Overlooking Jamaica's scenic north coast, Blue Harbour a lush seven acre estate built in the fifties by Noel Coward the prolific British playwright, songwriter and entertainer;offers the ideal setting for relaxation and recreation. The saltwater swimming pool, gardens and seaside cottages complete this haven where the guestbook included such luminaries as Winston Churchill, Errol Flynn, Marlene Dietrich, Sean Connery, Alec Guinness, Katherine Hepburn, Patricia Neil Noel Cowards friends were drawn to what their host so fondly dubbed "Doctor Jamaica" the creative and restorative island where many completed their painting, musical and literary endeavors. Blue Harbour accommodations are fully staffed and offer lodging so you can come alone or with up to 12 guest. For larger informal groups accommodations can be provided on request. Each room opens to one of the large verandas with sweeping views of the coast and cooling air of the trade winds. Come vacation with us. Swim, explore and delight in native Jamaican cooking. Blue Harbour has preserved the spirit and style of the real Jamaica. Blue Harbour is a safe ,secure, eco-friendly and private holiday destination.
We spent 10 wonderful days at blue harbour and will forever cherish the friendships and memories we made while there. If you are looking to explore Jamaica far from the tourist traps and crowds… this is the spot. The beautiful bay and mountains can be enjoyed from the verandas or the pool. The staff, Leroy, Roy and Dorothy kept everything clean and were always helpful and friendly. Rasta Roy made us some wonderful authentic Jamaican meals. We hired drivers to take us into port Maria for groceries and on excursions to Portland, Ocho rios and the blue mountains. Blue harbour has a special magic and spirit of healing and love that embraces the soul. It is not a resort, but a place to restore and connect with nature.
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Â The pool is perfect and private.
Be aware that there are a lot of stairs
Taxis were a bit...
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I should say, above avg to excellent. The setting for this hotel is incomprable, romantic, overlooking a bay with an island. This was part of our honeymoon, but I would think that families would like the place and the Villas, just as much (mindful of no beach). If you want to be overwhelmed, pay $10 for a half day to visit Firefly historic site on the hill behind hotel. That view is the best in all the Carribean and compares with Megan's Bay, St. Thomas. I stayed in the main house at Blue Harbour in Port Maria in Feb. 2005 and loved having the whole floor and hugely spaciou s accomodations to ourselves.
Be advised, rates are per person and include 3 meals. Rooms are breezy no A/C and look out onto the bay. Veranda is wide and spacious, wonderful and you could spend you vacation there. We are active but spent much time enthralled by the full moon over the bay and morning sunrises. Could be a little noisy with truck traffic on the road behind. Villas on property rent for same price but are lower down the hill (but away from the traffic). In any case , by 2006 a new road should be completed routing most traffic away from the hotel. If you are into history and theater and film this is a great place. Noel Coward effects are all around. Film star portraits of who stayed in your room.
Firefly on the hill was Pirate Morgan's lair and he looked out across the bay. Staff is very friendly. Owners, Michelle and Micheal are very engaging, supervise everything daily and cooking. Michael's an ethnobotanist / anthropologist and can tell you about the area. Michele has Jamaican roots and knows the culture. Later done by Jamaican chefs and fresh caught fish. Dinners above average to excellent and cater to American tastes, so not a lot of Jerk or heavy spices. Some Jamaican specialties do enter as at breakfast and wonderful spice and Johhny cakes. Grounds pretty, well maintained, although some hurricane damage (Ivan, '04). Only very small beach, really no beach. Sea swimming pretty good, esp. on calm days. Pool wonderful on the ocean. Snorkelling fairly good. On calm days snorkel, swim, or kayaks (later provided free) to the outer fringing reef in the bay.
I liked the nearby area of Port Maria and Oracbessa better than the tourist towns of Ocho and Negril, but due to remote location you may find you need a car at this resort or rely on cabs and rides from the staff into town. People nicer and less hassling and hustle than big towns. From my stay I came to like the owners very much is why I wrote this review and would recommend this hotel especially to those wanting an "away from the maddening crowds" and interesting, peaceful vacation at beautiful spot. Great value. Michael Rund, Kansas City, MO
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Like James on holiday, I'm a little ambivalent about writing this review. I love Blue Harbour, but as James points out, the management has really let things go. Noel Coward would certainly not approve. My wife and I have stayed at Blue Harbour five time. The first was in 2000, when we were married there. (It was really a spur of the moment thing. Our first time in Jamaica. The management handled everything: called the parson from Port Maria, the guys gathered flowers and strung them around the balcony, our driver took us into Ochi to buy a ring and a wedding cake (pineapple). They cooked grilled food, and we drank Appleton and Red Stripe and danced to Toots and the Maytalls all night. We stayed in the Villa Chica, and had a fantastic time.
