My husband and I love The Caves! It was by far the best trip we have ever had! Surprisingly, it wasn't the “resort” that had us yearning to return. It was the warmth of the people who worked there that made us feel like family, and that would have us coming back. One of the servers, Stacy, said, "We want it to feel like you're on vacation at your rich auntie's house." And they delivered! More of that later. Let's talk logistics!

The Caves in Negril, which is a small all-inclusive resort.
We were there between 08/04/24-08/08/24.
Warm rain and thunderstorms in the afternoons were sprinkled throughout our stay.

We selected Moon Shadow, a two-story mini residence, for our stay. It had two bedrooms; one was on the first floor, and the larger one was on the second floor with a balcony with an almost 180-degree view of the water. It was situated on the northwestern part of the property and adjacent to the area for breakfast and lunch.

There was only one bathroom next to the first-floor bathroom, which had an outdoor shower. A small kitchenette was available and supplied with snacks and beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Upon booking this destination, our package included a transfer to and from the Montego Bay Airport. It should have been about an hour and a half drive. However, a festival (Emancipation and Independence Day) occurred during that week. It took approximately 3 hours or so to arrive at the resort. Chris was our driver to and from The Caves. He was a wealth of knowledge and suggested we stop for amazing jerk chicken on the way to our destination.

At this all-inclusive resort, food service was only during specific times. Meal items offered were a choice of a traditional Jamaican meal or an alternative. Most times, we feasted on the local fare. But when I saw the banana pancakes, I had to try them once because they smelt so delicious! It did not disappoint!

Initially, my husband and I were uncertain about having enough food to sustain us. However, that concern quickly melted away. Snacks and drinks were abundant. We must thank Randy and Floyd for those wonderful drinks!

I also enjoyed a wonderful coffee scrub from Elizabeth at the spa. I was able to shower everything off in the adjacent shower/sauna area. This was also included in our package.

Dinner was an outdoor, candlelit experience set on the balcony of one of the buildings on the south side. The chefs have mastered their craft. You can taste the "one love."

We thought this experience would be more relaxing and low-key than our previous visit to Jamaica. There was a lot of relaxing, but jumping off the natural cliffs of the property was NOT low-key by any means.

This location is blessed to have several areas to cliff jump or dive. Thank you to Brandon and Earl! They were our experts on-site to ensure we were safe during those activities. The highest cliff was approximately 30 feet tall. All of them were exhilaratingly terrifying and so much fun! I even convinced my husband to jump off them as well! Activities like cliff jumping, cliff diving, snorkeling, and kayaking were also offered and included. There were a handful of coves to explore with schools of fish and jellyfish. One morning, when the waters were calm, there was a group of dolphins swimming and jumping out of the water!

On the last evening, my husband and I decided to do a special Cave dinner. Floyd helped to make it more magical than it already was! I wish I could add a video of one of the locations for the Cave dinner to this posting. Words and pictures do not do it justice. I have videos of our stay, but only photos are permitted on TripAdvisor.

The people here are generous and welcoming. Most have been working there for years, so it does feel like family surrounds you! We had everything we needed and did not choose to leave the property!

Shout out to the entire staff: Manager Karen, Melissa at the front desk, Omar and Nastasia dinner servers, housekeeping, groundskeepers, chefs, bellman, and others that we didn't meet personally but impacted our stay tremendously. Thank you from deep within our souls. We are forever changed, thanks to all of you. Many blessings from John and Vanessa.

TIPS:
- Be respectful and nice to the staff! They are wonderful, welcoming hosts of the property and ambassadors of the island!
- Free wi-fi was available. This came in handy when I needed this to do schoolwork!
- Bring a couple of travel-sized mosquito sprays!
- Ask your driver what you can buy to deter the mosquitos besides the mosquito spray.
- Jamaica has humid weather. Bring beachwear, swimsuits, sarongs, hats, etc. If you want to dress up, a simple dress for the ladies, a button-up short-sleeved shirt or polo, and a nicer pair of shorts. Footwear, sandals all day!
- Bring an empty Yeti or receptacle to keep your beverages cold.
- If you don't like sharing, bring your own snorkel.
- No kids under the age of 16 allowed.
- There are only a few cottages. Book early!
- No beach on property, and we didn’t miss it!
- Do the cave dinner! It costs a little bit, but it is worth it!!!
- Explore! Try something new, whether it's food or an activity.
- The famous Rick's Cafe is not far from The Caves. Activity can be heard until 9 pm most nights.
- If you get motion sickness, bring anti-nausea medicine. I wanted to snorkel longer but forgot to take it before we got in the water.

This stay was great. I would definitely come back and recommend it to family/friends.

Now, if you are one of those people who are high demand, constantly in need of attention or/and to be entertained, and want pristine/new/modern accommodations - this isn’t the place for you. But, if you are open to new experiences, ready to relax, and looking to chill; then this is the place for you.

