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There is a magical calm and wonderful West Indian authenticity about Strawberry Hill. Set at 3000 feet on an isolated summit high in the Blue Mountains – which themselves are one of the loveliest and gentlest regions in the Caribbean – it is an exquisite small hotel and a true Caribbean original. Though built recently, it has taken a traditional architectural theme and revitalised it in modern form, creating some of the most attractive cottages in the Caribbean. Encircling the hilltop, each with magnificent view, these are made of wood, with shingle roofs, clapboard walls and striking, eccentric gingerbread trim. On the summit itself you will find the restaurant and bar, also in the same distinctive style. As an Island Outpost, the atmosphere is both gracious and hip, and the story of the music - Island Records - is told in photography though the resort. With its gentle air, spa and lovely hideaway balconies, Strawberry Hill is a delightful and thoroughly romantic retreat.
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KEY FEATURES
| One of the best small luxury hotels in Jamaica, part of the Island Outposts group, 50 acre mountaintop estate at 3100 ft, infinity edge pool, restaurant, bar, full service Strawberry Hill Living Spa with sauna and plunge pool, yoga deck, gift shop, library with board games and TV, fitness room, mountain bikes available, nature walks and trails, meeting facilities. WiFi access. In rooms, CD player and CD library, cable TV, DVD player, mini bar, hairdryer, coffee/tea maker. |
STYLE
| Traditional Jamaican plantation style – clapboard, shingle roofs and verandas - now modernised. Exquisite escape, extremely private |
CLIENT PROFILE
| Hip independent travellers, creative types, some stars of music and film, honeymooners, singles, spa-goers |
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Strawberry Hill sits within sight of Kingston, Jamaica’s bustling, overcrowded capital, but it is a world away in atmosphere and spirit. The small hotel sits on a hilltop, its dining room, bar and pool set among lawns above and its bedrooms in cottages gathered around the flanks of the hill, encircling it just beneath the summit. They have magnificent views in all directions.
It is a 40 minute ride up from Kingston. The road sashays and switchbacks up from Papine in the northeast corner of the city. But as you drive into the mountains, the stress of city simply drains away and you come to an incredibly peaceful and attractive part of Jamaica, itself already an extremely attractive island. The steep-sided slopes are covered in grasses and bamboo and sectioned with coffee and other plantations. The simple dwellings and shops of the scattered settlement of Irish Town sit at the sides of the road.
You get your first sense of Strawberry Hill’s heart-stoppingly pretty style already at the Reception, which appears on the right in the car park as you arrive. It is a white clapboard building with louvered windows that open wide and verandas with slender vertical balustrades, also in white. The buildings are decorated with gingerbread trim, intricately carved woodwork that hangs just below the eaves, and the double-pitched roofs are made with pretty grey shingle tiles, again trimmed with white wood. The buildings of Strawberry Hill, which take their design from the island’s old plantation architecture, sit perfectly in their setting, against both the bright greens of the garden backdrop and the darker greens of the mountains soaring in the middle distance behind them.
Upstairs from Reception is the shop, which sells clothes, beachwear, artwork and music CDs. From here a path leads off to the spa. Or, to reach the main central areas of the resort you take a path in the other direction up through the greenery. As you emerge on the top of the hill you come to a lawn, on which stands the main bar, set in its own building with arched eaves, verandas and white trim.
Inside, the bar is high ceilinged and very open, with full length French windows that allow a through-flow of air. It has a mahogany floor and brightly upholstered furniture. On one side is an oval bar and on another, unexpectedly for the Caribbean, there is a fireplace. Actually it is logical for this area because it can get cool in the evenings at this altitude. Around the walls you will notice some of the photographs that run through the resort. They depict the story of Island Records and some of the leading names of Jamaican music.
The bar gives onto the pool deck, where an extremely inviting dark blue infinity pool looks south-west over Kingston. The noise of the city is reduced to a tiny roar in the distance, emphasising the peace of Strawberry Hill. Statues watch over the scene, which is framed by royal palms and other trees. There are loungers on the deck that surrounds the pool.
