I currently have Dolphin View at Banana Shout for 7 nights. Do you think Rock Cottage 1 at Tensing Pen would be worth twice the price I'm paying at Banana Shout?
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I currently have Dolphin View at Banana Shout for 7 nights. Do you think Rock Cottage 1 at Tensing Pen would be worth twice the price I'm paying at Banana Shout?
They are two very different type properties with the same gorgeous view!
However, I will say first if you pick Tensing Pen, I would suggest Rock Cottage II over Rock Cottage I
We honeymooned in Rock Cottage II and it is the most private of all the rooms at Tensing Pen
Banana Shout will provide you with a quiet place of lodging that is cute, quaint and a bit quirky. It will be private as there will be almost no one there and so you will be left alone mostly to enjoy your time. There is no restaurant or bar really on that property but the view is gorgeous and the rooms are unique
Tensing Pen is much more luxury, compare it to the Rockhouse as I feel they are very similar. They have a full restaurant and bar, an awesome pool and a really amazing property full of landscaping and the amazing bridge which you can even jump from. The staff there will leave you alone to enjoy your time but they are also available if you need them. This property is just beyond beautiful!
If I were making the choice between the two for a honeymoon, I would choose Tensing Pen (which we did lol)
Also, not sure if this is important but Banana Shout does not have a/c and Rock Cottage II does
Good luck with your decision, either way there is no wrong answer
And congrats on your marriage :)
Thank you so much, marley! RC 1 is all that's available across the whole property for the dates, so I'd be locked in to that specific room (stupid high season). The bridge looks SO AWESOME. I also love the dogs, the bar, the pool, the restaurant, and the hammock hut. It's just . . . $1500 vs. $3000 . . . tough call!!
Ok then
RC1 is not bad at all, the only reason I suggested RC2 is because it is the most private, where RC1 is right next to the pool, but really the whole dang property is amazing.
Can I ask if you have checked out Catcha Falling Star, right next door?
It really depends on your style, as BS and TP are very different properties.
In an easy comparison I would say Banana Shout is like a cool Hippy Retreat artsy fun vibe where Tensing Pen is a high end luxury place
They are both cool, but very different so it would just depend on what you have in mind for your honeymoon.
Tensing Pen was very nice but we stayed there only once.....we splurged for our honeymoon and we did not regret it.
But our favorite property in all of Negril is Catcha and now we are spoiled by them and hardly stay anywhere else.
If you have any specific questions just let me know.
Plus there are a lot of fans of both places so you will probably get a lot more great advice and details.
Happy researching!
Unfortunately, Catcha is booked. It was my dream spot. Oh well! :) Thanks so much, I'm just having a really tough time deciding if I should do BS and have more money for dinners out, drinks, etc., or if I should pay more upfront for amenities like the pool, on-site bar and restaurant, and overall vibe, but have less money to spend.
Ah, very tough decision
Let me see if I can help:
Ask yourself what you see your dream honeymoon being
Is it you and hubby lounging by a pool all day sipping cocktails and then maybe taking lots of "naps" together or even massages in the hut or laying on the hammocks together
If you answered yes, pick Tensing Pen
Do you see yourself having fun getting out and about around Negril, going to the pub crawl, traveling down to the beach or maybe even taking in some Live music at Alfreds or Seastar? Maybe even a day trip?
If you answered yes, then pick Banana Shout
:)
However, also consider this.....you know you will come back again, so don't feel you have to do everything in one trip. This is your honeymoon, you only get one of those (well, if you're lucky)
LOL
When are you getting married? Catcha is building a new cottage in Sept? :) Y'all could break it in :D
Thanks for the great breakdown, marley! Gosh, they both sound like pretty amazing honeymoons. I'll run your "quiz" by my fiance!
Gary, it's funny, as soon as I read your post about the new cottage at Catcha, I called—and it's booked for our dates already (Dec 30 - Jan 6)! Can you believe it? They're definitely doing something right over there.
Wow! Mindfulgirl, I will be in Jamaica the exact same dates as your honeymoon! ;)
Yeah they won Marleys affection LOL
Nice to know there will be another cottage soon....do we know if it will be more like moon/star or libra/sag?
Whoa, that's awesome, Marley! We're really excited to be there for New Year's :)
Yes! New Years is one of the best times to be there! I will be at Catcha for the first 3 days so I will either wave left (to Banana Shout) or right (to Tensing Pen)
Either way you go I HIGHLY recommend booking a dinner at the special table at Ivan's restaurant for dinner (at Catcha)
Tiz- When Mauvette originally told me about the new room she said it was two rooms but it almost sounded like it was two-story, so I wondered if it was two rooms on top of each other, that part I am confused about. But I know the new addition will be located somewhere between Star and the new building and when I asked about price I was told it would be similar to Sagi....thats all I know
Oh, nice! Which room do you have at Catcha? I will live vicariously through you!
Well my room was booked (curses!!!)
I always stay in Sagi....in fact I have never stayed in any other room but I have seen the inside of almost all of them and they are all wonderful
This time I will be in Libra (which is basically the same room as Sagi just a little further back from the cliff) but I could only get it for 3 days as the rest of the property was booked so after that I will move over to Seastar which is also one of our faves so I am not too sad about it :)
Come by and visit us, there will be several of us there and we will be having a great party nightly at Ivan's bar at least from Dec 30 - Jan 1 :)
That sounds great, we will definitely stop by Ivan's to say hi! And if we do Banana Shout, I think we may be at Seastar a lot (for the pool/hot tub/restaurant). Small world (although I guess made smaller by being on a Negril forum, ha)!
Is Seastar not actually on the cliff?
Cool, well it sounds like we will see you and the hubby around then! I look forward to it!
