We looked to the island’s north to enjoy the beach for a few days. Our list of wants was simple. Also, it was Kelly’s birthday. This time, Airbnb came to the rescue. We didn’t fancy a hotel. We just wanted to be away from people for a few days. We found a relaxing beach house
- Easy access to the sea and sand
- Quiet location
- Wanted to be self-sufficient, i.e. kitchen facilities
- Not too far from Kingston.
Relaxing beach house location
This beach house/cottage ticked all our criteria. It was 1hr 30min from Kingston, between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay on the northern coastal highway called Runaway Bay.
It stood on private grounds of 3 separate properties owned by one family. The cottage is the smallest of the 3, which was perfect for us, as there were only 2 of us anyway.
I had my GoPro for this trip, and I made a short video of the property, see below.
Close to shops, bars and restaurants. Thirty minutes away from Ocho Rios for Dunn’s River Falls, Mystic Mountain, Dolphin Cove etc.
We have already visited Dunn’s River Falls and Park. However, this holiday was purely for reading, relaxing and dipping in the sea. Our most challenging question was whether we were having wine or cocktails.
The Property
There are staff on-site, located in one of the other villas. On arrival, they showed us around and asked about our requirements. Then, not requiring any fuss or looking after, the housekeeper only showed up, as requested, in the mornings to replace our towels.
The groundskeeper was around the site, supplied Kayaks and helped place the BBQ closer to the cottage for us to use. He also had a supervisor that followed him around to ensure his work was up to speed. His other duties were checking we had finished the BBQ and would patiently wait on the carpet to ensure all was up to spec. A handsome dog, he never got too close unless you called him. so good.
The Beach
The beach is part of a Runaway Bay public beach. Yet, not many ventured down to the houses, staying close to the car park and restaurant/bar down the becoastThe odd person would walk past ( I think about 4 in total over the time we were there), but as we don’t own our private beach, we didn’t expect it to be empty.
We took a walk to the bar to take a look. Young children ran from the sand to the sea to the grass, enjoying their day. Families in the sea enjoy cooling down.
Groups of men played dominoes with glasses of rum and mixer whilst slapping down their pieces with such force you thought they had won the game with each move.
We bought a drink, people watched and then walked back to the house.
People owning a property on the beach in this area have it good.
A link to the Airbnb listing is here. In addition, you can see more pictures and reviews from other people that have also visited.
We truly enjoyed our stay, and they even managed to organise a cake to be made from a local store to be delivered for Kelly’s birthday, decorated in the Jamaican flag colours.
Before it was all eaten, I managed to take a picture.
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