ANN RUPPENSTEIN
A colourful turquoise boat with orange and pink accents on the outskirts of town reads “Welcome to Treasure Beach, Home of Community Tourism.” The sign sets the tone for what to expect in the unassuming area on Jamaica’s south coast. As there are no high-rise buildings in sight, the scene is noticeably different from the bustling developed areas in Jamaica lined with all inclusive resort chains.
The vibe is more authentic, more laidback and intentionally more locally-minded. In fact, the community of Treasure Beach voted not to have its density restrictions lifted in order to protect itself from large-scale development.
“Calling the area Treasure Beach, the home of community tourism, the reason I wanted that tagline is that I want the message to be clear to developers: you can come in but you need to respect what we do here,” Jason Henzell, the owner of Jakes Resort and a well-known advocate for the region, tells Travel Courier. “We earned that tagline, we fought for that tagline. It’s real, it’s seeped in hard work and lobbying. I hope they never lift the restrictions.”
Set on the site of their family-favourite vacation spot back in the 1940s, Jakes was founded by his mother, Sally Henzell, a Jamaican artist and the film art director, back in 1993, originally as a restaurant for backpackers and other artists. What started as a low-key venture has since expanded over the years to include 75 spaces spanning between eclectic rooms, oceanfront bungalows, cottages and villas. Treasure Cot, the original cottage her parents built in 1941, is still part of the mix, and the hotel’s colourful buildings feature unique touches and creative designs by Sally.
“I was in investment banking and I would come for a lot of the weekends to see what she was doing and encourage her,” notes the younger Henzell. “My childhood memories came back to me and I remember growing up here and how this place was always authentic with fishermen and farmers. Because I was working in Montego Bay, I could see the all inclusive resorts and what they offered, and it was these mass market packages, and I thought Americans, Canadians, British would come here if they only knew about it. They say in life luck and timing has everything to do with it and that’s when the internet was really just starting to get popular. I told my mom I was going to quit my job and buy some land next door.”
Henzell credits the early success of the boho-chic boutique hotel to being part of Chris Blackwell’s Island Outpost collection, joining the likes of other notable properties like GoldenEye and Strawberry Hill, and gaining international media coverage, including landing the cover of Travel & Leisure magazine in 1996.
“That one article kept us full for like seven years. It was unbelievable, it was like we hit the jackpot. As a young entrepreneur, every cent we made I just put it back in the business. I kept reinvesting and was fortunate to keep buying adjacent land. We carved out a niche for ourselves. It was like a new frontier, it was like Jakes was bringing a new destination in the Caribbean to the market, putting this destination on the map,” he shared. “We really introduced Treasure Beach to the market as an authentic community tourism experience.”
In addition to promoting and protecting the area, Henzell also launched BREDS, a grassroots non-profit that focuses on improving local livelihoods through education, healthcare, sports, and environmental conservation for the island’s southern fishing and farming communities. As the Treasure Beach area was hit by both Hurricanes Beryl and Melissa, a lot of the recent efforts have focused on rebuilding and bouncing back from the extreme damage.
“I was excited about creating Jakes as a hotel, but realized we also had the opportunity to impact an entire destination in a meaningful way, and become a model for community based tourism in the Caribbean,” he added. “You get a sense of how much this place means to us and that it’s not just a hotel, it’s not just the community of Treasure Beach, it’s Jamaica. We can play our part in how this area develops.”
As for the story behind the name, it turns out Jake isn’t a person but a parrot.
“My mother was given a parrot to take care of for a few weeks from a friend who was going overseas and his name was Jakes. She was thinking of a name for the place at the same time and she was just like I’m going to call it a name that everyone will remember,” he explained.
Searching for treasure: What travellers can experience in and around Jamaica’s South Coast
Grab a cold one at Floyd’s Pelican Bar
Located off the coast of St. Elizabeth, Floyd’s Pelican Bar originally started as a personal hangout spot for owner Denever ‘Floyd’ Forbes. Over the years the rustic floating bar in the middle of the sea quickly grew into a popular spot for not only fishermen but visitors alike. Unfortunately, the laidback thatched stilted bar was completely wiped out after Hurricane Melissa on Oct. 31, 2025. After a lot of hard work, the hotspot reopened several months later on Jan. 31, 2026 reusing many of its original boards with travellers’ names carved into the wood after they were found washed up on shore. Today, visitors come from all over the island to experience the famous bar, which is only accessible by boat, to enjoy a cold Red Stripe, take pictures and even meet Floyd himself.
Chase waterfalls at YS Falls
Surrounded by lush tropical trees and thick foliage, YS Falls is an idyllic way to spend the day chasing waterfalls. The stunning seven-tiered waterfall cascades into natural pools that are perfect for swimming, providing relief from the hot Jamaican sun. Visitors can also jump into the water from rope swings or side cliffs. Food and beverages, like jerk chicken, escovitch fish and burgers, are available on site.
Head to a secluded beach with Captain Dennis
For an exciting adventure, clients can ride the waves along the coast on a traditional fishing boat before spending the afternoon on a secluded white sand beach where hammocks and loungers line the water. The setup by Captain Dennis Boat Tours includes a beachfront bar shaped like a boat and a fresh seafood feast including lobster, crab on grape leaf, steamed fish, festival and more. There are multiple tours offered including fishing trips, coastal tours and Black River safaris to get up close to the resident crocodiles, but the Beach Picnic is the most popular. Many tours feature a stop at Floyd’s, making it easy for clients to experience both outings in one excursion.
Dine at a charming al fresco farm-to-table restaurant
Set high above Treasure Beach in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the team behind Jakes Resort also offers a farm-to-table dining experience with a bird’s eye view of the area and its farmlands. The menu of the al fresco spot features locally-grown, seasonal flavours from the region, known as the “Bread Basket” of Jamaica. The experience takes place under the stars each month on the Saturday closest to the full moon and can also be booked for private events.
Taste test rum at Appleton Estate
Take part in The Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience to learn all about the history of rum making in Jamaica and how Appleton Estate is home to the first female master blender in the world. The tour kicks off with a welcome cocktail and an insightful documentary covering Jamaica’s colonial sugar plantations and how a memorial onsite honours the enslaved workers who worked on the estate in the 1700s. Appleton Estate rum has been in continuous production since 1749, making it the oldest rum distillery in Jamaica. Visitors get a behind-the-scenes look at rum production before being able to taste test the goods.