From the bar a walkway leads in another direction to the main dining room, the Bamboo Room, and then to an open-air dining section, the Library Veranda. They are set under similar, steeply pitched roofs supported on the same ‘hangman’ pillars, a bit like gantries. The Bamboo Room, which is called so because of the bamboo shapes in carved inlay above the broad French windows, has an exquisite setting with a maho wood floor, a typical ‘tray’ ceiling and extremely elegant reproduction antique furniture. The Library Veranda is slightly less formal but still has wicker armchairs on a wooden dining room floor.
Between the two dining rooms, a set of wooden stairs leads down to a courtyard below, the Jade Vine Terrace. As the name suggests it is bordered on one side by an arbour hanging with a delightful tropical jade vine with the intricate blue flowers. The area is used for receptions for weddings and conferences held at the hotel. The Gold Room, which can also be set up for meetings and lectures, is set off this terrace. Around its walls are several of the gold and platinum discs that were won by Island Records over the years.
The summit of the hill itself (behind the bar and dining room) is actually a lawn. Here you will find a couple of benches in quiet corners where you can read a book or paint. The gardens all around the hotel are also exquisite. It can be fun to find out about the plants (Reception will gladly give you a tour if you would like to know more). There are many trees and shrubs, including the traveller’s tree and many heliconias and ferns.
The ten cottages and two two-roomed villas at Strawberry Hill are set around the flanks of the hilltop. Some are supported on stilts to cope with the steep land – which gives them a dramatic setting and truly magnificent views. They all have the same stunning traditional Jamaican architecture. And they each have a balcony on which to lounge and take in the view. They are wonderful places to hide yourself away (something the hotel offers particularly well).
Inside, there are tray ceilings and panelled, ‘tongue and groove’ walls (some have visible interior beams), with glass windows and French doors set in louvers. They are furnished with reproduction antique furniture - four poster beds, large daybeds and planters’ chairs. It is in the cottages that you see the most original variation on the theme of ‘gingerbread’ trim in the eaves and in the breezeways above the interior doors. Instead of traditional symmetrical patterns they are carved along themes – scenes of dancers, bamboo and tropical plants, even some erotic ones from Madonna’s book SEX. The walls are decorated with photographs, some of musicians, others of general island scenes.
There are several ‘central’ areas to the resort besides the restaurant and bar area. On the far edge of the lawn, looking towards a mountain peak, is the yoga and meditation deck. Sessions are held at guest request. The Strawberry Hill Living Spa is above the reception building. It contains five treatment rooms (including a wet room), a relaxation room and an outside area with a plunge pool and a fantastic view. This is the one area of the resort that has a different architecture, with adobe walls with patterned arches.
Strawberry Hill was designed by Ann Hodges, who has used aspects of traditional Jamaican style to create something original and attractively modern. The small hotel itself is owned by Jamaican Chris Blackwell, the music mogul who set up Island Records. Island launched Bob Marley among others (he came to recuperate here after he was shot in 1976, before Strawberry Hill was a hotel) and many other musicians including Grace Jones. Blackwell used to come to the plantation as a boy. He turned it into a hotel after Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.
Strawberry Hill is one of the most tranquil and atmospheric places in the Caribbean. It has just eleven cottages and a handful of villas in its thirty acres, and so it offers guaranteed peace. But it also has a genuine, traditional beauty that suits its setting, which looks out onto the peaks of the Blue Mountains in all directions. Jamaica can be the most wonderful and romantic place and Strawberry Hill captures that entirely. |
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Beach & Swimming
At an altitude of around 3000 ft, Strawberry Hill is clearly not on the beach. If you wish to visit the beach then it can be arranged. Your best bet is probably the offshore sandbar, Lime Cay, to the south Port Royal (the old pirate base of the late 1600s). It is best as a day trip, so you can include Port Royal and maybe a stop-off in Kingston.
