I enjoyed reading your post about being so excited. I remember the anticipation of my first trip - I could hardly sleep those last few days stateside! And I still get butterflies everytime another reach gets close. I love to travel and used to do a lot of road trips in addition to foreign travel but now I am happy to return to Jamaica time after time.
I have never stayed at Catcha but from what I understand, it is a special place. My first stay was at SamSara. Since then I tried Legends, White Sand and a few others but I fell in love with Green Leaf Cabins - mostly because I really like the family that runs it. It is a down home, simple, basic kind of place where I feel like I have my own little cabin in Negril... and about as far away from AI as you can get. And when I am not there, I have a place to stay away from tourist strip, in the countryside. Don't get me wrong, the AI experience has its place, especially if you will be spending alot on food & drink or maybe for part of a trip, just to mix it up a bit. But when I travel, I really like to mix with the people and get a feel for the place I am in. I have been blessed with great experiences and the opportunity to make a few good friends.
I hope your first trip is so wonderful that it proves to be the first of many more! ENJOY FULLY!
Peace.