Charela Inn Hotel
Charela Inn is Negril's best-kept secret in plain sight. It sits right on Seven Mile Beach with its coconut palms still standing, on 250 ft of beachfront where every building is set back the mandatory 150 ft from the water, so there is more sand per room than at most neighbors. It runs at a genuinely human scale: 59 rooms around a hacienda-style courtyard, a restaurant that is as well regarded as any in Negril, and staff who have been there long enough to know what good hospitality looks like. The Grizzle family, Jamaican and French, bought it as a ten-room inn in 1980 and still runs it, and travelers who find it often wonder why it does not come up in mainstream recommendations more often.
Things to Know
- Children not included in All Inclusive
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Directly on Negril's Seven Mile Beach with 250 ft of beachfront, buildings set back the full 150 ft from the water and coconut palms left standing for shade, so the sand in front never feels crowded
- +Le Vendome restaurant serves French-Jamaican cooking, with much of the produce and eggs coming from the family's own 174-acre Cocoa Farm in Hanover, and a five-course daily house special alongside the a la carte menu
- +Long-tenured staff, many with the hotel for more than 15 years, give it a warmth and consistency that big-resort turnover cannot match
- +Family-run by the Grizzles since 1980, and it shows: return guests are greeted by name and the place feels like a guesthouse that grew up rather than a chain
- +Strong value on Seven Mile Beach: you book room-only with no resort fee, then add breakfast, half board, full board or an all-inclusive plan only if you want it
- +Live entertainment every Thursday and Saturday night, with local artists and live bands playing jazz, vintage reggae and R&B under the stars
- +Newer rooms are easy to target: six Sea View Junior Suites added in 2018 and six Sea View Deluxe rooms from 2013, and both categories have an in-room Jacuzzi
- +Genuinely accessible for its age and size, with three ground-floor wheelchair-accessible garden rooms and public areas designed for guests with mobility needs
Cons
- −Older room blocks are showing their age; decor is dated and some units have musty smells, so ask for the 2013 or 2018 sea-view rooms if room age matters
- −Pillows and mattresses in some rooms are overdue for replacement, with lumpy bedding drawing specific complaints about sleep quality
- −One small round freshwater pool in the courtyard, which guests say runs cool; it is a dip pool, not a place to spend the afternoon
- −No gym or fitness room anywhere on the property
- −Wi-Fi is free in every room but reliability is inconsistent, with weaker spots in some room blocks
- −Entertainment runs two nights a week only, so guests looking for nightly shows or a party atmosphere will find it very quiet
- −Snorkeling, diving and boat trips are off-property Negril excursions you book separately, not something laid on from the hotel's beach
Le Vendome restaurant is the centerpiece. The French-Jamaican menu runs from duck a l'orange to curried shrimp, draws heavily on the family's 174-acre Cocoa Farm, and adds a five-course daily house special; it is open to outside diners too, which says something about its local reputation. Entertainment is on Thursday and Saturday nights, with local bands playing jazz, vintage reggae and R&B rather than loud poolside shows. Rooms come in five types: Sea View, Deluxe Sea View and Sea View Junior Suites (the last two with Jacuzzis), Garden View rooms around the courtyard pool, and Family Units of two interconnecting rooms sleeping four, all air-conditioned with a balcony or patio. The crowd is mostly couples in their 40s and up and loyal return visitors who have tired of big-brand all-inclusives.
The trade-off is that the physical property has not kept pace with the experience. The older rooms feel dated, the pool is small and there is no gym, and the last building phase was in 2018. Charela is also a room-only hotel at heart: all-inclusive is an optional plan you add at booking, and children's meal plans are priced separately by age. If infrastructure matters as much as atmosphere, the newer resorts along Norman Manley Boulevard win on paper. But for travelers who have learned that character outlasts construction, Charela delivers the feeling that the people running the place actually care, with Rick's Cafe, the West End cliffs and Negril's boat trips all a short ride away.
Common Questions
Is Charela Inn truly all-inclusive?
How is the beach at Charela Inn?
Can non-guests eat at Le Vendome?
Is Charela Inn good for families?
How do I get to Charela Inn from the airport?
How does Charela Inn compare to larger Negril all-inclusives?
Restaurants (1)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| French | Le Vendôme |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown.
What's nearby
Seven Mile Beach2 min drive · 0.6 mi
Rick's Café cliffs10 min drive · 4.6 mi
Negril Lighthouse11 min drive · 5.2 mi
Savanna-la-Mar40 min drive · 18 mi
More things to do (14)
- Bloody Bay Beach · beach8 min drive · 3.2 mi
- Catamaran sail and snorkel cruise from Negril · excursion2 min drive · 0.6 mi
- Booby Cay boat trip · excursion2 min drive · 0.6 mi
- Dolphin Cove (Lucea) · adventure park50 min drive · 27 mi
- Negril West End · town5 min drive · 1.9 mi
- Negril Hills Golf Club · golf14 min drive · 4.6 mi
- Blue Hole Mineral Spring · nature25 min drive · 9.7 mi
- Half Moon Beach · beach25 min drive · 10 mi
- Hanover Museum · museum40 min drive · 22 mi
- Fort Charlotte (Lucea) · historic site45 min drive · 23 mi
- Lucea · town45 min drive · 23 mi
- Bluefields Beach · beach60 min drive · 27 mi
- Roaring River and Blue Hole · nature60 min drive · 26 mi
- Peter Tosh Memorial Garden · historic site60 min drive · 29 mi
Amenities
Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Jamaica gets sargassum, typically worst June through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.5 · 340 reviews
“COME TO CHARELA POST MELISSA! YOU ARE WELCOMED All is wonderful here as Always! The Staff from the front Desk (Carolyn, Nadine and All the rest), to the Restaurant (which is fabulous!) with terrific wait and bar staff (who will Always Welcome you wit...”
“This beautiful getaway is a Jamaican owned hotel with propably the nicest beach set up incl. palm trees and a lot of shade. Don’t expect brand new rooms, but that’s not needed (at least not for me). The staff is professional and very caring an you wo...”
“Incredible place. Rooms are perfect, property is well maintained. There's a reason this was a grand prize on Wheel. Restaurant offers Incredible French cuisine at good prices. It's a very mature spot with a classic beach view. Small pool for cooling...”
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