Golden Rock is home to more than 50 species of palms, including many that are rarely or no longer found in nature including the Talipot Palm (Corypha umbracullifera), Yaray Palm (Copernicia fallaensis) and Guano Palm (Coccothrinax borhidiana). Native plants and grasses are found alongside exotic flowering trees and bushes like the pagoda flower (Clerodendrum paniculatum, native to tropical Asia), and sausage tree (Kigelia africana, found in tropical Africa).  Golden Rock features a noteworthy collection of cycads (order Cycadales), seed plants with a passing resemblance to palms and ferns that are sadly in worldwide decline.  Fossil records for these amazing plants date back approximately 280 million years.

Wildlife enthusiasts will be delighted to explore this oasis with the other creatures who inhabit it:  green vervet monkeys; bats; avian species including the purple-throated carib and Antillean crested hummingbird, bananaquit, bullfinch, and kestrel; as well as several types of small amphibians and reptiles.

Expansive plantings overlook Windward sea views of the islands of Montserrat, Redonda, and Antigua.  In the other direction lies the inactive volcano Mount Nevis, the central geological feature of the island.  Sunset over its peak casts the brilliant glow that gives the hotel its name.  A visit to Golden Rock engages all the senses with the earthy musk that follows passing rain, the creaking bamboo and rustling of palm fronds, and the wondrous calls of the tree frogs (Antilles coqui) who emerge by late afternoon and begin to crescendo by night’s fall.