Flip-
Seastar is located on the West End up Seastar Lane. The lane is almost directly across from Catcha Falling Star, and about a 5 minute walk up the lane.
So it is not located directly on the cliffs edge, meaning its not on the water
But it is a fabulous place to stay, eat, chill, drink, swim and it has an incredible staff
You know its a good place when it is almost always 100% booked and its not even located on the water! :)
I saw the rooms are cheap.. I will keep that in mind. We like to do the budget travel so we can stay longer and eat and drink more :)Quote:
Originally Posted by marley9808
I'm sticking my tongue out at y'all! So jealous! That my have to be my 2nd trip next year!!!!
Why can't it be your second trip THIS year?!?!?!?!
:)
Flip - you should definitely check it out, everyone loves Seastar!
AND you can do that anytime you want if you tune in to the webcasts on Saturday night
:)
Marley you are awesome, your help and reply to this thread is absolutely faultless. I think you should be the resident answer person ha ha! ♥
Well because Gary doesn't have the time off. It is planned a year in advance. His week off in Dec is like the 9th or something. But, we are going to be good parents & take our kids on a cruise for Christmas instead of buying them mindless gifts from a mythical figure! :) I'm not real happy about a cruise, but the kids seemed really excited when we suggested it.Quote:
Originally Posted by marley9808
So next year... New Years :) (Disclaimer: Gary must get the time off approved! uggghhhh )
And I'm still jealous! I can't wait to hear about it!
Ok it's a deal!
And...I'm sure you'll have a great time on a cruise too :)
Hey Mindfulgirl, be sure you roll over as we will be there too hanging with Marley and Ninja. I would say if you are looking for Haight Ashbury vibe stay at Banana Shout. It is rustic, doesn't have AC, however it only has 4 rooms I believe so it would be nice to spend time with your honey. If you want more upscale and a little more square place I would pick Tensing Pen. And Seastar is a great place to hang out and chill in there pool with there swim up bar and great staff.
Just to keep you posted, we discussed it, and TP is just going to be too $$ for us right now (we're both in sort of a weird spot with our jobs, so if anything happened, we'd need the extra $).
After all of this, I think we're switching to a one bedroom lagoon cottage at Villas Sur Mer. Not directly on the cliffs, but it has a cool underground cave to get to the cliffs and ocean, a lagoon pool and hot tub, a bar, and access to food from LTU. It's a tad pricier than Banana Shout and doesn't have the "wow" factor view, but it seems like an overall good bet for a honeymoon. Same general area as Banana Shout, too, so we'd still be able to stop by Ivan's and Seastar. :)
Thanks so much for your help, everyone!!
clarity and her hubbyman stayed @ Villa Sur mer on their anniversary and the place looks Amazing judging by their photos. I dont think you'll be dissapointed at all.
Hope I make it in Dec and crosspaths w you on the best end. :)
'Gratz!
Nicely done!
I actually think you made the best choice with Villa Sur Mer....you will NOT be disappointed......go check Clarity's trip report for pictures AND video!
Be sure to tell them it's your honeymoon :)
Congrats :)
Thanks, Tizzy and Marley! I cannot tell you how relieved I feel hearing you guys say that. I felt SO GUILTY canceling because OneStop told me that the owner (Milo) would be really disappointed. (I get guilted very easily). But this just seems like a more comfortable option for our honeymoon and our first time in Negril.
Updated to say that Clarity's advice/videos/pix were a HUGE factor in this decision. Clarity, if you're reading this, you should be getting PAID, girl. :)
No problem!
Oh, and I know what you mean about feeling bad, but I bet I can cheer you up real fast
See if this doesn't make you feel better:
http://negril.com/forum/showthread.p...p-Report/page5
Thanks for the link, Marley - feeling better already. :)
I thought that might help :)
It's YOUR honeymoon....so you two need to be happy...and that is all that matters!
And I know you both will be happy there!
good choice! happy honeymooning . . .
I agree, you made a wonderful choice! Definitely email them, and let them know you will be on your honeymoon. Hopefully, they will upgrade you too like they did for Daisy and Markus' anniversary!
Thanks, Seveen and Eden. I'm so excited that I'm a little teary-eyed! We are in cottage 1c - it has an adorable porch swing, and my fiance is already talking about napping out there, ha.
Another update - I just talked to Peter (owner of VSM). He gave me a great deal on the honeymoon suite, AAHHH!!!!! We get to stay in 6 down, the place in Clarity's video! I am so nerded-out excited!!!
Yay!!! That's so awesome! So happy for you. :-)
Nice work!! A phone call will usually get the job done.Quote:
Originally Posted by mindfulgirl
YAY!!! That's awesome!! I'm so happy for you! You're going to LOVE the honeymoon suite! Wait till you see the shower! Down 6 is located in the back of the resort, it's really quiet and peaceful. It's so close to the lagoon pool and bar too. Make sure you check out the cave at night, it's beautiful with all the twinkling lights inside and the sound of the crashing waves against the cliffs. Also the lagoon pool is gorgeous at night, with the huge jacuzzi. If the main villa isn't booked, they let you go across the street to lounge there too. Don't worry about packing snorkel gear, they've got everything you need already there for you. The fins, mask, snorkel..etc. Oh and try the Mango Colada!
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...1villaroom.jpg
http://i1181.photobucket.com/albums/...01ourvilla.jpg
The staff is so wonderful! Please tell Radcliff the bartender and Kimi at the front desk that we say “hi!” Wait till you meet “Shakes” with his homemade broom. I'm really excited to hear all about your honeymoon trip! I wish so much that we could go back to VSM tomorrow! It's so romantic and peaceful. I know you're going to have a wonderful time! :)
You are just the sweetest, Clarity! Thanks for all of your help and advice. I couldn't be more excited!! :)