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Story and Photos by Melanie Votaw
ROUND HILL VILLA RESORT
Round Hill Villa Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica could easily be pictured in the dictionary next to the word “luxury.” Spending a few days at this resort was definitely an experience of the proverbial good life, so it’s no surprise that Round Hill caters to the likes of Paul McCartney, Demi Moore, and Elizabeth Taylor. The main bar carries the name of Ralph Lauren because he designed it, as well as the resort’s hotel rooms, and he owns a villa on the property.
Round Hill has its own beach and is set in a lush tropical landscape that is nothing  short of paradise. It consists of 27 privately owned villas (rented based on the owners’ schedules) and the Pineapple House hotel with 36 oceanfront rooms and an infinity pool.
A couple and I shared a two-bedroom villa, which was “modest” compared to some of the resort’s near-palatial villas with five bedrooms. But you won’t hear any complaints from me. We each had large bedrooms and huge bathrooms that consisted of two sinks, two toilets, a shower, and a deep tub. I was amazed that I couldn’t hear my villa mates at all even though our rooms were next to one another.
There was also a common indoor living room and a separate roofed open-air living area, along with our own private pool and hot tub surrounded by hibiscus  blossoms, orchids, and bougainvillea. And, yes, we had a view – of flowers, palms, and the ocean down the hill in the distance. That distance to the ocean was only a few minutes by foot, but when we didn’t feel like walking, we simply called the desk for a driver to pick us up in a golf cart.
Every villa at Round Hill has its own private gardener, housekeeper, and cook. We actually had two cooks who arrived every morning with bright smiles and served us breakfast to order in the open-air living area (coconut pancakes, anyone?)
Our villa was wonderful enough, but I think my favorite part of staying at Round  Hill was the food. Chef Martin Maginley is one of the most creative chefs I have ever encountered. I was thoroughly impressed with his contemporary Jamaican dishes, although the food at Round Hill is not exclusively Jamaican. On Wednesday nights, they serve a curry buffet which includes traditional Jamaican goat curry alongside Thai and Indian curries. Another evening, we had a party of Jamaican “street food” with a gourmet twist.
One day, Chef Maginley gave us a demonstration of one of his ingenious creations – jerk chicken spring rolls in rice paper with three dipping sauces: mango & mint, lemongrass & coconut, and tamarind & honey. The pièce de résistance, however, was a sit-down dinner of five courses paired with different Appleton rums. Appleton, which has produced rum for more than 250 years, asked Round Hill to create this special rum pairing dinner. It included oxtail consommé paired with a  rum martini and a molten chocolate cake dessert that had everyone closing their eyes in ecstasy. This was paired with a rare 21-year-old rum.
Round Hill maintains its own organic garden but also receives organic produce from Pantrepant Farm, a property owned by Island Records’ mogul, Chris Blackwell. The resort can arrange visits to Pantrepant, where you can ride one of the farm’s horses and take a swim in the river, followed by an outdoor lunch of delicious traditional Jamaican dishes.
Bellefield Great House, one of Jamaica’s oldest remaining sugar plantations, is another site that Round Hill arranged for us to visit. Today, it’s a historical site with exuberant actors playing the roles of slaves from the 1800s. They remained in character as they showed us how the sugar mill was pushed by a donkey and how they cooked meals for the plantation owners. Three African drummers played while they demonstrated traditional dances, and we were fed nouvelle Jamaican cuisine using classic ingredients, such as pasta with a cream sauce made from the ackee fruit and calaloo greens with peppers and onions.
Round Hill can also arrange to take you to Rocklands Bird Sanctuary where you  can hold a small bottle of nectar that will lure Jamaica’s national bird, the streamertail, to your finger. This iridescent green hummingbird is only found on the island of Jamaica. It was an absolute thrill to have such a close encounter with these gorgeous creatures.
Of course, Round Hill also has a fitness center, beauty salon, and a spa overlooking the ocean where I experienced a Pineapple Body Buff. There are five tennis courts with instructors and opportunities to kayak, snorkel, take a catamaran cruise, go tubing on a river, or take a zipline tour in the rainforest canopy.
Rates range from $410 per night at the hotel during low season to more than $5,000 per night for a five-bedroom villa during high season. You can rent an entire villa or a room in a villa and share it with others.
What can I say? Round Hill is a spectacular experience in an idyllic setting. If you’re looking for a truly special vacation, this is it.
© January 2010 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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