I plan on being in Treasure Beach around Christmas and would like to spend a night in the Blue Mtns on my way back.
Can anyone suggest where I could spend a romantic night with great view of Kingston?

Neita's Nest (in the hills with a view of more hills, rather than the city) www.neitasnest.com

or

City View http://www.cityviewjamaica.com/

Regards

Christine

--
Christine Marrett
Proprietor
Two Seasons Guest House
Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth
Jamaica
Tel: 876-571-0818
www.2seasonsguesthouse.com
"Where the welcome is warm and the runnings cool"
Registered with the Jamaica Tourist Board
Member, Jamaica Association of Villas and Apartments

Actually, these two places are in the foothills of the Blue Mountain that surround the city of Kingston, not in the Blu Mountains proper,
--
Christine Marrett
Proprietor
Two Seasons Guest House
Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth
Jamaica
Tel: 876-571-0818
www.2seasonsguesthouse.com
"Where the welcome is warm and the runnings cool"
Registered with the Jamaica Tourist Board
Member, Jamaica Association of Villas and Apartments

Thank you for the response Christine but I'm really looking forward to experiencing the Mountain itself. Also, I would so love to see the city lights from afar.

I have looked into staying at Whitfield Hall before. No view of the city but it's the last place to stay on the hike to the peak. Looks rustic but charming and inexpensive.

Take a look at www.bluemountains-jamaica.net there are a few options of lodging that look lovely, overlooking the city but still in the mountains.

If you aren't too concerned about budget, Strawberry Hills looks like a super nice place.

If you are staying in Kingston and want a feel of being up there above the city with the sheltering mountains, you might try up on Jack's Hill along the Skyline Drive a beautiful old Victorian home called Ivor with great night city views from brass-lantern lit verandas. Flavourful meals are served. For the traditionalists, in shorts, they used to serve 'high tea', aiding to remember how your madda taught you to hold a tea cup.
The owner, Hellen, has been known in the past, to let budget travelers camp out on her hillside.

www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147309-i69-k551163-Ivor_s_Guest_House_Kingston-Ja maica.html

At Content Gap: Pine Grove Guest House:
At the Guava Ridge junction turn L for PINE GROVE a small hotel and coffee farm owned by lawyer and radio talk-show host Ronnie Thwaites and his wife Marcia, who runs the farm and is responsible for the lovely garden. There is a spacious, cedar panelled restaurant (famed for Marcia s sweet potato pudding) and the Blue Mountain Bar facing the Peak.
Unfortunately a view which could be spectacular is marred by the towering telephone antenna which serves the area. Tours to the Peak can be arranged at Pine Grove and may include a brief over-night stop at Abbey Green, a cottage at the foot of the trail. Starting the climb at 2:30am means you can be at the summit in time for sunrise.

www.jamaicans.com/tourist/thebluemountains.shtml

Mount Edge Guest House... only a few rooms & popular, so reservations a must. They have been doing a full moon event, called "Moonlick Parties" at the owner's whim for long time.
The owner, Michael Fox, gives bike tours of the mountains.

Of course, the gem of the Blue Mountain resorts is Island Outpost's Strawberry Hill up Irish Town and you pay for the gentility, ambience, views, infinity-edge pool. But that's no reason not to stop by for breakfast and revel in the atmosphere.

www.islandoutpost.com/strawberry_hill/

Thank y'all. Pine Grove may be a good spot, but I'll keep checking. Also, what's the most fool proof way to make sure I'm buying the most authentic BM Coffee? Cheers!

Jamaican Coffee:
The reaping of the beans is only the first stage of an involved operation. After reaping, coffee is pulped and washed at a pulperie and the "wet parchment" that results is dried, cured, raded and then sorted. Jamaica is one of only a few countries worldwide that allows the "wet parchment" to sit and age for a minimum of six weeks so as to ensure consistency...
Approximately 85% of the coffee exported goes to Japan. The other 15% goes to the UK, USA and other countries where it often sells for up to US$40 per pound.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/story0029.html

Coffee Drinker...forgot to mention a fave resting spot above Kingston, but feels so much like mountain country.
It is Maya Lodge up on Jacks Hill down Peters Rock Road. Haven't been there in years since its owner/founder, Peter Benchley, took off for New Zealand (I recollect), because JamRock was becoming too tame for his sensibilities. He traced his family to British soldiers who came to the Island in the 1600's.
Peter was a born explorer, adventurer and a "naturalist" who thought nothing of chucking his clothes while canoeing inflatable water-craft down many of Jamaica's most hidden rivers.

