Jamaica has long been a top tourism destination globally, with a growing array of first-class resorts, including the popular all-inclusive properties.
Across much of the island’s north coast, with a location down south, all-inclusive properties have been dominant among visitors to the island.
With guests being pampered with chic and convenient accommodation and on-property attractions and general comfort, convenience and relaxation, it’s all attractively within an agreed price at the time of booking.
That has, and continues to be, a winning formula nationally, with cruise business and other alternative offerings gradually coming on stream to make for a more varied overall destination.
From smaller boutique hotels and villas, entertainment venues at varying levels, Airbnb services, tour options and popular sporting and cultural calendar events, they are all in the mix.
But latterly there have been some concerted efforts to broaden the national focus to include some community tourism initiatives with specific themed concepts and appeal, to complement the more established offerings and make for a broader overall base for the overall tourism sector.
A classic example has been the evolution over many years of the overall community of Treasure Beach in South St Elizabeth into a genuine community-based tourism destination. There, notably, visitors warmly enjoy the genuine feel of mixing and mingling with the locals at will, experiencing first-hand, the lives of the residents. This includes participating in sporting and other recreational activities within a far more personal and low-keyed environment than the typical traditional visitor even imagines, much less experience.
At the centre of the now celebrated Treasure Beach experience has been Jakes Hotel, the virtual heartbeat of the community, which evolved from a heart-warming background of seafaring heritage within a warm, tranquil and extremely peaceful environment that directly connects the local residents with the average guest at the hotel and within the wider community.
Pointedly, Treasure Beach has historically been one of the friendliest overall communities in Jamaica, and visitors there get to experience and integrate with that genuine warmth, and have kept going back and pulling others there.
Unfortunately, like much of the parish of St Elizabeth, the Jakes property and the wider Treasure Beach community sustained significant damage from the passage of Hurricane Beryl in July of this year, but both are now on the rebound.
In the same calm and alluring community spirit, a move is steadily afoot in a section of upper St Andrew, where an intriguing new accommodation concept is coming on stream and being fine-tuned to integrate the wider community involvement and a sparkling historical connection that is reminiscent of another section of the capital city.
Pitched as an aparthotel themed around the heavily storied Port Royal pirate background and intrigue, Pirate Palms, some seven years in the making in Belvedere, Red Hills, St Andrew, is a 40-apartment complex that spans close to 80 rooms collectively. With a mix of three, two and one-bedroom apartments, the complex is centred around a combination of luxury, family, history, intrigue, convenience and, of course, community involvement.
A pathway at Pirate Palms in Belvedere, Red Hills in upper St Andrew.
Like at the Jakes property in St Elizabeth, there are some significant elements of the rustic historical seafaring lifestyle in the Pirate Palms setting, but that has been combined with the luxury of having all the necessary amenities for a complete home-away-from-home family or other group experience without skipping a beat.
With everything from a stove, washing machine, refrigerator, microwave and meal preparation and other household amenities all in place, once inside one of the apartments, small groups can easily be far more comfortable than they would have been at their very own homes.
In fact, Pirate Palms, with the uncommon feature of multiple three-bedroom apartments, allows for connected families or other close-knit groups to be warmly accommodated for like reunions and other group events, in multiple-bedroom apartments in close proximity to each other.
This is within the allure of three separate swimming pools on offer (an adult-only and therapeutic pool is now under construction); café and bar services; a picturesque garden and quiet-time setting; along with captivating pirate and seafaring-themed artworks and memorabilia throughout the property, all within only minutes of the metropolitan St Andrew business and lifestyle hubs.
A relaxation point on the Pirate Palms property symbolically under the watchful eyes of two trusted seafarers of old.
Nicolee Ford, head of operations at Pirate Palms, cited the concept that is being developed there, where community residents share in the use of some of the facilities on the property, including streamlined use of the pools, as a key element of the ongoing community bonding thrust. He said this has been cementing the kind of calm and serene community connectivity that would have gone into taking a place like Jakes Hotel to where it is now.
“We recognised the warmth of the surrounding community and the breath-taking landscape here generally, and ventured into converting that warmth and the geographical appeal into a wider vision of hospitality with far more than a tinge of Jamaica’s rich history and culture,” said Ford.
“Pirate Palms is being unfolded as simply reflecting a refreshing other side of Kingston and St Andrew’s hospitality landscape, with more focus on genuine family and group experiences, than on the capital city’s more typical business travel market,” he added.
In elaborating, he said, “We are heavily focused on attracting Jamaicans, especially families and other groups, from home and abroad, as well as visitors at large, into a serene setting and experience in the hills of St Andrew for a good time away from the hustle and bustle of the capital city itself, but close enough to easily connect, where necessary.”
Notably similar in terms of diversity in the local hospitality sector, but perhaps less pronounced, efforts have been made over time to build on the also intriguing concept of nature tourism in places like Portland, where many visitors are attracted to the allure of the topography and landscape generally, along with the general tranquillity of the surroundings.
There, visitors, mainly Europeans, will camp out near rivers and other mostly outdoor sites for days among the locals, living the rustic Jamaican lifestyle, including enjoying traditional Jamaican foods, drinks and much more that are very close to the national cultural identity.
And also increasingly well on stream is the option of guided farm and nature tours in places like the hills of Westmoreland, where an organised attraction, Zimbali Retreat, is now nestled in the mountains some 30 minutes outside of Negril.
An entrance to Zimbali Retreat in the hills of Westmoreland.
Some 12 years in the making, the attraction is operated by Mark and Alecia Swainbank, who shared some highlights of the journey so far.
There, guests can expect comfort in the hills with an award-winning five-course farm-to-table cooking show, with authentic Jamaican culture and cuisine being staples of the overall experience.
Affectionately dubbed ‘A Strawberry Hills of the west’, Zimbali Retreat offers private, air-conditioned rooms with hot showers, strong WiFi and intriguing balconies, all up in the hills.
Part of the preparations for the farm-to table cooking showcase that is a staple at Zimbali Retreat in the hill of Westmoreland.
Noted for quiet nights and a great sleeping experience, the retreat also offers “lovely swimming experiences, a Rasta Tour with lunch, hiking further into the hills with stops at a natural spring for water and a wood fire Ital meal among the offerings," said Mark Swainbank.
Not to be left out, Alecia chimed in: "Both the retreat and cooking show are rated five-star on Trip Advisor. The cooking show is award winning and highly rated and attended. The future is bright as Negril continues to expand and Zimbali is a gateway into the hills; real food and culture that so many people want to explore."
An inviting pool setting at Zimbali Retreat in the hills of Westmoreland.
With variety being long labelled the spice of life, clearly Jamaica is on a move in that direction in terms of gradually blending more imaginative niche and community experiences into the overall national hospitality landscape.
