Ok - after all this - the girls decided on RockHouse - BUT they are full for the times we are considering travel.

After another conversation with Craig at OneStop - I am looking for info on Xtabi. Still in consideration is Negril Escapes and Catch a Falling Star.

OneStop says that Negril Escapes Resort and Spa the onetime Mariners Inn is now owned by different people and that it is much improved. However, I am not finding reviews, allthough the website looks very nice.

Xtabi has many favorable reviews on TripAdvisor however not much here on the forum. It sounds good, price is hard to believe.

Catch A does not have a pool, however the girls did put this one on their list.

So my girls are requesting pool and cliff view for this portion of our trip.

Loved the look and reviews of Tensing Pen, however the girls ruled it out due to not being able to be on the cliff and no pool.

Our beach portion will be spent at Rondel in a beach front villa - at least that part is set!

So any new advice?

Thanks all, you are invaluable.

For those that have not been following this saga - Forgot to say - this trip is for Mom and 2 daughters ages 17 & 18.

Hi...that is a bummer about Rockhouse, but I am not suprised...I tried to get in the week after New Year's (2007) and they are almost completely booked already. TP doesn't have a pool, but the property is right on the cliffs. Some of the rooms are closer than others, but there are lots of lounge chairs and tables around the property to lie in the sun right next to the water. And we could hear the waves hitting the cliffs from just about everywhere on the property.

We've stayed at Xtabi and they have cottages with patios that hang right over the cliffs, as well. It's just not as upscale a property as Rockhouse, but we enjoyed it there. I would be concerned about the lack of AC in the summer, though. We were there in January and it was warm. And their pool is across the road where some other cottages are located.

I have also stayed at Samsara which has some nice little cottages and a pool, but it is not as nice as either Xtabi or Rockhouse. A little too much concrete for my tastes. A big hangout during Spring Break.

Two other places you may want to check out are Sea Grape Villas and Villas Sur Mer. Villas Sur Mer is right next to Rick's and you are within walking distance of Rockhouse, LTU etc. And it has a nice pool. Sea Grape Villas look great and I have seen them from a boat...no pool, but really laid out. I think Bob Marley used to record there. They have waterbeds for couches. I have never been able to stay at either place during the holidays because they only rent by the week during that time. I don't know if that is the case during summer, though.

We are thinking about just extending our stay on the beach and doing day trips to the cliffs. If I couldn't stay in one of the "good" places on the cliffs, I would rather be on the beach. Good luck...Lori

Tensing Pen IS on the cliff side.

Xtabi might be the best fit as it has a pool, bar, restaurant, etc...Catcha does not (tho I am staying there in March for the 1st time and will report back).

Villas Sur Mer is usually booked solid also but if you can get in that's a great option. I think they have new rooms across the street so check on that.

For the heck of it see if Blue Cave Castle's penthouse is available (though all their rooms are unique). Not fancy but VERY cool.

Idle Awhile has 3 new villas on the cliffs. Just opened but no pool.

Thanks again everyone.

To clarify, I do understand that Tensing Pen is cliffside. However the cottages along the cliff are for 2 people only. And my understanding is that they will not allow a 3rd person. So we thought about the Long House, which does accomodate 3-4 people. However the Long House is set back on the property and after emailing TP, I still don't know if it has a water view, they neglected to answer that question.

As for cliffside lodgings in general - My thoughts on this portion is to have that incredible, stunning view right from our room and porch area. Without the view, I am thinking we would stay the entire visit on the beach.

Thanks for the info on the Idle Awhile villas. I knew they had these, but missed the part about them being on the cliffs. So will check it out.

As for RockHouse - yes it is a bummer! But working around, college orientation, prom, graduation, etc. well we just picked the wrong weeks. Maybe next time.

Thanks for the villa suggestions, I am looking at these. In reading I understand that they come with a cook, however we do want to try several of the restaurants on the cliffs, so with the villa options (other than Villa Mer which Lori described already) - would we be able to walk to many or would we have to heavily rely on cabs?

