A clifftop hideaway for rock stars, lovers, and iconoclasts on a West Indies sabbatical, this is one of Negril's best-kept secrets. It's the opposite of every Jamaican all-inclusive stereotype, to the point where most people don't even realize it is one. With only 11 guest accommodations and no entertainment staff and hardly any set time for meals, The Caves feels more like "visiting your rich uncle's house," according to at least one guest. If your uncle had a knack for hospitality, an

A clifftop hideaway for rock stars, lovers, and iconoclasts on a West Indies sabbatical, this is one of Negril's best-kept secrets. It's the opposite of every Jamaican all-inclusive stereotype, to the point where most people don't even realize it is one. With only 11 guest accommodations and no entertainment staff and hardly any set time for meals, The Caves feels more like "visiting your rich uncle's house," according to at least one guest. If your uncle had a knack for hospitality, an affinity for Aveda, and never actually made an appearance, that is. It's a super-casual Bohemian utopia with cliffside cottages, a main house that overhangs the ocean, and an eponymous warren of picturesque limestone caves. With a maximum occupancy of just over 20 people, guests only socialize if they choose to.

The place doesn't look like anything from the outside. A simple wooden gate marks the entrance—when your driver knocks, a peephole opens and the gate guard peers out. This low-tech approach continues through check-in, which is handled on a little outdoor patio. At the point where other all-inclusives would give you a plastic bracelet, The Caves gives you a waiver to sign: should you decide to cliff-dive, snorkel in the sea caves, explore by kayak, or indulge in any of the other Robinson Crusoe-esque adventures that this property offers, you take responsibility for life and limb. And then, it's off to your own sunny abode, and a schedule as full or empty as you wish.

The thing to remember here is, nothing is regimented, but almost everything is available if you ask. Want to go on a bicycle tour? Get a massage? Take a yoga class? Have a candlelit dinner for two? It can all happen. You just need to make the request. As for the facilities, explore at your leisure. Within the caves, there's a tiny Aveda concept spa, a grotto with a private hot tub for two, a Rum & Cigar Bar... and then, atop the cliffs, a tiny private beach with sun loungers and a bar. The main house has a formal dining terrace—which juts out rather dramatically over the sea below—but you're not limited to eating there or taking room service. By pre-arrangement, you can dine in a furnished and candlelit cave. Or, there's a snack lounge open all the time. If you sleep through dinner and wake up starving at midnight, just go rummage in the fridge, snag a bottle of something yummy, and take it back to your room to snack on.

Lena Katz is the author of the Travel Temptations series, published by Globe Pequot, including the recently published SUN: California and SIP: California guides.