Rockhouse Hotel

Jamaica

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I love Rockhouse Hotel. Visited: April 2008 Posted by beenthere Rockhouse Hotel provides excellent service and food. They also have a great infinity pool. In addition, a percentage of money goes back into the community. The foundation just built a library in Negril. I also love the restaurant renovations, and the staff is great. 3 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It dosen't get better than this! Visited: January 2007 Posted by morninglori We just got back home. We really miss this place. Friends treated us to the standard room we shared with them, and we had a blast. The room was clean, and the staff was so nice and very helpful. Everything was always tidy throughout the pathways. It was like paradise! Coffee at the restaurant in the morning was the best. They also recommended Famious Vincent to Snorkeling. The food was great. Try lunch down by the pool bar - to die for! Then, of course, there's the sunset! Wow! 17 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was paradise! Visited: January 2006 Posted by leelemont I've been to every island in the Caribbean, but never to Jamaica. I always thought Jamaica was the place that most people went, and it was too crowded. I was most definitely wrong. Negril was different. It was like Paradise. I stayed in a villa, and I have never been so relaxed in all my life. The food was unbelievable, and the service was incredible. I promised myself to come back every November. It's my little piece of Heaven on earth. 13 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was amazing. Visited: November 2004 Posted by j_t_dunkle We went to Rockhouse Hotel on a spur of the moment trip. Neither my wife nor I had ever been to Jamaica or the Caribbean. We had such a great time, and cannot wait to go back. The Rockhouse was perfect start to finish. As very laid back people, we enjoyed relaxing and reading outside our villa overlooking the water and going for swims. We hope to go back next fall for our anniversary. 12 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? I'm going back again, and again, and again! Visited: July 2004 Posted by ilia170 The pictures shown here may be old, they do no justice to this property and are missing stuff. It is gorgeous, the service is spectacular, the food - to die for (recommended all over island), and the owners are total sweethearts. I've recommended it to everyone I know. It is very affordable, and I felt like I was in a page of the CondeNast magazine. I'd love to plan my wedding here. I'm returning this spring. Hopefully, some of you who see this will give it a shot. You, too, will be amazed and fall in love with it. We went as a group (used standard and studios - set up like a block of townhouses separated by title). Oh, if you see "Top Model" with Tyra Banks, they shot the bathing suit episode shown in Fall '04 here. Enjoy! 10 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The views from the Rockhouse were magnificent. Visited: April 2004 Posted by rszymanski Having been to Negril before, but always on the beach end, I really didn't know what to expect from the "west end". I was more than pleasantly surprised by The Rockhouse itself, as well as the entire atmosphere of the cliffs. Not only were the views spectacular, both from our villa and the pool area, the food was awesome, and the staff was great. The cliffs seemed to be a lot more laid back (than the beach) and there was less pressure to buy things you didn't want. It was amazing to be able to get snorkeling equipment at the pool bar and literally walk 50 ft. and jump in! If you are looking for a romantic getaway, the Rockhouse is a great bet. 10 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This is the most amazing vacation spot ever! Visited: March 2004 Posted by jennifer_botka My boyfriend, Brandon, and I came to Jamaica for the first time during spring break. We both absolutely loved the Rockhouse and cannot wait to go back. We stayed in a regular room because, being college students, we couldn’t afford to stay in a villa. At first I didn’t like the room, but after I got over my culture shock, it turned out to be pretty cool. Our room was on a corner so two walls were all screened in. Other rooms just had the fronts screened in. We also had a private patio area. We stayed plenty cool enough with just the fan going. I really liked being on the cliffs. We snorkeled around the resort area and watched the cliff jumpers. Laying out at the pool was very relaxing and the pool bar came was very nice. There were lots of things to do. We went snorkeling at the reef with Vincent who came and picked us up right below the restaurant. I was scared to death, so Vincent snorkeled with us and told us a lot about the reef. We also went parasailing down at the beach. We also went shopping at the Time Square Mall and at the little shops across the street from the Rockhouse. The people were great! