Donna- so funny about Delbert. I don't remember him offering a trip to Whoopee Park. What a great guy.
Donna- so funny about Delbert. I don't remember him offering a trip to Whoopee Park. What a great guy.
[COLOR="#006400"]Wednesday
Captain Moses picks us up at our hotel and takes us down to the long beach. He tells us there are 11 on boat the going out to Booby Cay for lunch and almost everyone is from Wisconsin. He proudly shows us the Green Bay Packer shirt his friends from Delafield, WI gave him.
We ask about price and he says $100 US per person for the entire day and includes the sunset cruise to Rick’s. We tell him we want to pass on the sunset cruise and hoped to be back on the beach by 2 or 3 pm. He says $60 US per person then. We agree to same. Note, we almost always pay asking price in Jamaica on excursions.
Most of the group meets at Rooms on The Beach and we all get on the boat. There was one couple on there that was not from WI. They were from Thunder Bay Ontario and were really fun.
When we got to Booby Cay, a few got off the boat and most stayed on to go out Snorkeling. Captain’s assistant (Rohan) took us out snorkeling while Captain stayed back to cook our lunch.
Glen went out with us but did not snorkel. The sea was a bit rough and he is not much of a swimmer. I wrapped a life vest around my waist, donned flippers, mask and snorkel and jumped in. I LOVE SNORKELING!! I saw so many beautiful things from corals to fish to plant life. AND NO LION FISH (Thank goodness Clarity!!) For me, snorkeling feels like I am breathing underwater.
Rohan jumped in and motioned to the group that he was going to take us to the cannon and the anchor. I followed him and saw the cannon. Honestly I did not think it was that big of deal, in comparison to all the sea life. At some point, several (I think this is what they are called) Sargeant fish sort of swarmed me…….not in a scary way but a beautiful way. I found myself swimming with them and realized I was back at the boat. I decided to get out of the water at this point and Rohan said- “Hey sister- where you go? I was goin to show you de anchor”. I toldn him I was captivated by the Sargeant fish and apologized. That was when I found out that Rohan and the couple from Ontarioro were stung by jelly fish. Don’t you just love it when God’s blessings come in the form of nature? Had it not been for the Sargeant fish, I probably would have been stung by jelly fish and anyone who knows me will attest that had that happened, my world would have come to an end. (OK I can be a little dramatic).
After snorkeling, we were treated to the best lobster, rice and beans, vegetables, curried conch and escovitch fish we have ever had. And, after swimming and the excitement of the day, we were hungry.
Soon it was 2 pm, Glen paid Captain Moses the agreed upon $120 (SO WORTH IT) and thanked him and told him we would see him next year. Rohan took us back to the RIU- via water and Glen handed him $1000 J and thanked him for the great snorkeling trip.
Once back at RIU, we realize we are starving. We hit the midday buffet for a bunch of junk food……..chips, fried chicken, etc. We walked up to Club RIU and looked for some people we knew and did not find them. Returned back to our room and got ready for our dinner reservations at the Japanese restaurant. After dinner, went to bed early. [/COLOR]
Is the couple that gotstung by a jellyfish ok?
Zenser- yes they were fine. Minor welts on their wrists. They had some stuff on the boat which seemed to help.
Thursday
Today, we are blowing up the floaties and staying on the beach to read and relax. We ordered breakfast from room service. Hard boiled eggs, fruit, yogurt, granola and coffee. Pack up the beach bag and off we go.
We made a pit stop at the front desk and called Ivan’s for reservations. They will pick us up tonight at 6:45 pm.
We get to the beach, blow up our floaties and decide to take a walk. We head down to Club RIU and find our friends. We have a few drinks with them and decide to head back as it is starting to sprinkle. We ended up not leaving because the heavens opened up with rain……..for like hours. We ended up taking a taxi back to our RIU. Here I sit waiting for the rain to let up, my floaties, sandals and towels all still on the beach soaking wet. Don’t get me wrong, still having a great day.
This gives me a chance to tell you about RIU Tropical Palace.
Check in: quick and easy. Your bell hop can and will get you anything you need.
Our room: We have a king sized bed with a Jacuzzi tub, separate seating area, shower, bar with refrigerator a flat screen tv and a balcony you could do gymnastics on. The room is checked at least twice a day for towels and etc. I think this is the nicest room we have ever had. Water pressure and temp are fantastic. No problems at all. The hairdryer in the bathroom doesn’t work the best. I have long hair and it takes a really long time to get my hair dry. If you have long hair, bring your own hairdryer. The clock in our room does not keep accurate time…………it is off by HOURS. Bring your own clock if that is important to you. They also provide shampoo and conditioner and soaps. Again, if you have long hair, bring your own. Not top shelf stuff.
Room Service: Menu is limited and breakfast has to be ordered the night before, but we found it to be just fine. It is amazing how fast they are……..like 10 minutes.
Food: Jerk Chicken hut on the beach FABULOUS. We ate there almost every day. Of all the places we have had Jerk Chicken in Jamaica, this really is our favorite. The chef who runs it is a bit crabby. If you remember the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, you will appreciate the Jerk Chicken Nazi at RIU TPB…NO JERK FOR YOU!! That’s right, just get your jerk, say thank you and move on. The buffet is good and lots of variety from cheeses to fruits and vegetables to pasta bar to stir fry, etc. If you can’t find something to eat here, there is something wrong with you. They do serve red and white wine with dinner, out of a bottle and we thought it was good.
Beach: It is fantastic and we never had a problem finding a chair, no matter what time of day we went out.
