In my mind’s eye it is 5:15 in the evening on the 10th of February and my husband, Scott Denman, and I are sitting on the terrace of a cottage in Jamaica. On the horizon, the Caribbean sky’s pinks blend into blues to create one of those achingly beautiful photos you see in coffee-table books.
The light is fading and the tree frogs are starting to talk to each other. Which means it’s the signal for us to start our nightly walk to dinner at Round Hill, a just-about-perfect resort near Montego Bay.
What a way to begin a year of travel. And more good times were to come–London in October and a December cruise in the Caribbean.
But, back to Round Hill. Less than an hour after landing at the Montego Bay airport, we were checked in and relaxing over a lunch of lobster salads and icy cold sauvignon blanc at the resort’s seaside terrace restaurant. It was the first of a week’s worth of good dining (and gracious service), whether under the stars on the terrace or in other dining areas on the second floor (one outdoors) or in a private gazebo at water’s edge. (Reserve this popular spot.)
Since opening 50 years ago, Round Hill has become one of the legendary resorts in the Caribbean. Just about anybody who was or is anybody has vacationed there. (And then there are the rest of us.) To name a few: John and Jackie Kennedy, Clark Gable, Noel Coward, Alfred Hitchcock, Mike Nichols, and Joanne and Paul Newman.
I kept my antennae up for celebrity spotting, but former AOL Time Warner executive (and a villa owner) Robert Pittman was the only high profile celeb I saw. Another villa owner, Ralph Lauren, was due in the day we departed.. (By the way, Lauren’s isn’t for rent.)
Though Round Hill has a two-story hotel called the Pineapple House with 36 tastefully decorated oceanfront rooms (better views on the second floor), the special places to stay are in the 27 individually owned villas that are scattered on the hillside. No two are alike. Some are multi-bedroom, free-standing and have pools.
Others are duplex units, some of which have pools (size varies). Guests in these units share the pool as well as a small kitchen, used by a cook assigned to the cottage to prepare breakfast. (Breakfast is also available buffet-style in the seaside terrace or from room service.)
We don’t know who owned our lodging (cottage 11), but midway into our stay we learned that it had a brush with fame–it was featured in the 1998 film “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.”
The cottages are a short walk down a hill to the resort’s beach, restaurants (including a grill on the beach), pool and bar (decor by designer Lauren). Transport by golf cart to and from your cottage is always available.
A children’s program has made Round Hill popular with parents, and a spa has attracted guests who can’t vacation without a massage, a facial or a wrap. (The spa uses Elemis products.) There’s also a dive center and a fitness center with various classes, including yoga.
This was my fourth trip to Jamaica and Scott’s first. He was happy to stay put at the resort and to hear about the island’s attractions from my previous visits. No touring for me this trip either. We didn’t budge from the comforts of Round Hill.
I wanted to make the most of a week in London, but Scott, who always tries for a Bloomsbury group encounter in London (he has dozens of books about the “Bloomsberries”), talked me into taking a day trip via train (and a short taxi ride) to the small town of Staplehurst in Kent for a visit to Sissinghurst Castle Garden, created in the 1930s by Bloomsbury members–writer and poet (and sometime lover of Virginia Woolf) Vita Sackville-West and her husband, diplomat and writer Sir Harold Nicolson.
Truth to tell, I’m not sure Scott was as interested in the gardens as he was in sighting Nigel Nicolson, the couple’s son and notable writer, who lives in one of the buildings on the property. No Nigel, but once inside the garden’s bookstore, Scott found consolation in buying a copy (signed!) of Nigel’s latest book, “The Queen & Us,” and several out-of-print books by various Bloomsbury authors.
Sighting or not of a famous author, I, however, soon realized what a treat the visit was to become. If my Bloomsbury groupie husband hadn’t twisted my arm I would have missed seeing one of the world’s most famous 20th Century gardens–impressive even in early October.
