My husband and I stayed at Rondell 7/2/05-7/9/05 and I have been hesitant to write this review for fear of giving up our now favorite vacation spot! We stayed in the oceanfront room-which we had requested-and had no difficulties at all during check-in. The room was clean and everything was in working order. The room was cleaned everyday and a request on our 1st day for extra towels was immediately granted and then continued the remainder of our stay. On our first morning we awoke to find that we had forgotten our camera somewhere and knew it was either at IRIE (The Rondel bar) or the Bar next door. We were not very optimistic of ever seeing the camera again, but sure enough when we went down to the bar, JEROME the bartender had our camera safely put away for us!! I would also like to make special mention of the awesome seciurity provided by RV and especially JOHNSON!!!! He was always there with a smile, looking out for us and keeping any unwanted higglers away!! We were there during hurrican Dennis and RV did a good job of giving us information/safety precautions and kept the resturaunt open throughout the entire storm to accomadate us-even delivering us room service in the pouring down rain! All of the staff, from the owner to the cooks to the security were friendly and welcoming and we can not wait to return. I also want to mention that the beach is one of the larger ones on seven mile beach. People have mentioned that there is no shade in prior posts and I want to add that RV has responded by putting up a "portable" gazebo for shade. We will be returning (again and again) to the Rondel!

I stayed the week of May 21st to the 28th in the One Bedroom Villa with my daughter. My sister and her son stayed above us in the superior room. We loved having the fully equipped kitchen with separate living room from the bedroom. We went down to HiLo to stock up on essentials and had our toast and cereal at the Villa. Another nice touch was that your Housekeeper would prepare and cook you one meal a day, you only had to supply the food. Jono and Glen did an excellent job on the security as did the bartenders Peter and Crazy. Donna at reception and Donna our Housekeeper were extremely pleasant and helpful. (As my name is also Donna I took this to be a very positive vibe) The location of Rondel allowed us to travel a short distance on the beach to some great restaurants. Must mention Kuyaba and Norm's at Bar-B-Barn both had great service and the dinners exceptional. Can't wait for the opportunity to return.

My 4 girlfriends and I have just got back from Rondel Village in Negril and we all wish we were back there. We were in a lovely villa, the complex is quaint but beautifully maintained. The staff were friendly, accomodating and fun to be around. We felt safe and secure from the first night we arrived, it felt like home.

It is located in a good position on the beach, the bar and restaurant were great, the food and drink was fantastic and very reasonably priced.

In all I can not think of a negative thing to say about it. Even though there was some minor construction going on while we were there, it was done in the most unobtrusive way and caused no problems. Love it, Love it, Love it!!! The fond memories of that little bit of paradise are the only things keeping me going now I am back at work.

