Round Hill Hotel and Villas

Over the years Jamaica as a holiday destination has transformed from the British colonial retreat of the likes of Ian Fleming into a slightly more downmarket affair, and it’s easy to feel that the student backpackers and hard-drinking hedonists have taken over.

At Round Hill, however, the old Jamaica is alive and well, all understated elegance in casual dress, a place where one imagines British aristocracy and famous Americans letting their hair down a bit, tended to by the upright and exceedingly formal service staff.

True aristocrats would certainly rent one of the twenty-seven villas in its entirety, while the rest of us could probably make do with just a suite carved from a villa, or a room in the Pineapple House, facing the Caribbean. Villas come in two- to four-bedroom varieties, each staffed with its own gardener, housekeeper and even a cook in the private kitchen.

Even the humblest twin room is outfitted in a handsome plantation style, with antique furnishings and plenty of space. Villas are a bit more idiosyncratic in décor, owing to the fact that they’re all privately owned, and rented out only when their owners are elsewhere occupied.

One of the villas happens to be owned by none other than Ralph Lauren, and though it’s not available to the public, the simple fact of it goes a long way toward describing Round Hill’s posh-casual atmosphere. And though you won’t be able to talk your way into his villa, you can quite easily get a look at the Lauren-designed hotel lounge.

As for entertainment, forget about some kind of heaving swingers’ nightclub: here it’s more like dining by the sea, after a day spent around the pool, at the private beach or in the Elemis spa.

Please note: The hotel has no minimum age restrictions.

How to get there: Round Hill Hotel and Villas is approximately a 25-minute drive from Sangsters International Airport. Transfers are $45 each way for up to 4 people.