***THIS IS A LONG REVIEW***

If you just want the highlights/overview, skip down to the SOME OVERALL GENERAL COMMENTS section near the end.

Day 1 – Friday, 6/13/2008
We had a 6am flight via Delta airlines with a stop in Atlanta. We left Atlanta around 8:30am and arrived in Jamaica around 10:30am local Jamaican time. Our flight was the only flight that arrived around that time, so customs/immigration moved quickly. We actually spent more time waiting on our luggage than in customs/immigration lines. Within about 30 – 35 minutes, we had made a restroom stop, cleared customs/immigration, and gotten our bags.

We had made prior arrangements (all via e-mail) with Kenny ([--]) for transportation from Montego Bay to Idle Awhile. Kenny had arranged for one of his partners to meet us outside of the airport, holding a sign with our name. We spotted the guy as soon as we exited the airport. The guy, Jannie, phoned Kenny to let him know that we were out of the airport and ready for pickup. In a few minutes, Kenny arrived to pick us up and we were on our way.

We made a stop at SuperPlus in Montego Bay to pick up some juice, rum, and bottled water. I was tempted by some of the fruit, but remembered the recommendation given by some here to buy the fruit from a stand or local person (as opposed to the grocery store). I began to look forward to seeing the "fruit lady" during our stay. The customer service line was EXTREMELY long, so we did not exchange any money. Also, Kenny had dropped off a group at a tour (prior to picking us up) and had to return to pick them up (after dropping us off), so our time was somewhat limited. I understand that a driver wants to maximize the tours and pick-ups/drop-offs (as they are a business), but I was a bit put off that we were rushed, especially when we had discussed a stop at the grocery store prior to our arrival. However, it was not something that I would allow to put a damper on the beginning of our trip. So, after our brief stop in SuperPlus, we continued on our way to Idle Awhile.

After passing through a few towns and chatting some with Kenny, we arrived in Negril. The ride wasn’t bad at all. Although we did pass a few vehicles, it was still quite a nice ride. We actually consider the ride to Negril (from the airport) as part of our trip and look forward to it (and the opportunity to chat with our driver). We passed by several resorts on our way to Idle Awhile, including Grand Lido Negril (GLN) and Couples Swept Away (CSA), both AI resorts where we had previously stayed. We had stayed at CSA during our last visit to Negril (in December 2006), so it kind of tugged at our hearts as we passed by. But, no problem mon, as we soon arrived at Idle Awhile. It was as if we had turned into a tropical garden. Idle Awhile is nicely tucked away in lush green foliage.

Kenny helped us with our bags and we went ahead and arranged for him to pick us up for our return trip to the airport (not something that we wanted to think about on our arrival day…but we made the arrangements anyway). We then paid the fare and said our good-byes to Kenny, knowing that we would be seeing him again TOO soon.

After Kenny left, we went into the Idle Awhile office, where we were greeted warmly by Nathefa. She gathered our room documents. After a few signatures and providing a credit card (for incidentals and to allow the ability to charge food/drinks to the room), we were given keys to room #104. We had originally planned to be in room #203, but were told that there had been a change in plans and we would now be in room #104. We were also told to stop by the bar for a welcome drink. Initially, I was a little disappointed by our assigned room as I was looking forward to the additional privacy offered by a 2nd floor room. However, after getting to the room and making a stop at Chill Awhile, I didn’t mind the 1st floor, as it was convenient to also enter/leave the room via the patio door (and I didn’t think stairs would be much fun after a couple of rum punches and Jamaican delights).

By the time we got to our room, it was time for the afternoon rain shower. We unpacked some of our belongings and then decided to head to Chill Awhile for our welcome drinks and some lunch. After we made our way to Chill Awhile, we each ordered a rum punch and then took a seat to look over the menu. We ordered the fish and chips, which were fried snapper strips and fries. It was quite tasty. DH actually wanted to order more, but I reminded him that we needed to save room for our trip across the street to Best in the West for jerk chicken later that afternoon. After grabbing a Jamaican delight to go, we headed back to the room. Since we had not gotten much sleep the previous night, we both decided to take a nap. Needless to say, it didn’t take long before we were both asleep.

After waking from our nap, we decided it was time to venture across the street for our first visit to Best in the West. Best in the West is literally right across the street from the entrance to Idle Awhile. Once we arrived at Best in the West, we quickly glanced over the menu (although we pretty much knew what we wanted) and each ordered a quarter chicken (white – with breast/wing portion). Hey, no problem mon!! He asked if we wanted to eat it there or get it to go. We opted to take it back to our room, so he put it in a bag for us and we were set for our first Best in the West jerk chicken experience. The cost was $800JA, but, since we had not yet exchanged any money, it was $12US.