Blue Harbour was Noel Coward's first house in Jamaica, built in the Fifties, between Oracabasa and Port Maria. There's a great house with kitchen and dining room, two big bedrooms (with some of Coward's own furniture) and a wrap around balcony with wonderful views. There are two guest houses, the cozy Villa Chica and the larger Villa Rosa (big enough for a family of six). All have great views of the harbour, and the island that sits right in the middle. Sunrises are sensational. And then there's the pool. Filled with fresh salt water and overlooking the Caribbean. Noel insisted that all his guests swim nude, but we broke that rule (sometimes).
There's really no place like it. Sitting on Noel's balcony, reading Noel's collected letters (there's a good library), check out the photos on the wall-- Katherine Hepburn and Alec Guinness, Olivier and Vivien Leigh, cavorting around that same pool. You are completely swept away. There were so many great points to this place: Roy (the yard man) would took us on a hike up the hill to Coward's final place Firefly. (Coward was so inundated with guests, that he built his one man house up the hill, and that's where he is buried. The view there is unbeatable.) Candy (the real cook) gave us spectacular meals. We'd hang out at the bar, drink Red Stripe and play dominoes and ping pong with some of the guys from Castle Gordon (there were rarely other guests) or sit on our own private balcony and enjoy the solitude.
Unfortunately, the last couple of times we stayed at Blue Harbour were disappointing. It's still the same wonderful place, but the management has become lax. A shame, since the new highway makes the trip a lot easier. If you go (and I encourage you to go), get your rates in writing. Stop at the grocery in Ochito pick up your own liquor and lunch fixings. And insist that they change out the water in the pool (it comes straight out of the ocean). And tell Roy and Candy that Royce and Dama send their love.
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Date of stay: July 2013
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Villa Chica is nice for a couple. Villa Rosa is good for a family. The great house is the best.
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After reading the raving reviews of Blue Harbour my family and friends decided to go. As a travel agent, I was excited because I could also recommend the estate to clients.......after my experience there I don't think I would be recommending it to anyone.
We stayed for a week and rented the entire estate along with the manager's suite. There were 16 of us total.
Upon arrival at the airport we had a very long drive to the estate....almost 4 hous. Once we arrived and got settled the manager approached me and advised that the owner had incrased the price from the previous night and demanded more money from the group. We argued the price and advised the manager it was not his fault and we would take it up directly with the owner. Apparently the owner sent an email after we had gone to bed to rise early for our trip so we didn't get to check the email but the manager had a print out of it upon arrival.
The people were very nice, but very standoffish. I am not sure if we made a bad impression but we attempted on several occassions to engage them in conversation but were turned down. We brought our own snorkel gear and inflatable pool toys.
We attempted to snorkel a lot but the beach and the huge boulders made it almost impossible to snorkel. With the way it was situated it would have been very dangerous. The kayaks were held together by duct tape and were hardly usable.
The rooms were very sparce but very clean and the beds were comfortable. The bathrooms were also very clean. You would see the occasional very large cockroach but in the tropics that was to be expected so we didn't pay it any mind.
One of the people who ran the estate was very nice to the kids and made them little lassoe's out of the palm stems so they could catch the lizzards.
The food was the same thing every day. We thought with the amount we paid per person we would have enough but every day ran out and the adults several times went without lunch or breakfast because there just wasn't enough. We made several trips to stores to stock up on sodas and snacks as the staff were helping themselves. When you purchase the meal plan it does not include drinks or snacks we found out.
One night, my husband went into the main house to get something to drink and found the night watchman asleep on the couch. Now, we weren't concerned or upset about that because the estate seemed safe enough.....we were more concerned that he fell asleep watching porn and we had teenagers and younger children with us. Needless to say the teenagers walked in and saw the nightwatchman asleep with the porn on before my husband could shut it off.
Every morning we would wake to find another of the staff sweeping the walks and stairs making it safe for us....but also smoking a joint. Again, if we didn't have children with us we wouldn't have cared. I know it is the Jamaican way but when you have children you would think the staff would take better care.
The estate itself was beautiful with stunning views. The main buildings and several outbuildings were situated so you could all spend time together and for a large group like ours there was pleanty of space to do your own thing if you wanted.
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Date of stay: June 2007
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I had a hard time rating this place. It still is one of the prettiest remnants of Jamaica's hollywood post-WWII glitz, with a great history and unbeatable location and view, but it is such a shame the current owners don't seem to care about the property at all. The place oozes potential and the fact it is so neglected kind of made me feel really sad.
