Cliff dweller looking to expand to the beach. Treehouse the only way to go?

Took my first trip to Negril last August and have missed it like a lost friend since I returned to the states. I have been reading this board for about a week and have decided it is time to return. ASAP! Last time we stayed exclusively at Catcha and absolutely loved it! This time we want to mix a beach stay in but return to Catcha for the second half of our trip. Being newbies last year we really didn't get our Jamaica legs until second half of the trip so we want to enjoy Catcha the right way this time.
Everyone on the board seems to LOVE Treehouse but looking online it is easy to find mixed reviews. Have emailed owners at Nirvana but still trying to figure out where to book for the beach. My questions are... What in your opinion makes Treehouse THE place to stay on the beach? Am I making a mistake if I go anywhere else? I am really considering Nirvana but don't see it mentioned here much so wondering if there is something I am missing? Are there other places on the beach that I should be considering?
Thanks in advance for your responses! Thanks for re-inspiring me everyday to return to the most amazing place on earth. Gets me through everyday at work knowing the Negril sun will be upon my face soon.

PS: I know this is a long post for a boardie wannabe! In the future I'll try to be more brief :)

Husband and I are beach bums. We love Country Country. We get our own cottage a few steps from the beach. Breakfast is included, and it's a great breakfast especially the banana pancakes. We're gearing up for a two week stay in July. We considered Nirvana but the pull was to much and we booked CC again. I know we'll have zero regrets. But I'm sure any place you stay will be great! PM me if you have any ?'s. just google Country Country Beach Cottages.

I personally LOVE Beach House Villas...a little on the more pricey side but in My opinion well worth it. Beautiful grounds, clean, REALLY clean rooms, amazing staff, and a great location!!! I also like Rondel Village, and Idle Awhile, both on the beach. I stayed at Tree House in the past and it was nice, but their rule of no beers or food brought on from off of the property REALLY turns me off...I'm just sayin....

^^Thanks for CC idea. Been reading reviews
^did not know about the no outside beer/food rule. That might kill it for me too!

Also..ALL of the rooms at Beach House Villas have FULL kitchens...so you can stock up on beer, water, rum, juice, and food for the in between times...saves A LOT of money in the long run!!!

Any room recommendations on Beach House Villas?

Rondel Village is my choice. Very nice, clean rooms, excellent service, and a great staff. The location is awesome as well. Located in the middle of the beach, so not a far walk either way you go.

CC has mini fridges and they do have one cottage with a kitchenette, but it's across the street not on beachside. We considered it but the closer to the beach the better is our motto. The manger for CC is Monique, you can find her email on their website, she is a lovely lady and I know she'd be happy to answer any questions. Best of luck!

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I loved Country Country as well-I had the stand alone cottage nearest the beach. The full breakfast is wonderful, served on your patio if you request or in their restaurant right on the beach. The beach area is nice there and there are plenty of places to walk to for drinks, food etc.

Country contry was our first place two years ago was great and the staff wa sfantastic.
Not sure about no food/drink rule they never said anything to us and we did liquor runs and went through the gate with it. We did spend time at the bar also so not sure if that helped.

^^^^Thanks, Making a list of all of these places to research tomorrow.
^^^Thanks for the contact info on CC. RE: Your motto... I am the same. I want to roll out of bed and see the ocean. Stayed in Libra at Catcha and loved it (not beach but right on the water). Sad that its not available til August and I don't think I can wait to scratch my Negril Itch until then. Eyeballing the Gemini in June though.

Country Country is fine with you bringing in food and drinks from stores and other places--I kept my mini fridge stocked. And yes, the staff were wonderful.

We didn't know you could request breakfast on our patio! Though we love to people watch and got a laugh out of some of the Ugly American behaviors we saw. CC is a great location on the beach.

Tree House has the food/drink rule

As for Beach House Villas...the penthouse is the best room in my opinion...but there are plenty of great rooms there. You will not be disappointed in any of them!!!

Thanks for the responses. Diving into researching CC as we speak. My comment about beer was concerning Treehouse. Which after the posts I've seen about CC and Rondel I'm quickly starting to figure out I have many more options. Anyone stay at Nirvana? Seems overlooked..

