Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

Jakes Place is more to Treasure Beach than another bar and hotel on the beach. Jakes Place is more like an institution with a following of not only tourists from around the world but a great mix of locals as well. Jakes is without a doubt the hottest spot in Treasure Beach with much going on from breakfast in the morning to late night parties on the beach and dancing under the star lit skies of night. The compound is pretty large actually and covers the bar, 2 restaurants and 38 cottages that were created by theatrical designer Sally Henzell nestled just off the beaches of Frenchmans Cove.
Jakes is not a cheap place to stay in Treasure Beach and the rooms here will set you back upwards of $200 per night but you’re living in the lap of luxury in one of the most attractive resorts on the South Coast of Jamaica and amongst some of the best people in the world. The rooms offer the very best in amenities including the following:
Verandas with garden views or decks over the sea
CD players and CD libraries
Architectural details include Moroccan domes and arches
In-room safes and hair dryers
No in-room telephones or TVs to provide distraction
Wireless Internet access in main areas (dinning room, poolside, lobby, bar & games room )
Most of the residents of Treasure Beach are members of a few large families in the are and most everyone knows everyone as a brother, sister or cousin of some sort. You may notice some of the people around town have a unique look to them. You will see what are known as the “Treasure Beach Reds” which are red skinned Jamaicans with freckles, blondish hair, and green eyes.
Jakes is a part of the Island Outpost network of rental properties and attractions in Jamaica and owners Sally and Jason are supporters of a variety of not for profit organizations in Jamaica as well as socially responsible community based tourism and development. They are founders of Breds.org, a non-profit association established by local community leaders with the assistance of Peace Corps Volunteers in 1998 to promote Education, Sports, Cultural Heritage, and Environmental awareness in Treasure Beach. The term “Breds”, short for Brethren, is commonly used by locals hailing each other on the local fishing beaches. They get bonus points in my book for being one of the more socially responsible companies on the island.
Jakes is not the only reason people know about Treasure Beach but it certainly is the most popular. Many of the visitors to town are drawn in by the stories of previous guests about the best Jamaica vacations they have ever taken. Jakes has been the biggest draw in Treasure Beach for many years now and no visit to town is complete without dropping in for a meal, a drink and some good conversations with folks from all over the world.

The Jack Sprat Cafe on Jack Sprat Beach is an excellent place for lunch or dinner when you visit Treasure Beach. They offer good food at great prices in one of the most picturesque environments around. We arrived just before evening as the sun was setting on us and the colors of the beach and sky were simply amazing. I don’t think it comes through in web ready photos just how beautiful it really was.

The menu is pretty simple and they specialize in fish served either as brown stew, escovietch, fried, curry, steamed or grilled with bammy and your favorite cool beverage. They also offer lobster, shrimp and conch grilled, curried, garlic and creole style rounding out a nice seafood menu. The evening specials for our night there were a delicious conch soup and seapuss (octopus) served with rice and beans.

The kids were hungry so we took advantage of their lunch menu and grabbed a simple pizza and some sodas. I did order a bowl of the conch soup though as already mentioned it was delicious. They put a lot of spice and flavoring in their conch and the meat is ground fine so the flavor permeates the broth better. It was an excellent bowl of conch soup and only $150 jamaican dollars or about $2 US. The pizza set me back $600 for a large one topping cheese and the kids were pleased with it.

You can literally walk right out onto the beach from the cafe and there are showers available to cafe clients so you can spend a day at the beach and shower for the price of a great lunch. Next time I’ll try to make it for the Sunday Fish Fry held each weekend where you can eat fresh fried fish to order and watch locals play a game of dominos or bingo. They also sell Devon House “I-Scream” and lots of other snacks, cakes and treats. Jack Sprat Cafe and Beach are an excellent and affordable way to spend a day in Treasure Beach on a budget without missing out on anything.

View more pics of the sunset at Jack Sprat Beach in our photo gallery right here!

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Karibu Cottage in Treasure Beach Jamaica is a simple place to stay just a couple minutes walk to the beach at Frenchmans Cove but located in the hills above it all where the wind blows down from the Santa Cruz Mountains and keeps things a bit cooler than it gets right down on the beach. You can access the beach alongside Golden Sands at no charge and spend the day strolling the beaches or relaxing on the veranda out front.

Karibu is centrally located to all the Treasure Beach offers in a quiet spot away from the traffic of the main road. The property is surrounded by farmlands and the closet thing to a neighbor are goats and cattle on the adjacent lots. The property is rocky and uneven with ample parking but not much for nice walking spaces.

