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Style: A series of octagonal pavilions giving onto a covered veranda, some hints of traditional Jamaican style. Indoor and outdoor life with a view onto the waves for your private villa vacation in Jamaica
The Beach: Set directly above a pebble and sand beach with areas for swimming and snorkelling
The Rooms: 4 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms
Key features: A Jamaica oceanfront villa rental, all rooms facing the ocean, swimming pool (13ft x 28ft), shared tennis court (with sister villa Tranquillity), 2 sea kayaks, 1 open-air sea view sitting area, lounge with satellite TV, DVD, VCR and CD system, movie and CD library. Round Hill Hotel and Beach Club membership.
Children: Welcome, however Serenity on the Beach is not suited to small children due to location of pool.
Staff: Butler, cook, housekeeper, laundress and gardener – resident butler, cook and housekeeper |
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Description
Serenity on the Beach is a charming and unique seafront villa with a casual, cottage like appeal, set just above the waves on a very private shoreline to the west of Montego Bay. It is unexpected in its design, a series of octagonal pavilions set in a line looking out to sea, in extremely well kept grounds bursting with tropical greenery and huge trees. Serenity shares its drive and gardens with another villa, Tranquillity, and is tucked into the western corner of the grounds, hidden by trees and flowerbeds, which give privacy to the villa and pool terrace. As there are very few villas of Serenity’s size or smaller that are set directly on the beach and have their own swimming pool, this villa has proved very popular over the years with small groups of friends and with single couples, including honeymooners. It has a high level of repeat business. However, when taken with another villa, Noble House, next door it can make the perfect location for a large gathering. When all three villas are combined, there are fourteen bedrooms in all, with additional room to sleep two children.
Serenity itself is a series of pretty, white painted octagonal pavilions with peaked grey shingle roofs. They stand in a line along a covered, marble tiled veranda, set slightly apart from one another. Interestingly the (roofed) space in between the pavilions is as much the living area as the interiors of the pavilions themselves. There is now one pretty sitting ‘room’ (the second is now the location for the fourth bedroom), furnished with a variety of white wicker seating, including sofas, chairs with foot stools and day beds. It is decked out in cheerful, blue and white checks. There is also a small sitting area off the main dining area, which is set under the eaves slightly out on the veranda. This is where breakfast is served. Lunch is normally down by the pool, and dinner can be in either setting. Each of these semi open air living areas have of course full views to the sea, with only the palms and majestic trees to break the line of vision.
Starting at one end, Serenity’s layout is as follows – first there is a bedroom pavilion, then there is the recessed sitting area, then the central pavilion with an interior living room and behind it the kitchen, next the outside dining ‘room’ with rear sitting area, then another two bedrooms and finally the master bedroom. The one interior living area has large doorways that open out fully onto the veranda. Inside, it is furnished with a comfy, upholstered sofa and a couple of armchairs, satellite TV, VCR and a CD player with surround sound, which also plays out on the pool. The kitchen is to the rear of this sitting room, through a large hatch with shutters. It is the domain of Tiny, the well-loved cook who has been at Serenity since the 1980s. She counts seafood dishes as her specialty, but she also has the Le Gourmet Chef menu for you to choose from. Days at Serenity can be spent on the small lawn, down on a lower waterfront terrace under the shade of the huge sandbox trees, on the beach or on the sun terrace around the swimming pool (this adjoins the veranda just in front of the houses). A small wet bar is located on the veranda, where the butler Gladstone will prepare drinks during the day and cocktails at sunset.
The bedrooms at Serenity are each set in their own pavilion and they open out to the veranda by way of French doors flanked by white painted, wooden shutters, and of course onto the sea views. You can lie in bed with your morning coffee and soak up the view, and at night let the sound of the waves lull you to sleep. The first bedroom, which looks out onto the swimming pool, has a king size, white four poster bed with a rear dressing room and separate rear en suite bathroom with tiled walk-in shower and a small atrium. The second, middle bedroom has two twin beds which can convert to a king, and a similar dressing room and bathroom (except that it has a tub for two with shower attachment), and connects to a new much smaller (200 sq ft against 400 sq ft for the first two bedrooms) third bedroom. This has two twins which can convert to a king, an en suite bathroom with walk-in shower, and connecting doors to the second bedroom (it is also features a connecting louver window) making it ideal for children who need to be next to their parents or a nanny. The master bedroom is slightly larger than the other bedrooms and has a king size four poster bed of pale wood set against a mirrored wall and a satellite TV. The dressing room and en suite bathroom are off the side of the pavilion, which features a walk-in tiled shower. |
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Beach and Swimming
Serenity is set directly above a pebble and sand beach, to which steps lead down from the garden. Although pebbles wash up irregularly along the shoreline – it varies according to sea conditions – the gardener can always clear an area for you. Once you are in the water you will find sandy areas where swimming and snorkelling are possible. The beach actually extends past neighbouring villa Tranquillity and along to Noble House, where it becomes sandier and darker in colour. However, once you are in front of Noble House, the water is very shallow, which means that it is not really suitable for swimming. Beyond here, the beach continues a short distance around a bend into currently undeveloped natural mangroves, which attracts lots of birdlife including herons and pelicans. With the Great River running into the sea nearby, the waters along this section of coast are not always crystal clear, especially after heavy rainfall. However, with no other access to the beach other than through the villas or by sea, it is effectively private. There are two sea kayaks for guests use.
