Dream House | A world-class seaside escape

Can we trust our eyes, or are they playing tricks on us? Does this out-of-this-world property exist in reality? Yes, it secretly does, and it will come as a surprise to many who pass its location on the western boundary of the White River Fish Sanctuary in Ocho Rios, St Ann, unknowingly, every day.

How does one find it? You don’t, but it has found its way to you today, revealing, beyond belief, its one-of-a-kind existence, perched directly on the seafront. A synthesis of architecture and water, intricately designed and sculpted by the marvel of the Almighty and the creative genius of man.

A mega-sized 9,000-square-foot house of our time, receiving wholeheartedly the outdoor environment with its extensive use of sliding glass openings, offering 180-degree seascape vistas and maximum ventilation and bathes the interiors with the glories of natural sunlight.

An understated yet elegant, outdoor-indoor living and recreational premium space that refreshes and heals the human spirit, leaving you in a mild, meditative state,

Here is the sum total of its architectural layout: a covered front-door entry, a sunken floor, a double-height ceiling sitting area, and an 18-seater dining section, all opening to viewing verandahs with hanging chairs. The chef’s commercial kitchen features a stainless steel island counter. Added to all this is the games room (with a pool table), and a home theatre room. Significant Jamaican art pieces adorn walls throughout.

Sleep away peacefully in all of eight air-conditioned bedroom suites, taking delight in their own verandahs and private balconies, each with an en suite quartz bathroom with glass panels and rain showers. It continues with a screened outdoor soaking tub and rainshower.

Various outdoor, upper and lower terraces excite, such as the almond tree-shaped terrace that provides a barbecue grilling station, overlooking the private beach. An infinity-edge swimming pool makes a splash with an in-pool, suntanning ledge, including a relaxation sea deck at water’s edge, with steps leading down into the sea. It also accommodates its own hot tub for 14 of the most fortunate individuals. There is still more — an outdoor, trellised dining area, a large manmade sandpit with chaise lounges, and pickleball and tennis courts. Snorkelling and kayaking are among the many indulgences on offer.

This two-thirds of an acre leisure and aquatic playground was built in 2020. We know of humans’ innate, magical attraction to water, and Irish physicist and geologist, John Joly, once aptly quoted, “The sea is one of the most beautiful and magnificent sights in nature”.

Small wonder the house has been internationally recognised as one of Jamaica’s, and the Caribbean’s leading luxury private residences. The owner is entrepreneur and developer John Bailey.

Barry Rattray is a dream house designer and builder. Email feedback to barryrattray1@hotmail.com and lifestyle@gleanerjm.com.