TRY A LUXURY JAMAICA VILLA VACATION
By Paula Hughes Court
FAIRWINDS AT TRYALL CLUB, JAMAICA
6:00 a.m.
Everyone is still asleep at Fairwinds at Tryall Club except for me, a stray cat
meowing outside the balcony door, and a choir of frogs singing in the fern grotto.
I wander into the kitchen and plug up the coffee pot. As usual, there’s no need to pour water into the canister,
measure the Blue Mountain coffee grounds or even flip the on button. Lorna Steen, the efficient cook at
Fairwinds at Tryall Club, took care of all that the night before, leaving me only the minor chore of plugging in
the pot.
As the coffee perks, I go through my favorite daily ritual; opening the heavy doors and shutters to let in the cool
morning breeze and the sweet smell of hibiscus. For a few minutes every morning, I secretly pretend to own
this magnificent villa set high above Montego Bay.
No...that's a lie.
Truth is I hold on to the fantasy the entire week while on
vacation in Jamaica. For this is what a
Villas by Linda Smith vacation is all about.
A week spent lounging around my own private pool,
eating lunch al fresco on the patio and elegant dinners
served by candlelight on the second floor balcony.
A week spent living the life of a wealthy Jamaican villa
owner.
And here’s the best part…all for the same price my extended family and I would’ve paid for a simple family
reunion vacation at a beach house in Florida. The off season rate (summer) for Fairwinds at Tryall Club ran
$4500 for 4 bedrooms plus staff gratuities of $675 (15% of the rental rate in off season). This works out to a
total of $5175 per week for a fully staffed villa or only $1293 per couple or family.
Though we enjoyed being treated like royalty, we also discovered something unique and special about our
Jamaica villa vacation. We experienced a different feeling on this trip...a feeling of warmth and caring
whenever we stepped into Fairwinds open-air living room or kitchen. As a travel writer, I've been fortunate to
travel all over the world and visit many picturesque places, but none of them ever tugged at my heart like
Jamaica.
After a couple of days, I finally realized why. The special feeling came from the Fairwinds staff-Lorna, Verona,
Winnie, and Dwayne.
They were the reason I felt so welcome and at peace in Jamaica. From the moment I met them, they made
me laugh, cry and always brightened my day. Like Linda from Villas by Linda Smith told me, "My clients don't
get teary-eyed when they leave Jamaica because they'll miss a beautiful couch or view. It's the staff that
everyone hates to leave." I couldn't agree more. More about the Fairwinds Staff.
JAMAICA VILLA DINING: THE BEST OF A JAMAICA VILLA VACATION
Every few hours, Verona, rang the dinner bell to let us know another delicious meal prepared by Lorna was
being served. From Jerk Chicken to a Jamaican dish of Caribbean-style red snapper, shrimp and lobster,
every meal outdid the one before. A typical breakfast included fresh local fruit, bacon, toast, pancakes,
scrambled eggs and Lorna's Family Banana Cake Recipe. More about Fairwinds menus and Lorna's
special recipes.
LIVING THE JAMAICA VILLA FANTASY
We spent our days playing tennis, golf and lounging around the pool. Fairwinds is one of 14 villas
represented by Villas by Linda Smith at the Tryall Club, a world-class resort offering a 18-hole World
Championship golf course, tennis courts, exercise room, internet room and a children's program.
After the first day, we fell into a daily rhythm. Wake at dawn to birds singing in the bougainvillea outside the
bedroom window. Sit on the patio, watch the sunrise, drink Blue Mountain coffee and eat more than we
should at breakfast. After breakfast, split up and head off to the golf course, tennis courts or in my case the
pool. Gather back together at noon for lunch served poolside. Due to a heat index of over 110 degrees, we all
spent the afternoons lazing around the pool. Though Fairwinds contained several televisions with over 60
channels, we chose to spend our evenings reconnecting with one another by playing board games.
I think about my trip to Jamaica every day and long to return. My fondest memory is of our laundress, Winnie,
leading the other staff members, Lorna, Dwayne and Verona in a touching soulful song in perfect harmony on
our last day. The people of Jamaica captured my heart and I won't feel complete until I'm back there again.
MORE ABOUT FAIRWINDS AT TRYALL CLUB VILLA
MORE FAIRWINDS AT TRYALL CLUB PHOTOS
By Paula Hughes Court
FAIRWINDS AT TRYALL CLUB, JAMAICA
6:00 a.m.
