Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

Jamaica is a unique place with a mystique and allure unlike any other Caribbean Island. Jamaica vacations are popular for people from all over the world who want to experience the culture and lifestyle or at least what they believe those things to be.

Travel to Jamaica is a wonderful way to enjoy a vacation and each year more and more people visit “The Land of Woods and Water” for some fun in the sun. Jamaica is unique in many ways and the popular idea of a laid back “No Problem Mon” attitude for everyone can lead to issues for some visitors.

In order to help make your vacation a likkle nicer we are going to list a number of top tips and advice for Jamaica vacations for anyone from a first time visitor to a long time friend.

Tip #1
Bring your camera and use it wisely

Everyone loves a vacation but often times many of us are having so much fun we neglect to record it on film or camera and as time passes so do those wonderful memories. A digital camera with enough batteries and memory cards to cover you time here can help create and maintain a lifetime of good memories but be careful. Everyone may like looking at your pictures of Jamaica but not every jamaican wants there photo taken. Be kind and ask before taking photos of people in public. Be polite and honest and you should have no problem but on occasion you will find someone who is adamant you not take their photo and its just better to ask then offend.

Tip #2
Plan your trip before you arrive and verify everything

Jamaica is a great place for a spur of the moment vacation and you can easily visit the island with little or no planning at all but in order to best enjoy your Jamaican vacation we suggest you lay out some basic plans for how to spend your time along with the more important things to do in any for of itinerary you think you need. You do not have to overplan your vacation but it is certainly wise to organize some aspects including accommodations, transportation and tours. Things change often in Jamaica and the wonderful bed and breakfast you stayed at on your first visit may not be the same place it was just 2 years later. Proper planning can help avoid these type of disappointments and make for a better vacation experience. Some of us get so into the laid back lifestyle we never leave the hotel and we end up not doing half the stuff we wanted to and that leads to regrets and hopefully more trips but a little planning and you can make your tours blend into your airport transfers and make the most of your time in Jamaica.

Tip #3
When in Jamaica, do as Jamaicans do!

Everyone has their idea of the perfect vacation and we would never judge your vacation preferences but many visitors to Jamaica miss out on the wonderful cultural experiences of the “Real Jamaica” outside the walls of the all inclusive resorts and far away from the “Fake Jamaica” some of these places offer. There is nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy the beautiful facilities of these walled fortresses but take a day or two to enjoy life outside the compound. Book a tour with a local Jamaican or drop into a local Jamaican restaurant and dine like Jamaicans do. The real beauty of Jamaica can only be found by living Jamaican.

Tip #4
Respect yourself and others mon

A vacation is often a well deserved break we give ourselves each year and sometimes some of us take the well deserved part a likkle to serious. Some people come to Jamaica with the idea that someone owes them something. These people act as if the world is theirs and the people around them are there to do whatever ridiculous request they can come up with because “i’m on vacation”. It’s an attitude like that which will lead to a horrible vacation. treating people like slaves in a country with such a horrible history of slavery won’t get you very far no matter what you paid them.

Tip #5
Buy Jamaican Build Jamaica

Jamaica is a part of what was once called the Third World. The politically correct phrase is developing nation these days but the harsh reality of the economic conditions make it feel like another world in many ways. Jamaica is a beautiful country with a wealth of natural resorces and beauty but things are not good for the average Jamaican. Tourism is the driving force in the jamaican economy but very few Jamaicans own the large prosperours hotels and resorts. most Jamaicans work for the tourism industry as drivers, maids, servants and entertainment staff and hospitality jobs are about the only legal way any Jamaican has to make money on the tourist that arrive here. If you have the opportunity to do so we suggest you travel to Jamaica and live with Jamaicans. Find a local resort or hotel that is Jamaican owned and spend your money with a business that will keep that money in country.

When you are in Jamaica take a chance and spend some time with jamaican people and spend your money in local craft markets restaurants whenever possible so that your valued tourist dollars make it into the community at large. Jamaicans will appreciate it and build a better Jamaica.

There are a slew of other tips and advice one can take with them on their Jamaica vacation but these five will make it a great vacation for you and Jamaica.

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

We needed to take a trip over to Kingston this past week and we decided to make an extended road trip out of the 250km drive. It’s been a long time since I have been to some parts of the South Coast of Jamaica and the family has never been to places like Treasure Beach so we decided this would be our first stop on the way to Kingston and the shipping ports where we needed to pick up a barrel we shipped from the States.

We got a late start in the day and arrived in the late afternoon because I chose to stop about a zillion times for pictures and stuff. The new camera is great but it can be a distraction. I took a total of 2500 photographs over our 3 day adventure. It’s super cool to have so many shots to chose from for the site now but I probably wasted an hour taking photos and messed up my schedule. Having never spent much time in Treasure Beach I was unsure where would be the best place to stay when we arrived but some quick research at TreasureBeach.net listed all the available accommodations in Treasure Beach and much more. I went on the further advice of my favorite Jamaican Travel Guide and chose Sandy Hill Cottages for our first nights visit. It’s a really nice place to stay, look for my further review later this week.

Arriving late as we did I was more focused on finding the place to stay for the night and after unloading some of our things in the room we took off for a short ride around Treasure Beach just so we could all see the place. Treasure Beach is a place for laid back relaxation and there is not much to do in the evening except have some food and drinks at your resort or one of the many small establishments in town. There are but a few larger places in town such as Jakes with more than a handful of customers on any given evening and for the most action you’ll probably spend much of your time at Jakes or Jack Sprats Beach.

Jakes Place in Treasure Beach

Jack Sprat Beach

Both of these places are very nice places closer to Calabash Bay and by far the more popular spots in the Treasure Beach. Jakes Place is more the night time spot open until late every evening and Jack Sprats is more popular during the day for its wonderful beaches and free showers for restaurant clients. If you had a place to camp in the area you could bath and eat at Jack Sprats and stay in TB for as little as the cost of lunch each day. I had a hard time finding anyone interested in renting out some camping spaces and we ended up with a room for our stay in Treasure Beach.

Treasure Beach is very much a lazy fishing village with little more to do than hang on the beach or participate in the variety of watersports available. Treasure Beach is well known to offer some of the best fishing in Jamaica and many of the area residents earn a living from the nearby seas. The fishing in TB is varied and you can hire a professional charter boat from places like Jakes or you can do as most do and negotiate a day trip with a local fisherman and spend the day like so many Jamaicans do by working your butt off in the hot sun hoping to catch enough to eat for dinner for you and your family.

Many visitors to Jamaica come here to relax in the natural beauty of the island and chill on the beach with a Red Stripe or spliff in hand. If that’s what you want from a vacation in Jamaica than Treasure Beach is the place for you. Some say Treasure Beach is what Negril was about 30 years ago and it’s pretty easy to see that the lack of development and tourists has been a blessing in many ways to the people of Treasure Beach and the South Coast of Jamaica.

Treasure Beach is actually a collection of bays along the South Coast of Jamaica with the more popular being Calabash Bay. The best place for beach access seems to be the road alongside the Golden Sand Resort which provides access to the public beaches of Frenchmans Cove and makes for a great start for a leisurely stroll down the beach. If you’re not into the beach and fishing than there may well be no reason at all for you to visit Treasure Beach. If you appreciate having a gorgeous beach all to yourself than Treasure Beach Jamaica may well be the paradise for you that it is for so many others. Look for more articles on places to stay and things to do in Treasure Beach coming from us over the next week or two.

Take a look at our Treasure Beach photo gallery for more pictures from our trip.