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Style: Traditional Jamaican architectural features – in Round Hill’s original 1950's style - with Oriental overtones. Homely, well equipped, deluxe family villa with excellent views
The Beach: Round Hill Hotel beach a short drive down the hill, golf cart provided
The Rooms: In the main house, 4 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, one with a single adjoining bedroom (no en suite), plus a child’s bedroom/playroom with sink and WC. Also a separate 1 bedroom cottage with en suite bathroom, suitable for wheelchair/physically challenged use. Additional poolside bathroom with shower and wheelchair access
Key features: A good Jamaica resort villa especially for holidays in the Caribbean with kids, swimming pool (20ft x 40ft), large living/dining veranda with wet bar and cable TV, poolside fitness gazebo, dining gazebo, barbecue grill, cable TV, DVD, VCR, CD system with 10 speaker surround sound, library of CDs, DVDs and videos, internet access. Facilities for wheelchair users including electric wheelchair and 3 wheelchair friendly bathrooms. Also Round Hill Hotel and Beach Club membership and two 4-seater golf carts.
Children: Welcome – child’s playroom/bedroom called Olivia’s Treehouse with TV and toys. Pool area can be gated. Crib, high chair, portable playpen, 2 push chairs.
Staff: Butler, cook, housekeeper, laundress and 2 gardeners – resident staff member on rotation basis |
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Description
Knockando has a delightful setting on the hillside in the exclusive Round Hill estate, with a view over the hotel and beyond it far along the extremely attractive north-west coast of Jamaica. The villa was the first to be built on the one hundred acre estate over fifty years ago, by the hotel’s founder John Pringle, and it sits right at the heart of the estate among a host of villas of similar standing. It retains some of its original Fifties style, and there are some interesting additions and unusual features that were added later on. The unique name is Gaelic for ‘little black hillock’ and it comes originally from Speyside in Scotland, where the Knockando Distillery produces a fine single malt whisky. Perhaps the relaxed and mellow ambiance at Knockando, with its lovely hillside views, inspired a similar feeling to the satisfaction of drinking a fine Speyside malt.
Knockando is an ideal holiday villa for families, especially if you are looking for something suitable for three generations. It has facilities for the very young, a romantic bedroom hideaway for parents and home comforts for older members of the family - it caters for those with mobility problems. To stay there brings the best of both worlds - the space and privacy of a villa, along with all of the facilities of a top class resort.
Knockando sits in enclosed grounds, approached through a wrought iron, gated entrance that gives onto a formal circular drive and lawn. The villa is mostly comprised of a low-lying building which still retains many of the Fifties features of the original house. These include now rare Jamaican marble floor tiles found in the formal dining room, exposed shingle roofs, traditional black and white tiles in one of the bedrooms and a covered exterior walkway at the front.
The formal sitting room is at the centre of the house. It has the original hardwood parquet floor and it is furnished with comfortable sofas, which sit beneath an enormous oil painting of a swimming horse. This is where the entertainment systems are located - a ten-speaker sound system (which plays in all main areas including the pool) with a library of CDs, cable TV and a DVD and VCR. There is a collection of films for both adults and children. Next to the sitting room is the formal dining room (and beyond it the kitchen), which features many antiques including a ten foot, three leaf, antique mahogany table for twelve, a collection of silverware and crystal hurricane lamps. The atmosphere is reminiscent of a plantation great house and guests can dine in style on several services of fine china, including Minton, Rosenthal and Royal Worcester.
The very spacious covered veranda is a key feature of the house and it is very much part of the living area. It can be accessed from both the dining room and from the formal sitting room, through large folding doors that open the rooms up to the view. It is furnished in very attractive, honey coloured bamboo. In one corner is a dining area with a large circular table and a dining wheel. This is where breakfast is normally served, and sometimes lunch, though guests often prefer lunch in the poolside gazebo, where there is also a barbecue. At this end of the veranda is a full size guest bathroom. It has wheelchair access (including to the shower) via a sloping ramp and also gives onto the pool terrace (lower down). At the other end of the veranda is a corner wet bar with an icemaker and fridge. Again this is built from sturdy bamboo and there is a wall-mounted cable TV. In the late afternoons the veranda takes on a lovely golden glow. It makes a charming spot for a cocktail.
