The Highland House In Montego Bay Offers A Taste Of The Real Jamaica

It’s easy to see what draws movie stars and celebrities to Highland House, an elegant 7,000-square-foot villa overlooking Jamaica’s Montego Bay. Perched amid 17 acres of private grounds, the Colonial-era estate offers all the charms of this island paradise – lush greenery, azure waters and welcoming people – in posh accommodations.

While renting the six-beadroom (all suites) villa doesn’t come cheap (upward from $6,500). It does come with a staff of 10, who greeted us with smiles and refreshing coconut water as our intimate group relaxed on the large wraparound balcony. Directly before us: the same lush green grounds and turquoise waters enjoyed by the likes of Tracey Ullman, Neil Armstrong and Oscar Hammerstein. I was on a two-week food tour of Jamaica and happy to kick back and relax before the meal marathons would begin.

“Of all the Caribbean islands, Jamaica is unique for its historic villas.” explained Highland House owner Brenda Isaac in her charming Southern accent. “This is your own private home and grounds, with a staff that has been here for years – in some cases decades – and has a strong sense of pride in taking care of the guests. This makes for a very warm and welcoming experience.” Isaac, a transplant from Atlanta,Georgia, bought the estate in 2000.

Inside, our rooms were elegantly decorated with colorful fabrics and period furniture from the island’s British Colonial era. Built into the hillside, the villa surrounds a courtyard with an open-air pool. Staff prepare everything from seated, three-course dinners to crunchy wonton-and-peanut-sauce pool snacks. Much of the food served comes from the villa’s own organic garden, where plantain, banana, coconut, mango, orange, lime,papaya and exotic akkee tree grow trees grow in abundance. The latter produces red-skinned, starchy fruit that is sautéed with salt fish and scallion to create Jamaica’s national dish, salt fish and akkee.

Surrounded by these views, an attentive staff and fresh-from-the-garden food, there is little need to wander past the villa grounds, but our mission was to see Isaac;s One Love project. Moved by the welcome she received from native Jamaicans since 2000, she wanted to give something back, and so expanded her villa garden to grow fresh produce for kids at an elementary school down the street.

The garden now feeds 70 kids every day, ensuring that they get a healthy, nutritious meal at lunchtime. In addition, One Love has raised money to provide computers and equipment for the school. Highland house guests are invited to harvest and deliver the bounty, if they like.

This was a culinary tour, after all, and I didn’t have to be asked twice to taste food plucked from a tropical garden.

So we set off with baskets and began poking around the two-acre garden under the patient supervision of Patrick MeBean, the full-time gardener. We harvested heads of callaloo, a tender Jamaican chard found throughout the island. Scotch bonnet peppers, cauliflower and yams. I spotted vines of succulent hibiscus flowers and picked handfuls to make into sorrel, a tangy ruby red punch flavored with ginger and allspice, spiked with rum. the flower is so pervasive on this island that all over Latin America hibiscus tea is called Agua de Jamaica. Our baskets overflowing, we headed down the dirt road toward the Anchovy School. A gaggle of boys and girls in tan uniforms – the school gardening club – was bubbling over to show us the school garden, also part of the the One Love project.

We headed back the the villa basking in the glow of those children. I had enjoyed the perfect vacation: soaking up the Carribbean sun at my own villa, nibbling just-picked fruit from an organic garden and knowing the spirited kids down the street are benefitting too.