Treasure Beach, a six-mile stretch of rugged shoreline along Jamaica’s southwestern coast, is the antithesis of the island’s tourist strips of Negril and Montego Bay. There are no mega-resorts hogging the shoreline, no traffic lights and no Margaritaville’s. Instead, you’ll find gentle hills and grassy meadows that run into rocky outcroppings dotted with black sand bays. And it’s not uncommon for a meandering herd of goats to cross your path.Where to Stay There are a smattering of small hotels and affordable guesthouses that share the beach with local fishermen, friendly mutts and bashful crabs.), a colorful collection of 35 seaside cottages, with names like Octopussy and Tiki Tiki 2, is the stylish hub of Treasure Beach. It has two laid-back restaurants, a small record shop that pays tribute to Jamaican music, a new spa and a staff whose passion for the region is contagious. Andy Nembhard, the resident tour guide, can take you on a challenging hike or tell you where the party is happening that night.
Or drop by Dougie’s Bar for his special rum punch and entertaining yarns. Rooms, which start at $115 a night through April 19, are situated to offer a sense of privacy and decorated with artful touches like stained-glass window panes, glass bottles embedded in walls and mirrors framed with bits of shell, coral or even bone. ) is one of the area’s newest hotels, situated on the water’s edge in a residential neighborhood that is about a 10-minute walk from other hotels and restaurants. In addition to easy beach access, there is a large heated pool and a patio for sunbathing. From the spacious lobby decorated with African influences, a wooden staircase winds up to a restaurant on the second floor. Rates range from $100 a night for first-floor guest rooms to $150 a night for oceanfront suites with high wooden ceilings. ), and it’s looking pretty faded. The red-roofed, two-story cottages, which are perched on a hillside, could use a fresh lick of paint, and its rooms with motel-style bedspreads need updating.
But it has a nice stretch of beach, two pools, ocean views from its second-floor rooms and friendly staff members who can point out some of the hidden wonders among its lush vegetation like tiny hummingbird’s nests. Even if you don’t stay here, have breakfast on the resort’s breezy veranda where you can peer into the treetops. Garden-view rooms are $110 through April. Where to Eat Go to Pardy’s Coffee Shop (Calabash Bay, Treasure Beach; 876-326-9008) just a short stroll from Jake’s hotel. For less than $12 you can have strong Jamaican coffee, pancakes, eggs and toast as well as a Jamaican breakfast of ackee and saltfish (steamed not fried). There are plastic chairs and tables on the patio out front for those who love the sun. Duck indoors or around the corner for a table in the shade.Jack Sprat, a casual beachside eatery at Jake’s hotel (Calabash Bay, Treasure Beach; 876-965-3583) serves up pizza and seafood dishes like curried shrimp ($14) or kingfish in brown stew ($11).
During the day beachgoers sip Red Stripe beer ($2) at the bar while kids clamor for ice cream at the counter. In the evening, basket lamps come on in the trees outside, and reggae music plays from the speakers of an old-school jukebox. Oliver’s Dutch Pot (May Len Plaza, Treasure Beach; 876-375-5217) is a new restaurant in May Len Plaza, a small strip mall, that has a rotating menu with savory dishes like curried goat for about $5.50 for lunch or jerk pork for $4.On Saturday nights, hit the jerk chicken stand next to the M-D Grocery Mart (a short walk from Jake’s), where the chef wields a machete to dice the meat into bite-size morsels that melt in your mouth. About $7 for half a bird. Wash it down with a Red Stripe from inside the mini-mart ($1.60 each).Cheap BeachesThere are four main beaches that make up Treasure Beach, and all of them are free. Perhaps the most scenic is Great Bay, with its wide stretch of sand and sparkling blue waters that are sheltered by Pedro Bluff. Grab a cold Red Stripe at the SeaSplash beach shack and take in the view.
Where to PartyWild Onion (876-965-3619), a rustic, open-air nightclub with two bars and a dance floor in Frenchman’s Cove, an easy five-minute walk from Jake’s, hosts live reggae bands on Fridays until 2 a.m. Every second Saturday, the club puts on what it calls a Sickasatday party, featuring local D.J.’s. For something more low-key, plop down at Dougie’s Bar, near the pool at Jake’s. Dougie, a fixture at the resort, will keep your glass full and your spirits high.What to DoThe relatively quiet roads and dirt paths that wind along the coast of Treasure Beach are great for exploring by bicycle. Viking’s House Gear Rentals and Adventure Tours (Great Bay, Treasure Beach; () offers one of the cheapest rates at $20 a bike a day or $75 a week. But my bike, a well-worn mountain bike, was stuck in high gear, making for an arduous ride out to Great Bay beach in the blazing sun. After I made a desperate call to Stephanie Genus, an owner, she promptly delivered a new, shiny green mountain bike that worked and offered my friend and me a lift to our next destination.
Jake’s also offers bike rentals for $30 a day, including a helmet, a water bottle and bike pump.For a splurge, ask Captain Dennis (876-435-3779) to take you to the Pelican Bar — a wooden shack on a sandbar about a 20-minute boat ride off shore. The trip costs about $75 a couple or less if other passengers come along. Watch for dolphins along the way and have the captain call ahead for a seafood lunch of steamed snapper ($10) or lobster ($15).What to BuyYou don’t go to Treasure Beach to shop, but hotels like Jake’s and Treasure Beach Hotel have gift shops with souvenir T-shirts and Jamaican coffee. Near the Wild Onion nightclub in Frenchman’s Cove, the Wheeling and Dealing craft store — where haggling is welcome — sells hand-carved wooden masks, purses made out of brown Calabash gourds, and black coral jewelry.How to Get There Treasure Beach is roughly a three-hour drive along narrow, winding roads from the airport at Montego Bay. (A typical airport transfer costs about $140 one-way.)