TRIP REPORT- Starfish Trelawny 7/2002 by aiko_and_booyah@hotmail.com

Front Desk: Generally speaking, everyone was very nice….but slow. I understand the idea of “island time”, I truly do; however, if people worked with one guest at a time, I believe everything would be smoother and faster. Check in took approximately 40 minutes (our room wasn’t ready, and we had to wait 20 minutes for a room assignment). Of those 40 minutes, 30 were spent simply being helped: we would be asked what we needed, and in the process of helping us, the front desk employee would stop and help four other people. Check out, on the other hand, took approximately 4 minutes; I believe this is because we were the only ones at the desk!

Restaurants:
1. Seashell Grill & Bar- located between the beach and sports pool. Best burgers and hot dogs I have had in a long time! Open from 10:30-6:30, the grill is real busy around noon, but the line moves quickly. Also had nachos, popcorn, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a number of beverages available.

2. Casablanca- Beautiful and INDOORS! This restaurant has surcharges on some of the menu items, but it is possible to get dinner, start to finish, at no additional cost. Of the four of us who ate dinner there together, we managed to sample just about everything on the menu. The overall opinion was that the food was good (the fish was VERY good), but the meat dishes left something to be desired. The cuts of meat were not terribly good, and the meat preparation was lacking. One person at our table, a real meat and potatoes guy, ate maybe a 1/3 of his, and quenched his hunger at the free buffet downstairs afterwards. I will vouch for the fish, the Mediterranean salad, and the cheesecake, though!

3. Giuseppe’s- Outdoor dining, $6 per person surcharge. Let’s begin by saying that you should bring some Off! or other repellent. The mosquitos were a terror both here and at Munahana’s (see below). Food was good, worth the surcharge, but nothing to write home to my Italian grandmother about. As with Casbalanca, fish was the best route, although everyone enjoyed his or her meal here.

4. Munahana- Japanese (hibachi), $15 per person surcharge. The only real problem with our experience at Munahana was that half the fun of hibachi is the skill with which the chef cooks and entertains. Our “vegetable” chef was in training, and while it’s not as though he was tossing peppers at us, I missed the onion ring volcano that is par for the course at a hibachi restaurant. Our “meat” chef was wonderful, and the food was fantastic (though a little salty), but since the “entertainment” was lacking, I felt a little abused by the surcharge amount. However, sake was available at no additional charge, so we made the most of it by drinking up!

5. The Starfish Buffet- This place was indeed incredible. Breakfast was rumored to be wonderful- omelettes, French toast, amazing yogurt, a ton of fruit, etc. The other couple that my husband and I traveled with frequented the buffet at breakfast, and just raved about it. Lunch and dinner both offered a wide variety of foods- cold salads (including cucumber, crab meat, tuna, pasta, lettuce, tomato, etc.), a number of different breads, brisket, chicken, pork, and fish (although the only fish offered was fried). There was also a fruit selection, a huge dessert table, and soup. The Starfish Buffet was also open after midnight for a snack- salami or ham sandwiches, grilled cheese, etc. Overall, the food was good, a selection to suit everyone, and convenient.

Bars: Overall, the bars were good. No top shelf, but an unlimited supply of every kind of rum you can imagine. Rumored to be watered down, while we didn’t think so, we figured that since we could drink as many as we wanted, it didn’t matter anyway!

1. Main Bar- this one is located in the lobby, and became our afternoon rest stop. Located overlooking the resort and near the slot machines, this was the place to go to just rest and drink, and chit chat a little bit.

2. Swim up bar and its land locked mate- very cool idea, a little out of the way, and had erratic hours (never knew if it would be open or closed).

3. Piano bar- nice, relaxing, and upstairs away from it all. The pianist was fantastic, although we couldn’t say the same for some of the guests singing along with him! HA!

4. Bubbles Disco- Depending on the night, it was either just the four of us, or it was hopping. The DJ was a little eccentric, but the bar was good, and we had a good time.

Water Sports- In this area, we are not terribly experienced, as between the four of us we did little. All the motorized sports are at an additional cost, as is scuba certification. The parasailing ($50 per person) was fantastic, the jet skis ($55- 1/2 hour, per jet ski) were a lot of fun, and the kayaking was a blast. If you opt for the parasailing, we would suggest going in the AM, since the wind picks up quite a bit after noon.

The Spa- Incredibly professional and well worth the money. The massages were wonderful, and well-priced, as were the facials. The seaweed body scrub and reflexology massage were both well worth the money. Marcia and Luella were fantastic!

Entertainment: While we were there, we got to see the staff/guest talent show, the circus show (with trapeze tricks done by the kids in the Kids Club), the beach party, and casino night. The best way to sum up the entertainment is to say that if the AUDIENCE was in the mood, it was a blast- otherwise it was worth leaving.

The Rooms: Both couples stayed in an ocean view room. While most definitely not the Ritz, the rooms were comfortable, clean, and practical. The bathrooms do need to be remodeled, and the water temperature was a little inconsistent, but the pressure was WONDERFUL. No low-flow shower heads at this joint! The in-room bar consisted of 4 full bottles of alcohol (rum, gin, vodka, and whiskey), and we never touched them. The refrigerator was supposed to be stocked, but wasn’t. We called to get it stocked, and were delivered 6 bottles of soda (20 oz.)…but with all types of drinks available outside round the clock, we didn’t get too bothered by the empty fridge.

Tours: We did two of the available tours- the MoBay shopping trip ($15 per person), and the Luminous Lagoon with dinner at Glistening Waters ($50 per person). The MoBay trip was a joke, and you’re better off buying in the hotel gift shop or at the airport. The Luminous Lagoon trip was wonderful though, and well worth the money. The dinner at Glistening Waters was good, and even the meat dish was tasty J.

Overall, we had a really good time, and feel that Starfish was a good deal for your dollar. Definitely better suited to people with children than to couples looking for romance, but as four 20-something individuals looking to have a good time in Jamaica, the trip was a resounding success. Would I go back again? Maybe if I had children…otherwise, we’d like to give the other side of the island a shot. But were I to hit the north side of the island for some reason, I would definitely consider the starfish. Despite its idiosyncrasies, the staff, the guests, and the resort made for a relaxing, inexpensive, Jamaican vacation.

Please feel free to e-mail me at aiko_and_booyah@hotmail.com with any questions.