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but everyone was so friendly and nice and funny. The restaurant at the Rockhouse was amazing. I loved all of the food here! My compliments to the chef. Their Rockhouse potatoes were delicious! I would definitely recommend trying the banana bread and the conch fritters, and basically everything else on the menu. Also, happy hour was two hours long and the drinks were great! We had Shane a lot as our server and he was awesome! This was really the best vacation I've ever had and I can't wait to go back to the Rockhouse! 13 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was as good as it looked. Visited: March 2003 Posted by jspin22 This place really was as good as it seemed... and then some. The rooms were beautiful with the most beautiful view of the ocean you could ever imagine. The only down side was that the shower pressure wasn't the strongest. The restaurant was superb again, with the view that would take anyone's breath away. Check out the pool side grill and their shish-kabobs, too! If you feel like venturing off of the grounds, you can hop in the ocean and swim, yes swim, to the Pickled Parrot 50 yards or so across the cove. The staff was very friendly, yet left us alone unless called upon. Don't be afraid to go across the street and talk with the locals, you can get some great deals on wood carvings to take home, and jerk chicken to feast on! All in all, I would have to say this was one of the greatest places I have ever visited, and I plan on going back again. 9 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The Rockhouse Hotel provided a great ambiance! Visited: January 2003 Posted by hdidier We got married at the Rockhouse in January and had a group of 16 friends and family who attended. The ambiance at the Rockhouse was awesome -- thatched roof villas, open air restaurant, jungle-like landscaping, and lots of stone/rock outcrops. We stayed in Villa #10. It was very private (didn't share a walkway). Villa #3 was also awesome. It was the Villa they showed on the website. It had a small loft area with two beds. The outdoor showers were a bit daunting, but utimately very cool. To the best of my knowledge, all Villas now have air conditioning -- which did come in handy one evening. The pool was stunning. The water was rough most of our time at the Rockhouse, and the waves kept breaking into the pool making for a quasi saltwater pool. As a side note, don't be surprised to see people sun bathing nude (we weren't surprised, but my teenage male cousins weren't expecting "nude" people). The food at the restaurant varied -- good to excellent -- a bit pricy for food that was not in the "excellent" category. The service, however, was excellent (for Jamaica). As a side note, Kenny Tours (which operated out of the Rockhouse) had great, negotiable prices and had nice, clean vehicles. 8 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? An excellent getaway with some cautions. Visited: September 2002 Posted by ericbell The Rockhouse Hotel and Villas are almost perfect. The villas are situated on a cliff overlooking the water. The sunrise and sunsets are beautiful. We went in the late summer - early autumn (big mistake - hurricane season) but the experience was so wonderful, the occasional rain did not dampen our fun. The bed has netting, which adds to the charm of the small but ample room. The outside shower truly adds an air of adventure. The restaurant is very nice in that the staff is friendly and agreeable to suggested changes if requested. They also make some potent drinks. While you can swim in the ocean (ladders go down to the water from the cliffs) the currents are strong and besides, there is a beautiful pool that also overlooks the ocean. The only caution is to avoid the regular rooms, which do not have the view or atmosphere of the villas. Besides, the price is not that much cheaper. The only other inconvenience is not with the hotel but with the remote location. There is really nothing on that far end of Negril so a car or taxi is required. Still, if you want a romantic and relaxing "get-away", I highly recommend the Rockhouse. We'll be back! 9 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Breathtaking views, stylish amenities and food to die for! Visited: November 2001 Posted by jentom We had a simple, intimate wedding ceremony at Rockhouse with a group of 10 friends. It was the most memorable trip of our lives. The setting at Rockhouse is incredible. Villas are perched on cliffs about 10-12 feet from the sea and that's what