Guests at Serenity also have membership of the Beach Club at Round Hill, which is around 5 minutes away by car. This gives access to resort’s golden sand beach, where there is good swimming and snorkelling, and a range of watersports, including scuba diving (at extra charge) through Captain's Watersports.
The freshwater swimming pool at Serenity is located a few steps from the covered veranda. The pool is surrounded by paving and has a sun terrace on three sides, with mature trees giving shade depending on the time of day. It measures 13ft x 28ft and is 3.4ft to 6ft in depth, and has pool floats available. |
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Sports & Recreation
Serenity’s guests have shared use of the private tennis court at neighbouring Tranquillity, which is for day play only. You should bring your own rackets and balls. There are two sea kayaks with life vests for use out on the bay. You will be required to sign a disclaimer before use. Beach Club Membership of Round Hill allows use of the resort’s fitness centre which is set next to a full service spa – treatments not included. For a fee guests may use the floodlit tennis courts, of which there are five and children have access (also for a charge) to the Pineapple Kids Club.
There are several excellent 18 hole golf courses in this area. The nearest is the Tryall Club (par 72, 6772 yards) around 10 minutes west by car. The others are on the other side of Montego Bay, 30 – 40 minutes away and include the White Witch (par 71, 6,718 yards), Cinnamon Hill (par 71, 6,637 yards) and Half Moon (par 72, 7,119 yards). The nearest riding stables are Chukka Blue near Tryall and there is an equestrian centre at Half Moon. |
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Locality
Serenity is set just above the sea, hidden from the main road by mature trees and well established grounds, in the private area of Unity Hall west of Montego Bay. It is one of three villas set along this prime seafront (the others are Tranquillity and Noble House) and they have sole land access to the beach that they share.
A couple of minutes west is the Great River, where the popular activity of bamboo river rafting from Lethe village is a main tourist attraction – you will see the occasional raft go by the villa. About five minutes drive further west is Round Hill Hotel and Villas, and another five minutes beyond that is Tryall Club, which has an 18 hole golf course. Both properties hold popular beach party nights with barbecues and live music (reservations required) in addition to their normal fine dining. Just above Round Hill is the village of Hopewell, which has a supermarket and liquor store/off-licence, pharmacy, AMT, post office, library and service station. Continue driving west for an hour and you will come to the town of Negril.
Travelling east and inland you come to the small community of Reading. After a pleasant drive through a rainforest is the Rockland’s Bird Sanctuary, where you can hand feed humming birds. Heading further east on the coast road you reach Montego Bay in about 15-20 minutes. It is a vibrant and very busy town, Jamaica’s second largest city. In the city itself there are several craft markets and shopping centres, including duty free outlets. Along Gloucester Avenue are cafes, shops, craft markets, restaurants serving anything from jerk at the Pork Pit to fine cuisine at the Townhouse by the Sea, and some lively clubs, the most famous of which is Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. There is also an excellent beach with beach bars and facilities at Doctor’s Cave beach.
There are a number of supermarkets and shopping areas on the road back to Unity Hall. The Westgate Shopping Centre has a bank, supermarket, off-licence, McDonalds and a service station and the Freeport peninsular just south of Montego Bay has a shopping mall next to the cruise ship berths. On the lagoon you pass the Houseboat Grill restaurant. In nearby Bogue is the Fairview Shopping Centre with SuperPlus, a large supermarket, cinema, department store, hardware store, pharmacy, fast food jerk centre, service station and a KFC. |
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Useful Hints
Provisioning: The chef at Serenity will assume that you will require a welcome meal for your arrival and that they should purchase initial food and drink supplies. You may opt to prepay your groceries (if so, this should be done at least 60 days prior to arrival). If you are booking direct, ask your travel organiser or the villa agent for a list of suggested items. If you do not pre-pay, the bill for the initial provisioning (plus the costs for transport) should be paid in cash on arrival and you should then also provide the chef with funds for all subsequent shopping, including transportation costs.
