Resort Details
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
89 reviews
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Aug 18, 2025Beautiful 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.
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Jun 26, 2025An 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.
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Feb 19, 2025
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.
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Jan 05, 2025Relaxing oasis in Negril
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.
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Nov 12, 2024
Go somewhere else.
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.