. My husband and I both got scared and said- never mind! We just went back to our room. At the time we thought maybe they were going to try and rob us or something- but now, after going often ,we believe they really were just trying to help us out! We were SUCH rookies and totally unprepared for Negril for sure!!!

The next day- the Nirvana staff gave us pointers and got us to the Hi-Lo. By the last day of out trip we were standing in the sea together seriously contemplating trying to push our flight back and stay longer!

Since that time, we have been about 8 times (9 times in 30 days!).

So what brought you to Negril? When you first got there what were your very first impressions? Were you prepared and did you know what to expect or were you a greenhorn like I was?

A Family wedding in 2006. 48 people between the two families. It was good. My wife and I knew we'd be back {not with family though}. We've been to Negril 11 times. I could write a book! So, I guess based on what I just mentioned, that's a pretty good testimonial....huh? Yamon'. Since you like movies , get the documentary "Marley" There ya go Mandy, you must have more stories??? Go ahead, share 'em. Respect

Weed, man, weed!!! But of course that was over 40 years ago when I was a totaly different person. The few people on this board and in Negril that know me may even find this hard to believe.
Regards,
Bob

Business about limo being built and shipped to Negril. Stayed on the cliffs then I found the beach and it keeps me coming back.

[QUOTE=Mandy;138611]

There were a couple of guys that stopped and asked us to buy something- we said no, we are just trying to find a little store to buy some drinks. Well they said, "this way, we'll show you." and started leading us down the beach, then down an alleyway between two hotels. It was dark by this time. My husband and I both got scared and said- never mind! We just went back to our room. At the time we thought maybe they were going to try and rob us or something- but now, after going often ,we believe they really were just trying to help us out! We were SUCH rookies and totally unprepared for Negril for sure!!!



I think you made a good choice by not going down that dark alley if you would have you might have made it to the the store but properly with less cash or no cash.

I got hooked on dancehall my first trip some 20+ years ago...Yellowman + Patra at Samsora, then later same week, major concert at MX111 Beanieman, Tonto Metro ,Devonte, Shinehead, Ghost, Half Pint to name a few..Only a hand full of tourists in the crowd-locals were super welcoming-...Walked back to beach hotel about 3am with no bad vibes...Have been coming ever since..Used to go to the all night concerts in Sav, but getting too old now...No more all night stuff..

In 1996 I went to Negril with my best friend. It was spontaneous and we had little time to prepare. No research was done in advance. Not sure this board or Tripadvisor even existed then (at least not in my world). My mom had just passed away and I was going through a divorce. Desperately needed to get away. Fell in love with the vibe, beach, cliffs, music, food and especially the people. Then I started taking my kids. Now they are grown and go to Jamaica on their own. Sometimes I go with friends but mostly go solo and totally enjoy it. My goal is to spend a couple months there every winter.

Love the honesty Mandy. For me it was the music. Grew up on rock, reggae, ska, So Cal punk and had to do it. Funny thing is our first night ever in Negril I took my wife up to Seastar for the show. Before it was over we were walking down Seastar Lane and headed to LTU in the dark. Halfway down she said WTF are we doing. I told her no worries, we are good. Found our way there due to feedback on this forum with ease. 15 minutes into it Sexy Rexy walks in and I make the approach. Told him to take me deeper into the West End. Problem was I forgot my wife at LTU. An hour later we are back and she is not too happy.

After that nothing phases her and all is good. It wasn't really my plan, however it was a good way to get over any misconceptions real quick. Thanks to LTU for looking after the wifey while I went and explored......

My mother is from the UK, but we have lived in the USA most of my life. When she found out I liked reggae music she took out her records from when she was a teenager and introduced me to each artist (Bob Marley, Culture, English Beat, Burning Spear, etc). I was getting married and told my wife we needed to go to Jamaica. My wife said okay, but it had to be a Sandals. Sandals wasn't my thing and so a couple years later she said we could go back. I wanted a cottage and Negril seemed like the perfect place. Booked a cottage for 10 days and my wife and I had an amazing time. Such an amazing time that I took my mother and father, who had not had a vacation in 15 years to Negril the next trip with everything paid. We are now working on our 5th trip and my father can't stop talking about patty's.

I had an unlce who used to go to Jamaica regularly (and just started going again, actually). I used to work the overnight shift with him at a truck stop, and as time went on, more and more of his "Jamaica" stories got told, and each one intrigued me more than the last. When it came time to get married and plan a honeymoon, it wasn't hard to decide where to go for my first trip out of the country. While not exactly getting the true Jamaican experience, we did enjoy our week at Couples Negril, and did sneak off the resort a few times to get a feel for the place. We swore we'd be back, but somehow ten years passed, and it never happened. However, we decided there was nothing we'd rather do than celebrate our ten year wedding anniversary in Negril, and have the Seastar booked for a week in late sept/early oct, with our wedding anniversary falling right in the middle of our trip! If that wasn't enough excitement, my THIRD trip to Jamaica is already in the works, as my best friend is planning a wedding at Riu Negril for Oct of 2015, and being the best man, I suppose I'd better be there! :) September 30 seems sooo awfully far away.....but not NEARLY as far away as when I planned this trip in January!

