Home Sweet Home – Negril, Jamaica

As part of the 2000+ kilometers I put on my Budget Rental Car on this past trip to Jamaica, I had Negril on my map again for a couple nights.  Along for the ride were two of my awesome Canadian friends I’d been dragging around the island with me and I was looking forward to trying out yet another cliffside place to stay in Negril.  Destination – Home Sweet Home.

Arriving in Negril after dark, we drove through the roundabout in the center of town and headed up West End road towards the cliffs.  Home Sweet Home wasn’t hard to find at all.  It is located on the right side of the road just a few minutes past the roundabout but you have to watch for the sign.  We drove past it the first time and then turned around and made our way back.  Upon driving through the gate the first thing I noticed was the shortage of parking – they only have a driveway where a few cars can fit and during our stay it was a little inconvenient if someone pulled in behind us and we had to look for that person to move if we wanted to get out.

We found the owner Charlie, an American man who seemed nice enough and very laid back.  After we paid for our room he gave us the option of first floor or second floor identical rooms and we chose second floor for the view.  Although after negotiating the tall stairway up the side of the building with our luggage we wished we had chosen first floor.

First Impressions of the Room

The three of us were given a room with 2 queen beds.  Based on what their website shows I think I was expecting a lot more than what our room actually looked like.  The room was clean but small and not as spectacular as professional photography can make something appear.  It was laid out in a nice way, had a full bathroom, TV, ceiling fan and AC – but we soon discovered the AC didn’t work.  That wasn’t a big deal for me because I don’t use AC anyway but at a regular price of $100/night ALL things should work.  We were lucky that it was November and the ocean breeze was strong and very cool.  Quite pleasant.

I’m not too fussy with places I stay so the room sufficed and the beds were comfy.  Only a few small things about it bothered me, like the electrical outlets in the wall were painted over when they painted the rooms so it was hard to plug anything like phone chargers in but we managed.  My favorite part of the entire room was the balcony and we couldn’t fully appreciate that the first night because we arrived after dark.  But boy when we woke up in the morning the view was spectacular!  Definitely the selling feature of the entire property!

The first morning I was awake around 7:30am and decided to go walk around the property in my jammies to find coffee and see what was here.  There is a restaurant on site and they had coffee made for $150 jmd per cup.  I ordered one up and went to sit on the rock wall overlooking the sea to enjoy the view.  It was perfect – a 180 degree panoramic view of the Caribbean sea which was stunning.  Even more so in the evening at sunset.  The pool on the property was cute and clean and close to the rock wall so you can enjoy the view while you swim.

While I sat on the wall drinking my coffee the other girls woke up and came down for coffee as well.  We all hung out taking pictures of what we didn’t see the night before.  One thing I should add is that I haven’t included a whole lot of photos of the grounds at this hotel because it seemed to be under major construction and wasn’t very attractive.  There was a lot of building material laying around which wouldn’t make for attractive photos.  But the place is big and it looks like it’s expanding – there was a whole new building going up near the front of the property which will have a breathtaking view when it’s finished.  Our room was set back quite a ways on the property so our view was limited.

While we hung out looking around and drinking coffee Michelle took up residence on what became our favorite little part of the large yard – the hammock.  In the couple days we spent at Home Sweet Home all of us tried it out at various times of the day or night.  I laid on it for about an hour in the night and just gazed up at the millions of stars above.  Brilliant!

Having mentioned that the view is the top selling feature, we got lucky on our last evening at Home Sweet Home and witnessed a gorgeous sunset on a clear evening.  All of us including some friends that joined us made a point of being on the property at dusk to  make sure we caught the whole process of the sun going down.  Brenda wins the prize for capturing the best photos out of all of us, posted below.

The down sides of our stay at Home Sweet Home in Negril – The construction all over the place but I can’t fault them for expanding the property.  Also, the wireless internet wasn’t working but again, I can’t fault them because hurricane Sandy had just blown over the island a couple weeks before.  Our timing was just unfortunate on all counts.  I did think our room would be prettier and in better repair based on the fabulous photos on their website.  If I had paid full price and didn’t split it three ways I would have been disappointed in what I got for my money.

The UP sides – the location was excellent.  On the cliff side but not far from the town center and the beach road.  And there were plenty of restaurants and shops nearby all up and down West End road.

We didn’t dine at all on the property so I can’t rate the food.  But the coffee was good and ready early in the morning and the ambiance of the place was very laid back.  I had a chance to talk to a few other guests who were staying at the same time and they all loved it!  Some of them were repeat guests so they must love it!

Overall it was a fine place to stay.  Would I be compelled to recommend it?  There was nothing really wrong with it except that I think a plain-Jane double room is overpriced when you can stay right on the beach for half that price.  It’s worth trying out if you have the budget and want a quiet, easy going place in the cliffs.