Azul Beach Resort Negril
A mid-sized, family-friendly all-inclusive right on Seven Mile Beach, with swim-up suites on a lazy river and enough adult corners that couples don't feel outnumbered.
Where to stay in Negril
Negril, at Jamaica’s western tip, has two halves: Seven Mile Beach, lined with resorts and beach bars, and the West End, where small hotels sit on cliffs above clear water. It is laid-back and built for sunsets. For our shortlist, see the best all-inclusive resorts in Negril.
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Is Negril right for you?
If a good day for you is a long walk on the sand, a swim in calm water and a sunset with a drink in your hand, this is the part of Jamaica built for it. Couples and families do well on the beach side, and independent travelers who like a small hotel with character do well on the cliffs. Skip it if you want big sights every day: the waterfalls and rivers around Ocho Rios and Kingston’s museums are hours away, so most of your days here are spent in or near the water.
Negril also works differently from the other resort areas. The big all-inclusives sit side by side with small Jamaican-owned hotels, beach bars and cook shops along one road, so it’s easy to eat a meal or two outside your resort and meet people who live here. Some small beach businesses changed after the 2025 hurricane, so a bar you remember may be different.
My take: Negril rewards slowing down, so give it at least four or five nights. Spend a full day on Seven Mile Beach, see one sunset at Rick’s Café for the cliff jumpers and the rest somewhere quieter, and if you get restless, Jamwest and Bambuza Falls are each about 20 minutes away, with hotel pickups.
Negril hotels by trip type
All-inclusive
Couples Negril
A sociable, mid-sized couples-only resort on calm Bloody Bay, with scuba, golf, water sports and nightly entertainment all in the price.
Couples Swept Away
The active couple's choice in Negril: 312 suites on Seven Mile Beach with a 10-acre sports complex, seven restaurants, and scuba and golf in the price.
Adults-only
Couples Negril
A sociable, mid-sized couples-only resort on calm Bloody Bay, with scuba, golf, water sports and nightly entertainment all in the price.
Couples Swept Away
The active couple's choice in Negril: 312 suites on Seven Mile Beach with a 10-acre sports complex, seven restaurants, and scuba and golf in the price.
Grand Lido Negril
A small, rule-bound naturist enclave with butler service and the restaurants of a big resort next door: right for adults who want a clothing-free stay without the party atmosphere.
Family
Azul Beach Resort Negril
A mid-sized, family-friendly all-inclusive right on Seven Mile Beach, with swim-up suites on a lazy river and enough adult corners that couples don't feel outnumbered.
Hotel Riu Negril
A lively family all-inclusive on Bloody Bay: a kids' club, a pool with slides, eight places to eat and the RIU Party, with the calmer water of Negril's north end out front.
Hotel Riu Palace Tropical Bay
The more grown-up of Riu's two Negril resorts: junior suites, à la carte dinners and a calmer feel on Bloody Bay, with a kids' club for families and the RIU Party down the road when you want it.
Honeymoon & couples
Azul Beach Resort Negril
A mid-sized, family-friendly all-inclusive right on Seven Mile Beach, with swim-up suites on a lazy river and enough adult corners that couples don't feel outnumbered.
Couples Negril
A sociable, mid-sized couples-only resort on calm Bloody Bay, with scuba, golf, water sports and nightly entertainment all in the price.
Couples Swept Away
The active couple's choice in Negril: 312 suites on Seven Mile Beach with a 10-acre sports complex, seven restaurants, and scuba and golf in the price.
Boutique & villas
Rockhouse Hotel
The West End's best-known cliff hotel: thatched villas over a clear cove, a social but not rowdy crowd, and Pushcart for jerk at night. Room only, so you eat where you like.
The Caves
The most secluded of the West End cliff hotels: 12 cottages over sea caves, dinner in a candlelit cave and meals and drinks included. Romantic and quiet, but tiny, with no beach.
The Cliff Hotel
Negril's cliffs done properly upmarket: private, quiet, built for sunsets, with villas for families or groups. A boutique hotel, not an all-inclusive.
Seven Mile Beach or the West End?
The long, calm, west-facing beach along Norman Manley Boulevard, where nearly all the big all-inclusives are. You can walk the sand between beach bars and small hotels, swim in shallow water and watch the sun go down from your lounger. The town end is the busiest. Bloody Bay, at the north end, is quieter and more sheltered, but you’ll need a taxi to reach the bars. Pick the beach for families, a classic all-inclusive or simply the sand.
South of the roundabout, small hotels and cottages sit on limestone cliffs above deep, clear water, with steps and ladders down to the sea instead of a beach. Rockhouse, The Caves, The Cliff Hotel and Catcha Falling Star are all here, along with Rick’s Café. It’s quieter, more independent and the best side for sunsets, but it isn’t for small children or anyone who wants sand outside the door. Seven Mile Beach is a short taxi ride back through town.
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Getting to Negril
By air. Fly into Sangster International (MBJ) in Montego Bay; Kingston’s airport is on the other side of the island. The drive west along the coast road through Lucea takes about 75 to 90 minutes, according to the resorts: Sandals and Royalton put Seven Mile Beach at about 75 minutes, Couples Negril on Bloody Bay at about an hour and a half, and the West End cliff hotels at 80 to 90 minutes. Sandals, Beaches and Couples include round-trip transfers. Elsewhere, book a transfer through your hotel before you fly. My guide to getting from Montego Bay airport to Negril compares transfers, taxis and the coach.
By coach. Knutsford Express runs from its terminal next to the airport, and from Kingston, to its Negril station on Beach Road. It doesn’t stop along the road or at hotels, so add a short taxi at the Negril end. My Knutsford Express guide has fares and luggage rules.
On the road. It’s a two-lane coast road most of the way, busy in the towns and full of speed bumps. The US State Department’s advisory names the Green Island area of Hanover, which is on this road, among places to reconsider because of crime, so drive through rather than stopping there. If your flight lands late, a booked transfer beats driving yourself in the dark.
Getting around Negril. Norman Manley Boulevard runs behind the beach and West End Road along the cliffs, and licensed taxis with red PP plates link the two. Route taxis also run along the beach road.
Every Negril guide
Questions people ask
How far is Negril from Montego Bay airport?
About 75 to 90 minutes by road, or 45 to 52 miles, depending on which end of Negril you’re staying at, according to the resorts’ own figures.
Should I stay on Seven Mile Beach or the West End?
Seven Mile Beach for sand, calm water and all-inclusive resorts. The West End cliffs for small hotels, swimming off the rocks and quieter sunsets.
Is Negril good for families?
Yes, on Seven Mile Beach, where the water is generally calm and shallow close to shore and family resorts such as Beaches Negril have kids’ clubs. The cliffs are better for adults and strong swimmers.
Can you visit Negril as a day trip from Montego Bay?
You can, but at 75 to 90 minutes each way it’s a long day. Most people book a tour from their hotel that includes time on the beach and sunset at Rick’s Café.