Had a few friends and family that had gone to Jamaica. 1st trip was also in August, walking the beach looking for a place to eat dinner and unable to tell what was open or a what was a restaurant. Someone called out and helped us get situated, it was all good!

I am not ashamed to admit, that I watch cocktail everytime I see that it is on, and Roadhouse or Pointbreak isnt.

Just got an itch to party like crazy people about 12 years ago and found Hedo.Went and partied many trips and then stayed at other hotels on the beach and had so much fun we stay all over the place now!!

1992 I was 34 and had been many places, but never Jamaica. Always wanted to go since seeing the James Bond movie "Dr. No". Finally convinced my wife to go to Sandals Negril. Landed in MoBay, walked down the stairs from the plane onto the Tarmac, long walk to terminal building. At first all you can feel is the heat and humidity and smell the Jet Fuel, then you get a wiff of something exotic. Dancers and music greet you as you enter the terminal..... The Old road to Negrl, bumpy, narrow, and then you cross the Ganga Bridge! OMG! A bud as large as my arm appears through the window, $5 US!. Oh the memories of that first magical sunset on the beach....

My first trip to Negril took place about a year after my first trip to Jamaica. Stayed in MoBay at an all-inclusive the first time (2000) because of the problems with the road to Negril. Knew the island was cool but also knew I was missing it at an AI in MOBay. Both times I was traveling with Boardie- JamaiKay who had been coming down to JA since 1987. Before we even departed from that first trip, I had my trip to Negril planned (in my mind at least).

For the first trip to Negril (in 2001) I did what a lot of people do, I stayed at an AI (Rui in Bloody Bay.) Our second day there i wandered off property and ended up at the Office of Nature and met all the guys that work and hung out there. I LOVED IT! Loved the people, loved the food, loved the spirit of the whole place. I even met an 8 year old local girl that I fell "in love" with and she ended up "adopting" me til this day (she's now a 21 year old college freshman -getting straight A's-living in the States!). Watching her succeed has been like watching my own children's successes. These connections I felt/feel with the people in Negril, I had never felt anywhere else. I ended up meeting MANY people on that 1st trip to Negril that now, 13 years and 20 something trips later, I consider some of my closest friends in life.

One of my favorite things to do is to bring first-timers down and watch their reactions. I have brought about 10 friends down (one at a time) for their first trips and they are always AMAZED by Negril. For some it was literally life changing. Bringing another newbie in August and I just know she's going to totally GET it.

Speaking of August, why haven't I seen an August Roll Call yet? Seen Sept, Oct, Nov, etc. but no August! I know a bunch of you crazy people have to be going down for ATI....(not me, I wait till it's over!) Who's going when?

Why Negril? Because they took Popeye the Sailor Man off the air and replaced it with Gilligan’s Island. This happened in about 3rd grade for me, about 1973. (Gilligan’s Island was already in syndication by then.) My ritual was to come home from school and watch Popeye and have a snack before going out to play (for you young folks, going out to play is something my generation did because the TV only had 3 channels and there were no computers or smart phones, just outdoors....even in the middle of winter in Nort Daakoda we went outside to play). Anyhew, I started watching Gilligan and loved it. The tropical jungle, the beach, the “lagoon”. From then on I always wanted to go to a tropical island. It took until 1991 when I finally had enough money. After talking to a travel agent, we (my girlfriend, who is now my wife) narrowed it down to the Bahamas, Mexico or Jamaica. I excluded Mexico right away because it was not an island and I remember the agent had some poor feedback from others about the Bahamas. So Jamaica it was. Why Negril? We wanted to see the sun setting on the ocean (hell, we never even saw an ocean up to this point) so we picked the west side of the island. One of the best decisions we ever made. A place that has remained near and dear to our hearts. And a place where we have met, and continue to meet some of the best people in the world. First impressions? Had a rum punch and bag a weed in my hand before leaving the airport for Negril......This place is FRICKIN’ AWESOME!

One movie in my youth did it for me... starring Jimmy Cliff, Robin Williams and of course Rick Moranis!

CLUB PARADISE

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Looking for chicks on the beach, trying to score the motherload of herb, tribal rastas... this flick had it all!

Muslims go to Mecca, Jews the wailing wall, and Christians the "promised land".

