Need Help with Hotel Advice for 1st Time Visitors Please

Negril has been on our bucket list for a very long time and we are finally able to plan a visit. Trip will be for 2 - just husband and I in mid 50's - hoping to stay 8-10 days next January or February for our 35th anniversary and are not all inclusive types. I'd like to book our trip soon however have been waffling over hotels. I definitely want to be on the beach for the majority, if not all of our stay.

I think Coco La Palm would meet all of our needs, but am a bit confused about why their ratings seem to have dropped over this last year.

Another hotel that caught my eye is Rayon. Looks to be very budget friendly, however I'm concerned if I would regret not being on the beach. Can anyone weigh in on Rayon and the pros/cons of being across the street?

Last, I have kicked around the idea of spending 2-3 days on the cliffs (Catcha) just to see another side of Negril, but wonder about the loosing a good chunk of a day "moving" between hotels. Since this is our first trip, would we be better off saving a stay on the Cliffs for another trip? (Can't afford to stay at Catcha for the entire trip this time, plus really want to spend time on the beach.)

Thank you in advance for sharing your words of wisdom and recommendations. :)

anokagirl,

Stayed at Coco La Palm this past June. Nothing wrong with Coco, great beach, great location on the beach and the Staff was very good. The food at the Restaurant was very good for Breakfast and dinner, the Beach Grill was only so so, but we usually walked across the Street to Best in the West Jerk Chicken for lunch. Can't say enough good things about the property and staff.

I have only stayed at Seastar Inn on the Cliffs, but have been to Catcha Falling Star for drinks and dinner several times and it is very nice.

Enjoy,

VVHT

I've stayed on both the beach and the cliffs, and each one has its pro's and con's. The beach is where all the action is and you can do a lot of people watching, not to mention all the good beach food. (Patties...yum). The cliffs are more chill and it's more like a small town feel when you walk around. You can easily snorkel right off the cliffs at various spots.

I just stayed at Traveller Resort on the beach in February for the first time, and I enjoyed the place. The staff were the best! It's on the south end of the beach, not as crowded, which I happen to like. You may want to check out Citronella, Xtabi, and Home Sweet Home on the cliffs also. I've stayed at all of them, and I liked them all. Xtabi has garden rooms across the street which are very affordable also. It's also right next door to Three Dives Jerk, my favorite jerk place on the cliffs.

Just think about what you and the hubby want to do. Do you want to just chill out, or do you want to be where the action is? Route taxi's will take you quickly from the beach to the cliffs or vice versa if you just want to explore what the other area has to offer. We split our time between the beach and the cliffs this year, and it was a quick transaction to move our stuff.

Throw some questions into the search engine on this site, because there is a ton of good advice about all sorts of things, and people on the board are great at helping out with advice.

I think a split of 3 nights on cliffs and a week on the beach is a great idea for a first trip! We always do a cliff/beach split and its not a big deal. Pack up the night before switch .. put on bathing suit and cover up in the morning and grab a ride to new location. And Coco and Catcha are 2 good choices!

The switch is easy, you won't lose much time at all.

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Originally Posted by saeyedoc

The switch is easy, you won't lose much time at all.

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Seriously. It's like ten minutes away at most. You may lose an hour to gain a whole different perspective on Negril. When we change hotels in Negril it never takes more than an hour, tops.

I'll third the switch being easy. It's not like checking in and out of a hotel in the states and like others said, the distance is 7-10 mins. Highly suggested.

For first timers my beach recommendations are Charela Inn or our beach home Negril Tree House. Tree House often has groupon or living social deals. Coco is a great place also. We've never stayed there but lots of friends have.

changing hotels will be a Jamaican experience, with the excitement of another property.

Although staying on the morass side is very close to the beach and has its own charm, it is not the same as being able to walk out of your room onto the sand in your jammies.

Can't go wrong with Charela Inn. Right in the middle of the Beach. Seems like the boardies are split between Beachers and Cliffers. I like to visit the Cliffs for dinner/bars/music, but it's too quiet for me....and the road can be freakin' scary. Somehow, they need to widen the Cliff road or build in a detour. I'd rather chill on the beach - walking, swimming, chatting up the locals and the familiar faces, and people watching. New sidewalk along the Beach Road is a great new addition to the Negril walk-about.

If you can get the Pisces room, or one of the Geminii rooms you would be very pleased with the price. These are inexpensive rooms at Catcha. They are nice. The staff here is awesome. I actually prefer them over the bigger suites.

I believe the slight drop in ratings for CCLP was due to the increase in the number of rooms. Their remodel and addition to the old Coco Inn was fabulous and hugely successful. We stayed there for 12 days right when the new rooms opened (April 2015). Management was caught off guard by the quick increase in guests and did not plan far enough ahead in the hiring and training of additional cooks, wait staff, etc... There were some abnormally long waits for breakfast, but it was "no problem" as the view there is spectacular ! ! The quality of food or service never suffered, just a little longer wait then normal. A email from CCLP a few weeks after our trip explained the situation and apologized for the inconvenience. They assured everyone that the issues have been identified and was being addressed.

We are booked again at CCLP for 12 days in April and can not wait to return.

Coco is a great place on the beach and Catcha has a place in our hearts on the cliffs.We use to party like rock stars at Hedo for 6 days and then spend 5 days chilling at Catcha.The changing hotels is like everyone else said,1 hour and it is over.

Forgot to mention that Bradly and Kevin are both amazing bartenders and Barbra is a great manager who happens to like Jager!

Hi, my husband and I in our mid 60's with 2 adult daughters took our first trip to Jamaica this past January, and we stayed a week at Coco la Palm. It was absolutely fabulous, and after checking out all of the other hotel choices we "almost" picked, we felt we had made the best choice. We stayed beachfront, which is more expensive, but right on the sand. We loved it so much that my husband and I are taking another couple with us to Coco next January, and already have our beachfront rooms booked (the first 2 rooms we wanted were already booked over a year in advance). Of course, off the beach within the resort is great too, and less costly. We absolutely loved the hotel! You can stay in the newer portion which in our opinion is a little "vanilla" even though newer and fresher. We go for character and flavor above all, and that's what we got when we stayed in the Coco Villa #532 - our own patio on the beach, enough room for the 4 of us, just heavenly. People were wonderful, beach the very best, plenty of trees for shade. This is our new yearly "go to" place! However, teh wifi was really sporadic, which was a bother. Wherever you stay will probably be great, as there are lots of great little hotels along the beach, all depending on your budget and personal preferences. Cliffs are great to visit, but we wouldn't stay there (although many would beg to differ...) Negril is such a diverse and beautiful place, there is "just the right place" for everyone! Enjoy your trip!