The veranda looks over a striking deep blue swimming pool and to wonderful views along the coastline, which stretches away in a series of headlands into the distance. A small flight of steps leads down from the middle of the veranda (there is a child gate) onto the tiled pool terrace. Here there are sun loungers set on the far side, next to the bougainvillea-covered railing which overlooks to the resort below. On each side of the terrace is a gazebo. One has a bicycle and a treadmill, plus room for a couple of sun loungers for those seeking shade. The other is used for dining and has a large gas grill for pool side barbecues. The swimming pool itself contains a work of art. Set into the floor of the pool, is a striking mural of deep blue Chinese mosaic tiles depicting a black pearl and a fire-breathing Chinese dragon – both the villa’s owner and her daughter are born under the Chinese sign of the Dragon. Sitting ledges run along both sides of the pool and they provide a pleasant perch from which to enjoy the view.
One of the hidden pleasures of Knockando is that despite its fairly traditional style it does have its surprises. One is the new two-storey extension beyond the kitchen. Downstairs is an absolute gem, a delightful children’s room which bears the name ‘Olivia’s Treehouse’, after its owner. It is not actually a tree house, but the concept is certainly there. It is a child-only zone, which announces itself with hand-painted murals along the hallway and a door painted like the trunk of a tree. Olivia’s Room is a child’s treasure trove. Every bit of wall space is covered with hand-painted scenes that might come from the pages of a storybook - tropical plants and flowers, wild animals, pets and the sky at night. Some of the pictures glow in the dark. There is a sitting area with cable TV, VCR, a large selection of children’s toys, books, games and even a chalk board. This opens to the bedroom (considered a half bedroom), where there are bunk beds (with rails and pull-out beds for a maximum of four children), a small wash basin and a child’s WC.
Upstairs is a very exotic and romantic bedroom for the parents. It is built entirely from polished hardwood, much like a pavilion, and it has shutters that open onto a wrap-around wood-decked balcony. The view over the coast from here – and from the partly open-air shower - is fabulous. The room is known as Treetops because of it. The bed is a queen size four poster draped in netting. Both of the bedrooms are air-conditioned, as are the other four bedrooms in the villa. They also have ceiling fans and are equipped with hairdryers.
Three of the bedrooms are in the main house, in a wing off the sitting room. They include an elegant and spacious master bedroom with a lovely king size, antique mahogany four poster with a net canopy, and a large en suite bathroom with a walk-in shower and a double sunken tub. The walk-in dressing room has a beautiful antique mahogany crib with a lace canopy. The adjoining middle bedroom is connected by a door in the dressing room. This room has its original black and white floor tiles, two charming antique twin beds which can convert to a king and a corner seat up against the window – all bedrooms have some form of seating. And like the other bedrooms it has cable TV. The en suite bathroom has tub/shower. A third bedroom, known as the Blue Room, again has the option of two twin beds or a king, and cable TV. There is a small adjoining room (with ceiling fan only) with twin beds suitable for a child or nanny. The en suite bathroom has a wheelchair accessible shower with bench.
The last bedroom, which makes a total of five double bedrooms at Knockando, is located in a separate cottage across the front lawn, along with a single room and the child’s play/bedroom. The room has been fully adapted for wheelchair users and has a large bedroom with a queen size bed, wooden floor, a desk with a fax machine, a special reading chair and a library. There is cable TV and a VCR, and in one corner a wet bar with fridge. The en suite bathroom features rails to the booster WC, wheelchair access shower with bench and a Jacuzzi tub. An ‘1122 Jazzy’ electric wheelchair is available for the guests’ use. |
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Beach & Swimming
Guests at Knockando have full use of the facilities at the Beach Club at Round Hill, which is a short ride using one of the villa’s two, four seater golf carts. This gives access to resort’s beach, where there is good swimming and snorkelling. A range of watersports is available including scuba diving – which comes at extra charge.