For me somewhere deep inside.......Jamaica has been calling me home.


After visiting, the call is only louder and much more clear.

Good one ESparks!!

Believe it or not my first time going to Negril i didn't want to go, I had graduated high school almost a year beforehand and my mom was pressuring me to go to visit my father and his family. At some point during my first semester of college i gave in and decided to go for 5 or 6 days during spring break. My first day there i cried, im not sure why, it wa just a big culture shock being up in the hills, seeing goats roam around freely and mosquitoes for some reason love to bite me. Once i finally got settled in a hotel and got to roam around i fell in love! Later that year (2011) i went back and stayed for two months with my grandmother on westend and went back again in 2012 for spring break for a 7 day trip that ended up being 9 or 10. I havent been since, life got ahold of me i had my daughter last august and got married but we will finally be making it back April 2015

1974 friends of my boyfriend(now husband) had come to Negril and told us we have to experience it! We came, flew Air Jamaica( rum punch and fashion show on the way) We wanted to rent a car(very naive) and never reserved it... ended up with a VW bus for the first week. Couldnt figure out why people were trying to flag us down.(they thought we were the bus) Stayed in Red Ground at a play run by someone named Pearl..... it was either $5 or $7 a nice..full kitchen, living and bedroom. Woke up to roosters crowing , breadfruit cooking and children marching off to school in there perfectly pressed uniforms.
drove to the beach everyday...private secluded and owned by the person who owned the Hilltop View cottages. Ate some breakfast at the fancy restaurant at the Villas in the round a bout............... and just fell in love!!!!!!! Came back in 1976 and then when my daughter was one year old and we stayed at the villas.
loved walking with flashlights...crabs running across the road at night,,, the sands club... the wharf club.

Stopped coming because of children (now 3) and came back in 2005 and every year since.....We missed our love!!!

MY Grandmother (god rest her soul) used to tell me about her and her fathers trips to Jamaica. Just after the turn of the century My great grandfather, who was a huge traveller, went to Miami and jumped on a Banana boat for the Caribbean. He visited many islands over a 6 month period. While he was in Jamaica he became friends with a school teacher who put him up for awhile. This man ended up being the Minister of education later for Jamaica. He kept in contact with my great grandfather for years. When my grandmother turned twenty she was fresh out of school, as a music teacher. My Great grampa sent her to Jamaica to live with this mans family for a year. She spent her time travelling from school to school with him teaching the kids about Canada and giving music lessons at the rural schools. She talked about it as the highlight of her life. When I turned 21 and finished college I booked a flight. I had been dreaming about it since I was a boy. 2 days before I was to leave my grandfather passed away suddenly. I canceled my trip. The day of the funeral my grandma told me I should have gone anyway. Next day she handed me a ticket to go. Instead of grieving she was more worried about my missed opportunities. I went, stayed a year, and I guess my handle on this site tells the end of the story! LOL If any of your kids want to go see the world at a young age please bite your tongue and let them go. Yes I was in dangerous positions a few times, and yes I went hungry occasionally, but I opened me up to the world. I will never forget that trip, it made me the man I am today! A proud father of 3 girls who see the world as one big place to explore and play, and value all lives, regardless of colour and economic standing.

A good friend of my boyfriend/husband now, at the time had been there a couple of times and came back with tales of "never ending ganga, great food and a laid back vibe exploding with the sounds of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and the best beach in the world. We are in the land of a thousand lakes and know a good beach when we see one as Playboy had already featured our very own Grand Beach, Mb. Off he went with two other guys in a brown Chevy van from Winnipeg, Mb to Clear Springs Fla, left the van at a buddys and flew to Jamaica for an 8 week stay. They ran out of money after about three weeks, but never went hungry and never lost their love for the Island. We are still so very close with a great man down there, Campbell, who saw they were hungry for food and ??? and took them under his wing and fed them full of food, knowledge, and a hunger to go back. Go back he did, with me a few times till we were married on the beach in '87 and have been back more than a few times since. Took our three kids a couple of years ago to show them why we felt so right getting married there, and plan to return every year now that we are fortunate enough to make the trek!....Michaels first impression was jaw dropping cant believe the pot and that you can sit and smoke it anywhere....this was 32 years ago. My first impression was well....I had never been further south than Grand Forks, North Dakota so when I say I had taken two-three rolls of 36 pictures on my camera before we hit Negril, and I am sure one full roll and we were not even out of the airport property yet, well that could well explain my first impression. But true love for the Island is what has grabbed my heart and only grows with each trip back. :) Booked, paid and counting our return for three glorious weeks next February!!!!!

