I am back from Jamaica. My Family LOVED Negril!

Sorry for being such a stranger. I just got back from my family trip to Negril last week and had to jump right back into work. (I arrived back in California at 2 AM last Wednesday morning and I was back at work at 7:30 AM that same morning– barely had time to peel off my beach clothes!)

It took me a few days to decompress after such an intense experience. I finally finished uploading all the pics from our 5 day vacation and I wanted to share a few with you all.

This was our first vacation together as a family in over 12 years and my father's return trip to the Island (His last visit to Jamaica was 38 years ago!) My sisters had never been to Jamaica before, so this was all entirely new to them. For weeks leading up to this trip, it was all they could talk about. They were so excited!

I'll start at the beginning...


I arrived in Negril about 7 hours before my family and took Clives to Catcha Falling Star. It was a different experience driving from MoBay to Negril without Markus. I wish he could have joined me on this trip. That was the only downside...That he wasn’t there to experience this with me.

I was in the front seat of a van with a large Italian family heading to the Rui Palace. It was their first ever trip to Negril. They mostly spoke in Italian to each other in hushed excited whispers while I chatted with the driver in the front seat. A little kid came up to the window and handed me a strange plant. I gave him a dollar for it even though I had no idea what it was…

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The driver explained that it’s genip and it’s in season right now in Jamaica, so it’s everywhere. He taught me how to peel off the skin and suck the fruit off the pit. It tastes like Candy! This was a first for me.

Catcha was beautiful as always! The whole staff remembered me and greeted me with warm hugs. I truly felt like I was coming home! Star cottage is amazing – 2 bedrooms, large livingroom area, kitchen and a private enclosed patio with an outdoor patio in the back through the bathroom

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It’s hot in August, HOTTER than I’d ever experienced before in my life. The humidity felt like a 100%, like a sauna. It’s makes the ocean even more inviting to swim in.

Since I had some time to kill before my parents arrived, I went over to Canoe to catch the sunset webcast. Rob called Rocky and arranged for him to pick me up on his way to Catcha with the rest of my family in his van. My family had just arrived in MoBay and still had a 1 ½ hour ride in front of them.

It was great having that first taste of a delicious dirty banana at Canoe with Rob, Lisa, Lola and another couple that was also staying at Catcha.

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I started getting super anxious before my parents arrived. I started worrying that they wouldn’t like Negril or that my father would think it has changed too much since he was last there… (His last trip to Negril was back in the 1960’s!!) I was nervous about introducing my family to my favorite place in the world. What if they didn’t love it as much as I did?

Lisa and Rob were awesome, they told me to relax and just enjoy the experience. I was seriously overthinking things. This was just such a big moment, something I had anticipated and dreamed about for so long... and it was finally happening! I was a complete bundle of nerves!

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As soon as my family arrived, everything began to fall into place and I realized I had nothing to worry about. Rocky took great care of my family. They were in absolute awe with everything! Catcha Falling Star completely blew my family away! My mother and father were staying the Sagi Cottage, while I stayed at Star cottage with my 2 sisters and my sister’s boyfriend.

The first night we all had a delicious dinner at Ivans, Afterwards we swam in the pool together at night admiring the stars overhead. We also soaked in the hot tub, taking in the view of the ocean and cliffs. It was perfect! My mother was in tears because she’d never experienced anything like this before in her life! It was so wonderful to see my mother so happy.

Here are some pics from our stay at Catcha

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That’s my father jumping off the cliffs – He loved it! He started at the lowest level and worked his way up to leaping off the highest point. He talked about how these cliffs were virtually empty back in the day and you could jump into the water from wherever you wanted. It was awesome seeing a youthful joy and excitement in my Dad again. Usually his face is etched with grim stress lines and he’s in a business suit. He really let go for a while. He was happy, really really happy. He needed this.

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(My family blissfully swimming in the ocean)

My 26 year old sister started off with a life jacket because she had never swam in water so deep before in her life. She was nervous. After an hour, she felt confident and ripped it off. She realized she didn’t need it after all. She’s a better swimmer than I am!

My father was so excited about having Ackee and Saltfish again. He talked about how his Aunt would make this for breakfast every morning. It brought back a lot of memories

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He also enjoyed having coco bread with cheese again too! He was in heaven with all the fresh fruits as well.

