Trip report 6/12-6/27/2013 Jakes, Sea Splash, Blue Cave Castle

[nicole.edith]

Thanks for a fun report - I hope you can get the pics to work, I'd love to see them!

[billndonna]

Excellent report,thanks for sharing!!

[STRIPER]

You did awesome for a newbie no doubt,my wife and I were married at jakes 15 years ago,place is sweet and wasn't so expensive then,stayed at sea splash many times and except for the last time when construction was going on always loved it.theres plenty of places that have kitchenettes so I wouldn't bother with trying to pack a hot plate,plenty of cheap eats also ,keep it up it'll get better n better peace

[SeaSplash]

Hello, first of all let me apologize sincerely for the horrible experience that you had at Seasplash. We have been doing a lot of work on the hotel to bring it back as it was closed for a while which created many problems. I was away from the hotel when you were here, and was made aware of you being unhappy about the room change when I phoned the front desk. It is always inconvenient to make a room change, but we try to make the move as easy as possible. I cannot begin to tell you how badly I feel about the bar, the restaurant and the beach situation. I have checked with the manager who was here in my absence and he advises that there was one morning when we had no red stripe, and I can only assume that it was that day that you ordered. It is inexcusable, however it happened and I am sorry. I know that there is a problem in Negril with the harassment on the beach. It is not exclusive to Seasplash, it is an area problem, and it needs to be controlled at all levels. Every hotel needs to play their part and we try through our lifeguard and security staff to patrol the beach and keep it virtually free of trouble, but it is a difficult task, and it creates unhappy guests. I will follow up on the comment on our own lifeguard ,and wish I knew for sure which one of the two it was, althougj I think I have an idea. We get very few complaints about the restaurant food and service, and I will certainly get to the bottom of your complaint as we try very hard to ensure that all our guests leave here happy, and look forward to coming back. I would like you to reconsider Seasplash at a future date, and I would be happy to give you 3 nights free as a gesture. I am sure that when we have completed the renovations you will be more than comfortable here. Please accept my apologies once again, and please know that I appreciate that you took the time to write, as bad it was, as it is the basis on which we can improve.
regards,
Diana Marley
General Manager

[rjonsun]

Great Trip Report.
Couple of things:
The second time you use negrilonestop they give you a 5% discount on your booking. While they don't have Blue Cave as a client, they do have a great hotel in Treasure beach called Treasure Beach Hotel for $71.50 (with your discount and includes all taxes) which was clean with A|C, TV, 2 pools, a great view of the ocean and good swimming right out front. 15 days there would be less than $1100.
We have been going to the Castel for a few years and tend to book the cheaper rooms. In June you may need A|C, but you wouldn't in November or December. Rates rise dramatically all over the Island about December 20th. Prices go down significantly about May 15th.
We tend to get cheaper rooms as long it is in a area we like. We eat out every meal but only eat 2 meals per day. Also, we eat most of our meals at places Jamaicans eat (think 3 Dives, Jenny's, Choice's) and not tourist places like Rock House or most places on the beach.
Negril beach can be a hassle if you are looking for something more laid back. We are headed to Treasure Beach for a week in November (this is our "beach time") and then back to Blue Cave for 2 weeks.
Another way to save money is just use route taxi's. We will actually route taxi back and forth from negril to treasure beach, saving about $100 each way. We travel very light, as exessive baggage will cost more in a route taxi.
So, a trip can be done much cheaper if you plan well.
Regards,
Bob

[Seveen]

nice report! and yes there are ways to do jamaica less expensive - set an alert for airline tickets and only book when they are cheap - go then --- and there are loads of guesthouses in Treasure Beach with kitchenettes some $50 or so. Also "yard food" is usually less expensive but might take a minute for you to acquire a taste for it :-)

[jon c.]

Very nice and informative report. And fun too. Thanks for posting.

[kaycee]

Good report
Don't let the negative things keep you away