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Style: Simply one of the most enchanting Barbados villas to grace the West Coast shores of the island. An impressive property without being over formal, with excellent staff. Its pretty seafront cottage is the perfect honeymoon retreat
The Beach: 200ft seafront setting with a small stretch of beach just north of the property
The Rooms: 4 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and cloakroom in the main house, 1 en suite bedroom in the cottage
Key features: Tennis court, swimming pool (48ft x 23ft), cable TV with DVD and VCR, stereo with CD, CD/cassette/radio player in each bedroom, fax machine, library, barbecue, board games, a gym, ADSL internet access and WiFi.
Children: By special arrangement only
Staff: Butler, cook, 2 maids, maid/laundress, gardener and night watchman |
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Description
If you are looking for an impressive Barbados villa, Leamington Pavilion is one of the most luxurious properties available for rental on the West Coast of the island, and must rank as one of the best in the Caribbean.
The exclusive 2 ½ acre Leamington Estate contains not only Leamington Pavilion but also the original plantation home, Leamington House, which dates back to the 1830s and sits just off the main road. It comes as a surprise to find out that the rather splendid looking Leamington Pavilion started out as a simple storage building for Leamington House, and was originally built in the 1950s. It was transformed by Oliver Messel into a Baroque fantasy in the 1960s. A pleasant sense of community remains on Leamington Estate because no attempt has been made to separate the grounds and create individual gardens for the two houses.
Leamington Cottage is completely hidden from view by clever planting. It is self-contained, which allows it to be rented separately.
This area of St Peter carries an air of nostalgia for the days when the Heinz family (of baked beans and ketchup fame) entertained the likes of Greta Garbo and neighbour Claudette Colbert. They were persuaded by Oliver Messel to buy the estate and to allow him to re-design it. In later years, when Leamington House became the residence of America’s first Ambassador to Barbados, it played host to then US President Ronald Reagan who made a short visit to the island in 1982. Many recall the high levels of security at the time, when local residents were amazed to see a helicopter constantly hovering overhead, with spotlights beaming down at night.
Leamington Pavilion’s low lying, Italianate frontage with pale green shutters and weathered coral stone walls commands the end of the main driveway and parking area. A magnificent yellow poinciana (Peltophorum Pterocarpum), clad with a golden pathos vine (Chindapsus Arureaus), towers above the attractive, historic-looking outbuildings, which have the appearance of a former coach house, and now contain the gym and laundry room. A tennis court is tucked next to the entrance gate.
Once past the small formal lawned garden to the entrance, you enter the house itself. It has a rarefied atmosphere, which has benefited from the talents of leading English interior designer Nicky Haslam, who extended and remodelled the villa in 1990 for the present English owners. During the summer of 2005 Barbadian designer, Heather Aguilar Swan continued with the renovations and refurbishments to the drawing room. This now has a lighter touch with mostly gold and neutral tones. It looks onto an extremely well furnished terrace, and the magnificent pool, which is flanked by picturesque gazebos and the Caribbean Sea. The room is filled with rare antiques, including an 18th century hand-painted leather screen depicting a hunting theme, two large and very striking oil paintings by Italian neo-classical painter Giovanni Battista Cipriani which were painted around 1756 and two carved gilt-painted columns commissioned by Louis XIV. The trompe l’oeil walls mimicking coral stone blocks and mouldings and been replaced by the real thing and are complemented by cream coloured marble floors. The room borders on the opulent, but remains cosy and comfortable. It also has an extensive library. However it is the formal dining room which drips opulence, being an astonishing Rococo creation in cream, designed by Nicky Haslam. With a crystal chandelier twinkling over an ornate candlelit dining table for twelve, the coral stone pavilion takes on a magical air at night. Spotlights highlight the ornate shell-framed arched recesses with their statuettes. A superb white painted, carved antique French armoire sits centre stage and shares the limelight with a beautiful wall-mounted carved coral-stone wine cooler with shell-framed mirror with shelving to display shining silverware. This gem is secreted in the hallway just off the dining room (the link to the impressive kitchen) and revealed at meal times. Guests are treated to a silver service with crystal and Wedgwood china imported from Harrods, and can enjoy a view of the gardens by way of a large fanlight doorway.
Out on the spacious covered terrace which faces the pool and ocean to the west, is a more casual dining area which is fan cooled, with blinds to ward off the heat of the afternoon sun, plus an additional seating area with rattan chairs and a sofa. This is a delightful spot to relax and enjoy the views across the gardens, catching glimpses of the ocean. The clever planting gives the impression that that sea is far in the distance below a cliff, when in reality the beach is just a short walk through the gardens to the side.
