When you arrive be sure to set up two massages with Olivine, she is the best. I routinely receive massages from a woman who works with a Major League Baseball team and Olivine was even better than my regular person.

The Tensing Pen is similar to camping out in Negril, while the huts you stay in do have electricity and indoor plumbing - remember there are paths of entry for lizards and bugs in the thatched roofs. Our friends had a visit from Lenny the Lizard in their quarters and a big bug. Our place on the other hand was bug free.

We only ate one dinner at Tensing Pen - but wish we would have eaten every dinner there. The food was excellent, we are very particular diners so you can bank on this (if the chef doesn't change).

The grounds are very well maintained, the flowers are just gorgeous. Sheldon the bartender is very entertaining, Errol is more laid back but is equally accommodating. The staff in the office are very attentive and ensure that you get what you need.

Be sure you bring twice as much sunblock as you think you'll need and bug spray for the evenings. Additionaly you will want to bring with you $75 US in small bills for every day you will be in Jamaica. Most places take US dollars and you are not likely to get the change you seek - so bring $1's and $5's. Be sure you negotiate with the cab drivers prior to getting in the cab - - we made one mistake at Rick's Cafe where the security guard rushed us into a cab and ended up paying $8 for a two block ride after the cab driver argued with us. That was our one less than perfect experience.

As far as places to eat we ate at the following: Three Dives (ambience will frighten you but food is good), Sweet Spice, Chicken Lavish, Rock House and Ricks Cafe. Here is what we learned - the more ramshackle the place the better the food while Rick's and the Rock House are clearly Western the food there was underwhelming.

Be prepared for Negril not being a developed area, we did go to the beach one day but preferred Tensing Pen to the throngs of people at the beach.

My husband and I just returned and loved Tensing Pen! We split our time between Tensing Pen & Idle Awhile only staying 2-nights at Tensing Pen. 2-nights were not enough! We were both very sad to leave. EVERYONE at Tensing pen was friendly. The entire staff went well out of their way to make us feel welcome, as well as the other guests staying there. I don't think I walked by one staff member or guest w/o receiving a warm greeting. The grounds were breathtaking & the rooms immaculate. A huge bonus was the coffee & breakfast assortment (great omelets available on request) that was included in your stay. We were charged $2 for a cup of coffee at Idle Awhile w/o a refill & other nearby resorts were doing the same! We will definitely stay at Tensing Pen again, next time more than two nights.

If looking for negatives--I could only think of one--no air conditioning. We stayed in Seagrape 1 and thought it had a/c, but it did not. Thankfully, the nights were cool enough we weren't miserable. However, it would be nice if TP put a/c throughout the rooms.

We stayed at Rockhouse last year and hands down we would stay at Tensing Pen over the Rockhouse. We enjoyed our stay at the Rockhouse, but Tensing Pen had an easy going/friendly atmosphere that the Rockhouse could not compare!

We got married at Tensing Pen in October 2005 and had a great time while there! We had about 5 other couples staying with us there and everyone had a great experience. While there, Wilma was terrorizing the seas and we had rough water to deal with even though the actual hurricane was about 600 miles away, but it caused some property damage to the resort and I think each of us had to be moved from our original room assignment...but the staff was great, management was great, and while we wish that we had better water conditions, watching the waves splash up against the cliffs was truly a remarkable experience! Amazing what Mother Nature is capable of!

I would highly recommend staying here, and I have actually already informed my husband that we WILL be going back for anniversary celebrations! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me with them-kspoerl1@comcast.net.

My boyfriend somehow found Tensing Pen's website when we were planning to book our trip to Jamaica. Lucky for us that Rockhouse was booked, because Tensing Pen turned out to be an amazing experience. When we arrived we visited the neighboring hotels like the Caves, Rockhouse and everything along 7 mile beach and Tensing offered the most authentic atmosphere, friendly service and beautiful setting amongst them.

Before we left, I read a review that said not to bother eating lunch at Tensing, but I disagree. Every meal was perfect. In the mornings, the chef would cook up omelets or a few eggs if you wanted. There was also fresh fruit, toast, juices, coffee and tea. In the afternoon, the chef would serve a nice chicken or tuna salad with coco bread, which was the perfect meal in the hot summer sun. At night, there would always be something authentically Caribbean and delicious like Lobster, Shrimp or Fish.

What I would recommend though if you want to have lunch elsewhere is to spend a day on the beachfront of Kuyaba and have the Snapper sandwich for lunch. They will pick you up from Tensing Pen. The place across the street, a little hut called Sharks served a nice Chicken Fricassee. For good is jerk chicken, go to 3 Dives which is just down the street.

