Idle Awhile Cliffs

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

91 reviews

• 

  a perfect experience in a perfect setting with the perfect staff !

  We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary here spending the week prior at the Beach location with family and friends. From Tiona planning every detail of our two events with patience and creativity, the delicious food prepared by Chef Jason, the warm, fun caring of Beautiful Claudia, Hopeton, Jermaine and the whole staff - our event and experience exceeded all expectations. We came away with amazing memories, beautiful photos and new lifelong friends. Both locations are charming, intimate and exceptionally beautiful. We have been to many places on the island but will always recommend Idle Awhile as our favorite. We will be back soon.

  Oct 11, 2025
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  Fantastic stay at the cliffs, go and idle some !

  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 closet and a stunning view of the ocean when you wake up. A/C is great throughout, and I love that you can open the shutters to feel like you’re living outside in the grounds. We did have one night of a loud local party until 130am which someone else had mentioned, so assume this does happen, a downside to having shutters and not glass, but wouldn’t change this. Bring earplugs in case and absolutely nothing the property can do if this happens, not their fault at all. The villa was kept absolutely spotless by our housekeeper Dorothy, who was brilliant our whole stay. Thankyou for looking after us so well and chatting with us, nothing was too much trouble. Food / drinks There’s a small bar and restaurant ( only until 730pm and dinner needs to be ordered by 630pm from the menu ). We had breakfast once which was great, Jamaican for my husband which was brilliant, and the chef kindly made some eggs off menu for me - thankyou ! Drinks are good and reasonably priced. Hopeton made a cracking Bloody Mary and is great at the bar, checking in that you’re ok, he even delivered drinks to another couples villa to them which I think goes over and above what’s expected. Lovely guy ! Wendy, one of the butlers / bar team also looked after us one day, and was really great, just the right level of attention, checking we were ok, great drinks, again going over and above by calling ahead to a restaurant we’d mentioned to check what was on without us even asking. We only had dinner from the restaurant once, served in room due to a storm, both courses were served together, I think unfair to review due to the weather making it difficult. We ate off property mostly or cooked as you can be more flexible - check out Ivan’s and Pushcart if you can. Pool / Grounds The pool is very nice, but the floating sun lounger toppers really could do with replacing, clean but very ragged around the edges and faded, noticed the same issue at the beach property. The pool could also have done with being skimmed more. Our lifeguard Kevroy, incredibly welcoming, very friendly greeting us on our first day and walked us down the peninsula with the offer to help us jump into the ocean and to let him know if we needed anything at all, he works hard, we saw only once at the cliffs, and then again at the villas. The villas and the beach property were busier so I guess his services were more in demand there. Sure if he’d been there each day the pool would be immmaculate. You can jump into the ocean from the peninsula and there’s a secure ladder to get back up. We didn’t as the ocean was quite rough during our stay. Grounds are kept in check by Monday the gardener, who works so hard to keep the property looking great and the leaves at bay. He greeted us with a smile and a hello each morning. What I also appreciated was how the villas seem to be run and the team are looked after, our last morning there’d been quite a storm which left the grounds in a bit of a mess. I expected Monday ( Gardener )to be left with the task on his own to clean up (huge task) but there was a small team of gardeners clearing the grounds, pool area, giving everything a good scrub down to make it look like nothing had happened. It’s also a positive the 3 properties share staff meaning you get to meet a good array of the wonderful team, and hopefully variety for them too of quieter days at the cliffs, and busier times at the beach. Some last tips and thoughts Bring a torch - grounds are quite dark at night Dorothy replaces the provided mosquito plugs each day in the villa so no need to bring these. Bring ear plugs just in case. Go off property and explore. Jamaica is a beautiful country, with beautiful people and we find it safe as long as you’re sensible. Bring cash to tip, it’s always appreciated. Sandria does a brilliant job running this little gem, we came, we were brilliantly looked after, we idled and we will be back. One love, Zoe and Chris

  Oct 05, 2025
• 

  Beautiful Property Poor Service!

  Idle Awhile has long been one of my trusted brands. Since 2017, I’ve stayed at both the Beach and the Villas across the road and always associated the name with warm hospitality, comfortable beds, and a reliable standard of care. So when I planned a 10-day wellness retreat with treatments at Jackie on the Reef, I was relieved to learn Idle Awhile also had a Cliff property. It felt like the perfect match, somewhere I could trust for a long stay. The Cliff itself is a beautiful, peaceful property. With only seven rooms (three sea view and four garden suites), it offers an intimate experience. The room I eventually settled into was very comfortable, the bed excellent, and the kitchen well-equipped with essentials. The housekeeping staff did a solid job, and I particularly appreciated the quiet, serene atmosphere that makes it ideal for rest and wellness. I also want to highlight Ms. Sandria, the property superior, who was attentive and solutions-oriented, as well as one bartender whose professionalism stood out. Without them, my experience would have been much more difficult. Unfortunately, despite these positives, my overall stay left me deeply disappointed and reconsidering Idle Awhile as my preferred choice. There clearly is a lack of management. From the moment I arrived at about 6:20PM after a six-hour drive from Kingston in stormy weather, the service fell short. Check-in was disorganized and unnecessarily stressful. The front desk clerk seemed more focused on leaving for the evening than welcoming me after a long journey. Instead of offering a seat or a welcome drink while resolving issues with the card machine and printer, I was left to experience the chaos, for over ten minutes. It was only the next morning I learned that their POS system often gives trouble with NCB cards. Ms. Sandria had the card run through the Beach property, but the lack of training and courtesy at check-in set a troubling tone. The room assignment process also exposed gaps in staff training and professionalism. Despite booking a garden suite, I was initially told I had to accept an upstairs room, even after explaining my knee issues and the fact that I was staying 10 days. It wasn’t until I escalated the matter myself to the Beach property that the situation was corrected. During my stay, I had to change rooms (to the other downstairs room) due to a constant disruptive beep (seem the battery in the vault was dying) and a malfunctioning phone that rang at odd hours. Beyond that, I noticed a troubling pattern: whenever I made a reasonable request, the answer was almost always "no." Simple things like setting up chairs by the cliff or getting additional towels were met with resistance or excuses that made me feel like I was inconveniencing the staff. At times, it felt as though the staff were on their own vacation and my presence was a disruption. As a result, I chose not to use much of the property’s services or food and beverage options, which could have otherwise enhanced my stay. The service challenges extended across properties. At the Beach, when I asked a lifeguard for a towel, he simply gestured for me to get it myself. These moments may seem small, but when they accumulate, they strip away the sense of welcome, service quality and care that Idle Awhile was once known for. This left me questioning whether my treatment had to do with being a local guest. While I was treated warmly at the sports center, the contrast with my experience at the Cliff and the Beach was glaring. In summary, while Idle Awhile Cliff has the potential of being a gem with beautiful property, comfortable rooms, peaceful environment, the service and training are far below the brand’s reputation. Without staff like Ms. Sandria, my stay could have been unbearable. As someone who has trusted Idle Awhile for years, I am now reconsidering whether it remains my preferred choice. For a brand I’ve held in such high regard, that is a very disappointing realization.

  Aug 18, 2025
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  An lovely place to stay

  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.

  Jun 26, 2025
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  A West-End Gem

  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.

  Feb 19, 2025