An extremely inviting classical swimming pool, with surrounding sun terrace and lawns, has two attractive lattice work gazebos either side of Neptune’s statue at the far end. One of the gazebos is ideal for cocktails or lunch, whilst the other has a fabulous cushioned day bed, which must be one of the most coveted spots on the property. The gardens have lawned areas where you can choose to sun bathe or read, and a tropical garden with statuette and water-feature leads along a pathway to Leamington Cottage, which also has a driveway leading from the main entrance.
Another charming room in which to relax and recline with a good book is the Garden Room, which is also a popular choice for afternoon tea. This is located in the bedroom wing, which houses the two main bedrooms. The first, which leads off the Garden Room, is the Study Suite (second master bedroom). It has an impressive four poster canopied king size bed, an antique desk, a series of old prints of sea shells and a new en suite bathroom with marble floors and vanity tops, a small tub and separate shower. The actual Master bedroom is the larger of the two bedrooms in this wing. It has two twin beds pushed together (to make a king) with dramatic, traditional floral print back-drapes and matching gilt framed mirrors and bedside tables. There is a grand looking en suite bathroom which has also been recently refurbished with a shower, marble surfaces, crystal chandelier and Venetian mirror.
In the opposite, north wing are two further individually furnished bedrooms with twin beds pushed together, one with a canopy back-drape with a pretty floral print and the other with a simple cream and pale blue colour scheme. Both have en suite marble lined bathrooms with tub/shower.
All bedrooms have ceiling fans and are air-conditioned, and are equipped with radios, hair dryers and heated rollers.
It should be noted that it is the staff that are the icing on the cake at Leamington Pavilion. They are dedicated, extremely charming and friendly and take pride in being there. You will not meet a more genuine or pleasant person than Arnold Leacock the butler, who is a true ambassador and will ensure that you feel right at home.
LEAMINGTON COTTAGE
Leamington Cottage is located on the seafront to the south of Leamington Pavilion and is screened by thick bamboo and tropical greenery. It is a charming retreat, which is very private and perfect for honeymooners. The one bedroom cottage has an open plan living and dining room which has glass sliding doors on two sides and opens out to the sun terrace, creating a bright and cheerful feel. The décor has been kept light and airy with coral stone walls, pickle pine wood and white rattan furnishings, with a blue and white striped sofa and a couple of comfortable blue spotted chairs. A powder room with a shower serves as a second bathroom.
The bedroom has twin beds which can make up a king, and is nicely decorated with colourful floral drapes and bedcovers, is air-conditioned and has an en suite bathroom with tub/shower and dressing area.
Outside there is a large sun terrace with garden furniture for al fresco dining to seat four, barbecue and sunloungers. To the south a small shady spot has been laid to lawn and sports a delightful copper water-feature. A secure gate leads out to the seafront which has a built-up rocky walkway which leads past Leamington Pavilion and to a small swimming beach beside an old jetty. The cottage is equipped with a TV, DVD player and CD/radio/cassette player and has a compact but well equipped galley kitchen which is situated to the rear of the living area.
UPDATE - Leamington Cottage was fully renovated and upgraded during summer 2008. The work included the installation of a fully fitted Italian kitchen, a new bathroom with walk-in shower, all new furnishings and fabrics, new stone flooring, electric rollers instead of sliding doors, new windows and a plunge pool.
STOP PRESS, Barbados 15 July 2009 - A developer has recently begun construction of four apartments on the adjoining property to Leamington Pavilion and Cottage. The main walls of the structure are due to be completed by mid-December 2009 and from that date there will be internal building going on. Bajan Services cannot guarantee that you will experience total peace and quiet as the site hours are approximately 8am to 4.30pm during the week, mornings only on Saturdays and no work on Sundays. According to Bajan Services, the construction site cannot be seen thanks to the large number of mature trees on Leamington’s boundary and some days could be noisier than others. The site is approximately 100 yards from Leamington Pavilion and the Cottage is near the boundary and therefore close to the site – but the Cottage is right on the beach. A considerable discount of 50% on rental rates is now in place while work is ongoing - see Rates below. Please contact Bajan Services directly for further information. |
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Beach & Swimming
Leamington Pavilion has a divine swimming pool which is approximately 48ft by 23ft with depths of 4ft to 6ft with steps to the shallow end and ladder to the deep end, with surrounding ledge with two recesses which are perfect for lolling with cocktail in hand. Leamington Pavilion is set above a 200ft shoreline frontage with a rocky reef in front which is not suitable for swimming. It has a built-up rocky walkway which leads to a small sandy beach to the north, and an old jetty where there is a swimming area. |
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Sports & Recreation
There is a tennis court on the Leamington Estate and Leamington Pavilion has its own air-conditioned gym with (new equipment fitted in 2006) Cytrex treadmill, Lifecycle 5500 bicycle, weights, a York 9000 bench and a Nytram Sport - squat rack, bench press, 2 side and a long seat, row pump, curl press and cross bar.