I am LOVING these stories!!!! Thank you! :D

I grew up in the 60's/70's. Travel was pretty much out of my budget, aside from a high school trip to Spain. Paying for college made our traveling more attuned to a road trip and camping. Dated husband since high school, so we are pretty much on the same wave length. We moved to Colorado after we were married for what was a year and a half honeymoon. Headed back to NJ, then there was work, house and kids (3), more school and life. Continued to do the road trips and a week at the shore.

Finally for our 15th anniversary we decided to travel to the Caribbean. That was a trip to St Martin. A few years later, DR. Then Antiqua. Then Puerto Rico. Limited info back in those days and planning was not easy. But we grew to depend on getting away from the winter, but the trips we were doing were not easy to muster the funds for. We always wanted to go to St Johns and chose Caneel Bay, the TA said we could do two trips to Jamaica for what we would spend there. So by this point the internet was viable for planning. We always wanted to go to Jamaica, but there were all those stories of it being unsafe and the long ride from the airport. Knew we did not want Mo Bay. I found CSA and considering the relatively good price compared to our other trips (well, the DR, that was cheap, and we did not care for it) we decided to take the puddle jumper to avoid the ride and we have really not looked back. We loved our first trip. We loved 7 Mile Beach. We loved the trees, the sand, the water, everything. We went a second time the next year. Decided to try Sans Souci the next year and went with friends who had tried CSA on our recommendation, but we missed Negril. The next year we rented a villa at Silver Sands with a group, but we missed Negril. Realizing how reasonable a stay non all inclusive in Negril could be we headed back the next year and stayed at Idle Awhile. The next year we stayed at Charela.

We were going to go this year and bring our family, but I lost my 21 year job as the director of a non-profit and are planning our daughters wedding so we had to postpone and will just go to the shore this year. We have done a New Jersey shore vacation every year since 1973. But we will get to do the trip one day soon. Because we want our kids to visit the place that we have found to be a perfect place for us. Our first impressions of Negril was the complete calm that comes over us. The lighting is fabulous. The opportunity to be on such a wide expanse of shore and to have the diversity of the cliffs so close just makes our time there a true pleasure. We have found so many great spots to dine and enjoy the simple beauty of the different locations. And we love the food. And the prices. Heck, that 15th anniversary in St Martin, 20 years ago, we paid $500 a night and dinners were an average of $250 then. Imagine our pleasure to be at Ivan's 16 years later and getting a check for $80! For our stay at Charela last year we stayed all inclusive for $300 a night. And were right on the beach. We love the music, the sky, the chance to do absolutely nothing but walk the day away. After our first trip, we were so thrilled to have finally made our way to Jamaica to find our idea of a perfect beach. No high riser buildings and lots of places to look at on our walks. We are not secluded cove people. We bore everyone with our ongoing babble about the island and Negril. We hope to get to other areas of Jamaica someday. And we would like to do Tulum. But all things considered we have found our go to get away. We have been married for 35 years now, together for 40. For whatever reason we have found the trips to Negril to be some of our best times. We love that there is the opportunity to be able to watch the party and make our own. While in Negril we have never done a day trip, never even been to the light house. We set up on the beach for the day and take it from there. My husband travels a lot for his job (mostly China, Thailand, Mexico and US, but he has been to India, Cambodia, all over Europe) and we do our fair share of other travel. But when he wants to go away, really away, we head to Negril. We know we love our time there because any given Sat or Sun when we are doing nothing we spend a good bit of our time talking about our trips to Negril. We enjoy our chats with servers, drivers, front desk folks. But mostly we enjoy being able to spend time together in a place that is at the sea, where the mornings are indescribable, afternoons where the colors of the sea are almost fake, and the sunsets, oh the sunsets, and the nights, with the lights of the places on the cliffs far off in the distance, well I just tend to agree with him. The place is fair to all, age is just a number there and even though we are well beyond our younger days, the minute we get off the plane we might as well be 18 again.

I had a friend(who turns out to now be my husband:))who had parents who went to Negril for two weeks in Feb. every year and he would tell me tales of their adventures each time they came back and I was always very intrigued. When we started dating I was working for an airline that offered great deals to not only myself but my extended family/friends so we decided to bring his parents and ourselves down in April of 2008. We went with a big group that first trip and I remember the smell as soon as I stepped out the doors, it hit me and has never left. The first trip is such a blur, but I do very clearly remember being so out of our element that the first night when we needed to get more mix we "trekked thru the jungle" to a spot that we felt like we had discovered and rushed back to our hotel so scared(we stayed at Travellers, turns out the "trek" took us to Errolls!!!! LMAO) We got engaged that trip and from that point on Negril had us! We loved it so much we came back and got married in 2011(would have been soon but our lil man decided to show up first:o) and we just got back at the beginning of May from our 3rd reach. There is no other place we want to go and will be back as soon as possible!!!! As they say, once you go, you know!!

