Treasure Beach, Jamaica

YEAH COACH! WATCH A HIGHLIGHT REEL OF AWESOMENESS FROM PMBL BASKETBALL CAMP 

 An INCREDIBLE, crowd-funded initiative just brought The Philadelphia Men’s Basketball League (PMBL) to Treasure Beach to facilitate another fast-paced and endlessly fun basketball camp for hundreds of youth. This initiative brought community improvement, tons of coveted gear and everlasting memories to the youth.

Find more pics on the PMBL Facebook page. 

A SKATEBOARD COURSE AT THE SPORTS PARK, COURTESY OF A FRENCH LEGEND

There’s an expression in French: une planche de salut, which translates to “salvation board”. And in relation to a nascent, incredible skate project in Treasure Beach, it’s absolutely apt.

Meet Rémy Walter, a French skate Champion sponsored in the late 70’s, and of late director of the country’s most major skateboard club: PARIS SKATE CULTURE. He’s also an international activist for skateboard development (ISF), which is where our Sports Park intersects…plans are shaping up to build a world-class skate park in our rural haven.

But let’s back it up. This skating legend has a raison d’etre in Jamaica.

Rémy recorded with Sly and Robby in Nassau and first landed in Jamaica in 1980 with Chris Blackwell and Jacob Miller. He met Bob Marley at Tuff Gong Studios and his good friend Dickie Jobson introduced him to Perry Henzell, whose cult film The Harder They Come gives Treasure Beach its enduring soundtrack; the Henzell family has made this south coast outpost a one-of-a-kind bohemian and athletic destination.

With the help of Jason Henzell and his powerhouse, community-building non-profit Breds, Rémy introduced skating to 35 kids at the Treasure Beach Sports Park last month. And their love for the foreign sport soared.  

Rémy says, “Even though there are no smooth roads or sidewalks in this area, I don’t see why these kids couldn’t get the opportunity to try a new activity, why they couldn’t enjoy the magic of skateboarding like most kids around the world. Chances are high Jamaica will have some great champions in the next decade.”

There’s even a local skate shop called Irie Bamboo that’s opened in the area. The store’s owner, Deviene Scott is actively involved in helping Jason and Rémy launch what’s next: a full-fledged skate park at the Sports Park. 

Right now, Breds is raising money for everything from cement to boards—and we urge and invite you to make a donation right here: DONATE

GET TICKETS FOR THE ANNUAL BENEFIT FOR BREDS IN NYC! On Monday May 11th, Treasure Beach devotees will gather at East Village bar Kingston Hall for the third annual Breds fundraiser. Tickets are $175 and every penny of the proceeds will go towards youth education in Treasure Beach. That’s teacher salaries, critical supplies and so much more. 

So come for a night where like minds delight in Dougie’s rum punch, spicy hors d’oeuvres and an auction of incredible offerings. Meet! Greet! Bid! Drink! Give! 

Tickets are available right here!

Check out this video below of the recent community center opening at the Sports Park…definitely one of Breds’ most indelible achievements.

BUY THE NEW BREDS & UNICEF JERSEY THAT BENEFITS SPORTS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE!

Breds and UNICEF have joined forces once again to create a jersey that benefits Sports For Social Change programs, and specifically Edusport. That’s the revolutionary physical education program that serves 1,250 students in 10 local schools.

We’ve developed an incredible curriculum that exercises the mind and body, through teamwork, trust-building, strategy and strength. The program has better focused students to help raise literacy rates and up attendance.

Use this link to our Paypal right here to make a donation for the amount of $30 for a shirt, and we’ll give a jersey to a young athlete on the ground.

From Treasure Beach to the world, and right around. Thank you!

U.N.I. ROOTS FITNESS RETEAT: PREP HARD & RACE THE 20TH ANNUAL TRIATHLON

Laura Cousineau and Chris Ince got married at Jakes and have been spreading the love, nurturing the community and conquering the terrain in Treasure Beach ever since. 

