Shauna (marley9808) & Raul's (ralonzo29) 1st Anniversary in Jamaica *Trip Report*

Some of this story may be a little overlap since I did post a bit while on the rock, but bare with me.
I will go through each day on this one thread and I will post some pictures from each day, then there will be a link to all of the photos (200) at the end so you can see them all.
This will by no means be a whirlwind exciting page turner like some of the others, but in my opinion, your first trip is always something special and very hard to top.
This trip was my 11th and my husbands 6th....but dont get me wrong....I have loved every trip I have taken to Jamaica.....but my first will always hold a special place in my heart and every time I read a report like Clarity's or Manda's or any other newbie really.....it always takes me back to my first trip....such great memories!

DAY ONE (October 6, 2011):
Raul and I decided to do a couple of things out of the norm for us this trip. The first change was we decided rather than flying from Tampa (and therefore having to stop in either Ft. Lauderdale or Miami for a layover) we would just drive to Orlando to catch the DIRECT flight that Jet Blue offers from Orlando to Mobay. Orlando is only a little over an hour from us but we felt it was worth it since our layovers in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale have consistently been horrific, long, and frustrating. So since we came home last year after our wedding, with our anniversary week alrready booked at Catcha Falling Star, we knew we had to start looking for plane tickets. So we checked Jet Blue and found ourselves an amazingly good deal on r/t direct flight and we booked it. The other thing out of the norm for us that we did this time was that we booked a few days on the other side of the island at the beginning of our trip. I have a good friend who lives in Ochi and though he is a musician and frequently on tour he is usually home in October so we thought we would book a few days so we could visit with him. Well, of course, it turns out he would actually be in the US while we were in Ochi but never fear as there were many things we have been wanting to check out over on that side but didnt want to try and cram them all into a really long day trip from Negril so we figured we would just use those few days to see/do all of the things we have been keeping on our bucket list of to do's while in Jamaica. So we looked around online and found a ridiculously good deal on an AI in Ocho Rios. Now I have only stayed AI once and I didnt care for it. It's just not for me, but I figured that this deal made the room less than a typical hotel room or just about any place I normally stay in Negril we would just go ahead and book it because we didnt plan to be spending much time at the resort anyways.
So it's the morning of Day one.....I have waited for this day for exactly 355 days as that was what my countdown read when we got back from our wedding last year and I immediately logged on to negril.com and started my new countdown.
Soooo....We get up (we or at least I had been packed for at least a week), we load the car, say bye to the doggies and head to Orlando. Got there with plenty of time to spare. So far this was going pretty easy. We checkin, breeze through security and we are at our gate. I say to Raul.....so far I am liking Orlando airport much better than Tampa airport, this seemed way easier. Of course he then says shhhhhh don't jinx us. LOL We board the plane, sit down and relax. Oh I forgot to mention...Jet Blue has no charges for your first checked bag...that was nice. So we are on the plane and they announce, our flying time today is 1 hour and 34 minutes. I think I might have cheered out loud. I squeezed Raul's arm and said..."We are flying Jet Blue from Orlando from now on!"
Then they come around and serve us drinks, snacks and even gave us a free in-flight movie....on the way there it was "Horrible Bosses" but of course, the flight isn't long enough to finish the movie which Raul was disappointed about....but hell, how can you be disappointed about landing in Jamaica? Snap out of it.....but let me just say, as someone who flies regularly.....can you remember the last time an airline gave you ANYTHING for free? Besides a small shot glass of soda or water? I mean really! I kept saying, how much? And they were like it's free! LOL
So almost like clock work 1 hour and 34 minutes later, our happy butts were sitting on the tarmac in sunny Jamaica....sigh....a good sigh....like a sigh of relief. It's hard not to think back on how differently I felt just one year ago...but that's a whole other story....and I am trying to stay positive this time and just hope and pray that this year's story will make up for last years!
We get off the plane and it wasn't too long at all through customs/immigration and right out the door where our driver was waiting for us right in front of us.....and once again I looked at Raul and said "Well that seemed easy" LOL
We get in the car and off to Ochi we head! And the day seems really bright and sunny, not rainy and stormy like everyone said it had been recently, so I get excited about that. On our way to the resort we see a van with fruit........WAIT! STOP THE CAR......was that mangoes they had???? Ya mon I am told.....omg we NEED some! lol so now with 3 different mangoes in hand / well maybe more like lap, we continue on towards our resort. Just a little further down the road...another stop....this time for guineps....now the hubby is happy. So me with my mangoes and he with his guineps, once again we are off!We landed around noon so we made it to the resort before the 3pm check in, so they tell us to head down to lunch and we did. It was a nice property and the views were pretty. We sat at the beach grill area enjoying our mangoes and taking it all in.....My sweet Jamaica, it's so good to see you again!
We check into our room and get into our swimsuits and head straight to the pool...but which one to choose, there are so many here....oh this one with the swim up bar will do! lol.
We had made plans with our driver already to head back (almost all the way back to MoBay) that same night to go to Glistening Waters (in Trelawny). I was told it was best to go on a day that had been sunny and during a new moon. Well the new moon happened at the end of September so our first day would have been the closest day on our trip to the new moon, so around 6 or 7 he came and picked us up and we were off. Of course it started raining and rained the whole drive there. I started to worry, I wonder if this means it will be closed.....and no one really knew if it did or not. We get there and it looks like a ghost town but surprisingly they say it is open so we get out and are told that both boats had just left so we could have dinner and wait for them to come back so we did. When we finished dinner there was one other couple waiting so it was just the 4 of us and the captain out on the boat. So the rain and the moon might not have been the perfect conditions for this phenomenon but I will say, it was still awesome!
He took us out on the boat and almost immediately you could see the water glowing a bright blue in a trail behind the boat. The captain is telling us about what causes it and how there are only 4 places in the world that have this but that Jamaica was the brightest or the only one that has it year around. I can't quote him exactly because I was in a daze just taking it in. He then asks if anyone wants to get in and the other couple (wearing jeans) shook there head no....and I of course said YES...me! So he is giving me instructions and I think I was half-listening as I get in and woah.....what a weird experience. Part of you might have been a little scared because you are in the water at night in the dark....but instead of being scared I was mesmorized. As soon as I got in and started moving the water glowed all around me, it was the coolest thing I have ever seen, unfortunately it is also one of the most difficult things to capture on film, sadly. But whatever, I was in the water and it was glowing! How cool! The water is also really cold on the top layer and really warm on the bottom....which was weird. There was also a lot of sand or silt or something on the bottom layer so it was almost like the water itself was really thick so it took a lot out of you to swim or move around. But it was awesome. I highly recommend it. Very cool.
So we get out, and now we are cold of course. We get back in our car and head back to our resort. But because of the rain and what not we had to run the air so the window didnt fog up and you know what that means......wet person, air....COLD.
So here I am my first night in Jamaica and I am freezing my butt off....what is wrong with this picture? LOL
But even while freezing....I was still smiling.....I love Jamaica!

