Once Jamaica’s largest sugar plantation, the resplendent Good Hope Estate offers a unique and historic view into 18th-century life on the island. Visitors can enjoy horse-drawn carriage tours, an adventure park with ziplines, river tubing, ATV rides, and an exotic bird aviary. Overnight guests enjoy luxurious, colonial-era stone cottages.
Having grown into a village to support the plantation’s workers after emancipation in the late 1700s, the grounds are sprawling, with many of the original buildings—such as the sugar factory and church—fully intact. After joining Chris Blackwell’s Island Trading Group, the 2,000-acre (809-hectare) estate received an elegant makeover that added modern amenities while maintaining the estate’s authentic charm. Resort-like additions include a swimming pool, a 9,000-square-foot (836-square-meter) aviary with exotic birds, and an adventure park where thrill-seekers ride ATVs, soar on ziplines, or tube along the river. High tea and rum tastings are served at the adjacent Appleton Estate. Guests staying the night can choose from a handful of accommodation options, including a 3-bedroom villa in a colonial cut-stone cottage. Steps away is a a swimming hole on the Martha Brae River.
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Good Hope Estate is lovely for all visitors, including families with children who enjoy the play area with a challenge course for kids.
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Remember to bring a camera, sunscreen, hat, towel, and swimwear.
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The estate restaurant serves simple lunches, such as sandwiches, jerk chicken with rice and peas, and plantains.
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Ramps make the estate accessible but they can be steep.
Good Hope Estate is about 6 miles (9.7 kilometers) inland from Jamaica’s north shore. It’s about a 20-minute drive from Falmouth and an hour from Montego Bay.
A year-round destination, the estate is open from 9am to 4pm for daytime visitors.
Local artist-in-residence David Pinto is a master potter whose work has been displayed in some of the most prestigious galleries around the world. Stop into his studio, inside one of the former plantation buildings, and see the talented young ceramist at work.
