Try a few days on da cliffs?

We're booked for 12 days at CC over the Xmas holiday, but am having second thoughts on staying on the cliffs for a few days at the beginning of our trip. I'm in total awww with Catcha, looks so relaxing and tropical with that eerie vibe. We r really beach people (hubby needs the hustle & bustle ) as there is so many bars & restaurant within walking distance and love that vibrant energy from the beach. I guess I'm kinda trying to convince myself that it will be worth the few $ more and need some convincing arguments for my husband that it won't be "boring" on the cliffs. Any input from fellow beach goers vs. cliff goers...

Stayed at both beach and cliffs for a few years,love both.Catcha is really awesome but get one of the newer rooms to keep the night time(morning)noise to a minimum.Lots of places to walk to eat and drink but after dark you need to be really careful.Beach stays are a tad bit easier if you stick to walking along the road and not the beach you can party all night and into the morning with very little problem.Treat it like any stay in any strange town or city,just watch your surroundings and all will be good!!

I have never stayed on the beach in Negril. Visit always, but not reside there.
Trelawny yes, but not Negril.
Your hubby might really enjoy a couple of nights on the west end before hitting the beach.
It's worth a try and you don't have to cough up 'Catcha' money to do it. Lots of Cliffside places that will give you a great Jamaican experience for a lot less dough.
The cliffs aren't boring. They're romantic, interesting, far more 'local' experience. (if that's possible in a tourist town)

The cliffs are like a neighborhood,go either towards town or away it changes depending, but man,sitting here trying to think how to describe it,it's sweet...

we did 4 nights on the cliffs on our first visit and will do the same again we are beach people but we loved the cliff saying that the 4 nights was enough for us there

We are beach people and have tried two different places on the cliffs decided it wasn't for us

There is plenty of action on the cliffs, if you look for it. It's just more of a chill vibe, with a lot less hustle then the beach. There is a hub of activity around Blue Cave Castle and Home Sweet Home, with Pee Wee's, No Limit, Spyda Bar, Jenny's and Tayon's all within easy walking distance. L&M market is also right there for stocking up on supplies. Both BCC and HSH are affordable options with a sea view from every room.

There is another hub of activity around SeaStar Lane, with AhhBee's, Shark's, Ivan's, LTU and (of course) SeaStar all within steps of each other. Some of the cliffside accommodations around here tend to be on the higher end, such as Catcha, Tensing Pen and Mirage, but affordable rates can be found at SeaStar, Catcha Gardens and Banana Shout/Banana Gardens.

Of course there are plenty of cool hotels and restaurants in between but these are the areas that seem to have have the most activity and most places within easy walking distance. I say give the cliffs a try for a couple days then move to beach. I have really only heard 2 or 3 people say that tried the cliffs and won't go back.

Personally, my wife and I have decided to always stay on the cliffs. We value the peaceful, romantic vibe of a private sea view balcony or veranda. This is hard to come by on the beach, especially at an affordable price.

Mirage is very nice but no where near the cost of Tensing and Catcha. For a couple, just over $100/night depending on high/low season.

We luv the beach vibe and for the first time last year went with 7 days on the beach and ended with three on the cliffs.
It was great and a nice way to wind down a bit.

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Originally Posted by Melody

Mirage is very nice but no where near the cost of Tensing and Catcha. For a couple, just over $100/night depending on high/low season.

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You can usually catch a deal at Mirage (Negril One Stop has a good one now), but the published base rates are little on the higher side. Nadine quoted me over $120 for a third floor room in November of this year, if I booked directly with the hotel. You can get Pisces or Little Capricorn at Catcha for less than that. During the winter the rates go up to $200.

I agree, that Tensing will be priced higher that Mirage in almost all cases - but in some scenarios, you can get a room Catcha for about the same rate. It all depends on what amenities you are willing to trade off on.

When I said that Mirage tended to be priced on the higher end, I was comparing it other cliffside hotel like BCC and HSH where you can get a nice seaview room for $75 during the slow season. You can get a room at Negril Escape even cheaper, but I personally don't consider those rooms to be that "nice". We have stayed at Mirage and we love the rooms and the property. But I do consider it a higher end hotel, as the average rates are generally over $120 a night.

