My husband and I spent a total of 4 days at Strawberry Hill resort in Irish Town, St. Andrew, Jamaica; 3100 feet above sea level and about an hour's drive out of Kingston. Even more surprising than the spectacular views of Kingston harbor and the highest peaks of the Blue Mountains was the fact that we had the grounds of this lovely, intimate resort practically for ourselves throughout our stay. This aspect, even in the off-season of late July, was uncanny. It seemed that at any one time, there were no more than a couple of other guests or couples staying in what is already a very intimate resort. We saw other guests only during mealtimes, when diners came to enjoy the views,the fine dining and cool mountain breezes for a few hours. The privacy was very healing and allowed us to fully enjoy one another in a spectacular setting. In this sense, if you are looking for a highly social time and to partake with the other guests, this is the wrong time and place to have such an experience.

Our focal points during our stay at Strawberry Hill included the fine Aveda Spa (both of us took advantage of the top-notch healing massage, facial treatments and line of Aveda products,) the exhilaratingly cold infinity pool and dining areas at the highest point of the property, and of course the cottage that we occupied (we stayed in Tim(buktu) 1).

The latter was beautifully appointed with a large, antique mahogany bed with gauze mosquito netting and plenty of oversize pillows, and a balcony with wrought iron patio furniture overlooking Kingston Bay. The upholstery features colorful, patterned African cloths - a lovely, appropriate accent; the design of which I understand the late Mrs. Blackwell oversaw. We spent a great deal of time in our room, enjoying the romance of the setting and one another, but we never ceased to marvel at the lovely grounds and the variety of spaces and vistas that the resort offered.

The overall effect of our time at Strawberry Hill was one of relaxation, luxury and peace. The staff of the resort catered to our desires for food, drink and accommodation. Jasett Lyle was particularly delightful, and she gave us a late-night tour of the more secluded areas of the grounds, including Chris Blackwell's residence, the plunge pool and the sauna.

The food was a la carte for all meals, and we took advantage of the room service for breakfast on most mornings. The All Jamaican Breakfast was our hands-down favorite (but we just can't get enough of ackee & saltfish anyway…) and the Blue Mountain Coffee cannot be beat! As for lunch, the salads were our favorites, but we often still felt full from breakfast. My dinner favorite was the Jerk Rack of Lamb…simply superb!

Strawberry Hill was a more expensive choice than we generally make for our summer vacation (and we had about $100 of additional charges for beverages that weren't included in the all-inclusive plan, such as wines by the bottle and top-shelf rum) but the investment was well worth it. This trip was easily my favorite vacation in recent history!

Having said that, visitors should be aware that the resort is well worn – the furniture in the room particularly is showing evidence of wear and tear. The current buildings are now 20 years old, and despite being well-maintained they are definitely showing their age. Music lovers should also be aware of the fact that, despite advertisements to the contrary, there is no CD library available (good thing that we had brought our own, and that we were fans of IRIE-FM!) You have use of the CDs that are in your room ONLY, or you can enjoy the pleasant variety of reggae and jazz in the dining areas. For those who can't keep their hands off a computer keyboard, it was also very convenient to use the computer in the Library area, and only once did I find a guest using the computer when I wanted to use it.

Another fact to consider that the Blue Mountains tend to be meteorologically temperamental during the summer, with intervals hot sun, showers, thunder and clouds, but for us this did not pose a problem. The hot days and cool nights were very pleasant, and contrasted the rock-splitting heat and humidity of Kingston valley below.

All in all, my husband and I would welcome another opportunity to stay at Strawberry Hill. We would not go there with our teen & tween, however, because they would be bored out of their skulls. The resort did not offer ANY organized activities, because there simply were not enough guests to offer such activities. At Strawberry Hill, you have to make your own excitement, and if you're there with someone you love to spend time with, you WILL have a spectacular summer vacation.

Stayed for a working weekend in June 2007. The hotels in Kingston are generally overpriced, and not high quality. Strawberry hills is a great place to go to escape the city. Truly spectacular views, very nice rooms, very friendly staff. This is a 'must see' when in Kingston.

However it's let down by poor food, poor management and poor service.

The food is fine, but not great. The service is very friendly but incredibly inefficient, expect to wait a long time or go hunting for staff.


For around five hundred bucks its not good value, but can you put a price on that view???

We spent four wonderful nights at Strawberry Hill. April 6 - 11, 2007. The guest cottage we stayed in, "Gong" was charming, clean, well maintained and we thoroughly enjoyed the views of Kingston and the surrounding mountains from our verandah.
Every day our room was cleaned, sheets were changed, the room aired and fresh flowers replaced as needed. Each night our bed was turned down and the aromatherapy fragrances were warm and welcoming.
The management and staff were attentive and everyone went out of their way to ensure that we enjoyed our stay - we were treated like royalty. The restaurant was fabulous. We enjoyed the open air dining on the restaurant patios complete with reggae music softly playing in the background and finished with fresh brewed Jamaican coffee at each meal. Every morning the restaurant staff served our pre-ordered breakfast in our cottage on the verandah.
The hotel grounds and buildings are beautifully kept with a colourful variety of flora and fauna.
This was the most relaxing trip I have ever made to Jamaica, I highly recommend Strawberry Hill and hope to return soon.
Kathy Cowen, Bermuda
cowens@transact.bm

We have just come back from staying at Strawberry Hill for the first part of our Honeymoon.

The resort is an approx 50 minute drive from Kingston Airport and is 3,000ft up into the Blue Mountains, a drive which offers some interesting views especially in the daylight. The road is twisy and steep and the driver we had was excellent as he was constantly offering to pull over should we feel the slightest bit ill - we have cast iron insides so no worries there!

When we got to the hotel they were expecting us and congratulated us on our marriage, which was a pleasant and nice surprise. The Manager was very pleasant indeed and offered to show us to our room, which was 59 Steps. We soon discovered why it was called this! Once you descend down the 59 steps into the secluded sudio apartment the Manager explained the facilities of the room and also about where to get some dinner (it was 21:00 when we got to the resort). The food was fantastic and of a very high quality and the staff couldn't have done enough for us. Nothing was too much trouble!

Throughout our stay we did notice that there is a distinct incosistency with staff and service although it's nothing major especially considering you are staying in the Caribbean. One word of advice - Have brakfast in your room as we had breakfast one morning in the restaurant and waited 1 hour for it to arrive. If you have it in your room it will be delivered in one go and will only take approx 30 minutes. Also on Sunday there is a buffet and this is extended to the locals and other visitors wishing to pay for lunch. This turned out to be very busy and they start arriving from 10:00 in the morning. We got a nasty shock whilst sunbathing by the pool and 30 strangers turned up. We waited 1 1/2 hours for a table here and there didn't seem to be any priority if you are a resident of the hotel. Noise too is an issue, especially on THU/FRI/SAt nights where it went on until 06:00 the next morning. I would recommend bringing some ear plugs to drown out the sound. It is unfortunate that this happens as this is beyond the hotels control although they should consider fitting glass to the rooms. We did mention this to the Manager and they moved us to another studio room - Tree, which was not as low down as 59 Steps. Also, make sure you get you complimentary Element session as we were not offered and if you don't ask, you don't get!

Overall, we enjoyed our stay here and the things I have mentioned above are only small compared to the amount of relaxation and enjoyment you will get when staying at Srawberry Hill.