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My sister trying to catch lizards – she didn’t have much luck but she was determined

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My sister and her boyfriend taking in the view

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My sister snorkeling for the very first time in her life. It took her a day to adjust to breathing from a snorkel but by day 2 she was a pro. It was her favorite activity.

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My family taking in the sunset on the first day.

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My mother tried a dirty banana for the first time in her life and loved every sip of it.

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Here she is swinging in the hammock at Sagi in the early morning, just listening the waves crashing over the rocks. It’s been such a long time since my mother had a vacation, and to see her so relaxed and at peace like this made me so happy…

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She loved Sagi cottage!

On Friday, we went to the beach in the afternoon. I knew that a storm would be coming soon and I wanted my family to experience the beach with calm waves. I didn’t know what effect the storm would have.

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We entered through Margaritaville. I found it to be a little too touristy and overpriced so we eventually moved over to Negril Treehouse to enjoy drinks and swim. IMHO That was SO much better…

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(my two sisters swimming in the ocean)

I walked around Negril Treehouse to check it out and I have to say that it’s beautiful. That’s where I want to stay next time we go to Negril.

Saturday night we went to see the concert at Seastar. My sisters and Mom were completely entranced by the Seastar drummers. They enjoyed Steve West’s performance too and even got up to dance for a few numbers.

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When we returned from the Seastar concert we were surprised by the dramatic change in the weather. Suddenly waves were crashing over the pool in Catcha and hitting the door of the Sagi cottage. We realized it was the effects of Tropical storm Isaac passing by. I’d never seen waves so high before in my life! It was crazy and a little frightening at night. The waves were so loud that my parents chose to sleep with us at Star Cottage instead of sleep at the Sagi Cottage.

The next day was the same, high winds and massive waves...I was mesmerized by the sight of it, it's really something incredible to witness!

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We couldn’t swim in the pool because of the waves crashing onto the deck and obviously the ocean was off limits, but that didn’t put a damper on our fun. We just put on our bathing suit, grabbed our towels and head over to Seastar Inn to swim in the pool there.

Oddly enough, the weather was entirely calm inland. It was really only the cliffs area that was hit by the storm. Apparently seven mile stretch of beach was fine too. ( Although my relatives in St. Catherine and Kingston reported some serious heavy rain and some flooded areas.)

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We had the seafood pizza with Shrimp + lobster at Seastar…. I’d heard about the pizza before but it was my first time actually trying it. It was truly delicious.

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Andrea was kind enough to move my parents to the Leo Suite that night free of charge because of the waves crashing into Sagi. It was absolutely stunning! A wonderful upgrade, they LOVED it! We had dinner in the dining room because it was still pretty windy outside.

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We stayed up late all together in the Leo suite drinking Red Stripes and playing Balderdash. We laughed so hard, we had tears in our eyes. It was such a fun night!

Monday morning we moved over to Nirvana on the beach.

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We had a three bedroom cottage (Cottage 2) – I highly recommend Nirvana for anyone planning on staying there. Great price and great for big families/group of friends . It has a full kitchen and lots of windows, open space.

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The stretch of beach is incredible. The only beach that compares to it is Coco La Palm but the per person cost is cheaper at Nirvana. The water was crystal clear and the waves were calm. My mother and 17 year old sister preferred wading in the shallow beach over jumping off the cliffs. This was perfect for them. I’m really glad we did a split stay so they could experience both. The hotel grounds are beautiful too!

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Nirvana doesn't have a bar onsite, but it's right next to White Sands which had really cheap drinks. We had Niah’s Patties for lunch (also right next to Nirvana) and went to Marley by the Sea at Coco La Palm for dinner. We also had Best of the West the following day. The location was great.

I even got to introduce my sister to Robert at Sunnyside bar. We had so much fun hanging out with him that afternoon. You can’t beat 150 JA Redstripes.

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The whole trip was incredible. This was my first time traveling in August and it’s a great time to go to Negril because you really feel like you have the place to yourself. There are amazing deals with hotels during this time so it’s really affordable. The water temperature is perfect and the vibe is really relaxed. You'll probably want to stay at a place w/ air conditioning though. It gets really hot at night. Be aware that you may deal with a brief storm or two because it’s the start of hurricane season, but it passes quickly. The rain is so refreshing. A nice respite from the heat…

My father didn’t get to meet all the family he had hoped to because we were there for such a short time, but he’s in touch with all of them now and he is planning a trip back for July 2013 to meet up with the rest. I’ve planted the seed, they are hooked and my work here is done :cool:

I don’t think I’ll be writing a full fledged detailed trip report this time, but my little 17 year old sister, Amber took some great pictures that she uploaded into my computer. I’ll start another thread in a few days with those images because it’s really special to see Jamaica through the eyes of a first timer.