Once we got back to our room (hey, did I mention that I’m really starting to like NOT having to walk upstairs), we dug into our jerk chicken. WHOA! It was good…VERY GOOD. It wasn’t long before DH talked about the possibility of returning for more. I was quite satisfied with my quarter chicken, but those with a heartier appetite may want to go ahead and opt for the half chicken.

We thought about venturing out on the beach for a late night stroll, but ended up calling it a night, as it had been a LONG day and we were both wiped out.

Day 2 – Saturday, 6/14/2008
We had breakfast next door at CocoLaPalm. Breakfast includes banana bread, which is very good.

After breakfast, we decided to go into town to exchange some dollars. We ended up paying $5US for a taxi…although it would have been $200JA (~$3US) if we had Jamaican dollars. The exchange rate at the Cambio next to ValueMaster was $1US = $71JA.

After exchanging some dollars, we stopped in ValueMaster and DH picked up some spices. We checked out a few of the shops and then decided to head back. Obviously, DH was not paying attention during our brief ride into town, as we were approached by a taxi driver who offered to take us back for $8US. I quickly told him that was too much. He then asked what we would pay…DH piped up (before I could answer) and told him that we only spent $5US for the ride into town. HELLO!!! The "true" rate was $200JA…we just didn’t have Jamaican dollars at that time (and now we did). Oh well, I let it go and we paid $5US for our return trip to Idle Awhile.

Once we got back to Idle Awhile, we walked across the street to Best in the West. Well, he was just getting started for the day, so we headed back.

We decided to stop by CocoLaPalm and check out the rooms there. We were shown two rooms – a junior suite and a deluxe room. The junior suite was a very nice, large room with a 2-person shower (with shower heads at opposite ends). The deluxe room was also nice. Both rooms had A/C, a ceiling fan, a table that seated 2 (deluxe room) or 4 (jr suite) persons, and a refrigerator.

While we were at it, we decided to venture to the other side of Idle Awhile and check out the rooms at Charela Inn. The room we saw at Charela was a garden deluxe. It was ok.

After checking out the rooms at CocoLaPalm and Charela Inn, we decided that we liked the larger size of the rooms at CocoLaPalm (especially the junior suite) and the table inside the rooms, but preferred our patio and beach area (shade and chairs/loungers) at Idle Awhile.

After having lunch at Chill Awhile, we decided to walk along the beach. Since we had been on a roll today (visiting other places), we ventured down to the Palms and checked out rooms there. They still have quite a few rooms to renovate, but the overall resort is coming along nicely.

We made our way back towards Idle Awhile, as it was about time for our afternoon rain shower. A few drops began to fall right as we got close to CocoLaPalm, so I speeded up a bit to get back to our room (did I mention that I’m REALLY liking this 1st floor room).

After our afternoon nap (I’m really trying to figure out how I can incorporate daily naps into my "usual" days), DH ventured across the street to pick up our daily fix of jerk chicken from Best in the West.

For dinner, we considered going to Seastar Inn for the Saturday night buffet and live music, but decided that we would just stay close. Besides, I wasn’t that hungry (and really just wanted a good dessert), so we decided to try the restaurant next door at Charela Inn, Le Vendome. I opted for a fruit plate and DH had grilled snapper, which he said was quite good. For dessert, I attempted to order banana flambé, but was told that they were out of bananas. I’m not sure if they were really out of bananas or if it was just because it was late and the chef(s) did not want to prepare it. Anyway, DH and I opted for homemade sorbet. Neither of us cared for it…it was too icy (and not enough “fruit” taste).

After dinner, we headed back to Idle Awhile and called it a night.

Day 3 – Sunday, 6/15/2008
We decided to go to Selina’s for Sunday brunch. We arrived a little after 11am. The band was already set up and playing and there were a few people there. We grabbed a table and began to enjoy the live music. I ordered the banana pancakes and DH opted for an omelet with vegetables. We both ordered coffee with rum cream (ok, now I’m thinking that I can bring back a bottle of rum cream for the breakroom at work…but soon nix that idea, as I’m sure the rum cream for the coffee would soon become rum cream on ice…LOL). After enjoying a very nice breakfast and the live music, we decided to stroll back to Idle Awhile.

As we were leaving, we both noticed Kuyaba just a short walk away, so, of course, we decided to walk over and check it out. We walked through to the restaurant area and ordered a couple of drinks. We thought the overall atmosphere was very nice and that dinner there would be nice as well.

