Great Huts opens doors to AFRICANA HOUSE
GREAT HUTS Resort, ‘Paradise on the Edge’, located at Boston Bay, Portland, is a clifftop property that overlooks the turquoise waters of Boston Bay and its white-sand beach. The misty mountains over yonder are also in sight.
Located three minutes from the popular Boston Jerk Centre, it is a small African-themed, eco-friendly retreat that has cliffs, a snake-shaped boardwalk, a beach, a ‘meadow’, and a ‘jungle’ in which birds sing and chirp with glee.
There is also a cliff-edge pool, a gift shop, a chill bar, relaxation and dining on the Sahara Deck, where there is a floor show of singing, dancing and drumming every Saturday night. The show is a musical kaleidoscope that reflects important elements of the African-Jamaican heritage and culture.
For a place to lay their weary bodies, visitors have several detached units of various sizes and costs to choose from. The categories include ‘down to basics’, ‘safari chic’, and ‘royalty’. Each hut is uniquely designed and furnished, and artistically accented. Some have internal bathroom and toilet facilities, while such facilities for the others are communal.
SEVERAL OPTIONS
Made to look like an African grain silo, The Granary is the smallest unit, meant for one guest at a time. At the other end of the spectrum is the the multilevel, regal essence, Queen of Sheba, ideal for a family or a group of eight.
In Sea Grape, Bamboo Tree House, Almond Tree Hut, Fig Tree House, and African Sunrise, guests go to sleep listening to waves crashing and roaring. On clear mornings, from the windows of African Sunrise, the golden sun can be seen rising from the horizon. Watch as the dazzling sea changes from one hue to another.
And to add to the variety, Great Huts has recently opened the doors to Africana House, its most exquisite unit yet. The official opening will be on Saturday, February 20.
Located beside the original Great Huts property, the new unit is a monochromatic white, stylish villa, designed, built and owned by German architect Ulrike Khafif. It was recently acquired by Dr Paul Rhodes, designer and owner of Great Huts.
It has been transformed through
This new addition further honours Jamaican ancestry and celebrates the great precolonial empires of West Africa through beautiful art, decor and murals.
earth-brown shades and bright-coloured African geometric designs, with hand-carved organic furniture by Gilbert Nicely. It is an extension of Great Huts’ celebration of the great precolonial African empires of Songhai, Mali, Benin, Ghana and Ethiopia.
The luxury accommodation has four beautifully furnished and finely decorated, air-conditioned bedrooms. Each room is named in honour of a west and central African ethnic group, – the Igbo, Ibibio, Mandinka and Yoruba, – from which people were taken to work on slavery-day plantations in Jamaica. The themes of these premium rooms range from cosy camping, comfortably rustic, Safari chic to royal African.
Other features of the circular building are a lily-shaped pool, and a ‘Great Room’. The sky-like ceiling of the Great Room is adorned with Ethiopian angels. There are also the Mandela Rooftop Deck, The Lotus Pool, a theatre and nature paths.
The mansion can be rented exclusively for weddings, corporate meetings and other events. Individual guests or a couple can rent one ‘African Royal Room’, or guests or a group can occupy the entire Africana House exclusively.
“This new addition further honours Jamaican ancestry and celebrates the great precolonial empires of West Africa through beautiful art, decor and murals,” Vivene Levison, events planner, told
Hospitality Jamaica. Officials from the tourist industry are expected at the grand opening of Africana House.