We’ll also get back into finishing our One love trip report as soon as we can– I’m determined to finish that.

Thank you everyone for your caring advice and all of your help in planning this trip! I truly appreciated it and it meant a lot to me. I’m so glad I got to show my family the Island I love and re-introduce my father to Jamaica. It was a special trip for all of us, the only sad thing is that it went by way to fast.

5 days just isn’t enough time to take it all in.

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But I’m grateful for every minute of this family vacation.

Even though my trips to Negril are coming to an end (for a while anyway) as we’re planning to start a family of our own and need to put money away…

For my sisters and my parents, this is JUST the beginning...:)

-Daisy

Agreed 5 days is just a teaser as our last trip in July was only 5 days. And as far as
"Even though my trips to Negril are coming to an end (for a while anyway) as we’re planning to start a family of our own and need to put money away…
I'm calling BS and will see you around New Years.:cool:
Thanks for sharing your trip with us.....

hahaha Booger! I can just see the next post from Daisy saying, "Guess what??! We ARE going back to Negril for Xmas/New years after all!!!"
Ha! I will See you for New Years too, Daisy!! :-)

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Originally Posted by booger

Agreed 5 days is just a teaser as our last trip in July was only 5 days. And as far as
"Even though my trips to Negril are coming to an end (for a while anyway) as we’re planning to start a family of our own and need to put money away…
I'm calling BS and will see you around New Years.:cool:
Thanks for sharing your trip with us.....

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Hi Daisy! Soooo glad you and your family had such a wonderful time together!! :) Sorry your Dad didn't get to meet any of his JA family on this reach, but I think it's SO awesome that he's already planned a return date, so hopefully he will meet them then! And, I loved your photos of the huge waves. :)

Loved it Daisy. You know kids don't need money, just love. And what better way to show your love than to conceive in Jamaica.

I feel so much joy in my heart reading this, If you planned this for your family you did an awesome job. I endorse every choice you made. Gee how are they??? Can they even adjust to being back home after such a great experience??? Good for you girl.

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Originally Posted by Prism

Loved it Daisy. You know kids don't need money, just love. And what better way to show your love than to conceive in Jamaica.

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Not to hijack Daisy's thread (and I know this is a vacation site, so I apologize if I'm getting too serious here) but I applaud she and Markus for thinking ahead as they are. While it's true kids don't need money itself, they do need food, shelter, medical care (and eventually) school supplies, college tuition, etc. It's heartbreaking when I see kids who've gone without basic medical care because their parents couldn't or didn't take the costs of rearing a child into account. Exploring the world is fabulous and I hope D&M are able to do it all; I'm just glad to know there's one couple taking a long-term view of their future child(ren)'s welfare.

Beautiful Daisy ~ I was there also when there was a big storm thru on one trip...the waves just fierce for days....then over night just like glass...It was like a treasure walking the beach finding all the little treasures the ocean leaves behind.... Five days are hardly enough to relax ... You have a wonderful family and its wonderful you got to the cliffs and the beach... I have to say I see so much of you in your mother!

See you and Markus in December.... We will light some lanters and wishes for "our special projects" on new years eve ....;)

Welcome back Daisy, Negril will be there when your ready. Glad you had a good trip with the family. And have to agree 5 days is not long enough. Especially with the trip from California. Now you need to round up some more vacation days for the next trip.

Clarity........what a beautiful trip report. I felt as though I was right there as you went alaaang. I know you will cherish these memories. Bless

Awesome! So glad you got to experience that with your family. No doubt that was the first of many family trips to come.

Lovely report and photos - as always!!!

beautiful pics! Love your report!

Clarity,

What a fabulous, heart felt trip report, you are one heck of a writer, your photos are beautiful and I could feel your heart in every word you wrote. Loved reading your trip report with your family and can't wait to see more.