The couple owns and operates a premium personal training facility in Montreal called U.N.I. Training, and they lead incredible fitness trips on the ground. They’re returning again with a group in April to take on the 20th Annual Jake’s Off-Road Triathlon. From picturesque, heart-pounding bike rides and hikes to training with TRX slung from the trees and yoga with a view of the sea, this training trip will be one to remember. 

Come prep with U.N.I. to race like wild while the tight-knit community cheers you through. There are two different trip options…check them out below.

WHEN: April 14-19, 2015
 WHERE: Jakes in Treasure Beach, Jamaica


OPTION ONE:  ALL IN!  ($1500 +tax)*

What’s Included:

Transportation to and from Jakes

Welcome cocktails and orientation with meet and greet


5-night stay at the deluxe Calabash Bay villa 

Entrance fee for Jakes off Road Triathlon


3 specially prepared Roots fitness meals a day at Jake’s restaurant


Daily workouts and yoga/stretch with U.N.I trainers


Guided tours for race prep: bike tours (bike included), hikes, swimming and yoga


Choice of excursion


Pasta dinner the night before the race!

What’s not included: Airfare (+/- $550); bike rental for race (you are welcome to bring your own bike); alcoholic drinks; meals outside of scheduled retreat meals



*Price based on double occupancy, and there is the possibility of reduced price according to level of accommodations

OPTION TWO:  TRIATHLON OPTION  ($900+ tax)

What’s Included:

Transportation to and from Jakes


5 nights shared accommodations 

Entrance fee for Jake’s off Road Triathlon


Daily workouts and yoga/stretch with U.N.I trainers


Guided tours for race prep: bike tours (bike included), hikes, swimming and yoga


Pasta dinner night before the race!

What’s not included: airfare (+/- $550); bike rental for race (you are welcome to bring your own bike); alcoholic drinks, meals. 

Check out jakeshotel.com to see Calabash Bay Villa and more.

To sign up, reach out to us right here: [email protected]

WATCH DIS! CRICKET SUNDAYS ARE SERIOUS FUN

The Sports Park is a rollicking scene on the weekends when cricket teams compete for fun and glory. Check this must-watch montage of on-the-field action and community cheer. And next time you're in Treasure Beach, make sure to catch a match!

INTRODUCING CAPTAIN DENNIS’ SHORE PICNIC TOUR

GO HARDER! THIS IS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JAKE'S OFF-ROAD TRIATHLON

This is the 20th anniversary of the race that's been ranked one of the top 5 off-road triathlons in the world!

Jamaica’s rollicking south coast is home to rugged & red terrain, a warm & wild sea and the liveliest community you’ll ever feel. Come to Treasure Beach, where the legacy of The Harder They Come roars and athletes from the world over arrive each year to race like fire. 

If you've ever thought about taking part, this is the year to bring it. Swim, bike and run the course in full...or join a relay team that lets you compete in a single leg of the race. 

Know dis:

JAKE’S OFF-ROAD TRIATHLON

APRIL 18, 2015

Treasure Beach, Jamaica 

500M OCEAN SWIM

25K MOUNTAIN BIKE

7K COUNTRY RUN

Jake’s Off-Road Triathlon: Among the Top Five Off-Road Races in the World

—Triathlete Magazine, 2010—

A place of pleasure and serenity becomes an elite sport retreat with the incomparable adrenaline rush of a wild triathlon. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

—Elisabeth Mondon, 2013 Triathlete of the Year, RJR Awards—

Forget about the carbon fiber-Lycra festivals that include a parade of egos and attitude and enjoy the laid back Caribbean paradise that is Treasure Beach…this is truly Roots racing.

