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The Rockhouse Hotel is a Caribbean classic, a dead cool, small independent hotel set on ‘the cliffs’ in Negril at the western tip of Jamaica. It has its own distinctive, strong Caribbean style - cottages built in light local stone and blocks painted in bright colours, with hardwood floors and thatched roofs. Enclosed by a wall, its setting is superb, with meandering paths and rooms hiding in explosive greenery, their views carrying out over the cliffs to the sea horizon beyond. And with classic Jamaican music playing quietly in the background, the atmosphere is extremely low key. It may be just a short drive to all the activity of Negril beach, but you won’t necessarily go that often. The small resort gets to work on guests, who tend to take advantage of the small resort's delightful seclusion. The Rockhouse is fun, hip and good value, the ultimate in tropical cool and tranquillity.
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KEY FEATURES
| An ultra-cool, secluded small hotel in Negril, set on the cliffs, 60ft infinity-edge freshwater swimming pool, access to sea for swimming, restaurant, pool bar and grill, boutique, lounge, massage cabana, beauty and spa services, yoga room with daily classes (extra), snorkelling gear available for rent, some weddings. |
STYLE
| Off-beat chic in a setting of thatch and local stone and bright Caribbean colours, hip, stylised rusticity in the wood interiors (also a few more minimal, modern buildings). Atmosphere informal, but intimate, comfortable and laid back |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Young, stylish, independent travellers |
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The Caribbean may be known for its beaches – and Negril beach is one of the best in the Caribbean - but that underestimates Negril, the town at the western point of Jamaica. Some of the coolest places to stay in this town are not actually on the beach at all. Instead they are on the West End, the range of limestone cliffs that runs south from the centre of the town. Here, on the 20-40ft cliffs are some lovely small hotels in which you can hide yourself away in secluded and extremely pretty tropical surroundings. They have independent style, an ultimately easy manner, often with reggae playing quietly in the background. Despite not being on the beach, they are some of the coolest places to stay in the whole Caribbean.
And the Rockhouse Hotel is one of the coolest. It sits about half way along the West End Road, which meanders along the raised coastline of cliffs, between higgledy-piggledy, mainly modern development. A dazzlingly bright wall of crazy-laid limestone appears on your right and then, as you turn into the drive, a completely different atmosphere envelops you. It has funky, individual style and you know at once that the place is laid back to the point of sedation. As it happens, the Rockhouse has been one of the places to stay in Negril for longer than some islands have known tourists. Back in the early 1970s, when Negril was a hippy hangout, it was taking guests, some of whom were Bob Marley (from Jamaica of course), Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.
Reception is right there in a small building on the edge of the car park, but the rest of the hotel, which is laid out left and right along 600 feet of cliff-front, is barely visible because it is hidden away in the tropical greenery. Stone walkways, guided by low walls of the same bright white limestone, lead off in all directions, disappearing among the bushes and trees. Many of the cottages are right on the waterfront.
Perhaps the first place to head is the dining room, which is set on the cliff edge close behind the reception. It has a lovely setting, with tables lining the cliff edge 20 feet above the limpid sea. The restaurant looks spectacular at night, when there are flaming torches and the sea beneath you is lit. Behind the waterfront, other tables sit on a slightly raised deck under a thatch roof. The food served at the restaurant is new Jamaican cuisine, which uses Jamaica’s excellent ingredients in imaginative ways.
The dining room hints at the general style of the resort, with its use of white limestone rock in the walls, the thatched roof supported on hefty wooden columns and natural wood on the interior floors. Beyond the restaurant to the north (to the right when looking out to sea) you will find eight of their most comfortable rooms, the Premium Villas. These are octagonal in shape, with the same crazy white stone walls, wooden floors, thatched roofs and outside space. The bed is set in the centre of the room to give it a fantastic view out to sea through the glass French windows at the front.
Most of the rooms are to the other side of the dining room and reception, where the stretch of land is deeper. There are several more villas along the waterfront, running down from the dining room, but the bulk of the rooms are set slightly inland in two blocks, which contain the studios and the standard rooms (set at the rear). Here another theme of the decoration at the hotel appears. Walls are painted in a jangle of bright colours – magenta and lime green hard by orange and scarlet – both outside and inside. The rooms each have a balcony or patio which is secluded from the room next door by stone or natural wood barriers. Inside the rooms are lean and stylish, with four poster beds, muslin nets and louvered windows.
To the front of the blocks, the cliff is actually a huge area of limestone in which you will find some communal areas. Past the open-sided yoga room, which has a wooden deck with an excellent view, you will come to the pool, which is surrounded by a terrace. The pool is unusual because it has a large shallow area in which you can sunbathe on a lounger with your feet in the water. Next to the pool is an undercover bar and grill, where you can get a drink or a light meal at lunch time without returning to the main restaurant. The limestone on the coast itself is extremely rough and impossible to walk on, so paths have been cut into it to link the various private platforms, which are also cut or built into it too. Here you can sun yourself or to sit and read, or take a drink with one of the Caribbean’s most stunning views of the sea and sunset. Equally though, you could get the hotel to set up a dinner for two out on the cliffs.
