[trip style = sun + budget conscious]
{Editor's Note: In the fall, Trip Styler ran a Romantic Caribbean series breezing over this budget-conscious, seaside gem. I haven't stayed here personally, but I've sailed along its shoreline, and in that instant, decided I'd one day be a guest.}
What With thatched-roof bungalows connected by cliff-side bridges and boardwalks, the Rockhouse boutique hotel and spa is an eco escape that actually looks the part. Forget about shoes and ditch most items you thought you needed in your suitcase in favour of a bathing suit and casual cover-up.
Start your day in a downward dog and savasana pose beside the resort's sea-swept outcroppings, snorkel into the afternoon, and get to know your beach-read as the sun sets. Finish with a jerk chicken roll-up or banana leaf-steamed snapper and a Red Stripe {the local beer} at one of the hotel's restaurants {whose chef won Jamaica's chef of the year in 2010 and 2011}.
Blurring the line between raw and refined, and value and style this Design Hotels member has won enough prestigious international awards to fill its eight lush acres.
Where Negril, Jamaica, an hour and a half transfer from Montego Bay Airport {MBJ} and a six-hour flight from the West Coast.
When Jamaica is blessed with tropical temperatures throughout the year, and is most crowded and expensive in high season: mid-December to mid-April. May, October and November account for Jamaica's rainy season---the latter corresponding with the tail-end of hurricane season {June - November}. The worst storms tend to hit from late July to late September.
Who/Why Sand gets in your bathing suit and crowds get on your nerves. You prefer a less fussy escape characterized by sunsets and seclusion atop your Caribbean cliff.
Cost From $160/night in winter, and $125/night in summer. Includes wifi in the lobby and restaurant.
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[photos via Rockhouse & other online sources]