There is a 60ft swimming pool at Strawberry Hill, which has a truly spectacular infinity edge that carries over Kingston, seeming to flow into the valley. The pool is set in a deck where there are loungers and parasols. |
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Sports & Recreation
Most guests spend their time in sedentary pursuits, reading and painting, or around the spa. In the Library you will find books (there are also books in all the rooms), board games and a television. There is a telescope at the hotel. It is sometimes used for looking at Kingston during the day but it can be trained on the stars in the darkness.
There is a small gym, set in a building opposite the reception. The machines have a fantastic view over the valley.
There is excellent hiking in the area, which can also take in bird-watching, which is superb in the Blue Mountains. You are always advised to take a guide, both because it is surprisingly easy to get lost and also because they are full of interesting information about natural and Jamaican life. There are several trails in the area around the hotel itself and around Irish Town, but there are also some further afield, including the hike down to Gordon Town and up above Newcastle. You can also take mountain bikes.
Strawberry Hill offers a number of off-property trips, usually led by their guide McGyver. These include short trips to the local area (see Locality below), but there are also longer trips, which can even take in a night at another of the Island Outpost properties (in Ocho Rios, Treasure Beach and Negil). Day tours include Port Royal and Lime Cay (on the coast south of Kingston), some of the sights of New Kingston itself. Otherwise you can cross to the north of the island, to Ocho Rios and Noel Coward’s house Firefly, even Port Antonio, which is probably the prettiest area of Jamaica. |
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Spa
The Strawberry Hill Living Spa is in its own section of the resort just above the reception. Its brief is wellness, and so treatments are preceded by a consultation, and they can extend as far as a food or exercise regime if you wish. Of course they offer the usual detox and de-stress treatments.
There are five treatment rooms, which include a sauna and a wet room, and there is a very nice outdoor relaxation area with a pool. Products are by Aveda, but they also use herbs that have been grown on the property including basil and lemon. Treatments include several massages such as Swedish, deep tissue and sports massage as well as a stone massage. There are also many beauty and body treatments including facials, manicures and pedicures, some body wraps and hair and scalp treatments. |
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The Rooms
The rooms at Strawberry Hill are set in their own cottages that encircle the flanks of the hillside beneath the ‘central’ areas on the summit, and they follow the modern take on plantation style that echoes around the small hotel.
There are all sort of different sizes and layouts and there are a number of two-bedroom cottages to enable you to stay as a family. They are all extremely comfortable, with wooden floors (mostly) and elegant reproduction antique furniture.
In the rooms you will find cable televisions and DVD players. Beds have heated blankets because there is a fair bit of moisture in the air at this elevation. |
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Dining
Strawberry Hill has an exquisite dining room, the Bamboo Room, set in its own building at the top of the resort. It follows the modern plantation style of the hotel, with a polished wooden floor of maho and broad French windows, topped with a traditional a tray ceiling and the bamboo motif carving that gives the room its name.
The chef is Kingsley McGregor and his fare is New Jamaican Cuisine, an elegant combination of international and Jamaican dishes made with the best of Jamaican ingredients. For example, their Jerk style lamb rack is served with a lamb reduction and a guava glaze and their chicken breast is served with a local scotch-bonnet pepper and peanut sauce. Aveda, the spa at Strawberry Hill, also has an input into some of the dishes on the menu. Many of the ingredients are sourced in the local area – at this altitude more temperate plants can be cultivated than elsewhere on the island. Strawberry Hill’s own herb garden produces basil, garlic, chive and lemongrass and they buy eggs and parsley from their staff who also cultivate in the area.
There is room service to the rooms for all meals. Also, the kitchen can prepare a picnic for you if you are headed off property.