The attitude that defines the management already became clear at the time of booking. We called in advance to book a room and asked for dinner but upon arrival we were told there was no dinner, so we were sent into town to get some food. We were also told there would not be any breakfast and that we should get some stuff at the supermarket. We weren't too happy about this, definitely not when we realized that actually a 'cook' was still there and that the fridge was oozing with food, fruits, etc... It looked more like the staff was just not feeling like cooking for us rather than a real inability to prepare a meal (and at that time it was only 5pm).
The staff itself seems to be your typical rasta yard. Leroy's the headman and about 10 others hang around all the time, smoke pot and play dominos. Many of them run around half naked and I even walked into some of them full monty on their small beach. Service seems to be reduced to the bare minimum. The fact that it seemed like some of the staff/people in the yard with kids lived in the guest rooms really made me wonder what kind of place this is. We have visited about a year ago and back then, the guest rooms were still guest rooms and the staff that was there was wearing at least some kind of uniform. So, over the past year every form of structure seems to have disappeared.
The property itself then. As I said, it still is stunning and I had the impression that Leroy and his people at least try to make sure the plays doesn't completely fall apart. But that seems to be it... The glory and charm that it once had has completely vanished. Their was some trash on the beach, and in general the place is looking 'rusty' rather than rustic.
Still, when I said I had a hard time rating this place it is because I actually had a good time there. Living part time in Jamaica, we know this kind of 'yard'-situation, and we were able to cope with it. Also, we had a nice large room with a fabulous balcony (although no toilet paper in the bathroom). No luxury whatsoever, but if peace is what your are looking for, you don't really need much more than a decent bed, a beautiful shaded view over the coastline and a basic swimmingpool or beach...
So if you are okay with no service or 'luxury', you might actually be happy at this place, as the natural beauty is there and no bad service can take that away. Still, please make sure you don't book through the website as the rates there seem to be way more expensive than when you just show up or call Leroy. We paid $60 a night and thought that was an okay deal. More would be a ripoff though. At the other hand, we also stayed at a similar historic property a little further towards Ocho Rios (Glory Be) that offered much better value and service in an environment and setting that is truely mesmerizing.
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Date of stay: July 2013
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â We had the upper floor in the main house which gave us the much needed privacy. The Villa Rosa...
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Response from Noel Coward's B, Owner at Noel Coward's Blue Harbour
Responded Aug 4, 2013
Mr. James I am horrified by your review . Reading about your experience is not a typical experience of our guests . Most of our clientel book in advance and if they would like meals prepared and served the staff is prepared. I do not remember your prior visit but you must have had a good enough time to return. You arrived off the road without a reservation. You asked for a meal at a time when the kitchen was closed. The staff have their own living quarters on the property and the nightman stays in the main house for security . I am not sure what you mean by your denigrating remark about "a rasta yard". Blue Harbour is a unique holiday destination.
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My husband and I along with our 5 1/2 year old daughter took our first caribbean vacation to Blue Harbour and hated to leave. My husband and I had stayed in Port Antonio before and didn't think we could find any place better but now we are in love with Port Maria and the villa and can't wait to return The staff are wonderful, very friendly and help you out tremendously to navigate the hustle and bustle of downtown. My husband's laptop crashed our 2nd day in and Mark brought us downtown to the library and to an internet cafe, carefully holding my daughter's hand to make sure she made it across the streets ( watch the traffic!) Candy the cook was lovely and made amazing meals. Leroy and Roy were both so friendly but my daughter's heart belonged to Mark. I almost forgot Ernie, who drove us to Port Antonio for a day trip-wonderful tour guide, driver and story teller. We were the only ones there at that time so we had the run of the place which was great. My daughter learned to dive and swim underwater in the pool, a memory I will cherish. The grounds are beautiful, the view unbelievable and I am running out of superlatives!! As much as I hate to share this secret place I highly recommend it for people who like off the beaten path little gems. Most of the furnishings haven't been touched since Noel's tenure there and the is a wonderfully funkiness to it all which made us love it even more.
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Date of stay: April 2008
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Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place is semi-famous for the Noel Coward connection, can read about elsewhere on here.
It's for well seasoned traveller looking for an unique experience. This place has not been remodeled since the 1950s – its like old Hollywood glamour, a walk into the past. It’s bare bones, no frills amenities. No wi-fi, no AC. It’s an old time villa on the beach. What you get here are the views, which are amazing.
Staff was nice, very Jamaican, very helpful. I stayed in the same room as Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich apparently – it hasn’t been remodeled since either, seriously. I’m a movie buff so I enjoyed the walk back into time. The salt water pool overlooking ocean was incredible. I was the only guest, had entire place to myself.
There is beach access but waves are too rough in harbor, can’t swim, unfortunately.
