More Places to Hide Away in Jamaica
These reviews just scratch the surface of what we saw and loved about staying in Jamaica. My in-depth insight on these and other resorts—including The Tryall Club in Montego Bay and Rockhouse Hotel, Tensing Pen Resort, and Jakes Place in Negril—are ready for your reading pleasure.
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Ever-Popular Montego Bay
Mobay, as it's known locally, is the center of tourism on the north shore. You'll fly into Sangster International Airport if you're visiting any of this stretch of coast, as we did. The airport has been much expanded and improved in the last decade, but the immigration process was among the longest and most painful we've experienced in any of our travels.
The major highway connecting Mobay with Port Antonio to the east and Negril to the west, and all the resorts along the way, also has been much improved, making it easier to get around. Still, it's just a two-lane undivided highway with traffic speeding along at 60-65mph in either direction—and on the left.
Mobay is home to many of Jamaica's best and most vintage resorts, as well as a plethora of common all-inclusives. At the top of our "favorites" list are Round Hill Hotel and Villas and Half Moon, where we stayed, and The Tryall Club, which we checked out. More insight on these and other places we inspected can be found at www.Hideaways.com/traveltojamaica.
Round Hill Hotel and Villas
This resort dates back to 1953, when a Jamaican entrepreneur launched what, for the times, was a unique concept—a cottage resort for European and American celebrity and high-society types who wanted to own a place in Jamaica without the problems of managing it. One of the first shareholders was Noel Coward. Others included Oscar Hammerstein and Viscount Rothermere. Round Hill's wood-paneled bar displays a who's who of the world's rich and famous who've either owned cottages or been guests, among them Jack and Jackie Kennedy, Paul Newman, and Bob Hope. Most recently, Ralph Lauren has called Round Hill his second home and is responsible for much of its decor.
Round Hill's setting is spectacular, a prominent "round hill" forming a peninsula that juts into the sea. The verdant hillsides are sprinkled with 27 "cottages." All sit amid lush gardens with views of the ocean, and most have private pools. Ranging from two to six bedrooms, they rent either in their entirety or as villa-suites with virtually complete privacy from one another. We stayed in Villa #16, a large, newly renovated home with six bedrooms. Ours was a lower suite with a beautiful terrace overlooking the ocean, a library/living room, a large king-size bedroom, and an elegant bath.
Round Hill also has the oceanfront Pineapple House offering 36 Ralph Lauren-designed ocean-view rooms averaging a spacious 460 square feet. The furnishings are island contemporary, and each room comes with very complete amenities.
Meals can be prepared in your villa, but more typically are taken at the Grill at Round Hill or Seaside Terrace, overseen by James Beard award-winner, Chef Maginley. We loved dining al fresco to the gentle lapping of waves on the shore. Each morning, your villa maid will, on request, fix breakfast and serve it al fresco by the pool or on your terrace. Our maid, Angela, fixed the greatest akee and salt-fish I have ever enjoyed.
For its size, Round Hill offers an amazing variety of amenities. A beautiful, full-service spa and fitness center is located in a remodeled plantation building fronting the sea. We were impressed by the list of water sports, including kayaking, scuba diving, and deep-sea fishing. The resort also has five all-weather tennis courts, two lighted for night play, and a pro on site for lessons. Golf can be arranged at any of five nearby championship courses, with complimentary shuttle service provided.
What I most like about Round Hill is its intimate feel. With its estate-like setting on a private peninsula, it has a very private ambiance—no doubt the reason Round Hill has always appealed to those seeking to escape the limelight.
Half Moon
Half Moon's history runs somewhat parallel to Round Hill's. It, too, was founded as a cottage colony in the 1950s, primarily by American industrialists like Harry Firestone (tires), Richard Reynolds (aluminum), and Laurence Armour (meat packing). Under decades of management by Austrian Heinz Simonitsch, Half Moon grew to be one of the most comprehensive and well-managed resorts in the Caribbean.
I remember first visiting in the early 1980s, when Half Moon was still a small collection of private cottage-like homes sprinkled along a beautiful crescent beach. Today, this 400-acre resort stretches along two miles of private beach and offers 197 rooms in clusters of low-rise buildings, plus 33 four- to seven-bedroom staffed villas. None are more than a stroll from the sand—or from one of the 54 pools you'll find tucked in around the gardened grounds.