Tomorrow, day 2

Here are some highlights from day 1 in pictures:
First sight of paradise
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Mangoes!
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The view from our room
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Let's hit the pool....or the bar...or, uh BOTH!
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Our first sunset of the trip....not too shabby
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Glistening Waters / Luminous Lagoon....the view of the trail of blue behind the boat...this was some of the only pictures we could get of it and that was only after playing with the camera a bit to increase the amount of light....sadly the ones of us swimming did not come out well enough to see...but this will at least give you an idea
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Great report so far!! What beautiful pictures too. Been to Ochi once yet haven't been to glistening waters...on mi bucket list. Can't wait to hear more. Loving it!!

Thanks for the pics! - Hey, that hotel is in Ochi? What is the name of it?

More more!!!

Love the pictures!! The hotel in Ochi looks like a great place to stay (swim up bar!) and what a beatiful VIEW from your room! I'm also curious about the name of the hotel!

I agree that Jet blue is the way to go. If Jetblue offered a flight deal from SF to Montego bay, I would jump on that. It's nice that there is still an airline that still offers snacks and has free entertainment. :)

That's so awesome that you swam in the glistening waters! I'm also kind of wary about swimming in the water at night, but the experience of floating in glowing water so something I wouldn't want to miss! That must have been amazing!

Looking forward to the next installment and the upcoming pics from Catcha! :D


P.S. Oh! Tell Raul that all of the "Horrible Bosses" got what they deserved in the end and they all lived happily ever after. The end of the film was kind of silly, so he didn't miss much.;)

Yea,the report i have been waiting for:D-The hotel in Ochie is Sunset Jamaica Grande-we stayed there twice.Its an Ai as mentioned.-This is going to be a GREAT report!!!

Those pics are amazing! Not this trip, but definitely the one after I am going to just have to check out Glistening Waters and swim around there, looks like it would be an awesome experience. :)

Hey, sorry everyone, busy day at work, this is the first I have been able to log in since I started the report.....I will start day two as soon as I get home (a couple of hours).
But to answer the questions so far....
Yes, as Vince said. The Hotel in Ochi was the Sunset Jamaica Grande. It was a nice property and is in a great location. The pools are nice, even have a big slide. The rooms need some updating for sure and the food was to be expected, but as I said before we booked it only due to the great rate we got (around $100 a night for both of us) so that really couldnt be beat. And we only ate breakfast and maybe one dinner or something as we were out and about the whole of our 3 days there, as you will soon see.

Glistening Waters is actually much closer to Montego Bay than it is to Ocho Rios, so this wouldn't be a really hard trip from Negril at all. It is in Trelawny which is probably only about 15 miles past Mobay towards Ochi. The only set back is that you have to go when it is dark so you would be driving back to Negril at night....but not a big deal really....and believe me, it is sooooooooooooooo worth it. Really cool experience

@Yetta-this place has been on my bucket list since I first heard about it years ago as well. I am so glad we finally got the chance, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I think the boat ride is $20 but only $10 if you buy dinner there as well.


