How many hotels is too many, 9 nights?

We had such a good time in September we're going back in April for 9 nights. Last time we did 9 nights at The Treehouse resort and didn't make it out to the cliffs until the second to last night (Rockhouse for dinner). So this time we're going to stay on the cliffs. I've purchased the livingsocial deal at Samsara for 4 nights (but can still call up and switch to the 6 night deal for another day or so) and am now deciding where to stay the other 5 nights.

Is it much of a hassle to pack up and move if we split the 5 days up? I've never packed up and moved while on vacation, and if it's a hassle I might just buy another livingsocial deal and stay at Samsara for the entire time?

Right now I'm thinking about 3 days at the Blue Cave Castle, 2 at Xtabi, but still researching, might want a couple nights on the beach but the Samsara deal includes AI at Legends as well... Of course, open to suggestions on reasonably priced places...

HI Harry IMO I would just switch once 3 times is just too much. I would love to stay in the castle. My last reach I stayed at Samsara it was very quiet we spent very little time there but I loved the property. Have fun Angie

Switch it up HarryS.....every place you are looking at are pretty close....I have stayed All over....its a good way to find your "home".

I agree with Muzikdoc!

My husband and I love to split up my stay between beach and cliffs. We also like experiencing different hotels. Every time you check into a new hotel, you're seeing the island from a different perspective. It kind of feels like you're starting an entirely new mini vacation. You meet new people and try different foods. For our anniversary trip we stayed in 6 different hotels in 12 days. That was a bit much. Our last trip was 10 days and we stayed at 4 different hotels. It was a comfortable amount for us and we enjoyed the experience. 3 hotels in 9 days sounds very reasonable to me. If you're up for the adventure, I say go for it! Hotel hopping really a lot of fun!:D

Dude, do not listen to Clarity. You would think she and her awesome hubby worked for a travel site. Stay put, maybe change once, two max. You are there to chill and moving sucks. Not that bad in Negril, but it does put an asterisk on the day you have to move.

Blue Cave Castle is a great choice. Make sure you have AC as the place is CONCRETE. Teddy the chef is an amazing chef and makes great meals. His breakfast is the best I have had in Negril.

Quite frankly, I would agree with Booger. Move once, maybe twice...depending on how long your stay is. Moving is great because you do experience the change of resorts as well as people...but moving is a pain in the arse...especially when you get all settled in. With that said, to each his own! Everyone has there favorite way to experience Jamaica. Go with your heart and you can never be wrong! Enjoy your stay to the max! :)

lol! Boogs *shove* Where's your sense of adventure?
Don't listen to him ;)

It's really not a huge ordeal to switch hotels. We usually check out of one hotel at noon and move right over to the next place. By 2:00 we're relaxing on the beach again. Piece of cake.

Okay, Yetta is right - Hotel hopping isn't for everybody. but we like making the most of our trip and experiencing as much as possible. It's truly a lot of fun.

I think we're going to stay at three different hotels during the 9 days. Looks like both the Blue Cave Castle and Xtabi are out due to availability. Instead, I think we're going to do 2 nights at Sunset at the Palms and 3 nights at Travellers. The first night at Sunset At The Palms is my wifes birthday and the second night is the 9th anniversary of the first time we met so I think that will work well.

We just came back from a 10 day reach and changed hotels only one time after 3 days. We left the hotel by 11 and could not get into our other hotel till 3 so that left for a big gap of having our luggage in the office and a hassle for the locals to keep our groceries(milk, juice, butter, etc.) in their kitchen frig. For us, we seem to like very little change so that our days run smooth and we don't waste time dealing with taxis, luggage, waiting, etc. It really becomes a personal choice.

Nine night trip last April. We did not change hotels but had to change rooms after 2 nights and I hated it. I couldn't unpack and get comfortable. On the day of change we had to get out of the room by noon and didn't get into our other room until 5PM. I felt like I lost a day. I'm with jan24 and the other "stay in one place" people.
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@Clarity-when Harry asked the question I thought of you immediately and wondered if you would respond. I could never do what you did.

I just did 5nts CoCo***2nts Sea Star***4 nts Xtabi.....Three changes was one too many for me.

