Loving it so far!
Loving it so far!
Great report!
LOL!!We get to Mystic Mountain around 10am and walk up to the ticket office. There is no one at the window but there is a waiver form to sign (your life away) and so we sign....but now we are just standing there....um.....Hello? Anyone?
I'm really loving your trip report so far! I'm so enjoying your writing style because it reads like a friend sharing the fun details of her travel adventures over a cup of coffee. I can just picture all these events as they unfolded - Smiling up at an imaginary camera on a lift in the pouring rain, the pranksters at the zipline, chatting with Captain Gary while floating down the Rio Grande and swimming in the blue lagoon! Great pictures too! Looks so BLUE and beautiful! Magic mountain sounded like so much fun (despite the weather!)
Thanks for sharing this! looking forward to hearing about Negril next!
Carpe Diem
YAY Clarity...one week until Jamaica....I can't wait for you all to get to Catchaheehee
Speaking of Catcha....hey BOOGER.....I am about to get started on Day 4 so you better get your Catcha pics uploaded LOL
Negril is on the horizon folks.....boy how I wish I meant that literally!
Marley I just caught up with your trip report and thanks so much for sharing!! It's giving me that feeling of being back in Jamaica which is definitely what I needed. Blue Lagoon looked absolutely gorgeous!! Mystic Mountain was on my list for my last trip but I think I might have had too much on my "plate" for 8 days so it's definitely on the list for next trip . How much was the ticket for all 3 ?? I could only imagine what I would sound like on those ziplines lol Quite like yourself I would bet from the way you described it in your report.
The Bamboo Rafts now aside from the rain those look like fun!! Not sure Andre would be up for it considering he can't swim but who knows hahaha
Thanks so much for sharing looking forward to the rest of it!
DAY FOUR (October 9, 2011):
I must start this day's report off with a little backstory. One many of you may have already heard, so forgive me for the repeat. But for those of you who don't know why this trip is so special / important for us, here is the reason. This isn't just your average trip to Negril (or even Jamaica) for a Negrilaholic. This isn't just your average 1st anniversary trip. This is a much needed Re-Do...or makeup for the original dream wedding that I had planned over a year long (and dreamed about for much longer). You see, I first met Negril and fell in love with her on my very first trip to Jamaica in January 1999. During that same trip I fell in love with the cliffs and knew right then, that one day this would be where I would get married. For over 10 years I told that story to everyone I knew....including my boyfriend Raul. On our first trip to Jamaica together in 2008 I showed him the places and he agreed. One year later, he proposed to me....and you may think I am joking but I am not...the VERY next day I had contacted Catcha Falling Star to see about starting to plan our wedding. We had even picked the date 10-10-10 (how cool is that)....I don't waste time thats for sure. Well to my surprise the ENTIRE property was open and the date of 10-10-10 fell on a sunday so we did it, we booked the entire property of Catcha Falling Star for our dream wedding in paradise. For the next almost year, we spent lots of time, calls and emails with Andrea and Mauvette on planning our perfect wedding. We had 30 of our closest friends and family who had gotten passports, plane tickets, etc. We booked the place for the whole weekend and carefully picked each room / cottage for all of our guests. The moment was so close, it was FINALLY in sight. I am somewhat the perfectionist so believe me when I say that every little detail had been finalized and was complete....we were ready. Our plane would take us on our journey to wedded bliss leaving on October 6, 2010. I was beyond excited and READY. Then, the one thing you can't plan for and any brides worst nightmare happened. On September 29, 2010 Tropical Storm Nichole wreaked havoc on the cliffs of Negril....she stayed around and produced enough rough seas and dumped tons of rain to do lots of damage in the area.....but of course the most damage was at 2 properties in particular.....Catcha Falling Star (our wedding location) and Tensing Pen (our honeymoon location). On October 1st I got the worst call of my life. Andrea calling from Catcha to tell me that the extent of the damage was so bad they would not be able to hold my wedding, nor would they be able to house our 30 guests.....yep, just 9 days before my wedding, and only 5 days before we were to arrive. I went into the biggest emotional breakdown of my life....screaming, crying, just all out balling my eyes out. My dream was over, ruined....what could I do now. I had no time to think of my dream, I had 30 people with plane tickets heading to Jamaica to see me get married. Now don't get me wrong, I dont want it to sound like Catcha left me high and dry with no other alternatives, not at all. This is why I will forever sing their praises. Not only because it is my favorite place on earth or has the best staff...but here, during their own time of destruction and rebuilding, they were pitching in to help me out during my time of need. Andrea was calling around to all properties to find us a place to stay and get married. They were even going to try and come on the property with food and planning and everything if they could, since we had spent so much time planning together. They really went out of their way, and I am forever grateful for everyone who was involved that week in working so hard to make sure we got married and took good care of us and our guests.
So now that you have the full story, you might now see why this is not just your average trip to Jamaica.....this is my dream wedding revisited. Ok, sure, so it is just me and Raul, our family and friends aren't with us, we arent carrying a wedding gown and all sorts of extra items, but we ARE going to Catcha! And it will be beautiful just like it was in my dreams all those nights I thought about it while planning my wedding. And we will have a lovely time and on our anniversary we will toast to our love and we will be thankful for everything we have and that we are once again in our favorite place on earth. Yep! This is going to be good!
Now, we have had an entire year to look forward to this "re-do" and it has been a loooooooong year to wait! And let me tell you every time there was a new storm brewing in the ocean I held my breathe! Mother Nature owes me, I am serious! She better not do this to me again, I just couldn't take it! But I told Raul a long while back that I have retired planning anything for myself ever again so if he wanted to make any special plans for our time in Jamaica it would be all up to him. As you would expect he just nodded my way like he was listening.....well, was he? I guess you will have to just wait and see.
