This review is written from the perspective of a traveler who hasn’t traveled to foreign destinations before (I just got my first passport last year) so you should take that into account while reading this:

It was our first trip to Jamaica and we were blown away by the clean beaches and great weather (82 most days).

The hotel was clean but some of the staff was lazy. I didn't like how getting a cooler worked. You pay your bellhop $5.00 a day for the privilege of a 10 year old leaky cooler. He said he was going to fill it with ice every day, but you had to bug him a couple of times to get him to do it. There is only one ice machine located by the back of the pool area near the lobby, and during the day it would tend to run out of ice as more and more guests filled thier ice buckets. I did visit with a couple that were staying for an extended time and found that they had a mini fridge in their room, apparently you need to ask for this when you book.

A Breakfast buffet is included in the standard rate (Our rate was $100.00 a night but we were part of a group and she negotiated the rate as her daughter was getting married there as well so your rates may be higher) but you can book it the room without that option and save $11.00 a day (as we didn’t book the room so we did not know this at the time), but it is average at best, the best items on the menu was the omelets that were made fresh to order, the steamed calaloo, and the fresh fruits. They had cereal as well, but to me, raw unpasteurized milk tastes kind of funky. However the wait staff was courteous and quick to top off your coffee and juice. The rest of the menu was the "mystery meat of the day" which was ham (SPAM really), salt fish, and bacon depending on the day of the week it was.

The housekeeping staff was good and our room was cleaned around 10:00am each day. The room itself was small and in our particular unit, the toilet was positioned in close proximity to the shower stall (there is no bath tub) which made going to bathroom in a sitting position for larger people somewhat interesting (sorry if this seems to be TMI). Not all units were like this however (we were part of a wedding party so I saw other rooms). There wasn’t a closet, just a place to hang shirts in the bathroom and a small dresser in the sleeping area. The water pressure was kind of low and showering was kind of like using a garden hose but it got the job done. The TV in our room was a small 20 inch that carried a basic satellite line-up (lots of Cricket matches too).

One day I saw a small lizard like creature (I believe they were called Anoles) sitting on one of our pillows in the room, as I moved toward it scurried off the bed and ran off by our luggage. The reason it might have got in the room could be that there is a ½ inch crack at the bottom of the door or when the maid cleans the rooms they tend to leave the doors wide open during that time, anyway I never saw one again the rest of the week(and I was told later that they are harmless).

You can get a load of laundry done if you leave your clothes on the bed before going out for the day for “whatever you think it’s worth” as the maid does it as kind of a sideline job for extra income (the average service worker in JA only makes about $80.00 US per week and a lot of that is spent on transportation to and from work so be generous!). I had my clothes laundered towards the end of my stay and she did a good job.

The grounds around the resort were well maintained and I saw grounds keepers working every morning to trim trees and pick up debris so it is very well kept up.

There is a bar by the beach and prices for drinks are about the same as in the US $3.00 for a Red Stripe and $5-6 for mixed drinks. They also have a limited lunch and dinner menu. I had dinner there the first night I was there, but thought it was average at best.The bar itself tends to close around 11:00pm (at least when we were there in late January of 2008, that may change during February and beyond when spring break hits).

As for the beach area itself, it is clean and they do provide beach towels at the front desk. The wading/swimming area is well marked and the water temp was in the 70’s or better if I had to hazard a guess.

Other amenities include free wireless internet access (in the lobby area only—not the rooms) and it is fast, with DSL like speeds. No password is required, just connect to the “Treehouse” SSID listed in your wireless applet and you are set.

All in all, the Negril Tree House is an economical alternative to an AI type of place but you do need to seek out your places to eat before you get here, do research to find restaurants that have a good reputation or bring a hot plate and cook yourself.
I would stay at the Tree House again but I am looking at an AI next time around I think, if nothing else to see what that experience is like.