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Devon House

Devon House

Devon House
4.5
Historic SitesMonuments & StatuesGardens
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 1:00 PM
About
The 19th century home of George Stiebel, the first black millionaire in the Caribbean, Devon House presents a unique and extraordinary opportunity for multiple experiences in a center of excellence in the city of Kingston, Jamaica. It combines heritage, park facilities, restaurants and shopping for the best of what is authentically Jamaican. Here, the arts, education and entertainment co-exist to give Jamaicans and Tourists alike a space that appeals to all senses.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • Ella
    Sydney, Australia70 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good old house
    Lovely old(ish) house. Our tour guide was good and house was interesting - but don’t be expecting a very fancy and old castle. The included ice cream was truly delicious. We spent about an hour there altogether.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 December 2023
  • MMC_Lady
    London, United Kingdom158 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Best Ice Cream and Patties - You Must Go
    If you are going to be in Kingston or passing nearby, you have to detour to Devon House. A historically stately mansion that has become Jamaica's centre of gastronomy with several restaurants, cafes, takeaways, and artisan shops and a large square for eating and relaxing outside. You will not be disappointed, we went there in the evening and met up with family. We did not go into every place just the Ice Cream called Iscream Centre and the Bakery. I sampled a fair amount of ice cream before settling on a 3-scoop vanilla bean, grape nut, rum n' raisin, however, I could have chosen so many others. All delicious! Then to the bakery to pick up patties, cakes, and pastries for our trip out the following day. It was good we all shared and each one was great quality and sheer joy to eat. There is so much to do there, but time and family catch-up did not allow. The website is really useful. You will love this place! Please be aware of finding the correct entrance to Devon House, sat navs can let you down!
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 5 January 2024
  • Sarah J
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    great heritage site
    Visiting the Devon House Mansion was like stepping back into the 19th century with its beautifully preserved architecture and lush grounds. The guided tour was enlightening, detailing the rich history and cultural significance of this national monument. It's a place that truly deserves preservation for its educational and historical value, offering a tangible connection to Jamaica's past."
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled on business
    Written 22 April 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,119 reviews
Excellent
597
Very good
387
Average
115
Poor
13
Terrible
7

Yanita G
Toronto, Canada35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022 • Family
This was her first time at Devon House in Jamaica. We tried the beef, lobster, and shrimp patties. They were amazing. The dome/tent shape made these patty pastries hold more feelings inside. It had a wonderful light flaky crust which I adore. The filling was very flavourful it was not very spicy it had the right amount of spice and flavoring. I definitely recommend trying the lobster patties you had chunks of fresh lobster meat in it. It was a great experience definitely will return. We also had the fresh fruit juice in Apple, June plum, and coconut water. The apple and June plum was amazing and a must try. The coconut water was disappointing it tasted watered down. I was not pleased with that at all. We also tried a couple of the pastries we had the hummingbird cake which was a pineapple kind of remind me of a carrot cake with pineapple in it and spices with pecan and a cheese frosting it was quite delicious a bid on the street side but definitely good. The jelly roll was disappointing I think it was old it was a very or a bit tough dried. Did not enjoy it I didn’t finish that I threw that out. And the icebox cake I think it’s called it was delicious surprisingly it was the best it was like a fruit cocktail vanilla cake layered with frosting and rum it was quite delicious. That was my favourite out of all that we’ve tried. Overall the pastries are a bit sweet but definitely enjoyed it. The set up at seven horse is more like a small community and they have several shops kind of in a shape of a square there’s chairs that you can dine outside and enjoy the wonderful weather and sunshine there’s also shaded area I’m benches for you to sit on so it’s like a park setting and with his little shops on the side where you can indulge in his wonderful delicious treats. We were so full we didn’t get to try the famous ice cream. But we are definitely going to check that out when we hit or Ochi Rios.
Written 6 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SheilaW34
Corralejo, Spain9,106 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
First of all, don't believe Google Maps etc if you're walking. We'd come a long way and it was hot, so we were dismayed to be faced with a barred gate. Fortunately, as always, a passing Jamaican came to our aid and pointed us around the corner to the new entrance. Surely it wouldn't hurt to stick a notice on the gate???

The place has a great atmosphere and clearly does a lot for kids - they were just dismantling a Christmas activity area. Unfortunately, we discovered that there's no longer any regular live music there :( . But a few very cold beers saved our lives. And the grounds are really lovely.