When we got back to Idle Awhile, I called Rockhouse and requested a pickup at 5:30 (from Idle Awhile). At ~5:50, we were still waiting in the reception area at Idle Awhile, so they called Rockhouse. Well, it turns out that the shuttle had not left. Idle Awhile arranged transportation for us at a discounted rate with one of their drivers, Tyrone, as we did not want to wait on the Rockhouse shuttle and risk missing the sunset.

When we arrived at Rockhouse, I did let them know that the shuttle did not pick us up as scheduled. Nothing more was said at the time. DH and I were seating along the side of the cliff and had a very nice view. As for the food, it was very good. DH ordered curry snapper and I opted for the pan-fried snapper. We also ordered a side of plantains and two rum punches. When it was time to leave, I asked about complimentary transportation back to our resort, since the shuttle did not pick us up as scheduled. Apparently, there was some type of mix-up and our reservation was not noted as a “pick-up” from Idle Awhile. Hopefully, it does not happen often, but it would not hurt to call Rockhouse back about an hour before your scheduled pick-up time to confirm (we will during future visits). There was some discussion back and forth and we were able to come to an agreement that was satisfactory to all of us. Overall, we thought the service and food at Rockhouse was very good. Future trips to Negril will likely include a stop at the Rockhouse for dinner and drinks.

After we made it back to Idle Awhile, I watched the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers game and then called it a night.

Day 4 – Monday, 6/16/2008
We spent most of the day just lying on the beach, so we had breakfast and snacks at Chill Awhile. Of course, we had our fix of jerk chicken from Best in the West at some point during the day.

For dinner, we headed next door to CocoLaPalm. The food and service were very good.

After dinner, we walked a little on the beach and then headed back to Idle Awhile and called it a night.

Day 5 – Tuesday, 6/17/2008
Reality began to set in, as we realized that this would be our last day. DH and I both agreed that we cannot do “short” trips to Jamaica in the future…the trips need to be at least 7 nights. Also, I can tell that reality was setting in, as my notes on the trip end on Monday night.

We started the day off with a light breakfast at Chill Awhile, followed by a late lunch at Sweet Spice. We saw Tyrone across the street as we were about to head towards Sweet Spice, so we asked him to take us. We thought the food at Sweet Spice was ok. After lunch, we decided to walk back into town, as DH was considering picking up a few more spices. He later changed his mind (after we got into town), so we begin to head back towards Idle Awhile. We were offered a ride and, initially, accepted, but noticed that the driver did not have a red tag when he walked to his vehicle. We declined the ride and begin to walk. We were offered rides by several drivers as we walked, but, believe it or not, we ended up walking the whole way back. It was a bit of a walk, especially in the heat, but still do-able.

For dinner, we decided to just grab a bite at Chill Awhile, since we had not had dinner there during our stay and needed to do some packing for our return the next day.

After dinner, I ordered a rum punch to go and we headed back to the room. DH went across the street to Best in the West to secure his late night snack/early morning breakfast of jerk chicken. Well, he came back a little sad, as there was only one breast quarter available when he went. He was told that he could come back in about 45 minutes, as more chicken would be available then. Well, I knew that was not going to happen, as DH would be sleep by then. And, yep, he was.

I did some packing and watched the Celtics win the NBA championship and then called it a night.

Day 6 – Wednesday, 6/18/2008
Oh, whoa is me!!!! I woke up several times before it was actually time to get up. I think I was afraid that the alarm would not go off and we would oversleep. Well, that was not the case. We were up and getting things together shortly after 6am. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 12:38pm, so we had made plans for Kenny to pick us up at 8am. We were about to head to the front desk area at 8:05 when the phone rang. It was the front desk, letting us know that our driver was waiting for us.

When we got to the front desk, we turned in our keys and were given a copy of our bill. Kenny loaded up our bags and we were on our way. Our wonderful time in Jamaica was coming to an end.

On our way to the airport, we had a flat tire. Kenny got out and took a look at the tire. We also got out and Kenny changed the tire. We were on our way again in about 10 minutes.

We made it to the airport around 9:45. We thanked Kenny for his services and said our good-byes. It didn’t take long for us to get checked in and through security. We browsed around in a few stores and DH picked up a few more seasonings. We then grabbed a bite to eat at Margaritaville and then proceeded to our gate to wait for departure.

We arrived in Atlanta a few minutes early and had to wait on the runway for a gate to open up. That didn’t take too long. We must have had good timing yet again, as customs/immigration lines were not that bad. We picked up our luggage and then proceeded to the area to recheck our bags to our final destination. Our connecting flight did not leave for over 2 hours, so we had plenty of time (after rechecking our bags). We roamed around a bit and then decided to get something to eat before we left, as we would not land until close to 9pm.

