Round Hill Hotel and Villas
John Pringle Drive
Montego Bay, Jamaica, W.I. 11979
800/972-2159

Transport a New England country club to a secluded Caribbean bay, add gracious Jamaican service and food, mix with equal parts elegance and comfort, and you'll have this special family resort. Round Hill was opened in 1953, and it is the first resort of its kind in the Caribbean, where villas are owned by shareholders who have included Noel Coward and Oscar Hammerstein. A near-perfect combination of atmosphere, activities and relaxation, Round Hill Hotel and Villas doesn't overwhelm you like larger resorts. Rather, it effortlessly insinuates itself into your soul and makes you feel right at home. A very pricey home, perhaps decorated by Ralph Lauren (one of the villa owners).

The small resort is comprised of 27 two to five bedroom villas that dot the hillside above the beach. Most villas include private pools, and each has a kitchen where a housekeeper prepares cooked-to-order breakfasts for your family and takes care of the day's cleaning and laundry. Families can also choose to stay at the two-storied, 36-room Pineapple House Hotel, where all chic rooms overlook the ocean.

Since the entire cooperative resort is owned by individual families and many staff members have been there for decades, Round Hill exudes a sense of permanence and grace that is lacking in most modern resorts. Round Hill's seclusion, small size and lack of crowds also creates a marvelous feeling of safety and peace of mind - we actually allowed our kids to head back to our villa on their own one evening while we talked over a nightcap, something we wouldn't do even in our own neighborhood.

The complimentary, well-run, Pineapple Kids Club (ages 3-12), open daily from 9am-5pm, is housed in a petite villa that caters primarily to younger kids, focusing on arts 'n' crafts, talent shows, reggae lessons, donkey rides and story time. Tiny Travelers will love Round Hill's nannies who are available for a very modest rate for up to two children. All are mothers themselves and train with the resort's head nanny who has been with Round Hill for many years. In addition, they all are CPR and First Aid-certified.

Round Hill is the antithesis of the all-inclusive approach, even though most non-motorized activities and the kids' club are included in its rates. The gentle atmosphere invites you to do nothing or everything: sailing, paddle boating, sea kayaking, snorkeling on the coral reef, scuba diving, water skiing and tubing, tennis clinics with your kids, even an ecotourism tour to a rustic village.

Many kids simply roam with the seasoned, charming nannies from pool to beach to villa to tennis, while parents play or enjoy the newly built, adults-only spa and exercise room, overlooking a gem of a pool and the blue bay. Round Hill also offers an attractive large screen TV/movie room and a library with Internet access but, unfortunately, no children's books.

Although meals are served only on the terrace or outdoor dining room overlooking the water, we never tired of the setting or choices. While not every dish was a smash, Island resorts would do well to emulate Round Hill's Jamaican buffet night and its classier version of Jamaican entertainment (limbo, fire breathing, steel drums). The kids menu was one of the largest we've encountered - and it offered vegetables!

2003 Top 10 Getaways for Tiny Travelers
Top All-Inclusive Resorts:
Beaches Boscobel Golf Resort & Spa, Jamaica

SuperClubs Breezes Costa do Sauipe, Brazil
Top Cruise Line:
Disney Cruise Lines
Top Dude Ranch:
Rocking Horse Ranch, Highland, New York
Top Historic Inns:

Luxury Family Hotels, England
Mission Point Resort, Mackinac Island, Michigan

Round Hill, Montego Bay, Jamaica
Top Snow and Summer Resorts:

Smugglers' Notch, Vermont
The Peaks Resort & Golden Door Spa, Colorado

Top Tour Operator:
Butterfield & Robinson