Everyone is still asleep at Fairwinds at Tryall Club except for me, a stray cat
meowing outside the balcony door, and a choir of frogs singing in the fern grotto.
I wander into the kitchen and plug up the coffee pot. As usual, there’s no need to pour water into the canister,
measure the Blue Mountain coffee grounds or even flip the on button. Lorna Steen, the efficient cook at
Fairwinds at Tryall Club, took care of all that the night before, leaving me only the minor chore of plugging in
the pot.
As the coffee perks, I go through my favorite daily ritual; opening the heavy doors and shutters to let in the cool
morning breeze and the sweet smell of hibiscus. For a few minutes every morning, I secretly pretend to own
this magnificent villa set high above Montego Bay.
No...that's a lie.
Truth is I hold on to the fantasy the entire week while on
vacation in Jamaica. For this is what a
Villas by Linda Smith vacation is all about.
A week spent lounging around my own private pool,
eating lunch al fresco on the patio and elegant dinners
served by candlelight on the second floor balcony.
A week spent living the life of a wealthy Jamaican villa
owner.
And here’s the best part…all for the same price my extended family and I would’ve paid for a simple family
reunion vacation at a beach house in Florida. The off season rate (summer) for Fairwinds at Tryall Club ran
$4500 for 4 bedrooms plus staff gratuities of $675 (15% of the rental rate in off season). This works out to a
total of $5175 per week for a fully staffed villa or only $1293 per couple or family.
Though we enjoyed being treated like royalty, we also discovered something unique and special about our
Jamaica villa vacation. We experienced a different feeling on this trip...a feeling of warmth and caring
whenever we stepped into Fairwinds open-air living room or kitchen. As a travel writer, I've been fortunate to
travel all over the world and visit many picturesque places, but none of them ever tugged at my heart like
Jamaica.
After a couple of days, I finally realized why. The special feeling came from the Fairwinds staff-Lorna, Verona,
Winnie, and Dwayne.
They were the reason I felt so welcome and at peace in Jamaica. From the moment I met them, they made
me laugh, cry and always brightened my day. Like Linda from Villas by Linda Smith told me, "My clients don't
get teary-eyed when they leave Jamaica because they'll miss a beautiful couch or view. It's the staff that
everyone hates to leave." I couldn't agree more. More about the Fairwinds Staff.
JAMAICA VILLA DINING: THE BEST OF A JAMAICA VILLA VACATION
Every few hours, Verona, rang the dinner bell to let us know another delicious meal prepared by Lorna was
being served. From Jerk Chicken to a Jamaican dish of Caribbean-style red snapper, shrimp and lobster,
every meal outdid the one before. A typical breakfast included fresh local fruit, bacon, toast, pancakes,
scrambled eggs and Lorna's Family Banana Cake Recipe. More about Fairwinds menus and Lorna's
special recipes.
LIVING THE JAMAICA VILLA FANTASY
We spent our days playing tennis, golf and lounging around the pool. Fairwinds is one of 14 villas
represented by Villas by Linda Smith at the Tryall Club, a world-class resort offering a 18-hole World
Championship golf course, tennis courts, exercise room, internet room and a children's program.
After the first day, we fell into a daily rhythm. Wake at dawn to birds singing in the bougainvillea outside the
bedroom window. Sit on the patio, watch the sunrise, drink Blue Mountain coffee and eat more than we
should at breakfast. After breakfast, split up and head off to the golf course, tennis courts or in my case the
pool. Gather back together at noon for lunch served poolside. Due to a heat index of over 110 degrees, we all
spent the afternoons lazing around the pool. Though Fairwinds contained several televisions with over 60
channels, we chose to spend our evenings reconnecting with one another by playing board games.
I think about my trip to Jamaica every day and long to return. My fondest memory is of our laundress, Winnie,
leading the other staff members, Lorna, Dwayne and Verona in a touching soulful song in perfect harmony on
our last day. The people of Jamaica captured my heart and I won't feel complete until I'm back there again.
MORE ABOUT FAIRWINDS AT TRYALL CLUB VILLA
MORE FAIRWINDS AT TRYALL CLUB PHOTOS
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FAMILY TRAVEL FUN.COM
Fairwinds at Tryall Club
Fairwinds at Tryall Club
Fairwinds Photo by Nigel Lord
Editor, Paula Hughes Court and daughter,
Claudia, at Fairwinds at Tryall Club
Claudia, at Fairwinds at Tryall Club