For dinner I would recommend staying at Tensing Pen but if you feel like going out, check out Norma's at Sunsplash (they will drive you one way) that serves a great Pork Chop. I would only recommend eating at LTU if you go there before or during sunset. If you go any later, you'll get mobbed by the bugs.

Aside from eating, swimming, snorkeling around the hotel and lounging about, you should try snorkeling by the reef or ride a moped through the hills to get a taste of the Jamaican countryside. For snorkeling, go with Famous Vincent, but make sure you ask the boat driver his name. You should go with Vincent because he goes in the water with you and guides you along the reef. It is a spectacular site. Mopeds can be rented across the street. Try driving into the hills so you can get a sense for the way the Jamaican's live.

If you are prone to mosquito bites, I would not only bring a spray on bug spray, but I would also bring a mosquito coil. You can buy citronella candles when you get to the hotel.

Tensing Pen was the perfect paradise for our one week vacation. The setting, the staff, the food, the rooms, were great. We met people who had been going there for six years and we can understand why. We would definitely make it a repeated vacation destination. I've never written a review about any place I've traveled to before so that should say a lot about my experience at Tensing.

Enjoy.

I booked Tensing Pen based on reviews from this site, the hotel's own website, and the fact that The Rockhouse was booked for the time I was planning for my vacation. Am I sure glad it was! WOW! From the moment we were walked to our rooms all my boyfriend could say was "You did well!" It is beautiful, peaceful and amazing. We stayed in The Seagrape ll and loved that room. Stayed there for 7 nights and moved to the Pine Pillar on our last night there. Both rooms were lovely and totally different from one another. I loved the Seagrape for the privacy, and tranquility. The Pine Pillar is beautiful, with an stunning view, and an outdoor shower that was my favorite. However because the guests had changed throughout the week, the Pine Pillar was not quiet enough, or private enough for my tastes. My favorite bed was in the Seagrape ll...king size! No air conditioning can be a bit rough at times, but there are ceiling and floor fans in the rooms which help.

The staff are wonderful. If you go, be sure to tell Damian and Sheldon hello from Jenny. Those guys made everything from hanging out at the bar, to dinner, to breakfast fun. Just tell Damian Dolly Parton needs a nap...he'll know what that means. Food at Tensing is wonderful. They can do a full Jamaican breakfast for you which is delicious, or you can ask them to make omlets. The continental breakfast consists of freash fruits, homemade muffins, toast, jellies, cereals, fresh juice, and Blue Mountain coffee. The dinner menu changes daily andwas delicious each time we tried it. the chefs are more than happy to tell you how to prepare what they've made, and will make you special requests if you ask ahead.

Swimming in the coves is fantastic. There are floats to use, and snorkling equipment to borrow. Jumping from the bridge is crazy but fun. The massages are divine.

We met some wonderful other couples, one of whom we plan to meet back up with there next year. I will go back over and over again. Even when the clientel changed from couples to families (with adolescent and adult children) the atmosphere was still wonderful and relaxing. I loved crossing the road to go to the market, or walking up to LTU, and Ricks for dinner. It is a magical place, relaxing, beautiful, fun, simply WOW!

I want to agree with the two previous post about this hotel, it's simply gorgeous, breattaking. I stayed in the SeaGrape1 the ocean was literally on the other side of our door. The accomodations are superb, but if you're a city person, get the notion out of your head about a TV or phone in the room b/c there are none. True there is no AC, but I knew that b4 booking, and while it gets hot, the nights are better, esp if it rains. One other thing I didn't like is the menu, b/c it was one item, so we ate at various spots during our stay, but I too fell victim to the $19 sandwich, ugh. One place that is really nice to eat is the RockHouse hotel, not far up the road. Great food.

But this place is totally romantic, and is breathtaking. I would def go back, it was a great experience. And an even better way to spend a birthday with the one you love.

My girlfriend and I just returned from Negril after a vacation filled with many highs and some lows. We traveled from ATL to Mo Bay on Air Jamaica with only a 30 min. delay (much better compared to our last experience of 7 hrs). Our transportation to and from Negril was arranged through One Stop Negril, and our driver Kirk Malcolm was an absolute joy: inexpensive, timely, safe, full of tips and shreds of wisdom. (If anyone wants to contact Kirk, feel free to email me. I'd love to throw him more business.)

