Great Escape-Private Staffed Villa on Jamaica's Southcoast
- Villa149 m²
- Sleeps: 8
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 3
- Min. Stay: 4 nights
Villa, 3 Bedrooms + Convertible bed(s), 3 Baths, (Sleeps 2-8)
Bedrooms
Owner
Mark Charles Queener
- Languages:
- english
About Mark Charles Queener
I first traveled to Jamaica when I was 19 and fell in love with the Island.I proposed to my wife Carolyn at the top of Dunn River Falls and we were married in 1991.We continued to travel back to the Island and upon a day trip came across the Treasure Beach area and shortly thereafter started our search for a property in the area.We purchased the property in 1998 and spend as much time as we can at Great Escape. Both of our boys have been to Jamaica since infants and have come to love Jamaica as much as we do.
Mark Charles Queener purchased this Villa in 1998
Why Mark Charles Queener chose Treasure Beach
We stayed at a nearby property during our search and the opportunity arose to buy a house already built along with a ocean front parcel and additional acreage.We refurbished the house,added a pool and built the 'clubhouse' on the ocean.
What makes this Villa unique
We love the location being a few miles out of Treasure Beach and the quiet surroundings. Gorgeous sunsets,star gazing at night and a staff that is off the charts!
Amenities
Featured
- Children Welcome
- Air Conditioning
- TV
- Internet
- Satellite or Cable
- Parking
- Swimming pool
- Pets Welcome
Bathrooms
- Bathrooms: 3
Safety features
- First-aid kit
- Smoke detector
- Fire extinguisher
- Exterior lighting
Location Type
- Beachfront
- Oceanfront
General
- TelephoneHouse cel phone that works with calling cards.You can load the phone with minutes before you leave on your vacation.
- Air conditioning
- Linens provided
- Washing machine
- Parking
- Internet
- Towels provided
- Iron & board
- Hair dryer
- Living Room
Kitchen
- Fridge
- Hob
- Microwave
- BBQ
- Coffee maker
- Toaster
- Ice maker
- Pantry items
- Dishes & utensils
- Kitchen
Dining
- Dining area
- Child's highchair
Entertainment
- Television26' Toshiba LCD
- Satellite / CableDirecTV
- Stereo
- DVD playerToshiba HD-DVD and Toshiba Blu Ray
- Booksover 100 books
- Gamesvarious board games
- Video libraryover 100 movies
Outside
- Garden
- Kayak / canoe
- Bicycles
- Deck / Patio
- TennisAt Treasure Beach Sports Park
- GolfCan be played at the Mandeville Country Club at the oldest course in the caribbean and was built in 1865.( 1 1/2 hour drive}
Pool / Spa
- Private pool
Onsite Services
- Massage
- Chauffeur
- Private chef
- Housekeeper included
Breakfast
- Booking Possible
House Rules
Children allowed
Pets allowed
Smoking allowed
Max guests: 8
Minimum age of primary renter: 21 - 2121
Cancellation Policy
100% refund if cancelled at least 14 days before arrival date. 50% refund if cancelled at least 7 days before arrival date.
24 Reviews
Never want to leave....
This is our second time at Great Escape. I didn’t think it was possible for it to be better than the first time (2015), but it was. I love the staff, the house, the beach, the location.
As I said five years ago, this is the Jamaica you won’t find in a resort. It is wonderful.
A private corner of paradise.
The property was lovely. A large patio, pool and private beach. And a skilled cook who loves preparing meals. We enjoyed breakfasts and suppers, we went exploring during the days . The beach waves were awesome. Who could ask for more?
Highly recommended
Beautiful, well-equipped and with very helpful staff.
Live like a millionaire
I am never going to be a millionaire but I just spent a week on my own private beach with a full staff so I am getting an idea of what it might be like.
The trip started with our driver, Rambo, picking us up at the airport. He is such a great guy. He knew just where to take us and we headed out to get provisioned. Once we had our needs for libations satisfied he suggested that we head to the Jerk Shack. This is Jamaica at its best. It is on the way to Great Escape and a must stop. We arranged to stop on the way home, it was that good.
