Mr. and Mrs. D go to Negril - A Trip Report

OK, so here it goes...

With all the great trip reports coming out lately - and especially the ones by first-timers - we have been inspired to document our trip to Negril in all its glory. The wife and I travelled to Negril in April 2012 for what was our first trip there - and will surely be the first of many.

This would be our first big trip since our honeymoon in November of 2010, which was to Virgin Gorda, BVI. Prior to our wedding we had taken trips to Puerto Rico and Bermuda. Needless to say, we love the Caribbean/island vibe, but we wanted to try a different location this time. Our goal was to find a destination that was easy to get to from Philly (e.g. quick, non-stop flights) and was relatively affordable. After much research, we found that Negril seemed to fit the bill. The more I read about, the more I realized that Negril would be the place for us. From its bohemian roots, to its casual, laid-back atmosphere, to its wonderful unique cuisine, the wife and I knew we found someplace special.

Knowing that we would want to go out everyday and sample the local food, drink and culture, we decided that an AI resort was not for us. Back in my single says I had gone the AI route when I travelled with friends. On trips to Cancun, the Bahamas and even Ochi, I opted to book an AI through a travel agent for convenience and budget reasons. On each of those trips, I can honestly say that I became bored after a couple days on the compound. I remember staying at the Sunset Grand in Ochi and convincing my friends to leave the resort and check-out the straw market and eat at a nearby Chinese restaurant, because we were tired of the resort food. (I also remember the "Welcome to Jamaica" talk we were given, where the resort staff discouraged us from leaving the property, unless it was with one of their approved tour operators.) So this time we were looking for a resort with more of a boutique vibe, had the basic amenities we we wanted (A/C, pool, restaurant/bar and ocean views) and was within our budget. Home Sweet Home seemed to meet those those requirements, plus the wife was interested in staying on the cliffs.

After much planning and anticipation, we found ourselves at PHL airport awaiting our flight to Montego Bay. We had about 2 hours to kill before our flight departed, so we grabbed some breakfast at an eatery in the terminal. Our 2 hour wait turned into a 3 hour wait as our flight was delayed. This is typical at PHL which has one of the worst records in the US for on-time departures. No big deal - we took it in stride, hoping that the pilot would be able to make up some time in the air. In the end, landed in Mo Bay 45 minutes late.

By the time we exited the plane, it had been over 6 hours since we last ate. With our stomachs were growling, I told my wife to hang in there as we would soon be eating jerk chicken and washing it down with a cold Red Stripe (my belief was that on the road to Negril, we would be stopping for some refreshments). We spent about 45 minutes at the baggage claim, customs and immigration. We finally exited into the Transportation Hall where I looked for the JTL Tours Desk, per the instructions on my voucher. It was easy to spot as there was a mob of people standing in several haphazard lines approaching the desk. As we approached the line, a JTL worker said that there should only be one person per party standing in line. I guess this was an effort to keep the line shorter. No problem - My wife grabbed the luggage and went over to the side, away from the crowds. I waited in line about 20 minutes before we were finally checked-in. After that we were given wristbands and shown to a small bus that was parked outside. By this time we were feeling hungry and fatigued, but we were happy to finally board the bus to Negril.

Our happiness was soon fleeting. Once we boarded the bus, I noticed that there was no cooler of Red Stripes waiting for us. "That's Ok", I told my wife, "We'll be making a stop soon". We waited on the bus another 45 minutes before it finally filled up with passengers. By this time, our driver was nowhere to be found. Finally, a women stuck her head out the window and yelled to a JTL employee, "Go get our driver. We gotsta go!".

We finally hit the road - just in time for the Mo Bay afternoon rush hour.

Here's a picture from the bus window of somewhere in Mo Bay, shortly after leaving the airport:
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As her fatigue worsened, my wife managed to take a couple pictures through the bus window before she closed her eyes and attempted to rest the remainder of the ride. Trying to ignore the slight headache I felt coming on, I stayed awake the entire trip, fixated on the Jamaican landscape. I watched the scenery go by as the concrete buildings of Mo Bay gave way to green hills on one side of the road and the Carribean sea on the other. After passing through some small but bustling towns we made our first stop at the Grand Palladium. As several guests got off the bus, it became apparant to me that we would not be stopping for jerk chicken. Most of the passengers were tired and frustrated and just wanted to get to their resorts. The bus drove a little while longer, then stopped at a Riu. Then another Riu. Then Sandals. Then Couples (you get the point). After the AIs, there were only four people left on the bus - us and another couple that was staying at the Rockhouse. The husband made a little quip about saving the best for last.

