We stayed at Hidden Paradise from Mar. 2 to 8, 2009. Overall we enjoyed our stay. The staff are super friendly. Brian, Janet, Petrene, Sonia and Clive are great people. Hidden Paradise is located on the garden side of Norman Manley Boulevard.
Access to the beach is through Mamma Flo’s restaurant. You can use the beach chairs at Mamma Flo’s. Joy runs Mamma Flo’s and is Henrick’s mother. Henrick is the owner of Hidden Paradise. It is all family owned property.

We took two HD video cameras with us to Negril. On the first evening our charger blew a circuit and my husband thought we were doomed to charge our batteries. Henrick called his TV repairman and within twenty four hours the charger was fixed and charging again. We were only charged $10 U.S. ($800 JA). Henrick’s help was superb!

During our first morning at breakfast my husband asked Janet where she lived? She replied “in Orange Hill”. My husband asked her if she knew his best friend Hilroy. Turns out Janet is Hilroy’s cousin and within two minutes she had Hilroy on the phone for my husband. It was wonderful.
We always ask a Jamaican where they live. Chances are we know someone in that town, but more so its a great way to learn more about that person.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:
It is a very quiet property and you can watch the sun rise over the mountains sitting in the open style restaurant.
They have a pool and beautiful grounds.
The rooms have safes and they only require a $50 USD refundable deposit to use them. There is no daily charge to use the safe.
All rooms have ceiling fans, air conditioners, telephones with radio’s in them.
The property is quite secure and at night Clive sits out front with a closed gate and only allows people that are staying at the hotel as well as their guests in. The property is completely fenced in which aids in making it more secure.
There is private parking for cars or scooters just inside the gate.
Breakfast - Janet makes the only coffee we have ever been able to drink at any resort in Jamaica. It is as good as Tim Horton’s. The all inclusive breakfast which cost $10/day USD for 2 people consists of fruit and an a la carte menu. Don’t order anything with meat because they use hot dogs (thats all they have). Janet makes the best dumplings we’ve ever had. If you brought her something (kitchen utensils etc.) and say please she just might make them for you.
The rooms are a good size, but basic. They have refrigerators and great cable tv. The beds are made of thick foam and are a joy to sleep on.
They do have running hot water, but you have to let it run for awhile to get it hot. The water pressure is terrible, but usable.
They have a daily maid service. Patrene and Sonia are very pleasant women.
Beach towels are available at the front desk for no charge.
The rooms have very nice porches. We enjoyed sitting and relaxing on the porch to watch the birds that come and go from the Morass (parrots, woodpeckers, etc.).
Its really the staff that make Hidden Paradise a treaure. If it were located on the beach side we would never stay anywhere else.
We were there when Nikki from Philadelphia was celebrating her 35th B-day with thirty of her girlfriends. It made for great fun and entertainment.

Cons:
No screens on the windows. Henrick had to take the window screens off because guests were running the A/C 24/7 with the windows open. Electricity is very expensive in Jamaica.
I am very susceptible to bug bites and pretty much became a walking buffet as soon as I entered Hidden Paradise. It’s because the hotel is among the morass (i.e. swamp). I use Off, herbal flea spray and mosquito coils, but I still got bit a lot. We brought mosquito netting to cover the windows and door to help even the odds, lol. Take clothes pins and push pins to help keep the netting up. It does a fantastic job in keeping the bugs out of your room.
The neighbors have dogs that sometimes bark throughout the night and in the early morning. When one starts to bark they all do. The dogs generally stop barking around 10 PM. On the first day it was bothersome, but then you didn’t notice it as much. Bring dog treats. It helps with the barking. We also feed the stray dogs on the beach Milk bone dog biscuits.

We met a little girl who lives next door to Hidden Paradise. Here name is Jessica and she is 7 yrs old. She sang us Hanna Montana songs through a hole in the fence. We had some coloring books, crayons and treats that we gave her. She is a very sweet child. Jessica lives where the dogs are next door. If you go please say Hi to Jessica from Brian and Sandra.

We had done some research as to where 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was filmed in Negril. We took some stills from the movie with us to Jamaica. Joy who runs Mamma Flo’s is Flo’s daughter. She remembers her Mom doing the laundry for Kirk Douglas and the crew. Four of her Uncle’s played cannibals in the movie. Joy really enjoyed the pictures and told us that the beach scenes were filmed in front of Sandy park. Later on our vacation Fay at Ansell’s Thatch Walk Cottages told us that Kirk and Peter use to drink rum with Ansell’s dad Lazarus behind the house that they live in. We left the picture of Kirk with Fay.

We had also taken some old pictures from the 70’s of the Negril river and beach. Everyone we showed them to thought they were the neatest thing.

If I wasn’t a walking buffet (they have no interest in my husband at all) for the bitting insects, Hidden Paradise would be my hotel of choice in Negril for those not looking for a 5 star resort. Thanks again Henrick for your help!