For most of us, a staff of three is far from the stuff of everyday life. But when were vacations supposed to reflect our normal routines?

By renting an upscale villa on your next trip, that butler/driver, cook, housekeeper/laundress can be yours, along with gorgeous surroundings, a pool shared only by those you choose, and perhaps even a private dock.

While such perks come with a hefty price tag, most villa guests travel with family or friends. Split the weekly rate several ways and per day costs drop below many a five-star resort or hotel. Since most villas boast four to six bedrooms, there’s ample privacy plus the pleasure of good company when you want it. A recent sample of the good life at three Jamaican villas, all members of Elegant Resorts International, convinced me that this is a travel option guaranteed to please.

My introduction to life in the lush lane began in Port Antonio, a relaxed, ecologically friendly gem often dubbed "Jamaica’s best kept secret," "virgin Caribbean," and a "hidden hideaway." Curving around turquoise waters with the Blue Mountains rising in the background, the glistening white of the Blue Lagoon Villas stood out sharply against sea and sky. A nearby reef insured calm waters.

Nautilus, my home for all too short a time, faced the sea and mountains. From the comfortably furnished living room, a wall of glass doors opened onto a columned veranda with inviting cushiony lounges. A few steps further led to a private dock from which guests can swim, launch the waiting kayak or take scuba lessons. Good swimmers could set off for Pelou Island, formerly owned by Princess Nina Aga Khan, the beaches of San San or Dragon Bay Hotel.

Windows stretched along two sides of my bedroom and a little silver bell waited on the sideboard in the dining room, the better to summon the butler when it was time for the next course. It soon became clear a villa stay was nothing like home.

To "make life easy," as managing director Ernst Forstmayr put it, the first breakfast is included in the room rate. After that, it’s simply a matter of telling the staff what you fancy that day. Shopping receipts are kept and guests settle up on departure. Breakfast on the veranda or in the dining room, dinner at 5:00, 8:00 or whatever, dress up or dine in shorts or a robe—it’s your villa.

Most guests enjoy lunch at the Blue Lagoon restaurant, a few minutes’ walk from the villas. Known for true Jamaican fare cooked over pimento wood, the eatery overlooks the legend-filled lagoon whose depths are said to be bottomless. Statistics, however, put it at 198 feet.

Forstmayr profiled Blue Lagoon’s guests as very well-traveled, especially in the Caribbean’s most exclusive spots. Still, he added, they have a few "wows!" for the villas and view. The biggest challenge, he declared, is getting them out of their villas for rafting, hiking, caving, biking, birdwatching, deep sea fishing. sight-seeing or taking advantage of temporary membership at Dragon Bay Beach Club. For those who do venture out, a car, complimentary except for an insurance fee, comes with the villa.

If money is no object or you’re in the mood to really splurge, consider a Sunday champagne brunch at Strawberry Hill, a Georgian style hotel in the Blue Mountains. It’s not the lunch that’s so costly, but the helicopter which whirls you away from Blue Lagoon’s private heli-pad.

In 1998, part of an Anthony Hopkins film was shot here. That same year, Boyz II Men filmed their video "Doing Just Fine" at the lagoon, with the musicians floating on a bamboo raft.

In Nautilus’ guest comment book, former U.S. ambassador to Jamaica, Gary Cooper, wrote, "I just may become the ambassador who never left." While I felt like the tourist who never wanted to leave, it was on to Ocho Rios and my next round on pampering. Of course, I fell in love all over again with my new surroundings.

Prospect Plantation Villas, comprising five seafront homes secluded from one another by trees and tropical vegetation, are part of Prospect Plantation, a 980-acre estate. While each of the villas has its distinct charm, Eight Rivers’ spacious white and pastel rooms filled with Jamaican art and multiple flower arrangements, its picture-perfect gazebo and pool flanked by yellow and red hibiscus completely won me over. Add to that, a staff who arranged blossoms atop my napkins, bathroom linens, even the beach towels; prepared great meals plus presented and served then beautifully, and chauffeured me on a shopping expedition. And of course, Ashley, the butler, showed me early on where the buzzer to summon him was located.