Peace,
Islander

jamaica heals! so glad your family was able to get together and work the "kinks" out

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Originally Posted by Seveen

jamaica heals! so glad your family was able to get together and work the "kinks" out

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I really hope this is true. My family situation is very odd. My parents are not divorced, but they live 45 miles apart. They spend every other weekend together. That's about as long as they can tolerate. My brother lives in Wyoming and dislikes my father greatly. My sister is 16 and does not identify with anyone else in the family, because she is a teen, and we are all "old" in her eyes. (I am 28, my brother is 23)

My GF and I were planning on going on this trip alone, and my my mom got wind of it. She thought it would be grand to piggy back on our trip and invite the whole family. This will mark the first occasion our family as a whole unit has spent more than an hour together in probably 8 years. And here we go for 8 nights.

Couldn't think of a better place to break out the new trip ticker. As you well know Daisy, there was "NO WAY" this was going to happen. Well..... I'm beginning to think the only point of "no" is to know there is no point. Drop the foggy veil of the trance of scarcity and it suddenly becomes clear that we all are bounding through fields of endless opportunity - Thank you Deepak! And besides, you guys are ALREADY home. You just need to, unfortunately, figure out how to get back to Babylon... Anyway, I think I may have flipped Markus in your absence... :) BPG

That is so awesome Clarity- all around and for everyone... I dont think I could manage 5 days-way too short when you figure in all the air time travel ( i come from LAX) rather save up my days and go for a longer reach-but hey, 5 days better than no days....

Lovely report bbygirl thanks for sharing...Call you soon to catch up :)

CLAP CLAP CLAP. Great report that we have all come to expect. Thanks Daisy

THANKS Booger, Eden, Prism, Misti1, WiltedDazies, Patty, Angel, Sweetness, Maryann, Reggae Roy, Kaycee, Islander, Seveen, Flipadelphia , Guirigay, Suzengrace, Tizzy, & MoinMonroe!! :D

Suzengrace – I agree! You know how brutal and long the commute from CA is… (on this stretch it was almost 30 Hours total round trip door to door!) 5 days is too short, but it was worth it. 5 days is better than not going at all... I wouldn't take a trip this short in length again though

Boogs & Eden – LOL! Okay…yes Markus and I are dreaming about a December Trip, I’m not gonna to lie. We’ve never experienced the holidays in Jamaica. It would be the most amazing experience! I just don’t know if it’s in the stars for us.

Although I didn’t think Guirigay & Sweetie Pie were going and now he has a new ticker! He’s right; anything is possible. I just can’t get too emotionally invested in the idea. I don’t know what the future holds for us.

Most people have their kids early and then travel together later on. We’re kind of doing it the other way around…and this incredible chapter of our lives is going to end soon. A new chapter will begin. (P.S. this is where everyone tells me about the joy of parenthood – please?)

Flipadelphia – I can relate to what you wrote about your family situation. I had the same concerns. I’ve got the teen in my family that doesn’t always relate to the “old ones” Me and My sister. I have ups and downs with my father – as I’ve mentioned… we don’t always see eye to eye. My family is far from perfect and we had a few rocky moments even on this beautiful trip.

I think the key to vacationing with your family is to focus on your similarities and overlook the differences. Really be IN the moment and try to avoid bringing up past resentments or issues that can spur arguments. There were things my father said that would have rubbed me the wrong way usually but I LET IT GO to keep the peace and for harmony. As a result, he made more of an effort too.

Jamaica isn’t going to erase all your family issues or problems, but it’s hard to focus on them when you’re surrounded by beauty. It’s the perfect backdrop for meaningful conversations and making great memories.

Have an awesome time in Negril w/ your family! I’m sure it will be great!:)

i dragged my baby to jamaica before he could walk
i will never forget walking down the plane ramp on to the tarmac - yep before jet ways - and his head snapped back - when the humidity and the smells of jamaica hit his nose
rolling him in the umbrella stroller - watching him laugh as the cars went beep beeb
going downtown mobay and finding goats - and he touched them and had a ball
eating at the pelican restaurant (mobay) and finishing off an entire order of pancakes

he swears he remembers - lol

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Originally Posted by Clarity

Jamaica isn’t going to erase all your family issues or problems, but it’s hard to focus on them when you’re surrounded by beauty. It’s the perfect backdrop for meaningful conversations and making great memories.

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Perfectly said!!

No worries Clarity! You CAN have babies and still travel to fun places. :-) We always traveled a lot before kids, and still travel a ton with our little ones. My kids are great little travelers! And, remember, you are also blessed to have some family in Jamaica that would probably watch your baby for night, so that you & Markus can still enjoy a night out sans kids!

