Negril Jamaica, June 2008

Arriving in Montego Bay, waiting in the lines, humid, hot, cranky & tired.   As soon as we got outside we spotted the driver, Andy, sent by Country Country.  He quickly had us loaded up and on our way.  He pointed things out along the way and was very friendly.  Our tiredness and crankiness melted as the scenery went by.   Arriving at Country Country was like arriving at an oasis!  First impression was one of serenity and beauty.   As soon as we were shown to our cottage we put on swimsuits and headed to the beach.  WOW!  First sight of the beach took our breath away!  The water felt wonderful, the food was tasty and our first impression was that we had just arrived in paradise!

My group consisted of my daughter, 7 year old grandson, son, daughter in law & 12 year old granddaughter.  It was our first "real" family vacation and the staff at Country Country certainly made it memorable.

We enjoyed the beauty of the beach, and walked both directions looking at different resorts and restaurants and vendors.  Our favorite meal was at The Palms.  The service there was great and the food reasonable and delicious.  Our sever, Shannon, made our meal a great experience.  One night we listened to a reggae show on the beach and watched a fire dancer which both were very good.

One day we contacted Mayfield Falls and for $65 (USD) per adult ($35 for the kids) a van picked us up at 9AM for the trip there.  The driver stopped several times along the way to show us different things, and pointed out a lot of different plants and villages, and was very knowledgable.  The falls...well, certainly not for the faint of heart!  Definitely not commercialized or touristy!  Very rustic and just amazing!  The cost of the trip included the hike upstream through the river and lunch when we returned (which was tasty).  The guides were amazing, catching us when we were swept off our feet, and actually carrying our 7 year old on their backs most of the time.  It was beautiful!  Check it out!  They got us back to Country Country about 4PM, exhausted and feeling like we had really had an adventure!

Of course you can't go to Negril without going to Rick's Cafe!  The scenery is completely different there than from our resort - the cliffs, the cliffs!  The divers there climb a tree approximately 100 feet above the water and dive!  Breathtaking!  With the excpetion of our little guy, the rest of us (including grandma here) jumped off the cliffs!  My grandson says I'm the "coolest bravest Grandma ever", so overcoming my fear and jumping was certainly worth that accolade!

Dinner one night at the Rock House at sunset...Oh my God! Every night the sunset was different and beautiful. 

So now we're back at home, some in Los Angeles, some in WAshington State, and trying to figure out how soon we can save up to go back!