As 7 p.m. approaches, men don jackets and ladies dress in chic resort wear before strolling across the lawn to Jamaica Inn's limestone terrace. This social hour transpires on the same spot—overlooking the Caribbean Sea—where playwright Arthur Miller once danced with wife Marilyn Monroe.
Though the inn no longer requires jackets, most guests willingly carry on the evening tradition. After indulging in planter's punch or perhaps a Red Stripe beer, couples venture out to twirl under twinkling stars while the band pays homage to Jamaican icons Bob Marley and Harry Belafonte. Coconut and royal palms rustle in the tropical breeze. In due time, dinner,
a languorous affair highlighting local cuisine, appears on candlelit tables set with white linens and fine china.
Jamaica Inn, two miles east of the bustling port town of Ocho Rios, has been welcoming guests since 1950. The intimate, family-owned resort—on 6 acres fronting a protected cove on Jamaica's lush north coast—gracefully delivers on its reputation as one of the Caribbean's classics. Once the playground for Sir Winston Churchill, playwright and bon vivant Sir Noël Coward, and James Bond creator Ian Fleming, the inn retains the ambience of an elegant, convivial house party.
Each morning the sweet sound of silence greets you. There is no alarm clock, no radio, no TV, no newspaper at your door. Just the lazy whirl of the ceiling fan overhead and the gentle lap of the waves against the private, crescent-shaped beach, a few steps from each of the inn's 45 suites. The Caribbean Sea's ever-changing hues are perfectly framed by the peninsula where the White Suite (Sir Winston's choice) with its private pool perches at one end of the beach.
Jamaican antiques furnish the rooms, done in Wedgwood blue and white. All include modern baths, and air-conditioning is available for those who require more than ceiling fans and sea breezes.
Each spacious suite has a private veranda or balcony outfitted with a comfortable sofa and wing chair, an antique writing desk, and a dining table for two. You might be tempted to take most of your meals here via room service, but you'd be missing part of what makes the inn special. Brothers Peter and Eric Morrow, whose family has owned the resort since its early years, gregariously serve as hosts on the grounds where they played as children. As the week progresses, guests mingle at mealtime, encouraged by the Morrows and the effervescent Mary Phillips, the Jamaican-born general manager.
On the other hand, no activities director will prod you from your beach chair or hammock. The friendly yet unobtrusive staff trusts that you will discover Jamaica Inn's treasures at your own pace. A large jigsaw puzzle of a Winslow Homer painting lies on the table in the library. Guests content themselves with adding a piece or two at a time. Then they meander to a game of croquet on the lawn, a snorkel on the reef that shelters the cove, or perhaps a popular hot-stone massage at the new KiYara Ocean Spa. The thrice-weekly yoga classes conducted on the terrace have been a hit as well.
If you haven't finished the novel you borrowed from the well-stocked library when it's time to leave this paradise, no worries. Says Eric, "Take it with you, and bring something else back the next time you come."
Contact Jamaica Inn at 800/837-4608 or jamaicainn.com.