Half Moon's exhaustive list of activities is what truly sets it apart, from its own 18-hole, recently updated Robert Trent Jones golf course to a dolphin-encounter lagoon, an equestrian center, a full tennis center, and a kids' club. At the beach, Half Moon offers snorkeling, kayaks, pedal boats, Sunfish sailing, windsurfing, parasailing, tubing, banana-boat rides, and glass-bottom-boat tours. Phew!
Then there's the 68,000-square-foot, indoor-outdoor Fern Tree Spa, a sanctuary for the spirit, senses, and body. The facilities and furnishings are opulent, with tranquil relaxation lounges, a yoga pavilion, and treatment rooms that open to lush gardens. It's one of the most elegant and elaborate spas we've encountered anywhere. Be forewarned, however, that prices are in keeping with the grandeur of the facilities.
When it comes to dining, Half Moon delivers with everything from a casual beachside setting to the elegant Sugar Mill restaurant, and with various themes of Italian to Indian to Thai. Our schedule was such that the only meal we had at Half Moon was a diverse and delicious luncheon buffet at the Sea Grape Terrace overlooking the beach. Other guests, however, spoke very highly of The Sugar Mill.
In December of 2010, shortly before our visit, RockResorts took over management of Half Moon. Our one critique would be that we noticed a slight decline in service since our last visit, when Heinz Simonitsch was managing the property. Hopefully, RockResorts soon will have this illustrious resort right back to its usual high standards.
Jamaica Inn, Ocho Rios
Ocho Rios is about an hour-and-a-half drive east of Mobay's airport, and is the premier stop for cruise ships visiting Jamaica—not necessarily a good thing. For many tourists, this is all they see of the island. Frankly, we were under-impressed by Ocho Rios when driving through it, but that changed on arriving at Jamaica Inn.
For all practical purposes, Ocho Rios ceases to exist once you are sequestered in this private gardened compound, set on a spectacular crescent of golden sand that nestles between two rocky headlands. A visit to Jamaica Inn is like a step back in time, and a very pleasant one. Like the other resorts we visited, it claims its fair share of notable past guests—Marilyn Monroe, Katherine Hepburn, Noel Coward, Errol Flynn—and I'm sure they did not come here to see or be seen. With just 47 guest suites and cottages, this is the most intimate of the resorts we experienced on this visit.
Suites are mostly in three wings surrounding the beach and stretching out to the point of land defining the beach's western boundary. A few unique accommodations are available in individual cottages, both on the beach and on the rocky bluff to its eastern side. All have views of the beach and sea, with balconies or verandas furnished in traditional living-room style and facing the beach or water. None have TVs, radios, or clocks to distract you from your mission of total relaxation.
My absolute favorite accommodation was the very private, airy Cottage #3 on the eastern rocky bluff overlooking the entire expanse of the property. It features an infinity-edge hot tub in a garden setting overlooking the Caribbean, plus its own sunning platform with private entry to the sea. Ah, waking up to that view and soaking in the hot tub—that's the life!
The beach has plentiful palapas for shade, and the beach-bar patrol will ensure you are never thirsty. The swimming is excellent, but if you'd prefer a pool, one is located in the nearby garden, right next to the official croquet court—which, by the way, gets some lively action and is a good place to meet other guests.
If you're tempted to leave this enclave, you'll find a number of possibilities for entertainment. Tony, their private boat operator, will pick you up right at the beach for snorkeling, fishing, or a visit by sea to famous Dunn's Falls. Golf, horseback riding, and all the other touristy stuff—like zip-line tours and bob sledding down a tropical hillside—also can be arranged.
Dining at Jamaica Inn is notable for a number of reasons. First is the setting (weather permitting), under the stars on a broad terrace. Second is the service—in a word, excellent! We found it formal in the Old-World tradition, but certainly not stuffy. Finally, the menu is creative, the preparation attractive, and the food delicious.
The congeniality of the staff and management here encourages friendliness and a sense of camaraderie. At dinner, you'll often see Mary Phillips, the General Manager, chatting up guests. We also had a great time getting to know our servers at dinner and hanging out with the beach staff, one of whom even took Gail sailing. She wouldn't trust/go with me!
I'll say it again—one of my favorite aspects of vacationing in Jamaica is the people. They are invariably fun, interesting, and willing to share their lively sense of humor. And that's the main reason I'll keep going back.
For more on Mike's visit to Jamaica—including videos, slide shows, and what shortcoming of his almost exasperated the golf pro at Half Moon—visit www.Hideaways.com/traveltojamaica.
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