Thanks for your input everyone! I'm leaning towards trying the cliffs for 3 nights at the beginning to help us unwind & reconnect. We have a hectic work schedule, who doesn't??? LOL! We usually stay at Couples, but really want to explore "outside the box". 2 yrs ago we did Couples in Ochi for 4 nights, and it was very romantic and relaxing, before going to Couples on 7 mile beach, which is just a different relaxing vibe. Can't wait to try non AI and hit some more "local" spots. Will definitely chime in on our experience!

I see that Mirage is raising their rates this year. All levels used to be the same price, now the 2nd and 3rd floor are higher. Used to be cheaper than new ground floor price for any room. I usually travel off season and get the single price.TP seems really high, and Catcha, I don't care for their $30 reservation fee that they sneak on. Was going to treat myself with Pisces for one night but with the current exchange rate and the $30 fee it passed my upper limit. Home Sweet Home is one that I'm interested in for sea view rooms. Will be staying at Catcha Gardens this winter for $77/night tax in. Will have to walk across to LTU for the sea view!

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Originally Posted by Mike_D

You can usually catch a deal at Mirage (Negril One Stop has a good one now), but the published base rates are little on the higher side. Nadine quoted me over $120 for a third floor room in November of this year, if I booked directly with the hotel. You can get Pisces or Little Capricorn at Catcha for less than that. During the winter the rates go up to $200.

I agree, that Tensing will be priced higher that Mirage in almost all cases - but in some scenarios, you can get a room Catcha for about the same rate. It all depends on what amenities you are willing to trade off on.

When I said that Mirage tended to be priced on the higher end, I was comparing it other cliffside hotel like BCC and HSH where you can get a nice seaview room for $75 during the slow season. You can get a room at Negril Escape even cheaper, but I personally don't consider those rooms to be that "nice". We have stayed at Mirage and we love the rooms and the property. But I do consider it a higher end hotel, as the average rates are generally over $120 a night.

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There are a lot of nice places on the cliffs - we have stayed 3 or 4 times at Sunset on the Cliffs. It's a bit dated and could use a bit of sprucing up, but it's got it! The the rooms are big, there's a room safe, the staff are warm and friendly, the pool and pool deck are awesome, the grounds are kept with tender loving care by Dudley. There's a dep literally steps away, Sips and Bit, Erica's and Eddy's Da Bar all with seconds walking distance. Get a seaview room and you will be addicted! The view is spectacular. The restaurant is good - you can ask for whatever you need. You may pay for a small fridge (I can't remember how much, but it wasn't a deal breaker), but you can get a coffee maker - whatever. They're very accommodating. We would have coffee on the balcony and just watch the sea. Incredible. It's not that expensive, either, and off season, they're negotiable. It's not so far up the cliff road, either. Check their website. Tell Samual Maggie sent you! :)

M&G I am totally with you on this...Sunset on the Cliffs fits a budget nicely and has the best view, fab staff and location location location!!!! We were lucky enough to get screwed out of our Rooms room for a night and they put 14 of us up there and we are now repeaters!! We are booked there for our week on the cliffs this year and cant wait to go back. Rooms were maybe a little dated, but clean and the view was second to none. Balcony felt like we were the only ones there and wonderful food, and I hear they are doing an update as we speak so cant wait to see it!! Count down is on..

Melody, I was very surprised to see the new rate schedule at Mirage, as well. I reached out to Nadine to see if they would offer me a discount as a repeat customer. I was told the regular nightly rate for a third floor room was US $193 (double), taxes included, in November. They did offer me a 10% discount, but I still couldn't pay that price when One Stop was offering rooms on the lower floors for $80.

I did see that Mirage is now offering a $25 dinner credit at Le Vendome, which is a nice touch.

We've always stayed on the cliffs but a couple of years ago we decided to try the beach. Our room was beautiful and the location was good but the vibe was different. The cliffs are far more casual and the staff is friendlier. We found the better restaurants are on the cliffs and there's lots of little bars to stop off at. It has a more authentic Jamaican feel as you are staying amongst the residents. We have decided we are cliff dwellers.