However, it is the sea that is the ever-present backdrop at the Rockhouse. By day, the water at the foot of the cliffs is usually calm and it glints lazily as the sun’s rays glance off it. It is mesmerisingly clear. And incredibly inviting too. You can of course jump in. It’s almost a rite of passage when you are staying on the cliffs in Negril. |
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Beach & Swimming
Negril Beach is a short drive or taxi ride away from the Rockhouse. It is a lively strip, which is fun to walk, and there are beach bars at which you can base yourself for the day. The water is shallow for a long way out and it is generally calm (there is a reef offshore) and so the swimming is good.
That said, many guests are just as happy to spend their sunbathing time at the hotel itself. It is a lot quieter and generally more relaxing. There are special areas given over to sunbathing – platforms cut into the coral rock with loungers and sunshades, some of them down steps and close to the water’s edge.
The sea off the Rockhouse makes for excellent swimming too. It is too deep to stand (though of course people like to jump) and there are entry platforms and steps to get out. The water is usually extremely clear and snorkelling equipment is available to see the corals and schools of small fish that collect beneath the cliffs.
There is a 60ft swimming pool on the cliff-top, with an infinity edge that looks out to the sea. It has a large section that is just one foot deep where you can sit on the loungers with your feet in the water, or simply roll over to cool off. There is also a deeper section for swimming. The pool is surrounded by a terrace with more loungers and colourful parasols. The pool is fresh water, but occasionally becomes a bit salty by spray from the sea. |
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Sports & Recreation
The Rockhouse has snorkelling gear available for guests to rent and there are daily yoga sessions in the yoga room.
There is quite a bit to do in the area around Negril. On Negril Beach there are all the watersports you could ever imagine - snorkelling, windsurfing, kayaks, small sailing boats, parasailing. Glass bottom boat tours are a popular feature and if you want to see the underwater world close up then there is scuba diving. There is a golf course just outside the town and another about half way to Montego Bay. Horse riding can also be arranged.
Spa
There is an eight-room Spa Pavillion at the Rockhouse. It is enclosed in greenery, which gives in an extremely attractive, natural feel. Treatments can be taken in the spa or in your room, but there are also several thatched cabanas above the waterfront which make a super setting.
The Spa at the Rockhouse is led by Linda Hall, who has worked around the Caribbean since the 1980s. There is a menu of different treatments including beauty and body treatments such as facials, manicures, pedicures, body scrubs and wraps. Also some holistic treatments. Several types of massage are available, including Swedish, aromatherapy, deep tissue and sports massage. Many of the products used in the treatments are locally produced, for example the famous Blue Mountain coffee in their Blue Mountain Coffee Scrub. |
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The Rooms
There are four categories of rooms at the Rockhouse, Premium Villas and regular Villas, Studios and Standard rooms. All use the stone or brightly coloured render along with natural wood on the interiors, in the louvres and French windows. They have four-poster beds with muslin nets and are fan ventilated as well as having air-conditioning.
The villas are set along the clifftop, with their own terrace sitting area built onto the limestone rock and outdoor showers. They are mostly octagonal and thatched with palm straw. The Premium Villas, perched on the cliff edge to the north of the dining room on a fairly narrow bit of cliff, are the newest and the most comfortable. The regular villas are on the waterfront on the other side of the dining room. The Studios and Standard rooms are set slightly back from the waterfront in blocks. They are brightly painted and have wooden or tiled floors. They are fan-ventilated. Studios are slightly larger and have enclosed, open-air showers and they have a sea view as opposed to the Standard Rooms’ garden views. |
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Dining
The dining room is set right above the water in an open-sided, thatched building. There are tables right on the cliff edge, which have an excellent setting at night when the sea beneath is lit. The cuisine at the Rockhouse is new Jamaican cuisine, a light variation on the theme of traditional Jamaican food, with its many different influences. The kitchen is overseen by Kevin Broderick, and award-winning chef from Jamaica itself.
At lunchtime there is a grill down by the pool and so you can have a light meal there. You can also have room service. |
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Weddings
The Rockhouse has a dedicated wedding co-ordinator who will liaise with you over your wedding plans at the resort, making suggestions and tailor-making the ceremony for you so that you get the best out of your day. In addition to the bedrooms and dining room at the resort, they are able to find florists, photographers and videographers. And bands of course for the evening entertainment. In such a fantastic location there are several lovely waterfront and garden settings in which you can locate the ceremony itself. The Rockhouse limits itself to one wedding in any given week and so you assured of the undivided attention of the wedding co-ordinator. |
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Children
The Rockhouse will accept children of 12 years and older. |
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Practical Facts
Annual Closure Dates: open year round
Dress Code: casual
Facilities: Swimming pool (60ft). Restaurant, pool bar and grill. TV lounge with board games. Boutique. Spa Pavliion a full service eight room spa, plus a cliff edge massage cabana. Open sided yoga room. Internet cafe. Sea entry platforms with step ladders and sunbathing platforms/terraces
Complimentary: WiFi for guests using their own laptops.
