Avis Wild Coffee Retreat - Adults Only

Décoration superbe mais à part cela le reste est moyen (accueil, literie, propreté du sol). Je n'y retournerai pas ; il y a nettement mieux au même tarif dans la même zone.

The Wild Coffee Retreat is extremely rundown post-pandemic. We stayed here 03/2023 - looking at the photos for this "retreat" - and I use that word lightly, the photos are clearly pre-pandemic. According to the sites we reviewed and their official website, they have an on-site restaurant with a full menu and a sister restaurant nearby (the Pelican Lookout), but this is a farce; the on-site restaurant does not have a menu and only serves breakfast consisting of ackee and saltfish with fruit or porridge, coffee, and the most expensive Red Stripes on the island. Their sister restaurant is out of business, period. Using their taxi service is very expensive and is only sometimes available; you can expect to pay them USD $250 for a ride. They over-charged us for everything and didn't take us where we wanted to go. On the 1st day, we wanted to check out the nearby Hummingbird Garden, but there was no driver available the whole day. On the 2nd day, their driver, Jonny, didn't want to go to the Hummingbird Garden; he wanted to take us to the Blue Hole instead. We reluctantly agreed, cha-ching; the cost of that trip was an unexpected $250 (not including the price of the Blue Hole). The location is fairly remote, and is unsafe to walk. All rooms were open-air, which was fine but there was no screen in the bathroom, which was problematic - opening the window let giant cockroaches in. The bathroom smelled like sewage. We were supposed to stay 9 days, but left after 3. Horrible experience.

This place is AMAZING!!

Online pictures should tell you how beautiful this place is. Not a resort, a retreat along the rocky coast just outside Negril main tourist area. To get into town, hotel staff can call you a private taxi. Better yet, walk ten minutes or so and catch a cheap shared ride cab they call route taxis (google it for more info). Helpful tip: get Jamaican $ for the route taxis. I usually paid $1000 JD (~$6.50, roughly 2x/3x of what the locals pay), but drivers would go the extra distance on the return. What the pictures don't tell you is how peaceful and quiet this place is. Soft "easy listening" reggae wafts thru the air as you envelop yourself in the lush greenery and feast your eyes on many art pieces tastefully curated by the owner, Carecea. Speaking of Carecea, her staff, including David and Bemer, and son Johnny, were excellent hosts. Ask Bemer to tell you stories about his various jobs in the states. Be sure to book with the breakfast, because Carecea cooks the best home cooked authentic Jamaican breakfast. Forget the usual American breakfast you are used to. Eat the fresh healthy Jamaican fare she offers each morning which I found hearty enough to only need one other decent sized meal a day. So, if your planning a trip to Jamaica, skip the big resorts where your tourist dollars are mostly sent to overseas owners. Instead stay at an independent, locally owned smaller place. Like the Wild Coffee, that has great vibes and food unmatched elsewhere on the island.