—Fred Powell, 4-Time Finisher—

All net proceeds benefit BREDS, The Treasure Beach Foundation

Individual: $100 US | Relay $150 US | T-Shirts + Pre-race dinner included

WATCH THIS! GENERAL COLIN POWELL PRAISES THE ROPES COURSE BUILT IN HIS NAME

WATCH | THE PHILADELPHIA MEN'S BASKETBALL LEAGUE: COACHING & COMMUNITY

An INCREDIBLE, crowd-funded initiative just brought The Philadelphia Men's Basketball League (PMBL) to Treasure Beach to facilitate another fast-paced and rousingly fun basketball camp for hundreds of youth.

PMBL Treasure Beach TEASER from THE VAMP GROUP on Vimeo.

The initiative's mastermind and head coach, Jacob Kind, believes that basketball can and should be a vehicle for community improvement. In addition to teaching skills on the court, he and his team tirelessly raised funds to bring down everything from wearable gear to portable hoops and moveable bleachers. Their passionate and positive influence on kids and our community is everlasting. 

Check out their unrivaled enthusiasm in this video, and stay tuned for more awesome media as they make it. 

UNICEF CAME TO TOWN TO MAKE A FILM. CHECK OUT THE ACTION BEHIND THE SCENES!

CALABASH: AN INTELLECTUAL FETE THAT’S RIFE WITH ROOTSY JAMAICAN VIBES

The realm of literary readings is mostly confined to bookstores, to chairs crowded between stacks of books or dark cafes with subdued noises of nightlife. The Calabash International Literary Festival ignores every stilted convention and sets up shop on the grounds of Jake’s Hotel, on a glorious lawn by the sea. 

For three days, a waltz of authors with varied voices grace the bamboo lectern. The free festival draws everyone from local fishermen and farmers to foreign professors and literati. The audience gathers under a massive tent—and it is rapt. 

When Scottish poet Rab Wilson took the stage on Friday night, he joked and spoke and a brogue thicker than many had heard, and the crowd erupted in delight. When the ultra-elegant Zadie Smith declared her mother is from St. Elizabeth, a collective nod of approval rippled across the throng. And when Salman Rushdie commenced his unforgettable session by reading a hilariously awkward sex scene, enchantment was palpable throughout the thousands-deep crowd. 

Festival co-founder and Jake’s scion Justine Henzell produced a flawless event—and it’s especially not easy to do so in a remote location, with talent arriving from across the world. And poet Kwame Dawes served as a warm, generous and witty emcee. 

When asked what it is about Treasure Beach that lends itself to the celebration and experience of literature, Justine answered: 

“Jamaica itself is such an island of poetry, the rhythm of our speech, the way we move is lyrical—and wordsmiths and storytellers are all around us. In Treasure Beach we have the culture of a small fishing village in an agricultural parish that has opened itself up to visitors in such a warm and genuine fashion that having a Nobel laureate or Pulitzer winner communing with fishermen and farmers over a plate of steamed fish is perfectly natural. We treat our writers, and especially our poets, like rock stars. In Treasure Beach, Calabash becomes a literary love fest.”

The next Festival takes place in late May 2016, but there’s much to be found, devoured and indelibly enjoyed in between For the next fest, book your lodging soon, as every town in the vicinity and every spare room in private homes fills with those who know this is the event of a lifetime. 

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES | HAPPENINGS | A LITERARY FESTIVAL IN PARADISE

Rocky, arid and relaxed, Jamaica's south coast is refreshingly lower on tourist traffic than the bustling north — which is much of what endears it to fans of the beloved bohemian hideaway Jake's Hotel. This weekend, a roster of 27 modern literary legends will descend upon the rural, seaside town of Treasure Beach for the Calabash International Literary Festival, a continuous three-day conference consisting of readings and themed discussions with Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith, Colum McCann, Jamaica Kincaid, Paul Muldoon and many more cultural luminaries. The festival was launched in 2001, when the novelist Colin Channer joined forces with the poet Kwame Dawes and the producer Justine Henzell, whose mother built Jake’s, to bring a world-class cultural event to their favorite place on the planet. 