The nearest golf course is Royal Westmoreland about 20 minutes drive away, which has some tee times open to outsiders in the mid morning. There are also three courses at Sandy Lane about 15 minutes away. |
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Locality
Leamington Pavilion and Cottage are located just outside Speightstown, south of Cobblers Cove Hotel and one or two similarly established villas and exclusive homes. Speightstown, the island’s second largest town, is a very short drive away (about 3 minutes). Once known as Little Bristol because of connections to Bristol on the west coast of England, Speightstown still has a feel of old time Barbados about it. There is a small fish market on the seafront, fruit and vegetable sellers known as “hucksters” on the road side, a couple of local restaurants and bars and a smattering of shops, plus a reasonably well stocked supermarket.
The nearest good restaurants to the north are Mango's by the Sea, The Terrace at Cobblers Cove Hotel, La Mer at Port St Charles and The Fish Pot at Little Good Harbour. To the south try Lone Star. |
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Useful Hints
Ask your travel organiser or the management company (if booking direct) to make sure that the chef is aware of your food preferences before your arrival, so that they can do the shopping and prepare a welcome meal. There are no grocery packs involved for the larger villas with butlers, and staff will shop accordingly. Once you have settled in, all meal requirements are discussed and planned with either your butler or chef, who will prepare menus and do all of the shopping. You will be billed for food and beverages toward the end of your stay, and a 5% service charge plus VAT will be levied.
Miscellaneous items such as airport transfers, extra beds and baby equipment are payable in advance (see here for a price list). In the event that Bajan Services can only provide an estimated cost for customized shopping lists, or where the final payment for your villa has been made prior to other requests, you will be required to complete a credit card authorization form.
Please note that rental rates for villas in Barbados do not include ‘tips’ about which you will find advice in the guest information book at the villa. |
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Rates
| Special Discounted Construction Rates | 04 Jul- 14 Dec 2009 | 15 Dec- 14 Apr 2009-10 | Christmas/ New Year 2009 | 15 Apr- 14 Dec 2010 | | Leamington Pavilion 4 bedrooms | 960 | 1,600 | 5,000 | 1,920 | Rates are quoted in US$ per night and are subject to 7.5% VAT. Minimum stay 7 nights. All rates are subject to change without notice. Minimum stay over the Christmas & New Year period is 14 nights and a 50% deposit is required to secure a reservation.
| Special Discounted Construction Rates | 04 Jul- 14 Dec 2009 | 15 Dec- 14 Apr 2009-10 | Christmas/ New Year 2009 | 15 Apr- 14 Dec 2010 | | Leamington Cottage 1 bedroom | 225 | 325 | 800 | 450 | Rates are quoted in US$ per night and are subject to 7.5% VAT. Minimum stay 7 nights. All rates are subject to change without notice. Minimum stay over the Christmas & New Year period is 14 nights and a 50% deposit is required to secure a reservation. Please note that the above rates show a 50% reduction off the regular rental rates due to construction work taking place next door to Leamington Pavilion and Leamington Cottage. Bookings made during this time are non-refundable. Construction work will stop over the peak winter season from 15 Dec 2009 to 15 Jan 2010 when the rate is not discounted. |
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How to Book
If you wish to book direct, reservations should be made through the local managing agents, Bajan Services Ltd. You will need to send a deposit of 25% of the total rental fee (50% for Christmas/New Year bookings) to confirm a reservation. Payment of the remaining 75% is required 30 days prior your arrival, as is payment for transfers and baby equipment. If you are booking within 30 days of your arrival, full payment must be made to secure the booking. You may contact Bajan Services by using the WEB LINK or DIRECT EMAIL ENQUIRIES facility at the top of this page, or if you wish to telephone them, please click on TELEPHONE CONTACT to reveal the number. For a review of Bajan Services Ltd and details of their services please see here. |
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Airport Meet & Greet
If you are booking direct ask the villa management company to send a taxi to meet you at the airport. Your airport transfers take approximately 50 minutes and should be paid for in advance with the final payment for your villa. Alternatively, if you would prefer to be taken care of from the minute you arrive at the airport, with a range of services that can include limousine transfers, a Concierge Service is offered by St James Travel & Tours.If you are booking through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking. |
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Getting Around
Although everything is relatively close at hand, a hired car is strongly recommended for all private villa holidays, unless you prefer staff to call taxis for you as required. A car will be useful if you want to dine out at night or do lots of sightseeing. Book car hire via your travel organiser or direct with Stoutes Car Rentals and ask for your vehicle to be delivered to the property approximately three hours after your scheduled time of arrival on Barbados or, if preferred, the following morning. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day. |
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