@Clarity, I will tell Raul about the ending, LOL too funny! ....oh and just wait until you see these pics from Catcha, you are going to be so excited....not that you aren't already!

:D

DAY TWO (October 7, 2011):
Had to set the alarm (Hey, this is vacation, why an alarm?) so we could get up early to get ready for our all day tour to Port Antonio today. I have really been looking forward to this trip and I am excited about heading to Portie and all that we were going to see and do today, so it wasn't too terrible to have to get up at 7:00am LOL. We got up and got ready and headed to breakfast....here is one positive about being up early, there werent too many other people down at breakfast. So popped in got my much needed coffee. We booked a tour through a tour company and the bus was there to pick us up at 8:30. We got on the bus and we were the last stop (Yay)! There were about 6 or 7 other couples on the tour as well and it seemed most of them were from England. We were on our way to Port Antonio. We had a very pleasant tour guide and she showed us a lot of sites along the way. She also had some pretty interesting stories to tell. While heading out of Ocho Rios they stopped to show us the house that was built to look like a boat, pretty cool!
We kept on and passed by James Bond Beach, Firefly and many other famous locations.
Our first stop on the tour was Somerset Falls. It was beautiful. The area reminded me a little of YS Falls in that you could stay there a while. They had a pool and picnic areas, and places to hang out and relax. But we walked up in the forest on a trail that led us to the boat which would take us to see the hidden falls. It was beautiful! The boat rows you into the little cave and behind the falls, breath-taking.
After that, our next stop was the Blue Lagoon. This place was amazing. We got out at the Lagoon and got on another boat that took us on a little tour around the lagoon and by the villas. There are several amazing villas along the Blue Lagoon. They are privately owned but are rented out....some are like 10,000 a night but I think they had one small one that was only $1,000 per night LOL. But these villas are ridiculous. They are so big, right on the water and they come with a full staff. Tom Cruise stayed in one when filming Cocktail. Ziggy Marley has stayed in one, and the list goes on.
After the villas we rode by Monkey Island and the tour guide told us that they had recently filmed scenes from Day and Night with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz there (apparently Tom really likes the Blue Lagoon, since he has filmed two movies here already). We passed by Monkey Island and went over to see Cocktail Beach. The tour guide pointed out some more villas and homes owned by the rich and famous (must be nice) and then we returned to the lagoon to go swimming. Of course we had to do it, especially after some talk about a fountain of youth or something LOL. I jumped in first but then I was able to convince Raul to jump in as well. Much like Glistening Waters, the top layer (about 1-2 inches) of water was ICE COLD but then everything below that layer was like warm bath water, quite a weird sensation to say the least. But the most impressive thing about the Lagoon I would say was the color of the water....it was the most brightest blue color I have ever seen, it was amazing! The guide told us that the lagoon was believed to be bottomless because a local once did a free dive to 180 feet and never touched bottom but then I read somewhere that they said divers have confirmed it to be around 185 feet deep.
After the Blue Lagoon we headed over to Frenchman's Cove and had some lunch. It was gorgeous here as well and the food was yummy! I tried to step in the water but OMG, it was FREEZING! So um, no I will just admire the beauty from here....no need to swim! lol
After that we headed up into the moutains a bit and stopped at the opening of the Rio Grande where you meet the raft captains. I have been wanting to do a bamboo raft ride for a long time, almost as long as I had wanted to see Glistening Waters so I was super excited about this. We stepped inside the office area and got our number. Number 3...thats us. We headed down to the landing and waited for our number to be called. Then we met our captain, his name was Gary and he instructed us to get on the raft...and away we went. I can't even describe this experience. It was just amazing to see how much work goes into this process. The tour is 2 hours long!!! And that entire time your captain is powering you, him and the whole raft down this river using only a long piece of bamboo and his arm and body strength. I got tired just sitting there, I can only imagine what he was feeling. We talked to him along the way and found out he had been doing this for 14 years (even though he didnt look very old to me). He said he spent 7 of those years being an apprentice and basically just carrying the rafts back up the river after the rides. He told us that the average raft lasts about 3-4 months, though the seat area can last up to 2 years. He said each captain has to build their own rafts and they take about a week or so to make. They have to buy the bamboo from the farmer who owns the land and then build there own rafts. He said during busy times he may have 2 tours a day, but usually it is only 1. The whole trip was just amazing and we loved it, and loved talking to Gary. But about only 20-30 minutes in, it started raining....and what can you do when you are sitting on a raft in the middle of a river with 1.5 hours more of tour to go...well lucky for us, Gary's raft was equipped with an umbrella which he gave to us and that was nice, but since we were sitting there we of course got soaked and wet and COLD....again, day two in Jamaica and here I am FREEZING...what is up with this? lol
We made it to the end, in one piece, and maybe with pneumonia, but we had an amazing time. We got back on the bus and headed back to Ocho Rios (about a 2 hour drive). We got back to our hotel around 8pm and had dinner and drinks and that was about all we could manage after such a long day of fun, food, swimming, touring and freezing our butts off!
Tomorrow, Day 3 and our last full day in Ocho Rios before we head to Negril!