For further indulgence, guests can order up in-villa massages, manicures or hair styling or arrange for scuba and snorkeling pick-up from their private dock. They could opt for tennis, miniature golf or guided horseback rides, all on the plantation property which also boasts three miles of walking trails. At no extra cost, guests can join a guided plantation tour, which offers interesting tidbits about the estate’s history and its numerous plant species along with an insight into local humor.

My big decisions mainly consisted of choosing the best place to stretch out at any given moment. A tempting veranda ran the length of the living and dining rooms while more lounges waited by the pool. I could walk through the garden to the gazebo, plop down on the living room sofa or float on my back in the pool gazing at a cumulus-filled sky. Since a private patio adjoined each bedroom, I was faced with yet another choice. Need I add that life was good?

As someone who lives on Lean Cuisine, as much from laziness as calorie counting, Maureen’s meals were a special treat. Lunches and dinners included pasta or chef’s salads, carrot soup, spicy chicken, fresh vegetables, small pieces of beef over rice and beans, bananas with whipped cream and cheese cake. One evening, Ashley threaded long-stemmed flowers along the backs of our chairs and shaped furry red plants into hearts for a centerpiece. Another day, flower petals were shattered over the table. "I don’t feel everything is correct if I don’t do this," he explained.

Perhaps such special touches are to be expected, considering that staff at Prospect Plantation’s villas have perfected their pampering skills with such guests as Prince Edward, Henry Kissinger and Drew Barrymore.

For guests who stay at least a week, transfers from and to the Montego Bay airport are included. As Andrew Grant, general manager of Prospect Plantation Villas, put it, "It’s nice for guests to be greeted on arrival by the same person who will look after them during their stay."

Although I next headed for Montego Bay, fortunately, it was to Springfarm Villas, not the airport. Situated across the road from the Half Moon Golf, Tennis & Beach Club, villa guests enjoy free access to the resort’s facilities as well as a 50% reduction on greens fees at its Robert Trent Jones-designed championship golf course. My villa, Caribbean Fairways, was well-named, as it is situated directly on the course. A short walk led to the clubhouse.

For those too sedentary to amble across the road, a shuttle operates between the clubhouse and Half Moon. With my own pool, gazebo and attentive staff, my resort visit was limited to a tour of its grounds, recreational offerings (everything from horseback riding and aerobics to scuba and windsurfing) and attractive public spaces and guest rooms. I was more than content to call Caribbean Fairways home. Evidently, the feeling is common. According to Clive Lee, general manager of Elegant Resorts International, while membership privileges at Half Moon are a big selling point, many guests end up spending most of the time at their villas.

I did rouse myself enough to check out several of Springfarm’s villas. Some were positively palatial. All featured multiple bedrooms, each with private bath; verandas or terraces; a pool; sea views and a light sense of openness. At least two boasted their own tennis courts. Each has a night watchman and one or more staff members sleep on the premises.

Heinz Simonitsch, chairman of Elegant Resorts International, feels that an "outstanding, well-trained staff" is a key component of a villa stay. Or as Forstmayr phrased it, "Villa guests have the luxury of being totally surrounded by service." After a week of pampering, I couldn’t agree more.

If you go....
Rates at Blue Lagoon Villas run $3,600 to $10,000 per week, depending on the villa and season. This includes a car, airport pick-up, welcome champagne, first breakfast, welcome bar, kayak, paddle boat and taxes.

Rates at Prospect Plantation Villas range from $2,850 to $12,350 per week and include a car, taxes, airport transfers and welcome refreshment.

Rates at Springfarm Villas run $4,550 to $8,750 per week and include a car, airport transfers and taxes.

Staff gratuities are additional. Many villas accept guests for as few as three days.

For information and reservations, call Elegant Resorts International at (800) 237-3237.

Images by Joyce Dalton