At this point, I was elated just to be in Negril. I was taking it all in, trying to identify all the places that I read about on this message board. My wife was now awake, but still a little weary. We passed through the roundabout and up towards the cliffs. Without slowing down, the bus passed by Home Sweet Home on the right. Seeing the sign, my wife spoke-up, "That's it! That's Home Sweet Home, right there!". I'm not sure if the driver passed it intentionally or if he missed the small driveway, but he replied,"I can not fit the bus in that driveway. I am going to drop them off first and then turn around. That way we will be on the other side of the road and I can let you out at the gate." What's another small delay? The other couple was dropped-off at the Rockhouse and then we finally made it to HSH. Just in time to catch our first sunset.
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Fantastic Mike!! Glad your doing a report :)

Enjoyed meeting you and your wife!

Alright! Thought the time for you to do a report had passed us by Mike! I've wondered several times how your trip went, now we get to find out. Crappy ride in to say the least and an excellent advertisement for all those private charters out there. Only way to go in my book! :) Carry on!

Thanks Tizzy! We enjoyed meeting you as well! That was probably the best night of our trip. (It's coming up soon in my TR, so I don't want to give it away).:p

Guirigay, I was recently looking through all our pics from our trip and decided it was time we shared our story online. We got a lot of helpful info from your's and Sweetie Pie's trip to HSH, so I thought I would pay it forward. More to come!

Very nice start to your report, looking forward to more. Glad you made it to HSH in time for sunset :)

I can't wait since hubby and I are staying there in November.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TizzyATX

Fantastic Mike!! Glad your doing a report :)

Enjoyed meeting you and your wife!

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We did? LOL. I'm guessing the night at C&D bar? Good time that night if that was the night. Glad you are still there to keep me straight Tiz. :cool:

T&A, thanks for the encouragement! I will certainly continue.

Mo, You made the right choice. We loved HSH! We're actually going back there next month. Hopefully my report will help confirm your decision.

LOL, Booger! Yep, that was the night. I think we spent too much time in the "Stupid Zone". I will see how much I can recall. Definitely good times!

going back next month - says it all - lol

Mike I've got my coffee and clicking nails on the desk....crickets chirping whathaveyou....whats up? lol

Booger, I miss all y'all so much...and its just been over a week :*( LOL
and yes it was good times @ the C&D crazy... you remember, was a great night!! I have a few pics

stupid zone....conch :)

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Ok, here's the continuation of Day 1:

As we stepped off the bus and gathered our luggage, we were warmly greeted by the staff at Home Sweet Home. "Michael, welcome to Home Sweet Home. We've been expecting you." Wow! They knew my name even before we checked-in! What are the chances of that happening at big resort? I introduced my wife and then we stepped into the office to check-in. The check-in process consisted of me being handed a key and then being shown to our room. I can get used to this kind of service.

Our 2nd floor room was clean and comfortable, with an amazing balcony view of the Carribean sea.
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Every room at Home Sweet Home has an ocean view - even the standard rooms. You can't go wrong.

We were so excited about our new digs for the week that we almost forgot that it had been over 11 HOURS since we last ate. We dropped our bags and made a bee line down to the HSH restaurant. We kicked things off in true Negril style with a couple of rum punches, then we ordered dinner. We both had the curry chicken.
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The restaurant at HSH is delicious and extremenly underrated, IMO. There is a sign outside the resort walls that reads, Delli's Restaurant and Bar. Now, I know the restaurant has changed hands several times over the years and that may be an old sign, but this is a place that you don't hear much about on the internets. If you ever find yourself in this part of the West End and are lookng for great food with an amazing view at a resonable price, stop on in. The menu is small and changes daily, but everything is great.

The rum punch was fantastic, but we soon switched over to Red Stripe as we finished our dinner. We sat at our table for a while an watched the sun sink into the horizon.
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Awesome!!!! thanks for sharing cant wait for the rest.

nice report...keep thinkin and writin.......:)

Hey there, nice report.

I remember the days of catching the JTL bus, loaded with other guest and being the last person to be dropped off at my hotel.

Back then i did not mind the waiting for the bus to be filled.

