Greetings from newbie

[MNchill]

Hi everyone.

I've been lurking for a bit but wanted to pop in and say hello since I appreciate the helpful information I've found on this forum. It seems like there are quite a few other Midwesterners here.

The hubs and I are eagerly looking forward to our first trip to Negril in just a few more days, from Jan. 30 to Feb. 6. We are staying at Sunset at the Palms and so far have booked fishing, snorkeling, sunset cruise to Rick's just to check it out, and the One Love bus. We considered a trip to Mayfield Falls but not sure if I'll want to give up any more of my beach time since I want at least a couple days to be lazy in the sand. I'm a mosquito and bug magnet and tend to get the big, nasty welts so I'm not looking forward to all the mosquitoes and sand fleas I keep hearing about, but hopefully the bug spray will keep it manageable.

The countdown is on!

[Thatswhatshesaid]

Have fun!

[jojo p]

Hi fellow Minnesotan...cold enough for yah !! hehe.....Looks like you already have quite a busy week planned for your first trip, I would scrap any road trip since it's your first time, and
you are there for a week.
You will be amazed how hard it's going to be to leave that beach at any time, there is so much to do. Great call on the one love bus, you will get a chance to see the cliffs area.
Grab some good spray with deet in it, and spray morning, noon, and night, especially around the feet and lower legs.
Since you have been lurking, it sounds like you have learned a lot, have a great time !!!!

[RockTheCasSha]

Wow! I thought I was the only one who hasn't figured a way out of MN. Wifey went to work Tuesday and it was -16 in the river valley near Stillwater. A check of the Negril temp at that same time was 76 - an 89 degree difference. I don't know if I can take 11 more sleeps. Hey MNChill - I just emailed Lenbert about the Pub Crawl last night. Thought we would try for the 6th. Hope to see you there if your still in the area (I see you might be leaving that day). Cheers!

[CosmicMoose]

Hi,
Enjoy your trip. You can do Mayfield Falls in a morning and be back by lunch. It might be a bit rushed to get back by noon, but if you go leisurely, you can leave Negril around 8:30 and get back by 1PM no problem. It was a nice trip there and back and up the river/falls.

~Moose

[JitterBug]

deet . . . works for me on the mosquitos . . .

[nattyj]

Another Minnesotan here. Ready for our third trip to Negril in March and bringing the kids this time. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

[SHUMBA]

Another Minnesotan here leaving for Negril Feb 26th to March 6th the mosquitoes never bother us but the sand fleas are sometimes really bad they really love my wife.

[Integrity]

Mosquitoes and sand fleas eat me alive every year. Last year I came prepared. Citronella spray over my sunscreen during the day, spray with deet in the early morning and during sunset on the beach. I didn't sleep with bug spray on my skin, consequently I did get bitten, but only 3 or four bites, compared to the 30 bites per leg that I usually get. We sleep with the overhead fan blowing on us, and tried spraying the room with bug spray before we went out for dinner, but it didn't help much. Any suggestions on how to keep from being bitten while sleeping?

[MNchill]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

RockTheCasSha - good luck hitching a ride on the One Love bus with Lenbert! It took a day or two for him to get back to me and unfortunately the day we were hoping for was booked up, but he was able to offer the next day. I thought I remember reading that he usually only goes on Wednesdays and weekends but he booked us on a Thursday so maybe he's adding trips for the high season.

Integrity - Being bitten in my sleep would make me go insane. I haaaaaaate the sound of mosquitos buzzing my ear in the dark. :/ The SATP resort where we're staying offers bug nets for over the beds if requested so I'll go that route if it seems necessary. We're packing a couple different kinds of spray with DEET so hopefully that helps during the day. Guess I should throw some kind of itch relief in the suitcase too, just in case.