The house built like a boat
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Somerset Falls, boatride to the hidden falls/cave
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The Blue Lagoon
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The Villas at the Blue Lagoon
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Monkey Island at the Blue Lagoon
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Cocktail Beach
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Frenchman's Cove
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Our bamboo raft tour with our captain Gary
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And no worries, if you get thirsty while on your bamboo raft tour....they have floating bars, ya mon!
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Great start! I just LOVE Jetblue! I'm flying them out of Orlando in December as well...they have become my new favorite airline...you get to check your first bag free, they have individual TV's on each seat back WITH DirectTV so you can listen to reggae on the music channel AND they have really good cookies! What else can you ask for? lol.

DAY THREE (October 8, 2011):

Slept in a bit this day as we were both still pretty tired from our full day yesterday and all the fun we had. Woke up and had breakfast. On the list for the day was Mystic Mountain! We originally were planning on maybe heading into town for a little shopping or walking around and then hitting up Mystic Mountain in the afternoon. So we were wondering how late they were open so we could make our plans. I looked up the number and called. They had a recording that told me they were open 9am-5pm. Woah, 5pm that's not real late, I guess we should go there first then. So we call our ride and we are off. We get to Mystic Mountain around 10am and walk up to the ticket office. There is no one at the window but there is a waiver form to sign (your life away) and so we sign....but now we are just standing there....um.....Hello? Anyone? There is no bell to ring for service so we are not really sure what to do. Then someone comes from behind the building and she tells us they are not open yet. Um, ok. It's a little after 10 and the recording says they open at 9. So she explains that sometimes they open later when there is no cruise ship at port. So when WILL you be open, I ask. And she says, 11am. I look at my watch and that is in about 45 minutes so I said ok, well when do you close, and she says 5pm but if you want to ride everything you need to be here no later than 3. I said ok well we will be back at 11am then and of course to that she says....well maybe closer to 11:15! Ha....only in Jamaica!
So we leave and just head down the road to Island Village and Margaritaville. There are some shops and places there so we walk around and do a little shopping. We head back to Mystic Mountain around noon and they are open! Yay!
We get our tickets and head in. The only way up to the mountain and all the attractions is by riding the Sky Explorer which is basically just a chair lift that carries you up the mountain to the top.....but boy does it give you some nice views of the coast and of the rainforest. Speaking of rain forest.....on our way up it starts to rain....and of course now we are on a chairlift halfway up the mountain what can we do but sit there and get rained on (AGAIN...is this some sort of theme?) It probably wouldnt have been too bad if the chairlift wasnt so slow, long and oh....towards the end they stop so they can take your picture and the sign says look up and smile. So here we are, Raul and I sitting on the chair lift in the pouring, wet, cold, rain, stopped and looking at a camera trying to smile! We must have sat there for 5 minutes (though it felt like 30 minutes) at some point I just said, forget this, I cant look up and smile anymore I dont even know if they have taken the photo or not but I dont care, just get this thing moving so I can get out of the rain! And here we are again, in Jamaica, and FREEZING! So it finally starts moving and we get to the top and get off. You are then immediately in the small little museum about Jamaican culture, history and events. The woman greets us and tells us the camera isn't working so they didnt get our picture to which I laugh! She then welcomes us to the rainforest to which I say, yes, rainforest, we have already experienced the rainforest and she looks at us and laughs.
There are 3 attractions at Mystic Mountain. The Sky Explorer (which we just rode and is the only way up and down from the mountain), the Jamaican Bobsled ride which is like an alpine sled ride if you are familiar, and the zipline. We purchased what they call the tranopy which is a ticket to do all three attractions. At the top of the mountain they also have a gift shop, a restaurant, a bar, an infinity pool and a waterslide....also, some pretty killer views.
So we head first to the bobsled. OMG these are fun and they are soooooooooooooooo fast! What a rush! I wanted to ride it like 10 more times, too much fun. After the bobsled we took a pause to go get some drinks at the bar, delicious! The whole place is really cool and the staff is friendly and fun. We walked around and took some pictures and then we went over to get ready for the zipline. Our guides came over and put our harnesses on us and gave us helmets and gloves. Then we were off into the rainforest. We had two guides and let me tell you these guys were a trip, they were having a good time and so were we!
There are several ziplines, 3 or 4 total. Our guides give us a brief instruction and then one heads off to the next platform to wait for us. Next they send Raul, then me, then the next guide follows. The guys are jokesters and keep trying to play tricks on us like waiting for us to take off and then yelling "Oh no, wait wait!" Pranksters! But we all have a good time....that is until we get to the vertical drop line. When we got there, there was already another large group on that platform that we had caught up to, probably about 10 people or so, so when the 4 of us landed on that platform you can imagine it was a tight squeeze. Our guides heckle their guides and say we are going to overtake them because we have a bus to catch. So our guide takes off and then our other guide does and then one of their guides does. At this point I am thinking, hey wait, who is going to tell me what to do here, but then the other groups guide locks me on and tells me to just let go.....umm, well I just saw the 3 of them go down quite leisurely so I say ok why not and before I could finish that thought he let go and I was free-falling (not nearly as fun as the Tom Petty song makes it out to be) I screamed my head off and everyone laughed.....so I guess overtaking that large group wasnt such a great idea afterall (at least for me)! Then we were off to the last and longest zipline....we had so much fun! Once you go down the zipline though your only way is off the mountain. You catch the Sky Explorer after the zipline and you head back to the entrance, so you want to make sure you do the zipline last.
But we had so much fun at Mystic Mountain, I will definitely go back, can't wait to ride that bobsled again! LOL

