Strawberry Hill Hotel & Spa

A peaceful and stylish mountainside retreat, more like a generous family home, but one with world famous music legends in the family photos

Perched 3100 ft above Kingston, serene Strawberry Hill offers spectacular views from its infinity pool: the Blue Mountains down to the sea. It’s cooler up here, and since the 1940’s this was the place to go for a traditional Sunday tea. Chris Blackwell (founder of Island Records) bought the 26-acre property as a family home in 1972, but it didn’t become the first Island Outpost hotel until 1994.

The twelve 19th-century Georgian style cottages dotted about the exotic hillside garden have maintained much of their old fashioned rustic-chic charm. Many famous musicians have enjoyed the peaceful setting, simple luxuries, and spectacular views. As with all the Island Outpost properties there is a refreshing lack of corporate uniformity, and the blend of friendly staff, first class spa, musical history and relaxed surroundings works well. Strawberry Hill really doesn’t feel like a hotel – more like the family home it once was. Perfectly located for checking out Kingston and the Blue Mountains, this is also a fabulous place to unplug and unwind: vigorously eat, sleep, and chill.

Highs

• Mesmerising views by day or night – especially the sparkling lights of Kingston, just half an hour below you
• An abundance of handmade details, nothing here is rolled out en-masse
• High “Princess-and-the pea” mahogany beds with immaculate sheets are bound to give you a great nights rest
• It’s cooler up here, and carefully designed cross-flow ventilation ensures rooms won’t be stuffy
• The peace and quiet with a background reggae beat makes it very easy to lose track of time
• Close enough to the airport to be easy to get to, far enough from Kingston to be peaceful

Lows

• Quite low-tech: old-fashioned TVs with local cable network weren’t working on our visit, but WiFi is to be installed in each room
• It can be cool and damp up here in winter (one local called it “Arctic”) but bring a jumper and use the electric blanket
• The lighting can seem harsh with an abundance of eco bulbs
• Lightweight timber walls with plantation shutters mean the peace can be disturbed by your neighbours' phone conversations, and your chill-out tracks could clash
• Poolside could become crowded in peak season, service is sometimes patchy, and sunbeds could do with an overhaul