hey Simon-- as far as beach or cliffs, it really comes down to personal preference-- I have stayed a few times on the cliffs (west end) and many times on the beach. I am a beach bum at heart and love walking for miles in the sand. That said, I also love swimming and snorkeling and the cliffs are great for that--the water along the beach is pretty shallow until you get way out there. But that said, one does not exclude the other--some cliff places have a shuttle to the beach and taxis are easy to get and plentiful.

Out of your list I have stayed at White Sands and Seastar. White Sands was very basic--smallish room--no tv--small fridge. The location is great, rooms are clean and the place is safe. There are good happy hour specials at the bar but the food is only so-so. But food is never a problem in Negril, so many great places to go both beach and cliff side.

Seastar is an exceptionally well run hotel--great restaurant, great staff, great swim up bar. And Saturday night entertainment and buffet is not to be missed, whether you are staying or not. They have live reggae, a drumming and dance act, and sometimes big name artists play. The only drawback for me is that it is not right on the water.

I have walked through Rondel, nice property. I don't know much about rooms but from the beach it looks sort of generic.

Other great beach properties are Bar B Barn and Coco La Palm. I am not sure what your budget is but there are so many other great places as well. Planning a trip to Negril is great fun!