We found Idle Awhile to be perfect for our relaxing, romantic winter vacation. My husband and I returned last week and immediately booked another vacation for December 2008. For our upcoming trip we booked an ocean view deluxe room. This trip the only room available was the suite across the street and although it was only a short walk to the beach where we spent the entire days it was very busy and a bit noisy in the evenings. All in all, the suite was nice with the exception of some stains on the area rugs covering the hard wood floors. The bathroom doesn't have any electrical outlets in this particular suite and is the only room with a mirror so bring an extention cord if you need to plug anything in. Although we don’t normally watch any TV on vacation we had a TV in the living room and a flat screen TV in the bedroom. Housekeeping did a wonderful job everyday even leaving fresh flower arrangements on the bedspread. The front desk was very helpful when we needed anything in fact every employee went out of their way to ensure our comfort. The Idle Awhile employees’ personal touches and pride in their jobs were quite evident.
The beach is excellent, the water warm and very clean and clear. We take exception to another reviewer’s observation regarding the beach attendant. We found the beach attendants to be very helpful and Les, who seems to be a jack of all trades, is also a security guard. When we arrived we were asked where we would like our beach lounge chairs with umbrella placed and for the entire ten days and either Eric or Les made sure they were waiting for us along with our beach towels which was very appreciated. It was a far cry from the bigger all-inclusive, search for a lounger on the crowded beach scene to which we had been accustomed. Eric does a wonderful job with keeping the beach clean and taking care of the lush landscaping
Chill Awhile served us very good breakfasts, lunches and some dinners at reasonable prices but we also ventured out to try some of the recommended restaurants in Negril on the beach and the cliffs. And yes, Rockhouse and Kuyaba are that good! The drinks at Chill Awhile are also top notch.
One last thing, the employees at Idle Awhile are very hardworking, good people and tips will go a long way to show your appreciation for their jobs well done. We can hardly wait to return.

I was never in Negril before so I was stunned at the beauty of the location let alone the situation of Idle Awhile. I would put it at about halfway on the visible beach, with hotels and properties gradually going upscale in one direction and more varied in the other. The beach also is better in the area closer to the major all-inclusives. Our beach/guest ratio was excellent with plenty of room for all the guests. Some hotels were lining up chairs like a school room and packing in the guests like sardines. All the staff was helpful, friendly and seemed happy to be working there. There was security all day and all night as late as I saw, and most hotels had security so it was always safe to walk the beach. The room was comfortable, but a bit musty to be expected when you are feet from the ocean. We had a one bedroom suite and I needed the A/C in the bedroom because it was hot in the outer rooms. The veranda was lovely with fans and we spent most of our time when in the room either on the veranda or in the bedroom so next time we would get a smaller room. The greatest part besides the beach was access to the sports complex. I went every morning walking or getting a $5 ride and took yoga and pilates, had some juice or a smoothie and then went swimming in the pool. The afternoons were then spent having lunch, relaxing and going in the ocean. It took me a while to unwind and get used to "doing nothing". You have to slow down in Jamaica and do one thing at a time, there is no rush or need to multi-task. Also this is a very adult environment...As we speak I am trying to book for next year, our pictures make us long to be there again.

Idle Awhile is truly one of the prettiest properties on Negril's seven mile beach. It's small and private and very romantic. The gardens are lush and the rooms are decorated tastefully. I was thrilled when we arrived and saw that the property was even prettier than the website!

We had a one bedroom suite simply because it was all that was available. It was a little too large for us (just a couple), but it was nice to have the large balcony and kitchen. The bedroom has a very nice a/c and can be closed off from the living room area for maximum coolness. The bathroom was large and nice.

The on-site restaurant is just OK in my opinion. Nothing really special. The service at this property is also just OK. We didn't have any major incidents, but the staff isn't overly accomodating/friendly either. I thought the service and food at the property next door (Coco La Palm) was superior. If you're the kind of person that doesn't mind venturing out to eat and drink then this really shouldn't be a problem.

The beach is absolutely gorgeous and as a guest you get a beach chair and float. There is a lot of shade for those of us that aren't sun worshippers. There is a beach attendant although I didn't see him do much more than flirt with girls so I'm not really sure what his actual function was beyond taking our dirty towels at the end of the day.

We stayed at Idle Awhile at the end of our stay in Negril. We stayed for 2 nights and the difference between our stay on the rocks and our stay on the beach was completely different - but great.

The hotel is located conveniently in the middle of seven mile beach. We walked every where from here.

Someone mentioned asking for a beach room and I couldn't agree more. We stayed on the street side. Street side also meant we got neighbor noise as well. The room was enormous, but it was noisy.