After our adventures at the Mystic Mountain, we worked up quite the hunger so we decided to head to Scotchies for some jerk pork! YUM! And it definitely didn't disappoint!

Now we head back to the hotel, we were really looking forward to some time in the pool and another nice sunset. And well maybe some drinks too :)

Tomorrow, day 4 -On our way to Negril and our last day as newlyweds!

The Sky Explorer up to Mystic Mountain
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Jamaican Bobsleds!!!!
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Pool and slide
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Mystic Mountain Lookout Tower
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View of our resort from the top of the mountain
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View of Ochi from the top of Mystic Mountain
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Scotchies!
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Mmmmmm Jerk Pork!
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wow love this thanks~

Am loving your trip report, those pics are amazing, and thanks for taking me "along for the ride" so to speak. :)

Loving your trip report and pics.. Blue Lagoon is amazing!!! Would love to go one day.

Hey Marley,
Killer trip report. I need to get my Catcha pics up before you do! LOL. Sommerset Falls looks amazing. Thanks for the pics.

We normally stay in Duncan's (north coast in Trelawny). So we are quite familiar with Glistening Waters and Mystic Mountain. Love both places! That bobsled ride is amazing.

Love the trip report. Can't wait til you get to Negril.

Well Booger.....you better hurry up.....this afternoon will be Day 4 and that means our arrival at CATCHA!!!!!!!!!
hehehehehehehe

Lola, Negrilaholic, Sandy-girl! Glad you are liking it and thanks for coming along on the ride!

Reggae Roy we really had a good time at both places too, I would go back for sure in a heartbeat!!

I have tried to do the Glistening waters thing twice, both times never left the bar in the restaurant, imagine that!

Loving it so far!

Great report!

Quote:

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We get to Mystic Mountain around 10am and walk up to the ticket office. There is no one at the window but there is a waiver form to sign (your life away) and so we sign....but now we are just standing there....um.....Hello? Anyone?

---

LOL!!
I'm really loving your trip report so far! I'm so enjoying your writing style because it reads like a friend sharing the fun details of her travel adventures over a cup of coffee. I can just picture all these events as they unfolded - Smiling up at an imaginary camera on a lift in the pouring rain, the pranksters at the zipline, chatting with Captain Gary while floating down the Rio Grande and swimming in the blue lagoon! Great pictures too! Looks so BLUE and beautiful! Magic mountain sounded like so much fun (despite the weather!)

Thanks for sharing this! looking forward to hearing about Negril next! :D

YAY Clarity...one week until Jamaica....I can't wait for you all to get to Catcha ;) heehee

Speaking of Catcha....hey BOOGER.....I am about to get started on Day 4 so you better get your Catcha pics uploaded LOL

Negril is on the horizon folks.....boy how I wish I meant that literally! :)

Marley I just caught up with your trip report and thanks so much for sharing!! It's giving me that feeling of being back in Jamaica which is definitely what I needed. Blue Lagoon looked absolutely gorgeous!! Mystic Mountain was on my list for my last trip but I think I might have had too much on my "plate" for 8 days so it's definitely on the list for next trip . How much was the ticket for all 3 ?? I could only imagine what I would sound like on those ziplines lol Quite like yourself I would bet from the way you described it in your report.

