Cliffs vs. Beach

I have read quite a few posts on here in which folks say that they used to stay on the beach but since they tried the cliffs they will never go back to the beach. My question is........WHY? What could be so much better about staying on the cliffs? The views? The bars? The privacy? What is it?

We have been to many places up on the cliffs, and although most are very nice, we have never stayed at any of them. We are pretty much strictly beach people. I am VERY curious as to what the attraction to staying on the cliffs is. Please enlighten me. Thanks! BS

We love both,we have stayed on the beach(Hedo)about 12 times and on the cliffs 2 times and we are doing 10 days on the cliffs this November.We love waking uo to that awesome view,the sound of the waves against the cliffs and coffee on the balcony watching the fisherman go by.It's also really nice to know that it is only a five minute ride to the beach where we can enjoy beach life and higglers etc...We can party on the cliffs or chill all the time,it's a mix of all things up there,you have to try it once to really understand how it is.

Staying on the beach: You get to have your feet in the sand and sit by the usually gentle ocean and wade in slowly when you want to. The people watching is great. You can walk the beach stopping along the way to sample some drink or food or go into a shop. Everything around you is much more accessible, like restaurants and shops. Sitting under a palm tree on the beach, a drink and a book in hand, watching people go by, talking to some, wading into the beautiful ocean whenever you want, it can't be beat. LOVE IT. Staying on the cliffs: The beauty of the cliffs and the waves smashing against the cliff, the quietness and serenity. The intimacy of the resorts there. The cliffs are quieter and more serene, almost spiritual to me. If you go in the water you go in all the way, there is no wading. But being out in a calm cove snorkeling and looking up at the beautiful cliffs or exploring a cave is wonderful. Sitting under an umbrella with a drink in my hand, reading a book, talking to one of my neighbors staying at the same spot, listening to the quietness and the waves crashing on the cliffs, going for a little snorkel and climbing out on a rusty ladder to have a snack, it can't be beat. LOVE IT. Everyone is different and although I've read many posts by people saying they would only stay on the cliffs, I've also read many posts by people saying they would only stay on the beach. Or people like my husband and I who can't decide and split it up because we love both. You're on vacation! Do what you enjoy! No worries!

I stayed on the beach my first 3 times. Then the 4th time we split beach and cliffs. Guess what? I retreated to the beach for my last full day of that trip and I am back on the beach again for trip 5.

The cliffs are awesome if you just want a chill vibe and can hack sitting in the chair or the pool or floating around all day. If you want to bar hop you have to walk the West End road, which makes you feel disconnected from what you went there for in the first place. The Sea.

In which case, the beach is where it's at. And that's what I like. We do make it up to the West End a lot though, as there are some fun places to go.

its funny but I was a cliff lover (still am), but now always stay on the beech. But I do have a scooter so spend plenty of time each day at both locations.

Stayed on the beach from 1992 to 2005. Never thought I would leave. Tried Seastar Inn in 2006, I'm not going back to the beach!

Freebird's explaination was excellent...Staying on the cliffs: The beauty of the cliffs and the waves smashing against the cliff, the quietness and serenity. The intimacy of the resorts there. The cliffs are quieter and more serene, almost spiritual to me.

As I get older I'm less attracted by the hustle and bustle on the beach. When the need arises, it is a quick Route Taxi (with RED PLATES) to the beach or anywhere else I want to go...

Chris Tomney the Owner of Seastar Inn said it best "Visitors to our resort arrive as guests and leave as family". That never happened to me at any place on the beach to the extent that I experienced it at Seastar.

Enjoy,

VVHT

We stay on the cliffs every time, and probably always will. One big draw for us is an ocean front room. On the cliffs, most rooms have an unobstructed ocean view and a clear view of the sunset. Many of them also have private balconies. On the beach, very few rooms have an ocean view, and the ones that do command a premium price. My wife and I like to spend a lot of quality time on our balcony, so this is important to us. Another plus is the overall vibe of the West End. Most of the people you encounter on the West End are chill and there is very little hustle. On our trips we always love to spend a few days on the beach, but frankly, at the end of the day I can't wait to get back to West End. On our last trip (2 weeks ago) I found the hustlers to be relentless. Now, this may be due to the slow season and less tourists being around. I can usually take them in stride, but after 7 hours on the beach it got to the point where I had a hard time being polite. At that point I couldn't wait to get back to the West End and chill out.

After two trips with a cliff/beach split, next trip will be all week on the beach. We like the cliffs and will visit, but it really just isn't for us. I think we all have our own likes/dislikes and the beach just happens to be more our cup of tea.

