Omar Anderson,
Staff Reporter
Ninety minutes outside of Kingston, Starlight Chalet and Health Spa offers a tranquil and little-explored area of Jamaica. - PHOTOS BY NORMAN GRINDLEY
LYING 5,000 feet above sea level, and nestled between the Silver Gap, St. Andrew hills, and the John Crow Mountains, is a little piece of pristine Jamaica that has hardly been fully discovered and explored.
It's certainly not the jazzy North Coast resort you normally visit for a sun and sea vacation, but the tranquil and the massive unfolding of nature this location offers are amazing.
On arrival, one of the first things you notice is the circling lush, green vegetation, as if some adroit painter had just had fun splashing gallons of green paint around.
Then, it's as if all the birds have migrated here. They appear in abundance, flip-flopping around, displaying their long beaks and beautifully coloured tails. It's also difficult not to hear the cascading and provocative sounds of water gushing from the rocks at a nearby river.
You've guessed it? No. Give up? Okay, it's the Starlight Chalet and Health Spa 10-acre property, 90 minutes away from Kingston. Starlight Chalet is complete with two floors, both having a total of 14 rooms.
There are two suites on the upper floor, each having two bedrooms. There are two single beds in two of the rooms, plus, a night table with bed lamps, a dresser, a chair and a bathroom. The other two rooms are decked with basically the same pieces of furniture except for the double beds.
"If a couple comes in with a child, they can always get a single bed along with the double bed at no extra charge," said Pauline Stephens, a cook, who acted as tour guide last Wednesday.
On each suite, there is large carpeted living room decorated with a four-piece living room suite, and a television. Outside both suites are two balconies which make for pleasant viewing of the lush surroundings.
Next to the two suites is another floor on the same level with five smaller, recently-built bedrooms with impressive bathroom fixtures.
Situated on the upper floor is the bar, dining area, and a kitchen, where guests can prepare their own meals. Just outside the bar is a balcony on which guests can also watch the grandeur of the John Crow Mountains and gaze into Kingston.
"The surroundings are really impressive," said Anna-Lisa Hankansson, 26, a Jamaican visiting from London. "It was too much concrete I thought at first but it's somewhere I would stay."
Stage with well-manicured lawn. There are also lots of flowers, plants and fruit trees that make a good backdrop for picture-taking.
Starlight Chalet is all about relaxation and unwinding the body, mind, and soul. For that purpose, the management recently built a spa where you can get massages and jacuzzi baths. There are also two steaming rooms for persons wanting to de-stress.
For guests who like transcendental meditation, there is a yoga expert who teaches yogic practices and postures.
The river, which is a mere seven-minute trek from the guest house, is a must-see. The meandering, descending trails can be exciting as you wait to witness the meaning of the gushing sound you've always been hearing.
Descending the sloping trail, tour guide Richard James told stories of how he and friends frequently kill wild goats in nearby bushes then cook them. As the journey continued, he added that guests have always talked about how impressed they've been by the cool breeze which occasionally hits then bounces off your face.
By this time, the news team and other guests arrived at the river. You'd expect more water, but never mind, what's there is enough to give you a decent bath.
"It's peaceful and you have access to the land," said Lisa Frize, a 25-year-old Jamaica pursuing a degree in media studies in London.
For his part, Ken Nairne, owner of the property, said he bought the land about 15 years ago and lived in the cottage with his wife and two children. But he said persons occasionally stumbled on the cottage and asked if it was being rented.
"This couple came from Norway and we vacated the cottage and gave them to spend their honeymoon for the night," he said. He said this later started an idea of building several rooms for rent.
"We cater mostly for people who want something different from sun and sea," Mr. Nairne said. "We had a guest who booked from a year ago, who wanted to hike and look at the growing and processing of coffee."
For the holiday season, Starlight Chalet is offering special rates for persons who want a peaceful and scenic vacation. The rates include meals. You can visit their website at www.jamaicamarketplace.com/starlight/facilities2.
htm.