Other Services: Room Service. Front Desk for island excursions and sporting activities. TV and VCR rental service. Video rental library. Snorkelling gear available for rental. Daily yoga classes (extra charge). In room spa services available. Internet services(extra charge).
Children: Welcome over 12 years of age.
Weddings: All weddings are customised by a dedicated wedding co-ordinator. Wedding ceremonies are limited to one per week and no more than twenty (approximately) each year.
Accommodation: 34 rooms
Rooms: All rooms have air-conditioning, ceiling fan/standing fan, a private balcony or terrace, queen-size four-poster bed, small dining table with 2 chairs, safe, mini bar, telephone and en suite bathroom with open-air shower. 9 x Standard Rooms are in a hotel block with garden views. Six rooms have regular showers. Can sleep up to 3-4 people by adding a twin or bunk bed. 5 x Studios are grouped together, are slightly larger and have sea views. Sleep 2 people. 12 x Villas are separate cottages situated directly above the sea and have a private wrap-around terrace. Four of the villas have lofts with an additional double bed and a twin bed to sleep up to four people. 8 x Premium Villas are the newest cottages built on the cliff edge and are slightly larger with westward coastal views. All villas feature CD players.
Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard and American Express |
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Rates
| | 15 Dec-15 Apr 2009-10 | 15 Apr-15 Dec 2010 | 15 Dec-15 Apr 2010-11 | | Standard Room | 160 | 125 | 160 | | Studio | 185 | 150 | 185 | | Villa | 355 | 295 | 355 | | Premium Villa | 425 | 350 | 425 | All rates are in US$ per room, per night, on a room only basis, and are subject to 10% government tax and 10% service charge. Children over 12 years are welcome. All rates are subject to change without notice. A 3 night deposit (full payment for stays less than 3 nights) is required to confirm all reservations. Cancellations received 14 days prior to arrival will be charged a US$25 administration fee, and cancellations within 14 days of arrival will incur a loss of deposit. Credit cards accepted: Visa, MasterCard and American Express. |
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How to Book
If you wish to make further enquiries or a reservation, please use the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page to make contact with Rockhouse Hotel in Jamaica, or if you wish to telephone them, their telephone number will be revealed if you click on the CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER link. |
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UK Tour Operators
If you wish to book through a tour operator or travel organiser, please follow the TOUR OPERATOR link below.
See List of UK Tour Operators
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Locality
The town of Negril divides fairly neatly into two halves, each of which has its own character and different things to recommend it. The better known half is on ‘Seven Mile Beach’ (actually five miles unless you include Bloody Bay to the north). The beach is backed almost entirely with hotels, bars and other businesses including watersports. There are any number of places, either independent bars (try Margaritaville, for instance) or restaurants attached to a hotel, where you can base yourself for the day. Most do not offer watersports, but it is usually not far to wander along the sand to find a concessionaire. For a slightly more formal dinner you can try Kuyaba or Norma’s and for live music try Alfreds and Bourbon Beach.
The other is the section of cliffs to the south of the roundabout at the centre of town. This is called ‘the West End’ and it is here that you will find the Rockhouse Hotel. The bars on the cliffs are equally famous in their way and so there is a handful of good places to visit. Rick’s is very well known but it sees bus tours and so you might want to try somewhere quieter like the LTU Pub. If you want to eat out on the cliffs try the Hungry Lion. |
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Meet & Greet
If you are travelling independently, the Rockhouse can arrange for a taxi to meet you at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay (you should head to this airport rather than to Kingston). The driver will wait for you outside Customs. The transfer takes approximately 90 minutes and costs US$80 each way for two people, which can be added to your bill or paid for locally. Alternatively, if you would prefer to be taken care of from the minute you arrive at the airport, with a range of services that can include limousine transfers and a personal Concierge Service, this is offered by Glamour Tours.
If you are booking through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking. |
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Getting Around
Hiring a car to go to the beach or to explore the island, which is exceptionally beautiful, is easily arranged. You can book via your tour operator or through the resort. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time (drop off and collection attract a delivery charge). Be aware that in the winter season there can sometimes be a shortage of cars in Jamaica, so you are advised to book in advance. Also book early if you want one for a week or more because the pre-booked rates can be better.
Taxis are readily available at the Rockhouse through Reception, which can also arrange local tours to places of interest. |
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