RETURN VISITORS ARE OFTEN PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY JAMAICA’S TRANSFORMATION. DESCRIBE WHAT THEY DISCOVER FROM THE MOMENT THEY ARRIVE.

Jamaica is a wonderfully complex, beautiful country. You can keep coming back for decades and continue to be beguiled by its food, music, art, dramatic mountains, sea and rolling hills. Years ago, people seemed content to lie on the beach drinking rum punch. Now guests want to hike Dunn River Falls; swim in the Blue Lagoon; bird-watch; and learn about Jamaica’s tropical flowers, wetlands and majestic trees.

In addition, increased direct flights; a new convention center; and more resorts, hotels, villas and all-inclusive properties make Jamaica appealing for honeymooners, groups and families. The Jamaica Tourist Board actively promotes hospitality education, marketing, security and good service to ensure that Jamaica remains among the most sought-after destinations. And of course, it’s the Jamaican people who make it worthwhile.

TELL OUR READERS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY.

In the late 1950s, a group of wealthy Texans (including former Governor John Connolly and Senator Lloyd Bentsen) fell in love with the property’s beachfront, cool trade winds, 2,200 acres of rolling hills and functioning historic artifacts such as a water wheel and aqueduct. They saw this former English fort-turned-sugar plantation, with a 19th-century Georgian great house, as the ideal spot for a private golf club and engaged Texan Ralph Plummer, a prominent golf course architect, to design a championship course, one of the first and still among the finest in the Caribbean.

Tryall has hosted the Johnnie Walker World Cup Championship, Mazda Championship LPGA and LPGA Jamaica Classics. Fred Couples, Nick Faldo, Larry Mize and Ernie Els all played the challenging course. Bing Crosby once vacationed here and bought four plots of land. Other notable guests include Noel Coward, Princess Margaret, Ivana Trump, Hugh Grant and Duchess Sarah Ferguson.

WHAT DOES TRYALL CLUB OFFER THAT OUR READERS WILL NOT FIND ANYPLACE ELSE?

There is something to be said for a vacation where your laundry is delivered clean and fresh every day, a fisherman delivers freshly caught fish to your door, and the chef prepares the fish with herbs from the garden outside the kitchen. Families enjoy nature programs and complimentary kids’ club, along with the best golf and tennis on the island. Tryall combines Old World charm and luxury with modern innovations: wireless connectivity and pools in every villa, plus a full staff to meet all your needs and a special nanny program (repeat guests often request their nannies by name). Many of our staff have been with us their entire careers; many are generations of Jamaican families. We hear the same comment time and again: “It was the most memorable, relaxing vacation ever.”

A RECENT RENOVATION UPPED THE COURSE’S STATUS AMONG SERIOUS GOLFERS. TELL US ABOUT THE COURSE TODAY.

We are lucky to have two world-class golf professionals on staff. Nelson Long, who has been with us for decades, received the Bill Strausbaugh Award last year; and Ewan Peebles, our first director of golf, has competed in Europe and the Caribbean, winning the Tryall Pro Am last year with an even par score. The course is wonderful, as challenging as it is beautiful, with amazing views of the sea and majestic palms lining the fairways.