My wife and I went to Strawberry Fields for our 25th wedding anniversary. We wanted to get a real Jamaican experience instead of staying at an all inclusive. We made the right decision. Kim and her staff were wonderful. My wife and I got the package with the Moolight Magic Cottage, breakfast and lunch and 2 full day and 2 half day tours. The experience was way beyond our expectations. The food was excellent and the tours were fascinating. We highly recommend the tours. The Moonlight Cottage overlooks the ocean and the sound of the ocean going to sleep everynight was wonderful. On the day of our anniversary Kim and her staff set up a table for us at our cottage with candlelight, wine, and a great meal. It made for an extra special anniversary. If you enjoy nature Strawberry Fields is the place to go. I am a bird watcher and between walking around Strawberry Fields and the tours I had 53 species including 15 of Jamaica's endemics. All these were seen with little effort. Just around Strawberry Fields were Jamaican Woodpecker, Jamaican Oriole, Jamaican Vireo, and lots of Red-biled Streamertails, the national bird of Jamaica. My wife and I hope to go back someday to Strawberry Fields. Even if we don't it's nice to know that there is a place like Strawberry Fields.

Celebrated 50th year of life here as gift from my son. Kim Chase and her partner Everett were fantastic hosts. The cottage (Cockatiel) we had was not modern by any means but clean and comfortable. The ATV tour was spectacular and the beach side lunch was better than a meal at any 5 star restaraunt here in the states. The property at Strawberry Fields is maintained in pristine condition with flowers and natural Jamaica surrounding it. We hiked through the rain forest on several occassions along the coast viewing the mountains and beautiful crystal blue waters of the Carribean. We also visited many of the local parishes on our own and took a day trip to Kingston to the Bob Marley museum. With the help of some locals we were able to buy fresh fish just caught by local fisherman in Robins Bay which we cooked out on an open fire near the beach at Strawberry Fields. On two occassions we had meals prepared by Kim Chase's staff which were simply delicious both vegan and non vegan.I highly reccomend Strawberry Fields if your an adventurous type or simply want to escape from the hustle and stress of everyday life. We plan on returning..and this time I am bringing my grandkids..no video games...no television..no phones..just the natural surroundings of the "real" Jamaica...Thanks Kim and all your staff for a memorable time..

First off I am giving Strawberry Fields Together formerly Sonrise Beach Retreat a five for a rating because the overall stay was wonderful, no place can beat the hospitality and great people there. My husband and I went to SFT for our honeymoon 7/2/07-7/9/07. First off if you are looking for disco's, partying, confining yourself to a resort, crazy tourists, people begging you, American food DON"T Go here, go to SANDALS!!! HOWEVER, If you are looking for great hospitality, peace, relaxation, true ocean beauty, awesome adventure tours, and great JAMAICAN food GO HERE!!!!!!
1. Hospitality: First of all the owner Kim was great from the beginning, she was very accomodating in keeping in contact when I booked the place. Most other places would not get back to me with questions and I had so many. She picked us up, brought us to a vegetarian restaurant in Kingston, where we saw a famous Jamaican musician, Luciano!!! Nothing like starting off a Jamaican experience. Then she brought us shopping in local markets which was awesome because, my husband and I really wanted to experience Jamaican culture. She stopped off at this Botanical Garden and we got a tour from an amazing man who knew everything in the gardens. She told us all about what we were seeing on the sides of the road and answered my million questions about Jamaica without annoyance. Kim made the ride to SFT enriching. Now to go on about GG, Nicky, Sherri(sp?), Everton, Moses and everyone there who made our stay so wonderful. First of all GG is awesome and a great cook, not to mention a great tour guide (I will get to that later). Sherri also a great cook, did such a great job cleaning our room! Nicky makes an amazing bean dish and is really fun too. Everton is so nice and does awesome tours. Moses is Kim's son and he is so fun. Since there weren't many people there at first, they served us dinner on their verandah, where Kim lives, You can not get more hospitaltiy than that. It was like having a family meal, but being served, we had so many great conversations. Also, this is the best, GG went out of his way at night to get us soy ice cream, SO NICE!!!!

Food: AMAZING! First of all my husband and I are vegans and Kim told us she can accomodate us, boy did they. We had fresh fruits and vegetables, soy meats and tofu, roti, coconut pancakes (awesome, my favorite), plantains, dumplings, callilou, ackee, breadfruit, jackfruit. There was so much variety and they were always accomodating. A true Jamaican food experience! They also served coffee and tea and juices. If you eat meat don't fret, they had plenty of meat, Chicken, goat, and traditional breakfast with bacon and eggs and the like.

The grounds and Cottage: We stayed in Jared's Dreammaker Cottage (hand built by Kim's oldest son). AWESOME, try to stay there, or they also have other cottages on the ocean and the mini spa suite. Our Cottage had double doors that opened to a gorgeous ocean view and life saving ocean breeze, believe me it's hot in Jamaica but the breeze saves you! The cottage is awesome it is made out of granite and stone, the details are artistic. We had our own kitchenette which we hardly used because our meals were served to us but it was good to have a fridge for water and juice. We shared a private beach with the Deluxe cottage, it is so gorgeous and the water is warm and refreshing, there is an undertow so it's nice to lay out at or wade in it. The other beach for the whole resort is breathtaking and better for swimming. Goats are everywhere, which we loved, we tried to befriend them but it didn't work. There are plenty of places to walk and it is so lush. the lily pond is so awesome.

