At Bluefields Bay Villas, every stay feels like your own slice of Jamaica, with secluded villas, lush mountain views and the sea just steps away.
There aren’t many boutique hotels that keep three full-time carpenters on staff, but Bluefields Bay Villas is anything but typical. This tiny, family-owned hotel on the quiet southwest coast of Jamaica offers just six villas and four suites. Although it’s just a 90-minute drive from Montego Bay Airport, it feels a world apart from the region’s all-inclusive mega resorts.
A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Bluefields began 40 years ago when Washington D.C.-based Debbie and Braxton Moncure discovered it on their first trip together outside the US. They purchased the land, which at the time included a fishing lodge once owned by a former managing director of the Frome Sugar Factory. The area was so remote it lacked telephone service until 1997. Reservations were handled by driving to the nearest town with a fax machine. Over the years, the Moncures slowly expanded the property into the soulful hideaway it is today.
Every detail here, from antique Jamaican furniture to sea-view verandas, tells a story. It’s barefoot luxury with heritage woven in.
What makes Bluefields special goes beyond its remote location. It’s a property where personality, heritage and warmth are woven into every detail. Debbie, an architect, designed the villas using indigenous materials like Jamaican mahogany, cedar, pink marble and limestone. Braxton, an avid collector, filled them with antiques sourced from Jamaican estates, making the family the largest holders of Jamaican antiques. Braxton continues to add to the collection, ensuring that no two villas feel alike.
“We’re not trying to make it look like Bali in Jamaica,” says Debbie. “We are celebrating Jamaican heritage and craftsmanship here.” That authenticity is everywhere, from ornate stair balustrades inspired by Jamaican Great Houses such as Caledonia and Acton, and large curved doors hand-crafted by a Jamaican artisan who was once the head carpenter at Harrods in London. The six-bedroom San Michele villa showcases colorful Jamaican vintage tiles, which are no longer made.
The six villas come with private plunge pools and endless views of Jamaica’s coast.
“I wanted to use the best of what was there and pair it with the easy access between interior and exterior that is possible in the Jamaican climate,” explains Debbie.
At night, the villas take on a different rhythm, with cocktail hour and a private dinner at the property.
The on-site carpenters are busy keeping the antiques, like a leather planter’s chair, in top shape while also working on reproductions and practical new pieces, such as steps to help guests climb into the high four-poster antique beds.
While Debbie’s design was inspired by the Great Houses of Jamaica, the overall feel is of staying in someone’s home. Personal photographs are on display, and each villa comes with bookcases stuffed with well-thumbed books swollen with humidity. My villa, Cottonwood Cottage, also had a set of blue vintage Hardy Boys books.
Interiors mix with Jamaican antiques with colorful rugs and personal artifacts, along with open air showers.
The vibe is elegant but never fussy. A different set of china is used for each meal, with all the trimmings from toast racks and tiny spoons to candelabras. Inside the villas, four-poster beds are swathed in mosquito netting while outside, private pools and open-air dining pavilions set the stage for long, lingering meals. Each villa comes with a chef, butler and overnight security, who also makes sure your morning coffee is waiting when you wake up. Menus are tailored to each guest, featuring Jamaican fusion dishes, nightly cocktail hours with hors d’oeuvres and coolers stocked with favorite drinks. And when the mood strikes, a coffee pavilion overlooking the resort’s private beach provides the perfect caffeine fix with a view.
Days can be spent soaking up the Caribbean sun on Bluefield Bay Villa’s own stretch of private beach.
While the resort is small, it offers a wide range of activities for guests, including in-room massages, sunset cruises and a day trip to nearby YS Falls, a seven-tiered waterfall where you can swing on a rope into the water. While you cool off, your butler will be setting up a picnic complete with a tablecloth. Back at the villa, there will be a silver platter of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and Ting on ice.
“While the design is the big draw, it’s really the staff that keeps guests coming back,” says Houston Moncure, Debbie and Braxton’s son, who now helps oversee the property with his wife, Kate Davidson. And he’s right: Bluefields Bay Villas is more than a resort. It’s a place where guests are treated like family.
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