We had a nice lunch in the Grog Shoppe restaurant (reviewed separately) but then things deteriorated somewhat. We wanted espresso coffee, which we've found is a major problem in Kingston. There was a coffee shop but we needed to queue twice and wait ages, and when it arrived it was undrinkable. Then we went on to what was supposed to be the highlight - ice cream. They wanted us to queue twice too, and decide exactly what we wanted before we'd even seen it! Maybe this is how you do things outside Europe (although it's only been like that iin America in our experience), but it isn't what we're used to. And when one of you has mobility problems it becomes downright intolerable, IMO.
Written 9 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael C
Aberdeen, UK40 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
A really enjoyable visit to Devon House accompanied by a guide. The house itself is beautiful and well maintained. It seemed to be quite extraordinary how the house builder and owner was able to replicate the designs and possessions of the wealthy classes in Europe.
Written 11 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

calidris1
Mount Holly, VT183 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Solo
Devon House shall remain an unknown as it was mostly closed all day Sunday. The grounds appear very pleasant but are also closed to visitors because of pre-covid "illicit activities" (?) there. The area with shops has been converted into a narrow plywood tunnel for "renovations" and most shops are closed on Sundays, just when people are free to visit. The I Scream ice cream shop was quiet until noon when a steady flow of customers came for their popular ice cream. My rum and raisin double scoop cone was excellent, a real rum flavor, worth the visit. Hint: if you want 2 scoops, get a single scoop and finish it before getting another single scoop cone and less ice cream will escape over your hand. The scoops are very generous!
Written 10 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sharon I
Stanmore, UK87 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Friends
What a waste of time. A total shambles. The visit was supposed to be 40mons ended up being 1.5hrs - a complete waste of time. The guide was screeching into a microphone in a confined space to try to show us around a house. After that we were suppose to have invaded either a Jamaican party or an ice cream. This lot couldn’t organise a proverbial
In a brewery. We went on an organised trip from a cruise ship. We have advised them to scrap this from their tours. Just don’t waste your time.
Written 4 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Deb P
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
We ended up getting an unintentionally private tour of Devon House (with Julie). I say that because noone arrived at the same time as us and as it turns out no other tours noone were in the house at the same time as us.

Julie (our guide) was absolutely lovely! Great energy, very friendly and just a lovely soul. Toured us around every room, answered all of questions and even offered additional suggestions for us to check out (if we had more time in Kingston).

Absolutely beautiful building - if you like history and architecture then you should visit.

The courtyard was full of restaurants - would have been a great place to spend some time (unfortunately it was the last stop on our tour and we needed to head out). We made sure to grab a patty for the drive home - SO DELICIOUS.
Written 3 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MIB-53
Larkhall, UK662 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Friends
This was a extremely interesting place to visit, due especially to its significance in Jamaican History. We were in a small tour group (4), which allowed us to ask more questions and take our time looking around and listening to a very well informed guide.

The building is very well preserved and beautifully laid out, it must have been an amazing estate in its time. A most enjoyable visit.

Afterwards we went to the Bakery and sampled some amazing Bread Pudding.
Written 18 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alecia HW
Rapid City 42 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Friends
I had my wedding at Devon House and I cannot sing their praises enough. The staff, Janet White in particular, was exceptional. She was very involved, very detail oriented and went above and beyond to ensure that my day was perfect. I literally cannot thank Janet and her staff enough. Planning a wedding from overseas is stressful and she made it doable without a wedding planner. They have very inclusive wedding packages that are reasonably priced. The venue is beautiful with perfectly manicured lawns and a pristinely kept mansion. A mansion tour was included for the guests during cocktail hour. Use them as a venue, you will not be disappointed!
Written 22 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

OllieGG
Exeter, UK29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019 • Friends
We visited Devon House with family in July 2018 and absolutely loved it. It was like a mini paradise in paradise! The famous ice cream was really tasty, plenty to see and lots of space to play outside. It was lovely to see children and schools playing in the fields and felt like a friendly place to take young ones. Would fully recommend.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sarah J
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Business
Visiting the Devon House Mansion was like stepping back into the 19th century with its beautifully preserved architecture and lush grounds. The guided tour was enlightening, detailing the rich history and cultural significance of this national monument. It's a place that truly deserves preservation for its educational and historical value, offering a tangible connection to Jamaica's past."
Written 22 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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DEVON HOUSE (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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