The Tours: First of all the tours are intimate, it was just us and the guide, so it is personal and fun. The first tour we did was River Water Therapy, great to relax, we went to Ziggy Marley's land and relaxed in the water and rode the river rapids on our butts, had great fun wth GG and Moses. The second tour we did was the ATV Tour, YOU MUST DO THIS!!!!! Is is the most beautiful waterfall, Paradise (Moses hates that word but it's true), again private and beautiful, you must be able to hike 15 minutes, but you must go! Everton is such an ATV pro and so nice. Third tour, Port Antonio in Portland, Blue Lagoon a must do and gorgeous!!!! Shopping in town, great. Our fourth trip was the Blue Mountains, a must do, so pristine, and a great relief from the heat. GG brought us on tours because Kim was sick and we had so much fun. Nicky even snuck on to one of them and she made sure the food we ate was good. All the tours were natural Jamaica that only locals know about, are free of commercialization. There were so many fruit stands run by locals that you can stop at. The roads are SCARY, but nothing like adventure!!!!!

Overall, we had so much fun and a true Jamaican experience, I can't say enough about the people. They are so laid back and so friendly and polite, you will hear "yeah mon" so many times. GG and Kim even called us to say hello after we got home to see how we were doing. We made friends! Again this is a rural part of east Jamaica, you can take a trip to Ocho Rios but I hear it's very crowded, we decided to have a relaxing and true Jamaican honeymoon and that is what we got. If anyone would like to contact us with questions, please feel free.

Lina and Joe

I have been going to Jamaica consistently for almost 30 years over 2.5 dozen times. I decided to get away from the tourist areas completely and try something different.
I found Sonrise Retreat the old Strawberry Fields property. Kim Chase is the owner and resides with her family on the property.
This is the ‘real’ Jamaica! 18 acres on thousands of ocean frontage with 6 little cute cottages. This property also allows camping.
I rented the ‘deluxe’ cottage with private swim sand cove. The cottage was very cute but dated (I didn’t care but just so you know). It is a hexagon shaped cottage with a small kitchenette, couch, table and chairs, toilet and sink, and double bed on the main floor. The second floor loft has a double bed and a single bed. The shower is outside facing the ocean with the mountains in the background. It comes with hot water also! It sits beside its own private beach. It also has a deck facing the ocean with a table and chairs. Unfortunately it does not have a covered deck. There are screens on all the louvered windows which are a plus. The double bed was very comfortable. There is no a/c and it was not needed. There is quite a breeze off the ocean and excellent cross ventilation. There are no TV’s or stereos. There is a stereo system at one of the pavilions but not in the cottages. The kitchen was quite basic but did provide a coffee maker, small fridge, stove, toaster and kettle.
The property is very nice. Kim offers a lot of things to do. They have ATV tours, jeep tours, and horse back riding tours, tours to Ochi, and tours to Port Antonio. Lots of things to do and Kim will try and make you happy whatever you decide you want to do she will try and accommodate your wishes.
There is a fairly large sand beach for all to use. I’m guessing about 500 ft or more. There are kayaks there. There is a large bbq/bonfire pit. And a very large pavilion with picnic tables. Another open air pavilion with ping pong table and more tables. A large kitchen area is attached to the second pavilion.
Above the kitchen area is the honeymoon suite. It is not a hot tub but it does have a Jacuzzi jet tub overlooking the ocean. This suite is elevated and has a large porch overlooking the ocean.
In front of the kitchen/honeymoon suite is a gazebo on the rocks. This would be perfect for a baptism, wedding, or vow renewal.
There are also public washrooms and showers. This is available for the two cottages without washrooms and for campers and day trippers.
I liked the naturalness of this property. The wide open spaces. The spectacular views and the privacy. There is nothing to fear here, and no people trying to sell you anything!
The food at the main house is made fresh and is simple but very good. I had a choice of fish, vegetarian or chicken dishes. I had stir fry veggies and tofu, brown stew chicken (the best), curried chicken. My company had fish. I had eggs most mornings and once I had coconut pancakes. I enjoyed all the food I had there.
This property could not be more local friendly. Kim’s son is married to a Jamaican lady. Jamaican’s are welcomed here no question.
In my opinion this property is for those who wish to see one of the original famous spots on the island. For anyone wanting to escape the tourism feel. A great spot for family reunions, weddings, picnics, parties etc.
The weather is uncharacteristically poor during my stay. It rained solid for 4 days (I was told it had been raining for 3.5 weeks). Due to the massive waves I could not go in the ocean. Also the cottage I rented did not have a covered porch.
I would recommend the private cottage and for the others cottage 5 has the best unobstructed view of the ocean.
Strawberry Fields certainly offered what I was looking for: a non tourist, quiet, relaxing, no stress, PRIVATE vacation. Thanks Kim and staff.
There are plans for a Strawberry Fields reunion in 2008. Please PM me if you are interested in attending.