Won't rule out ever staying on the cliffs again, but it would be on a longer trip and we'd probably go to Seastar for a couple of days, always visit and like that place, they do have a great vibe.

We started staying on the beach the 1st 3-4 trips and then split beach/cliffs for 2 trips. We no longer do cliff stays at all, we were too bored during the day.

We eat and drink/visit plenty of places on the cliffs, in fact we laugh that it seems all of our favorite food places are on the cliffs but too quiet/boring during the days, we miss all of the people watching and vendors coming by. Don't get me wrong we like to sit and read as much as anyone LOL but we can do that on the beach and enjoy the distractions in front of us.

They are definitely a different vibe. All of our first trips were beach, the last two were cliffs. The next one is a week on both. I love the cliffs, but I really need some beach time this trip. The constant stream of activity makes the beach a lot of fun to my way of thinking, but the initial week on the cliffs will allow me to decompress from work.

I agree Hussyband. My husband would probably stay on the cliffs the entire time but I love the hustle of the beach and the people watching as well. And also love walking the beach, stopping by the little bars and shops and, like I said above, being able to wade into the gentle ocean! But when we're on the cliffs it's more about him and I!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BIG SHINY n Mango

I have read quite a few posts on here in which folks say that they used to stay on the beach but since they tried the cliffs they will never go back to the beach. My question is........WHY? What could be so much better about staying on the cliffs? The views? The bars? The privacy? What is it?

We have been to many places up on the cliffs, and although most are very nice, we have never stayed at any of them. We are pretty much strictly beach people. I am VERY curious as to what the attraction to staying on the cliffs is. Please enlighten me. Thanks! BS

---

Wow Big Shiny you took the words right outta my mouth...I always wondered the same thing about the cliffs, I could neva imagine staying there but you kno what they say Neva say Neva!:D

When I got to Negril for the first time in 1969 my host took me on a "tour" and as then and still now the Beach and the Cliffs are separate communities

To each his own. For us the beach has always been a place to work in the tourist industry.

We are hills people and much prefer the cliffs vibe.

Hopefully this will be the year I can sleep one night at my own yard listening to the country night sounds.

We have always stayed on the beach but this year we decided to split our stay, 1/2 on beach and 1/2 on cliff. The cliffs are very beautiful and quiet, a little too quiet for me. I like the hustle of the beach and people watching. I don't swim, so I can't get in the water in the cliffs at least I can walk in it on the beach. I love going in the cliffs and spending time, but the beach is still my favorite.

This year we are splitting 2 weeks on the cliffs and a week on the beach. However it will be Treasure Beach, not Negril Beach.

Regards,
Bob

Truly, a great comparison that changes with time. I love them both, however, when push comes to shove...no question, the cliffs for me. My love affair with the sea is phenomenal. I adore walking the beach and gazing upon the sea. I love the activity surrounding it. My early Negril visits, started and ended on the beach.

As years passed by, I discovered the cliffs and the West End. Wow! I was truly impressed. Kicked back atmosphere, felt as if I were family, and still had to sea and could snorkel right off the cliffs. If I wanted to walk the beach, it was only a route taxi trip away. At night, I could lay to rest in a peaceful haven of joy. Everyone has there favorite but, with time....there is nothing as inevitable as change. Who knows, with a few more years (if I am lucky), I could be wanting the stay pon da beach. It is all, absolutely wonderful to me. As the ole song goes (if you are old enough to remember), take a walk on the wild side and experience the cliffs for a change. AND, if you have only experienced the cliffs....try the beach scene for a few days. It is all good and will fill one's life with true joy. Life is to be enjoyed and in Negril, that is not hard to do. :)

Wow, this is a really interesting thread. It's fascinating to hear from different perspectives. I'm a newbie to Negril. I traveled to da rock for the first time this past December, staying 8 nights on the beach (Charela) and 4 nights at Seastar. I loved it all. I'm heading to Negril again this coming December and am staying 4 nights at Catcha Falling Star and 5 nights at Charela. I'm curious to see how how I feel about beach vs. cliffs. They both seem remarkable. And, I have to say, any place in Negril is better than being at home, at work! Negril, to me, represents freedom from electronics, meeting wonderful people, experiencing beautiful surroundings and eating magnificent, yet simple, organic food. Ah yes, and enjoying my share of Red Stripe and rum. I'm thinking either location can fit my bill! :)

My first trip I stayed on the beach. The second trip was the cliffs. I love the bustle and never ending parade on the beach and the peace and privacy of the cliffs. As a general philosophy I prefer to stay on the cliffs and play on the beach. We frequently split our stays one week each but last year my confirmed beach girl wife said she wanted to stay the whole time on the cliffs. This August we will be on the beach for two weeks. Each has its own unique vibe and we love both. It's all good. One of the beauties is that no matter where we stay we always visit our friends at the other places we've stayed and are always welcomed as family and encouraged to hang out for as long as we like. God I love Negril!