In keeping with the town’s inclusive vibe, Calabash is free and open to the public. At each event, up to 3000 people, ranging from local fishermen to New York literati, gather at Jake’s, at a pristine lawn by the sea, to listen and learn. Between the readings and deeper into the night, guests can participate in open mic sessions, catch reggae shows, shop booths of handcrafted wares from Caribbean artisans and dine on an array of spiced up Jamaican fare. Musical happenings this year include a sound clash between Mobb Deep member Prodigy and British rapper Akala, along with a host of emerging Jamaican talent ranging from reggae to acoustic. 

For a small rural town, Treasure Beach, has unexpected artistic bona fides. Alex Haley wrote "Roots" in a modest cottage there built by Henzell's grandparents; the island’s first cinematic hit with its namesake iconic soundtrack, "The Harder They Come," was directed and co-written by Justine’s father, Perry Henzell. Her mother, Sally Henzell, is a self-taught artist, architect and poet who founded Jake’s Hotel and designed its distinctive stucco structures that incorporate bright glass bottles and arcing branches. Writers, fashion designers and photographers check in regularly.

Treasure Beach is also unique among Jamaican getaways for its openness and generosity — not in the drinks-are-free tourist-trap sense of the term, but in the way locals and vacationers freely intermingle. Jake's is Treasure Beach's social hub for residents as well as its visitors, and through a 16-year strong non-profit called Breds, the hotel has helped coalesce and strengthen the community through a sprawling sports park, a fish sanctuary, literacy programs and more. 

When asked what about Treasure Beach lends itself to the celebration, Justine said, “Jamaica itself is an island of poetry. The rhythm of our speech and the way we move is lyrical; there are wordsmiths and storytellers are all around us. In Treasure Beach we have the culture of a small fishing village in an agricultural parish that has opened itself up to visitors in such a warm and genuine fashion that having a Nobel laureate or Pulitzer winner communing with fishermen and farmers over a plate of steamed fish—is perfectly natural.” 

THE WORD IS LOVE: DON'T MISS THE 2ND ANNUAL BENEFIT IN NYC FOR BREDS!

Gather with the gang from Jake’s and NYC’s lovers of Treasure Beach for the second annual blowout benefit for Breds—the organization that’s nurtured the lively and thriving community we so love on Jamaica’s south coast. 

Here’s what you’ll enjoy…

A rousing keynote speech by Casey Rotter, Deputy Director, Community Fundraising & Founder, UNICEF's Next Generation at U.S. Fund for UNICEF—and Treasure Beach devotee

The one and only Dougie will serve up coconuts full of his famous rum punch

Miss Lucy’s Kitchen will cook up and pass ‘round delectable Jamaican bites

DJ Abby Klein will spin reggae beats and keep the vibes delightful 

An auction will put one-of-a-kind Jamaican items up for bidding

Here’s what we’ll achieve…

Wages to pay the amazing remedial teachers at Sandy Bank Primary and Basic Schools

Scholarships for HS grads seeking vocational and technical training from HEART Trust

An alternative energy source at the Sports Park’s soon-to-be-built community center

Where and when...

May 12, 2014 7:00-11:00 pm Kingston Hall 149 Second Avenue New York City

Purchase tickets or make a tax-deductible donation right here: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-bredstreasure-beach-fundraiser-tickets-10740161111

GETTING FIT & LETTING GO: THE JOURNEY OF FITNESS TRIPS IN REBEL TERRAIN 

Since returning a few days ago, I’ve been trying to figure out what to post about this last Fitness Trip in Rebel Terrain. Normally, I catalog each day, giving participants an online diary of memorable events—and hope the tales of heart-pounding peaks and magical meals will lure future travelers. But this time, I think I’ll write about what these trips mean to me, why I keep going and pushing them on everyone I know!