The rooms in Karibu are small and simple with little more than a bed, window and fan in them. Our room even lacked a dresser or any place to store clothing etc. The common or shared kitchen and bath were clean and sufficient. The shared kitchen comes with a gas stove and a small electric refrigerator and enough pots and pans to make most meals.

Karibu Cottage is a great choice for budget minded travelers looking for a quiet and inexpensive place nearby the beaches in Treasure Beach.

Click here for more pics from Karibu Cottage in Treasure Beach Jamaica.

Although we were on a budget during our trip to Treasure Beach I did entertain other rooms to rent besides Sandy Hill or Karibu Cottage where we finally stayed. While looking around the area we were directed to the Golden Seas Guest House for access to the beach at Frenchmans Cove. We decided to take a stroll down the beach with the kids after two hours in the van so we parked on the road in front of Golden Sands. We walked alongside of Golden Sands Beach Resort on the road beside it as we made our way to the beach. The view of the area from behind the resort is superb and you have easy access to a great walk down the beach on Frenchmans Cove.

While poking around the backside and debating what to do with the rest of our afternoon I decided to look around Golden Sands guest house and inquire as to what they had available for a room and what the rates where. The Golden Sands guesthouse was booked out as well and only had one room available for us at $90 per evening for a huge three bedroom suite with a balcony overlooking the Caribbean. It was way more room than we needed and for the money I would much rather take in some activity the next day then to spend so much for a room to sleep in for the night. If we had plans to spend some time in the area and we’re looking for one nice place to stay then things may be different and I would certainly consider this place. As it was we were looking for something more budget priced and we did not need to be directly on the beach like Golden Sands beach resort is so we went with the offer Prof made us for Karibu instead.

If you are looking for a nice place to stay on the beach in Treasure Beach then consider Golden Sands Guest House.

I’m always looking for the cheapest way to travel in Jamaica for many reasons. Not only do I enjoy providing this information to our readers but the most obvious of course is to save money for myself and our family as we travel around Jamaica. We are certainly not wealthy people and living in Jamaica is not cheap. Traveling around Jamaica becomes considerably more expensive when you consider it’s not me alone but the wife and two young children I travel with. If it were me alone I would travel much cheaper and take full advantage of our van and tent. With kids its different and we need things like a shower, toilet and bed to really enjoy our travels. Not to say we can’t rough it in a tent or even the van for a couple days but its certainly not as enjoyable for the family as a whole. Dad always enjoys it!

Our trip to Treasure Beach was organized in a hurry and I did not put in much time for planning accommodations or a variety of activities. I was not even sure how long we would stay but we needed an affordable room for at least the first night we arrived in TB just because It had been some time since my last visit to the area and I wanted the family to enjoy things. Not knowing where to sleep would make it difficult for us to enjoy ourselves. I was hopeful I could find something like a campground when we arrived but I was never able to do so. Someone in Treasure Beach must allow tent camping but I did not find a specific place.

My favorite Jamaica travel guide suggests a visit to Sandy Hill Cottages for an inexpensive option for rooms in Treasure Beach so we decided to give it a try. We got to TB in the late afternoon and made straight for Sandy Hill which is located in Frenchmans Cove or at about the middle of what is known as Treasure Beach. It’s not on the beach but rather up the hills and above the beach on cliffs a few hundred feet above sea level. From the rear deck at Sandy Hill you can hear the sea crashing on the rocks below and watch the sun set over lush landscape and the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains before you.

Sandy Hill is owned and operated by a simple man named Prof who also runs Kirabu Cottage just next door. When we arrived at Sandy Hill with no reservations we were met by Prof who offered us a room next door at Kirabu for a discounted rate because he was full up at Sandy Hill and had no rooms available for the evening. A one night stay at Sandy Hill in the main house will set you back about $30US for the night with a shared kitchen and common area. I got a look into the rooms some people were living in and they seemed great but I took no pictures with all of their things in it. I asked about tent camping and Prof told me sure but the only space he had available was a rocky patch of dirt by the parking lot that was certainly not ready for tent sleeping.

Sandy Hill and Kirabu are just a short walk down the hill to Golden Sands Resort and free access to Frenchmans Cove and Beach. For inexpensive accommodations in Treasure Beach you can’t find much for a better deal than Sandy Hill.

View more photos in the Sandy Hill Treasure Beach Jamaica Photo gallery