Great Escape-Private Staffed Villa on Jamaica's Southcoast

My wife and I did a destination wedding at the villa and it was great. The staff is top notch and the villa itself was perfect. It really felt like a home, not just a hotel. I highly advise going. My wife and I are going back this year to renew our vows.

Woke up everyday and said "this is paradise". Wonderful trip. Wonderful place. Wonderful people. My teenage daughters had a wonderful time snorkeling, kayaking and cooking with Shane. It's hard to put into words the beauty of the land and people. Have to go on the black river trip with Captain Ted and first mate Garrett, it's a must. Already scheduled a return trip.

If you want a vacation surrounded by beauty where you can visit a Jamaica that you will never find in a resort, with staff who are kind, genuine and, well, simply wonderful, then this is the place for you. This was our third time in Jamaica, but our first outside of a resort.

Mark (the owner) was great. We actually had to change our dates due to medical issues, and he had no problem with that.

We only went on a few excursions that Shane arranged for us. Highly recommend Captain Ted for a Black River tour with a stop at Sister Lou's and the Pelican Bar. Also did Lover's Leap with a late lunch at Jack Sprats. Rambo did the driving for us.

We definitely plan to come again. Hopefully for our son's college graduation in 2017. Shane said he'd show him fishing Jamaican style. :)

We arrived in Jamaica and was picked up at the airport by the driver Rambo (excellent driver and the cold beverages was a nice touch), it was a beautiful drive and seen so much of the beauty of the country, the stop at the jerk shack a must, we liked it so much we stopped on the way back to the airport. The house was what I was looking for...my very own paradise for 8 days!! We had a blast on the boogie board, and it was nice having the outdoor shower, and the grounds keeper Nevil kept the place immaculate, everyday there would be fresh water on the top of the steps to get the sand off your feet, again a nice touch!! The beach is very private and the beach bar area is AWESOME!! We even had a dinner served down there, and speaking of the food....Shayne and his wife are amazing cooks and servers!! We arrived to an amazing shrimp dish on our first night and then he sat down with us and took our request ( and we requested to eat Jamaican style, so we pretty much gave him the control, and he did not let us down!!) We tried lots of different foods it was absolutely perfect!! We went on a few excursions with Rambo at the wheel, he was very informative! We also (tried, actually got a ride half way there from the locals) walked to Treasure Beach, and went to Jakes for pizza...took a long time but was worth the wait! Also I would suggest the boat tour, fun way to spend the day, seen dolphins along the way VERY COOL! All in all we had an amazing time, one thing to remember you are very secluded so if you want snacks or beverages get before you go to the house! Also one day the housekeeper (who also did an amazing job) had a friend come to the house to sell us local crafts, got a hand crafted wood fold down fruit bowl, very neat!! Thanks Mark for sharing your piece of paradise!!

My 60th birthday was at the end of December and we spent a wonderful week at Great Escape. What an awesome way to celebrate this milestone. My husband and I met friends on 12/28 at the Jamaica airport and thanks to Mark's tip, we were expedited thru customs by VIP Attractions (the extra $50 was SOOOOO worth it).

The ride to Great Escape was a treat, with Rambo driving and being an entertaining tour guide. We made quick stop at the market in Montego Bay to stock up on snacks and adult beverages and then a stop at Border Jerk for some great chicken. What a wonderful start to an amazing vacation.

The Villa was even better than we expected. Two bedrooms and two baths and a great pool (expertly maintained by Nevil) at the main house and the clubhouse at the beach was PERFECT for watching the sunset!! And Wifi!!!!!

Shane prepared delicious meals for us and his rum punch should be bottled! We took a few (not many) trips to nearby attractions -- Frankly, being at the Villa was so perfect, we really didn't feel the desire to go anywhere.

We did take a boat trip to the Pelican Bar and down the Black River to Sister Lou's......Captain Ted was amazing! The sea was quite choppy, but he navigated the small boat expertly.

Pansy cleaned for us every day and even did some laundry for us.

All and all, the combo of the villa, the staff and the laid back Jamaican culture made for a PERFECT birthday!!!