Travel: Jake’s Hotel, Jamaica

Captain Dennis is reclining in a hammock when we return to the bar. After a couple of beers we’re looking to rouse him so he can take us back to our hotel. But his little motorboat, painted with the name “Natural Mystic” after the Bob Marley song, is no ordinary taxi, and the Pelican Bar, a rickety wooden platform perched on a sandbank a quarter of a mile out to sea, is no ordinary bar. In the year in which Jamaica celebrates 50 years of independence, it’s becoming quite clear to me that this is no ordinary country.

The impression is heightened by the fact that I have come to the south-west coast of the island; a rustic, unspoilt region which lies miles of pothole-riven Tarmac away from the more populous north and the capital of Kingston to the east. It is in this far-flung enclave that we experience a Jamaica of old, one where goats scamper along the roadside, the sun filters down through Blue Mahoe trees and the people have mastered the old art of shooting the breeze.

My hotel and the people who run it are keen to see things stay this way. Jake’s is a collection of “chic shack” style single-room dwellings, holiday cottages and family-size villas hugging 150 yards of coastline at the small town of Treasure Beach. The hotel grounds shimmer with a cool, bohemian style; mosaics adorn every spare patch of wall, lanterns hang from the trees and the grounds are full of tropical flora. Most of this stems from the vision of artist Sally Henzell, widow of Perry Henzell, who made the trailblazing Jamaican film The Harder They Come in 1972 with reggae star Jimmy Cliff. She designs the unique, sculptured dwellings while her son Jason looks after the business and its various offshoots. The family affair is completed by Jason’s wife Laura, who is in charge of the serene Driftwood Spa, a welcome new addition to Jake’s.

After a long journey over a winding, hilly road from Montego Bay, my home from home is a very welcome sight. Octopussy 2 (all the rooms have marine-themed names, it transpires) is one of three self-contained lodgings perched right on the water’s edge, the waves breaking just a few yards away from the sun loungers out front. The flat roof doubles as an upper level with more seating, so after the sun sets you can lie back with a drink and gaze at the stars. Sea-facing outdoor bathrooms combined with the deliberate lack of televisions, make you appreciate that here, at least, is somewhere you can escape to.

Over its 20-year history many holidaymakers have escaped to Jake’s time and time again, but they are by no means the first foreigners to be seduced by this patch of Jamaica. A little scrutiny of Treasure Beach history uncovers an intriguing Scottish connection. Everyone in the town seems to know the story of a nearby shipwreck, which possibly happened some time in the 1830s. A cannon recovered from the depths now sits pointing out to sea at Jake’s, and some investigation has found that it may have been made in Falkirk. The plausible theory also suggests that many of the locals are the direct descendants of Scottish settlers, which would explain the noticeably lighter complexion of the people in comparison to the rest of the island, and the proliferation of surnames like Strachan and Campbell.

While it’s obvious why Jake’s has become a favourite getaway (Jamaican-born diva Grace Jones once lay down in the road when she was summoned to leave by her entourage), the influence of the hotel extends far beyond the perimeter of the resort. The Henzells have made Jake’s the hub of their community, sourcing all their food from local farmers and fisherman, pledging funds to environmental projects like a new fish sanctuary and helping Treasure Beach youngsters through various mentoring, sports and music programmes. When we visit they are in the final stages of building a municipal sports park in the town, with tennis courts, cricket facilities and football pitches. Jake’s encourages guests to learn a little and get involved with local events if they want to. If you bring a ball for the sports park, for example, you get a complimentary room upgrade for a night. This is tourism with a conscience, and even if you spend all your time on the sun lounger and don’t see the benefits first hand, you still get a sense that you have lived in the place and among the people - not merely been chauffeured in and out of some walled luxury compound.

If you do want to see more of the locality than the hotel bar there is plenty to see and do within easy reach. During my time here I’ve gone swimming under cascading waterfalls, I’ve sampled Jamaican rum from the source at the Appleton distillery and I’ve sailed past sleepy crocodiles on the Black River. While the area is hardly famed for its nightlife, we got a taster of an authentic Jamaican night out when we witnessed the booty-shaking firsthand at one of the pop-up “Sound System” street parties that pump out blaring beats from stacks of speakers in pre-determined public plazas.

Whether you’re here for an action-packed adventure or a sedate sojourn, you can fuel up on the bountiful fresh foods the area offers, from tasty Red Snapper fish cooked in the Escovitch style to a refreshing Nesberry sorbet or the breakast favourite that is ackee and saltfish. There is a wealth of undiscovered flavours from sea and land to try if you grow tired of the ubiquitous jerk chicken or pork. Indeed, the best advice as always is to try something new, and I found that Jamaicans are only too happy to offer an insight into where it came from, how it’s cooked and what it accompanies.

A warm welcome (usually repeated three or four times and followed by “maan”) in Treasure Beach is guaranteed. Granted, the slow pace of life can take some getting used to for overworked city dwellers, but if you allow yourself to slip down a few gears you soon learn to love the Jamaicans’ easy approach to life, where car horns are only ever used affectionately, every greeting is delivered with gusto and no window of opportunity is too short to recline in a hammock. Speaking of which, Captain Dennis, a committed sea-farer who was instrumental in setting up the fish sanctuary, is only too happy to spring from his resting place and ferry us on our way. He is one of many Treasure Beach locals who have a great deal of their time and passion invested in this tranquil corner of Jamaica. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and as we climb back into the Natural Mystic and set sail for Jake’s – possibly, who knows, passing over that long-forgotten Scottish shipwreck – I, like many others before me, feel a genuine attachment to this place.

THE FACTS

Seven nights in Jamaica with Virgin Holidays, including scheduled flights with Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick direct to Jamaica, accommodation at Jake’s on a room-only basis with transfers included starts from £915. To book tel: 0844 557 3859, www.virginholidays.co.uk. Train fares between Edinburgh and London King’s Cross start at £33. www.eastcoast.co.uk. Courtyard London Gatwick Airport - For more information and booking visit www.courtyardgatwickairport.co.uk or call 01293 566 300