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Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Jamaica offers seclusion, relaxation, and entertainment for families on the Caribbean coast, at a very special place.

Transport a New England country club to a secluded Caribbean bay, add gracious Jamaican service and food, mix with equal parts elegance and comfort, and you'll land at Round Hill. The gentle atmosphere invites you to do nothing or everything: sailing, paddle boating, sea kayaking, snorkeling on the coral reef, scuba diving, water skiing and tubing, tennis clinics with your kids, even a boat trip to Montego Bay's Margaritaville.

Round Hill Hotel is the antithesis of the all-inclusive approach, even though most non-motorized activities and the kids' club are included. A near perfect combination of atmosphere, activities and relaxation, Round Hill Hotel and Villas doesn't overwhelm you like larger resorts - rather, it effortlessly insinuates itself into your soul and makes you feel right at home. A very pricey home, perhaps decorated by Ralph Lauren (one of the villa owners).

The small resort is comprised of 27 newly-refurbished villas, containing two to five suites each, that dot the hillside above the beach. Most villas include small pools, and each has a kitchen where a housekeeper prepares cooked-to-order breakfasts for your family and takes care of the day's cleaning and laundry.

Families can also choose to stay at newly renovated two-storied, 36-room Pineapple House Hotel, where all chic rooms overlook the ocean. Rooms are furnished from the Ralph Lauren Home Collection and feature a four-poster mahogany bed and white stone floors. Round Hill generously offers a summer and fall Family Plan, when parents staying in the Pineapple House can get an adjoining room at half price for children uner 12, plus five hours of complimentary daily nanny service.

Since the villas are owned by individual families and many staff members have been there for decades, Round Hill exudes a sense of permanence and grace that is lacking in most modern resorts. Round Hill's seclusion, small size and lack of crowds also creates a marvelous feeling of safety and peace of mind - we actually allowed our kids to head back to our villa on their own one evening while we talked over a nightcap, something we wouldn't do even in our own neighborhood.

Although meals are served only on the terrace or in the outdoor dining room overlooking the water, we never tired of the setting or choices. While not every dish was a smash, the food was quite a step above other Caribbean resorts, and a $170/day meal plan is available. Island resorts would do well to emulate Round Hill's Jamaican buffet night and its classier version of Jamaican entertainment (limbo, fire breathing, steel drums). And the kids menu was one of the largest we've encountered - and it offered vegetables!

The complimentary Pineapple Kids Club (ages 3 to 12) is housed in a petite villa that caters primarily to younger kids, focusing on arts and crafts, yoga, talent shows, reggae lessons, donkey rides and story time. It is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Nannies are available for a very modest $7 per hour for up to two children. All of Round Hill's nannies are mothers themselves and train with the resort's head nanny who has been with Round Hill for many years. In addition, they all are CPR and first aid certified. Many kids simply roam with the seasoned, charming nannies from pool to beach to villa to tennis, while parents play or enjoy the newly built, adults-only spa and exercise room, overlooking a gem of a pool and the blue bay. During its recent $6 million renovation, Round Hill added a three-tier infinity pool, including a spa pool and wading pool for the children. Round Hill also offers an attractive large screen TV/movie room and a library with Internet access and, unfortunately, no children's books.

From the placid beach to the stunning sunsets to the smiling staff, Round Hill is exceptional. Of all the resorts we've visited, with or without kids, we're hard pressed to recommend another more highly.