In late 1968 I had been working at Wray and Nephew on contract and living in Kingston for a year or so. One of my crew (second mate as I recall) kept touting going over the West end of the Island. It so happened we had a week off and I really wanted to see something more of Jamaica that Town so off we went.

He had a cousin who's name you'd recognize who was a caretaker at a large private home on the beach. The owners were off the Island so we stayed at the house. I was taken with the beach and soon realized it was the same beach from "20,00 Leagues under the sea".

After that first visit I managed to get back several times by being invited to the West Indies Sugar Company retreat on the beach. A sprawling West indies/victorian building on the beach. It was there for the various executives and visitors that WISCo wanted to have a place to "unwind" The building is long gone but if those walls could talk………

By 1973 I decided to buy property over in the West but as you know I prefer the hills to the beach. I've seen enough of the Caribbean and beaches in my work so off to the hills I went

Cap

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1983 DAY 6 – PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW & MY LITTLE COTTAGE IN NEGRIL.

The pre-dawn hours were our time together. We did most of our planning and had discussions of about our individual experiences and made decisions on how we would proceed before each day begins. We both felt torn as we had fallen in love with Sea Lawn and didn’t want to leave but the lure of Negril and what might lie ahead pulled us in another direction. With great sadness, we decided to stay with Peter’s original suggestion and move on.

It wasn’t even light out yet when we could hear a couple of young girls calling softly to see if my wife was ready to come out. She cried softly and hugged me tight. I knew right then that she would stay here forever if she could. We might go but we could never leave. We began assembling our possessions and repacking our bags as we wanted to leave early to assure our arrival in Negril would give us some daylight to explore our surroundings. We were mentally getting ready for the long bus ride ahead.

We walked up to the verandah to find a small group of youth and a couple of adults waiting patiently for us. A few of the young girls were grabbing at my wife’s hand and pressing scraps of paper with names and addresses and tearfully imploring she would write them back after our return home. Mikey had written us a letter and asked me to read it only when we got home and then suddenly, he reached out to hug me. Perhaps it is only my experience and not that of others but, I have rarely had a Jamaican man (especially a man) or women spontaneously show affection like that and it touched me to the depths of my soul. Tony was there wearing my wife’s gift so I turned to him and said, “You look cool, mon!” which got a grin in return. He motioned me to one side and gave me his address and asked me to write but not to tell Mikey. I agreed as he shook my hand in friendship. I heard Mikey above the excited chatter saying a bus “Soon Come” so we grabbed our bags and made our way up the trail to a regular bus stop a few yards down the road.

To our surprise and delight, we had been followed from Mikey’s verandah by our new friends and actually picked up a few more in the process. Beverly, a shy young girl whom my wife had taken an additional interest in helping, showed up with a woven basket filled with fruits and some bulla, cheese and pear (my favorite) to take on our journey. My wife was really struggling hard to hold back on the tears as she hugged the shy girl and thanked her for the generosity. We all talked, laughed and even shed a tear or two until the bus finally arrived. We got on and moved to a seat near the rear on the side facing our friends. We shared waves and blown kisses until they faded out of view. It was pretty obvious from the smiles of the people on the bus that they had been affected too.

The road was long and the summertime temperature was hot but the beautiful scenery kept our thoughts cool. We changed buses in Ochi and again in Montego Bay before getting on a bus that took the old road to Negril. It was long, dusty, bumpy and rutted but finally we saw a sign for Negril. I had told the conductor on this new bus that we wanted to get off at Firefly. We had taken a seat near the front and noticed him pointing up ahead while trying to get our attention. The bus stopped and we were there.

We walked up to a small house which appeared to also be the office for Firefly. A young couple with a small child greeted us and I handed Peter’s letter to them and waited for their response. The letter had worked at Mikeys and now we were apprehensive on whether it would work here. The lady read it and smiled. “Here, come” she said while leading us towards the beach. “There, on the side”, she pointed, “Are toilets and showers”. It was a small concrete block structure still being built that provided some privacy from the road up to ones neck. We continued walking.

Ahead was a small, wooden cabin barely wide enough to walk around the bunk beds that dominated the interior space. There was one, starkly bright white light bulb on the back wall and nothing else. Well, $15 a night for a place on a beautiful 7-mile beach seemed like a real bargain. We shed our packs and changed into suits and headed towards the beach. Except for a sprinkling of overturned fishing boats, the beach was virtually deserted and seemed undeveloped.

