"Good Hope is the ultimate escape ... a stress-free environment unique in all the world ... off the beaten track ... a romantic, memorable mountain top retreat ... a panacea for the soul. Take a good book and a lover."
“The best place in the world to see the sun rise”
Want to know how you'll spend your days at Good Hope?
Read about Good Hope in Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine
Weddings at Good Hope
Say your vows in laid-back luxury at Good Hope
Sitting high in the lush landscape of Cockpit Country stands a rustic Eighteenth Century Great House named Good Hope. On 2,000 acres 600’ above sea level, Good Hope is framed by dramatic blue-gray mountains and renowned for its excellent food, outdoor activities and country trails. Its grounds are fertile with papaya, oranges, ackee, breadfruit, bananas and coconuts as well as fields of flowers and grasses where cows and horses graze. The country road up from Falmouth weaves by 200-year-old stone fences past fields and orchards, cattle and horses ... gently leading back in time to a quiet era of a more peaceful, healthy and idyllic lifestyle.
This magical perch commands sweeping views of the Queen of Spain Valley, endless acres of plantation land and the refreshing Martha Brae River that wanders through thick bamboo forests below. The entire panorama takes in 20,000 acres of softly rolling mountains whose velvet texture changes with the light hour by hour. While extraordinarily private, this remarkable site is only a 45-minute drive east of the Montego Bay airport and 15 minutes from its own gorgeous private beach.
Built in 1755 in classic Georgian style, the Great House was owned by the Tharpe and Tenison families in past centuries. Its current owners have lovingly updated the buildings while retaining many original features, including the first hot water bath in the Caribbean made in late 1700’s and 14’ tall Palladian windows trimmed with plantation shutters. The floors creak, the tall windows squeak, the feeling is a magical trip back in time. Yet, today’s guests enjoy modern comforts and gracious service in this unique home atop a working plantation. Rooms are appointed with antiques. Polished rare wood floors are throughout. Guests may enjoy tennis, hiking through the luxuriant unspoiled grounds, and horseback riding (100 miles of trails, different trail rides possible each day from mountaintop to cool riverbed through untouched bush country). Good Hope has hosted countless ambassadorial parties and fashion shoots (Vogue, Guess, Mademoiselle, Travel & Leisure, Elle) ... and has been beloved as a perfect setting for weddings and family reunions. Click here to see photos of Good Hope weddings. Sunrises and sunsets from this remarkable vantage point are beautiful beyond description. It would be remiss not to mention the sounds of Good Hope. To stand still for several moments invites the sounds of horses neighing across the valley, the braying of a distant donkey, perhaps the bawling of a calfing cow, the chirping of birds and merely the wind. Stopping quietly to listen is part of the magic of Good Hope. Here is a tranquil, spiritually uplifting retreat.
Food at Good Hope is extraordinary. Its chefs rank with the best. Favorites are grilled tenderloin, curried shrimp and blackened snapper as well as homemade hors d’oeuvres, soups and desserts. Mealtime at Good Hope will be one of your fondest memories. Guests are asked to prepay for groceries ($65 per adult per day, $45 for children 12 and under). Snacks are additional and are billed locally. Click here to view Good Hope's special menus page.
Trail rides will cost $45 per person. Youngsters too small for trail rides can be led around the stable yard by one of the grooms. Older children love to wake early and help the grooms round up the horses.
Good Hope's Private Beach
Fifteen minutes down the mountain from Good Hope is its own beautiful private, sugary white sand beach on 1.5 acres of pristine undeveloped property. The adjacent property is 22 acres of more long, lovely private beach (not a hotel or noisy club). Exquisite swimming water is protected by a live reef and is among the most clear and buoyant water on the island. Its beach house is a uniquely charming new stone cottage with commercial kitchen, bathrooms, bar, nap room, upper deck and an outdoor shower folly fed by a hollow bamboo. Beach towels and chaises are provided. Water toys, snorkels and kayaks are complimentary. Jet skis can be rented. The Good Hope cooks will pack picnic baskets of delicious lunches and drinks for you to take with you (5 different menu selections each day). Some or all of you are invited to enjoy this dream of an idyllic Caribbean beach as often as you wish!
