Pure Garden Resort Negril

Pure Garden Resort’s dark, desolate lobby with a cracked leather sofa sets the tone for the entire property. With its drawn shades and weird odds and ends laying around (like propane tanks), the reception space feels anything but welcoming, though displayed local artwork does add a nice touch. The property’s gardens are well manicured and lush, but cracked sidewalks and leaky air conditioners detract from their beauty. We only encountered a few guests during our stay, but we got the feeling that some were visiting Jamaica to “get lucky,” if you catch our drift. This, along with the random guests who hang around the hotel’s entrance give Pure Garden a slightly seedy vibe.  

Pure Garden Resort is located next to the Times Square shopping center on Norman Manley Boulevard -- Negril’s main downtown thoroughfare. It’s across the street from Negril’s famous Seven Mile Beach, and is within walking distance of local shops and restaurants. The hotel is about a 15-minute drive from the West End Cliffs neighborhood, and is about two hours from Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. Unfortunately, Negril does not have its own international airport.  

Rooms at Pure Garden are hum-drum spaces with bare-bones furniture and decor. Thin mattresses are dressed in thin white sheets and threadbare pillows -- though housekeepers do a nice job of sprucing up the beds with towel swans and fresh flower decorations. Besides the beds, there isn’t much furniture, save for open wooden armoires and small TV stands. Flat-screen TVs are rooms’ nicest -- well only -- amenity, since there aren’t any mini-fridges, coffeemakers, or electronic safes. Wood paneled ceilings makes rooms feel dark, and it doesn’t help that curtains are nearly impossible to move across their rods -- leaving rooms in a perpetual state of darkness. Bathrooms have large shower stalls and pedestal sinks. Pure Garden provides towels, but not toiletries. Guests looking for a room upgrade can book a room with a kitchenette, which offers more space and a small kitchen equipped with an oven, coffeemaker, microwave, toaster, and a full-size refrigerator. Though these rooms are larger, they aren’t any nicer or better decorated. In the unit we visited, the bed was propped up against a headboard that was twice the size of the actual bed, and we found some moldy plastic chairs on the back patio. Many guests complain that rooms’ doors do not have adequate locks. Coupled with rooms’ lack of electronic safes, this might be a safety concern for some travelers. 

Pure Garden has a pool, but you’re probably better off walking across the street to Seven Mile Beach if you want to swim. Our pool experience came to an abrupt end when we sat on a lounge chair and it collapsed. If you do decide to stick around, the area is usually desolate, save for the bartender working at the adjacent snack bar. Besides the pool, Pure Garden doesn’t have any additional amenities -- like a restaurant, spa, or fitness center. The hotel does offer free Wi-Fi, but it’s spotty and difficult to connect to. Free parking is available.