My wife and I are “value”, “day-life” travellers. We arrived in Montego Bay on US Airways on May 13th. This was our second trip to Jamaica. We had visited for a week 4 ½ years ago, staying in Negril for five nights, after and before spending single nights in Montego Bay (due to flight times). We picked up our Kia Rio at the Europcar rental location, a short shuttle ride near the airport. When I told the Europcar staff that we were driving to Port Antonio, we were shown the spare tire and tire changing equipment. That was our first hint of what was to come! It took longer getting used to the car’s reversed controls than it did to driving on the “other” side of the road.
The road to Ocho Rios wasn’t bad. There were stretches of straight improved road, interspersed with parts under construction. The area is fairly level. The road from Ocho Rios to Port Antonio was bad. The terrain changed to hilly and the road is both curvy with some inclines. The Kia had difficulty with some of the inclines. The road is also narrow and contains many potholes. You share the road with pedestrians, bicyclists, piles of gravel, etc. I would not drive this road again in its current condition. In one stretch I blew out both passenger side tires. Not surprisingly there were locals willing to help and took both flats to the local “tire man” who inflated them both (he had a compressor in a shed). This cost $50 US (non-negotiable). I subsequently drove to his “shop” and had him add more air to both tires and the spare and use a tire gauge. The sun was setting and the road was getting worse plus the concern of getting more flat tires in the dark.
We arrived in Port Antonio a little more than five hours after leaving Montego Bay. It was dark already and many people were in the streets here and in the small towns we passed through en route. I could not find a street map of Port Antonio but had a good idea of where our lodging was roughly located. We were headed to the Ocean Crest guest house ($35US/night) for four nights. It was located in the Titchfield Hill area between the two bays. After passing the first bay, we watched for a road to the “left” and ended up close! We asked some locals where it was and we were just a couple of blocks away (it is on Queen Street). We had made our reservations through jamaicansensations.
Lydia Jones, our host, met us. We checked in and were shown the premises. Our room was small - full sized bed, ceiling fan w/light (no a/c), closet, television on dresser and a portable fan. There was a bathroom with sink, toilet and shower. The bedroom window had wooden shutters. None of the windows had screens but there also were no problems with flying insects. We also were encouraged to use a dining / family / kitchen area and a balcony overlooking the neighborhood. The kitchen had a refrigerator (unplugged if no one is using it), gas stove and sinks. The utensils were minimal due to previous theft problems. The hot water was apparently turned off in the building to save electricity. During our stay we saw very few other guests, a few Europeans and a few Jamaicans. For supper on the night we arrived, Lydia suggested the restaurant in the new marina. It was pricey and geared to tourists. The marina area is fenced off and apparently has restricted access. It is very clean and modern. We were told that there had only been about six cruise ships in so far this year and they had been small ones - two to three hundred passengers.
We were told that this is the rainy season and the Port Antonio area is the rainiest part of Jamaica. It rained most of the next two days. The Titchfield Hill area is an excellent location from which to explore Port Antonio. It is walking distance from the city center, passing the new marina en route. The first day was spent recuperating from the drive and walking into town. The people are very friendly and we didn’t have the “hassle” we had previously in Montego Bay and Negril. The rental car was parked on the street (and along a road while we hiked) with no problem - mon. The hype from the all-inclusives about the danger outside their compounds is just that.
The market in town was mainly fruits and vegetables. We made a small purchase therre and also purchased food at a grocery store “downtown”. They did take $US, but you had to exchange at a customer service window - not at the cash register (which we learned too late). I’d suggest converting $50 or $100US to Jamaican dollars if visiting Port Antonio (or other off-the-beaten-path locations). The processed items in the grocery store were all the same things you would find at home. We were told that the imported goods were less expensive than local products. As there are few tourists, the stores were stocked and priced for the locals.
We had to change our plans as we found out that Navy Island was closed to visitors, the Blue Lagoon bar and lodging was closed due to Hurricane Ivan and the restaurant at the DeMontevin Lodge wa closed. We could have “toured” the Blue Lagoon area for $50US but didn’t.
On Sunday we hired a guide and drove up into the hills for a hike. We took a bamboo raft ride across the Rio Grand to start the hike. We quickly came to a water spigot which was used by those living in the area. We passed very small farms - chickens, pigs, coffee, banana, pineapple, etc. The trail was steep at times and weren’t quite yet acclimated to the heat - as it was still solidly spring in Wisconsin. Our hike eventually brought us to a nice waterfall on a tributary to the Rio Grande. We were the only ones there, as we cooled off from our hike. On our way back to the raft, we passed a group of boys playing cricket on a level flood plain of the Rio Grande. Our guide interacted with the locals along the way and they were all very friendly and non-hassling.
Our third day in Port Antonio we drove east to the area of beaches and the Blue Lagoon. We arrived at Frenchman’s Cove beach early in the day. For hours, we were the only visitors there. The attendants at the beach were very friendly and not bothersome. Entry was $3US each and the lounge chair was $2. Assorted soft and other drinks were available. At lunch time I had a steamed fish for $9US. Again, this pricing is set lower than typical tourist areas. Frenchman’s Cove is very beautiful and has nice, large, protected, waste deep water. There are also plenty of shaded areas.
On Tuesday we drove back to Montego Bay and then onto Negril. We would strongly recommend visiting the Port Antonio area if you find a safe way of getting there. Typically visitors fly into Kingston and take a cab($100US one way) to Port Antonio. Because our final destination was Negril, we didn’t take that route. The lodging in the Titchfield Hill and downtown Port Antonio area is limited. From the reviews I’ve read of those who stayed at higher elevations, the best value is to stay lower and to get the views from higher elevations when with a guide.
We stopped in Montego Bay for lunch and continued on to Negril. The road was all new since our last trip. The area is level and the roads largely straight. There were even center lines and edge stripes! The small towns that you passed through had sidewalks. I’m assuming that this is what the road to Ocho Rios will look like before long and hopefully the road to Port Antonio will eventually reach these standards.
Our reservations in Negril were at the Rondel Village. This is in the same mid-seven mile beach area that the White Sands which we stayed at previously is located. We had a “superior” class, 2nd floor room on the side of the complex, which was beach side. The rate w/ tax was about $104US / night. Though we didn’t have a view of the Caribbean from our balcany, it was very nice. Remember that typically the beach view rooms also face the restaurant / bar areas and can be noisy. We had a room with two large beds, ceiling fan, air conditioning, plenty of shutter style windows, desk and closet. There is a safe in the closet you can use for a fee. There is a bathroom with shower and toilet and another room in between with the sink and small cabinet area. Near our room was the small swimming pool and too-hot-to-use whirlpool. There is a small restaurant on the grounds and another is under construction.
It seemed to be a slow time for tourists, mainly Europeans – English and French. The restaurants associated with the hotels along the beach often had reduced menus and didn’t start grilling until evening. We ate a number of meals “across the street” at restaurants run by locals. They typically had fuller menus (nothing pre-prepared) and more reasonable prices. We drove into town and bought groceries as well.
Excessive hassling could easily discourage return visitors. We were offered “smoke” three times within as many minutes on our first walk on the beach. They eventually recognize you and leave you alone. Not so for those renting jet skis, selling fruit or cold juice or out right begging. I never thought my wife would object to being called “Pretty Lady” too much! While you are on the property you are staying at, the security or staff runs some interference for you (as they have there own associated vendors).
We did some shopping in town and bought the typical tshirts (7 for $20US), coffee ($13US / lb. for Blue Mountain), cooking sauces and crafts. Here in Wisconsin, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee goes for about $50 / pound in malls. We drove up by the lighthouse but the area was too congested and we didn’t find a place to park.
The beach and water were great. We took a number of walks up and down the beach. Rondel Village and a few others have buoys protecting their swimming areas – which is much appreciated. The weather was great for a couple of days then turned cloudy our last two days in Negril.
We left early on the 21st to return what was left of the Kia (we had lost a wheel cover to a pot hole0. The ride was uneventful. In the areas where the roads are better, you can actually enjoy the scenery, as the road follows the coastline.
Very long, slow lines at US Immigration greeted us on our return.