you look out upon from the 4-poster, mosquito-netted beds in the villas. Good design permeates the grounds at Rockhouse. It's quaint, private and chic. This is no ordinary hotel. If you want the "luxury" treatment with your usual and staid gold, mahogany, and marble everywhere, then stay somewhere else. There's no Aveda soap here, but an open-air shower with just you, the thatched roof and the palm trees. No chenille mattress pad or plush robe, but magnificent high ceilings, wooden plantation blinds (with screens to keep the bugs out) and patio doors facing the sea. They let the space speak for itself. And it does. We loved the minimalist and appropriate decor of the rooms. We were in villa #12. Friends were in villas 10, 13 and 3--all great. Three has the best views but it's across from a bar at the edge of the property so it probably gets noisy during spring break. In the restaurant, you'll find more great views, your current, modern magazines to peruse, and the best food we've ever had in Jamaica (we've been going for years). Andrew, Chad and Nike were at our service through our stay and I wish I knew the chef's name to brag about him. Our entire group just loved the food there. You often feel the need to get out and "see the world" when on vacation, but trust me, there's no reason to leave Rockhouse for dining, except maybe a trip to the local jerk pit. The lobster fusilli is the best pasta dish most said they'd ever had. The chef at Rockhouse...rocks! The service is good, too. Mind you, we were the bride and groom party, but I can only tell of our experience. In Jamaica, everything is slow so you have to take the expectations down. At Rockhouse, I can tell you they do things differently and service is important. The pool is awesome—total fahrvergnugen! It's just you, the cliffs and the surf, which was pounding when we were there due to Hurricane Michelle's tail. Spectacular views. Pina Colada's by Roger at the pool bar are great! We couldn't take advantage of water activities because the seas were too rough. By our last night, those majestic waves were coming over the cliffs and spraying our patios, forcing us to evacuate and let Michelle have her way with the place. I'm just sick about the damage they suffered from the hurricane, but they were already rebuilding the next day. Fabian, the owner, was great in managing a crisis situation. We wish Rockhouse the best and can't wait to go back next year! 6 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? VERY ROMATIC Visited: September 2001 Posted by sammy We were guests at Rockhouse Hotel and really liked the property. We stayed in villa #7 and woke each morning to beautiful blue-green water that could be viewed from our own private sun deck. It’s a very romantic and secluded property. It’s walking distance to great restaurants on the cliffside of Negril. Also try the restaurant onsite. There’s no air conditioning or television in the rooms, but it's really cool in the evenings and if you get really desperate you can rent a television and movies from the hotel. 2 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? For me it was a winner! Visited: February 2001 Posted by Ralbino It all started when I told my travel agent in Connecticut that I wanted to go somewhere warm in the Islands south of Florida, so as not to spend all day traveling from New York. I wanted a place where I could go to the beach or stay at the pool, party or not, swim, walk, bike, rent a moped, motorcycle or car. The place had to have good music and food, and a place where rich, poor, and middle class guests could get together and respect each other and have fun. The travel agent found the perfect place--Rockhouse Hotel. Read the Rockhouse guide and go to the bike tour with Rusty`s and the boat ride with Errols for an awesome time. Take the ride from Montego Bay to Negril to see the countryside; it’s bumpy though if you get seasick. When the new road to Negril is opened it will be great. Just take a small plane offered by Air Jamaica if you want to get there faster. The Rockhouse staff is exceptional, from the person who greeted me to the person at check out. The pool bar has frozen pina coladas made from scratch like the old days as well as many others--all made from scratch. The food was great at the restaurant. Try the Jamaican Breakfast; it’s an awesome starter. The coffee was killer and the orange juice seemed like fresh squeezed. Make sure to try the mountain crayfish for dinner. Snorkeling was great, but be careful on the ladders when the water is rough. Jump off of the cliffs--it is safe and deep. I stayed in a studio and it was very clean and nice. There are no glass in the windows, just wooden blinds that can keep out most light and screens to keep out the bugs. You can hear everything because the sounds bounce off of the stone and concrete. There is so much to do that we were never in the room except to shower and sleep. The all Jamaican staff seem to manage themselves well--great teamwork. We can`t wait to go back. It`s all about choices and we had plenty. