Amanda Statham 

Jamaica’s hippest hotel opens a hostel

One of the coolest hotels in the Caribbean has just opened a hostel next door for those who want style and comfort on a budget, writes Amanda Statham
  
  

I’m alright Jack …  the new Jack Sprat Shack hostel is named after this beachside restaurant, which is next door
I’m alright Jack … the new Jack Sprat Shack hostel is named after this beachside restaurant, which is next door Photograph: PR

When members of the boho jetset plan a trip to Jamaica, one hotel is sure to make their (or their personal assistant’s) list of possible places to stay: Jakes, on Treasure Beach. This laidback but stylish beach abode, which first opened as a restaurant in 1991, has over the decades seen the likes of Joni Mitchell, Kate Moss, Jade Jagger, Ursula Andress and Johnny Depp unpack their designer sandals and flop into a hammock with a rum cocktail.

Despite the stellar roll call, Jakes has never been one of those super exclusive resorts so common in the Caribbean. It’s ultra-friendly, and with rooms from $115 a night in low season, the average Joe isn’t completely priced out. But as of this month, this hip retreat in the south-west of the island has a properly cheap option, with the addition of its new hostel, Jack Sprat Shack, across the road, with beds from $25 a night, so even those on a tight budget can sun themselves in style.

The last time I stayed in a hostel it was 1992. I got flea bites from the scratchy bed and didn’t dare use the grotty communal bathroom with a broken toilet. But the word “hostel” need put the fear of god into me no longer.

Arriving at night, I was hit by the sweet, warm air and sound of chirruping frogs as my bags were whisked up to a top-floor room of the new solar-powered, 52-bed hostel. In contrast to colourful Jakes – a seafront hideaway of rainbow-hued cottages with a touch of Gaudí – the hostel is a calm mix of cream and wood. Downstairs, two large, sparklingly clean dorms are lined with 17 wooden bunks covered in crisp white linen. Also at ground level is a communal bathroom, kitchen and alfresco dining area, with picnic tables and TV, a choice spot for sharing travellers’ tales over a Red Stripe.

Upstairs, a large terrace leads to six en suite bedrooms, a mix of doubles and quads – one with a balcony with a hillside view, perfect for a family or a group of friends.

I was all smiles when I saw my twin, a large airy room where little extras like local artwork, secondhand books and fresh flowers added a homey touch (towels are provided too). It wasn’t a room I’d want to spend all day in, but with the Caribbean sun blazing and Treasure Beach calling, who would?

Hostel guests can share most of the hotel’s facilities, including the spa, yoga classes and restaurant, though, rather meanly, not the curvaceous saltwater swimming pool. So after a peaceful night’s sleep (my room had air-con and there was only one other occupant in the entire hostel), I wandered across the road to Jakes for a Jamaican breakfast of callaloo (a leafy green vegetable) and dumplings on the pretty shaded terrace.

With its relatively remote location on the island, most guests here will probably stay put and just relax, even though Treasure Beach isn’t the most idyllic beach on the island as it lacks the Caribbean’s trademark white sand. There are three others in walking distance, and there are a few trips worth making, such as to the YS waterfalls an hour’s drive away, or a boat ride up Black River.

And just minutes from Jakes, sitting all alone in the middle of the sea, is the coolest bar I’ve ever been to. I caught a boat from Jake’s to the Pelican Bar (around $30 round trip), the enterprise of local fisherman Floyd. We bounced along the waves until we reached a rickety driftwood structure on a sand bar. Floyd greeted me as I climbed the steps – he was laying on a graffiti-covered floor (it’s customary to scratch your name into the wood when you visit) and asked if I’d like a Red Stripe. While I took a dip, my lunch was hooked fresh out of the waves, fried and served with rice for just $15.

My boat delivered me back to the beach at sunset, just in time for another delicious meal courtesy of Jakes neighbourhood restaurant, Jack Sprat (from which the new hostel takes its name), where dishes such as conch curry, jerk chicken and (excellent) pizzas are chalked on the blackboard menu above the bar. Then I enjoyed an open-air film screening.

A sunny week in this sleepy paradise could be one of the most laidback and relaxing beach breaks of your life, but if you’re looking for something more, there is – rather unusually for this type of cool hideaway – also an opportunity to give something back to the local area, by volunteering with Breds Foundation, a community-based volunteer organisation that has linked up with the hostel.

Since its creation in 1998, Breds has built primary schools, a basketball court and an enormous recreation area with a cricket pitch, soccer fields, kids’ play area and an assault course, sponsored by Unicef, to help develop youth leadership skills. Over 1,000 inner city kids from Kingston have attended.

“Guests can do volunteer work at no extra cost,” said Jason Henzell, owner of Jakes and Jack Sprat. “Whether they want to read stories in the kindergarten or help build the new sports track, everyone is welcome.”

Let’s hope even the kaftan-wafting boho set are tempted.

Accommodation was provided by Jack Sprat Shack (+1 876 965 3000, jackspratshack.com); dorm beds from $25 a night, twins from $90, quadruples from $140. For information on volunteering on Breds Foundation projects, visit breds.org. Flights from London to Montego Bay were provided by Virgin Atlantic (virgin-atlantic.com)

 

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