Turn back the holiday clock in JFK’s Jamaica
STEPPING through the doors at the Round Hill resort in Jamaica feels like stepping back in time. Polished brass fittings sit on pristine white walls, while on the floor are exquisite black-and-white tiles. A bellboy in a white uniform then appears and takes your bags. This could be the 1950s.
Indeed, the kind of daily schedule guests might have found on a holiday 60 years ago is displayed on a black-and-white board. There’s a cocktail hour from 5pm, and entertainment in the piano bar in the evenings.
Situated in Montego Bay on the north coast of Jamaica, Round Hill was founded by New York entrepreneur John Pringle, and has been steeped in showbiz history since its opening in 1953.
One of its first shareholders was Noel Coward, while John F. Kennedy and wife Jackie often rented Villa 10 for holidays. Oscar Hammerstein came to the hotel for some peace and quiet to write his musicals. It’s even rumoured he met the real Maria Von Trapp in the grounds at Round Hill and wrote The Sound Of Music in Villa 12 during the same trip.
The main hotel may not be able to boast the same calibre of former occupants as the private villas, but it’s no less impressive. The Pineapple House, as it’s known, has 36 rooms from which white shutters are thrown open to reveal views of the private bay. While your days can be easily filled on the beach or by the pool, or swimming out to a floating jetty within the bay, evenings can be spent in the piano bar or eating beneath white paper lanterns in the Seaside Terrace restaurant. Round Hill is just 20 miles from Sangster International Airport, and while it’s so peaceful you might not want to leave, there’s plenty to discover in Montego Bay on days off from sunbathing. Hearing tales about life on the 19th Century plantations isn’t easy listening, particularly when it’s told from the slaves’ point of view, as it is at the Rose Hall
Great House during their night tour. Visitors are walked through by candlelight as the story of former plantation owner Annie Palmer is revealed.
Annie was thought to have been a witch who allegedly killed three of her husbands as well as brutally murdering slaves. Nevertheless, the property is beautiful and worth exploring, day or night.
Eating is one thing you will be encouraged to do relentlessly in Jamaica – it’s like a national sport. For one of the island’s most famous dishes, visit Scotchies – it is considered to serve some of the best jerk chicken anywhere.
Don’t be put off by the unassuming exterior: this is where the locals eat, so watch as your food is prepared between red-hot corrugated metal sheets and you won’t be disappointed once you try it. If you want a few drinks, locals will direct you towards Pier One, where you can also buy food before the whole place turns into a big party venue under the stars.
But if you’re just on the island to relax, Round Hill is the best spot to do just that. The in-house spa offers treatments using local products such as pineapple, coconut and coffee.
There are tennis courts, and jogging routes around the hotel to explore its 100 acres.