First timer Beach/Cliffs split day 2

[booger]

I'm not sure what time I rolled out of bed, but I have to say I slept like a baby. This is rare, so you can imagine my excitement. The wifey was in no mood to get up as she loves sleep more than anything else. So I showered it up and hit the restaurant as I was HUNGRY. Not sure how I pulled off not getting a hangover as I consumed copious amounts of alcohol the night before.

I was still in a little daze as I pulled up to a table and took a peek at a menu. I picked a table right near the railing closest to the water. Man, what a gorgeous view. Did I make the right decision to do one day on the beach and 7 on the cliffs?

Put in my order for some french toast as I have heard many raves about the french toast at numerous joints in Negril. Opal brought me some orange juice that was perfect for the dehydrated cotton mouth that I awoke too. Now I couldn't wait for the juice guy to come by.

My order arrived on Jamaican time and was consumed in what felt like a matter of seconds. Best French toast I have ever had. Like I said, I was HUNGRY.

I had a moment for a second because I was afraid that from this point forward I would eat half of Negril. Everything I have had so far is soooo good. In looking at my pics from my trip it's obvious that I nearly did. Time to hit the gym.


I forgot to mention that as I was waiting for my food I hit the room real quick to get my wife up. Sorry honey but you need to get your ass up. You are just missing out. She was up in record time and after a quick shower joined me at the table. She looked at peace sitting there trying to figure out what to order. Before the trip we have been super busy and it's nice to be able to see her already relaxed. I think the whirlwind previous day and night was just what the Dr ordered. She was also happy that my Mom volunteered to watch the kiddo so that we could get away. THANKS MOM.

After breakfast we decided it was time to hit the water as the temps were perfect. We lathered up good and went to mark our spot. The loungers were stacked up and the nice guard set two up for us in the exact spot of our choice. Off to the bar to get a Purple Rain from Opal and it's time to chill. A family of siblings pulled up next to us. I like there style of going on a trip whenever one of them has a birthday milestone.

We spent the day chilling on the beach, chilling in the water, chilling at the bar, and taking in the sites of the beach. In between our chilling sessions I was able to snag a bottle of fresh squeezed OJ from the juice guy. $400J later and I was walking away with a bottle. Can't wait to crack this thing the next morning.

Around 2 we decided we were ready to head to the West End to start our stay at Catcha. I was really excited to get there as I had put in hours of research to decide what place would best fit our vibe. I watched videos on Negril One Stop, You Tube, Etc. I looked at 100's of pictures to get an idea of the lay of the land.

So we hit the street and hailed our first route taxi in a matter of seconds. $300j each and we were off. I asked the driver if he would mind stopping at the China Man shop so that I could get some Stripes and change some money. The rate was $84J to the $1US. The beer was also roughly $600J cheaper a case compared to Wise Choice if I remember correctly.

I loved our first drive from the beach to Catcha. It was great seeing all the places I had read about online. I had a copy of the Negril Map and had an idea of where everything was as far as order. When we made the drive the previous night to Seastar it was dark so I couldn't take anything in. We pulled up to the gate and after two beep beeps the gates opened. I had never actually seen the area where you pull in near the office in pictures. So already I was seeing the new.

Hopped out of the car and made my way in to see Mauvette. Check in was painless and we were off to Libra in no time. The first walk down the path was sensory overload. I wanted to stop and take everything in, but also wanted to respect the time of the gentleman who helped me with my bags. Dumped the bags and off we were to check this place out. First thing first was hitting the cove. I had to jump in first thing to get over my candy ass fear of sharks. I have had encounters, so it's not that candy ass, but it's candy ass none the less.

The seas were calm, in fact they were swimable every single day we were there. Were we lucky, or is this the norm in May?


This is our first peek inside the gates.


You can say that these waters are essentially sharkless. The bull shark incident a little over a month ago didn't help my candy ass fears.

After a little lounging, swimming in the cove, jumping off of various spots, and a fair amount of drinks the sun was starting to set. We were excited to see our first Jamaican sunset and this one did not let us down. I have seen numerous webcast from Aqua and it was nice to finally see it in person. It was gorgeous!!


Pictures do it no justice, or at least my pictures do not. The sunsets are amazing.

We decided we would waste no time giving Ivan's a try. I came in with high expectations as this place is highly raved about. Add in everything I had eaten up to that point was spot on as well. OH MY GOD! The meal was great, the ambiance was romantic, and we were both in a good place.

After dinner we still had some energy so it was off to the bar. This was the first of our nightly rituals of bellying up to the bar at Ivan's. Ty, Kevin, Kaneisha, Carol, Vivian, Carriann, Barbara, and everyone else were all great. We also had a couple of other couples who had just showed up and were there for the entire week as well. All great peeps who would become our vaca buddies for the week.




Here's a few of the peeps we met the first night. Ty is the man in the red shirt in the middle of the pic. He is an amazing bartender and a joy to spend time with. We had hours of fun with the entire staff. Seriously not a bad apple amongst the group. Not sure what time the bar closed, but I am sure it wasn't 10. Everyone was having a great time and the bar stayed open later. Day 2's close was similar to day 1's close. Staggering back to the room full of joy. Day 3 and beyond soon come.