Bless...
Ed

I've done both as well. Hubby and I used to go twice a year. First year was a week at Hedo. 2nd trip was split between Firefly and Hedo. Thereafter there were many trips split between CCLP and Hedo. We stayed one year for a week at the Le Mirage on the cliffs (before it was upgraded) and just did a couple of day trips to Hedo. That was great too, but a little too quiet for me! Since my husband passed away, I've done a couple of solo trips to Hedo and took a girlfriend for a split trip between CCLP and Hedo. It's all good! However, I do prefer to stay on the beach and just visit the cliffs. The Sat night gig at Seastar is a must and also try to get to as many of the other boardie casts while there!

Miss ya'll Rob and Lisa.....I need to get back there!!!

We did a cliff/beach split last December and were supposed to do it again in April but changed our plans last minute and just stayed on the beach with one night at Seastar at the end. We loved the cliffs for many of the same reasons that have been mentioned here - the peace and tranquility, the awesome view of the sea; it reminded me of a cruise ship at sea. For us, Negril is about the beach and it just seems wrong to not be there. We love sitting under an almond tree watching the endless parade of people and vendors, the way that everything comes to you... Our next trip will be beach only but I know that we will return to Catcha at some point, even if it's only for a few days.

We were just talking about this very subject last night...still can't decide which we like better...we live near the ocean and have several beaches within a couple of miles from our house, including one that is about 1.5 miles long...we still love the beach in Negril with it's beautiful clear warm water, tropical landscape, and endless bars and restaurants...We also love the cliffs with its beautiful resorts, great restaurants, dramatic cliffscapes, and chill vibes...whenever we stay on the beach we find ourselves visiting the cliffs, and when we stay on the cliffs we always plan a beach day or two...oh crap...don't ask me to decide...I can't do it, they both have too much to offer...I think we will continue to visit and stay at both whenever and wherever the mood strikes us, it's all just too much fun ! :-)

Those are all very insightful responses and they are truly appreciated. It really is great to hear the varying opinions of so many like minded people that seem to enjoy and love their stays as much as we do. It seems to me that the whole topic is really just a case of "to each their own".

As much as we like the beach "activity" I think the views and privacy of the cliffs might be something I could learn to enjoy. After reading all the positive reviews I would definitely be up for giving it a try for a few nights sometime. One of our favorite things to do when we meet new people is do a little private tour swap of each others places. We have been fortunate to see some beautiful places on the beach but haven't had the chance to see any of the cliff property's yet. Now I know we will have to make a point to get up there and see what it's all about.

Thanks again for all the great replies (I would love to hear more) and keep us in mind for a tour. :)

It's so subjective and thank god we don't want all to have the same environment! I feel hemmed in at the beach, which I know is weird. I love to go and have lunch and play in the water, etc. there is just too much stuff there for me. I like the faaaaaarrrrr west end because I like the countryside and quiet. I think the cliffs allow you to view the ocean from an amazing perspective and you can see it and hear it and smell it. I'm intrigued by the beach, some of the hotels seem awesome and if I had endless Money, I'd probably try one but I would hate in my limited resources to be at the beach and say....wish I could be back at the Westender. There is no BEST place, there is only the best for us and that can even change! Whenever I've travelled, I've always made sure that where I stayed was peaceful so that I could go back and chill.
But I know we all relax in different ways, for instance, I don't drink much, don't need it, especially in Jamaica although I do like a really nice cocktail mid- afternoon...and maybe a red stripe with my lunch.....:).

love going to the beach during the day, but love coming home to the West End. it's a totally different vibe.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mike_D

We stay on the cliffs every time, and probably always will. One big draw for us is an ocean front room. On the cliffs, most rooms have an unobstructed ocean view and a clear view of the sunset. Many of them also have private balconies. On the beach, very few rooms have an ocean view, and the ones that do command a premium price. My wife and I like to spend a lot of quality time on our balcony, so this is important to us. Another plus is the overall vibe of the West End. Most of the people you encounter on the West End are chill and there is very little hustle. On our trips we always love to spend a few days on the beach, but frankly, at the end of the day I can't wait to get back to West End. On our last trip (2 weeks ago) I found the hustlers to be relentless. Now, this may be due to the slow season and less tourists being around. I can usually take them in stride, but after 7 hours on the beach it got to the point where I had a hard time being polite. At that point I couldn't wait to get back to the West End and chill out.

