Irish Town Kingston, Jamaica
Renovated
2011
Price
$$$
Rated for
Local Design HeritageOutside the door
The house
Island OutpostBohemian mountaintop salon
Musicians and writers gathered here for decades. The estate still runs like an intimate mountain salon, with open fires lit on cool evenings.
“This 12-cottage luxury hotel, 3,100 feet up in the Blue Mountains, is Jamaica without the beaches.”
What it’s good at
Remarkable
Local farm-to-table cooking with sweeping evening views across Kingston 3,100 feet below.
Notable
Hand-carved fretwork and jalousie shutters across timber cottages built in nineteenth-century Jamaican vernacular.
Notable
An eighteenth-century coffee estate where Bob Marley convalesced after the 1976 assassination attempt.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
Also in AFAR.
The bungalows are built to meticulous nineteenth-century specifications. You sleep in mahogany four-poster beds shrouded in muslin, and gaze out at the stunning mountain landscape while swinging in your hammock.
Tucked away
A place apart: the property is the destination.
Irish Town sits 3,100 feet above Kingston, where narrow mountain roads climb past coffee farms into the cool mist.
The rooms
Heated four-poster beds ward off cool mountain nights. Timber balconies jut into the trees, providing secluded perches above the mist.
The infinity pool
Bring a swimsuit.
The freshwater infinity pool cantilevers over the ridge toward Kingston, anchored by a stone sculpture by Gene Pearson.
The spa
Shuttered garden treatment rooms combine Ayurvedic therapies with scrubs made from local Blue Mountain coffee grounds.
The Strawberry Hill Restaurant
Tables on the wraparound veranda serve Jamaican curried lamb and rum bread pudding overlooking the mountain slopes.
At the table
Bartenders pour Blackwell Rum across the dark timber counter, surrounded by Island Records photographs and an upright piano.
How it began
Horace Walpole named the estate in 1780 after his London home, delighted that strawberries flourished in the cool mountain climate.
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.