Rockhouse Hotel Rating: 4.0 Pearls

Negril, Jamaica

Grounds are designed to limit environmental impact

Designed by Jean-Henri Morin, the Rockhouse seems to have grown organically from the volcanic rock cliffs. Molding natural stone with concrete, the entire property settles snugly into the preexisting cove formations. Private, thatch-roofed Premium Villas are scattered along winding paths, enclosed by palms and exotic flora. On the cliff's edge, isolated duets of loungers rest on leveled platforms as high as 40 feet from the water, overlooking the most beautiful sunsets in the country. Of course, finding your way through the rarely marked pathways can be a challenge -- I circled the spa and the same "keep the vibes calm" sign three times before finding my room at the end of the night.

Fit young couples in snorkeling gear, American retirees living out the golden years by touring the world -- the hotel catches an intimate collection of guests who deliberately seek a hotel without a TV in the room. (However, for rainy days, the hotel provides VHS rental for $10 daily. The movies are mostly Academy Award winners and Jamaican favorites.) In the game room and lounge, just off the restaurant, Scrabble boards are wedged between overstuffed sofas.

Unlike the grandiose megaresorts elsewhere on the island (those luxury-branded high-walled properties that use fear to discourage any guest from spending a penny off their property), the Rockhouse strives to be part of the community. Rooms come with socially conscious (and far superior), locally made Starfish Oil soaps and bath products. All furniture is crafted from local timber. From its inception, the designer was forced to limit his impact on the surrounding jungle, and the hotel strives to operate in an environmentally conscious manner, including solar-heated hot water. The private owners have also established the Rockhouse Foundation, a registered not-for-profit based in New York that has already donated nearly $1 million to rebuild suffering schools in Negril.

The Studio Room

As the sea spray from nearby storms destroyed the pool (temporarily), I was upgraded to the studio suite, with an apology. Though branded a suite, the room was still relatively small.

Rooms are intentionally simple -- no TV, no Wi-Fi, and no radio. There was a phone in my room, but it didn't work. In general, the room was beautiful, but it lacked the artistic thrill of other design-focused boutiques. Plastic cups, scratched furniture, and limited space generally make the rooms feel a little dingier than what one might find at Round Hill, another TV-less luxury property that's considerably more expensive. But the draw at Rockhouse is clearly outside the room.

The four-post queen-size bed, veiled in a mosquito net (appropriately so), had high-quality sheets and a hand-stitched quilt from Cool Change. But the bed took up most of the space.

Next to the bed, someone had crammed in a miniature work desk; it was basically big enough to hold the plastic guest services binder.

Opposite the bed was the wood-framed closet and semi-stocked minifridge (just some beer, water, and soda).

The bathroom "proper" was just a small room, cramped with a toilet and sink, but it opened into the large outdoor shower (big enough for a wedding party, should the evening take that turn). The shower is enclosed on four sides by teal tiles. A slight, though significant, breeze came from beneath the thatch-roofed overhang. But the rusted piping and plastic showerhead rid the shower of any real luxurious feel.

The bathroom was stocked with locally made bath products from Starfish Oil, a company that works with Jamaica's impoverished Kingston sectors. They make soap and after-sun lotion well worth smuggling home.

The lime-green-and-magenta balcony (opening to a neighboring property and a shred of the sea) offered some wooden deck chairs as well as a small desk with wicker chairs for dining, playing cards, or, as a prior guest demonstrated, carving your initials (though I wouldn't recommend it).

A busy staffer at the Rockhouse restaurant

Unlike most other resorts, the staff here appeared comfortable, if merely because they were all dressed in clean-pressed cotton khakis and white Rockhouse polos. This was an appreciated break from the starched, polyester uniforms or over-the-top costumes found at the Holiday Inn, Iberostar, or Sunset Resorts. The harsh manager-versus-subordinate divide didn't appear as prevalent here (unlike everywhere else, where comfortable, classy uniforms distinguish those in charge from their sweltering lessers). As is typically the case, when the employees are more comfortable, guests become more comfortable.

