Strawberry Hill Jamaica: Visiting the Mountaintop Above Kingston

Strawberry Hill is a small hotel and restaurant about 3,100 feet up in the Blue Mountains, in the community of Irish Town, looking straight down on Kingston. You do not need to be a hotel guest to go. Most of our guests come up for a meal and the view, and from Kingston the drive takes about 45 minutes to an hour on a narrow mountain road.

Where is Strawberry Hill and how do you get there?

It sits above Kingston on the road that climbs from Papine toward Irish Town and Newcastle. On the map it looks close to the city. On the road it is a different story, because the route is narrow, steep and full of blind corners where everybody blows the horn before they turn. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour from New Kingston, depending on traffic.

From Ocho Rios we take the toll highway down to Kingston first, which is about an hour and a half, and then we climb. So figure two and a half hours or a little more door to door. From Montego Bay it is a long day, roughly four hours just to reach Kingston, so we usually suggest pairing it with a night in the city.

Public transport up there is limited, and that road is not the place to learn driving on the left. That is the main reason people book a driver for this one.

What is there to do at Strawberry Hill?

The main thing is to sit down and look. The terraces face south over the whole of Kingston and out across the harbour. The restaurant serves Jamaican food, with a lighter menu as well. The hotel has long been known for its Sunday brunch, which is a proper outing for Kingston families, so Sundays are busier.

There is a pool on the edge of the hill and a spa. Day passes for the pool and grounds have been available, and the day-use fee has been waived when you eat at the restaurant or book the spa. Policies change, so we confirm with the hotel before we head up.

The history is part of the pull too. The property goes back to the 1700s, and Chris Blackwell, the man who started Island Records, bought it in the 1970s. Musicians have been coming up that hill for decades, and the staff will tell you the stories if you ask.

When is the best time to go?

Late afternoon into evening, if you can. You get the view in daylight, you watch the light go down over the city, and then the lights come on below you. The photo at the top of this post is Kingston from the hills after dark, and that is the picture people go home talking about.

Mornings are usually clearer. Cloud tends to build over the Blue Mountains as the day goes on, and sometimes it sits right on the hill so you are looking into white. If the view is the whole point for you, tell us and we will plan around the weather that day.

What should you wear and bring?

Bring a layer. At about 3,100 feet it is noticeably cooler than the coast, and once the sun goes down it can feel chilly, especially in the winter months. A light jacket or a long-sleeve shirt is enough.

Strawberry Hill is a nice place, so smart casual is the safe call for the restaurant. No need to dress up, but leave the wet swimsuit and flip-flops for the pool. Wear shoes you can walk in, since the grounds are on a slope with steps.

If you get carsick, sit up front and eat something light before the climb. The road is all bends.

What can you pair it with?

Strawberry Hill fits well with other stops on the Kingston side. Our Blue Mountain Coffee Tour goes further up to a working plantation for a tasting, and it shares most of the same road. You can also start the day down in the city at the Bob Marley Museum or the Culture Yard in Trench Town, then come up the hill for a late lunch and the sunset.

From the north coast, one city stop plus Strawberry Hill is plenty. Any more and you spend the best light of the day in traffic.

Ready to go up the hill?

Tell us where you are staying and what time of day you want to be on the terrace, and we will plan the drive around it. The trip runs private, so the vehicle and the timing are yours. You can book a tour, and if you are still flying in, set up your private airport transfers at the same time.