FRIEND FROM WHEN

A bit of background: I spent a year working in Kingston in 2005, for my mentor/boss/extremely dear friend Benjamin Bailey. He’s the invisible mastermind of this whole thing; he always is. In 2012 I got a dream gig writing about Jamaican culture, style and people for Puma during the Olympics. Ben suggested I head to Treasure Beach. He’d helped Jason Henzell build the Jake’s Hotel brand a dozen years earlier and insisted the rural town was rich with content. 

PARADISE FOUND

Indeed, I found a Jamaica I didn’t know existed, rife with unbridled kindness, ingenious creativity—and untamed terrain. I returned three times in four months—and started this site. On one of those trips, Ben sent down his personal trainer from Equinox, Ross Anti. Ross had expressed to Ben that he missed doing fitness in the outdoors, because he’d previously spent three years living and working inside the Grand Canyon. Ben said he knew just the place to get back to it.

MATCH MADE

I introduced Ross to my charismatic local friends who lead biking and hiking tours through the rocky terrain they know better than anyone. Ross, Damian Parchment and Howen Campbell decided to join forces. Ross would bring people down for 5-day trips, lead exhilarating personal training circuits on the yoga deck above the sea—and let Damian design excursions appropriate to each group’s interest and abilities. 

TAKING PLACE 

Honestly, there wasn’t an obvious role for me in any of it. In fact, on the first trip, I simply happened to be there. I’d just spent two weeks writing with Sally Henzell, the much beloved wildly creative builder and founder of Jake’s who has literally become my literary muse. I was also recovering from a herniated disc in my back, so intensive fitness wasn’t on my mind. But I ingratiated myself with that first group and pushed myself beyond my boundaries.  

MIND TRIP

Something unexpected happened. I witnessed a very motley crew of strangers connect profoundly with Treasure Beach, just like I had. And it’s happened again and again. From an Orthodox Jew who insisted God was right there; to a landscape architect to the stars with a terminally ill parent who returned with new perspective; to a boldly passionate anesthesia nurse who went back mere weeks later to volunteer at the triathlon; to a majorly muscled trainer who stepped far out of the gym to befriend all and become our biggest advocate; to a few dear friends who have simply trusted me and come—it is deeply gratifying to help facilitate and behold these occasions. 

MORE FIRE

We just finished our fifth trip. If people let it, the experience changes them. It’s one part physical daring and one part emotional liberation. When the whole thing was kicking off, Ben said to Ross that people should “Come Get Fit and Let Go,” and it’s definitively not possible to say it better. If participants can let go, there’s untold—and nearly unexplainable—magnitude to be gained. I wouldn't miss it for the world. 

Enjoy some pics from the last trip, and stay tuned for dates for the next tour.

WE RUN TINGS! THE PARISH FINALS PACKED THE SPORTS PARK WITH YOUNG RACERS

BE THERE FOR THE LITERARY FEST OF A LIFETIME: CALABASH 2014, MAY 30-JUNE 1

I think Calabash is one of the great festivals. A perfect blend of literature, music and audience. A brotherhood of cultures. You will never forget it or get over it.

— Michael Ondaatje, Author

This is Calabash, a three-day international literary festival that celebrates language with a distinctly Caribbean twist. And while everyone knows Jamaica as a mecca of music, the birthplace of Bob Marley and reggae, this decade-old event is putting the island on the art world's map for something else...the Jamaican festival has also raised the bar for lit fests in general—attend one Calabash and you may never see those other wine-and-cheese shindigs in the same way again.

—NPR, July 2012

It’s hard to say it any better. Come for Colum McCann, Paul Muldoon, Zadie Smith, Jamaica Kincaid, the world-renowned Sir Salman Rushdie and many more distinguished authors when they descend upon Treasure Beach to inspire us all. 

Co-founded, organized and produced by the Caribbean’s own celebrated poet Kwame Dawes and Jake’s scion and filmmaker Justine Henzell, this year’s treasured lit extravaganza will notch a memory, rouse the senses and motivate all.