Trip report….March 14th to the 21st.

[need some sun]

Ok, time to finish this up.
Tuesday was Mayfiels Falls and Kuyaba. Wednesday We all decided to head over to Orange Bay and go snorkeling at Rhodes Hall Plantation. Everyone was up early, ate and got geared up. My wife and the two Canadians were going along for the ride, but not the swim. We grabbed a couple of taxis and headed over around 10am. Rhodes Hall is about a 10 minute drive from BHV's. They have some kind of arrangement with BHV's so we did not have to pay for a day pass. When we arrived it looked as though no one was there. Most of the guests must have been out on day trips or at the beach. The place was so quiet. What a change from Long Bay. We were shown around, my wife and the Canadians were taken to the pool, and the rest of us were lead to the beach. The pool is a saltwater mineral pool. Very nice. And the beach, although small, was very private. We left our bags and extra cloths on a lounger for the time we were out in the water without any worries. We swam from the beach to the reef in no time. It was really cool. The reef is large and there were fish everywhere. We swam for a couple of hours out there, exploring the shallows, checking out the deep channel, and just goofing around. Eventually we had to head in. Steve and Debbie had to be back to the villa by 2:30pm to meet with the wedding photographer to pick out pictures. We figured we would have lunch at Rhodes and then go back to the beach. Lunch didn't work out to well. We waited for 30 minutes just to be told it would be another 10 minutes or so before they could take our order. There were only 2 people in the restaurant but I guess it takes a village to make food there. So we went down to the gift shop, grabbed some Stripes and had a liquid lunch while we waited for our taxis to arrive. It turned out to be ok, as we got to hang out with some of the employees and shoot the sh*t. After we returned to the villa, everyone except Steve and Debbie hit the beach for some more sun time. The Patty Man was around, so patties it was.
That evening we ate at the Ocean Breeze. Mark made us some Curried Goat. It was fantastic. We hung out at the bar most of the evening, talking with Treo and the boys. Mark and I talked about traveling, places he had been, and of course food. He had brought a soursop fruit for us to try. It was really good.

Thursday was our last full day in Negril. The entire day was spent on the beach. We walked the beach and shopped for souvenirs, laid in the sun, and generally tried to soak up as much of the place as we could. That night, Mark decided to make my wife and I a spacial dinner. You see, most of our group were not the most adventurous when it came to their food. Jamie tried the Curried Goat one night and liked it. Steve tried it too. But for the most part it was Jerk Chicken, Tuna Melts, lobster, patties, and pizzas. Boring! My wife and I ate everything Jamaican we could get our hands on. So for our last meal at the Ocean Breeze, Mark went all out and made us an Ital stew. He brought all the ingredients from his own garden. It was the best meal I ate the whole time we were in JA. I can't explain the flavors…it was like there was butter, milk and cheese in there, but there wasn't. Vegan food, right? Ital that is. He asked if we wanted some fish in it, but I said, "No thanks, just the way it's supposed to be." So if you go by the Ocean Breeze sometime, stop in and ask if Mark is cooking, and if he is, request the Ital stew with festival…Mark's festival was the best…and you won't be disappointed. The rest of the evening we sat around and soaked up the warn air and friendly vibes, downed a bunch of Stripes, and wished the rest of the world would go away so that we could stay in paradise forever. No such luck.

Friday morning, Patrick showed up right on time and drove us all back to MoBay for our trip home. We got to the airport with enough time to grab a bite and beers before boarding our plane.

So, there were lots of things I wanted to do in Negril that I didn't get to, which means I'll have to go back there soon. Never made it to Rick's, Canoe, or Boat Bar. Didn't make it to the lighthouse or Belmont Beach, either. Next time we'll go without such a large group in tow. Perhaps just the two of us. And I think we'll stay longer then one week…like maybe a month.
How does one go about staying there permanently? I may need to find out. I loved it there.
The thing I miss the most are the people.

Welcome home to Jamaica, indeed!

[need some sun]

[Shaggy]

ty very much for the trip report , we really enjoyed it

[Flipadelphia26]

Nice report.

[negril#1fan]

much respect for sharing...

[nutz4travel]

Thank you! The smiles in that last picture say it all

[Seveen]

Bravo!

[Integrity]

great video!

[ekfa51]

]great video and trip report! Thanks for sharing! I went to mayfield falls with my grand daughter several years ago. By the time we got up to that parking lot there was a torrential downpour and it was too chilly[.
after seeing that video, I am going to put that on my bucket list hopefully for this year!

[billndonna]

Excellent report,thanks for sharing!