Trip Report: ULTRA BUMP

[rizla]

April 8-13, 2012

Trip Mantra:
May we be happy.
May we be healthy.
May we be safe.
May we live with ease.

ULTRA BUMP

I booked a 5-night package through Funjet Vacations using
their promotional code ULTRA BUMP.
From that point on, that was the title of our trip.

I arrived at Sunset at the Palms (SATP) in Bloody Bay, Negril by the afternoon of Easter Sunday.
For reasons I can’t explain, the day of travel didn’t cause the wear and tear that I remember from other trips.

Previous trips started replaying through my mind as soon as I stepped foot on the island in a different way than they do at home.
The memory bank is stimulated by the sensory overload.
Is it possible that after 22 trips in 22 years and four years and eight months away from the island that I could forget how this place makes me feel?
I can tell you it is. It is the difference between thinking and feeling.

We were given chilled, rosemary-scented wet towels as soon as we sat down to check in.
The staff, acutely aware of how precious our time at their property is, makes sure the transition from home to here goes as smoothly as possible.
Without even feeling the shift, there is an unspoken realization that “here” is now our new, temporary home.
I feel welcomed; I feel relaxed, and I feel my usual acclimation period has been cut down to record time.
The property’s simplicity and tranquility are in the subtle details of sun peeking through Buddhas amidst the beautifully manicured gardens and open floor plan.
The lack of music allows us to hear the birds welcome us as well.

Our bags are quickly brought to our private tree house. Two separate rooms are attached to the same well built wooden structure so we have our own space, but we are still connected. This is very symbolic of my friendship with Lisa. We met through Negril.com and this is our fourth trip to Jamaica together.

My room is clean, inviting, and sits up in the trees. The verandah has a day bed that I will spend many hours in the trip lounging on and reading. I never hear voices when I am in my room, not from the fellow tourists or staff. I am conscious of this and do not play music or talk loudly. The TV watches me, but I don’t watch it during the duration of my stay. I rarely need the AC because the ceiling fan moves the air from the three walls of ventilation around.

I have never stayed in Bloody Bay (BB), but I welcomed the new experience. Not completely trusting myself to be open to breaking old habits, I took comfort in knowing that I was still a short taxi ride away from the scene I’ve known and loved for years. I find that BB is a microcosm of the seven-mile stretch of Negril Beach, but with a slight twist. Although we are on an all-inclusive (AI) property, the salesmen are not chased off if you choose to call them over. Nearby are the familiar tables of jewelry, sarongs, and other wares. Directly next door to us is Office of Nature. What I loved about Sunset at the Palms is that it maintains its Jamaican character at all times. I felt pampered without feeling like I sold out, without feeling like I could have been at any resort in the Caribbean. There was a careful balance between comfort and convenience with beach yard life. I was still able to meet Jamaicans from all over the island with stories to tell, ears to lend, and laughs to share.

A highlight of my trip was Donnavon Dalrymple. He plays guitar and sings on the beach. His rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is the sweetest I’ve ever heard and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. He told me that his videos are on YouTube, but I found the sound of the waves crashing behind him, while picturesque, too distracting to truly hear his voice. I shot a new video of him away from the water.

I never quite got used to the fact that the guests at our hotel were all couples, except for one Jamaican family that included three generations enjoying the Easter weekend. The staff, both women and men equally, seemed to pay extra attention to us. Culturally, I have learned over the years, that they do not think women should be alone. They saw quickly how receptive we were to their company so at every meal they would come to talk with us for a while and go on their way. When Lisa mentioned her love for roasted breadfruit, someone brought it the next day from the country. Their company was genuine and respectful, and the feeling was mutual.

The property is more of a boutique hotel, with less than 90 rooms on the property. All meals were buffet style, with one fine dining restaurant option called The Lotus Leaf. We ate all of our meals except for one at the casual buffet, opting for a table outside of the dining room by the coffee bar. It was never crowded and the mostly Canadian clientele became part of the close-knit family environment that is so carefully crafted there. At night, live music played at the Bamboo Bar nearby.

The lobby was our living room, with several dimly lit seating areas tucked away. Free WiFi was available in this area. We always found time to sit here throughout the day and night to regroup. The martini/piano bar was in the same large area. A tennis court, state of the art gym, pool, Bamboo bar, Cambio, computer lab, and gift shop were also available for anyone interested. I was interested in the gym, but I never actually made it there.

MEALS

I am a big fan of the buffet style meals because the food was always ready and I love to create a plate of tapas, sampling tastes of as much as I could. Each night had a different theme (Journey to Japan, international, Italian, Jamaican), but lunch was always traditionally Jamaican. The wide bread selection and pastries were all homemade on the property. What I like most about Jamaican desserts is that they are not nearly as sweet as at home. Fizroy, the pastry chef, informed us that he follows recipes and uses half the sugar that they call for. We always had leisurely meals, taking hours to finish. The waitstaff would try to clear our plates and seemed confused when I would tell them that I was still working on it. At home, I don’t eat as mindfully or slowly. When we were finished, we retreated to the coffee bar for herbal tea.

Breakfast was by far my favorite meal of the day. We arrived every day when they opened at 7 AM. I’d start with a Blue Mountain cappuccino and a plate of fresh fruit. I’d work up to fresh, steamed vegetables, saltfish, eggs, and a side of corn meal or oatmeal porridge. I fell madly in love with the porridge, filling up a bowl to keep in my room fridge. On my last breakfast, there was no corn meal porridge so Bruce whipped me up a special batch and I asked him to marry me. I could not leave that day without one last bowl. It was love in a cup, divine comfort. After two hours at breakfast, I brought a small Tupperware to fill with callaloo and to bring to the beach.

We made reservations for one night at The Lotus Leaf. There are two seating choices, 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM. We decided to forgo one sunset to dress up and eat at the restaurant at the first seating. They serve a five-course meal that includes your choice of appetizer, soup, salad, and entrée. The plates that lead up to the dinner were small so you did not fill up. The day before, I secretly ordered a birthday cake for Lisa. Fizroy made a special rainbow cake that she was delighted and completely caught off guard by since her birthday is not until June. Lisa and I live in separate states; and even though we agreed that this trip would be our time to celebrate, she had not expected me to actually take it seriously. After dinner, Sifford shut the lights and Lisa assumed the electricity cut off. This soon followed our waiter coming out of the kitchen with a candle-lit cake, followed by a birthday song. Lisa perked up and got giddy, singing along and looking to see whose birthday it was. Once I turned my camera and pointed it in her direction, she caught on that it was for her. She squealed and fought back the tears. It made her feel, in her words, all “feklempt.” Our waiter delivered her present from me on a plate and we ate cake and shared it with the other guests and staff.

** More posts and photos to come. Some names have been changed.