Strawberry Hill

This was my first time going to Strawberry Hill. I went with my sister for her birthday. I booked a one night stay for us and booked two spa treatments . The journey up the hill was rough. The left turn into the main entrance has the biggest pothole, sigh. Checking in was simple enough. They walked us to our cottage it was giving , cozy and quaint. The bed was high. My sister used a chair to climb on. We are 5'3 . There was coffee and tea , brown sugar . There were books to read on the shelf . Robes, extra wine glasses, drinking glasses, etc. A nice canopy over the bed to keep out the mosquitos. The bathroom was modern and old-fashioned at the same time . We went to dinner, which was so good! The food was so good !! There's the gold room below the dining hall with all these gold and platinum awards Chris Blackwell had earned throughout his career. The view from the hill picturesque. I was very happy with how everything was going until I had my spa treatment. My sister had hers, and it was fine . There were some scheduling conflicts I overlooked it because you are paying for an experience. When I went to change into a robe, there were no lockers available for me to put away my personal belongings. Lady said I could take it to the room with me. I thought, okay, no problem. I received my island renewal package. I got dressed and was about to pay for the service;I realized there was $200us missing from my purse . I was robbed. I still paid for the service, and I even tipped the girl because I struggled to accept that I had been robbed while laying naked in this room on the massage table. I spoke with the operation manager, who kept insisting that I must have misplaced the money or simply forgotten where I put it . My sister expressed her grievance they searched the staff, and they searched me, my purse, my bags, my car . They searched staff bags and gave some a pat down. The operations manager, M.C. continued to say her staff has no reason to steal they are paid very well. The currency of the establishment is US. She further stated that $200 is nothing. Her staff gets compensated in US dollars and they get paid way more than that. She also suggested if I was to post on social media that the audience is usually split , half the people never believe the story. I felt violated. I felt like at every turn the goal was to prove I was lying to avoid payment. I paid for all services rendered. She went on to advise that we could call the police so that I could be fingerprinted and it be compared with money in the staff possession . After waiting 2.5 hours for all the searches to be completed, I was frustrated, tired, and hungry. I just wanted to leave. I filed an incident report, which she claims the security will do an investigation. I was so embarrassed that everything about this process was humiliating. I had to remove my hat, shoes, and socks for the search. So if you go, please note that I saw only two guards, one at the gate and one roaming the property. There are no cameras anywhere, which don't make sense to me. There are safes in the room, but they are locked with a key, which means someone must have a master key just like the room keys. I am disappointed by the response and lack of follow-up.

Beautifully located hotel with breathtaking views from the veranda and other hotel sites (we were staying at mountain view villa 2). A lot of space in the villa, good cleaning service. But... our check-in was 3 hours late, 2 of which we were just waiting at the bar. The food was ok at best. At breakfast we waited for almost an hour for our eggs. We had to pay extra for a refill of coffee. I considered yoga class but learned I'd have to pay...160 USD for one hour class! So the place is great but the way service is organized and prices are managed is far from what it should be.

I was torn how many stars to give because the staff were amazing and lovely. Even when we had a mix up with our taxi they tripped over themselves to sort things out. The staff were friendly, courteous and helpful. The views are amazing, breathtaking and beautiful. Whether it be the sunset, the early morning dew or cracks of lighting over the mountains everyday brought a new vista. Unfortunately that's the sum total of the hotel. There's little to do, which in some ways is a good thing because it forces you to slow down and relax. That said for the price you want something more than just scenery. The pool is more photogenic than anything else. You get some great reflections of the night sky and you can pretend to walk on water. Its bottom is covered in some nasty grey gravely stuff which makes it look dank and uninviting. It's not a true infinity pool is the see through glass type. It just has a waterfall effect edge but it's underwhelming. Once you've walked around the grounds. Looked at the aged gold record collection and photos, which are only impressive to those of a certain age, all of which can be done in 30 minutes, you're done. The only other activity is the spa and it's extremely expensive. This place is ok for a couple of nights or a special day out (which seems to be it's main use) but even then the costs are questionable. As they charge non guests $20 to get in and the money for a room per night seems far too steep for what you get. If you could see where it's being invested then fair enough but the place is tired and needs updating but given this has been a constant criticism for years and they haven't bothered then it's unlikely they will. They know people will keep coming for the view (which as I said is stunning) so there's little incentive to improve which is sad because the staff who were all lovely deserve better. By investing in the property you are investing in them as they are the visible ones who have to face visitors and I'm sure they have had to endure the brunt of criticisms over this place. Rooms We were in Highgate. The first impression taken with the sumptuous view is that this is 5 star luxury. Then realise that although aesthetically it looks the part on close inspection the fixtures and fittings are tired, badly installed and shabby and not 5 star luxury. Shame as the room has massives of potential and all it would take is regular maintenance and an attention to detail. Also annoying as this has been pointed out on numerous reviews for over 10 years. The toiletries are lovely and you get free coffee, tea, milk and water (plus a fridge freezer) though the kitchen is very tired. The best thing though is the view which is breathtaking. That is 5 stars. Nearby activities Craighton Estate Blue Mountain Coffee Tour is a short walk away. Go in the early morning when it's cooler. Getting to the plantation requires going on a long steep walk so it's not for those with accessibility or fitness issues. You can organise a tour of Kingston through the hotel which was great as we saw loads. You can also organise walking tours which we wanted to do but didn't in the end have time. Safety You're literally in the middle of nowhere so you feel very safe. In keeping with hotels in Jamaica there's full security. Walkability If you are not a fan of heights or twisting tight roads going up a mountain then close your eyes on the journey up! The road that leads directly to the hotel was probably the worst part of the journey as it's totally eroded. The hotel really needs to get it fixed up as the rest of the road from Kingston upon was for the most part in perfect condition. The vehicle slipped because there's no grip and it's quite scary. Food & drinks If you look on TripAdvisor going back to 2005 food has been an issue. The first evening we wanted to weep as the food was bad. The Ochi sausage was a frankfurter, the pork chops were tough and came with an inedible bright red sauce and dull rice. However the cocktail "a lickle spice" was delicious. The breakfast the next day was just as bad with scrambled eggs that looked and tasted like the powdered variety and brown decaying pineapple. That said the free continental breakfast is worth it as it's sizable. We didn't have high hopes for that evening's dinner but things took a surprising turn....the food was good. No idea if it was a different chef but everyone's food was on point and this continued including breakfast- though we still had brown decaying pineapple until the last morning. They also inexplicably didn't have basics such as plantain which given it grows readily in the Blue Mountains and across Jamaica is odd. I think they must rely on a very limited delivery of food; at a guess maybe once a week. Noteworthy details I had my birthday there and the staff were brilliant. They sang happy birthday and made me feel special. I was booked into the spa for my birthday treat. It is very expensive so under utilised which is sad because there's not much to do at the hotel and secondly the beautician/masseuse was amazing. She deserves more clients because she is exceptional. Hotel highlights Great view, Romantic, Quiet