Dining at Strawberry Hill is a good evening out if you want to take a break from dining in Kingston. It is not that far to drive, but it is a world away in spirit and atmosphere. |
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Weddings
Such an attractive setting makes Strawberry Hill an ideal location for a wedding and the hotel is happy to hold a ceremony for up to 200 people. The marriage itself can take place in a number of locations around the small resort, on the lawn at the top, in one of the very attractive rooms, on the pool or Jade Terrace or even on the meditation gazebo. The hotel offers a number of wedding packages, but there is a dedicated wedding (and events) co-ordinator who can liaise with you to help you adapt them into your ideal ceremony. Of course the spa is on hand for pre-wedding treatments and the cottages are extremely private, so you can hide yourself away for your honeymoon. |
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Children
Children are welcome at Strawberry Hill. The atmosphere is generally quite adult and quiet, but they will be looked after nicely. The hotel can provide cots and high chairs and of course they can arrange baby-sitting. |
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Useful Hints
Strawberry Hill is extremely attractive, but it is relatively remote in the mountains and unexpectedly positioned away from the beach and outside a city. If your intention on your visit is to enjoy Jamaica as well as the beach, then you should not be concerned about this. Do be aware however that it is generally very quiet. Privacy is one of the hotel’s assets. You may not even see the other guests, who are quite likely to hide themselves away in their cottages. It is important to be happy to be fairly self-contained.
At 3000 feet, it can be 10 or 12 degrees cooler than in Kingston, so you may want to bring a wrap for the evenings. |
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Practical Facts
Annual Closure Dates: open year round
Dress Code: smart casual during the day and elegantly casual (long trousers for men) at night. A light wrap, jacket or sweater is suggested for the cool evenings.
Facilities: Freshwater swimming pool (60ft). Restaurant. Bar and lounge with fireplace. Full service spa, sauna and plunge pool. Library. Conference room with audio/visual equipment including plasma screen, seats 30 people theatre style. Gift shop. Yoga and meditation deck. Helicopter pad.
Other Services: Concierge service for tours and activities, including walking tours of nearby coffee estates and nature trails. Room Service. Daily yoga sessions. Skipping ropes and free weights available. Laundry service available. WiFi access in main areas. Mountain bikes available. Furniture workshops and cooking classes available.
Children: Welcome. Children under 6 years stay free when sharing room with parents.
Weddings: A number of wedding package suggestions are available. Each wedding can be customised by the dedicated wedding & events co-ordinator.
Accommodation: 14 rooms in 12 cottages
Rooms: All rooms are individually furnished and have a balcony/veranda, ceiling fans, four-poster double bed (some with two twins), cable TV, DVD player, CD player, CD library, safe, hairdryer, mini bar, iron and ironing board, and en suite bathroom with tub/shower. 5 x One-Bedroom are 400sq ft rooms with balcony: Timbuktu 1, 2, 3, 4 have views of Kingston and Mountain View 1 views of the mountains. 4 x Studio Suite are 480 sq ft with kitchenette and balcony: Gong, Tree, Cedar & 59 Steps all have views of Kingston. 1 x One-Bedroom Deluxe Villa is a single-storey, 1,500 sq ft house with views over Kingston. Birdshill has a large veranda with dining area, the bedroom has walk-in wardrobes, larger bathroom, and there is a sitting room with kitchen. 2 x Two-Bedroom Deluxe Villa: Highgate is a 3,000 sq ft, two-storey house with mountain views, a wrap-around veranda, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, guest bathroom, and 2 bedrooms (both en suite) upstairs each with access to a wrap-around balcony. Mountain View 2 is a two-story, 3,200 sq ft house with mountain views, a wrap-around veranda and balcony, living/dining room, kitchen and two bedrooms en suite. There is the option of an additional third bedroom with Mountain 1 which is located off an adjoining walkway.
Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover |
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Rates
| | 20 Apr- 19 Dec 2010 | 20 Dec- 19 Apr 2010-11 | | Room only (CP) | | One-Bedroom Suite (Timbuktu 1, 2, 3, 4 & Mountain View) 2 persons | 195 | 295 | | Deluxe Studio (Gong, Tree, Cedar & 59 Steps) 2 persons | 295 | 395 | | One-Bedroom Deluxe Villa (Birdshill) 2 persons | 395 | 595 | | Two-Bedroom Deluxe Villa (Highgate & Mountain View 2) 2 persons 3 persons 4 persons | 395 445 495 | 595 645 695 | | All Inclusive | | One-Bedroom Suite (Timbuktu 1, 2, 3, 4 & Mountain View) 2 persons | 495 | 595 | | Deluxe Studio (Gong, Tree, Cedar & 59 Steps) 2 persons | 595 | 695 | | One-Bedroom Deluxe Villa (Birdshill) 2 persons | 695 | 895 | | Two-Bedroom Deluxe Villa (Highgate & Mountain View 2) 2 persons 3 persons 4 persons | 695 745 795 | 895 945 995 | Rates are quoted in US$ per room, per night, double occupancy. Room only rates include Continental Breakfast. All Inclusive rates include all meals (from an a la carte menu), selected beverages and a customized mini-bar stocked with juices, bottled and herbal waters. Rates are subject to 20% Government Tax and Service Charge. All rates are subject to change without notice.
Minimum stay 2 nights between 20 December 2010 - 03 January 2011. A 3 night deposit is required to confirm all reservations. Cancellation Policy: full refund of deposit with notification 45 days prior to arrival. No deposit refund for cancellations received within 45 days of arrival. No refund and final payment/balance of stay charged in full for cancellations received within 30 days of arrival, which also applies to no-shows. |
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How to book
If you wish to make further enquiries or a reservation, please use the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page to make contact with Island Outpost for Strawberry Hill in Jamaica, or if you wish to telephone them, their telephone number will be revealed if you click on the CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER link. |
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UK Tour Operators
If you wish to book through a tour operator or travel organiser, please follow the TOUR OPERATOR link below.
See List of UK Tour Operators
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Locality
Irish Town, the area around Strawberry Hill, is a delightful, simple Jamaican village. The hotel is well connected to it as many of the staff that work at the hotel come from there. It is quite safe to walk around (it suffers none of the issues of nearby Kingston). There is an attractive church to walk to and a coffee plantation.
Headed uphill into the mountains from Irish Town you come to Newcastle, the barracks where Jamaican Army is based. There is so little flat land that the road passes directly through the parade ground (and the traffic has to wait occasionally while the soldiers carry out their parades). Beyond Newcastle you come to the Hollywell and one of the entrances to the Blue Mountain National Park before crossing over to the north side of the island.
If you go down the hill you come eventually to Kingston, first to Papine and then to the uptown parts of the city around Old Hope Road, with its many malls, Hope Botanical Gardens and the zoo, Tuff Gong studios (Bob Marley’s old house and recording studio), Jamaica House, the Prime Minister’s residence and eventually Devon House in New Kingston. Follow the ‘other’ road into the mountains, heading up to Gordon Town and you come to the Mavis Bank Blue Mountain coffee factory.
Guided trips to all of these places are available through Strawberry Hill. |
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Meet & Greet
Strawberry Hill is happy to send a taxi-driver to the airport at Kingston to collect you. The transfer takes around 50 minutes and the fare is US$70 for up to three people. It can be added to the bill. The best airport to fly into is Kingston as Montego Bay is almost at the other end of the island, though it is possible to make a transfer between cities by small plane. |
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Getting Around
Hiring a car to explore the island is a great option in Jamaica, though driving is not for the faint of heart. You can book a rental car through your tour operator or with the hotel. Unlike most islands in the Caribbean, there is no need to purchase a local driving licence in Jamaica. Your licence from home is valid for three months. It is worth considering a hire car with a driver, a regular option in Jamaica, which can also be arranged through the hotel. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time (again at extra charge). Be aware that in the winter season there can sometimes be a shortage of cars, so you are advised to book in advance. Also book early if you want one for a week or more because the pre-booked rates can be better.
Taxis are readily available through the hotel reception. Of course, if all you are doing is exploring the area, then there are tours to pretty much all the sites. |
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