Accommodations
Great House ~ 3 bedrooms
Sitting Room, Music Room, Dining Room and Bar with pool table
Barley Room
Queensize bed, en-suite bathroom with tub/shower combination
Copper Room
Queensize bed, en-suite bathroom with antique 18th Century copper tub and shower
Blue Room
Optional kingsize or twin beds, en-suite bathroom with tub/shower combination
Counting House ~ 1 bedroom
Romantic queen-bedded room with bath in the former Counting House for the farm.
Carriage House ~ 6 bedrooms+
Partners Room
Queensize bed, en-suite bathroom with tub/shower combination, 2 antique wardrobes.
Tharpe Room
Kingsize or twin beds, en-suite bathroom with tub/shower combination.
Tenison Room
Queensize bed, en-suite bathroom with tub/shower combination.
Williams Room
Twin 4-poster beds, en-suite bathroom with tub/shower combination
Thompson Room
Twin 4-poster beds, en-suite bathroom with tub/shower combination
Sitting Room
Upstairs room with 3 additional twin beds for children, shares the upstairs hall bathroom
Studio ~ 1 bedroom
Queensize bed, en-suite bathroom (below family room)
No televisions or telephones are in the bedrooms. A cordless telephone is in the Good Hope kitchen. A second phone, fax machine and computer with Internet access are in the Great House office.
River Cottage ~ 3 bedrooms
3 air-conditioned bedrooms ... each with bath or shower:
1 full, 1 queen, 1 king or 2 twins
swimming pool
living room with TV, VCR, sound system
shaded verandah trimmed in lacy bamboo
staffed by cook/housekeeper/laundress and butler/gardener
This wonderfully renovated old stone Cottage is next to the river ~ just a 2-minute walk across 300-year-old stone bridge to a delightful swimming hole with a rope swing and floating platform in a green bamboo garden. Have cookouts at the river as often as you wish! A10-minute walk takes you up the hill to the Great House.
The Cottage is suitable for two or three couples or a family of six.
Good Hope Plantation can accommodate 36 guests in its various buildings and cottages.
Other Activities
West of Good Hope:
Golf is 45 minutes west at three excellent courses: Cinnamon Hill, Half Moon and White Witch
Windsurfing 15 minutes down the hill at Bounty Bay
Bamboo poled rafting down the Martha Brae River 20 minutes away
Windsor Caves nearby for caving
Half Moon Golf, Tennis & Beach Club 45 minutes west: golf & tennis; deep sea fishing; sailing, windsurfing, snorkeling and scuba diving; more horseback riding; biking; spa, massage and hair salon; shopping village; medical center; bars, restaurants, nightclub. The Ritz Carlton Hotel is adjacent to Half Moon.
East of Good Hope: Lively Ocho Rios ... 55 minutes east
Dolphin Cove. Swim with the dolphins! Wear swimsuits and take towels, no jewelry.
Reservations required with credit card deposit. Open every day. 8:30-5:30. 974-5335 or 795-0484 www.dolphincovejamaica.com
Dunn's River Falls. Wear swimsuits and water shoes (or you can rent them there) and climb the falls with guides. OK for children. Play on the beach and take a swim. Take your camera! Also dry clothes. Have lunch at Evita’s Italian Restaurant.
Additional guests not being accommodated on property can make reservations at Pebbles, the nearest hotel 15 minutes from Good Hope. Pebbles is a waterfront hotel just east of Falmouth. Tel 876-617-2495 More accommodations are available in our 11 private staffed villas on Discovery Bay. Guests staying at either location can be shuttled to Good Hope.
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