We stayed in a loft cottage near the restaurant and it was absolutely incredible!!!! We arrived during an unusually rainy week (1st week of June), and spent most of the first couple of days just hanging out at the hotel with the other couple who came with us and relaxing in between trips to 3 Dives for food. The view was spectacular even in the rain, as we saw 3 water spouts out in the ocean when we arrived at the room. Our room was clean and well-appointed, and thankfully well air-conditioned, as the rain made it pretty muggy the first couple of days. The outdoor shower was pretty cool, although our cottage was on the path to the restaurant, so it was a little weird at first showering for dinner and hearing people walking by just outside :) The restaurant was really good, but the same or better could be had for 1/2 as much at Sips & Bites (awesome breakfast!!)or 3 Dives (awesome everything plus the view!!) which are both in easy walking distance. We all enjoyed our stay, but the upgrade to a premium cottage is well worth it as they are much nicer (we needed the 2nd bedroom, which is not available in premium cottages). My only complaint would be that for the price (approx $250 US / night), the std cottages should be more on par with the premium.

We have been looking forward to this trip (3/12-16) since we booked it 5 months ago and believe me, it was worth the wait. Our goal was to find a place that was quiet, mainly adults with good food, friendly service and good water access. The Rockhouse could not have been more perfect.

The hotel itself is very laid-back casual. All of the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful and the setting is amazing. The hotel sits on a cove that is like your own private reef. We snorkled almost every day around the property, and one day flagged down Errol who took us and some others out to the reef. (Truthfully, while the boat ride was enjoyable giving us a view of the beach areas, maybe 15 minutes each way, the snorkling around the hotel was just as interesting.)

The food was fantastic. Nothing too fancy, just basic wonderful Jamaican food. Their jerk chicken is incredible, paricularly at the pool-side bar. If going for a romantic getway, be sure to reserve "the rock" table at the restaurant, a table set seperately across a small cove from the main restaurant.

We had a couples massage in the massage hut one morning. Let me tell you, having a massage together (Stephanie has magic fingers by the way) next to the water, with a slight Carribean breeze blowing on you, listening to the water lapping on the rocks while some Reggae music plays from nearby is just about as close to perfect as you can get on this planet.

We ate dinner at Kuyaba one night (free shuttle from the hotel and back) which was exceptional. Another great place to have dinner while the sun sets.

Also the hotel has an arrangement with Idle Awhile up on the beach area where you can go hang on their chairs at no cost. We walked the beach for a while before hanging out there. Grabbed some fresh fruit from one of the handful of guys selling it along the beach. (Yeah, there's a lot of people selling stuff along the beach, but a polite "no thanks" did the trick every time and when we had our eyes closed no one even asked.)

We broght some school supplies and were able to go with one of the co-owners to visit a local school that they support throught the Rockhouse Foundation, a non-profit foundation designed assist the local community. This is a high priority of the hotel and was one of the high-points of the trip.

To be clear, the hotel deliberately does not try to be fancy or high-brow. If anything it comes across more eclectic, which we loved. But for a quiet, extremely well run and absolutely beautiful location, I'm just not sure it can be beat. We can't wait ot go back and have been reminicing ever since.

We just returned from a week at the Rockhouse (March 10-17)... and yes, the setting is just gorgeous. The property is even more beautiful first hand as it is in all the pictures in reviews.

If you're looking for peace and quiet, this is the hotel/resort for you. We have been to Negril many times and always stayed at an 'all-inclusive' but wanted to try something new (less popluated and less noise at night). We were not disappointed. We stayed in Premium Villa #1 which was perfect for sunsets, but then the entire property is PERFECT for sunsets. Our villa did not have a ladder to the water which would have been the only thing that could have made it better.

The food is outstanding (try the grilled lobster) and the staff is always friendly. With just 34 rooms, at breakfast and lunch you're virtually the only people in the restaurant. We did make reservations for dinner when eating at the Rockhouse, as the restaurant is open to the public and people come from all over to experience the breathtaking views, but never had a problem with the reservation times we wanted.

Getting out and exploring is never a problem. Just go to the front gate and tell them you need a taxi and within a minute or two they have a taxi for you.

We golfed five days of our stay and that got a little pricey ($163.50 for two) because it's normally covered at an all-inclusive, but still loved it. All and all we loved the experience, but found ourselves missing the beach just a LITTLE bit and missing the lack of activity (no gym).

My wife and I stayed for 1 week during Feb` 2008....what can I say?
I`m not going to list everything about this hotel in detail because it would take too long. The views are fantastic. The weather was perfect. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful (the best we`ve experienced in the caribbean!). The manager was a very nice guy who genuinely seemed to want to make our stay as pleasurable as possible. The snorkelling/swimming was very good, (not quite in the same league as The Maldives) but good enough. The food was excellent and very reasonably priced (compared to England). The rooms were adequately furnished, clean enough and very well situated, overlooking the sea.
If you want to `chill out` and do not much in a truly beautiful place.... we would definitely recommend `The Rockhouse!`