Knockando has an unusual freshwater swimming pool on the bottom of which is a Chinese mosaic mural of a fire-eating dragon. The pool is just below the veranda (which has a safety gate) and is surrounded by a tiled sun terrace. It is large (20ft x40ft) and has a sitting ledge along both lengths. There are steps in the corner at the shallow end. |
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Sports & Recreation
Beach Club Membership of Round Hill allows use of the resort’s fitness centre which is set next to the full service spa, where treatments are available at extra charge. For a fee guests may use the five tennis courts and for children there is access to the Pineapple Kids Club, also at extra charge.
There are several excellent 18 hole golf courses within the Montego Bay area. The nearest is at Tryall Club, a par 72, 6772 yard course just five minutes away by the hotel’s complimentary shuttle. Other courses, beyond Montego Bay, include Half Moon, par 72, 7,119 yards, the White Witch par 71, 6,718 yards and Cinnamon Hill a par 71, 6,637 yards. They are about 30-40 minutes by car, depending on the traffic through the town. The nearest riding stables are Chukka Blue near Tryall and there is an equestrian centre at Half Moon. |
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Locality
The exclusive 100 acre Round Hill Estate is to the west of Montego Bay and is home to the private holiday houses of the rich and famous. Knockando’s location in the grounds of the hotel offers villa guests the best of both worlds, privacy on the one hand and all the hotel’s facilities on the other. There is even a free buggy ride to get there. Round Hill hotel offers fine dining, a popular beach party night with barbecue, occasional live music, a piano bar, beach bar, pool bar, a full service spa, fitness centre, PADI dive and watersports shop, five tennis courts, a children’s club, an art/craft gallery, gift shop, resort boutique and a jogging trail.
Just above Round Hill is the village of Hopewell, which has a supermarket and liquor store/off-licence, pharmacy, AMT, post office, library and service station. About five minutes drive west of Round Hill is the Tryall Club, where there is a championship golf course. A free shuttle runs from Round Hill if you wish to play golf. Travel further west and you will reach the popular beach resort of Negril in less than an hour. Closer to home is the Great River Valley, where bamboo river rafting from Lethe village is a main tourist attraction. Inland from the small community at Reading, on a pleasant drive through a rainforested gully, is the Rockland’s Bird Sanctuary, where you can hand-feed hummingbirds.
The Round Hill Estate is approximately 20 minutes from Montego Bay, Jamaica’s second largest city and the island’s tourism epicentre. A free shuttle transports guests into the city for shopping trips. In the downtown area of the city there are several craft markets and shopping centres, including duty free outlets. On the northern edge is Gloucester Avenue, which calls itself the “Hip Strip”. Here there are cafes, shops, craft markets and restaurants serving anything from jerk at the Pork Pit to fine cuisine at The Townhouse by the Sea, as well as some lively clubs and bars, including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. The best beach in the area, Doctor’s Dave Beach, is also on the strip. Beyond the town is the Freeport peninsular, where you will find a shopping mall next to the cruise ship berths, and the Houseboat Grill restaurant on the lagoon itself. In nearby Bogue is the Fairview Shopping Centre with SuperPlus, a large, well-stocked supermarket, a cinema, department store, hardware store, pharmacy, fast food jerk centre, service station and a KFC. Closer to town is the Westgate Shopping Centre with a bank, supermarket, off-licence, McDonalds and service station. |
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Useful Hints
The chef at Knockando will pre-stock for your welcome meal and buy in initial food and drink supplies. You may opt to prepay your groceries (if so, this should be done 60 days prior to arrival). If you are booking direct, ask your travel organiser or the villa agent for a list of suggested items. If you do not pre-pay, the bill for the initial provisioning (plus the costs for transport) should be paid in cash on arrival and you should then also provide the chef with funds for all subsequent shopping, including transportation costs.