So we wake up on Sunday the 9th and we head down to breakfast. We have had a wonderful time in Ochi but to be honest I am so beyond excited now to get to Negril I was ready to leave the moment we got up. But I made it through breakfast and walking around until check out time at 11am. Right on time our good friend Chicken (www.chickensmagicbus.com) was there to pick us up and take us to Negril! Hey Chicken! So good to see you....and we are off! Chicken has been a good friend of ours for a while and he was a godsend last year picking up all of our guests on several days and bringing everyone to our wedding, he even was a guest at our wedding. Can't say enough good things about him, he is the best. So we get in and chat with him and get caught up since everything from last year. He lives in Negril so he had come from there that morning to get us. Since it has rained every day since we arrived and was currently raining now I ask him if there is rain in Negril. And to that he says "You know Shauna, I can't lie, it is raining in Negril" He continues to tell me that it had been really dry and REALLY hot in August and September, much more than normal but then he says as soon as October came, so did the rain. He says they have been getting a lot of rain the last few days. To that I sigh and shake my head, and not one of those low sighs to yourself kind of sighs.....one of those deep out loud like you really mean it sighs. A sigh that someone hoping for a real nice "Re-do" would make! So we continue on down the road, because we sure aren't going to let a little rain stop us from heading to Negril! And I swear I will fight Mother Nature this time if I have to.....sure I know she will crush me if she wants to but I am just that determined that I would at least give it a fighting try.....afterall like I have said....she owes me!
So we make it to MoBay and we are on the high road, I look over at the airport and I am so happy that we are NOT stopping there.....on the road further and we pass Sandy Bay, next we pass Grand Palladium, then it is Lucea....ooh I am starting to get excited because I know we are getting close. But wait......what is that I see up ahead?????? There, past the clouds and rain....does that look like clear skies? There, over towards Negril...see!!!
YES!!!! Just a little outside of Lucea, the skies clear and the rest of the way to Negril it is nothing but sun! Just past Orange Bay and we are getting close.....I look over and see a sign and it makes me smile....the sign says Negril.com welcomes you to Negril.....and with that I let out another sigh....this one has much different meaning....this is a sigh of relief....I am home, I am in Negril, the sun is shining and the view (as well as the emotions) are MUCH better than this very same time last year. This is vindication! Mother Nature is going to give me my "Re-do" and I am going to happily accept it!
We get into Negril and all the familiar sights whip by, the AIs, the smaller beach properties, the round-a-bout, the west end and up we go. I am grinning from ear to ear and so is Raul.
And with that, we are here.....this moment I feel I have waited for for a lifetime, it is finally here, we honk and they open the gates and let us in.....to heaven.....or as most people call it.....Catcha Falling Star.
And boy does she look beautiful.....MUCH MUCH better than the last time I saw her and I am so thankful. I step out of the car and I immediately hear someone calling my name from the office....SHAUNA!!! SHAUNA!! HELLO!!!
I look over and there is Mauvette, I am so excited to see her I think I ran to the office.....and if you know me, I dont run, for anything! lol
I gave her a hug clear over the desk and she smiled so big and said Welcome home! I swear I think I might have shed a tear but I couldnt even tell because I was in a wave of every kind of emotion. I felt higher than any thing they might sell me here could ever make me!
And as we are chatting and what not she says well lets not waste anymore time, let's get you to your room. And as we are walking down the path you just become completely engulfed in the beauty of this place, the flowers are everywhere and it is a complete sensory overload, the sights, the sounds, the smells, everything.....it is gorgeous and I am so unbelievably happy to see it in all of its beauty again, praise the lord!
Mauvette is so excited to show us the new addition at Sagitarius (our room), it's an outdoor shower and she shows it off. I just can't stop smiling I bolt in the room and see that they have placed flowers all around to decorate it for us. There were flowers placed everywhere you could look. At that moment I knew that I never wanted to leave.....I was home.....and I was staying!
P.S. If you happen to stay, visit, or eat at Ivans at Catcha anytime, be sure to look at the photo books they keep at the bar. One is of the property after Hurricane Ivan hit, and the other is of the property and damage from Tropical Storm Nichole. I was there on the property shortly after Nichole and the destruction and devastation was heartbreaking.....but to see it today, in all of it's glory was a true testimant to God's work, and the hard work of people who live and work here.....the world, and the people in it are truly amazing sometimes, and I think I learn that again every time I visit Jamaica!
Now on to the photos!!!
Negril.com Welcomes you to Negril!!!
CATCHA!!!!!
Walking up to our room .....Sagitarius!
And looking back at the path we just walked down to get here
View of our front porch, the hammock where we spent lots of time and the view from our porch...Gosh I miss this place!
Looking at the opening to the sunning porch, then a view of the sunning porch and the outdoor shower
View of the lighthouse from our porch / archway
View of the front of Sagi from the sunning porch
Inside our room decorated so beautifully with flowers everywhere....have I mentioned how much I love this place?????
View of Rick's Cafe from our front porch
Looking from our front porch, that's the newer building that houses rooms like Aries, Virgo, Sun, etc. to the left....Banana Shout is the property seen in the middle of the photo and then Rick's to the right of the picture, this was my view every morning from the hammock on our porch!
Views around this amazing property....Ivan's Bar, the pool, the cove, etc.
A few more views around this gorgeous property, and all the beautiful landscaping...what a blessing.
About to enjoy our first sunset in Negril.....
And our last day as newlyweds.....
Tomorrow, Day 5....our anniversary <3
Beautiful! The outdoor shower looks awesome. We stayed in that cottage in 2007 and I would have loooooved the outdoor shower!
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