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Jamericans
just returned from JA after one month there - Printable Version

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just returned from JA after one month there - Sharleen - 01-12-2018

This time was pretty different for me, for the most part we stayed in Negril, then over to Strawberry Fields in St. Mary, then on to Kingston after some horrendous weather, rain, flooding in Strawberry Fields.  I usually stay in below-average rental places with all those problems (like no water pressure, my main aggravation, as well as very weak security) but this time we stayed in nice places:  Treehouse for six days, Catch a Falling Star for five days, then Coco LaPalm for six days, while in Negril (then on to Strawberry Fields where the weather turned crappy).  With all the "stuff" going on in the surrounding parishes as well as Westmoreland, we stayed, for the most part, right in Negril.  I usually go to Kings Vale, Grange Hill, Orange Hill, but not this time.  We were not looking for a 'discover Jamaica' type of vacation, just a 'get out of the cold weather' and relax and read and eat at different places type of vacation.   We arrived on 12/21, our airfare cost was almost double what I usually pay (arriving 12/27 usually to get a reduced airfare) -- we booked in mid-September.  Working at a University it is the absolute best time to leave your job, the place pretty much closes down over the holidays, so for our particular situation, it was easier to pay the extra air fare charges and get out of NY asap.  WOW - Negril is like a big city now, even more than last March.  Month by month the place grows.  I usually do the cheap $30-$40 a night place (my daughters were in college so I was on a strict budget) -- not this trip though (thankfully).  I need a guaranteed lots of water pressure / hot water type of place as well as with total security.  The Tree House was fantastic, I can't wait to bring my grandchildren there in April.  Amazing security, free (great) breakfast, nicer than nice staff, we definitely enjoyed our stay there.  On to Catch A Falling Star, we loved in there last February and March.  In September all of our preferred places to stay were booked and the only available place to reserve was The Gatehouse.  The minute we were brought to the room, FIRST thing I checked the water pressure -- there was a tiny trickle of water both in the sink and the shower "a mere trickle" and not acceptable. For any people who have booked a place in the west end, CHECK THE WATER PRESSURE the minute they take you into your room.   They moved us into Pisces for two nights, then moved us into "The Star" for one night, then back to the Gatehouse, again with no significant water.  The Star was a great two bedroom house with a huge wrap-around porch, we loved it there.  It was a definite hassle though, our entire time there, having to move all of our luggage into 'the luggage room' at 11 a.m. and then having to move into our "room for the day".  We do love the swimming area, jumping off of the cliff and swimming about ten times daily.  Their cliff area relaxing places cut out into the cliff's are amazing, as well as is the cove to swim in.  After staying there we move into Cocoa La Palm, very nice rooms, 'continental breakfast' included.  We had tried to move back into the Tree House, but in September all the rooms for that time period were  booked.  
   We used the many 'pick up free' options for dinner - while on the beach we used the free service to both CIAO across from Samsara, and pick up service to Ten Sing Pen (for dinner/sunset) twice.  Their food was excellent.  The food prices for every place seems to go up every six months or so, we spent way too much money on dinners !!!  Places that we ate dinners were at Tree House (including their special Christmas dinner which was excellent) as well as Coco La Palm's New Year's Eve dinner, which included a very long 'show' complete with a band, dancers, body contortionist.  I think my favorite meal was in Negril at Ten Sing Pen, I highly recommend it both for the view and their food and dinner choices. 
   Crossing the beach road is definitely DANGEROUS -- it was pretty scary actually.  The only reason I had to cross was to go to some of the small Jamaican stores for soda's, liquor for our rooms.  I had bought Jamaican dollars from my bank in NY before we left, that worked out great.  They had a 3% surcharge on the $300 I had changed at the current rate on that date.  The hotels seem to give a very crappy rate and the airport rate even crappier...
   We had a driver from Kingsley Take Time Tours (based out of Xtabi) pick us up at the airport in Mobay with no problems finding him ($60 for two).  We needed a van with air conditioning, last March we had a small car pick us up with no A/C and it bothered my daughter who was sitting in the back seat.  Huge traffic tie up in Lucea so it took us quite a bit of time to get through.  
   Though I am always there for New Years Eve, I usually always spend that night in the vicinity of Lucea.  This year, for the first year in many years though, we spent it in Negril.  Because of all of the things that have been going on in the various surrounding areas, I didn't feel safe really, going outside of the area.  SO many people on the beach, SO much free entertainment, bands, sound systems, etc. all up and down the beach.  The fireworks were very nice too...  
   One of the days we went to Zimbali for lunch -- that was very very nice, we decided to go to lunch instead of dinner so that we could have a longer Farm Tour.  It is not a long drive, but the road up to their place is long and narrow so it took awhile.  I think it was $10 R/T for two of us and $65 for a five course lunch.  I highly recommend it for a day outing - the wine was excellent as well as the five couse lunch.  
   I had wanted to spend this vacation in Treasure Beach but my travelling companion this time (my daughter) thought it "looked too quiet"..  I will be looking forward to our Tennessee couple's report on their vacation.  We travelled to Strawberry Field (Robin's Bay area of St. Mary's) leaving Negril.  Unfortunately the weather turned bad so we only stayed for two nights.  I used to drive over that way quite often during the 1970's.  There was a murder of one of the long time residents (Rasta Steve) and our driver urged us to get out of there due to the huge rainstorm, so then onward to Kingston for three days.  Lots of mudslides just after we got out of there, so a good thing we left when we did.  Many of my Jamaican friends from home (upstate NY) were in Kingston for the holidays so we met up with them, some of them from what I would refer to as fairly 'scary neighborhoods' but we were fine there.  
  I was happy to see so many Jamaicans, now residents of the U.S., in Jamaica for the holidays both at the Tree House and Coco La Palm, many of them residing all over the U.S. and meeting up in Jamaica.  
  We had our beloved little dog Pippa boarded at this place called Camp Bow Wow the whole time we were gone.  Daily we could log on to the computer and watch her in the 'play area' with the other dogs being boarded.  I felt horrid about leaving her for so long but every time we watched her, her little tail was wagging so it made us feel a little better.  It cost us $600 for her to stay there, this is like an extra air fare for another trip... 
   I have always thought that when I would retire I would go to Jamaica for six months out of our cold upstate NY weather.  I'm not so sure anymore, mainly because of the island-wide "no water" at times,I think I'm actually unprepared to deal with those kinds of situations now.  I was REALLY glad to get back to my house in NY.  
   Going through customs in Charlotte NC, our stopover, took forever, so much time that we almost missed our connecting flight.  We were the last people on the plane.  


