This is the final accommodation review from my last jaunt to Jamaica in May, and you guys will love it.  Why?  Firstly, because it’s in Negril and I know how most people love Negril.  And second, because it was a STEAL!  This hotel wasn’t a prearranged review.  I had to seek it out and book it online just like everyone else and I’m glad I did.  I think it’ll be very worthwhile for many of you.

Coral Seas Cliff on the cliff side of Negril, fell right in the middle of my trip and it was accommodation #3 of five during my nine-day stay on the island, as mentioned in this post.  This particular trip was a whirlwind packed full of purely being on the road and my three nights in Negril were strictly for some R&R.  I’m pretty sure I couldn’t have found a quieter place to relax, which was a plus and a minus as you’ll find out in this review.

 

The Location

Coral Seas Cliff is located on West End Road in Negril.  It’s part of the Coral Seas family of resorts in Negril, including Coral Seas Garden on the beach end of Negril.  From the beach side you’ll drive into town and head up the cliff road from the roundabout.  A good landmark to know you’re almost there is the popular Xtabi Resort.  Once you pass Xtabi you’re only a couple of minutes away from Coral Seas Cliff.  If you reach Rick’s Cafe, you’ve gone too far.

I found this hotel on Booking.com and I won’t lie, all I was looking for was something cheap and clean on short notice, which sounds easier than it actually was.  I think it was the short notice part that made it difficult to find a place for under $100.00.  I hate spending money on accommodations because I know I’m on the road all the time and it seems silly to spend good money on a place to basically hang my clothes.

 

The Rooms

Here’s the part that super impressed me – the rooms.   Booking.com showed that there were sea view king rooms available for my dates and a ridiculous $67.00 CAD per night.  I thought it was too good to be true because everything else in Negril was showing around $90.00 and above.  Past guest photos online were vague and didn’t make it look spectacular but the reviews were fairly good so I took the chance and booked.

You know those times when you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get for a cheap price, so you brace when you open the door to your hotel room?  Well….Coral Seas Cliff for the WIN!!!   When we opened our doors we were NOT disappointed!  My travel partner and I were very pleasantly surprised with our rooms.  We each had king suites next door to each other and both were huge, had unobstructed sea views, private balconies, air conditioning, mini fridges, flat screen TV’s, huge closets and huge bathrooms.  The rooms also were spotless.

 

 

 

 

And here is the view from our verandas.  Sea view is no overstatement.

 

Carmen and I knew we’d be more than comfy here.  Our verandas were right beside each other so we had no need to knock on each others doors for any reason.

 

The Property & Amenities

 

Because we had a sea view our rooms were the farthest away from the front office located on the road side of the property, but that was just fine.  The walk from our rooms to the parking lot was through a beautiful and lush garden setting so it only seemed far on our first night when it was pouring rain.  But the groundsman who doubled as our bellman provided us with an umbrella and wheeled our luggage to our rooms for us.

After the rain stopped (also after dark) I took a little walk around the property to see the restaurant, bar and pool that every online review seemed to mention.  As it turns out our rooms were literally right beside the bar and pool, which looked like it would have been a cool spot to hang out…….if only it was open.  It couldn’t have been later than 8pm and there was no one in sight.  Even though the lights at the restaurant and bar were on there wasn’t a soul around.

 

 

 

We later found out that it was closed because we were basically the only guests on the property.  May is low season but seriously?  I really think it would have been helpful if their website advised guests that nothing is open on the property during low season.  We couldn’t even buy a cold drink if we wanted to.  And of course, my next thought was morning time when I want….rather, NEED that first cup of coffee before having to get showered and dressed.

Regardless, both of us slept in pure comfort in our king size beds and woke to a beautiful blue sea view on our first morning!  I had zero complaints about waking up here except that I didn’t have that beloved first cup of coffee in hand to enjoy on my veranda.

 

 

The ONE saving grace about waking up with no coffee or amenities was Xtabi Resort two minutes down the road.  When Carmen and I asked the front desk about where we could go get breakfast they advised us to try the nearby Rockhouse Resort but I knew it would be overpriced for the kind of money I wanted to spend so we opted to get in the car and find somewhere more reasonable.  I also knew from driving by it that Xtabi was very nearby so we went there and it was a good decision.  We had seaside breakfast and wonderful coffee for a very reasonable price.  During breakfast we also happened to meet the owner of Xtabi and we were a little sad that we hadn’t just booked in there instead.  Regardless, we were very happy being at Coral Cliffs, minus the amenities.

As it turned out, we returned to Xtabi for breakfast and dinner on another day.  Wonderful ambiance, reasonable prices and it’ll probably be my next Negril review some day in the future.

So…..would I recommend staying at Coral Seas Cliff?

I really can’t give the resort a comprehensive review since half of what I normally review didn’t exist during my stay.  I can’t comment on the staff, the restaurant and bar, nor the food because it simply wasn’t available while I was here.  And I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why we were the only guests here, given the amazing room prices.

However, based solely on the rooms, the comfort and the VIEW I would absolutely recommend booking in at Coral Seas Cliff!  Even without amenities the price couldn’t be beat for the rooms we had and the location is easy enough that great food is a short walk and even shorter drive from the front gate.

Sunset time alone would be worth the $67.00 CAD I paid to rest my head on this property.

 

 

 

Has anyone ever stayed at Coral Seas Cliff resort?  If so, do you have any comments about the restaurant and bar when it’s open?  Please leave your comments below!