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-bedroom (all suites) villa doesn’t come cheap (upwards of $6,500 a week), 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 were the same lush green grounds and turquoise waters enjoyed by the likes of Tracey Ullman, Neil Armstrong and Oscar Hammerstein. I was on a whole-island food tour with Jacqui Sinclair, Jamaica’s top food writer, and Darrell Burgess, owner of Da Vinci Travel, and happy to kick back and relax for a moment after a week-long marathon of eating.

Since arriving in Jamaica, we had managed to consume authentic jerked pork grilled over allspice branches in the Maroon village of Accompong; fish escabèche cooked in the middle of the ocean at the floating Pelican Bar; seven varieties of pineapple at a plantation turned- living fruit museum (Croyden Estate); mugs of the world’s best coffee at the legendary Strawberry Hill resort nestled in the Blue Mountains; secret-recipe rum punch at Appleton Estates distillery; a breakfast of fried breadfruit, organic plantains, avocados nipped from the trees and artisan-smoked mackerel at the tropical Belcour Farm; and a raw feast made by the silver-dreadlocked Jamaican guru of raw food, Dr. Aris Latham.

“Of all the Caribbean islands, Jamaica is unique for its historic villas,” explained our Highland House hostess, 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, Ga., 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 open-air pool. A serene Buddha on a mahogany table sets the mood, and hints at the yoga hut down the hill. 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 ackee trees grow in abundance. The latter produces red-skinned, starchy fruit that is sautéed with salt fish and scallions to create Jamaica’s national dish.

Surrounded by these views, an attentive staff and fresh-from-thegarden 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 has 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 road. 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 get to be part of this ‘circle of love,’ because 25 percent of the rental fee is donated to the project. In addition, guests are invited to harvest and deliver the bounty, if they’d 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 2-acre garden under the patient supervision of Patrick McBean, 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 and 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.

The route was lined with makeshift bodegas selling candy, Cup o’ Noodle packets and other nutrition-poor fast foods, underscoring the importance of Isaac’s garden project. A gaggle of boys and girls in uniforms — the school gardening club — was bubbling over to show us the school garden, also part of the One Love project. Best of all, this garden has completed a circle of giving: The junior gardeners bring their harvest to an orphanage nearby, in turn helping those less fortunate than themselves.

We head back to the villa basking in the glow of those children. And I think I have found my perfect vacation: soaking up the Caribbean sun at a private villa, nibbling just-picked fruit from an organic garden, and knowing the spirited kids down the street are benefiting too.