I just found a "hit" for Maya Lodge on line, which seems to indicate that they are still in business and, from the picture, looks better than ever.
In their common space, they had one of the better libraries on Sustainability issues & Eco-Planning.
They also had some of the most knowledgeable guides for the Blue Mountains, trained in Peter's spirit and his group philosophy of getting deep into the soul of jamaica: SENSE Adventures.

www.jamaicascene.com/hotels/kingston/maya_mountain_lodge.php

The surest way to know that you are getting the true Blue Mountain coffee is to buy the "JaBlum" brand and check the label on the packaging to be sure that it was processed in Mavis Bank.
ONE LOVE !!
Mike

The Lodge seems irie Zed but is too close to the "burbs. We've decided to spend an extra night in the Mtns as we'd like to get to the summit. My better half, originally from Cuba, would get a kick from seeing the Sierra Maestra shimmering in the distance. Being both middle aged, we will surely need that extra night to recover before heading home. Mi no like nutten fake MikeyMike, so thank you for the tip idren. Bless up.

Holywell: "Holywell is a mountain retreat over 3,000 feet above sea level, in the cool mist forests of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park. Just an hour’s drive from Papine, Kingston and two hours from Port Antonio, Holywell is the perfect place to escape.

Come and experience the magic of the mist and the sweet sound of chirping birds, both Todys and Solitaires among many others can be seen and heard along the trails. Absorb breathtaking views as you nestle among beautiful Mountain Yacca, gorgeous tree ferns and other spectacular trees in this mountain paradise."

http://jcdt.org.jm/html/?page_id=235

Strawberry Hill: An Organic Development:

Nestled in the Blue Mountains, this intimate boutique property with sublime mountaintop views, rich cultural history and sumptuous gardens, provides an oasis that brings guests closer to nature and to their true selves.
Its design and development happened carefully overtime in an organic fashion, similar to the surrounding trees, plants and flowers born of a seed that took root and blossomed through the years.
Its natural surroundings and the people of Strawberry Hill (including its staff who are predominantly from the local community) provide an experience that goes beyond simple relaxation and comfort, but rather, total mind, body and spirit rejuvenation.

• Purchased by Chris Blackwell in 1972, ushering in a new era of glitterati that saw many famous entertainers and musicians visiting the property throughout the years...lured in by the ‘natural mystic’ vibe described by Bob Marley in his famous song of the same title written during one of his many visits to Strawberry Hill.

• ...Opened to the public as a restaurant in 1986 and received the National Heritage in Architecture Award
...Ann Hodges, a Jamaican architect specializing in restoration architecture, was commissioned to build a cottage on the property. This led to several years of intricate property design and development, as Chris Blackwell continued to build cottages for family and friends.

• Trained craftsmen using traditional mortice and tenant jointing kept alive the Georgian approach to architecture and constructed the cottages and laid out the grounds to compliment the mountain’s topography.

• Buildings were sited around trees, instead of cutting them down, and all roadways were laid on the remnants of existing pathways.

• An organic arrangement of the buildings allows for natural ventilation that makes air conditioning, and even fans, unnecessary.

• In 1994, Strawberry Hill became the first Caribbean hotel in the Island Outpost collection of properties.

Situated harmoniously amidst cascading mountain slopes and sacred rainforest, with over 350 endemic and exotic plant and animal species, the property truly symbolizes the preservation of life and beauty.

•...thoughtful approach to Landscaping and Resort Expansion.

-The gardens are an ongoing project with many new species of tropical flowers and plants being introduced yearly.

-All gardens are cared for without the use of pesticides and insecticides.

-Fruits, herbs and vegetables cultivated on-site, free of chemical pesticides, provide key ingredients for the restaurant and spa.

-... a new scenic nature trail has recently been introduced to encourage hiking and expose guests to the area’s natural terrain.

-A further twenty acres of indigenous forest on property are being mapped with new walking trails for the purpose of establishing a Bird Sanctuary with Feeding areas.

-Even the changing sky is inspiring here, whether seeing the morning mist roll in and then evaporate to clear blue as the sun rises, or the afternoon rain clouds hug the mountain edge, there is a sense of being one with nature. The low cloud cover combined with the area’s characteristic wind and temperature creates a unique microclimate that flourishes throughout the year. As a result, it is not difficult to source most of the restaurant’s vegetables and fruits from the area.

-.. the property’s robust tree canopy acts as a natural parasol from the sun’s afternoon rays and intermittent storms.
Written by Melissa Eldemere von Frankenberg

www.eccokidz.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=153:strawberry-hil l-an-organic-development&catid=55:eco-tourism&Itemid=185