The chef is a graduate of Villas by Linda Smith’s gourmet cuisine cooking course, which offers guests menus of a slightly higher standard than other villas. They work to an average budget of US$45 per adult/US$20 per child, per day when provisioning the gourmet menu. Pre-stocking includes a basic drinks package of rum, wine and beer, but does not cover extras such as whole lobster or imported steak, which vary according to market prices. The rest of the shopping for your stay will be done by the chef once you have liaised with them on arrival. You may opt to go with your chef on the first trip.
Gratuities
Rental rates for villas in Jamaica do not include ‘tips’ and it is recommended that you set aside 10% of the total villa rental in winter and 15% for summer as a gratuity for the staff. You will be expected to pay this directly to the staff before you leave. Information on how it is to be divided will be included in the guest’s villa manual, and you may find an envelope provided.
Weddings
Permission to hold a wedding or any large function at your rental villa should be obtained in advance when making your initial reservation enquiry, as each villa has its own restrictions. Most villa weddings/functions will attract a guest surcharge if the number attending the ceremony/reception exceeds the villa’s maximum occupancy. This fee is currently US$15 per person. Also note that if party numbers exceed the maximum villa occupancy you will normally be required to use the services of an outside catering company to arrange food and beverage.
Your villa’s laundress will attend to your personal (excluding dry clean items) laundry, which if handed over in the morning is usually ready later that same afternoon.
Those who are highly allergic to animals should note that there are two pet dogs and two cats at Knockando. However should you wish, they can be kept locked away during the day. |
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Rates
| | 16 Apr- 14 Dec 2009 | Thanks- Giving 2009 | 15 Dec- 15 Apr 2009-10 | Christmas/ Christmas & New Year 2009-10 | 16 Apr- 14 Dec 2010 | | Knockando 1-3 bedrooms 4-5 bedrooms | 6,300 10,500 | 10,500 10,500 | 10,500 14,000 | 24,500/ 25,500 24,500/ 25,500 | 8,400 10,500 | Rates are quoted in US$ per week (7 nights), room only (EP). Rates are based on double occupancy per bedroom. There is a surcharge of $29 per night for each extra guest in any room. All rates are subject to change without notice. Minimum stay of 5 nights from 16 Apr-14 Dec except during Easter, Thanksgiving and 15 Dec-15 Apr when the minimum stay is 7 nights. There is a minimum stay of 14 nights over the Christmas/New Year period, unless booking for the Christmas week (lower rate) only and departing by 29 Dec. |
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How To Book
If you wish to book direct, bookings should be made through the villa agent, Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith. To confirm a reservation you must send a deposit of 25% of the total rental fee (50% for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year). Payment of the remaining 75% is required 60 days prior to your arrival (90 days for Thanksgiving and 120 days for Christmas and New Year) and no refunds will be made during this time. For cancellations made more than 60 days prior to scheduled occupancy, deposits will be refunded less a 10% cancellation fee and relevant credit card processing or wire fees. If you are booking within 60 days of your arrival, full payment must be made to secure the booking. A US$500 security deposit is also required, against damage to the villa or contents during your stay. It is refundable on your return home if no damage has occurred. You may contact Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith by using the WEB LINK or DIRECT ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page, or if you wish to telephone them, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. For a review of Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith please see here. |
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Airport Meet & Greet
If you are booking direct you can make arrangements for the villa agent to send a driver to meet you at the airport, which will then be pre-paid with your balance for the villa. The airport transfer from Montego Bay will take 30-40 minutes depending on traffic. If you are booking through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking. |
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Getting Around
A hired car is highly recommended for all private villa holidays but a popular alternative in Jamaica is a private driver service, which is easily arranged and particularly useful if you go out in the evenings. For shopping or sightseeing, you may wish to be independent and drive yourself around as it gives you an added element of freedom to explore the island, which is exceptionally beautiful. If you are booking the villa direct or through a tour operator, you can organise car hire at the same time as you book your accommodation. Otherwise you can reserve your car with Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith at the same time as booking your villa.
If you do decide to go for a hire car, ask for your vehicle to be delivered to the property (there may be a delivery fee) approximately three hours after your scheduled time of arrival on Jamaica or the following morning. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day. All drivers booked through the villa staff or through Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith are registered JUTA tour guides. |
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