Trip report - 9/16/13 - 9/25/13

This is from APRIL 16-25, 2013, sorry for the confusion!

My first trip report, so bear with me. My wife and I were in Negril for 9 nights, split 4 nights at Samsara, 3 at Riu Negril and finally 2 at Catcha Falling Star.

Our first impression of Samsara is that their spot on the cliffs is really nice. They've got plenty of shaded areas and beds to lay in. The pool was nice sized, and clean. The hot tub was lukewarm and cloudy, and I couldn't figure out how to turn on the jets so we didn't use it.

We were in room 110, and it was a basic room, two queen beds, TV, large shower. The A/C worked well. We had water leaking through the light fixture in the bathroom every evening. I complained and the best they did was bring us towels to soak up the water. I did not enjoy sitting on the toilet getting dripped on by water that came from god-knows-what. They kept telling us they would take care of it, but they never did. Our last day, they actually asked if we would check out early so they could get started on fixing it, I told them NO and stayed in that room every last minute.

The all inclusive food was basic, most of it tasty. Breakfast had fresh eggs, can't go wrong there. Not much Jamaican food, but lasagna, mac and cheese, some grilled fish, stuff like that. They had burgers, they were terrible, like hockey pucks. The all inclusive bar drinks are all bottom-shelf, which I expected. The rum is Appletons so I stuck with rum drinks. The Red Stripe is on tap, and as far as I could tell tastes nothing like what's in the bottle. That became a recurring theme all week...

Then we moved to the Riu Clubhotel. First impression was WOW - there's a lot of people here! And, some of the people left their manners at home... Such as people carrying around a boombox wherever they went, even if there was already music playing... carrying it into the pool to the swim up bar... rap music with offensive lyrics...

Anyway, we hit the buffet, and I was impressed. I've done 15 cruises, as well as stayed at large all-inclusives before so I had an idea what to expect. Lots of selection, food was fresh and tasty. Had Jamaican choices (including curry goat and oxtail that day) After being disappointed with all the people, I thought the food would make up for it. Nope. I can say with 99% certainty that the Saturday buffets are special, and the rest of the week they cut back. Not only were there fewer choices other days, but the quality wasn't the same. The fish wasn't as fresh, that's for sure. Breakfast was OK, again because fresh eggs, and the bacon was crispy. We wanted to try the specialty restaurants (a steakhouse, french/fancy restaurant and an Italian restaurant). Turns out you need to reserve 48 hours in advance, and we were only staying 3 nights. Since it was the second day, it was too late. I mentioned it was my wife's birthday that night and our anniversary the next day, and they managed to seat us in the steakhouse, which isn't a separate restaurant but the same space as the lunch buffet. My wife ordered a steak, I had ribs, and we also asked if they could bring us the sea bass as well. The ribs were bad, more like McRib from McDonalds than anything you'd get at a steakhouse. The fish was meh, and I doubt it was sea bass. I didn't try my wife's steak, but she ate it so it couldn't have been that bad. The Red Stripe here is on tap, and it was BAD. I think that they don't clean the lines and everywhere I got beer on tap I thought it tasted funky. So I drank the Red Stripes that were in the room (they put 5 bottles in the minifridge every other day) and mixed drinks other times. Again, no real top shelf booze to be found. I wanted a gin and tonic and all they had was the cheap stuff. Couldn't get Beefeater, Bombay, etc at any price.

The coffee sucked. They had Nescafe machines at the bars. Don't think they were using the good Jamaican stuff.

Their spot on the beach is nice, lots of chairs, but still crowded. The pools were much smaller than I expected, and I think the one with the swim up bar was supposed to be adults only, but that wasn't the case.

Our room was adequate. At first glance it was nice, with lots of wood and tile floors, but little things like rust on the bathtub took its toll, and the A/C unit was extremely loud and caused the bed to vibrate. They sent someone over to look at it after I asked a second time, he arrived at 10:30pm. He spent a couple minutes poking around and told us nothing could be done, parts needed to be ordered and they could move us the next day. We didn't bother moving because the room stayed cool enough with the A/C off overnight after letting it run all day when we weren't in the room.

I doubt I would go back, the large AI experience is not for us.