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Get a villa! Visited: December 2000 Posted by stalbs We thought the Rockhouse was extremely tranquil and the pool, location and restaurant were all top-notch. Unwittingly, we booked to stay in one of the rooms within a block of six, which was disappointing. I would definitely recommend one of the villas as they are a little extra special. I think 3-5 stars is a fair reflection of the range of services and accommodations one receives at Rockhouse. I would say that it’s definitely one of the trendier hotels in the area. 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Laid-back chic Visited: September 2000 Posted by gracie My boyfriend and I stayed at the Rockhouse this past September (2000) as part of our "tear up the island" trip to Jamaica. We had rented a jeep and planned on going all over the island during our stay but found it hard to leave the resort! The accommodations were not "plush" but were very relaxing and fresh--the place makes you lazy. Everyone that works here was a lot of fun. If you ask nicely, they might let you take a twilight swim in the pool. Collin, the chef (he's Jamaican but they call him "the foreigner" because he lived in Canada for a while) makes a special effort to make meals tasty (try his special mayonnaise) and creatively garnished. Even the owners live on the property in shifts (one of them, Paul, introduced himself to us, a very nice and accommodating guy). Everyone here did his or her best to make the stay perfect. I don't know what the owners of the Rockhouse do differently, but it works! We had a great time with our new friends and look forward to going back. 1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Rockhouse is a knockout for romantics! Visited: May 2000 Posted by dwoodard We had two different vacations, both in tiny Negril this May. We first spent four nights on the beach. We've stayed on the beach before and this was one of the best in the world, but the next four nights on the cliffs at Rockhouse were a brand new Jamaican experience for us. We were in Villa #7 -- "just" a one bedroom. Those 20-ft thatched roof ceilings viewed through mosquito netting (that seemed to work just great for us) were amazing. There was a very powerful floor-standing fan to augment the ceiling fan, so we were quite comfortable at night. (We travel with and use mosquito coils in the Caribbean, and this may have helped keep our room free of uninvited winged visitors in the night.) The gorgeous, roomy outdoor shower was a real treat. The flowers on the bed everyday were a lovely touch. One of the best amenities for us was being able to get up and snorkel in that gin-clear cove before breakfast. We didn't have any nasty marine critter encounters. I did see a small sea turtle, though, and seemed to attract large schools of small bright blue fish while scanning the ocean floor. Hardly threatening! I have "made acquaintance" with urchins before and look carefully before I descend a ladder or stairway! Visibility had to be 20+ feet and there was a large variety of tropical fish, along with newly developing coral formations to enchant us. The staff at Rockhouse -- both hotel and restaurant -- were first rate. The food was very good. We liked to split a fruit plate and a Rockhouse special, poached eggs with hollandaise and callaloo, for breakfast, with seemingly bottomless cups of Blue Mountain coffee. We thought the happy-hour drinks might be a bit stronger but that's about the only halfway imperfect aspect of the place. Rockhouse was sophisticated and intimate and very romantic. The pool was inviting, even to people like me who could probably spend 8 hours a day floating in the sea. I'd say Rockhouse is a "can't miss" choice of a place to stay on the cliffs. 