Once there, we were greeted by Shane, our majordomo for the week. He had already planned the menu and shopped per our instructions. Another wonderful experience. We were in his hands and it was not long before we got to experience his culinary skills. But not before we ran down to the beach, Red Stripe in hand, to observe the first of many glorious sunsets on OUR OWN PRIVATE FREAKIN' BEACH. There is a bedroom and full bath on the beach with a great deck and outside bar. The sound system is first class. The pool and deck at the house is great but the beach is its own private world. We spent a lot of time down there.
Great Escape is very well situated for local sightseeing. The Treasure Beach community is something the people who populate the all-inclusive resorts will never get to experience; real Jamaicans, some of the nicest people we had the good fortune to meet. But there was so much more, YS Falls, the Appleton distillery and Lovers Leap all put together with Shane and Rambo as our guide. Rambo knows everyone and got us all the VIP treatment. We even stopped by his local watering hole on the way home one day. That was very cool.
The rest of the staff, Pansy and Neville, were friendly but very discrete. The grounds were groomed, the beach and pool were cleaned and the house was always immaculate. I could definitely get used to this.
We are already searching our calendars to book our next trip. I would give Great Escape 6 stars if I could.
It was ok
The property is absolutely stunning. Beautiful landscaping, beautiful private beach.
It would have been nice to know ahead of time we would be nickel and dimed for everything. I was not happy we spent so much to stay at the villa and had to provide all of our basic living needs. We had to purchase our own toilet paper, ($4 a roll by the way), dish soap and sponges for the cook, household cleaning goods for the cleaning lady, paper towels, even our drinking water. We had to go grocery shopping every 3 days which cost the two of us $170 a trip including $20 to the driver. We tried to talk the cook into not getting so much food so we could save our money for excursions, but this seemed to be an inconvenience for him so our hands were tied. The beds in the bedrooms were so uncomfortable it stated effecting our trip. We would wake up in so much pain because of it. Our trip was supposed to be 10 days but because of American Airlines messing my wife's flights up our trip was cut short by 5 days. It would have been great to receive a partial refund for the villa, but as it was the airlines fault and not the property's fault I do not see this happening.
Minus the negative feedback I provided, it was a great experience overall. Playing on the beach, swimming in the ocean, etc.
Ok,My first three star review in 20 years and it is upsetting but obviously my guests were not happy.My policy is that I take care of all basic living needs so I will gladly reimburse you for all of these.I have addressed this with my staff and it will not happen again.This is why I leave my property manager a check book for my Jamaican checking account.I supply a Pur pitcher with filters for water and some guests do buy a five gallon water jug because of consumption.Again, I will gladly reimburse you for your water expense. Food is not cheap in Jamaica and the $20 fee for close to an hour round trip to Black River in my cooks personal vehicle and own gas is reasonable.I have never had a complaint on the beds but a mattress is a very personal choice and I apologize that they were not comfortable.I am close to replacing all of my mattresses which I plan to do on my next trip in late May.I always keep the villa up to date and replace air conditioners,refrigerators,stoves,washing machines,etc. when required. I was aware you had flight issues on the way down and I turned my driver around and he picked you up on the following day.After speaking with Shane I understand you ended up staying 7 nights [Thursday to Thursday] instead of the 10 you paid for and I will gladly give you a credit for three free future nights.I will point out that I paid my staff for your entire stay and the staff is what the villa is all about. I help support three families and in 20 years I have never made a profit on this villa venture. I was told by Shane that you went with him to do the shopping which you could have used a US credit card to pay for if you did not have enough cash for excursions.The cost of toilet paper is $.85 - J per roll which is about $.68 - US.I have a system in place that if my guests are not happy to talk to Shane and if he can't settle it to have my guests or him contact me.I have been at this 20 years and have several guests come back 8 times. I wish you would have contacted me directly with your grievances rather than post them on line with a possible outcome of hurting my rentals and more importantly affecting my staff. I am a very reasonable,fair and peaceful person.
Relaxing, fun and Hospitable
We had a great time relaxing at this property. My family loved the beach, kayaks, pool, great food, kind staff. Everything was great!