Came here to celebrate my birthday. This was our first hotel from the three we stayed in during our tour of Jamaica. This is the hotel that will stay in my memories forever. This was our first trip to Jamaica and we decided to hire a car which was the best decision we ever made. If you’re a sensible driver you’ll have no problem. Recommend island car rental. We mainly did this due to the $100 taxi fare one way from Kingston airport to the hotel and given we had another two hotels to get to we would have spent ridiculous amounts. The drive from Kingston to the hotel was completely safe, even at night when we drove. We stuck to Google maps and it safely navigated us through. The Mountain road was absolutely fine just take your time and enjoy the view and the animal noises. Listen out for water tank lorries beeping before every hair pin during the day give them plenty of room. The worst part of the road was the 100m to the hotel. It’s obviously a shared drive but I’d recommend the hotel to make this slightly less worse 👍 Every single cabin had a different view you can choose between, canopy view (good for bird watchers), Kingston view ( gaze over the light of the city at night), blue Mountain View ( which I what I requested) and many others just ring up to ask the options are for your room type. We had the studio suite ‘Mountain View 1’. Boy it was the most amazing place I have ever stayed I’ve got major holiday blues just thinking about it. Firstly the walk from the car park🤣 We came at night, it felt like you were straight into the jungle walking up the steps to the peak of the hotel where you were greeted by the most amazing view over Kingston and the lit up lawn plaza and gardens of the hotel. Through a private entrance gate we came down some steps to our cabin. Waking up in the morning was like landing in paradise. the view from the very large balcony overlooking purely the blue mountains and mountain perched homes was breathtaking. The room was plenty big enough for two and outfitted in the exact style I would design a hotel. The style is colonial, rustic, charming and antique. Whites and browns, shingle roofs everything all entirely made from wood. The bathroom was fantastic with wooden blinds that would open up into the jungle felt like I was showering in nature every time. I’d recommend exploring the gardens as much as possible it did feel like we were the only ones who did at the time. For example we came across the plunge pool which was completely unused and private and so so so tranquil. Perfect after my aloe Vera wrap treatment at the spa. Activities- plenty of walks, coffee tour which was the highlight of my trip just up the road, resting at the hotel pool watching the humming birds. 3 nights just weren’t enough for this paradise. I am utterly in love with and will hopefully be lucky enough to return. Food- all food was exquisite, I found the staff were excellent and most importantly consistent in their serving techniques especially at breakfast time when the continental included a selection of courses. The rooms were spot on with price in my opinion. Like others have mentioned the food is expensive compared to other hotels we stayed ( Jamaica inn & rock house hotel) but perhaps that’s because of the practicality of lugging it up the mountain. The only negative I can think of is that the whole hotel needs a bit of a touch up of paint on the outside. And perhaps some drains cleaning. But it only added to the rustic charm and I hope the hotel stays in great condition and doesn’t degrade for my return in the future! Pool was again absolutely amazing I love the dark surface it’s lined with giving the effect of a natural pool rather than those awful light blue alternatives. Bravo what a place. 👏

Looking out from the hilltop onto Kingston, well above the extremely hot Caribbean Summer temperatures, this small hotel has all the features for a pleasant stay (restaurant, spa and pool etc), good quality accommodation and mild weather. However, everything is pricey, from the rates charged for accommodation to food and massage; there’s little flexibility to the rules, and if there is no rule they will create one (like a $100 surcharge for a late checkout).