The Bamboo Rafts now aside from the rain those look like fun!! Not sure Andre would be up for it considering he can't swim but who knows hahaha

Thanks so much for sharing looking forward to the rest of it! :)

DAY FOUR (October 9, 2011):

I must start this day's report off with a little backstory. One many of you may have already heard, so forgive me for the repeat. But for those of you who don't know why this trip is so special / important for us, here is the reason. This isn't just your average trip to Negril (or even Jamaica) for a Negrilaholic. This isn't just your average 1st anniversary trip. This is a much needed Re-Do...or makeup for the original dream wedding that I had planned over a year long (and dreamed about for much longer). You see, I first met Negril and fell in love with her on my very first trip to Jamaica in January 1999. During that same trip I fell in love with the cliffs and knew right then, that one day this would be where I would get married. For over 10 years I told that story to everyone I knew....including my boyfriend Raul. On our first trip to Jamaica together in 2008 I showed him the places and he agreed. One year later, he proposed to me....and you may think I am joking but I am not...the VERY next day I had contacted Catcha Falling Star to see about starting to plan our wedding. We had even picked the date 10-10-10 (how cool is that)....I don't waste time thats for sure. Well to my surprise the ENTIRE property was open and the date of 10-10-10 fell on a sunday so we did it, we booked the entire property of Catcha Falling Star for our dream wedding in paradise. For the next almost year, we spent lots of time, calls and emails with Andrea and Mauvette on planning our perfect wedding. We had 30 of our closest friends and family who had gotten passports, plane tickets, etc. We booked the place for the whole weekend and carefully picked each room / cottage for all of our guests. The moment was so close, it was FINALLY in sight. I am somewhat the perfectionist so believe me when I say that every little detail had been finalized and was complete....we were ready. Our plane would take us on our journey to wedded bliss leaving on October 6, 2010. I was beyond excited and READY. Then, the one thing you can't plan for and any brides worst nightmare happened. On September 29, 2010 Tropical Storm Nichole wreaked havoc on the cliffs of Negril....she stayed around and produced enough rough seas and dumped tons of rain to do lots of damage in the area.....but of course the most damage was at 2 properties in particular.....Catcha Falling Star (our wedding location) and Tensing Pen (our honeymoon location). On October 1st I got the worst call of my life. Andrea calling from Catcha to tell me that the extent of the damage was so bad they would not be able to hold my wedding, nor would they be able to house our 30 guests.....yep, just 9 days before my wedding, and only 5 days before we were to arrive. I went into the biggest emotional breakdown of my life....screaming, crying, just all out balling my eyes out. My dream was over, ruined....what could I do now. I had no time to think of my dream, I had 30 people with plane tickets heading to Jamaica to see me get married. Now don't get me wrong, I dont want it to sound like Catcha left me high and dry with no other alternatives, not at all. This is why I will forever sing their praises. Not only because it is my favorite place on earth or has the best staff...but here, during their own time of destruction and rebuilding, they were pitching in to help me out during my time of need. Andrea was calling around to all properties to find us a place to stay and get married. They were even going to try and come on the property with food and planning and everything if they could, since we had spent so much time planning together. They really went out of their way, and I am forever grateful for everyone who was involved that week in working so hard to make sure we got married and took good care of us and our guests.
So now that you have the full story, you might now see why this is not just your average trip to Jamaica.....this is my dream wedding revisited. Ok, sure, so it is just me and Raul, our family and friends aren't with us, we arent carrying a wedding gown and all sorts of extra items, but we ARE going to Catcha! And it will be beautiful just like it was in my dreams all those nights I thought about it while planning my wedding. And we will have a lovely time and on our anniversary we will toast to our love and we will be thankful for everything we have and that we are once again in our favorite place on earth. Yep! This is going to be good!
Now, we have had an entire year to look forward to this "re-do" and it has been a loooooooong year to wait! And let me tell you every time there was a new storm brewing in the ocean I held my breathe! Mother Nature owes me, I am serious! She better not do this to me again, I just couldn't take it! But I told Raul a long while back that I have retired planning anything for myself ever again so if he wanted to make any special plans for our time in Jamaica it would be all up to him. As you would expect he just nodded my way like he was listening.....well, was he? I guess you will have to just wait and see.
So we wake up on Sunday the 9th and we head down to breakfast. We have had a wonderful time in Ochi but to be honest I am so beyond excited now to get to Negril I was ready to leave the moment we got up. But I made it through breakfast and walking around until check out time at 11am. Right on time our good friend Chicken (www.chickensmagicbus.com) was there to pick us up and take us to Negril! Hey Chicken! So good to see you....and we are off! Chicken has been a good friend of ours for a while and he was a godsend last year picking up all of our guests on several days and bringing everyone to our wedding, he even was a guest at our wedding. Can't say enough good things about him, he is the best. So we get in and chat with him and get caught up since everything from last year. He lives in Negril so he had come from there that morning to get us. Since it has rained every day since we arrived and was currently raining now I ask him if there is rain in Negril. And to that he says "You know Shauna, I can't lie, it is raining in Negril" He continues to tell me that it had been really dry and REALLY hot in August and September, much more than normal but then he says as soon as October came, so did the rain. He says they have been getting a lot of rain the last few days. To that I sigh and shake my head, and not one of those low sighs to yourself kind of sighs.....one of those deep out loud like you really mean it sighs. A sigh that someone hoping for a real nice "Re-do" would make! So we continue on down the road, because we sure aren't going to let a little rain stop us from heading to Negril! And I swear I will fight Mother Nature this time if I have to.....sure I know she will crush me if she wants to but I am just that determined that I would at least give it a fighting try.....afterall like I have said....she owes me!
So we make it to MoBay and we are on the high road, I look over at the airport and I am so happy that we are NOT stopping there.....on the road further and we pass Sandy Bay, next we pass Grand Palladium, then it is Lucea....ooh I am starting to get excited because I know we are getting close. But wait......what is that I see up ahead?????? There, past the clouds and rain....does that look like clear skies? There, over towards Negril...see!!!
YES!!!! Just a little outside of Lucea, the skies clear and the rest of the way to Negril it is nothing but sun! Just past Orange Bay and we are getting close.....I look over and see a sign and it makes me smile....the sign says Negril.com welcomes you to Negril.....and with that I let out another sigh....this one has much different meaning....this is a sigh of relief....I am home, I am in Negril, the sun is shining and the view (as well as the emotions) are MUCH better than this very same time last year. This is vindication! Mother Nature is going to give me my "Re-do" and I am going to happily accept it!
We get into Negril and all the familiar sights whip by, the AIs, the smaller beach properties, the round-a-bout, the west end and up we go. I am grinning from ear to ear and so is Raul.
And with that, we are here.....this moment I feel I have waited for for a lifetime, it is finally here, we honk and they open the gates and let us in.....to heaven.....or as most people call it.....Catcha Falling Star.
And boy does she look beautiful.....MUCH MUCH better than the last time I saw her and I am so thankful. I step out of the car and I immediately hear someone calling my name from the office....SHAUNA!!! SHAUNA!! HELLO!!!
I look over and there is Mauvette, I am so excited to see her I think I ran to the office.....and if you know me, I dont run, for anything! lol
I gave her a hug clear over the desk and she smiled so big and said Welcome home! I swear I think I might have shed a tear but I couldnt even tell because I was in a wave of every kind of emotion. I felt higher than any thing they might sell me here could ever make me!
And as we are chatting and what not she says well lets not waste anymore time, let's get you to your room. And as we are walking down the path you just become completely engulfed in the beauty of this place, the flowers are everywhere and it is a complete sensory overload, the sights, the sounds, the smells, everything.....it is gorgeous and I am so unbelievably happy to see it in all of its beauty again, praise the lord!
Mauvette is so excited to show us the new addition at Sagitarius (our room), it's an outdoor shower and she shows it off. I just can't stop smiling I bolt in the room and see that they have placed flowers all around to decorate it for us. There were flowers placed everywhere you could look. At that moment I knew that I never wanted to leave.....I was home.....and I was staying! :)