The chef is a graduate of Villas by Linda Smith’s “Le Chef” gourmet cuisine cooking course, which offers guests menus of a slightly higher standard. They work to an average budget of US$45 per adult/US$20 per child, per day when provisioning the Le Chef menu. This includes a basic drinks package of rum, wine and beer, but does not cover extras such as whole lobster or imported steak, which vary according to market prices. The rest of the shopping for your stay will be done by the cook once you have liaised with them on arrival. You may opt to go with them on the first trip.
Gratuities: Rental rates for villas in Jamaica do not include ‘tips’ and it is recommended that you set aside 10% of the total villa rental in winter and 15% for summer as a gratuity for the staff. You will be expected to pay this directly to the staff before you leave. Information on how it is to be divided will be included in the guest’s welcome book, and you may find an envelope is provided.
Your villa’s laundress will attend to your personal laundry (excluding dry clean items). If you hand over laundry in the morning it is usually ready later that same afternoon.
You should note that Serenity has a friendly dog called Jimmy and also a pet cat. Both can be boarded during your stay if you wish.
Weddings: Permission to hold a wedding or any large function at your rental villa should be obtained in advance when making your initial reservation enquiry, as each villa has its own restrictions. Most villa weddings/functions will attract a guest surcharge if the number attending the ceremony/reception exceeds the villa’s maximum occupancy. This fee is currently US$15 per person. Also note that if party numbers exceed the maximum villa occupancy you will normally be required to use the services of an outside catering company to arrange food and beverage. |
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Rates
| | 16 Apr- 14 Dec 2009 | Thanks- Giving 2009 | 15 Dec- 15 Apr 2009-10 | Christmas/ Christmas & New Year 2009-10 | 16 Apr- 14 Dec 2010 | | Serenity on The Beach 1-2 bedrooms 3 bedrooms 4 bedrooms | 4,200 6,300 8,400 | 9,850 9,850 9,850 | 6,350 7,350 9,850 | 10,850/ 11,500 10,850/ 11,500 10,850/ 11,500 | 4,200 6,300 8,400 | Rates are quoted in US$ per week (7 nights), room only (EP). Rates are based on double occupancy per bedroom. There is a surcharge of $29 per night for each extra guest in any room. All rates are subject to change without notice. Minimum stay of 5 nights from 16 Apr-14 Dec except during Easter, Thanksgiving and 15 Dec-15 Apr when the minimum stay is 7 nights. There is a minimum stay of 14 nights over the Christmas/New Year period, unless booking for the Christmas week (lower rate) only and departing by 29 Dec. |
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How To Book
If you wish to book direct, bookings should be made through the villa agent, Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith. To confirm a reservation you must send a deposit of 25% of the total rental fee (50% for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year). Payment of the remaining 75% is required 60 days prior to your arrival (90 days for Thanksgiving and 120 days for Christmas and New Year) and no refunds will be made during this time. For cancellations made more than 60 days prior to scheduled occupancy, deposits will be refunded less a 10% cancellation fee and relevant credit card processing or wire fees. If you are booking within 60 days of your arrival, full payment must be made to secure the booking. A US$500 security deposit is also required, against damage to the villa or contents during your stay. It is refundable on your return home if no damage has occurred. You may contact Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith by using the WEB LINK or DIRECT 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 Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith please see here. |
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UK Tour Operators
If you wish to book through a tour operator or travel organiser, please follow the link.
See List of UK Tour Operators
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Airport Meet & Greet
If you are booking direct you will be able to make arrangements for the villa agent to send a driver to meet you at the airport, which will then be pre-paid with your balance for the villa. The airport transfer from Montego Bay Airport takes approximately 30 minutes (though you should be aware that traffic in Montego Bay can be bad in the mornings and afternoons).
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
A hired car is strongly recommended for all private villa holidays but a popular alternative in Jamaica is a private driver service, which is easily arranged and particularly useful if you go out in the evenings. For shopping or sightseeing, you may wish to be independent and drive yourself around as it gives you an added element of freedom to explore the island, which is exceptionally beautiful. If you are booking the villa direct or through a tour operator, you can organise car hire at the same time as booking your accommodation. Otherwise you can reserve your car with Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith at the same time as booking your villa.
If you do decide to go for a hire car, ask for your vehicle to be delivered to the property (there may be a delivery fee) approximately three hours after your scheduled time of arrival on Jamaica or the following morning. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day. All drivers booked through the villa staff or through Jamaica Villas by Linda Smith are registered JUTA tour guides. |
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