I think this is one of these once you go you know kind of things, but I have a hard time making people back home understand the purpose of moving 3km up the road from one cliff side hotel to another.

In my mind, Negril not only has distinct neighborhoods but distinct micro climates as well, all in a stretch of less than 20km. The beach is one. The near west end road from the roundabout to 3-Dives is another. This stretch is more sun baked and windswept. The vegetation looks more like the type that survives in spite of the conditions. As you make the corner at 3-Dives you can see the subtle changes almost instantly. The vegetation is bigger, thicker and lusher. Plants aren't simply surviving, they are thriving. This lushness continues to at least the lighthouse.

To our cab driver I must have looked like a bobble head doll in the back as I tried to see it all I was drove down the road to Catcha. Thanks to all the twists and turns, the drive at least felt a bit longer than it actually is.

As Mauvette checked us in, she quite endearingly issued forth a series of orders to our taxi driver, which included taking our bags to the Gatehouse. He was clearly a known commodity. She gave us a quick tour of the property past Ivan's and back to the Gatehouse. The details of the room covered we found ourselves again standing a little dazed in our room, not quite sure what to do first.

Our first impressions of the Gatehouse were that it was bigger on the inside than I thought from the pictures. The patio was totally private and the canopy of trees over it made is seem more tucked in the jungle than hanging out into the road. We had been joking that moving from the Penthouse to the Gatehouse was a bit of a hero to zero move. When faced with the reality, I had no doubt we were going to be happy there.

We had decided before we left home that we would treat our 3 days at Catcha as though we were in an all inclusive. We wouldn't be ridiculous about it, but we would eat and drink as we wanted and not worry about the tab. The visa bill would find us eventually, but we didn't need to fuss about it yet.

It was lunchtime, so we decided our first stop would be Ivan's. I already knew it would be the Calypso Trio for me. Sunshine had a blackberry milkshake (and a sandwich, but he doesn't actually remember it). Though he wasn't letting it slow him down, he was still not entirely himself. He claims that milkshake was what finally got his digestive system back to 100%. After my first few bites I was pretty sure I was going to be very happy here. Having heard such good things about the food, I was wondering if it would live up to the hype and it absolutely did.


After lunch we claimed a pair of lounge chairs and settle in to do absolutely nothing. Catcha is such a perfectly calm and peaceful place. Everyone who was around, which wasn't really very many, seemed to be in a pretty mellow place. There was absolutely no hustle and bustle. For the beach die-hards I suspect that is what is missing from Catcha. For us, that's the reason I'll be back this year.

It was Saturday and Luciano was performing at Seastar. Before sunset we headed back to the room to clean-up and bit and get changed. From the deck at Pisces I hear a voice exclaim, "Is that a Cherry North I see?"

There was boardie Mamade11 . We'd been chatting on the board and knew we would likely be seeing each other around and she and her partner Frank were moving down to CocoLaPalm the day before we were. It was great to put a face to the name. Another boardie, Irie Always had very kindly offered to book a table for us all at the show, as they were checking into Seastar that day. We made plans to meet up at Ivan's bar a little while later to walk up the lane together.
Our first sunset at Catcha did not disappoint.


It was nice to see the activity at Rick's, but it was also nice not to be a part of it.