P.S. If you happen to stay, visit, or eat at Ivans at Catcha anytime, be sure to look at the photo books they keep at the bar. One is of the property after Hurricane Ivan hit, and the other is of the property and damage from Tropical Storm Nichole. I was there on the property shortly after Nichole and the destruction and devastation was heartbreaking.....but to see it today, in all of it's glory was a true testimant to God's work, and the hard work of people who live and work here.....the world, and the people in it are truly amazing sometimes, and I think I learn that again every time I visit Jamaica!

Now on to the photos!!!

Negril.com Welcomes you to Negril!!!
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CATCHA!!!!!
Walking up to our room .....Sagitarius!
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And looking back at the path we just walked down to get here
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View of our front porch, the hammock where we spent lots of time and the view from our porch...Gosh I miss this place!
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Looking at the opening to the sunning porch, then a view of the sunning porch and the outdoor shower
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View of the lighthouse from our porch / archway
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View of the front of Sagi from the sunning porch
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Inside our room decorated so beautifully with flowers everywhere....have I mentioned how much I love this place?????

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View of Rick's Cafe from our front porch
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Looking from our front porch, that's the newer building that houses rooms like Aries, Virgo, Sun, etc. to the left....Banana Shout is the property seen in the middle of the photo and then Rick's to the right of the picture, this was my view every morning from the hammock on our porch!
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Views around this amazing property....Ivan's Bar, the pool, the cove, etc.

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A few more views around this gorgeous property, and all the beautiful landscaping...what a blessing.

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About to enjoy our first sunset in Negril.....

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And our last day as newlyweds.....
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Tomorrow, Day 5....our anniversary <3

Beautiful! The outdoor shower looks awesome. We stayed in that cottage in 2007 and I would have loooooved the outdoor shower!

Hey Manda! Glad to help out....yours did the same for me.
When we got back home from our trip about a week and a half ago, I had over 30+ pages of your story to look forward to and by the time I sat down to read it, I read it all in one sitting and was luckily able to breeze past the suspense of who was at the door, LOL.
Your story took me back to my very first trip as well. We experienced a whole lot of the island that trip and did things like we were invincible....some crazy, funny and thrilling stories that I will never forget. I vowed that very trip that I would return to Jamaica at least once a year, every year, until I die....so far I have only missed 2 years. This trip was #11 and each time I come home is when I start planning my next. Thank YOU for taking me back as well....no matter how many times I go, or how many stories and adventures I have...I will NEVER forget my first trip, and the first time I fell in love with my sweet Jamaica!

