In July we had a fantastic holiday on the South West coast of Jamaica in an area called Treasure Beach. Sunshine, laid-back atmosphere, boat trips, tasty food, no big resorts, cheap accommodation. But what made it really special was the friendly people.

Soon after we left, Treasure Beach was hard hit by Hurricane Ivan. I checked the Treasure Beach web site www.treasurebeach.net every day for news on whether the people I’d met were safe and about the extent of the damage. The web site shows that many other people who had visited Treasure Beach felt a special connection with it too. The web site has an inspiring running commentary on how the local community is working together to look after each other and rebuild, with assistance from the “extended family” of previous visitors.

For travellers who may be interested in visiting, I understand that most of the local businesses will have reopened by mid-October. Some aspects of Treasure Beach will take a while to get back to normal. Some beaches have bare patches; trees stripped of leaves are just getting new buds, some local homes have to replace roofs, phone connections are patchy at the moment. However, the key attractions of Treasure Beach are unchanged – great weather, laid-back people in a welcoming community, yummy food.

www.treasurebeach.net has information about places to stay and things to do in the area.
www.treasurebeach.net

We have travelled to many great places around the world, but never had the same sense of connection as with Treasure Beach.

Anyone else got feedback about Treasure Beach?