You absolutely must…
Must Eat
Try Little Ochie owned by Blackie, one of Jamaica’s great chefs. Vintage fishing boats fitted with tables and benches with thatched roofs have been raised on stilts to serve as very appropriate venues for fresh shrimp, lobster, crab or octopus. You choose your own sea beast from an array of ice boxes and then you tell the chef how you want it prepared.
Must Shop
For once forget the shopping and go fishing instead. Leave before dawn and come back with big fish such as Snapper King Fish and Grouper and even bigger stories
Must Visit
Pelican Bar, a hut on the shallow stretch of water, a mile out to sea is a must. It’s the creation of Flyd (Delroy Forbes) a local fisherman and it is a fantastic place to do a bit of snorkelling while Flyd cooks lunch (needs to be pre-arranged). The beaches and sights along the way are a bonus.
• Jakes is a romantic retreat, a spiritual haven and a party place all at the same time.
• A rare mix of chic sensuality and artistic flair sums up the accommodation at Jakes
The Whole Story
Named after Jake – her pet parrot – this is the story of one woman’s love for her beach. Treasure Beach was the place Sally Densham spent all her childhood holidays: swimming, fishing and doing nothing else much of significance played such a role in her life that she purchased the property in 1991 and personally set out to build an eclectic collection of thirty odd cottages influenced by India, Morocco and the Adobe architecture of the American South West.
The commitment to Treasure Beach is now in its second generation. Sally’s son Jason Henzell is currently Jakes‘ owner as well as the president of Chris Blackwell’s Island Outpost boutique hotel collection.
With thirty-one secluded cottages and twenty nine rooms sprinkled haphazardly along the edge of an idyllic beach, Jakes is a romantic retreat, a spiritual haven and a party place all at the same time.
First and foremost Jamaica should be fun, and in this category, Jakes is the island’s best bet. There is a personality to this place that is uniquely Jamaican. You could build the same cottage on an equally idyllic beach somewhere else in the Caribbean and it wouldn’t be the same. If Jakes had a motto it would be ‘camp chill’. It’s not surprising to discover that the father of the current owner was the man behind the hippest Caribbean film – The Harder they Come, featuring Jimmy Cliff.
The Rooms
With 31 secluded cottages and 29 rooms a rare mix of chic sensuality and artistic flair sums up the accommodation at Jakes. Whether it be a room or a small cottage, they are all created around the philosophy of barefoot bohemia. All the cottages are different in terms of colour, layout and décor, but they are all the same in that they are unmistakeably Jamaican and they follow the mantra ‘Life is too short’.
The One Bedroom Garden Cottage has one queen-size bed, CD player, Aveda products in the bathroom, in-room safes. No in-room TV or telephones to provide distractions. Sleeping a maximum of 2 adults. One bedroom Ocean View – are as before but with a private verandah and sitting out area by the sea.
Other room upgrades are Deluxe One Bedroom Garden, Deluxe One Bedroom Ocean View and Deluxe One Bedroom Oceanfront cottages. All one bedroom units sleep 2 adults.
Two bed Ocean view Cottage as above but with an extra separate twin bedroom. Sleeping a maximum of 4 people.