Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith - Caribbean Travel & Life Article about Good Hope

This is going to be a trip to remember, I think as the van hits another pothole on the rocky road leading to Good Hope Plantation. My brother from Denver had planned to join me, I tell the driver as I gather my spilled belongings, but decided he didn't want to vacation in the mountains since he lives in the mountains. "It will be his loss," laughs the driver.
Nightfall arrives at Good Hope before I do, preventing any exploration of the magnificent grounds of the 18th-century estate nestled high in Trelawny parish. So I can't see what I am getting into - other than a gargantuan great house with creaky floors, Oriental rugs, stiff settees and antique portraits of former owners. At first blush, Good Hope is exactly as I expected - very old and very proper.
After a leisurely dinner of roast chicken served on Spode china in the Wedgewood-blue dining room, I settle into my mosquito-netted four-poster and fall asleep to the sound of crickets chattering beyond my window. Morning comes at 5:45 a.m. when I am awakened by sweet birdsong. Before long, I'm sitting on a bench near an almond tree in the front yard, watching the blanket of soft fog slowly lift from Queen of Spain Valley. Good Hope Plantation stretches as far as the eye can see - all 2,000 acres of this gorgeous landscape - so mega resorts and highways can never encroach on such enchanted moments.
While there are many horseback riding trails to conquer on this former sugarcane plantation, as well as the Martha Brae River for rafting or hiking and Time 'n' Place Beach - just 20 minutes away - for sunning, swimming and private picnics, visitors should expect to while away many hours by simply getting lost in the scenery. It's that stunning.
The best entertainment here, no doubt, is elemental, but there are also epicurean pursuits to be had. Dining at Good Hope is an event in itself. Each table is set with a vase of handpicked flowers arranged by Patrick, Good Hope's effervescent waiter. And here, the dining experience isn't just about what you'll devour, but where: overlooking the back yard's limestone fountain, in the courtyard opposite the honeymoon suite, on the east or west porches, on the front lawn or beneath Jamaica's brilliant display of stars. One morning, I breakfast on ackee and saltfish on the west porch, which sits above an organized jungle of coffee flower, poinciana blossoms and bluebells. I count 37 hummingbird visits to the porch feeder.
Meals can be custom designed or selected from more than 100 innovative items, including callaloo-bacon quiche, smoked marlin salsa, crayfish bisque, fresh fish and seafood, moussaka, chicken any way you want it (jerked, curried, grilled, roasted or fricasseed), grilled tenderloin or leg of lamb. If meal planning exhausts you, allow the cook to surprise you thrice daily - she most certainly will.
Scenery aside, Good Hope is also a place of historic proportions. Co-owner Blaise Hart tells me that much of the furniture and the orange-wood floors are original, that the house boasts the Caribbean's first hot-water bath and that two movies have been filmed here. He also shares that more than 140 different flower and fruit tree varieties grace the property and that several fashion magazines, including Vogue, have staged photo shoots here. But despite its pedigree, Good Hope lacks pretense. Every plump couch begs you to prop up your feet. Settees are angled for long conversations. The music room, stocked with 200 CDs, encourages late-night dancing. Table service is simple and attentive, but not so overpolished that it's stuffy. The laid-back luxury requires only that you eat, drink, nap and lounge, and then do it some more.
"It's a chance to own the beauty of this place for a week," Hart says. "Once, a New Yorker demanded he hit Montego Bay's nightlife - a 50-minute drive
away - his first night here. But when he awoke the next day and saw Good Hope in daylight, he didn't leave the property again. Not once."
Good Hope can be rented for $9,500-$16,950 per week (add $35 per adult and $20 per child per day for food). Call Villas by Linda Smith Inc. at 301-229-4300.