This 12-cottage luxury hotel, 3,100 feet up in the Blue Mountains, is Jamaica without the beaches. It is the Jamaica of misty mornings, cool, cuddle-worthy evenings, and a musical heritage recognized worldwide. First as a private estate belonging to music producer Chris Blackwell and then as part of his Island Outpost collection of hotels, Strawberry Hill has been a creative refuge for performers including Bob Marley, the Rolling Stones, and Willy Nelson. After Hurricane Gilbert destroyed the estate’s great house in 1988, Blackwell commissioned Jamaican architect Ann Hodges, who specializes in historic reconstructions, to build the cottages, a restaurant, and a pool, which were opened in 1994. Yet despite the rock and roll history, and the hanging with like-minded souls up in the mountain mists, what guests seem to remember most is the far-below views of Kingston, especially at night, when the lights glow and sparkle from what must certainly be another world.
Island Outpost / Strawberry Hill
Strawberry Hill
Island Outpost / Strawberry Hill
Strawberry Hill, Jamaica
Island Outpost / Strawberry Hill
Strawberry Hill, Jamaica
Island Outpost / Strawberry Hill
Strawberry Hill
Island Outpost / Strawberry Hill
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Stay or Dine at a Former Coffee Plantation
If you need glitz and glamour to go with that amazing mountainous landscape, Strawberry Hill would be the place to stay and is listed in 1,000 Places to See Before You Die—indeed, staying at this boutique resort is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a lucky few. From the infinity-edge pool to the 19th-century Georgian-style cottages at 3,000 feet above sea level, this dream 26-acre property, formerly a coffee plantation, attracts its fair share of celebrities. If anything, do stop by to indulge in the restaurant for dinner or on a Sunday for a delightful brunch in the mountains.