Check out coco la palm...It's a great place in a great location...get a jr. Suite !
They are running a killer special right now...
Give Negril Onestop a look, it's a good website to check out different beach or cliff properties, nice people working there too :-)

Thx, Lorax. Adding to the list of research for tomorrow!

This is great. I felt my first trip was such a special experience. So nice to see there are more like me out there. Glad I'm not lurking anymore.

We loved Country Country too, beautiful cottages.

http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/..._7975526_n.jpg

I have heard great things about Idle Awhile and NIrvana.

Research is half the fun! Our first trip was magical, we didn't stop smiling the whole time. We fell head over heels for Negril. How long of a stay this time? And when? Glad you've come out to play with us! This place is a treasure of information!

I agree about research. Our first trip to Catcha i probably put in 100 hrs worth of research only to learn Jamaica can't be learned through Google. I still find myself in the same trap though. Captivated by watching video, looking at pictures, reading reviews and message boards.
Early planning says June 12th.. ish? Looking at 7-10 sleeps this time. Wish we could do more but work gets in the way.
We did the same (falling head over heels) on our first trip. The saying once you go you know is so true. Everyday I miss it.
Thank you for the welcome. I feel home in Jamaica. I feel like I'm with close friends when I read your posts.

are there certain things you want to have available at the place you stay? For instance, some people want a pool ( country country doesn't have one) but I don't use pools in JA since the sea is so nice. For others, AC is a deal breaker.

Pool at Catcha was nice for when the seas got a little rough (we were there when Irene passed by). However I don't think on the beach I would need one, not fraid of beach waves. Not sure if A.C. in June would be required. We ran it constantly in August. I'm thinking lack of A.C. might be a deal breaker especially for my girlfriend if June is like August. She's a gamer but not sure how hot/muggy it will be if we do choose June. The most important things I think would be: 1. Safety 2. Location 3. Comfort 4. Friendly Staff. .. Mini fridge might be an easy tie breaker too!

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Originally Posted by irieworld

are there certain things you want to have available at the place you stay? For instance, some people want a pool ( country country doesn't have one) but I don't use pools in JA since the sea is so nice. For others, AC is a deal breaker.

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when I stayed at Blue Cave Castle a pool was an afterthought...the ocean was right there....no pool needed
A/C is usually a must for this guy.....but mi didn't even use it at SeaStar Inn last week....go figure
mi could have stayed at a place without A/C and saved a lot of dollars.....oh well
and mi couldn't believe how chilly it was at 5AM in da morning.........don't ask......lol

Cool Runnings, Marko

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Originally Posted by InnaDiRed

Pool at Catcha was nice for when the seas got a little rough (we were there when Irene passed by). However I don't think on the beach I would need one, not fraid of beach waves. Not sure if A.C. in June would be required. We ran it constantly in August. I'm thinking lack of A.C. might be a deal breaker especially for my girlfriend if June is like August. She's a gamer but not sure how hot/muggy it will be if we do choose June. The most important things I think would be: 1. Safety 2. Location 3. Comfort 4. Friendly Staff. .. Mini fridge might be an easy tie breaker too!

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Country Country fits your wants. Air conditioning, mini frige, coffee maker, great location, comfy as it gets, great staff, your own private porch, full bathroom with tub and shower.

Majority of CC complaints have to do with noise from Margaritaville. However, seems these complaints have been from people who made the mistake (their mistake) of going during spring break. Any feedback on this? Would hate to have walls rattling with noise too late. Ready to party but when I'm ready to knock out would prefer at least a little quiet.

We didn't find it to be bad at all. When we did hear it it was never an all night thing. They only have a band at night once or twicw a week and I don't think it even lasted past 9 or 10.

Thanks. Had a feeling the complaints were from non-springbreakers being there during spring break. Nothing against either party.