Very nice reporting, i like your style of writing.

Detailed without being boring.:D

Please tell us more. :-)

Loving it!!!!

I'm really enjoying your trip report so far! Please keep it coming!
That Curry chicken looks delicious!:)

Awesome report! What a stunning sunset! Looking forward to reading more..

More please!

Wow, thanks everyone for the positive feedback! It really is a lot of fun reliving the experience through a trip report.

Rambo & Markospoon, that is high praise coming from you guys! You both are LEGENDS in my book.

Ok, here is the rest of Day one...

After dinner, my wife and I began to discuss what our plans were for the rest of the evening. After a long day of travel, we agreed that we didn't want to go out and do anything too wild, but we were interested in checking out the neighborhood. I said to my wife, "Let's take a walk down the road. I heard there is a little grocery store not far away where we can pick up some Red Stripes and snacks. Plus, we need to grabs some "rolls" for making submarine sandwiches." My wife said, "Sounds good!"

I'll admit, I was a little nervous about our first venture outside the comforts of Home Sweet Home. I had done extensive reasearch (on Negril.com and other sites) so I thought I knew what to expect, but you're never really prepared until you experience it. My wife, on the other hand, left all the trip planning to me, so she had no idea what to expect. She was blissfully naive, as they say, which is why I love her.

The sun had just set, so it wasn't completely dark, but it was getting there. We confidently stode through the gates of Home Sweet Home and turned right toward the direction of the L&M Market. We walked along a grassy strip on the side of road, so that we could stay out of traffic. First we passed Gas's Scooter Rental, which also, apparently, sells beach towels. Next came Blue Cave Castle and then PeeWee's on the cliff side. That wasn't soo bad. We weren't hassled at all, and even received a few friendly greetings from people hanging out in the yards on the opposite side of the road. Across from Pee Wee's I spotted the sign for "L&M Enterprises", so we crossed the road and entered the store.

Much like a 7-11 in the states, L&M had a little bit of everything. We went to the refrigerated section and grabbed a 6-pack of Red Stripe. My wife wanted a snack for the hotel room, so she grabbed a bag of Doritos. I said, "Hon, anything imported from the US is going to be expensive". We looked at the bag, and written in black marker was the price - "$450". I said, "That's like 5 bucks for a bag of Doritos. Why don't we try a Jamaican snack?". We settled on a bag of plaintain chips, at a more reasonable price.

As I approached the counter, I remembered that we needed something to roll our subs in. Prior to our trip, I had read on another website that Jamaicans refer to cigarette papers as "Bamboos". This somewhat made sense to me because I was familiar with the Big Bambu' brand of rolling papers from Cheech & Chong fame. Little did I know that I was probably misinformed.

There was an older gentleman at the counter who totaled up my Red Stripe and plaintain chips on a handheld calculator. I then asked the gentleman, "Can I also have some bamboos?". He responded with a quizical look, "Pardon me?" Nervously, I replied,"Um, do you, uh, have any rolling papers?". The clerk then then said,"Ohh, you mean Rizlas!" Finally on the same page, I smiled and said, "Yes! Rizlas, please!". The clerk turned around and grabbed a pack of Lion Pride off the shelf and put it in a black plastic bag with the rest of my purchases.

Little did I know at the time that "Bamboo" has another meaning in the Jamaican vernacular. Boy, was I embarassed when I found out!

We walked out of L&M and began to cross the street, when we noticed an old Rasta sitting just inside the fence at Pee Wee's. In a low voice he called out to us and grabbed our attention, "Hey mon, welcome to Jamaica!". We stopped by the fence and said,"Thank you". He said, "Can I help you find anyting?" I replied, "No, thank you. We're all set." To that he responded,"Ok. If you ever need anyting, I am out here every night. I can be found between Samsara and Pee Wee's". He then asked, where are you from?" I said,"We're from Philadelphia." "Ahh, Philadelphia!, the first capital of the United States.", he replied. Impressed with his knowledge of US history, I said,"That's right! Philadelphia is a very historic town." "Well, if you ever want to grab a beer, and talk about politics or history or anyting else, you can come back here and find me" the Rasta replied. "Sounds good!", I said. We bumped fists and with a "Respect", we were on our way back to HSH.

We relaxed on our balcony for rest of the evening and enjoyed the quiet calm of the cliffs and the cooling ocean breeze. We fell asleep easily that night, with anticipation of our first full day in Negril.

