Baby steps...A newbies trip report

[rastagirl777]

"Good mix to squash the fear of flying. "
Good mix to slip into a coma too, lol. I'm of the Karen Ann Quinlan generation.

That said, I do not fly without my Xanax - but I also do not drink on airplanes as a rule.

[spottycatz]

Twice at the Castle. Magical place. Love the report so far.

[Rumrunner]

Marley, you said exactly what I was going to say. Beth is a very lucky girl to have such a sweet, supportive boyfriend.
I'm so glad she got over her fear of flying, well, maybe not completely, but enough to go on this trip. And I'm sure there will be future trips.
I also take a Xanax about an hour before we take off. But no alcohol!
I'm really looking forward to the pictures.

[Kevin, PA]

I had read so much about the warm air that hits you as you exit the plane. I was a tad disappointed when we exited into a very typical jetway. It was not at all what I was expecting. It would have been forgettable if it wasn't for my overestimation of this moment.

We just sort of followed the others, keeping a good pace because I knew the whole process was FIFO (first in first out). Immigration...get luggage...customs. As I'm writing this and thinking back it really seemed to go that fast. Now we just needed to find Alfred. We were quickly directed where to go and I recognized Alfred from the photos on his website. The sign he held that read “Alfred’s” made it pretty hard not to miss him. As I stepped out into the sun to wait curbside for our van, I finally got that rush of warmth so often described by others. Unfortunately the only thing I could smell was my badly needed cigarette and car exhaust.

The Ride in.....

I'm not going to go into too much detail about the ride in. It's something you just need to experience for yourself if you haven’t done so and if you've done it you know how difficult it would be putting it into the proper words. It would require an entire trip report of its own.

I do want to say that Alfred was great. We had asked him to make a quick stop at Biggas on our way in. Biggas jerk was not nearly as hot as I thought it was going to be. We both enjoyed the level of heat as is. I was really surprised by the bread that came with our jerk. It was no airy piece of fluff like the bread at home. This was hardy and doughy. I know it’s only bread but with all of the talk about food on the board I don't believe this was ever mentioned.

As we approached Negril the search was on for hotels we were familiar with from our research. The only reason I knew we had to be close was because we had recently passed a big green sign with an arrow pointing in the direction we were traveling that said “NEGRIL”. The big AI's were easy to spot but soon we were passing hotels and other establishments left and right. Beth seemed to be blurting out names one right after the other. My eyes were so torn between focusing in on the unknown and scanning for something I could recognize that it all became a blur. The next thing we know our van comes to a sudden stop on the side of the road. Alfred turned around and asked “You’re going to Blue Cave?”. We reply “yes were going to Blue Cave”. With that Alfred said “We're here mon!” and pointed across the road to an opened gate. With a couple beeps of the horn he zipped across the road and into the driveway of our hotel.

First impressions

As I wrapped up the business end of things with Alfred, Beth ensured all of our bags were unloaded and nothing was left behind. We confirmed who we were and our room number then followed Santa around the corner and up some steps to an opened door. Beth asked if we should check in as we dropped our bags in the room. “no mon you’re good” Santa replied. We thanked and tipped him for helping with our bags, as he exited the room closing the door behind him. I looked at Beth and said “That was easy!” as we both just sort of stood there in disbelief trying to grasp the reality that we had arrived.

It seemed like a whirlwind of a trip in and then there we were, just the two of us, alone in a big quiet room. We did a quick “once over” of our new home for the next week and were immediately drawn to the wide opened doors leading to our balcony. There was a refreshing breeze blowing that caused the curtains partially covering one side of the sliding glass doors to dance. It was almost as if they were beckoning us to the balcony. As I stepped out onto the balcony I must have looked a little bit like Dorthy in The Wizard Oz when she steps out into Munchkin Land for the first time.

Lush foliage and brightly colored flowers dotted our view. The warm sun still hung high in the sky as it reflected of the seemingly endless blue waters of Caribbean Ocean. I can’t say how long we stood there just glaring out from our second story perch but eventually we moved onto getting settled in.

That’s when it hit me….We forgot to get a phone from Alfred!!!!! I quickly peered out into the driveway and luckily Alfred was still there chilling and talking to some of the hotel staff. I ran out and asked for a phone. After testing the phone and handing over a deposit I went back to the room. I let everyone back home know we had arrive via text message and provided our JA phone number. This lead to a few calls and then I went back to gazing.

[Mike_D]

I'm torn between Blue Cave Castle and Home Sweet Home. They both have enough good reviews. Waiting on my income Tax to come, then I'll flip a coin to see which on I'll book. It's a win win situation in my book.

We were torn between BCC and HSH, as well. For another point of view, we chose HSH. One of the deciding factors was that BCC didn't have some of the amenities we were looking for in their basic rooms (i.e. king-sized beds, A/C). The A/C is not that important to me, but the wife likes to sleep in some days, and she was worried that the rooms may get warm in the mid-day sun. Of course, HSH also has the pool and hot tub, which is a plus.

Another deciding factor is that BCC's summer rates don't kick-in until 5/1, while HSH's summer rates start in mid-April. Since we were planning our trip for the last week in April, this was a big plus. Aside from the obvious uniqueness and magicality (?) of the Castle, HSH just seemed like a better value for our time frame.

For our next reach, I'm hoping to talk the wife into staying at BCC. I think once we get there, all her worries will go away.