Then we went back to the cliffs, Catcha Falling Star. We checked in and since the room wasn't ready we went and explored the property. The place is stunning. My wife walked around, eyes wide just saying wow over and over. Everyone was really nice and friendly, and we felt at home right away. After an hour or so they showed us to our room. We were upgraded to Moon, a two bedroom. The cottage has a huge wrap around balcony with a daybed, table, couch and hammock. You walk into a living room with two chairs, TV and stereo as well as a small kitchen with full size refrigerator, microwave, toaster and coffeemaker. The bathroom is well done, and there's also a large private outside shower which I enjoyed using every day...my wife wouldn't, afraid that people somewhere could see... I guess I just didn't care? The second bedroom has it's own entrance which I thought would be a nice touch if two couples travelled together, gives a bit more privacy even if you still have to share the bathroom.

The one thing about the room I didn't like? No A/C. it was warm at night, and even with two fans blowing over the bed I had a really hard time sleeping, but that's me. I could see it being unbearable during the hotter times of year. We will definitely stay again, but I will be sure to book a room that has A/C in the bedroom.

Ivans was delicious, my wife and I both had fish dishes and they were excellent. Breakfast was tasty too, but again, hard to mess up eggs. My wife had stuffed johnny cakes, gave them an A+. Drinks were good, but could get pricey, this is no cheap shack on the beach.

That's the rundown of the three places we stayed, feel free to ask any questions if you want specifics. I also took a bunch of pictures but haven't moved them to the computer yet. I will update with pictures when we get a chance. We also did the bar crawl and ate and drank at lots of other places, more info to come in a future post!

Sorry Samsara and Riu weren't what you had hoped! We've stayed at Catcha two times and it is one of my favorite places on earth! They are fabulous! We're going back to Negril in June for the first time since 2008 and can't wait. Looking forward to your pics!

Thanks for sharing your report. Its nice to get each persons perspective

Very nice. Just like I like trip reports...not sugarcoated. Thanks for the details!:)

Excellent report,thanks for sharing.We stayed at Catcha for 2 nights last November and are booked for 10 nights tis coming November,can't wait!!

Did I just step into a time travel device?

It's refreshing to hear a review that doesn't presume that a love of Negril in general outweighs discernment and particular standards.

Was it September of 2012??? Or March of 2013?

Thanks for the trip report.

A couple of items that might be worth considering. The difference in quality between SamSara and RIUClub is wide. And, there is a fairly wide price difference. Samsara is at the lowest end of the spectrum. RIUClub is in the middle.

I am surprised you didn't review the jerk chicken stand on the beach at RIUClub. It is actually very good. Hope you tried it.

You definitely need to confirm your A/C situation in the future! I can't live without it in JA other than late December or early January....

If you found out the AI situation isn't for you....that's a good thing! Plenty of nice smaller properties that will be happy to cater to any special request that you have. Unless you crave the crowds of the AI's....why bother?

Sorry, the title is incorrect. We were just there last week, April 16th-25th.

Sometimes I forget to mention the good in reviews, seems some people think I didn't have a good time. We had a great time, and are already planning our next trip. This was our third trip to Jamaica, we've spent about 3 weeks total in Negril so far, so we're not exactly newbies, and at this point know exactly what to expect going in.

We would stay at Samsara again, we enjoyed the property and the people were friendly...but there was a guy who I think may have been the owner, we kept seeing him everywhere, and at times it was a bit awkward, though I can't say exactly why. My wife thought so too? Anyway, The leak in the bathroom ceiling should have been handled differently. It was also a great value, no doubt. There was something worth eating every meal, I didn't go hungry by any means.

The jerk chicken stand at the Riu was OK. He brought out big tubs of cooked chicken that he then heated on the grill. You put on your own sauce. Had it one day and then didn't think it was worth the wait to stand in line in the sun with no shade. If this is the only jerk chicken you encounter in Negril then yes, it's quite good. Also tried some of the sausage, lets just say you shouldn't bother.

The main reason we stayed at the Riu was it was too good a deal to pass up. We paid less to stay at the Riu than at Samsara. My wife had also hoped it would be more like the adults only AI's we've stayed at in the past (such as the Jewel in Ocho Rios where we spent a week in 2010.)

When we booked at Catcha, I originally reserved a room with A/C but they moved us to Moon which was a much nicer room. I knew going in that we wouldn't have A/C and didn't say anything thinking I'd see how it went. My wife loved the room and didn't mind the heat so it was OK with me. We're looking at going back but staying in one of the suites next time.

We toured a couple of those smaller properties and plan on staying at them, our next trip will probably include a few nights at Seastar and Xtabi.