The views and service were top-tier. Everyone was attentive and ready to address your needs every step of the way.

The food was excellent. They had diversity throughout the stay. Most meals were 4 courses, and not one of them was disappointing. They take the food restrictions when you book, and they followed them the whole trip without my having to re-iterate my needs. One thing I noted, was they have scheduled meal times (morning, noon, night), but if that’s not how you live, you can walk up at different times and ask what they have to eat.

The airport transfer was available very soon after I walked out of the airport and they planed the return to leave 4-hours before my flight was scheduled (~<2-hour drive to MBJ). You do have to really look for them though, the sign is rather small and not in an easily visible location.

The main recommendation that I would share with a friend/family member would be: try a different room, other than One Drop. I was in One Drop, as it was just me, however, this cottage was more like a dungeon than a tropical getaway. Granted, most people are not in their cabins a lot. But if you prefer to stay in and read, take breaks from the sun, etc. then One Drop will not be the most comfortable. There’s only one small window (with no glass or screen & no bug net over the bed) to see outside/let light in. When asked, the staff member who walked me around and oriented me to the resort/room had said there was no way to open the shutters, but I did figure out how to open them eventually. That did help slightly with letting light in. Unfortunately, it was overwhelmingly dark inside without great views. There was only the bed and a built in couch (that faced in - towards the bed) for seating, with no table at all. It was very uncomfortable to try to eat, read, or rest in the room. There was not a desk to work/read nor any convenient places to hang wet clothes (without leaving them outside in the shower). I would definitely not recommend this cottage if you have two people as it felt cramped with one person.

Some of the websites/reviews say it has 10 acres; however, there really wasn’t that much space to walk/adventure. Maybe that was a higher priced option than what my price point ($2254 USD/4 nights stay) got me.

They didn’t have options to schedule history, adventure, or culture tours through the hotel. That is something you might plan ahead of time through an independent company. However, the life guard and cave-jumping teacher made the stay very entertaining with snorkeling and kayaking available whenever you wanted to go.

I read ahead of time to convert USD to J$ and that was strongly DISCOURAGED by the people I spoke to on the island. They only had a USD ATM at the hotel, and didn’t provide the service of exchanging currency. Just an FYI, if you’re planning for tips. They liked/preferred USD tips. [If you do plan on exchanging currency DON’T do it at the airport, I made that mistake and they took 22% of the money, despite indicating there were “no fees” (I know, get it together me).]

If you’re looking for a ~cabana boy brings me food and drinks all day~ this also isn’t the place. They didn’t have servers who delivered food/drinks to you at the lounge chairs (whomp whomp - you have to get it yourself). Although, they would deliver room service for the main meals. Having some sort of app or a way to request drinks/food/snacks to the lounges/room would definitely elevate this resort.

*You will want to be ‘ok’ without traditional A/C and be ‘ok’ with animals/insects. While they had a small wall A/C, it didn’t really work well enough to cool the room/restroom most of the day (pretty much anytime other than after 10pm/before 4AM). Lizards and wildlife did come to see what was going on in the outdoor shower and room. And a very, very small crab/crab-like crustacean fell from the top. When you have the (one, in the case of One Drop) window open, a cat will come visit.

*Bring a metal straw, they only provide paper straws.

*Bring your own bug spray and sunscreen. It’s $20USD for a small can here.

*Everything is rock, the walkways, the steps, etc., so be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces as well as up-and-down said uneven surfaces. Similarly, the outside shower had crate-type flooring that you have to be pretty careful not to trip/fall on. Would not recommend flip flops.

My husband and I stayed for 4 nights in June 2024 and it is truly the most remarkable place. This is the second time we have stayed and it is relaxing, intimate, and special.

Food- The food is amazing. I'm vegan and they prepared special meals for me. Some of my favorites were coconut corn, tomato soup, bean tostada, bean lasagna, and the desserts. 5 course dinners! Breakfests and lunches mainly Jamaican food, which we like, but they also will make things like pancakes for those who prefer that. My husband is not vegan and also loved all of his food, especially the seafood.

Drinks- Great drinks, even top shelf liquor. Shoutout to Stacy, she took great care of us and was such a kind soul. There is wine and beer in the room.

Room- We love the large tub, mosquito net, and general vibe of the room. Soft pillows. There is a fan in the room which is definetely needed as it does get very warm. Housekeeping does an amazing job.

Actvities- We loved PK! He took us out kayaking and taught us to safely jump from the cliffs (we even did the 30!). We loved watching him do dives too. We snorkled a lot, plenty of fish and stingrays to see. Got in lots of reading with beautiful views. I also enjoyed the complementary yoga class.

Grounds- The grounds are very well maintained. Beautiful views. Also, there are some cats on property you can see.

If you are looking to relax, enjoy great food and drinks, and have a great team of staff, this is the place for you! We LOVE the Caves.