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Before leaving, we climbed dozens of steps in a tower for a peek into the studio where Vita worked and would not allow anyone into her sanctuary.
Back in London–after many trips there in the past–I finally made it to the Houses of Parliament and to Hampton Court, a short train ride from the city. Granted, the visit to Parliament would have been more exciting if the House of Lords and House of Commons were in session, but tour guides make the most of describing in detail what takes place as visitors walk through the chambers and stand (no seating allowed!) in the rows where members sit. Whether the houses are in session or not, I recommend a tour, which, by the way, is open to non-UK residents only during summer sessions. For more details, see www.parliament.uk.
Hampton Court, home of Henry VIII, is a little more than 30 minutes from London’s Waterloo Station and a two-minute walk across a bridge (yes, over the River Thames). You can spend days there, of course, but if you don’t have the time, get an early start and take one of the many tours (some by audio, others by costumed guides).
Much of the palace had been demolished at the end of the 17th Century when William III and Queen Mary hired Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild it. Fortunately, enough remains for visitors to get an idea of the grandeur of its most famous resident, King Henry VIII.
You must be impressed when touring Henry VIII’s State Apartments and seeing The Great Hall (largest room in the palace at 106 by 40 feet) and the Watching Chamber (the ceiling incorporates the arms and badges of Henry and his third wife, Jane Seymour).
I was glad I didn’t leave without buying the official guidebook that took me through centuries of colorful history–and to places in this huge complex: the Tudor Kitchens, the Wolsey Rooms and the Renaissance Picture Gallery, the Chapel Royal, the Georgian Rooms and the Palace Gardens.
About those gardens–if time permits, walk to the far end by gates that lead to the River Thames and you might just conjure up images of Henry and his court arriving by boat for a weekend of fun at Hampton Court. I did.
Back in London, one other highly recommended place to visit is Clarence House, home of the late Queen Mother and now the residence of Prince Charles and his sons, William and Harry.
The residence underwent a recent extensive refurbishment and redecoration. The guided tour takes visitors into five exquisitely decorated rooms where official engagements take place. (If you take the tour, note the signed copy of “The Noel Coward Song Book” on the piano in the Garden Room.)
The presence of numerous photos of the royal family (and at various ages) in non-official settings made for a rather intimate experience. On my tour, several of us noted the photo in the Morning Room of the late Princess Diana holding one of her infant sons.
Clarence House is open this year from only Aug. 4 to Oct. 17, and tickets are snapped up fast. Tickets go on sale Jan. 18 and are available only by calling 011-44-20-7766-7303. For more details, see www.royal.gov.uk.
Before leaving London, a few words about our hotel, Claridge’s. On previous visits, we’ve remained loyal to Dukes, our favorite hotel. On this trip, we decided it was time to check into Claridge’s, perennial award winner as one of London’s top hotels and a “bastion of English class and elegance.”
We now know why it continues to win accolades. Tastefully decorated rooms (Art Deco or Traditional English), elegant public areas (The Foyer is an “in” spot for afternoon tea) and pretty flawless service. Hats off to the concierges, who can pull off tough requests like nailing a reservation at a “hot” restaurant, including the hotel’s restaurant, Gordon Ramsay’s at Claridge’s.
My year in travel ended in mid-December with a Caribbean cruise on the Silver Whisper, one of the Silversea Cruises ships. It was a Barbados to Barbados trip with stops in Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Dominica and Bequia. An exquisite ship with calls at some of the best ports in the Caribbean.
Two highlights: riding the aerial tram through the rain forest in Dominica and several passes the ship made to view my favorite Caribbean landmark, the Pitons of St. Lucia.
In the months to come, I’ll have more to say about my stay at Claridge’s and the Caribbean cruise.
Ah, the joys of travel, despite airline hassles of getting from point A to point B.
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Anglophile Carolyn McGuire hopes to live in London one day and gets a kick out of trying to talk with a British accent, much to the embarrassment of her husband. E-mail her at [email protected].