I still have lots more to say about places we visited, people me met, and have pictures to add, as soon as I have the time.

Also wanted to add that we arranged transportation with Kingsley before we arrived for airport transfers and to move between hotels, everything went fine, we would hire him again.

Thanks for sharing!

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Originally Posted by HarryS

...but there was a guy who I think may have been the owner, we kept seeing him everywhere, and at times it was a bit awkward, though I can't say exactly why. My wife thought so too?

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I have heard similar things from other trusted boardies and reviewers. Because of this, I'm reluctant to try Samsara despite the low rates. I have heard that property has a weird vibe because of the management, which carries through to the employees. We often stay at lower-budget, rustic resorts, but like to make sure that the staff (and the food) are top notch.

Well, I've stayed at SamSara many times & have never had any issues with management and/or staff ~~ LOVE the place & always welcomed back with open arms....

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Originally Posted by Patricia

Well, I've stayed at SamSara many times & have never had any issues with management and/or staff ~~ LOVE the place & always welcomed back with open arms....

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I was just stating my experience. It is wierd to have the owner, dressed in shorts and a tank top, sit down next to you at meals, not say hi, ask about your stay, nothing. It's strange to have him come over when you're in the hot tub, realizing the water is a bit cloudy, can't find the button to turn on the jets, and he comes over, doesn't say a word, and starts fiddling with something just a few feet from us on the base of the hot tub, then walks away. He never really seemed to be actually doing anything but hanging out, and if you're going to do that but not interact with the guests, it's strange.

I didn't have a "problem" with anyone, and thought the employees were perfectly nice and friendly.

Pictures from Samsara:

Standing at the end of the bar facing the ocean, to the right and left.

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The view from our room, #110:

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Looks like those first two pics aren't displaying, here they are again:

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We spent the first day just hanging out at the hotel, but the second we went on the pub crawl. I had a great time! We were picked up at 2:00pm, and were the first people picked up. We spent almost an hour driving around picking people up entirely from the beach area. The bus was packed in TIGHT! There were a few people who decided not to get on it was so crowded. Too bad for them!

A couple thoughts on the crawl... We stopped at Seastar, and I had decided I wouldn't stay there because they weren't right on the beach or cliffs, now they're on the top of the list of places to stay on our next trip. Really friendly people, (the bartender remembered my name from the pub crawl when we came back 7 or 8 days later for lunch), the bottled sauce they make there is excellent. I wanted to buy a bottle or two but they were sold out.

Stopped at the No Limit bar and went across the street to PeeWees, they have a nice spot with a great view, and they have steps down the cliffs to the water.

We hit the country and western bar (which I noticed, after walking past a few times, they only play C&W when there are tourists around) and I had some of the brown stew chicken, it was really good.

Here's some random pics from that day:

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Some more pics I took the day of the bar crawl... I believe these were taken at Xtabi.


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The next day (the 18th) we used the Samsara shuttle to go to Legends and hang out on the beach. Had a drink and some food at Legends and went walking the beach. When we were last on the beach (Sept. 2012) it was practically deserted. Lots more people this time, and it seemed fewer hustlers. Last fall we were bothered non-stop, this time it was much better. The hustlers scare my wife, and she was reluctant to go back, and part of the reason why I booked the AI package at Samsara and Riu was so my wife could feel like she could stay at the resort and not be bothered if necessary. My guess in September people are getting more desperate?

One thing I noticed right away - people still selling lobsters on the beach. I thought this was illegal, fresh or frozen?

On our last trip, we ended up spending a lot of time at Firefly. We're not nudists, and last fall we didn't see any naked people... so I wanted to go back, get a couple red stripes and sit under their tree. I drop our stuff on some loungers and go to the bar and grab a few. They tell us we can't stay, the loungers are for guests, but since she recognized me we could sit for an hour. I get back to the loungers and my wife has a funny look on her face... There are a bunch of naked guys right there, and I don't think she was prepared for that. We sat and I enjoyed my beers, actually had a nice conversation with a guy who has travelled extensively, but the whole time I could tell my wife wasn't terribly comfortable so I drank up and we moved on.

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From there we went to Auntys Thrill Corner, one of my favorite places on the beach to stop for a drink and some food. This time we only had a couple patties and some coco bread and rum punch, but in the past I've had some really good lobster, (best I've had in Negril), and I can't say enough how nice they are. They put a couple chairs in the sand for us in the shade right by the water and we sat a while drinking rum punches... they make them really strong, and it's about then that my memories get a bit hazy...