Very true about once you go you know. You sound like me, totally immersed in research. My Negril bookmark is huge and I add stuff daily. Last time I had a folder of stuff we printed off and took with us but barely used it, just went with the flow. We're heading down in July for 2 weeks our only mistake last time was we didn't stay long enough. So we waited and saved up enough for 2 weeks, and even though that's a looong time I know I'll be crying when the plane is taking us home again.
CC doesn't have a pool but with the beach it's not needed. CC has fine AC and we loved having A king bed and a futon.
I'm going to post some pics tomorrow of the grounds and garden. Seeing all the pics is making me homesick.
As for Margeritaville we were on the side closest to it and we don't remember hearing it at all. I just asked him and he concurs.

Country Country is beautiful! Man, if that place had a pool (deal breaker for me :(..., I know but sometimes you just have to jump into it!) I'd definitely try it out.

I love Coco La Palm, though. I love everything about it. It's got a nice big beach area and the folks there are awesome.

I've stayed at Treehouse twice and never knew about the "rule" -- once was in the ocean front suite, which had kitchen area and we had our own liquor for sure, the other time we ate and drank out, was a short trip. But both times I've seen guests out on their patios/balconies with coolers of drinks, which I asuumed they brought in, though I guess they could have been from the bar -- maybe Gail will see this and clarify.

I think Seasplash should be in the running for sure. Great new space at restaurant/bar, fabulous grounds/pool/hottub, great long-time staff. And the 1-bedroom suites are fabulous with full kitchen and lots of space. If you don't want that much space, a Jr. Suite is good too. Price is right these days too as they are finishing construction.

Seawind gets high marks from many reports I've read, and the restaurant there is good. No pool, though they have one at Garnedias across the street that guests are welcome to use. Lastly I think Idle Awhile looks fabulous, and I hear their restaurant Chill Awhile is great. But it's more pricey for sure and they don't have specials. But the look is really upscale Jamaican fabulous imho. When I win lotto ....

Have stayed at Country Country 2x and liked it, no noise problems at all....lots of privacy, great staff and included breakfast is really good. Think we made the best choice in that price range.

Idle A While looks really nice but think it is quite a bit more $$$ than Country Country.

CoCo La Palm's suites are nice and sometimes thay have special rates on these rooms.

Treehouse would be nice too or Rondel.

Charela also gets good reviews but again think it is more $$$ than Country Country

Nirvana - depends on room & time of year..cabins do not have A/C.

So many to choose from! I am sure any of these places (and many more) would be good choices.

i havent stayed many places on the beach - i love the cliffs - but last year my family of 10 people stayed at treehouse - although it worked out - it was nothing special and i actually prefer budget hotels elsewhere when it came to the rooms - the beach however was great - and we brought our cooler of drinks out there everyday - one time they asked me to get rid of it - i nodded and said i would but just kept on drinking, offered cold drinks to all the security people and the massage lady - and no one bothered me about it again - wrong or right - it is what it is.

Country Country is our FAVORITE! We have stayed in the upstairs unit closest to the beach, by the restaurant. I have to say that I absolutely LOVE waking up in the morning, raising up on my elbows and looking out the window and seeing the blue Caribbean Sea, hearing the soft sounds of Lee raking the beach, the patois from kitchen staff as they get ready for the day. The staff is great. Call quick, they fill up fast. Last year we couldn't get a room there and while we liked Whistling Bird where we stayed, nothing is like Country Country.

Oh and about the noise from Margaritaville, once in a while we'd hear the music but, it was REGGAE music, and we were in Negril, we expected reggae music! Never was it so loud that it bothered us, but hey, we like reggae, we like tree frogs, we like hearing the patois, that's why we aren't cloistered in a walled AI.

Love LOVE hearing all the CC stories and how many folks love it the way we do! It's such a special property a real gem! And the staff is great!

this is our second trip to Nirvana. We love it there. Quiet, wide beach, lots of private space, in the middle of everything and a lovely garden with hammocks to chill

CC soon come <sigh>

If Treehouse has that rule they don't enforce it....I stayed there and had a fridge and stocked it up with my own drinks & stuff, No Worries!!
I've been staying at the Treehouse for the last 6 years and never had any problems, I would never stay anywhere else on the beach.
The breakfast buffet is great, the beach bar rocks, all the food is good, the beach area is nice and secure thanks to Moses and best of all the staff are all friendly and great people ! The rooms are clean, the grounds are beautiful >>>IMHO you can't go wrong with the Treehouse !!