[Kevin, PA]

We were torn between BCC and HSH, as well. For another point of view, we chose HSH. One of the deciding factors was that BCC didn't have some of the amenities we were looking for in their basic rooms (i.e. king-sized beds, A/C). The A/C is not that important to me, but the wife likes to sleep in some days, and she was worried that the rooms may get warm in the mid-day sun. Of course, HSH also has the pool and hot tub, which is a plus.

Another deciding factor is that BCC's summer rates don't kick-in until 5/1, while HSH's summer rates start in mid-April. Since we were planning our trip for the last week in April, this was a big plus. Aside from the obvious uniqueness and magicality (?) of the Castle, HSH just seemed like a better value for our time frame.

For our next reach, I'm hoping to talk the wife into staying at BCC. I think once we get there, all her worries will go away.

We didn't use the AC once because there always seemed to be a breeze blowing and when there wasn't the fans we there. The stone walls actually keep the inside cooler. There were one or two nights that I suspect many may have turned on the AC but it wasn't unabearable and we were there to soak up the heat. We're not swimmers and the ocean was right there but if a pool is a must have you're out of luck at BCC. I can see the draw to HSH. It's all about personal preferences.

[Mike_D]

I agree.

And thanks for the great read and great pics, Kevin! Looking forward to more!

[Finny]

The only reason I knew we had to be close was because we had recently passed a big green sign with an arrow pointing in the direction we were traveling that said “NEGRIL”.

This sign?

We confirmed who we were and our room number then followed Santa around the corner and up some steps to an opened door. Beth asked if we should check in as we dropped our bags in the room. “no mon you’re good” Santa replied.

I love "check in" at Blue Cave. So unlike any hotel I've ever been to. They just ask who are and bring you to your room. So chill.

Awesome report so far. Looking forward to more!

[Kevin, PA]

Thats the sign! It was pretty funny when Beth saw the sign and said..."Negril's that way" and Alfred thanked her for letting him know because he wasn't sure which way to go. Maybe you had to be there but it was funny. Yes...I've never had a "check-in", if you can even call it that, like we had at BCC.

[Kevin, PA]

We had tentative plans to go to Canoe for the webcast but were a little drained from traveling and knew we wouldn’t be settled in on time to make it before sunset. Not to mention we had no idea how close it was. We knew it was fairly close but didn’t know if it was within walking distance or worth a cab ride. I'm not sure if it was from all of the excitement or my nerves but I found myself chain smoking. Beth was handling everything else so I had nothing to do but gaze in awe and puff puff puff away.

Sunset started to come up on us rather quickly. We both sat out on the balcony and watched as others gathered to catch the final glimpse of the sun for the day. That’s when I finally got a whiff of “the smell of Jamaica” as it was described in so many ways on the board. There was a hint of smoke in the air from some foliage that was being gathered and burned across the street and from what I assumed was a jerk barrel that was getting started for the night. Mix in the smell of this with salty ocean air and there I had it. Or at least my version of it.

When the sun started to set I could tell we were going to have a perfect view from our balcony. Our room was the closest to the road and with a 45 degree turn we could go from the calm serene view of the sun setting into the ocean as gentle waves splashed against the cliffs to speeding traffic and all of the goings on of One Love Drive. As a first time visitor I liked having both worlds right there for me to take in.

As darkness fell upon us we decided to venture out of the room and meet some of the other guests. Susan who owns Blue Cave Castle and who I had read so many nice things about was sitting enjoying the refreshing night air. We introduced ourselves and she welcomed us to The Castle. She told us about Teddy’s Restaurant if we wanted something to eat or drink. I asked about the L&M grocery store that I knew was close by. She started to tell us about how that little store has everything you could possibly imagine and then some. She was also sure to warn us about leaving the gate and walking the road if we left the hotel. Beth and I decided to head to the store and stock up on some things for the room. As we walked towards the gate security was right there to ensure our first venture out on the street was not our last.

A few steps down the road we could see the guys hanging out at No Limit playing dominoes. A few steps after that I could see L&M come into view. As we crossed the street the guys at No Limit confirmed it was safe to cross the road. Or should I say they made sure Beth got across the road safely. I don’t think they were as concerned about me. A few more steps and we were there. Yep it is true….L&M has everything you could imagine packed into a shoebox sized store. I gravitated to the refrigerated section of cold drinks and grabbed a six pack of Red Stripe. I also grabbed a Boom energy drink for the morning and a bottle of fruit punch. Beth pondered what she wanted and soon we found the liquor. She eventually decided on a small bottle of Appletons and cola.

As we exited L&M we were asked by a taxi driver parked in the driveway if we needed a ride. “We’re just going across the street….Thank you anyway” I replied. A few more steps and we were asked if we needed some food by the jerk barrel guy whose smoke I could smell wafting up to our balcony earlier. “No thank you” I said. “I’ll remember you though”, continuing along our way as I pointed at my head. A few more steps and we hear “You need anything?”. Another “We’re good but thank you” was returned.

With that we were back at our room enjoying some beverages. We also had picked on some of the Biggas jerk we had leftover from the ride in. Not to appear antisocial, which I feel we sometimes come off as at first, we decided to head back down to the courtyard to finish out the evening. A few drinks and some light banter with a few of the other guests and soon we returned to our room for the night.

Throughout the night we could hear traffic whizzing up and down the street, dogs barking and the occasional person bursting into song or shouting “JAH….Rastafari!”. In the very early morning hours a rooster started to crow. None of this was unexpected because we had read our room was close to the road. Some had complained about this in reviews but we accepted it as part of the experience.