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We made one more stop, next door at Sea Splash. Had another rum punch (or two?)

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Then we started walking back to Legends to catch their shuttle. The only pics I have from the walk back are of the hat guy. My wife is obsessed with the hat guy, thinks it's the funniest thing.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by HarryS

I was just stating my experience. It is wierd to have the owner, dressed in shorts and a tank top, sit down next to you at meals, not say hi, ask about your stay, nothing. It's strange to have him come over when you're in the hot tub, realizing the water is a bit cloudy, can't find the button to turn on the jets, and he comes over, doesn't say a word, and starts fiddling with something just a few feet from us on the base of the hot tub, then walks away. He never really seemed to be actually doing anything but hanging out, and if you're going to do that but not interact with the guests, it's strange.

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Gotta love Maurice :o He's really a nice guy, once you get to know him.....

Great pictures, and love the narrative! Can hardly wait till we get there.

First class report! Loving it and can't wait for more.

It does not sound like your typical Jamaican. Is he from the u.s. ?

On the 19th we hung out at Samsara, here's some more pics...

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For the 20th-22nd we were at the Riu Clubhotel. Turns out I didn't take any pictures those three days. We spent most of the time sitting on the beach, reading and swimming. Spent some time in the adult pool (which was full of kids anyway) and sat at the swim up bar... until some guy and his friends decided to "take over" and brought their boombox into the pool to the bar, drowning out the reggae with rap music so we left. Saw that group of guys a bunch, everywhere they went they took over the spot, blasting music, being loud drunks, we just made sure to give them their space as they didn't seem like the type of people who would have reacted well to a discussion... We also went looking for the Jacuzzi tub, which doesn't exist, it's just a part of the adult pool that has jets in the sides. There is also mention of a Sports Bar in their brochure and website that served snacks when the restaurants and buffets were closed, also didn't exist. Did I mention the coffee sucked?

A totally different vibe than at the smaller hotels, and I get the feeling that because of the price point, it's a different crowd than at Couples or the more expensive AI resorts, more of a "spring break" feel than a relaxed vacation... we did talk to a few people, and it seems that most people who go AI never leave the resort! We were even told we were crazy to go out into Negril, as "it's not safe!" Also like I also said earlier, very dissapointed with the beer. The Red Stripe on tap was awful, and I tried it at the beach bar, at the swim up bar, at the bar near the stage...at the self-serve buffet...all terrible. They put bottles in the minifridge in your room, but only restocked them every other day so couldn't rely on having enough. Did a side-by-side taste test of the bottles and tap, and I'd swear it's not the same. I went looking for more bottles, told that I couldn't have any, had to wait for them to restock the room. What the hell is up with that?

Got a great deal though, which was the main reason we stayed there. When purchased as a package through Orbitz with the flights it cost us less than $450 total for the 3 nights for both of us.

Nice trip report,it was spot on,appreciate the candor...I think Grand Pineapple on the beach might suit you as well. That said , you won't go wrong with SeaStar...Too little time so many choices.

Does anyone know if it's possible to change the title of this thread?

Don't know about the title, but thanks for the TR and the pics. Enjoying it and interesting to hear the perspective. Could you have brought in your own 6 pack? Just wondering.

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Originally Posted by JaJodi

Don't know about the title, but thanks for the TR and the pics. Enjoying it and interesting to hear the perspective. Could you have brought in your own 6 pack? Just wondering.

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I'm sure I could have, but seeing as it was AI, I shouldn't have to.

The last two nights were spent at Catcha Falling Star. Not much to say that hasn't already been said. The property is beautiful. We stayed in Moon.

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More from Catcha...

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Ben!

Enjoying the pics ~~ Thanks for sharing 'em :cool:

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Originally Posted by HarryS

Got a great deal though, which was the main reason we stayed there. When purchased as a package through Orbitz with the flights it cost us less than $450 total for the 3 nights for both of us.

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That is a pretty sweet deal. I can't even find air fare for less than $480/person.

I'm digging the trip report and the pics. Good stuff!

Wonderful pictures, love it. Sounds like you ended it on the best note.

Everytime I see people post pictures of Catcha, I hear the foliage calling out "Hey, Marley." in my head.

You should be able to go back and edit your thread. I just looked at some of my posts and it gave me that option.

