Idle Awhile Cliffs

We stayed at idleawhile in September and had a fantastic time. There are very few recent reviews on this place, and not many pictures, so wanted to share our experience for anyone looking at a stay at the cliffs. If you like peace and quiet, beautiful surroundings and wonderful staff, this is the place. Sorry for the long review but wanted give as much information as possible as I didn’t have a huge amount to go on when booking. There are 3 ocean view villas, and a further 4 garden view. I booked directly with the property and stayed in villa 2, oceanview for 5 days. Only 2 other people during our stay who didn’t use the pool and we didn’t see much, so was like having the entire place to ourselves! It may be a different experience if busier, guests can visit both the cliffs and the beach on the villa shuttle as an FYI so could be busier than we experienced. Location - stunning, set away from the busier west end. We had a car for the first few days as it’s too far to walk to anything further down, but with Uber now here, you can very cheaply, safely and easily get around Negril. Local taxis and drivers are an option but much more expensive. $40 quote to get to a restaurant near to Ricks which is a 10 minute drive max. Uber - $10. Do please add a tip to your ride, these guys are making very little for such a great service. Thanks Kenny! You can also make use of the daily free shuttle service to beach property running at 10.30 and returning at 430, which we did once. A great option to make the most of both properties, just let someone know you want to use the shuttle ahead of time. Although the beach property is lovely, a little more polished in terms of decor, we much preferred the more authentic, peaceful and rustic charm of the cliffs. Check in - Check in with the lovely Sandria who runs the cliffs so well, was great, we were a little early but everything was ready for us. Staff do leave the property at 730pm each day as it’s so small, leaving security to check you in if you arrive late so bear this in mind, security are fab, so don’t let this put you off. Our experience was great, friendly, efficient and informative. The villa — love it! Our villa had everything we could have needed over 2 floors, ground floor is open plan with a small kitchen, everything we needed to cook ( I asked about a washer dryer before we travelled and although the Villa doesn’t have this, your housekeeper if you wish can arrange a laundry service ) decent hairdryer also provided. Also on the ground floor nice outdoor shower - do give it a try, and indoor w/c with closet space. There’s also a double daybed to sleep another 2 , plus dining space, if there were 4 of you I do think it would be a little tighter but there are large terraces with seating to both ground and 1st floors to spread out into. The main bedroom on the first floor was wonderful, very lovely bathroom ( with some of the best robes and toiletries we’ve ever had ) linked to a large walk in

A gem of a hotel tucked away on Negril’s west end! The bungalow was lovely, with sunset views from both upstairs and downstairs— and had every thing we could ask for—comfy bed, great AC, indoor and outdoor showers, work desk/space and well-appointed kitchen. The staff is amazingly helpful and truly go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

After staying at the beach resort in 2024 and loving it so much we decided to come back but as we couldn't get a room in that property we decided to try the Cliffs and it is just a good as its sister property. As we went off season the Cliffs were liking having a private villa, chef and chauffeur service on a budget as we had the place to ourselves most of the time. The villa we stayed in was spacious with a fairly decent view of the sea (the trees need a trim to get a full view, unlike the other 2 seaview ones which have a full view). We made full use of the restaurant service by having breakfast each day prepared by Jason and the team. My only gripes about the menus including lunch and dinner is the lack of Jamaican food and variety (same menu as last year and for years judging by the photos online). They have such talented chefs it seems like madness not to showcase their talents, the wonderful local fresh produce and to compete with the other restaurants, especially as many are lacklustre. Jason was a pleasure and ensured all elements of our breakfast were cooked to perfection. The customer service at the Cliffs was exceptional from Nicholas, Sandra and Fabian to name but a few. This is indicative of the fantastic customer service you get from Idleawhile and it was so touching to be recognised by staff from our visit in 2024. We arrived very late at night and the security guard was there to greet us as shown us to our room. Our every need was taken care of from towels for the pool and beach, booking excursions for us (Bryan Cummings is great driver and the boat trip through Jason Stennett was fantastic) and taking us to and from the Cliffs to the Beaches (please note the shuttle needs to be booked (including at the Beaches) and leaves at the Cliffs 10.30am and returns from the Beaches at 16h. The pool is great for relaxing and is in the sun all day. As we went in rainy season the sea was not suitable for diving into as the waves were strong and high. However the soothing sound of the sea helped you drift off to sleep. I would recommend the Cliffs to families and people who are not very organised on holiday. What staying there did is force us to get into a routine as we had to be ready for the shuttle or get up for breakfast before a trip. It also gave us great flexibility by being able to choose to go between the two properties as they presented two very types of holiday vibe. Going to the Beaches was lovely for the swimming, water sports and sunbathing whereas the Cliffs is for relaxing, calmness and chilling. I think this is gen of a place and rate it highly.

The staff were friendly, and the food and drinks were excellent. View is amazing. Windows do not have glass or screens so you can hear everything from outside all night and bugs get in your room. Shutters don’t close to keep the heat humid air out. The air conditioner is right above the bed so condensation drips on you, you pillows, or the bed all the time. Pool is tiny, and the ladder for ocean access is broken and unusable. They didn’t have ANY fruit for two days along with other menus items. (I’m not talking about the seasonal items, like regular menu items) Chunks of the pool floor were breaking off and I stepped on them so I put all the pieces poolside and told the staff. The pieces stayed there three days. 3 umbrellas, only 1 stand for the umbrellas. Toilets wobbled when you sit down. Exposed wires all around the walking paths where lights should be. A little maintenance in the off season could go a long way here. I will NOT return here.

Friendly staff, excellent customer service. Enjoyed the ambience and accommodations. Clean and pleasant.

We stayed here for 4 nights in an ocean front villa (3 of the nights were in room 3 and 1 night was in room 2). The grounds of the hotel are beautiful and secluded. It's so quiet that really feels like you are staying at someone's home rather than a hotel. So, if you're looking to relax, this is an ideal place for you. The freshwater pool is lovely and, if the sea is clam, you can take the ladder down the cliff and swim, which we did. Because the hotel is at the far end of the west end road, there is not much to walk to but Uber is in Negril now, so you can take one (or a more expensive taxi) to eat/swim/explore one of the other locations on the cliffs or the beach. The rooms were very clean and well-appointed with very comfortable beds. The outdoor and the indoor showers were both fantastic. The villas had the most amazing views of the sea and it was great just to hang out and read on the upper balcony in the hammock. There is a small bar/restaurant on-site and everything we had there was great. Everyone on staff is absolutely wonderful - they're the best. The only tips I can provide are to plan accordingly if you want to have dinner at/from the on-site restaurant or take the free van to the beach location. We were not good at planning ahead and did not always tell the front desk that we wanted to go to the beach the following day and so missed the van once as it left earlier than the 10:30 am pick up time. On the days the van came late, this was not a problem. And we tried ordering dinner at 6:30 pm but the restaurant had closed 30 mins early. These missteps were our fault since it's a very small hotel, it makes sense that they don't maintain extra staff on-site if they don't think they'll be needed - just remember to communicate with the staff earlier than we did! It's an amazing place and I highly recommended it.