Kanopi House

Style

Sky-skimming treehouses

Setting

Amid the burly banyans

Cushioned, carpeted and curtained with greenery, Kanopi House’s treehouses are set deep in the rainforest, flanked by 100-foot, vine-wrapped banyans. The hotel’s philosophy is equally green – all the wood is sustainable, no trees were felled when Kanopi House was built, and local craftsmen and artists contributed to the design.

Facilities

Rooms

Seven treehouses: six one-bedroom treehouses and one two-bedroom treehouse.

Checkout

Noon, and later if there’s availability. Check-in is 3pm but equally laid-back (but call the hotel to let them know when you’ll arrive).

More Details

Rates include a selection of teas and coffees stocked in-room and access to the entire property, including the Blue Lagoon.

Also

Indulge in an in-room spa treatment with one of the expert therapists. Spa services are charged as an extra.

Free Internet Access

On-Site Restaurant

At the Hotel

Gardens and a communal living room. In rooms: books and free bottled water.

Our Favourite Rooms

Almond Tree has a gargantuan, hand-carved four-poster, retractable windows and doors that open out onto the rainforest. Spanish Elm is the largest treehouse, and has its own dining and lounge area, a spacious bedroom, an outdoor shower and a wraparound deck fit for a filmstar.

Poolside

No pool, but guests have direct access to the Blue Lagoon – according to legend, its bottomless and inhabited by an elusive dragon.

Packing Tips

Laid-back linens for lounging around and different swimwear for each day of your stay – you’ll probably spend more time in water than on the ground. Don’t bring a shoe collection fit for a millipede – chances are you’ll pad around barefoot.

Also

As long as other guests don't mind, smokers can light up wherever they like.

Children

Little Smiths aged seven and above are welcome (the treehouses’ steps and heights aren’t designed for tiny tots). Extra beds are free for children sharing with adults, and babysitting with staff is US$30 an evening (give 24 hours' notice).

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Find your favourite view by sitting at a different place each night. On balmy evenings, eat outside on the pink limestone terrace.

Dress Code

The emphasis is on relaxation – think Caribbean cool, and add spice with a lagoon-blue necklace or banana-yellow bandana.

Hotel Restaurant

Gather in the communal treehouse, The Living Room, for meals cooked up in the House Kitchen. Continuing the wood-and-white theme, The Living Room’s hand-crafted mahogony day-beds are dressed in white linen and scattered with cushions. Shots of colour come via the views – the open-plan space overlooks the jungle and Alligator Head. Pick a banana from one of the trees on the deck, but don’t get full – freshly caught snapper, lobster or meat cooked on the open grill, flavoured with herbs and greens plucked from the mountain garden, await. All the Jamaican staples (callaloo, plantain, ackee, breadfruit, yam, wild cocoa, sweet potato and curry) are present and correct, cooked with love by several dedicated chefs.

Hotel Bar

Have pre- and post-dinner drinks at the Living Room, and set the mood by lining up playlists on the house iPod.

Last Orders

Kanopi House disdains set timings, so you can eat and drink whenever suits you (within reason). The restaurant opens at 7am and closes at 9pm. Reservations for dinner are required.

Room Service

None, however breakfast lunch or dinner can be be served in your room if ordered with 24-hour notice.

Planes

Norman Manley airport in Kingston, served by Caribbean Airlines (www.caribbean-airlines.com), is the nearest airport, two hour and a half hours drive away. Alternatively, for US$1695 four people can share a 30-minute helicopter flight and 15-minute drive (with restricted baggage).

Automobiles

Kanopi House is hidden away, with a semi-secret location. It’s easier to let the hotel’s transfer company, Paradise Tours, pick you up and drop you off – they will also ferry you from A to B while you’re on the island. If you want to be independent, there is plenty of parking space. Port Antonio is the nearest town, a 10-minute drive away.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Frenchman’s Cove is fit for a film set, with its white sand shores, clear waters, enormous climbing trees and tarzan swings. Lunch on jerk chicken and rice, or freshly caught fish cooked for you on the beach. Long Bay, a 45-minute drive from the hotel, is a great spot for surfing –after your salty session, toast the gnarly waves with an ice-cold Red Stripe. Forget Venice – float down the Rio Grande on a bamboo raft, your boatman steering the way as you recline in the two-person settee. The four-hour trip includes a Jamaican buffet lunch, cocktails and chilled beer. If you’ve over-indulged in all things jerk, set off on a bike ride in the Blue Mountains. Along with the historic coffee plantations, there will be a wealth of butterflies, blossoms and birds to admire on your way. Kanopi House can organise all the above (and more).

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .