Saying Good Bye…
We get up early- 5:30 am, get ready and get down to check out by 6:30 am. We don't wait for someone to come and get our bags. We check out and review the bill and everything looks kosher. Our ride is set to pick us up at 7:30 am, so considering we are checked out by 6:35 am, we have 55 minutes to kill. Coffee and pastries finally come around 7 am and we help ourselves. The front desk clerk takes one last picture of us with my phone before the bus finally comes.
I don't ask, but do wonder where my "good bye snacks" are. Nothing was given to us. I wonder if this is just a rumor.
Because it is just hubby and I, I think we must have our own driver. Unfortunately, a large mini bus shows up with about a dozen guests from CTI. The bus has 2 seats on one side and 1 seat on the other side. All of the 2 seaters are full and we are stuck riding in solo seats. Would have been nice to be able to sit next to each other, but not a big deal. All passengers on the bus are pretty somber including us. It is a sad day.
We get to the airport and we wait for them to unload the bus. Their are baggage people there and hubby and I tell the baggage people we are fine. We grab our bags and head for Club Mobay and are immediately whisked right to security. The Club Mobay rep even stays with us thru the beginning of security. We really don't need his help but I think what a great service for people who don't travel/are nervous about travel. After security, we head right to the Club Mobay lounge. We are hungry!! We have coffee with rum creme and fresh bagels with cream cheese. The bartenders are making latte's and cappuccino's for other parties who request them. Not us. We are taking this one last opportunity to enjoy coffee with rum creme.
After getting something to eat, I leave hubby and head out to the airport to do some last minute shopping. I return within 20 minutes with the goods I need and order a bloody mary. The actually make a pretty good bloody. I ask for a beer chaser and am given a bottle of red stripe as they are cleaning the lines of the tapper. Hubby follows suit and agrees the bloody hits the spot.
About 11 am they bring out the patties, sandwiches, sushi. We have chicken and beef patties and agree they are tasty.
We head to our gate and start the long process home. I won't bore you with the details about the flights home, except I will say that I continue to be disappointed with US Airways. Pretty generic. Customs in North Carolina was no problem.
What we will do again:
Carry on our luggage. Huge time saver. Sun screen is available at CSS for $9.50 (US) for Hawaiin Tropic. If you want the aerosol can of sunscreen, it will set you back about $22.00.
Club Mobay coming and going. I don't care if we are the only plane in the gate. We LOVE this service.
Martini Bar….loved it. I would just love a Flirtini or a Lychee Martini right now.
Jerk Chicken and Cocoa Bread (I would pay dearly for some right now)
Photo shoot…..we loved the pictures Delsena took of us.
Massage at The Hideaway
Private Snorkel with Christopher and Richard
Beach Party, Repeater's Dinner, Friday Night Gala….don't miss any of them…
Rum Cream with every cup of coffee
Drink Champagne while I walk the beach
Run around the pond before 7 am
What we won't do again/would change:
Instead of the Penthouse suite, we will book a Beachfront suite
Use bug spray (1 week later I am still dealing with bug bites…hubby has NONE)
Massage at beginning of vacation instead of end of vacation
I won't book an outside excursion. Any excursion we do will be right thru the resort and will be booked when we get there.
MORE Sunsets at SSB.
Overall, it was an absolutely perfect vacation. We loved our time at CSS. We loved the people. We loved the charm of this resort. We never felt "compounded in" or trapped. We loved every minute.
I started this report with the statement "My name is Jamaica Joleen and I am a Negril Aholoic." I end this report telling you I am no longer a Negril Aholoic. I am a Jamaica Aholoic. Couples has taught me there is more to the island than just Negril. There is beauty in other areas of the island and the people of Jamaica continue to amaze me.
Will we be back? You bet we will. In fact, we have already booked 2015……only 345 more sleeps and I am back in paradise at CSS.
Thanks again to all of the wonderful staff. Those that made us feel particularly special: Andrew, Suzette and Dalton at the Martini Bar, Sunshine at Casanova, Christopher and Richard in Watersports, Maselle at the pool bar, Conroy at the beach, Milton and Michael in Entertainment and of course, Mr. Peter Batagglia who sat with us at the Repeaters Dinner. And, one final thank you to the front desk clerk who tried so hard to keep me from crying and tried so hard to find a solution when the driver for my run was no show. I am so sorry I cannot remember your name, but you were a real gem that day and me and my husband thank you.
