Elder Millenial + Family
People first!
The staff was INCREDIBLE! Miss Anne, Natalie, Talesia, Danny, Benji, Charma and Barry - the fact that I know your names and had lovely conversations with each of you proves that I was taken care of.
Travelling in a foreign country for the first time can be nerve-wracking, something you don't want to feel on a holiday, and the people that take care of this amazing historical property, and all of those in it, were Superb. Thank you so much again, ladies, I never felt safer.
The property!
For anyone who wants a huge (HUGE, like over an acre) property with pockets upon pockets of private yet open romantic seating/nooks in an among the massive banana trees, palm trees and native Jamaican trees, this is the place to be. A relaxing hammock underneath a big strong Jamaican Mahoe tree right near the beach, TWO private beaches (one you'd swim in less as there's more waves but is quite private 😉 ) Apparently a lot of people have weddings here (no surprise). We got to stay in the little cottage barely attached to the main house - super private and very good mini Grecian lowered shower.
I fell in love with the trees, the nature around the property was so well kept and massive. Breathtaking.
Snorkeling at the beachfront, all equipment included. We got to see over half of the fish that we would see on our future snorkelling tours in our own beach front water. We went snorkelling EVERYDAY for over an hour. A TON of cool fish if you take that gear out!
If you're not into snorkelling, the famous 7 mile beach is literally a 9 minute (or less) ocean kayak from the front door to the whitest sandiest beach with absolutely nothing but sand, paradise teal water and only a few locals around (the resorts are up to the left by quite a bit). Kayak and enjoy the swimming/relaxing beach if you're not as into coral.
Everything is borderline antique, but has that super sturdy feel. Literally NOTHING smelled old though - probably because it's always airy and open. Super fresh smelling and plenty of windows. I love the smell of the towels - because they had no smell. I know that sounds silly but I have such a nose, it was nice to smell nothing but freshness.
The house tells such a story. Miss Anne has worked at the estate for over 40 years. Random obsession: they have 9 large glass oil lanterns what were so romantic to bring out to the beach. Something we don't get enough of these days!
Listening to the waves as we fell asleep was so calming. Our view from the little cottage was - the teal water and the beach and a beautiful palm. The veranda that wraps around the house has a huge porch for dinners, all overlooking the water.
Beds were decent but they could probably invest in new ones. None were king size which we found odd. None of us were ever too hot, if anything we felt nice and cool in the evening but could still sleep in our shorts and t's.
If you have a destination wedding or big family, there are a ton of beds and a ton of rooms. Everything is in a massive quantity. They even have 9 Tommy Bahama oak beach chairs all lined up to watch the sunset.
I was legit so sad to leave. We just got home last night and this is the first thing I wanted to do in the morning. Thank you so much to the people that made this place feel like home. I felt so safe, and I cannot stress that enough. 🙂
One last thing - if you're a light sleeper, Jamaica in general is not for you as they have booming music everywhere, no matter what. I am a mid to light sleeper though, and with ear plugs was fine and got in all my regular hours.
****Super random but they should put in little stepping stones from the cottage to the kitchen for the late night munchies! Hehehe! A little too many stones.
OVERALL 9.8/10, and everything you could imagine that you'd need on your vacay is here. Incredibly trustworthy staff that are outgoing and super open to anything you need.
Just re-looked at the photos on the site as I was going to add more, but I think they did a good job! There aren't many of the little cottage, but take my word it was ADORABLE.