Negril – Day Two (1.23.10)

The day started with breakfast at Tensing Pen’s restaurant, where items such as fruit, fresh juice, coffee, bread and jam are included in the room rate. Additional items like omelets, bacon, and French toast are available for order (for $3 to $4). Everyday, I had the delicious banana French toast.

After breakfast, we walked around the the hotel, which is situated on its own secluded and pristine cove. Tensing Pen faces the ocean. But as with other resorts in Negril's West End, it does not have a traditional sandy beach.

Guests can climb down the cliffs and swim from a handful of ladders built into the cliffs. Those that are brave can jump off the skinny, 20-foot wooden bridge over the hotel’s cove.

A pool is set below the restaurant and overlooks a view of the ocean.

The crystal-clear, snorkel-perfect water provides an environment for open water swimming.

Both the pool and cliffs are unsupervised. Signs are posted in a few places warning guests to swim at their own risk.

Yoga classes are held in the open-air studio every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 11 AM (for a fee).

A gift shop is located near the lobby (where free Wi-Fi is available).

There is also a spa hut. Spa services, skin treatments and massages can be arranged through the front desk.

The hotel owns the most beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs that were so calm and friendly. One was named Tensing and the other Sugar.

The restaurant has an open floor plan and views of the pool and sea. It serves mostly Jamaican food and its service was consistently pleasant. 

Though it feels private and secluded, guests are a few steps away from a handful of great restaurants, bars, and food stalls along West End Road. Additionally, it is just a short walk or cab ride away from must-see attractions like Rick's Café (a Negril icon since 1974), Negril Lighthouse, and Seven Mile Beach.

Cottages are spread out over the large property, and all are unique. Several types of bungalows, rooms, and studios are available, so the room and furniture configurations differ widely. Some of the thatched cottages are “pillar houses,” which is an architectural style associated with the West End.

For lunch that day, we walked to Rockhouse where we had the conch fritters as a starter and jerk chicken sandwich (for husband) and lobster wrap (for me) as our entrées. The food was delicious and the service was perfection. Best of all, the view from the restaurant was beyond amazing.

Post-lunch, we relaxed by the pool and did lots of reading.

We chose to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was another satisfying meal—polenta with mushrooms as a starter and escoveitch pork and curried shrimp as entrees.