Anyone else with a place that we have missed?

Error! Meant the South House at Tensing Pen not the Long House. Long house is way too big and a bit over the budget!

Are you adamant about staying on the cliffs? Idle Awhile, MOondance Villas, Aquamoon are very nice. I would not stay across the street on the cliffs unless I were really traveling on a budget? A good budget choice is Blue Vave Castle in the cliffs. Some of the beach in NEgril has been eroded so you really need to be careful about where you stay now. If you can Xtabi on the cliff side it will be nice.

Thank you Kelbo and we are splitting our trip with half at Rondel in a beachfront villa and hopefully half on the cliffs.

You could walk to restaurants from Sea Grape villas, but there are only 3 villas and they always seem to be booked when I have contacted them. I have considered the Idle Awhile villas but I don't think you would want to try them on your first visit to the cliff area. They are past the lighthouse and a 15 minute walk to Rick's. Kind of in the middle of nowhere. I think it would be too remote for you and your girls with not much going on within walking distance. But they are reasonably priced and I am sure they are as nice as Idle Awhile's rooms which are great.

I am fairly certain that the South House at TP has water views. The cottages without views are much lower priced. It is located on the edge of the property and I believe the way it is situated it has a direct view of the water. Look at the hand drawn map on negrilonestop. The cottages look close together and appear that the ones in front may be blocking the views of the other cottages, but the place is designed for privacy with each cottage having it's own little path to the various lounge areas and water views. We stayed in the Cove cottage which is close to the South House. It was just about the coolest room I have ever stayed in and the sound of the waves hitting the cove all night was unbelievable. My friends stayed in the middle pillar and even though it is technically not directly on the cliff, it's awful darn close and when you are on the balcony, the views were fantastic. The whole place is just visually stunning...about the only rooms that I wouldn't want would be the garden room that faces the back of the property. My feeling about the cliff properties is that you have very nice resorts or kind of seedy places. I'm fine w/ "seedy" but that doesn't seem to be what you are looking for on this trip. Xtabi is a good choice if A/C is not a necessity, but you would need 2 cottages since I don't think any of the cliffside cottages have more than one bed. The views from their cottages are just as good as Rockhouse and I love their restaurant/bar area.

Thank you so much Lori, that is exactly what I needed. I had printed the map of TP and have in hand, following you around the property, sounds lovely. For me I think Tensing would be a good choice. It has my coffee and my breakfast, it has great stunning views, and the wonderful lulling sounds of the ocean, the property sounds quiet, but also interesting, I can certainly see myself here. My oldest daughter just said "Mom you can pick, I mean you are paying!!" So considerate, isn't she?!?

And thanks for letting me know where the Idle Awhile villas are located. You are reading me to the T. Yes, this is probably too far, but absolutely lovely.

Certainly my husband and I have stayed in some moderate locations while traveling Costa Rica and other places, but yes, for this trip, I don't want to break the bank, but I do want the girls to go away with a "Wow"

Seagrape Villa does look lovely. Oldest daughter loved the look, even without the pool. And she still really likes the website of negrilescape.com, actually this one turned out to be the most expensive which I was not expecting.

Xtabi views I am certain would be awesome, I am just not sure I want to put the girls in a seperate cottage. I know, I know, she is headed to college! but she is still one of my babies.

Seems like I have my list and have pretty much discussed every property on the Cliffs! Yes, I am a very obsessive travel planner, but not to worry I am not as obsessive on excursions, they just seem to happen. So off to check some more availabilites and I guess we will just have to fall into where ever has room!

Thank you all, so very much.

You sound just like me......I am completely obsessed until I make the reservation and then I just go with the flow once I arrive. I always feel like I have to have the perfect room with the perfect view. Others may say that they don't spend much time in the room and while that might be true while you are on the beach, you will want to enjoy every moment at Tensing Pen and I think the room makes all the difference on the cliffs. Another good point about TP is their security. Rockhouse and Xtabi have restaurants that are open to the public, but TP is private and gated. They also have 2-3 cute dogs that are excellent guards so you will feel perfectly secure when you are there. It's not that I worry about security in Negril. I have stumbled up and down that cliff road and the beach at all hours with no problem, but it's nice to know that you don't have to worry when you are traveling with your kids.