The older I get, the less I like to move around, and just want to stay put. Not saying I'm old, though!

I don't mind one move from beach to cliffs, moved around one time to three different resorts.. would not do that again.

We've tried a variety of change-ups over the years... (our trips haven't been longer than 14 nights.) We agree that moving is a pain, and would not move more than once unless we were there for a longer time... We like to get settled in. Our best strategy has been to make our move with only a few nights left, and we go from beach to cliffs... We love the beach and its activity, but the cliffs then provide more of a wind-down effect and mentally extends our time in Negril... We hate moving room to room in the same resort (that's only happened twice due to strange circumstances), and we'd only move from one beach location to another if the properties are on different sections of the beach... Right now, though, I'm sitting in my living room watching a Winter Storm Warning on the news, gloomy day with snow falling, so ANY rooming arrangements in Negril seem workable! :)

last trip I stayed at 3 places and it was great since they were all so different - I stayed on the beach for 4 nights - after that we moved to zimbali retreats - 3 nights - (wonderfully relaxing place with incredible food) - we were glad we stayed on the beach first 'cause we didn't miss the beach "activities" and were really ready to move on after the 4 days there - after that we went to a guesthouse between montego bay and ocho rios - 3 nights - the place felt like home - by then I was a limp rag of relaxation so reading, walking the beach and eating were the only activities I wanted.

I liked moving - this was my first time doing it - it was nice to go somewhere else during the trip -- and not be going home.

and you can take even less clothes because when you move - no one has seen your clothes at the new location.

I used to go for 8 nights twice a year. The 1st four nights would be in the "real" negril at coco la palm, and the last 4 nights would be at Hedo! Two different vibes, bit I love them both!!!

Last trip we spent 5 night at Coco la Palm then route taxi\combi to Treasure Beach for 3 nights, then back to Blue Cave Castle for 3 more nights. That was fine for us, but we looked at the route taxi\combi trip back and forth to Treasure Beach as a new adventure, almost like an extended day trip.

Regards,
Bob

It is rare for me to stay at one facility the entire time. I love moving around. In August I stayed at 5 different places.

I decide beforehand what I’m going to wear during each stay and stick to that wardrobe so that I don’t have to unpack and repack everything.

But as already stated, moving isn’t for everyone. It can be physically and emotionally draining if you aren’t ready to deal with it. Check-in/check-out and travel time can eat up a good part of the early day. Plus you have to be prepared for bad weather (torrential rain or blistering heat). Oh and hope you don’t have to change rooms for some reason.

It is an adventure. If you like variety and have the drive (plus the energy) to switch three times then do it. Pack light! And move AFTER having a good breakfast.

Two is good. 3 too many

To each their own. My wife hates moving mid trip so after trying that once we will never do it again.

We stayed 10 days in December and moved once in the middle. I liked the change, but packing and unpacking is a pain. When we booked our next trip, originally the plan was to do a 5/4 beach/cliff split. A couple of weeks ago we decided we'd rather just stay put, so 9 nights on the beach it is. We added one last night at Seastar, but we won't need to unpack for that :) We don't pack light and like to be settled, so one is good for us.

we are doing white sands for several nights, (new area of beach for us) and moving to shields (Our end of the beach), and doing the last 2 nights at catcha to unwind and relax...we love the beach, but winding down on the cliffs sounds like a good idea...

we moved from legends to catcha and back to legends on last trip...the different sceneries was great...moving sucks, but finally got a system down...oh yeah, came in early and stayed at bb for that one night, another move...but we are moving around this trip, so must not suck too bad, eh?

one of the keys is to try to keep the things you are not using at this stop in the same suitcase...I cant sit still anyway, so I do most of the packing, moving stuff...so Janet doesnt mind moving as much as she used to...


good thing about samsara, is you can shuttle between beach and cliffs and use the facilities at both....

^Groove.....if you are there end of April/beginning of May your move to Catcha might not be a good one for "Winding down"

Sorry in advance
LMAO!

We like to unpack like we own the place and feel all settled in, so multiple moves are out of the question for us. We do however do a split between the beach and the cliffs. Yes it takes up the better part of an afternoon to get all of the packing, moving, and unpacking done, but as long as it's only once, I can manage it.