As we soaked our feet at water’s edge, I heard the sound of a small bike approaching up the beach. As it got closer, I saw a radical looking Rasta youth holding a long, green stem of “house” tobacco. He introduced himself and handed me the stem to smell and examine. I looked it over and when handing it back he said, “It’s yours, mon”. “Really?”. I was overcome at the gift when he continued, “For $10 US”. After my $2 Jamaican experience at Mikeys I just smiled, nodded “no” and returned it. Later another youth calling himself “Mushroom Kenny” came with a paper bag of large mushroom heads but I turned him down as well. Too much, too soon I reasoned so I decided to take my time before indulging if at all.

We finished our swim and returned for a shower and to get dressed to continue our explorations. We walked into the town and then continued out the West End road. We walked for a while but I can’t honestly say how far we went. I only know we finally stopped at a crafts area and my wife indulged herself in her favorite pastime; shopping! I just kind of looked around and talked to people while watching her shop. I could see how much “sharper” these people were compared to those around Mikeys when it came to doing business so I was more vigilant. She was an excellent shopper and we walked away with a towel and two small baskets where one fit inside the other. She wanted it for her sewing supplies. Just then I heard a low flying small plane overhead outfitted with loudspeakers on the underside.

“Repent you sinners!” “Jesus is coming!” “There is a revival meeting tonight at 7:00pm at (some place I never hear of)” “Don’t miss the opportunity to absolve your sins!” along with some other phrases repeated on each pass. We had never in our lives heard such a thing. We noticed that a lot of the people around us, especially the women, were saying things like “Thank you Jesus” as the assault seemed to accomplish its goal. As it was getting late afternoon, we headed back towards town.

When we reached the mouth of the Negril River, a couple of fishermen had just returned and were selling fish and lobster. The lobsters were small compared to the ones we see in California but she bought two for a total of $5 Jamaican. The fisherman wrapped them in a piece of paper and we headed back to Firefly. Upon our arrival, my wife knocked at the office door to see if she could borrow a pot of some kind to boil our purchase but the lady insisted she would cook them for us. The lady told us to go up to the wooden beach chairs and relax as there would be a nice sunset today and that she would call us when they were ready. How nice, we thought as we went up to the beach to relax. The sun was just starting to set when the couple who managed the property showed up with the cooked lobster, melted butter and a dish of okra and small Irish potatoes!

How romantic! The perfect end to a perfect day. We decided to turn in early.

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This thread got me thinking about my first time in Negril in 1983 on Day 6 of a 7 Day vacation around the island. We had stayed in Kingston for 2 nights on Jack's Hill camping and then for 3 nights camping just below Firefly in Port Maria at Sea Lawn Coral Beach. Jamaica had already "blown me away" by this time but seeing Negril for the first time (if only for one day/night) was very special to us.

I copied and pasted this excerpt from the archives where I have a lot of my stories. That address is in my signature. I am missing Jamaica and my home so much today that I just had to relive a special moment in time.

Peace and Guidance

In 1975, my husband watched a 60 Minutes interview with Bob Marley. He and two buddies decided right there, to go to Jamaica to find him. They drove their Honda Civic to Miami, and Air jamaica to MoBay. They camped at Perseverance for a dollar a day, and ended up staying for a month. They were 3 eighteen year old guys living the dream. Fast forward to 1997, now married, we brought our kids to Mexico, on the Pacific side. The water was cold, rough, and had heavy undertow.... to which my husband says "this is crap, now I really have to bring you to the Caribean".
So in 2000, he brought me to Negril. We stayed at Country Country, which was beautiful, but culture shock. No TV, no AC, no phone, no radio... nothing but each other and our little cottage on the beach. We remembered why we got married in the first place. We knew then, that Negril was the secret to a long marriage. We've been married for 33 years. Forget about everyday problems/kids/jobs.... just go to Negril and play like teenagers.
We've gone back at least once a year, some years more. Its where we run away to. The sea calls my name.

I have a pretty lame one, too. When I was in high school, one summer, MTV setup a Spring Break post in Negril, among other places. (This was when MTV was actually relevant.) The shot that they had of the girl checking in from there was just unbelievable looking (it was either over on the cliffs in front of the water, or by a waterfall). We attempted to go when I was in college, but the prices were just too high. A few years ago, a bunch of my and my wife's friends were taking cruises down to the Caribbean, and, of course, I get asked why we don't do that. I secretly planned our trip and did research for 3 months or so, and then told her about it. We just returned from our third consecutive annual trip, and plan on returning again next year. Back to the original exposure to Negril... We have always been in April. Just the way Negril is, I can't imagine it as a really happening Spring Break place. Has anyone ever been in March? Are there a lot of college kids? I always went to Panama City Beach when I was in college, and it is overrun with college students during the month of March. Just can't picture Negril that way.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RyanP

Has anyone ever been in March? Are there a lot of college kids? I always went to Panama City Beach when I was in college, and it is overrun with college students during the month of March. Just can't picture Negril that way.