Regarding Xtabi...if you can get units 7 and 8, they are upstairs/downstairs in the same cottage. The verandah upstairs in really lovely and while they are not ON the water they are very close and definitely have a good water view, at leat upstairs. There's a nice table and chairs up there, lots of space.

Plus they are a lot less $ than the cliffside cottages.

One nice thing about Xtabi is that it has a resort feel - a great bar, restaurant, common relax/game area, pool across the road (handy if the water is rough which it can be some days). They also have really neat caves, one of which used to have a bar in it (bar is still there but only staffed for parties and such). You can walk around in that cave, swim out, whatever you want. Great water access - high or low - a tiny little sandy beach even, and a very nice snorkeling cove, up there with Rockhouse's.

Also next door to # Dives which has great food and bonfires after sunset.

We loved Catch a Fallin Star -- stayed in the Moon, 2 Bedrooom cabana --1 king and 2 twins. Their beautiful ocean "pool" can get a bit rough if the weather turns -- we were only able to swim there for 3 days out of 6 but the snorkeling was an added plus.

Xtabi had really excellent snorkeling but a much less intimate feel than CFS -- maybe the teens would like it for that reason. We'd buy a drink at Xtabi and snorkel on their grounds but I wouldn't want to stay there since it did feel have a cheaper resort feel. CFS also had a nice breakfast served on your veranda -- beautiful views. However, A/C in July might be a big issue -- we were there in March and we were O.K. without A/C since the cabana caught a very nice breeze in the day and evening although walking around between 11 am and 2 pm was incredibly hot -- can't imagine how bad it might be in July.

Girls are likely to be going down to the beach area -- Xtabi is a little closer as CFS is almost at the lighthouse, not quite as "central" of a location. But I loved CFS, I can't wait to get back to Negril. We got CFS for 119/night last March -- an excellent rate for 4 people that included breakfast. Have a great time.

And thank you Liza and Dan, for some more excellent details. This truly does help.

Yes Lori many people do tend to say "you aren't in your room much anyway". However I do tend to spend a good amount of time on my porch, balcony or patio drinking coffee, reading or simply gazing at the beautiful view. So finding the room with a view is important to me.

Just got word, NO room at Tensing Pen for either week that we can travel, totally booked. So onto the next one! Darn!

Glad you hooked up with onestop Donna !! They are super . craig is Bob and Susanès son I believe .

fishie we are staying in Pisces this March and have friends staying in Moon. Looks lovely, I am excited

liza, I'm so envious, please drink a hummingbird for me as you sit cliffside watching the sunset. Hope the ocean is gorgeous and calm so that you can explore the water in front of CFS (although I must say Xtabi was the best snorkeling spot for us). Sounds like you go back to Negril regularly? Can I ask how much you're all paying for Catch a Falling Star? I'd like to return but I know their rates have gone up a bit after their renovations. If Alton is your driver, he's great -- could you ask him if he still has ulcer problems? I promised to send him some treatments but wasn't sure if he was still having issues with this since it's been almost a year now... Have a wonderful trip!

fishee we have a discount for taking more than one unit there so it's low season rates.

I've only stayed at Blue Cave Castle on the cliffs, we like it a lot, but wanted to try somehting new this time. I actaully wanted Xtabi but only if I could have a particular unit and it wasn't available so we are trying Catcha. Just 3 nights, then we move on - we have 2 weeks in Jamaica this time.

If I see Alton I will ask

Liza -- what other spots are you checking out on Jamaica? We only drove (well, actually Alton drove) as far South as Whitehouse to visit a fishing village but I'm actually quite interested in going to Kingston sometime, maybe checking out the University. Last time we stayed a week in Negril which was fantastic but I did feel like I was only getting this very partial view of the place.