Rockhouse, Negril

The last few days of my trip sort of blended together so I thought I'd just put together one all-encompassing post about my stay in Negril.

It was tough to leave Jake’s, if only for the amazing food. It’s a very special place and I do hope that I make it back there again someday. The bar has been set quite high, and because of that I am hoping that Negril doesn’t disappoint. O’Neill picks me up at noon for our two hour journey. We once again pass by the Black River but this time I get to see a whole new stretch of coastline as we continue north to Negril. The drive is a careful one – dodging potholes (and goats) the entire way, but I am excited to finally arrive at Rockhouse. I bid O’Neill farewell and after a quick and friendly check-in, Scarlett helps pull my very heavy suitcase to my room and shows me around the facilities. My room is fairly basic but has a beautiful big bed with mosquito netting - which I've come to realize is definitely not just for aesthetic reasons, though it does look pretty. It also has a day-bed, a strong air-conditioning unit (yay!) and, the best part, an outdoor shower.

The entire resort is lovely as the hotel perches on a volcanic rock cliff that overlooks beautiful reefs and grottoes. Despite the rocks, the hotel is quite lush and private. Shady paths wind through the facility filled with tropical trees, plants and flowers. The pool sits atop the rock and overlooks the sea and is the perfect place to catch a sunset (or happy hour). The restaurant and bar also overlooks the water and at night is lit with torches.

My experience at the hotel is relaxed and quiet. The hotel is mostly filled with couples who stay in the beautiful and private cabana-style rooms but there are a few large groups of people enjoying themselves by the pool. I met a really lovely group of two families traveling together from Brooklyn, NY - Cassandra, Abdul, Belinda, Sonya and Willow. They were nice enough to invite me to join them for a dinner at Sips n Bites - a local roadside Jamaican restaurant - where I had a great time trying to convince them to visit Toronto. I promised I would visit Brooklyn too - if only to check out Abdul (a chef) and Cassandra's restaurant: A Bistro.

Some highlights from my stay?

I took a morning outdoor yoga class with Fanette ($15) and was the only person to show up, so it was a private class. It was incredible and certainly was a great way to start my day. I definitely recommend this for any yoga fans visiting the hotel.

Secondly - I love breakfast and the Rockhouse does breakfast right: poached eggs, callaloo, roasted tomato and (the best part) jerk sausage. One morning I am happily surprised to have some breadfruit on my plate too - which was delicious!

Happy Hour is happy indeed - with 2 for 1 drinks between 5 and 6 pm.

Snorkeling (with my new underwater camera) was so easy. Equipment can be rented at the pool bar ($5 / day) and you can simply take any of the ladders down from the rocks and snorkel right beside the hotel.

It was sad to leave. I even tried to change my flight at the last minute, but no dice. So I reluctantly got in the van (Kenny's Tours transfer $80) back to the airport. It started to pour rain en route so that definitely made it easier to leave. I will definitely be back to Jamaica soon though...next time, it's Goldeneye!