RE: just returned from JA after one month there - daniel - 01-12-2018

Thank you for the report .   I stayed with Rasta Steve about 10 years ago . RIP Rasta !  I love SFT , and RB area . 


RE: just returned from JA after one month there - Sharleen - 01-12-2018

so this is what happened to him: 
http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/fishermans-throat-slashed-st-mary  I used to love the area and just wanted to check it out for a six month stay next year.   It can be rather dicey swimming there, always has been, the currents can be intense.  It is a lovely and quiet area though still, in Jamaica though, in these times, it seems to me that if you are a 'retiree' type of person you can be targeted as 'having money'.  I have read repeated reports of so many Jamaican people who have worked their entire life SO hard, returned to their home, and have been murdered within a month of their returning.  Both US / Canadian / UK retirees.  This is SO unbelievably horrendous and sad, these Jamaican people who left their home decades ago, returned to Jamaica when they were like 70 years old, bought their residence, and were murdered through a robbery within a few months.  I sort of feel like we are at least a little bit protected in the  Negril area.  Any comments / advice greatly appreciated ???


RE: just returned from JA after one month there - Raine22 - 01-13-2018

So enjoyed reading your report Sharlene and yes have heard my Mom says Jamaica has gotten super scary. When she goes down she always vacation in a Hotel and have select family members come visit. She says when she retires she has no intention of returning to jamaica....Mom says the couple that were murdered in jamaica she feels it is family members/folks that they are close to who did the murder so sad they were 80 and 70 E0791


RE: just returned from JA after one month there - ohliz - 01-14-2018

Damn sorry to hear at Steve - I didn't know him but i know people in S-Fields who certainly would. 

Where did you stay there, before the rain? 


RE: just returned from JA after one month there - kylake - 01-15-2018

Sharleen, thanks for the trip reporting but it is sad to hear about the violence that seems to be getting worse for returning ex-pats. Just trying to go home and taken down in a sad way.
We might do a trip over to TB this year but mostly we will be in Negril area. Looking at Lances Bay for a few days and Daniel has helped with information about that area.