PRESERVING PARADISE
Jamaica Inn fuses 1950s jet-set charm with purposeful travel Written by Bridget Cottrell
Marilyn Monroe would have turned 100 this past June, and although her physical presence left us 64 years ago, her spirit continues to loom large, through a regular cycle of new books and podcasts, memorabilia auctions, and memoirs of people keen to capitalize on even the most minuscule affiliation. While Monroe died 11 years before I was born, I count myself among the throngs who’ve succumbed to the palpable pull of the starlet’s complicated and tragic story. A few months ago, I came face-to-face with the icon in the library of the Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios. The candid black and white image—casually mixed among photos of four generations of the Morrow family, and other famous Jamaica Inn guests, including Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming—was snapped during Monroe’s January 1957 honeymoon with Arthur Miller. The complete lack of pretense is intentional and refreshing, as is the resort’s Old Hollywood meets British Colonial style, allowing guests to slip into a bygone era, when Jamaica was 56 slmag.net
an exclusive, relaxed “jet-set" playground, and before mass commercial travel took over. The timelessness is felt in ocean-facing rooms whose oversized verandas with beefy balustrades are elegantly outfitted with creamcolored slipcovered sofas and wingback chairs, inviting refined repose. The resort's modest oval pool and croquet lawn are where they’ve always been, and repeat guests (of which there are many) like it that way. Stop and listen. In the rustle of palm trees and the clinking of glasses, you can still glean the essence of a time where leisurely afternoons were spent not scrolling, but socializing, where after dinner, a crooner might take to the piano, and lovers would rendezvous under the moonlight. These traditions are carried forward today, with nattily attired guests mingling at the weekly manager’s cocktail party held before a lavish Beach Gala replete with traditional Jamaican specialties. There’s also live music every evening during candlelit dinner at the open-air Terrace Restaurant (where a dress
code at dinner is a refreshing change from the predominance of leisurewear), complete with servers sporting red coats with gold shoulder lapels and a bowtie, and weekly screenings of Bond films on the beach. During a cocktail reception this past spring, staff freely mingled with guests, underscoring an air of familiarity that carries over to the croquet lawn. During his welcome remarks at the reception, Managing Director Kyle Mais said he feels like the curator of a living museum. “We are fortunate to preserve this beautiful gem as we try to forget that unruly lady whose name begins with an ‘M’,” he added. That “M.” of course, is Hurricane Melissa, the scars of which are still clearly visible throughout the island, a portion of which was still without power some four months after the strongest hurricane in Atlantic history. Sherlene Hickling , guest services manager, also referenced Melissa, telling guests, “The best support you can give us is to be here, which helps to rebuild our beautiful Jamaica.”