Still, I found it difficult to test the service as I didn't have a working phone in my room (I would have called to complain, but ... ). On check-in, my room wasn't ready (at about 1:30 p.m.), so they needed me to wait at either the bar or just "wander around" for an hour and a half while they cleaned it. There was a porter to help with my bags, and he gave me a tour of the room (including a highly complex explanation of the AC unit's automatic start and shutdown, which I never really figured out). Service at the restaurant was polite, professional, and seemed oddly reminiscent of what one might find in Manhattan (perhaps because one of the coowners comes from a restaurant management background in New York).

View on a Larger Map

Located directly on the cliffs of Negril's West End, there are no beaches. Rather, the hotel has rather rocky inlets sculpted into diving platforms and much clearer water than on the beachfront side of Negril. The major advantage is that the Rockhouse faces some of the most beautiful sunsets in the country.

A slight arts-and-crafts industry opened up just outside the Rockhouse gates (following the guests who have money), where guests can barter over the price of a marijuana-leaf scarf or carved wooden horse. Though there was a convenience store opposite the Rockhouse, we didn't find it to be of much use -- no phone cards, no fruit, no full packs of cigarettes (just these five-cig Marlboro containers that tear off at the top like a ketchup packet), no real food of any kind. Outside the shop, I found the local cocaine dealer, a polite young lad dressed a little too well for comfort. Still, it felt reasonably safe walking around the area (at least by daylight).

In the vicinity (either by long walk or short drive) are plenty of great jerk joints like Three Dives as well as "brownie" stands (which add, on request, illicit Jamaican seasoning to the standard cake).

Further up the mountain is Ricks Café, a Negril icon since 1974, which every cab driver from Negril to Montego Bay brought to my attention. With quality live reggae performances each night and their famous cliff-diving demonstrations, the place is the most popular spot in town for sunset cocktails. But once it gets dark and the techno starts blasting, most guests return home.

A two-hour drive from Montego Bay airport, the Rockhouse provides its own shuttle for $80 for each person.

The spa

The site boasts a beautiful infinity pool, the jaw-dropper for most of the reviewers on Trip Advisor. However, it was closed due to storm damage while I was there.

The Rockhouse Spa lies in the center of the resort, flanked on all sides by signs that read "Keep Vibes Calm." The spa offers a broad range of holistic treatments for singles or couples. Treatments can be performed in either the dark, Zen Buddhist-themed facility or at "massage point," a three-walled hut overlooking the sea.

Though Rockhouse lacks a fitness center, the hotel typically hosts daily yoga sessions (for a fee). But these classes were on hiatus while I was there (due to poststorm cleanup efforts).

Kids are rarely allowed at resorts along the Cliffs

Kids are rarely allowed at resorts along the Cliffs, a combined result of their precarious cliff-top location and a typically mellow, intimate atmosphere. Nearby Tensing Pen is the only exception to this rule, allowing kids of all ages.

Although the Rockhouse is on the quiet side, water-loving teens will love the infinity pool and the resort's various diving ledges. The hotel also lends out snorkel gear, and has a basic game room with board games, but that's it, as rooms are intentionally devoid of Wi-Fi, radios and TV's.

Of its 34 rooms, the Rockhouse only has four "loft villas," which feature a queen bed downstairs and an upstairs sleeping loft with a double bed and a twin bed. These can accomodate up to four people, and are great for mellow, self-sufficient families that don't mind the lack of high-tech features.

Younger guests should also bring a sophisticated palate; the menu at the vaunted Rockhouse Restaurant, though reasonably priced, lacks chicken fingers and mac 'n' cheese (the closest you'll get is calamari or seafood linguini). The resort's new, more casual Negril Pushcart also emphasizes local seafood and spicy Jamaican flavors. Jerk sausage: yes. Grilled cheese: No.

The shower in the Studio Room

Rooms were generally clean -- fresh sheets, clean floors, scrubbed toilets -- though the outdoor shower generated some rust, as is to be expected. There was also a thick soapy film on the faucets and showerheads.