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Originally Posted by Clarity

THANKS Booger, Eden, Prism, Misti1, WiltedDazies, Patty, Angel, Sweetness, Maryann, Reggae Roy, Kaycee, Islander, Seveen, Flipadelphia , Guirigay, Suzengrace, Tizzy, & MoinMonroe!! :D

Suzengrace – I agree! You know how brutal and long the commute from CA is… (on this stretch it was almost 30 Hours total round trip door to door!) 5 days is too short, but it was worth it. 5 days is better than not going at all... I wouldn't take a trip this short in length again though

Boogs & Eden – LOL! Okay…yes Markus and I are dreaming about a December Trip, I’m not gonna to lie. We’ve never experienced the holidays in Jamaica. It would be the most amazing experience! I just don’t know if it’s in the stars for us.

Although I didn’t think Guirigay & Sweetie Pie were going and now he has a new ticker! He’s right; anything is possible. I just can’t get too emotionally invested in the idea. I don’t know what the future holds for us.

Most people have their kids early and then travel together later on. We’re kind of doing it the other way around…and this incredible chapter of our lives is going to end soon. A new chapter will begin. (P.S. this is where everyone tells me about the joy of parenthood – please?)

Flipadelphia – I can relate to what you wrote about your family situation. I had the same concerns. I’ve got the teen in my family that doesn’t always relate to the “old ones” Me and My sister. I have ups and downs with my father – as I’ve mentioned… we don’t always see eye to eye. My family is far from perfect and we had a few rocky moments even on this beautiful trip.

I think the key to vacationing with your family is to focus on your similarities and overlook the differences. Really be IN the moment and try to avoid bringing up past resentments or issues that can spur arguments. There were things my father said that would have rubbed me the wrong way usually but I LET IT GO to keep the peace and for harmony. As a result, he made more of an effort too.

Jamaica isn’t going to erase all your family issues or problems, but it’s hard to focus on them when you’re surrounded by beauty. It’s the perfect backdrop for meaningful conversations and making great memories.

Have an awesome time in Negril w/ your family! I’m sure it will be great!:)

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Awww, those are such sweet memories, Seveen! :-)

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Originally Posted by Seveen

i dragged my baby to jamaica before he could walk
i will never forget walking down the plane ramp on to the tarmac - yep before jet ways - and his head snapped back - when the humidity and the smells of jamaica hit his nose
rolling him in the umbrella stroller - watching him laugh as the cars went beep beeb
going downtown mobay and finding goats - and he touched them and had a ball
eating at the pelican restaurant (mobay) and finishing off an entire order of pancakes

he swears he remembers - lol

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thank you for your report I followed you one love report aswell as the other "turtles" or what has yet been finished of them at least...lol and I am very happy for you that you could "reconnect" with your family. They are very important the most important thing IS family blood or not... Learn to except each other for who you are and just love them for their crazy...lol oh yes and the ability to let the little things go is verrry important (sometimes it doesn't seem like a little thing but in reality if you step back it prolly isnt too important) once again i thank you for your report and good luck with starting your own family, a little daisy or marcus would be awesome... just no lion fish... hehe I pay attention! :)

Everyone just loves you Clarity! You have such a sweet spirit - I personally love seeing Jamaica through your eyes.

Clarity, babies don't rule out travel! Negril beach is a wonderland for toddlers. And if you pack the right things for the long flight --you are set. Of course the 3 plus hr flight from NYC is easier than from CA-- but nonetheless I have lots of friends who go global with their babies and kids.

Thanks for the mini report on the trip with your family, I couldn't imagine you not going. Did your dad get to meet with any of the JA family? Or is that planned for his next trip?

Despite the fact that you went around the time of a major storm, it looks like the weather still smiled upon you.

My nieces and nephews have traveled to Jamaica as young as 3 months old. My 5 y.o. twin nephews already have 5 trips completed. It can be a pain with the packing and the travel but once you get there with babies/young children, you can still relax and enjoy it!

Can you please post more pictures?

I am so happy that you and your family had this time together, what a blessing. Thanks so much for sharing with us.
I will be staying in the Star Cottage for the first 4 nights of my Dec trip... could you post some more pictures of the cottage if you have them???
I too am hoping that you guys can find a way to make a Dec NYE trip happen...

Iriesis~ you will LOVE it!!!!! You will never wanna leave lol

^ True story!