Inside the Caribbean's most exclusive resort, with no room keys and a margarita hotline
Tall and thin, with braided hair and a tattooed chest, he pulled me on to the boat as he introduced himself. “My name is Sean,” he said, adding “Sean like Sean Connery” as he turned the engine on. Later, as he dropped anchor and prepared to backflip into the turquoise waters for our snorkelling trip, he kept singing out, “I am the man” – and indeed he was. Not only did the boat not bob away (always my greatest fear when I am in the sea) but his confidence in showing me the best of the underwater world of the Caribbean was justified.
We swam amid shoals of yellowtailed snapper, chased pretty blue tangs and saw bluehead wrasse shimmering in their banded skins of blue and black, aquamarine and sea green. We saw hawksbill turtles coming up for air, a spotted eagle ray gliding past, and plump starfish scattered across the ocean floor. The colours were not just under the water, but also above it. Iridescent hummingbirds hovered next to pink Mexican creepers, emerald green lizards darted up whitewashed walls and yellow-chested bananaquits leaned in to share my breakfast. It uplifted me after weeks in grey, restricted England. Every breath of sun-filled air, every glance at the white-sand beach and the turquoise-hued ocean made my spirit soar.
And how easy it was getting to Jumby Bay Island – and will be again, hopefully, once restrictions are eased. The only hurdle was getting two PCR tests, before departure and on arrival. The airport, new since my last visit, had sanitiser dispensers at every turn and staff dressed in PPE directed incomers down routes to ensure social distancing. It was quick, calm and efficient and the waiting car took less than five minutes to take me from the airport, on the north coast of Antigua, to the tiny, private ferry terminal that serves Jumby Bay Island. Fifteen minutes later, I had walked through a tropical paradise and into my bedroom.
And the ease continued. Most noticeably, there are no keys. The idea of not fumbling around for them every time I entered was a novelty. There is a safe, if you want to secure valuables, and you can lock yourself in at night –but the whole warm, breezy atmosphere that blows through the 300-acre island is reflected in this laid-back policy of being keyless.
There is a tangible generosity here with the all-inclusive rates (a first for the super-luxurious Oetker Collection) allowing an abundance of possible pleasures from unlimited watersports to Taittinger champagne on tap, or its latest innovation, a dial-a-margarita hotline. Call 4414 from your room and before long a mobile bar arrives courtesy of Casamigos, the tequila company formed by George Clooney, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, which has just opened a thatched shack at the water’s edge, complete with a couple of turquoise surfboards. There is a short but punchy selection of margaritas (I can recommend the spicy version with cucumber and jalapeño), which lasts just as long as the sun takes to go down.
When the sun is up, the whole island is your playground. Children can roam in the safe, car-free environment, from the kids’ club to the island farm (to see the red-footed tortoises) and then to the sparkling blue water for wakeboarding, surfing or water-skiing.
Adults, meanwhile, can dip into the spa for a touch of rejuvenation with Tata Harper, have a picnic at Pasture Bay beach (where turtles nest between June to November), hone their tennis skills or acquire a new hobby at the recently relaunched Jumby Bay Sailing Academy. And with just 28 suites and 52 private villas, the island never feels crowded.
The first European to own Jumby Bay Island was King Charles I of England. In 1627, the king gave the island to the Earl of Carlisle as a “personal favour”. However, as the Earl had no heirs, the land ultimately reverted to the Crown. During the English Civil War of 1642 to 1651, those who were loyal to the king were deported to Antigua by Oliver Cromwell as a punishment. After the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in 1660, King Charles II gave the island to the Royalists who had stood by the throne.
By 1700, the island had been sold to the Honourable Bertie Entwisle Jarvis, whose family retained ownership of it for the next 215 years. He introduced a breed of short-coated, black-and-white sheep, the descendants of which still roam the island today (and appear in the hotel’s logo), but it was by smuggling sugar that he made a living. Due to the poor soil and low rainfall, Jarvis’s own sugar mill was little used, but the cheap French sugar he smuggled in was passed off as Antiguan in origin and exported to Britain. Throughout this time and until emancipation in 1834, there were slaves living on the island (Bertie’s great-grandson, Thomas, rented small plots of land to them in 1835 to grow vegetables for sale at the market on the mainland) and legend has it that the name Jumby came from their name for the spirits of the dead – jumbies – which were said to lurk around the graveyard at night.
Since 1998, the island has been owned by the Jumby Bay Island Company, a group of villa owners whose aim is to ensure that the island is the best in the world to visit. It was their decision in 2017 to replace Rosewood Hotels & Resorts with the Oetker Collection as a management company.
The resort has reduced the number of rooms and redecorated them in peaceful blues under white-beamed, cathedral ceilings. All have views on to the Caribbean Sea, huge outdoor tubs and terraces. Estate suites come with private pools, but there are three pools dotted around the property for those without, the nicest of which is on the beach. The villas for rent, mostly overlooking the sea, are sensational, with staff to clean and cook if required.
No one should pass up a dinner at The Estate House, the beautiful 1830s plantation house adorned with locally curated artwork. Try the lobster ravioli and the Antiguan lamb for an epicurean sense of place – and then, of course, there is the rum. Barman Jimmy can do you a tasting, from smooth 23-year-old Ron Zacapa to the Antiguan-made, molasses-based English Harbour. Finish with a cocktail such as veranda cooler, with passion fruit and lime juice added to the rum.
“We liming?” Jimmy said as he shook the mixer. “What does that mean?” I asked. “To have fun, or relax,” Jimmy replied. I have always loved limes and their zinginess. Now, when I see them they will dance in my mind with lazy Caribbean contentment.
Abercrombie & Kent (01242 547760; abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers seven nights at Jumby Bay Island from £8,500pp all-inclusive, with flights and transfers. The price is based on a May departure and two people sharing; it includes a contribution of £50pp towards a Covid test and the holiday is covered by A&K’s flexible booking policy.
See our guide to the best hotels in the Caribbean.