We left Atlanta a few minutes late, but managed to make up the time in the air and arrived on time. Once we landed, we made our way the baggage claim area. There were several of us that had been on the earlier flight from Jamaica. Well, as we stood there, we watched everyone else get luggage and go. We waited and waited. Soon, no additional pieces of luggage were being added. One guy actually looked through the hole to see if anymore was being loaded. NOPE! Nothing. The belt was turned off. The few of us that were left kind of looked at each other. We then turned to Delta baggage area and the lady in the office waved for us to come over. One guy made the observation that those of us with the missing luggage had all rechecked our bags at the same belt in Atlanta. Oh well. DH and I looked on the bright side…at least our luggage was missing on our RETURN trip from Jamaica, as opposed to being lost on our way to Jamaica. The Delta agent took our information and told us that our luggage would likely come in on the next flight from Atlanta (scheduled to arrive around midnight). And, they should have it delivered to us later that night or early the next day. She told us that we could check the status online using the reference number that she provided us. I checked a few times before going to bed and it did finally update to say that our luggage had arrived at the airport.

Our luggage was delivered around 1pm the next day.

All’s well that ends well.


SOME OVERALL GENERAL COMMENTS
Idle Awhile is a small (14 units), boutique-type hotel. It is very nice, but it is not a 5 star Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons hotel in the US. Please read the previous reviews, check out the photos, visit the website, search and ask questions in the forum and then decide if Idle Awhile will provide what you are looking for in a vacation.

We really enjoyed our stay at Idle Awhile. The staff there is top notch and does everything that they can to ensure that you have a wonderful stay. Carlton and Jermaine at the bar were great. Lester did a great job setting up chairs/umbrellas and making sure that the guests were safe (he was very observant when vendors or others stopped by to try and sell things or "to just chat"). While there, you feel as if you have been transported (from the real world) to … a relaxing, secluded tropical place, especially while in your room or lying on your patio (those who have stayed there know what I mean). Yet, you are in the middle of a great stretch of beach area and have numerous restaurants, bars, stores, etc. within a reasonable walking distance or just a short cab ride away.

As noted, Idle Awhile was our first stay at a non-AI in Negril. [We previously stayed at Couples Swept Away (CSA) and Grand Lido Negril (GLN).] During this trip, we really enjoyed the opportunity to try more of the local food and venture out in the local area (without feeling that we were missing out on what we had already paid for). We especially enjoyed the jerk chicken at Best in the West and our dinner at Rockhouse. Also, the food at Chill Awhile (onsite at Idle Awhile) and next door at CocoLaPalm was good. And, I have to say that Selina’s is definitely worth a visit as well.

We did purchase beef patties from Neville on Saturday. However, based on comments that we had read, we were expecting "homemade" patties. The beef patties that we bought were like the beef patties that we can buy from our local Costco. We later tried to stop by Miss Sonia’s for a beef patty, but she said that it would likely be the following weekend before she had any beef.

I also purchased a mango from the "fruit lady" that was very good.

As for the rooms at Idle Awhile, they are nice and provide a "tropical" feel. There are wooden shutters (that you can open – separately at the top and bottom) over the screened windows (no glass). You are able to hear the sounds of nature at night, which were noticeable when we were awake, but we were never bothered by them (to the point of being kept awake). Also, as noted by others, there aren’t any drawers in the deluxe rooms at Idle Awhile. There is a closet that consists of open shelves in the middle section and is covered by hanging beads on each side that has the space for hanging clothes (so you can see into the closet). Also, the interior walls of the bathroom do not extend all the way to the ceiling. The patio area is very nice with a couch-like seating area, a chair, and a table. Numerous pictures on this site accurately reflect the room and patio areas.

Of course, we have been asked about this trip, as compared to previous trips to AIs in the area. As noted above, during this trip, we did enjoy the flexibility of being able to venture away from the hotel without feeling that we were "missing" out (on what we had already paid for) and the flexibility to dine at local spots. We also liked NOT having to get up early to "reserve" beach chairs in the shade and NOT having to search endlessly for a set of "available" shaded chairs (if we chose not to get up early). However, I will say that we liked the convenience during our previous AI stays of 24-hour food availability and numerous onsite restaurants. But, what does that really mean? Would we return to Idle Awhile or another boutique-type hotel? Would we return to an all-inclusive resort? Did this trip convince us that we prefer one type of hotel/resort more than the other? DH and I discussed this and would be open to returning to either type of hotel/resort. It would really depend on what we wanted to do during our vacation. I think the bottom line is that we enjoy our time in Negril and will continue to do so, whether we are at an all-inclusive resort or a (non AI) boutique type hotel. After visiting Rockhouse, our next dilemma may be whether we want to split our next trip between the cliffs area and the beach area.