🌍 Travel: Treasure Beach Jamaica — I Went There to Hear Myself Think
one love
I was in the middle of a family crisis, two and a half months deep, and I could see my breaking point from a mile away. So I did what any reasonable woman does: I booked a flight to Jamaica.
It was March 2022 and my kids and I were making plans to move out of our Florida apartment when our lease ended in June. Not just move — everything was shifting at once. Josiah was transitioning to off-campus university housing. Yairi was heading to California for five months to work and save money before leaving for SCAD in Savannah, Georgia. Jovan and I were going... somewhere. Destination unknown.
I'm a planner by nature, but a flexible planner. Of the big picture only. I hone in on the details as I go. I don't need all the answers right away, and I don't obsess or stress over the details ahead of time. I've known this — and even more so now that I'm 44 — that you cannot control most of life. Only what you choose to manifest. So I create an idea, come up with the end goal, and the planning starts in my head as time goes by, with breaks and reassessments along the way.
I credit this entirely to becoming a parent at the tender but very mature age of 18. I was 18 going on 35. Having 4 kids by 29 means that planning all the details has never — not once, not ever — worked for me.
Views of Treasure Beach from an AirBnB rootop.
Woman laughs. Goddess plans.
I Was Close to My Breaking Point
What made this particular season harder than most: I was in the middle of an extremely stressful situation with my daughter Isis. One couldn't ask for a better daughter — I mean that in every sense of the word. She got herself into a difficult situation and was dealing with the consequences of choices she'd made in the year and a half prior. The moment I found out, I went into "boss mom fix mode," at which I am such an expert. I got her what she needed and we were working through it.
Then I got into a heated argument with my sister during a girls' night out. Just to add to everything.
I had reached my threshold. I could see my breaking point from a mile away, and I needed to do something. QUICK.
I sat down and booked a trip. The first place that came to mind was an island, of course. After some deliberation I chose Jamaica. Airfare was reasonable. Airbnbs were reasonable. That was enough information for me to finalize the choice.
Why Treasure Beach — Not the Cookie-Cutter Version of Jamaica
Now: which part of the island?
I've been to and lived in enough places to know that one country can be experienced very differently depending on where you go within it. I don't like extremely popular tourist destinations, and much less cookie-cutter resorts that feel like you never left capitalism. I like different. I like local. Otherwise — what is the point? I know people who only stay at Marriott resorts. American hotels abroad. For that, stay in the US. Never come out. Like a lot of Americans don't.
I chose Treasure Beach.
Not Montego Bay. Not Kingston. Far from both. I started looking at travel blogs and saw that it wasn't saturated with the usual commercial resort footprint. A Jamaican I met later in Puerto Rico — ha! — told me I had gone to the worst beaches on the island. The best beaches are elsewhere, they said.
Regardless: I had a great experience. Treasure Beach was exactly what I needed, for what I needed at that moment. And that is the only criteria that has ever mattered to me when choosing where to go.
The Airbnb on the Mountain
The Airbnb I found was perfect. High up on the mountain, with spectacular views of the town and the ocean. Despite temperatures hitting the 90s Fahrenheit every afternoon, no AC was needed — because the ocean breeze was fabulous. The house had no walls on the side facing the water. Three floors, completely open to the view. On the roof, a couch and chairs for sitting, doing yoga, working out, watching the light change on the water.
I stayed for two whole weeks. It was heaven.
Morning coffee view from the Airbnb on the mountain. Treasure Beach, Jamaica. April 2022.
My morning coffee every day was taken with that view. Somewhere in those first few mornings, quietly, I could hear myself think again.
I did burn my face to a crisp. I refuse to wear sunblock — I don't like chemicals on my skin — and the Jamaica sun did not care about my reasoning. Lesson learned, permanently added to my packing list: bring all kinds of hats to every destination, no exceptions.
What I Did Every Day
Yoga on the beach.
Yoga on the roof.
Journaling.
Reading.
Stillness in a way I hadn't permitted myself in months.
