Intro & Questions re: Staying on 7 Mile Beach (Attempting to convert from AI)

[3LittleBirds]

Hellooooo from Michigan! New to the board and glad to have found you!

My husband and I have traveled to Negril twice - once in 2011 (CSA) and once in 2014 (CSA/CN Split). We have a looooooooong ways out for planning (In fact, I'm afraid I might get laughed at for my 'advanced planning' lol) but we are in the process of creating a "20 Nights for 20 Years" trip in 2021 to celebrate my 40th bday and our 20th anniversary. The tentative plan at the moment is: 5 nights at Couples Negril, 5 at Couples Swept Away, 5 at Catcha Falling Star (only if we can get Sagi; otherwise will probably end up at Rockhouse), and 5 nights in Ocho Rios at Couples San Souci.

We obviously love Couples Resorts and staying there is what made us fall in love with Jamaica in the first place. However, I'm extremely curious about trading in CSA for some other hotel or resort on 7 Mile. I've been lurking here & on TA and there are SO many places on the beach I'd love to check out without feeling like we were ripping ourselves off since we've already paid our way for food/drinks at an AI. I'd really like to explore a bit more of Negril this trip.

However..... I have looked at *I think* just about all of the options on the beach (as on TripAdvisor, NegrilOneStop, others mentioned in this forum & TA) and I'm just sort of unsure about them, which is why we stayed with the original choice of CSA. Websites only offer so much info so I just couldn't figure out who would have what we are after. What we are looking for is:

- $250/night or less budget
- Well-kept beach area with ample seating
- On-site bar
- On-site restaurant would be nice, but if not, good options close enough to walk to/from safely
- Would prefer to NOT do an AI for this part of the trip so we're not deterred from other places for food/drink
- Patio/verandah with privacy (This one is important to us. We don't want to be close to areas where a lot of people conjure {i.e. pool}. We don't want our neighbors sharing a balcony or stacked on us. We like to partake in ganj and although "It's Jamaica; No Problem", we would like to be courteous to others who do not wish to smell it on their balcony multiple times a day.)
- I would prefer to not have to cross the street to use the beach but I suppose it's not a deal breaker. Ocean view not a deal breaker, either, as we'll have plenty of that at Catcha.
- Would prefer villa-type accommodations as opposed to a standard "hotel"
- Something "different" would be cool, too - an outdoor shower or in suite hot tub or something of the like. This is going to be a very special trip and we've got four years to save in order to splurge. I did look at the Owner's Villa at... Nirvana, I think? It looked great except I don't think the balcony offers much privacy... correct?
- We will be coming from Couples Negril for this leg of the trip, so although wherever we end up doesn't have to be some fancy schmancy resort (In fact, too fancy would make me very uncomfortable; I'm a small town girl!), I do not want to walk in and have my husband ask my why the hell I talked him out of Couples lol. Would be nice if it was generally appealing and definitely clean.

If you've made it this far into my rambling...Thank you! Based on the above, does anyone have any recommendations for a hotel and/or specific room category to look into? Would truly appreciate any words of wisdom! And it's very nice to "meet" you all officially. I can quit feeling like such a Creeper now.

[j&k]

Idle Awhile would be a great place to start your search!
peace

[saeyedoc]

We've stayed in the Owner's Villa many times. Although the patio is not really private in the sense that people can see what you're doing, the resort is so small that it doesn't really matter. The whole place can only hold around 35 people. We've had no issues puffing on the patio any time. We'll be staying there again this December. It will not be in your budget though, just the room itself will be double your budget (depending on the time of the year), not including food and drinks. There are no on site facilities at Nirvana, but the White Sands is right next door with a great bar and Tony's hut is very close too.
Idle Awhile is nice, but the suites won't be in your budget, maybe the rooms, but don't get garden view rooms if you can avoid it, they are at back and can be noisy from the kitchen back there.
'

[CosmicMoose]

Have you checked out Nirvana?

Nice mid-beach location.

I have not stayed here though.

~Moose

[3LittleBirds]

Thank you very much for the replies! I think I'll check out Nirvana a little closer. Maybe I need to rethink the budget in order to suit our needs better. Like I said, we have plenty of time to save. Saeydoc, I was hoping you'd chime in here... Nirvana has my curiosity peaked and I've seen you referred to multiple times during my lurking as the "Nirvana Expert".

[saeyedoc]

We've stayed in fancier places (The Caves, Idle Awhile), but we keep coming back to Nirvana for the unbeatable beachfront accommodations, great staff, huge uncrowded beach.

[JohnNYC]

Nirvana beach veranda is amazing. For a little more privacy on the patio, do the upper level, but that takes away the "steps away" feel of being so close to the waters edge.

[jamaicarob]

we stay at Rooms On The Beach , great location, on site bar, restaurant, lots of great places to eat nearby,about 150 u.s. a nite, this will be our 9th time at Rooms, very clean, great security, GO WINGS GO, soon come

[booger]

Thank you very much for the replies! I think I'll check out Nirvana a little closer. Maybe I need to rethink the budget in order to suit our needs better. Like I said, we have plenty of time to save. Saeydoc, I was hoping you'd chime in here... Nirvana has my curiosity peaked and I've seen you referred to multiple times during my lurking as the "Nirvana Expert".

Nirvana is a great spot, especially if you prefer to self cater. I have stayed in numerous cottages, the Owners Villa several times, and Sundeck studio II. All rooms were fine, however I would suggest spending the extra coin and staying in a beachfront room. If you get a cottage or the Owners villa they will cook one meal a day for free. We prefer a big breakfast and they will show up at your time of choosing.

[Chris B]

Wow... 2021, huh? That's a long timeframe in a dynamic economy like Negril's. There are some constants along the beach, but there are also a lot of "here today, gone tomorrow" operations as well. Owners change, properties are abandoned (sometimes for years), others are purchased for development, business ventures fail... it happens all the time, and we can offer examples of all of those things happening in just the last two years.

We have stepped out a few times from the AI scene to extend our JA budget, and it certainly can be done. You simply have to put yourself in the mindset that you are moving from the land of "Yes!", to the world of "Where to next?".

While the beach near Swept Away is amazing, there are other places we've enjoyed staying on that end of Seven Mile that have the same vibe on the beach... Palms and Tree House come to mind, and Country Country is right there as well.

Good luck on your planning. Frankly, I would recommend that you don't reserve any portion of your non-AI itinerary until later in the planning effort.