Review: Rockhouse Hotel & Spa

Why book?

Hugging the cliffs of Negril’s Pristine Cove, this storied Jamaican property offers a laid back pace with a dose of musical history—and one of the most coveted swimming spots on the island.

Set the scene

This is the kind of hotel that knows exactly what it is, and has no desire to mess with the formula. After a slightly grueling 90-minute drive from the Montego Bay airport, checking in is a welcome, casual affair, courtesy of an outdoor front desk and a shaded walk to your villa or room through the hotel’s lush tropical gardens. The central gathering point is the Rockhouse Restaurant (one of two on-site) where you’ll likely find clusters of New Yorkers in Mara Hoffman swimwear lounging on big couches, listening to a carefully curated soundtrack of reggae and dancehall. Kids over twelve are welcome, but this is very much a boutique resort for adults: weekends play host to all sorts of DJs and parties, while the daytime is filled with many a honeymooning couple snorkeling below the property or ordering rum punches by the pool.

The backstory

In recent years, The Rockhouse has become one of those properties you’ll likely see crop up on your Instagram's For You page: the cliff top views and trademark red ladders down into the Caribbean Sea have become an obligatory post for influencers jetting in for a long weekend. But this hotel’s crowd is far more interesting than social media will lead you to believe (think well-traveled characters of varying ages, hailing from a host of creative backgrounds), with a history that goes way back. This year, it celebrates its 50th anniversary, and any conversation with a longstanding staff member or regular will inevitably lead to stories of iconic fashion and music-video shoots, or notable guests—back in the 1970s, the likes of Bob Marley and the Rolling Stones were known to jump off the rocks here, just as guests do now. One of the first hotels to emerge in this part of Negril, it’s remained a relatively unchanged anchor as the area has flourished into a resort town, although none of the hotel’s sleepy charm or sense of self seems to have been lost: the two current owners can often be spotted padding around barefoot by the pool or bar, while the walls of both the Rockhouse Restaurant and sister spot Pushcart are lined with locally painted murals of Jamaican icons and ephemera celebrating the reggae and dancehall history of the island.

The rooms

Little has changed in design here—think stone, subtly modernist buildings using local materials that blend in with the clifftop surroundings—even as the property has expanded over time to its current tally of 40 rooms, which sit across eight acres of tropical gardens and span several different options. There is a smattering of standard rooms and studios that can accommodate solo travelers or couples, 20 thatched roof villas, including lofted ones for groups, and the more recently introduced, and slicker, ocean view suites. I stayed in one of the villas, which had a prime spot overlooking the water with its own private terrace (some of them also have their own private ladder). Interiors are low-key and chic, with few frills: earthy stone floors and walls, floor to ceiling windows with wooden slatted blinds to keep the heat out, and a four poster bed draped with vibey mosquito netting in the center. The highlight of the bathroom? The outdoor shower, where mornings begin with the sound of birdsong and evenings mean showering under the stars. Other details: a small mini bar featuring Jamaican Blackwell rum and scented candles to burn that were made on site, and a bluetooth speaker. Mix yourself a cocktail and watch the sun go down from your terrace, like I did.

Food and drink

Negril has a decent amount of food options if you feel inclined to spend a night away from The Rockhouse, but the property’s two restaurants, Rockhouse Restaurant and Pushcart, are some of the better ones in town and offer their own individual menus. At Rockhouse, you’ll find breakfast, lunch, and dinner on offer throughout the day, with a roster of Jamaican and more American-leaning dishes: sandwiches, seafood linguine, spicy coconut snapper, and jerk spiced calamari for example. (Don’t sleep on the Jamaican style porridge for breakfast, a creamy, sweet dish of cornmeal, oats, plantain, and local honey.) Over at Pushcart, where DJs takeover the sound systems for regular dance parties, dinner is a primer in Jamaican classics like goat or conch curry, braised oxtail, and numerous jerk dishes including charcoal-grilled pork, all served with options of sides like rice and peas and steamed callaloo.

The spa

Like everything at Rockhouse, the spa prides itself on its simplicity, with cliff-top therapy rooms that feel like a continuation of your own villa. Massage options include Aromatherapy, Swedish, Deep Tissue, and Hot Stone, while other menu items span pedicures and sauna experiences, all of which use products made with local ingredients. There are additional wellness experiences that take place on property outside of spa, too: if you happen to be there on the right day of the week, consider yoga on the deck or the psilocybin sound bath—in other words, a microdose of psychedelic mushrooms (which have been legalized in Jamaica) while taking in the beautiful setting.

The service

Attentive and always responsive thanks to a 24-hour Whatsapp number—which came in useful when my outdoor shower flooded; an issue that could have easily dominated part of my stay, it was resolved before I’d even finished breakfast. Much of the staff have worked at the property for many years (general manager, Inise, started at the front desk two decades ago), which means they know it like the back of their hand, and are eager to make you feel as at home as they do there.

Eco effort

The Rockhouse is very forthcoming about its sustainability efforts and the ways they may manifest—sometimes through the guest experiences themselves. Ask for a tour of the hydroponic farm and garden, where the property grows its own herbs, lettuces, tomatoes, scotch bonnet peppers, and more, all of which are used at the on-site restaurants as well as being delivered to several other local businesses and hotels as well. Notably, when there is a tropical storm or hurricane, any fallen trees are used to create more thatching for the villas and new furniture for the rooms. Hot water, meanwhile, is solar powered, rainwater is harvested, and a portion of waste is composted and used for the farm and garden.

Accessibility

Some of the rooms and villas are bungalow level, but not all of them, and there are several parts of the property that feature stairs. ADA compliance is currently not listed on the website.

Anything left to mention?

This is a place where you’ll want to spend the entire day on the water: rent a snorkel from the front desk and explore the many caves that reside underneath the property, or take out one of the paddle boards and drift alongside the property for a morning. And if you have the stomach for it, take part in the Rockhouse tradition of jumping off the bridge at sunset, just as Mick Jagger likely did before you.