Second chance to Rooms On The Beach, Negril.

In last June, I had the chance to reunite with a good friend from Canada who decided to visit us in Jamaica. Gabrielle started travelling not so long ago and loved everything about it so she was really excited to see this island. Even though I warned her about our location and that the weather could be affected by the Hurricane Season, she still wanted to come.  It rained almost every day in May so I was pretty scared it would be the same in June but as soon as she arrived the Sun came back. It was perfect. Having someone who enjoys discovering a new country made me relive my first moments here in Jamaica. So of course I took her on a road-trip to Negril! I decided to give a second chance to the Rooms On The Beach resort. I am glad I did. It was a completely different experience than what my friend Laurence and I previously had in March. Since Gabrielle and I now stayed in the low-season and the hotel was almost empty, we were upgraded to an Ocean Front King bedroom with a huge balcony! 

 

The only thing was that our patio door did not lock. The pool was closed for treatment for our two nights stay but this time it was not an option as the beach was picture-perfect. Because the hotel was not busy, we had better service at the front desk and at the restaurant for complimentary breakfast. So after this second experience at Rooms On The Beach Negril, I would now definitively recommend to stay there in the low-season or if you request an Ocean Front room. It is THE place to go when you are on a budget and you have a rental car to enjoy Negril by dinning out of the resort. I would rate this second stay an 8 out of 10.

*Great restaurants from a walking distance: 
- Café GOA (street side) : breakfast all day and more!
- Kuyaba (beach side)
- Italian Café (amazing lobster and pizza!)

*Great restaurants to go to if you have a car or if you are willing to take a taxi:
- Rockhouse (main restaurant by the cliffs...amazing view!)
- Rick's café (for a lunch, drinks and cliff jumping)

Dinning out at The Rockhouse restaurant by the cliffs

Rooms On The Beach, Negril

When my friend visited us in Jamaica, I had to show her the beauty and fun of Negril. I wanted a safe but cheap hotel to stay on the Seven Mile Beach, close to everything. Rooms On The Beach was the perfect place for this. Beach was nice but unfortunately a cold front made the sea a little too rough for swimming which was really unusual for Negril. There was also lot of hustlers on the beach, which is part of the bad reputation of Jamaica. At least the pool was really nice and overall we had a great time. 

I was glad we had our own beach towels because the two times we asked for theirs, they didn’t have any. You have a small breakfast included; a pastry, two slices of bread with grape jelly, fruits, juice and some coffee if you are lucky ;). Service is really slow, but if you arrive early, if you are not stressed at all and you are not already starving to death… it’s fine. I recommend to bring or to buy snacks and drinks to help you survive until lunch. The restaurant now serves lunch and dinner except on Wednesday evenings (?)… Their menu looked good but we already chose to eat elsewhere (Rick’s cafe, oh yeah!!). So, Rooms On The Beach has a great location in Negril, you just need to not have any expectation for service in general. I would rate this one 6 out of 10. But keep in mind that Negril makes everything worth it rain or shine.

***Bring your own shampoo...because no...they don't have any in the room....and yes it is kind of sad...

A friend from Canada!!!

OK, I am really EXCITED!!! I have a visitor this week….yes and a very special one!! A first FRIEND from Canada finally booked a stay with us in Jamaica. One of my best friends! I have a lot of things planned for her! After visiting Kingston (you only need one day really…haha), we will go on a road-trip to NEGRIL. Awww beautiful Negril, I haven’t been since last November with my parents! This will be my first time driving the 5 hours it takes to get there. I hope everything will go well. But it should, I mean, I already did the hardest part to Ocho Rios a few times now. And a road-trip like this is always fun with good company!!

Everytime we have some visitors, I rent a car from Island Car Rentals to drive around Jamaica. I usually take the 4x4 Suzuki Vitara but this time we’ll try the small Toyota Yaris to see if it can get the job done for a cheaper price. We will be staying at the SuperClub Rooms on the Beach – right on the famous 7 Miles Beach. And since it is not an all-inclusive, we will get the chance to eat at some great spots, my favorites on the cliffs, Rick’s Café and the RockHouse! I’ll come back with tons of reviews and stories for you guys! Have a great week!!