Where there are mountains, I will hike. I spent time exploring the surrounding trails and, after sweating through every stitch of clothing I was wearing, jumped into a natural swimming hole at the bottom. Magical.
Hiking in Treasure Beach, Jamaica
YS Falls in Negril
YS Falls in Negril — jumped off the rocks, of course
Boat ride to Pelican Bar Treasure Beach Jamaica
Ceiba Tree in Roaring River Cave
YS Falls in Negril — jumped off the rocks, of course.
Boat ride to Pelican Bar.
Roaring River Cave, where a woman had a dream of painting a tree in vivid, unexpected colors — and then did exactly that. I stood in front of it for a long time.
Boutique Resort
Where to Eat in Treasure Beach Jamaica— The Short List
Good food in Treasure Beach requires some hunting. Once I found my spots, I stayed loyal.
The regulars: Frenchman's. Mellow Yellow. Hold A Vibez Cafe. Smoothies to go wherever I could find them. Smurf's Cafe for breakfast once — it was good.
The boutique hotel with Lashings Gourmet Pizzeria let us swim in their pool for the rest of the afternoon after lunch, unprompted. The kind of hospitality you don't forget.
Beach + great food + tranquility + ocean breeze = bliss.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
What I Arranged Before I Left — And What I Came Back With
Before leaving Florida, I arranged for Tristan — my oldest, 26 at the time — to fly in and stay with Isis and Jovan. Josiah was in university with classes and homework; he didn't need supervision and is always helpful, but he had his own life to focus on. Tristan's visit gave him time with his siblings. It gave me the two weeks I needed to fall apart somewhere beautiful, put myself back together, and return in a better state of mind.
While I was in Jamaica — hiking, floating, sitting in silence, writing in my journal — I found out something really damaging and disturbing. I won't say what. What I will say is this: had I been at home, under the stress levels I was already carrying when I left, dealing with what I was already dealing with, I would have snapped.
Trust your instincts. Do what needs to be done to reset. Your health depends on it.
I came back home stronger and ready to face it all. I am happy to report that Isis is now in California with friends, applying for jobs and preparing to attend SCAD in Savannah, Georgia.
For the Women Who Can't Take a Flight Right Now
I understand not everyone can take a trip to deal. But the principle holds regardless of your passport or your budget.
When things are rough and you can't see the end in sight, find ways to take care of yourself before you attempt to take care of everyone else. Your favorite café or bookstore. A mani-pedi. A park, a blanket, snacks, music, a book. A nature hike.
The feeling you get when surrounded by nature is the same as the feeling of being around people who love you. Nature boosts your immune system — and your brain is part of that system. You think better. You make better decisions. You come back to yourself. Nature is man's best medicine, and the best psychiatrist I've ever encountered.
If you're going through it right now: this too shall pass.
Practical Notes — Jamaica Logistics
Drive from Montego Bay to Treasure Beach: 2.5 to 3 hours depending on stops. From Kingston, about the same.
Private taxis in Jamaica are extremely expensive. So is most everything else for tourists. The bus, if you can catch it when you arrive, runs approximately $50. Private taxis are triple that.
This is not a trip to make on a tight budget. Airfare and Airbnb were comparable to other islands I've visited, but transportation adds up fast.
That's one way the locals make a living. Only fair.
During my last week, two other travelers and I hung out — a life coach and a client of hers coming for her piece of zen as well. We hung out together a lot during my last week. We visited a small boutique resort together, the kind with a local Jamaican feel rather than a high-rise with no design whatsoever. We grabbed drinks at the bar and sat listening to the healing waves.
During one of our meals we got to talking about tarot reading. She was carrying oracle cards. She had me pull one.
The meaning was absolutely shocking and spookily accurate. By August 2022, four months after that afternoon, it had proven to be even more true. I'll leave it at that.
Jamaica travel, Treasure Beach Jamaica, solo travel women, self-care travel, digital nomad Jamaica, travel and mental health, single mom travel, slow travel, off the beaten path Jamaica, women who travel