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Originally Posted by Mike_D

Melody, I was very surprised to see the new rate schedule at Mirage, as well. I reached out to Nadine to see if they would offer me a discount as a repeat customer. I was told the regular nightly rate for a third floor room was US $193 (double), taxes included, in November. They did offer me a 10% discount, but I still couldn't pay that price when One Stop was offering rooms on the lower floors for $80.

I did see that Mirage is now offering a $25 dinner credit at Le Vendome, which is a nice touch.

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Are you staying at Mirage in November? I'm surprised they wouldn't offer the one stop special direct. Does the one stop special include 2nd floor rooms? I loved my 2nd floor corner room, great view. With the price increase, it would be nice if they offered free transportation to and from Charela...best of both worlds. I likely wouldn't bother changing hotels each trip if they did that.

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Originally Posted by Melody

Are you staying at Mirage in November? I'm surprised they wouldn't offer the one stop special direct. Does the one stop special include 2nd floor rooms? I loved my 2nd floor corner room, great view. With the price increase, it would be nice if they offered free transportation to and from Charela...best of both worlds. I likely wouldn't bother changing hotels each trip if they did that.

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No, we are staying elsewhere this time. I was hoping they would at least match the One Stop special. I had the same experience when I stayed there in February. At the time there was a very good deal being offered trough Deal Chicken. I first contacted the hotel to book a third floor room directly with them and they quoted me the regular advertised rate. After asking the about the Deal Chicken rate, they told me that I can certainly book through Deal Chicken but I would be getting a first floor room. If I wanted a third floor room, I would have to book directly with the Mirage. I'm thinking that it is a similar situation with the One Stop Deal, however I'm not sure if it includes first and second floor rooms or just first floor.

That is a shame! Mirage is quite a nice cliff resort yet for that price...more amenities could be had. I really hate to hear this because I do like Mirage. I think that their decision might backfire. Many of we cliff dwellers may have to look elsewhere. I know if I owned a resort that is frequently not filled to capacity...I would rather decrease the price a little and fill up my resort! Guess since their is no bar or restaurant to increase $$$...the prices of the newer rooms increase.
Still hate to hear it.

We love to start our trips to Negril with a couple nights on the cliffs. It definitely is a different vibe but we love both the cliffs and the beach. There are so many great restaurants on the cliffs, and for us, there is nothing better than sitting on our balcony/patio in the evening with a Red Stripe or Appleton listening to the waves crash against the rocks. Since you have so many days on the beach, I'd definitely spend a few on the cliffs to try it out. Our last reach we stayed at Spa Retreat and loved it!

We like both. The past 2 trips hubby and I have stayed on the cliffs, Hideawhile & The Spa retreat, xmas week we are first staying at Xtabi and then down to CSA for a week. It's nice to break it up :)

I made the plunge! Booked for 3 nights at Catcha at the beginning of our stay. I looked at different places that were less expensive, but Catcha is the one that kept coming back. Really excited that we'll get a chance to experience the cliff vibe. Was looking at places to go and eat walking distance, and couldn't figure out if AhhBees is walkable from Catcha? I think I read that Just Natural moved a while back, is it walkable as we'll. Another one we want to try for dinner is PushCart. Do they have live music? Thanks everyone!

AhhBees is just acrooss the street from you Just natural is wakable we walked it a few morning aslo try murphys very nice vibe and food was not that gone on the food at LTU but we could have just got it on a bad evening.

Firewater is up the road (a little past Ricks\next to Sir "D's"). It's a great place to catch the sunset instead of Ricks. We sometimes pop in Ricks for one or two then head to Firewater to catch the sunset. The Pub Crawl has already pulled into Firewater for sunset while we were there. In fact, that's how we found Firewater to begin with. Seastar is just across the road and down the lane as another option. We've already grabbed lunch there and got the "party" started. Of course if your in that area Saturday night, you might want to catch the Seastar show.