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i've gone a couple times in march, there are not very many college students around at all.

oncedeported, I cried reading yours

I wasn't really hooked on my first visit.

My first trip to Negril was in 2003. My sister had decided to have a small destination wedding at an AI in Negril- and I told her I wanted to stay someplace modest or even camp while I was there. She was aghast at the thought- having been convinced by travel agents that Negril was only safe if you stay on the grounds of an AI and that that I would be hacked to death in my sleep by drug crazed thieves if I did. So I gave in and went to her travel agent who booked me in an AI.

Getting off the plane and walking across the runway at Sangster, I was struck by the wave of heat and how sun bleached the local terrain was and the sweet smell of flowers (and yes jet fuel) and the sound of the trio playing "Come back to Jamaica". I knew that I would like this place.

On the bus the driver warned us Americans that they drive on the opposite side of the road as he pulled into what I thought would be a head-on collision, and I struck up a conversation with a couple who were travel agents and were comped at the same resort (I guess it was a marketing tool to promote the place) They were nice and when we got to the AI it was a confusing process -the guy at the front desk was overwhelmed by the rush of new arrivals. They were savvy enough to request rum punches while we waited- the first of dozens consumed on the trip. When I checked in the couple looked at me and said "ooh you got a suite" I hadn't paid for one and wasn't sure what they meant. But sure enough I was escorted to a 2 room suite overlooking the ocean. I ran into that couple, who had a small room right next to me, several times. And every time I saw them they were complaining about something in their room - the ac not working or the bed being lumpy or something. I'm sure that they didn't recommend this place to too many of their clients. I on the other hand was happy staying in the nicest room I had ever paid for myself. It wasn't until much later after the Negril-induced fog lifted from my mind that I realized, in the confusion at check in, there must have been a mix up in the rooms- I got theirs and they got mine.

Anyway the wedding was great and I had a great time doing the AI things- eating buffet food, drinking in the tiki bar, hot tubbing, swim up bar etc... But something was missing- that real Jamaican experience. When I tried to walk off the property, I was met with subtle discouragement from the security guard who asked me to sign out, when I asked where to go off premises I was steered to Ricks etc....

All in all nice place but definitely not a habit forming experience. I sensed that something was missing. So 18 months later, I took a leave from work after being burnt out from a stressful job and I thought about going back. I found the Negril Yoga centre in Froemmers and it seemed perfect for me. I found the vibe that so many on this site have experienced from the minute Joseph the driver picked me up and brought me to to the beautiful garden spot. I wandered across the street to the (then) Coral Seas (then it became sunset on the beach and I think it may recently have changed names again) and to a little shack next door run by Robbie (since closed) where I could watch the world go by while listening to an endless loop of "Waiting in Vain" with a cold Red Stripe and chat with the locals.

I knew it was what I was looking for. My ideal vacation is one where you get up and do as little as possible, and yet still manage to meet wonderful people and have memorable moments which sometimes morph into stupid (and funny) antics and escapades. I've gone back every year since, sometimes alone and sometimes with my sons and/or friends and am looking forward to being on that same stretch of sand 6 month from today for a week long solo trip.

PS I'm not dissing AI's - everyone has different taste. But I would urge folks staying at a big resort to explore beyond the property to get a better sense of the island. As for safety I always tell people that they can get in trouble looking for coke and hookers at 2 a.m. in their home town just as easily as in Negril- being smart and safe reduces ( but doesn't completely eliminate) risk at home or on vacation...

These stories are giving me goosebumps. Leaving Friday evening for our second trip to Negril, really beyond excited to go back.

We decided to take a holiday together late last summer. My boyfriend John had been working really hard all summer and I had also had a tough year at work so he said he was going to treat me to a getaway. We were looking at Mexico as it is more cost effective at times, but that is really not our style. We are vegetarians who don't drink all that much (but still have a few) so an AI didn't seem to be the best value for us. We looked at a few different places, initially thinking we couldn't afford Jamaica. John had always wanted to go to Jamaica and eventually we came to the conclusion that we couldn't afford not to go.

We ended up choosing Negril, John did a ton of research and said this was the place to go in Jamaica. We chose to spend part of our time at the cliffs then the rest at the beach. We arrived in October 2013 late in the evening. I remember as many do, the heat, the smells and the instant atmosphere that you sense when you arrive. I was a bit nervous as I had read about the possible thefts and other risks that can be had in Jamaica. Overall we didn't have any negative experiences with hussle or anything like that, although we did get "taken" by a couple of people it is to be expected to a certain extent and you live and you learn, always ask the price first and be prepared to be firm with a no or a bargaining as they are counting on you to just cave in and let them have their way.