Staff: Top notch. Always helpful and friendly and never seem to have a hand out waiting for a tip. We tip about 50% of the time for drinks- $1 each time. Housekeeping, $2-$3 per day, servers at dinner/lunch $1-$2 and the man who restocks our room fridge gets $5 only when we ask for something special….rum crème, extra red stripes, etc.
Swimming pools: Can’t really give you an opinion. We are beach people and avoid the pools like the plague. The water did look clear and I think people were having a good time with the bartenders at the pool bar.
Entertainment: Surprisingly BAD. Well maybe not BAD, but the acoustics are BAD. Tonight they have a Jamaican band with a female singer. We can only here feedback and an echo. We try to imagine how the band would sound if they were on the beach. Our bet is they would be good. RIU does everything so well that we agree that they would be better off doing nothing for entertainment than what they are doing. So, RIU, take our advice, either QUIT the entertainment all together or figure out away to do it right.
With that said, hands down this place is fantastic. If this resort could somehow move to the long bay, we would return again and again. I do want to encourage those considering Negril to check this place out. If you are thinking about stepping stones from Ocho or Mbj to Negril, this area is a great way to slowly immerse yourself into the vibe of Negril.
Ivan’s
For dinner, we get picked up by Ivan’s. We both enjoyed our dinners and are disappointed we didn’t come earlier to take in the sunset. Ivan’s is beautiful. I wish they were open all day long. Next time here, we may try a stay on the cliffs, just because Ivan’s left such a great impression.
We end the night in the Jacuzzi in our room discussing the trip and our sadness of the next day being our last one here
FRIDAY
We wake up, head down for our daily breakfast feast. We head out to the beach where our blown up floaties await us from yesterday. The sun is shining and it is beautiful.
We take our floaties out and we float from one side of the beach to the next. Glen is pretty happy we have these floaties and so I tell him since I bought and brought them, he is responsible for refilling our drink cups. So, about every hour, he heads up to the bar and brings us each back a cup of something delicious and intoxicating.
I start to think about how I felt before I came to Negril this time and how I feel now. Glen tells me I need to write it down for the NEXT trip. Yes, he said “next trip”. Man, I love this guy. Anyhow, before I came to Negril this time and every time, I can attest that I worry about what swimming suits, make up and outfits I am going to wear. Cant’ wear this or that suit cuz I am too fat, or my thighs are to big or my gut is to big or or or …you get the picture. I’ll bring this dress or that outfit cuz it makes me look thinner. Gotta pack plenty of make up and make sure you bring the waterproof mascara. Want to look good on the beach. Want to make a good impression.
Next time I come to Negril……….one dress, one pair of dress sandals, as many SKIMPY swim suits I can find, 3 pairs of shorts, 3 shirts, one pair of casual sandals and one pair of beach sandals. Yep…only bringing 3 pairs of shoes next time. Oh and 3 cans of sun screen is just perfect. We ended up with one extra but had 3 days of rain.
The beauty of Negril………for every woman bigger than me, there is one smaller than me. Honestly gals, this is the case for all of you, unless you fall into the teeny tiny or gigantic category and even then, you are beautiful because you are unique. Bikinis rule in Negril and really, they are so much more comfortable. AND, it doesn’t matter if you are big or small. For every woman uglier, there is one prettier. I am a size 12 to 14 and I am average AND I look pretty damn good in a bikini. And WHY THE HELL don’t I feel like I this in Wisconsin? Well, first of all, in WI, we spend ¾ of the year in parkas and second of all, in Wisconsin………….well, I am not at home. I am not free to be myself. I am not free to let it all hang out(physically and emotionally) like I am in Negril. Negril is home and I can be whoever the hell I feel like being while I am here and NO ONE can stop me.
Oh Boy, was that a rant? Sorry.
Glen and I floated all day long and we had the best day of our trip. SUCKS cuz tomorrow we go back to Wisconsin. (Notice I didn’t say home?). I need one more day of this…….someway, somehow.
Saturday
Rocky picks us up 2 hours early. Yes, I said 2 hours early. Not sure what happened, but I do know when a Jamaican shows up early you just say thank you and don’t scold them. Plus, I really love shopping at the airport. Coffee, Booze, Spices, Hats, Jewelery, Clothing etc. You name it, they have it. I purchased numerous spices as I AM going to perfect the art of Jerk Pork this year. So, I purchase every spice I can think of that I may need to accomplish this new goal.
Whenever we travel to Jamaica, we ALWAYS go to Margaritaville in the airport for 2 Margarita’s preflight.
This is where I will end my report. Thank you all so much for reading and encouraging me to write this report. I have admired you all from afar.
I am so excited that I have this report to look back on next year (God willing) when we return.
Great report. I could visualize all the fun you were having.
I totally feel the same way about my body when I am in Negril. Its the sexiest I ever feel. I am bigger than you by a size or two. The other day I bought a new bikini. I won't wear it on my beach at my cottage in Canada but I will wear it in Jamaica and I will feel good in it.
Last year I left my chair to go get some peanuts from a vendor. As I approached him I was using my wrap to cover up. He then gave me a lecture on how I should NOT cover myself up. " God made you beautiful so respect him and do not cover your body. Celebrate it"
Alrighty then, from that moment on I just enjoyed being me. Such a freeing feeling.
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Lady Jane - I totally agree. There are swim suits for home and then there are swim suits for HOME.
Gerry G- The day Glen and I were in the cliffs, we walked by Gas Bike Rental. I told him your story about the bike rental, the crash and fixing it before returning it. We had a really good laugh about that story.
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