We arrived at Tensing Pen and were immediately pleased with their friendly staff and level of professionalism. Most of all we were blown away by the beautiful setting on the cliffs, the expansive gardens, and the unique cottages on the premises. Our room Garden B is the least expensive at TP, and we noticed no immediate problems; however, at night the noise from across the street became a problem with loud music until late, dogs barking (the dogs at TP were generally right outside our window and would bark at a dog next door), and people screaming. The lack of air conditioning was more of an issue for our room because it's the farthest back on the property and blocked from the ocean breeze that many of the other cottages enjoy. We toughed it out, but it was pretty rough some nights. (We would have to agree with another reviewer who pointed out that $100/night is a lot to spend for a room with no A/C.) That's our fault though.

Dinner at Tensing Pen was amazing. Jennifer, Judy and Sonika make a great team in the kitchen, preparing elegant and innovative meals for the guests at a rather reasonable rate. They do not post the prices of the dinners ahead of time, but the three course meal we had averaged $20/person plus a $5 service fee per person. One cautionary note about the kitchen: DO NOT GET THE LUNCH! We ate their "light lunch" twice and on both occasions we were served a simple grilled cheese sandwich with no sides or drink. While the sandwich was delicious, we were shocked to discover that our "light lunches" (more like snackies) cost us $12 per sandwich...oh yeah, plus a service fee! So for four grilled cheese sandwiches, we ended up paying in excess of $50!! (The reviewer from Texas is right about getting nickled and dimed, and it's frustrating.) Our advice: if you get hungry in the middle of the day, go to the grocery store across the street where Tings and ice cream make a good cheap snack.

The other guests at TP were all very nice and willing to just sit around and talk to discuss the days exploits/offer advice for next time. Some of the guests were long-time devotees of TP which was encouraging to us being first timers. You could very easily stay within the gates of TP for your entire visit. We relaxed for hours in hammocks and swam in the coves every day. Be sure to go snorkeling around the cliffs.

We did decide to venture out on numerous occasions...every day in fact. We went on two excursions: Mayfield Falls/SavLaMar through Clive's Transportation Services and Jamaica Rhino Safaris. Clive's service is excellent, and we loved our driver, especially the tour of SavLaMar's market. Mayfield Falls is pretty cool, but nothing fantastic. Just the drive through the countryside was probably our favorite part. The Jamaica Rhino Safari was not what we expected. The boats, while a lot of fun, seemed somewhat unsafe in the choppy water (engines failing, pieces flying off, emergency cut offs not working, strange smelling life jackets). Also, the tour guides merely lead you through the course around the coast. They don't provide any information about the area, nor do they show you anything interesting. It's basically a race; if you're into that I guess it would be great. 2.5 hours, $75/person, definitely not worth it.

We would recommend spending a couple of days around the beach if you're staying on the cliffs. Walking up and down the roads is actually quite safe, even though it may seem intimidating at first. Restaraunts we enjoyed at the beach: Cosmo's and Chances...not Selina's. On the cliffs: LTU Pub was great and within easy walking distance of TP; 3 Dives was fantastic. You MUST get Juicie Patties; we became obessed with them. We even ate one on the plane ride back. It's hard not to overplan because there are so many places to see and eat; just follow your gut.

We returned from our 4 night stay at Tensing Pen this past week completely relaxed and content. We absolutely love this hotel! The gardens are beautiful and the staff made us feel at home from the moment we arrived. We stayed in the Cove Cottage and chose to have dinner at the resort 3 out of our 4 nights. The dinner consists of 3 courses and was provided in a romantic setting in the open air kitchen/lodge that looks out to the Carribean Sea. Even though there were other people staying there, there were times where we felt that we were in our own world. If you're looking for a little R n R this is the place for you.

My husband and I just returned from a week at Tensing Pen. This is a unique experience for those who are looking for peace, quiet and privacy. We stayed in the Nort Pilar and had a fantastic view of the Caribean waters and breath taking sunsets. The staff was friendly and took care of every need and desire. You have the availability to interact with other guests or the privacy to be alone with your special someone. The food was supurb! My hats off to their cooks! The atmosphire was laid back and relaxing. Our accomondations were clean and pleasant. The tropical flowers on the bed on our arrival was a special touch.
I think perhaps I left my hairbrush there, I must go back to retrieve it!!!!
Thank you Tensing Pen for giving me special lifetime memories!

We just came back from T.S.P. Bill and I where thrilled to see it better than ever. The new lodge was stupendace and the long house has to be the best house on the Island. Loved It.