1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Paradise found!!! Visited: February 2000 Posted by dragonsf My best friend and I stayed at this lovely resort in Jan/Feb 2000. All the rave reviews Rockhouse received prior to our stay were understatements to say the least. This gem of a resort is built along the cliffside on the west end of Negril. We stayed in villa #6 which is a thatched roof cottage with a huge verandah with comfy furnishings, a queen size bed with netting (sheets were not %100 cotton though), a loft with two more beds, in room safe, decent bathroom and the most amazing enclosed outdooor shower. We were pretty close to the restaurant and the Pickled Parrot next door, so we did get a litte noise but not bad at all. Villas #8-12 are more private. Oh yes, some villas have private sunning decks built into the cliffs. A guest let me check out their studio and it wasn't bad either. Maybe a little small but just as pretty as the villas at about half the price! The grounds are meandering trails teaming with lush vegetation. Make sure you take a stroll throughout the entire property. There are steps and ladders built into the cliffs for cove access. Some are easier to negotiate than others (Access by the restaurant is the easiest). Excellent snorkeling in crystal clear water that's teaming with sea-life (a must do). The pool is carved into a rock on a cliffside peninsula that juts into the sea. Just gorgeous, I'm not sure if I'm doing it justice with my description but no one will be disappointed once they get a look at it and it's open until 10 p.m. Late night swim, get dressed and off to a reggae show on the beach! Towels were provided by the pool as well. There's a poolside bar and a lunch grill. The restaurant was also pretty darn good. Probably one of the best in Negril, even saw some celebrities dining there. There's a 2 for 1 happy hour from 5-7 with great drinks. I was always pleased with all of my meals for quality and price. They even have room service. A meal plan option would be nice but isn't offered. Service was always excellent. All the staff were great and seemed happy to work for Rockhouse. Check out the Rockhouse mission statement in your in-room catalog. I was very pleased that they took the time to construct one and it was reflected in the attitudes of everyone that worked here. It is always nice to know that an establishment takes care of its employees. There is a casual elegance about Rockhouse, very laid back and cozy. It's also a very romantic resort, next time I won't go with my best friend (just kidding we had a blast). We plan on returning in the summer of 2000. 1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A unique place on Negril's West End. Visited: November 1999 Posted by mreitman We've been to Jamaica many times and have always wanted to stay at the Rockhouse. The place is interesting and the atmosphere is tranquil. If you are used to the 7 Mile Beach, be prepared for living on the rocks. Since there is no sandy beach, entry into the ocean is by ladder, unless you want to do some cliff diving. On the first day, while climbing down the ladder, I was stung twice in the big toe by a sea urchin. Don't try to pick the stinger out with a needle, they will only break off and make matters worse. Use vinegar, alcohol, or human urine and that will do the trick. Our suite had 2 large patio doors with no screens, so you never catch the evening ocean breeze unless you want every mosquito to spend the night with you. We slept with the patio door closed every night and the mosquitoes still managed to get into our suite from an outside roof screen barrier. A mosquito net covered the bed on the main floor, not the beds in the upper loft. The first night, my right hand came out of the net while I was asleep. Thirty-three mosquito bites on four fingers. There was a great outdoor shower in our room with minimal water pressure. A small cove is at the east end of the hotel near the restuarant. While swimming in that cove for three minutes on the last day, we were attacked by sea lice. These are microscopic little larva that can be coral polyps, jelly fish, or 9000 other assorted forms of sea life that fire their venom directly into your body. My wife was wearing a one piece swiming suit and her body was stung on every inch of skin that was covered by her suit. My entire body was stung. You name a place, I got a sting there. That caused an immediate taxi ride the the Negril Emergency Clinic and a cortizone shot in the butt, plus six days on a very powerful steriod to rid the chicken pock looking and itching wounds which will scar you for life if you decide to scratch them. If you don't get treatment immediately, you may go into shock and stop breathing within 45 minutes(from a very severe allergic reaction) or you may suffer a high fever and severe upper respiratory infection for a two week period. The food at the restaurant was great and the 2 for 1 drinks were a bargain. We really loved staying at the Rockhouse. Mother Nature was the culprit that created the unfortunate situations. So if you go, be prepared! Bring lot's of insect repellant for the mosquitoes, spend more time in the wonderful outdoor oceanside pool and take a spray bottle with vinegar if the sea lice get you (vinegar sprayed on the lice immediately after an attack, will get them to flee from your skin). 2 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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