Culloden Cove

Rooms

There are 3 bedrooms upstairs in the main house: 2 with four-poster mahogany queensize beds draped in mosquito nets, and another with twin beds. The master bedroom has an ensuite bathroom with a shower and a huge walk-in wardrobe, while the other rooms come with built-in wardrobes and share a bathroom with a shower over the tub. All have the same simple and airy style: white walls with a pointed, white-panelled ceiling. There are mahogany bedside tables, terracotta floor tiles and small touches such as black and white photographs, driftwood arranged on a bookshelf and, when we stayed, bunches of flowers picked fresh from the garden.

Downstairs, there is a large sitting-cum-dining room with a table and wooden benches that seat up to 6, plus a couple of sofas, books and games, and a TV. Oversized paper lampshades dangle from the ceiling, and muslin drapes hang by the windows. There’s also a kitchen, a fourth single bedroom, and a further shower bathroom.

The smaller cottage, set halfway down the drive, has two more bedrooms. The first has a queensize four-poster bed; the second has 2 double four-poster beds. The cottage also has a kitchenette, a shower bathroom, and a small terrace with a table and 4 chairs overlooking the garden’s lush vegetation.

Both the villa and cottage have air-conditioning and are stocked with towels, toiletries, hairdryers and baskets of magazines. Reduced rates are available if you only need to use 2, 3 or 4 of the bedrooms, and 2 floor mattresses can be provided if you need to accommodate additional people.

Features include:

• Fan
• Hairdryer
• In-room treatments available
• Mosquito net
• Safe box
• Washing machine
• WiFi

Eating

The kitchen is well equipped – fridge, freezer, oven, hob, microwave, blender, toaster, coffee maker – and you’ll find basics such as sugar, oils and spices in the cupboards; the cottage has its own small kitchenette (no oven or stove). You can cook for yourself if you wish, but housekeepers and chefs Nathalie, Lily and Gail – whose services are included in the rates and who all used to work here when Culloden Cove was a restaurant (“We came with the house,” jokes Gail) – are excellent cooks.

The welcome pack you’ll receive on arrival includes a list of possible menus, but you can also ask for whatever you fancy. One of the staff will do the shopping locally in Whitehouse (you just pay for the ingredients, plus the taxi there and back) and prepare meals which you can eat wherever and whenever you like. There is an outside dining table on the terrace, beautifully lit with candles and fairy lights after dark, but we loved eating on the second terrace at the end of the garden, right by the sea.

For lunch, we were treated to a delicious chicken salad with mango, papaya, pineapple and a homemade passion-fruit sauce; for dinner, we had roasted yellowtail snapper followed by a mouth-watering key lime pie. For breakfast, we ate a traditional Jamaican spread of ackee and salt fish with fried plantain and breadfruit - superb. You can also ask for more international dishes if you prefer.

If you want to eat out, just let staff know the night before so they don’t buy or prepare anything. There's a good restaurant within a 5-minute walk called Osmond's, as well as more a short drive away – ask for recommendations. As nearby Whitehouse is the island’s main fishing port, the local seafood is particularly good.

Features include:

• Barbecue
• Coffee maker
• Food blender
• Fridge
• Full kitchen
• Hob or stove
• In-house cook
• Kids' meals
• Kitchenette
• Microwave
• Oven
• Restaurants nearby
• Shopping service
• Toaster

Activities

• Swim in the pool, go snorkelling or kayaking off the beach (there’s equipment to borrow), or simply relax in a hammock with a book or board game
  
• For a longer sweep of beach, stroll 5 minutes around the bay to the Sandals Whitehouse resort, whose sands are open to the public (you can try diving and other watersports here, too). There are also lovely beaches in the neighbouring fishing villages of Belmont and Bluefields, plus the more touristy but picture-postcard 7-mile stretch at Negril (an hour away)
  
• Visit Jamaica’s oldest rum estate, Appleton (40 minutes’ drive), to learn about the distillation process and taste the results
  
• Go on a boat safari from Black River (a 15-minute drive) to see crocodiles and rare birds; older children in particular will love it. A little further afield, you can visit the manatee colony in the wetlands of eastern Jamaica
  
• Swim in the refreshing rock pools at the famous YS Falls (half an hour away) then, if you’re feeling adventurous, have a go at zip-lining
  
• Have cocktails at Pelican Bar, a brilliant and totally unique wooden bar on stilts that’s owned by local fisherman Floyd. It’s set a mile offshore from Parotee beach (25 minutes from Culloden Cove) and there are boats to ferry you out
  
• Explore the beautiful hills of Cockpit Country (an hour’s drive). They were once the scene of a guerrilla war launched by the Maroons, the descendants of escaped slaves - there’s a museum where you can learn more in the village of Accompong, a semi-autonomous state governed by the Maroon Council
  
• Golf and horse riding are also on offer nearby - the villa’s staff can point you in the right direction

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Boat trips
• Fishing
• Golf
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Kayaking
• Plantlife / flora
• Private guided tours
• Sailing
• Scuba diving
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Traditional cultures
• Wildlife

Kids

Children of all ages are very welcome, and the helpful staff mean parents really can relax without having to worry about cooking or cleaning. Culloden Cove is very well equipped with baby kit, and there are 2 wicker baskets full of toys. There are also board games in the cupboard under the stairs, plus the pool to splash around in.

Best for:

All ages

Family friendly accommodation:

The twin rooms are ideal for kids, there's also a ground floor single, and the cottage is very handy for teenagers or grandparents who want their own space. If you need to sleep additional kids, 2 floor mattresses can be provided (free for under 12s).

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 1-hour drive (Montego Bay)
• Hospital: 20-minute drive
• Shop: 2-minute walk (local shop) or 2-minute drive (supermarket)

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Culloden Cove is set in the tiny village of Culloden, a mile from the small town of Whitehouse. It’s in the parish of Westmorelands, on the southwest coast of Jamaica.

By Air:
The closest airport is Montego Bay (60km away), which has plenty of flights from the UK, the US and elsewhere. You can also fly into Kingston, but it’s much further from the villa (218km). Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
It’s an hour’s drive from Montego Bay to the villa; longer from Kingston. Transfers can be arranged (see Rates), but unless you plan on staying put once you arrive we’d say it’s pretty essential to hire a car (see below).

By Car:
For car hire, see our car rental recommendations.

Detailed directions will be provided when you confirm a booking through i-escape.

More on getting to Jamaica and getting around