About Mystic Mountain, I think the ticket for the tranopy was around $120-125 or so.
And about the rafting trip, I think Andre would be just fine. My husband is not a strong swimmer either, but he is getting so much better each trip. However, the river is not very deep at all and besides the rain, we never got wet once from the river water. Funny enough, while you are sitting on this raft made only of bamboo, I expected at some point for the river water to get us wet but it never did, not once...not even our legs/feet....the only reason we got wet was because of the rain. I say, go for it!

Yeah Cinnni, the outdoor shower was awesome.....my hubby showered in it everyday except for one. It was sort of windy and he couldnt get his towel to stay over the window so he was bummed and all pouty that he couldnt shower in the outdoor shower.
But you see, the towel placed over the window inside the shower is a must, because what you cannot tell from the angles of the pictures is that, that window inside that shower, is a wide open birds eye view for any of those sunset viewers at Ricks Cafe to get quite the show!!!! LOL

The window in the shower, though a nice touch, needs just a little bit of adjusting in the placement location LOL

WOW! Your pictures are killer. Relating to your happy dance as well when you hit the gates. You summed up Catcha very well. I could gone on and on, but you would think I owned stock in the place. Thanks for sharing.

Aww! I'm so happy that the sun was shining when you arrived in Negril! Those pictures of Catcha are incredibly beautiful!!! I'm so excited now about our upcoming trip! Thank you so much for sharing these awesome pics!! I just showed them to Markus and he's totally psyched too!

We haven't booked our transport yet. Thanks for the heads up about Chicken and his Magic Bus. His prices are good and he sounds like a great guy! We're going to shoot him an email tonight to see if he's available to take us from MoBay airport to Negril next week. :)

Please keep it coming! Enjoying your trip report so much!

Oh Awesome Clarity.....tell him you are friends of Shauna and Raul
He will take real good care of you and just ask him if you need anything, he will recommend just the right person for whatever you need while in Negril! He is a great guy!

I am so glad you enjoyed the photos, I thought of you both while posting them, but they are nothing compared to what it will feel like when you get there. I think you will be really happy with all of the little treats that await you when you arrive at Catcha!


Booger, I am with you....I love many things and places in Negril and I am very loyal to a lot of those places, but I can never say enough about Catcha....it is truly heaven on earth to me! And nothing comes close to comparing IMO

Its good to know that they call it Monkey Island cuz some Moroccan (i think) Princes had a monkey but the local were afraid of it so she put it on the island. Poor money doesn't she know thats how you start Planet of the Apes. The blue lagoon was gorgeous and so is my wife. We had A long day this trip and it was so cool. Seeing the villas was so cool. The tour guide told us that its one of the only place in JA that had homes right on the water. Due to the way the land is it doesn't get much rough than we had it.

Day 2 was so nice and sooooo cold but at the end I was ready to snuggle up to my wife and sleep.

Good read, takin notes on mystic mtn and PA.. never been to Catcha in my 6 trips to negril, but will next time for sure

Marley I'm happy you enjoyed my report and you're right that first time is something definitely special and I was wondering once I was done how I would be able to invoke enough emotion into my second report as my first but after reading yours I know that this wont be an issue.

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I gave her a hug clear over the desk and she smiled so big and said Welcome home! I swear I think I might have shed a tear but I couldnt even tell because I was in a wave of every kind of emotion

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You actually made my tears well up with this. I've missed Jamaica since I've been back I've missed everything about it, it has made me anxious to return but never once have I cried. You just gave me an insight to the overwhelming emotions that I know I'm going to feel when I land back on the island. THANK YOU!

Also, I want to thank you for sharing the story about your wedding last year again as I did not know the details but that "something" had happened now I realize how important this trip was for you and Raul. I'm so happy that you could have your re do.

I knew with this trip to Negril and especially to Catcha there was definite need to see my wife smile. I need to make sure what I ever I planned she had a good time and knew how much I loved her. When we got to Negril it really did feel like coming home. Nothing against Ochi but it wasnt the same even thought my mind and body knew we were in Jamaica. SO YAY NEGRIL and the fun we had doing alot of nothing.

ras

Nice reports :)

Several years ago I visited Luminous Lagoon with every intention of going in the water...... As we left the dock the trail left by the motor was a prelude to what was to come.... about 150 yards from the dock we pass something floating on the surface. Captain Rasta says Bambo log, I'm thinking (since when do bamboo logs have four legs, a long tail and snot and covered in scales????? Decided not to go in the water and play with the bamboo logs!! LOL

More please,

VVHT