For $75 bucks it was a great deal. Thumbs up!
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Date of stay: November 2015
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Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is something magical about Blue Harbour. The amazing history that surrounds this place, it's incredible views and the sea salt water pool. It is a healing place, Noel Coward always said he felt peaceful at Blue Harbour and we did as well. We stayed at Villa Chica with it's intimate surroundings and gorgeous views of the ocean but all the other villa have incredible views of the ocean as well. The one thing you won't get at those large resorts is the sense that you are staying with family.Leroy was always asking if everything was alright, Roy is a wealth of knowledge about the community and if you want to try authentic Jamaican cuisine you don't have to go anywhere else. Candy is the most amazing cook. We considered eating elsewhere but quickly decided that we had finest chef in town, everything she made us was delicious and amazing. Everyone made us feel at home and relaxed. Before we had to leave we were already planning our next trip back. We can't wait.
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Date of stay: January 2015
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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In the 1950's and 60's this house thrived with the social life of Noël Coward and his famous guests, such as David Niven and Katharine Hepburn. The house, grounds and pool are little changed, with a lot of the original furnishings still intact. A rare treat to find such a place. The view can't be beaten, nor can the climate or the food or the pool. I returned as I knew that it would be a good place to relax and to be creative. The staff have been around for a long time and take very good care of you. The town of Port Maria is located conveniently near by and the location is good for trips to Firefly, Goldeneye, Dunn's Falls and the Blue Mountains. Buy coffee when you're there, it's a fraction of what you'd pay in the UK for one of the top ten coffee's in the world. When Noël Coward spent his first night in this house, that he had built in 1948, he wrote in his diary that he could of cried with pure pleasure. I understand why. As the years went by Sir Noël spent more and more months of the year here. I still need to snorkel on the reef and raft up the Rio Grande. I'll be back again. Blue Harbour is a welcome relief from overpriced, sterile super hotels. It is rustic, real, charming, historical and a sublime place to stay.
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Date of stay: August 2017
Value
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Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Â Villa Grande is the main house, but Villa Chica is an even quieter out of he way guest house,...
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Response from Noel Coward's B, Manager at Noel Coward's Blue Harbour
Responded Aug 30, 2017
Thank you Elliot. We appreciate your taking time to write a review. The crew at Blue Harbour look forward to your next visit
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Noel Coward's get away home, built in 1948… He fell in love with Jamaica and it's people, climate, food… and lack of insects! He found this idyllic place on the coast towards Port Maria. The buildings and salt water pool remain the same, as do many furnishings… recognised in many photos. Which all makes this a very very special, authentic place, full of charm and rich history. In 1956, Sir Noel needed some space for himself alone, so he built Firefly just up the hill, which also still exists and is well worth a visit. Hepburn, Dietrich, Niven, Guilgud, Olivier… they ALL stayed here. Even the Queen Mother came to visit. I felt transported and enchanted… it's a setting of utter beauty, the staff, headed by Leroy are lovely, the food, by Candy, so healthy and so tasty. Ernie the driver and unofficial guide a terribly nice man. Blue Harbour is truly relaxing and replenishing and inspiring… I only hope that I can return and that it remains so special and unspoilt for years to come. I stayed ten days and did not want to leave… sigh.
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Date of stay: August 2015
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Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for addressing my response to James I hope I can clarify your questions Our staff that live on the property do not stay in the rooms they have their own staff quarters. They do not swim in the sea in the buff. What James may have witnessed are guests who have dreads and whatever he saw the food the naked babies were theirs. I do not know as I was not there I know it was late at night when he arrived but when I asked about the incident this is what I was told. I do know that
Toilet paper is included and meals can be ordered .Blue Harbour is a small place it does not have a restaurant
We welcome "pass by " guest .
We have accommodated a variety of guests . Blue Harbour is a unique vacation as you get a taste of the real Jamaica. Blue Harbour is family friendly. Folks have had weddings family reunions and many have found Blue Harbour just passing by and return alone or with family and friends. Please see more recent comments which may further your understanding of a Blue Harbour holiday
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"Villa Chica is the ideal secluded bungalow for a romantic getaway, but my personal choice is the upper floor of the main house (it is the highest elevation on the property) with its magnificent panoramic views, ample wrap-around veranda, and comfortable, well-ventilated rooms."
"There are 3 villas to choose from, Villa Chica is very private and where Marlene Dietrich used to stay, Villa Rose is for larger groups and Villa Grande is above the main house and was Noel Cowards sleeping quarters. All have great views, breeze and privacy."
There are more places to choose from in the Ocho Rios area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
noel coward`s blue harbour hotel ocho rios
LOCATION
CaribbeanJamaicaSaint Ann ParishOcho Rios
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
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