Coming up: Day 2

• Mr. and Mrs. D go snorkeling off the cliffs
• Canoe Bar Thursday webcast
• Reggae/Fashion show at Bourbon Beach

(clap clap clap) EXCELLENT report - more pretty please!!!!!

Hahaahah "bamboo please!" too funny...

OMG.....asking the clerk for some bamboos.....that had me busting out laughing!
Wish I could have seen his face

Loving the report!!!

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Little did I know at the time that "Bamboo" has another meaning in the Jamaican vernacular. Boy, was I embarassed when I found out!

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LOL!!;)
Loving your TR so far!Looking forward to your next update!

Nice.......

i live for trip reports! you're doing a great job . . .

Hahahahahaha Good thing you weren't looking for jumbo sized papers....think if you'd asked for big bamboos HAHAHA that made me laugh so hard Mike :)

Excellent job. I love it. Good details!

GerryG, Tizzy, Seveen, Pretty40, Clarity, Marley, Murph and Sweetness: Thanks for the positive feedback! I will keep it going...

I woke up in the morning feeling well rested after a good night's sleep. I looked at the clock and it read 8:00am. That was good enough for me as I usually wake-up at 6:00am on a normal work day. I walked over to the french doors that led to the balcony and opened them up. The room was immediately filled with fresh air and the morning sunshine. Mrs. D., who can usually outsleep me by a couple hours, woke-up as well. We were both excited to be in Negril and couldn't wait to start our day.

Our plan was to grab some breakfast, and then spend the rest of the day swimming and snorkeling off of the cliffs of Home Sweet Home. We quickly got ready and headed down to the restaurant at HSH. Like many places in Negril, the restaurant here has a chalkboard where the daily offerings are written, instead of a regular menu. The only item we were concerned with was the ackee and saltfish. I had told my wife about the Jamaican national dish before our trip, and we were looking forward to trying it. We both LOVED it. In fact, I think Mrs. D. ordered it every morning for the remainder of our trip. We also enjoyed a cup of coffee. I didn't ask, but I believe it was blue mountain coffee. The available juices at the HSH restaurant, seemed to change every morning. Sometimes they had orange juice and sometimes they had pineapple juice or mango juice. Either way, it was fresh and delicious.

While we were enjoying breakfast, a couple in their 50s emerged from the cliffs with snorkeling gear in hand. They said that they go snorkeling early every morning as that is best time to see ocean life. I said, "Man, I thought we were getting up early. I hope there is still something to see out there". They said that the snorkeling is good anytime at HSH, since there is a coral "canyon" right off the cliffs where a lot of fish can be seen. We later learned that the couple were expats who live somewhere inland in Jamaica. They frequently stay at HSH when they want to enjoy Negril. Sounds like a nice life to me.

After breakfast, we grabbed our snorkeling gear from the room and headed down to the sun decks. There are 3 or 4 different sun decks on the cliffs at HSH. Since HSH is a small hotel, you can usually get a whole sun deck and couple lounge chairs to yourself. On this day we had the entire cliffs to ourselves. We did some swimming first to get used to the water before we put on our snorkel gear. This was my wife's first time snorkeling so I had to coax her into it. However, once she got the hang of it she was loving it and we snorkeled together for hours. On or next reach, my wife is insisting that we get to hotel early enough to get some snorkeling in before sunset.

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This is me, trying on my new snorkeling gear

We spent most of the day laying on the cliffs and swimming in the water. When it was time for lunch I walked up to the restaurant and ordered a chicken sandwich and fish & chips. I then went back down to the sun deck to relax. Before long, the server was on his way down the cliff steps to bring us our lunch and a couple Red Stripes. We enjoyed our meal and spent the rest of the afternoon soaking up the gorgous weather.

Since it was Thursday, our plan next was to hit Canoe Bar for dinner and the webcast.

Really enjoying your report.

Great report so far. Looking forward to the next installment :)

OMG I can't wait to get there.

Mo, here are a few more pics of the HSH cliffs to get you excited about your trip...
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Thank you Mike. How will I ever get through the next 63 days????

good stuff! keep it coming

I can see my room at Blue Cave Castle in that first shot, so it is getting me pretty excited to get there too!

I figured I should pick-up the pace a little bit. I have a personal goal to finish this trip report before our next reach. We're almost finished with day 2!