I wish I was adventurous enough to live out of my suitcase and make lots of moves to experience different places in one trip, but if we just stay at a place or two each trip we will have to make LOTS of trips to experience lots of different places :D

Marley, I think you are right!! Groove didn't like Catcha last time cuz there wasn't enough going on for him. Don't think this will be a problem at all this time around!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rinakim

Marley, I think you are right!! Groove didn't like Catcha last time cuz there wasn't enough going on for him. Don't think this will be a problem at all this time around!

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Hahahahaha, yeah that will definitely NOT be a problem this time!
We have almost the entire property booked by crazy boardies...I almost feel sorry for anyone staying there that isn't a boardie......**ALMOST***
LOL
Partayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

trust me, the winding down is not for me...but my beautiful wife, that is right up her alley....we're following you to catcha, rina, so I'm depending on you to keep the festivities going long enuff to prevent my boredom....lol....

Rina....you'll be at Catcha too?!?!?!?!

What What!

You betcha Marley! We are spending out last 3 nights there in the Aquarius with a couple of friends (we had originally booked Moon for 4 nights but there was some kind of mix up with a group that is coming in for a wedding). We are at White Sands from April 24th to May 5th and then at Catcha until the 8th ....... Looking forward to our first "Boardie Bash"

Groove, I don't think you are going to have to count on me too much, I think Catcha is going to be one BIG party :D

Oh man, we will JUST miss you then.....you will have to stop by a couple of nights before you guys actually move over there
Most of us are checking out either May 4th or May 5th :(

But I know we will see you at many of the other festivities so that will be cool!
This is going to be one GREAT time!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by marley9808

Oh man, we will JUST miss you then.....you will have to stop by a couple of nights before you guys actually move over there
Most of us are checking out either May 4th or May 5th :(

But I know we will see you at many of the other festivities so that will be cool!
This is going to be one GREAT time!

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I do my scuba diving from Catcha with Ken and Sabine and plan on doing alot of diving this trip so will be there quite a few mornings. And of course we will be checking out the other stuff going on that Rob and Lisa have planned.
We are already booked for the May 1st Pub Crawl as well.

April 24th just ain't going to get here fast enough.

Awesome!!!!

thread hijack.....

we might jump off the pub crawl at seastar and walk to ivans and party on the 1st, if that is where the party is at...lol

lots of "legendary" posters on this boardie week....cant wait to put some faces with the names...

Ended up booking 4 nights at Samsara, then 3 nights at the Riu Negril (Didn't want AI but couldn't beat the price) then finishing up with 2 nights at Catcha Falling Star.

Worried that I'll spend too much extra money drinking/eating on the beach and not taking advantage of the AI at Samsara and the Riu...

You are going to LOVE your last 2 nights at Catcha ....... I guarantee it!

I concur with most, while it is nice to get the vibe of different places, I don't like to move around a lot. All of our times have been split - treasure beach and negril ( four days and ten days). Personally I think it's a little hard on small hotels to have people staying just one or two days - that's a lot of laundry to do! There are so many places to stay so it is difficult to sort out what you might like if you don't try it.

Any more than one is too many for me. But that's just me.....

Last time we spent 9 nights at The Tree House, had a great time but didn't make it to the cliffs until the second to last night, didn't realize what we were missing. Also didn't make it to the other end of the beach, only got as far as Legends. The visit before that we spent the week in Ocho Rios at the Jewel Dunns River which was fun, but we barely left the resort. This time I hope to get more of a taste of the cliffs, and with the exchange and shuttle to/from Samsara and Legends we will be able to walk the parts of the beach we missed last time.

My only regret is I made the wife happy (mostly AI) but now I'm worried I'll miss bar-hopping on the beach... There's a couple of spots I really want to hit again (bar @ Firefly, loved grabbing a Red Stripe and laying in the loungers under the tree on the beach... well except for the awkward conversation my wife and I had with the elderly topless woman... killer rum punch at Sea Splash... the "special" cake at Aunties...) hopefully my wife won't give me a hard time about spending money when "the food and drinks at the resort are free"!

spent 3 days at xtabi 6 at coco april 2012. one move was enough for us. you can always visit other hotels, drink and eat there without spending the night. no place has ever refused my money.