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Originally Posted by Mike_D

That is a pretty sweet deal. I can't even find air fare for less than $480/person.

I'm digging the trip report and the pics. Good stuff!

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Sorry for the confusion, the hotel portion was under $450. The flights were not included in that price.

What is the name of the place on page 2 after Mi Yard?

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Originally Posted by SandT CHI

What is the name of the place on page 2 after Mi Yard?

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There aare pictures of Seastar after Mi Yard.

The last couple days were spent hanging out at Catcha, reading, swimming in the pool, floating in the ocean... It's such a relaxing spot...

I also wanted to mention a couple of the places we stopped and ate... We had lunch at Chicken Lavish one day, the fried chicken was excellent! I only got two pieces, and for days I kept saying to my wife I should have gotten more. She had sweet and sour chicken and while I didn't taste it, she was served a huge portion and finished it off so it must have been good.

We also ate at Sharks Restaurant, we both had snapper dishes (Hard to remember exactly what we ordered, I think I had brown stew, my wife had escoviched?) and it was very good, and the people were friendly. I had a good time feeding biscuits to one of their dogs.

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We walked to Rockhouse for a beer, I like hanging out at their bar looking out over the cliffs... One of these days we're going to stay in one of their huts right on the cliffs...

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We walked to Seastar for a drink and to see if we could see one of the rooms, they were booked up and we weren't able to but we hung out and had a few drinks and a pretty good snapper sandwich. I tried their in-house sauce and it was GOOD - too bad they were sold out or I would have bought a few bottles.

We also found a place I really liked... The owners were great to talk to, and I even enjoyed interacting with their two kids (I don't usually like children...). I think the name is The Little Sun Set? I think the owners name is Alex, I forget his wife's name, and the kids are named Allie and Elian... We were walking by, and Alex smiled and said hi so we stopped, and since I was hungry I thought we'd see what he had. He didn't have much at the moment but asked if we'd like fish patties. Well, I usually just go with beef or chicken but gave it a try anyway. I was a little concerned when I saw the prices there ($3 and $4 for a patty when I'm used to paying $100JMD to the patty mon...Well, these were fresh, made on the spot, and absolutely delicious. I can say this was the best patty I have ever had in Negril or anywhere else. It was at least 3 times the size of the patties on the beach and FULL of fish. I drank red stripes and my wife had a Mango drink which seemed to be nothing but blended mangoes. My wife never liked mangoes, I've never seen her drink mango flavored drinks, but she liked this and now drinks mango flavored iced tea at home.

I promised we would be back, and the next day we decided to walk the road so my wife could do some souvenir shopping, then we'd stop for more patties. While we were walking I ran into a very agressive hustler, he wanted to sell me stuff from his "private garden"... I did a dumb thing, when he started talking to me he went to shake my hand and I did, and he put a small amount of "stuff" in it which I didn't want. He refused to take it back, demanding money. I told him I wasn't about to get ripped off, and he could take it or I was going to drop it on the ground. He took it grabbed my shirt and I told him "DONT TOUCH ME". I didn't want to have a fight in Negril, but I wasn't going to allow him to go this far. One of the souvenir vendors got involved and got him to back off...the vendor told me he's a crazy man and not to deal with him, which I had figured out by then. The guy kept talking crap saying he was going to get us...We kept walking away, looking at souvenirs. My wife was worried about walking past him and having a problem, so we ended up taking a cab back to Catcha when we were done walking. (This bothered me, I don't like taking cabs when I can walk and see things, interact with people, etc).

We then walked back to the patty place, and Alexs wife was there and she said she not only saw the whole thing, but confronted him and said we were HER people and if she or her husband so much as saw him try to talk to us he'd be in trouble. I appreciated that, and while I don't let this kind of thing get to me, the confrontation earlier bothered my wife. This made her feel at ease and a lot more comfortable and made it clear to her that those situations are not the norm and the people who you treat well will take care of you.

Their daughter (I think she said she was 5?) saw my smartphone and asked if I had games on it, I was a little worried they would run off with it but I let her play and it made her day! She was sweet and polite, kids here in the USA could learn a thing or two. Next time I go I'm going to load up one of my old smartphones with games and give it to them as a gift.

Stopping at their place for patties ended up being the last thing we did before heading back to the airport.

Here's some pics of their shop, I hope you guys will check them out for patties, drinks, souvenirs, or maybe some of the other stuff they seem to offer... And if you have any more info about them I'd love to hear!

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