Everyone starts their trip report with their "story", so this is ours...
My first trip to Jamaica was 1986 and I instantly fell in love with the place. Took a "booze cruise" out of Mo Bay to Negril. One engine died, a lot of people sick, myself included. The boat pulled into a bay (near Lucea maybe??) and a catamaran came and "rescued" those of us that were sick. I was amazed at how friendly everyone was and how well they treated us! That was my first experience with a roadside hut that will sell you anything and everything.
One of the boat crew who came with us flagged down every bus on the road trying to get us a ride to Negril and finally one agreed to come back for us. We stopped somewhere on Negril beach before heading to Rick's to meet up with the rest of the gang from the boat. It was love at first sight...
As much as I wanted to go back, I just couldn't afford it. Then in 2002 I got a great deal on a cruise leaving from Mo Bay. Watched the Canada US Olympic gold medal hockey game from a beach bar before sailing, one of the best days of the entire trip! A few hours in Jamaica just wasn't enough and left me wanting more.
Fast forward to 2008... After many trips to Mexico, Cuba & DR, I finally made it back to Jamaica with the love of my life, we'll call him Mr. Nutz, and was hoping he'd love it as much as I do. He's had to listen to me going on and on about how special it is and I'm afraid I've raised his expectations too high. No need to worry, it didn't take long to realise he loves it as much as I do! So much so that we were married on the beach in front of Our Past Time the following year. We love to travel and try to see a little bit of the world, so sometimes it takes us a while to get back to Jamaica. Our last trip was last November to the Jewel Ocho Rios. We loved it, but I really missed the activity on the beach. Starting thinking about a trip to Negril before we even returned home...
It started out innocently enough, my birthday is in December and I like to go away somewhere to "celebrate", even if it's just going away for a couple of days. Well, since this year was a big one, I thought it would be nice to spend it in Jamaica. I figured out the dates we could go, cleared it with my boss, convinced the hubby that we should try non-AI and that Negril is THE place to do that! Originally, the plan was to return to the Jewel for 5 nights and then hit the beach at Negril for 5 nights and try a non AI property for the first time. I found a good price on direct flights and booked them, now to find a place on the beach. After a lot of reading, research and stupid questions, I decided on Country Country. Feeling brave from all my research and reading, a new plan started to hatch in my little brain. What if, I said to Mr. Nutz, we stay on the cliffs instead of going all the way to Ochi? I'd found this little place that gets great reviews and looks absolutely beautiful. The rest, as they say, is history. It didn't take a lot of convincing, and Catcha was booked and the 8 month wait began!
About 3 weeks after booking, Mr. Nutz was diagnosed with brain cancer. Surgery and radiation done, chemo ongoing... We had to cancel our September trip to Italy, and for a long time, I thought we'd have to cancel this trip as well. Up against the cancellation deadline, the doctor gives him the green light to travel. This is great news!! He's feeling really good right now and I couldn't think of anywhere better to heal our spirit and celebrate life than Jamaica. We were both so ready for this trip!
Originally Posted by jan24