We stayed at Xtabi and Firefly, and did a day trip to Appletons and YS. It was an incredible trip, John probably spent 80% of his time in the ocean. I couldn't believe how gorgeous Negril is, must have taken 1000 pictures.

This time we decided to stay only on the cliffs and have chosen Xtabi again. Booked the pub crawl and a day at Zimbali. We are already planning our next trip and are planning to see more of the island next time.

My first visit to Negril was in 1983 when my now ex went on our honeymoon to Montego Bay. There was a tour going to Negril so we signed up. We arrived in the lobby of the hotel and the driver told us everyone had cancelled and the tour was off. I think he saw how bummed we were and said, I will take you, can I pick up my kids first. Of course we said. He drove to his house, picked up the kids and off we went. That was when they sold the "I survived the road to Negril" tee shirts. He dropped us off at the Treehouse were we drank and ate lobster sandwiches while listing to a band. I noticed a match box in the ash tray of our table, opened it and found a chunk of hash. The beach was very wooded back then and I just fell in love with Negril. Went back in 1985 and went an average of 3 times every two years up until 2009 when life got in the way. Going back this month and can't wait. I still have a friendship that I made back in 1985 and we joke that we are Brothers, just from different mothers. Awesome place that Negril.

This post got me thinking about that first trip, back then you exited and boarded the plane from the Tarmac (always pouring rain when you left), but they had the woman as you came in singing "Come back to Jamaica". I always got chills from that. The smell when you left the terminal is amazing, have never experienced anywhere by Jamaica. Of course the tree frogs chirping is amazing. I took my mother to Jamaica in 2009 and she was actually unnerved by how loud they were. God I can't wait to get back, getting home sick from all the memories.

First of all big ups to Mandy for this thread idea, it's a good one and I'm enjoying the ride!

My path to Negril was generated by just really needing a vacation. I'd sent my wife to Europe a couple of times as well as to Disney World all on her own, so it was my turn. I wanted warm and Caribbean. I thought about going to the Florida Keys. Never had been and thought it would be fun. After figuring out how much a trip including a car rental would cost, several hotels, etc. I thought I'd check out what a trip to Jamaica would cost.
The travel channel had a piece on Rick's and Negril. I knew that was my kind of place. I've been a lifelong cliff jumper. Once I started adding up the flight and hotel rates I found it to be much less expensive to go to Negril. So, I booked a trip (my one and only so far).
Loved it so much it's hard to describe. I stayed at Xtabi and just fell in love with the place and Negril.
For my details check out my trip report, for those who've not read it yet:
http://negril.com/forum/showthread.p...ghlight=bjritz

Once you go,,,,,you know !!!!!!!!!!
been hitting the rock since "97 "

I love this thread! I just joined, because I just booked my second trip! First time I went was with my boyfriend a couple years ago. I've always wanted to go to the Caribbean and Jamaica seemed the quintessential Caribbean island to me, although my bf had his own reasons for wanting Jamaica ;-). We researched and decided we wanted Negril for the beach! We stayed at grand lido(then breezes) Like others said, once you landed, you knew you were somewhere exotic! The feel, smell, vibe! It was amazing from the get go! And the best times we had off the resort! From pelican bar to long bay to Ted's :-) to the pub crawl, I knew we'd be back! I'd been thinking about it since! Now we are going to country country and blue cave castle in August! Words can't even do Negril justice!!

My wife and I were just 19 years old when we married in 1983. Needless to say we didn't have much time for a honeymoon. So on our 10 year anniversary, we decided to leave the three kids with their grandmother and take a proper honeymoon. Our travel agent suggested Jamaica Jamaica All Inclusive resort in Runaway Bay. We instantly fell in love with Jamaica! We had such a great week that we promised ourselves that we would be back for our 20th anniversary (if not before)!

Years passed and we were busy raising our family. We didn't make it back until our 20th anniversary, but we never forgot our promise about returning! This time the internet allowed us to do our own research and not rely on where travel agents recommended. We learned that Negril was where we wanted to be in Jamaica. So, in 2003 we returned to Jamaica. Negril was even better that Runaway bay! Today is our 31st anniversary and we have now been 12 times and the 13th trip is already paid for. We still go to All Inclusives, but we spend more and more time each trip off of the resort.

Last year for our 20th anniversary we brought our 3 kids (and their significant others) to Negril so they could see for themselves the places we have fallen in love with and have talked so much about over the years. We are also delighted that our dearest friends from high school will be making the trip to Negril with us next spring! Our 14th reach and their first! I love introducing newbies to Negril!

Respect!

Thanks so much to everyone for posting your stories! I'm SO loving this thread!

Everyone I know in my "real life" is sick to death of hearing about Jamaica and Negril. So- it's sure nice to come read and hang out here!