I couldn't fault cleanliness issues on the property (strewn dead leaves, construction debris, etc.) because saltwater and flooding destroyed most of the plants and brought heaping debris into the pool. However, I was astounded by how successful the cleanup efforts were only five days after the storm. Essentially, the staff replanted an entire jungle; team members worked thoroughly (and noisily) around the clock to get the property ready for a wedding that weekend.

Very clean, all things considered.

An omelette from the Rockhouse restaurant

The Rockhouse restaurant has a casual atmosphere (no aristocratic dress code required) and locally focused cuisine (with veggie options), making it one of the best restaurants in the West End. I was referred to the restaurant by cab drivers, other hotels, and several guests from nearby resorts who didn't know I was staying there. I even spotted the CEO of the Negril Escape Resort eating there with his family the day after I reviewed his hotel (awkward).

Breakfast was basic, just a well-cooked omelet with toast. They actually had fresh-squeezed OJ. (I had forgotten what fresh-squeezed tasted like after two weeks in Jamaica, drinking everything from concentrate.) The Blue Mountain coffee was pricey ($3), but well worth it.

Lunch sandwiches were tasty. I had the jerk snapper filet, which was easily on par with other luxury options like the Ritz-Carlton in Rose Hall. (This was not surprising as their chef was sous-chef at the Ritz.) Better, the Rockhouse snapper was about 1/3 the price.

On the cliffs, overlooking the sunset, dinner was clearly the most popular meal. I had the coconut chicken -- a sweet, crispy concoction perfectly prepared -- but the portion size felt a bit sparse. (It should be noted, however, that I was getting used to the all-you-can-eat buffets, so anything short of an overstuffed feed trough felt like a bit of a letdown.)

Private, seaside receptions at the on-site restaurant

In an effort to create a memorable experience, the Rockhouse goes to great lengths when it comes to service, cuisine, and all the extra little touches that make it one of the most desirable destination wedding hotels in Jamaica. But plan to book early. The hotel only permits 20 weddings throughout the year, only during the off-season (the summer and fall), requires a great majority of their rooms booked for at least three nights, and only schedules one wedding per week so that the staff has enough time to adequately prepare the grounds (the majority of all-inclusive wedding factories churn out upwards of four or five weddings each day). However, for a comparable experience (and one that allows children under the age of 12) Tensing Pen might be an equally beautiful yet more affordable option for slightly smaller weddings.

• Wedding Size: Normally, the Rockhouse asks that all of its 34 guest rooms be booked in order to host a wedding on the property, though the minimum number of rooms required for most weddings is 27. In select cases, smaller weddings (10 to 20 people) can also be arranged.

• Restrictions: No weddings from December 15 through the end of March; no children under the age of 12 allowed on the property; $4,000 deposit required to block a number of rooms for a given wedding weekend (minimum of three nights required for all rooms).

• Wedding Packages: The most basic package, the "Simple Tropical Elegance" package ($750), includes all license and legal fees, a minister, a choice of ceremony locations on the Rockhouse grounds, a bottle of champagne, a wedding cake (for up to six people), a decorated ceremony location (including walkway petals), a bridal bouquet and a boutonniere.

• Ceremony Locations: Overlooking the cliffs, at various points around the property, depending on the size of the wedding

• Reception Locations: In order to close down the restaurant and bar for the reception, the hotel requires that you spend at least $8,000 (not including tax and gratuities) on food and drinks for the event. There is no minimum cost to reserve the pool deck, but you must have at least 50 guests in attendance.

Food: The food might be more expensive, but it's far better quality than what you'd find at most all-inclusive resorts. While menu prices are subject to change, a sample of three hors d'oeuvres (such as conch fritters, mini Red Stripe beer-battered snapper, and coconut shrimp with spicy tomato relish), costs about $20 per person. A four-course buffet (24 people, minimum) or a family-style dinner (16 people, minimum) ranges between about $70 to $90 per person (no plated dinners).

Honeymoon Suite: Most couples opt to upgrade to the Premium Villas, located directly on the cliff's edge, and partially hidden from other resort guests.

Airport Transportation: The wedding coordinator can help make transportation arrangements from the airport, though the two-hour taxi from Montego Bay Airport costs about $80 per person.