---

I agree with you completely....Love De Bar and Grill, Pee Wee's, etc. real People on the West End to get to know....Love bike rides, short walks to quaint breakfast spots that you know you are helping a local and they appreciated it by showering yu with love.

We are going for our first time next April and we are doing 4 nights on the cliffs at seastar and 10 nights on the beach.A lot of people said to try both and see the diffrence looking fordward to it.

Seastar is a great place but just so you know it really isn't on the cliffs. It is across the road and a couple hundred yards up the lane so there is no ocean view or access. Chris & Francine are awesome hosts and their staff is fantastic. Just not really a cliff resort.

I would recommend Xtabi for the 4 heights on the cliffs, In a seaside cottage.This is the way to really experience the beauty of the cliffs,sitting cliff side to the water.Seastar is great, but nowhere near the same experience.

I have tried all the different options and decided to just stay at CoCo the whole 10 nts. Go to Xatabi for 3/4 hrs or Seastar or Ivans then come back to the beach. No packing/unpacking. Not as nice as an OCF cottage at Xtabi but you get to try both.

Each to their own!

However....I am a dedicated beach comber....and have loved 7Mile for more than twenty years.....that said...

I am now a cliff guy. I like coming "home" at night....no noise...no traffic....no higgling....no hassles....I can wake in the morning, walk down stairs or jump into the ocean and swim for my breakfast...and go to the beach when I wish. When staying on the beach the last few reaches....I felt like I needed to escape to the cliffs at night...and didn't want to come back down the hill.....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lorax2

We were just talking about this very subject last night...still can't decide which we like better...we live near the ocean and have several beaches within a couple of miles from our house, including one that is about 1.5 miles long...we still love the beach in Negril with it's beautiful clear warm water, tropical landscape, and endless bars and restaurants...We also love the cliffs with its beautiful resorts, great restaurants, dramatic cliffscapes, and chill vibes...whenever we stay on the beach we find ourselves visiting the cliffs, and when we stay on the cliffs we always plan a beach day or two...oh crap...don't ask me to decide...I can't do it, they both have too much to offer...I think we will continue to visit and stay at both whenever and wherever the mood strikes us, it's all just too much fun ! :-)

---

great post, buddy....

I'm a beach boy, but we have been migrating toward the beach whenever possible for 20+ years before we discovered Jamaica...closest beach for us is 3-4 hours...
but I love the cliffs and the swimming and jumping, but it is harder to get from place to place than down on the beach, and the walking is a lot tougher as the terrain is rocky and narrow, either uphill or downhill, and not much breeze (on my walk) due to the walls of the resorts....

That was another thing we wondered about. Are most of the cliff resorts pretty much by themselves or is there access between some of them. It kinda seemed like the ones we have been to are spread out quite a bit.

Interesting that there are no seaviews or crashing waves at Seastar yet they have such a devoted guest list. Chris is definitely doing something very right! Worth going up a lane to be with family I guess!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dash

Interesting that there are no seaviews or crashing waves at Seastar yet they have such a devoted guest list. Chris is definitely doing something very right! Worth going up a lane to be with family I guess!

---

I won't stay anywhere else until I sleep at my yard again. And I'll still keep a room there.

God knows I love a good party as much as anyone....and for that, the Beach is what's up.....but I think if I stayed the whole time on the beach....I might spontaneously combust or something***crazy combination lol. The West End is exactly what I need wind it down a little, and has that chill neighborhood vibe that feels like home. All the faces I look most forward to seeing are there. Love to walk the west end, but I can see how its not for everybody. My next trip I do think I'll split my stay allowing for more beach time.... but ending up on the cliffs that I LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Cheers to everyone's different points of view

while i love the west end , Seastar on sat nites, Xtabi for afternnon visits, Jus Natural ,etc ,the issues of walking the west end road to us is not the safest for me after subs and red stripes, we love the beach, we stay at Rooms, in the middle of the beach which we walk each day, and if the waves are a blowing, we can still swim in the sea, soon come

We have only ever stayed on the beach. Our last trip, we were going to do a split but I chickened out at the last moment and switched to all beach. During the trip, I realized that I had made a mistake! This next trip we will have three nights on the beach but the rest will be on the cliffs! It is so relaxed and it doesn't feel like anyone is rushing or pressuring you.