IslandGoSeek: Ode to Treasure Beach
Josh Williams invited Backayard Magazine to spend a few days at Cliffside Cove in Treasure Beach. His aim was to show us some of the fun things to do in this once sleepy fishing village on the south coast of St. Elizabeth.
Josh Williams invited Backayard Magazine to spend a few days at Cliffside Cove in Treasure Beach. His aim was to show us some of the fun things to do in this once sleepy fishing village on the south coast of St. Elizabeth. In his other job as J-Dub, the rapper from the Mad Yardies, an up and coming live band out of St. Elizabeth, Josh has met and worked with many people from around the area since arriving from Brooklyn, New York to live in Jamaica in 2012, after making a couple of initial trips to the island.
“I first came to Jamaica as a teenager on some Peace Corps type thing. It wasn’t really a Peace Corps; it was a guy from Jamaica who wanted to bring people down to help rebuild a community center in Clarendon,” Josh explains.
It was from that introduction that Josh begun his love affair with the island, its culture, the music and its people. He then, from the urgings of close friend, visited Billy’s Bay, Treasure Beach and decided to purchase land with the intention of building a guesthouse – which is now Cliffside Cove. His affiliation with the music business has also leaked over into his hospitality business; members of Mad Yardies and associates of the group all play their part in promoting the tourism product.
“Singing Chef (Kerron Elliott) has his restaurant, Junior (Joseph Elliott) manages guesthouse and is a painter. Me, I have Cliffside Cove and I sell internet here that service nearly a hundred customers,” Josh explained. “In addition to us, there were other guests at the Cliffside Cove. One of them being Tomasz Lada, who is affectionally called Tarzan, head of the Treasure Beach Tourism Information Centre. The Polish-born naturalized Jamaican, Lada, for years had the distinction of being sponsored by the Jamaican Tourist Board because he was the person bringing in the most overseas guests from his homeland and their neighbours, Germany, to Jamaica and more specifically, St Elizabeth, “The Bread Basket of Jamaica.”
Not sure if it could be called kismet or the vicissitudes of fate but it so happens that Tomasz grew up in Skarzysko-Kamienna, a small town in Poland with Tomek Rozak (Big Tony), a musician and producer with a love for reggae music and Jamaica. In fact, Tomasz was the one who introduced Josh to Big Tony. “I met Tony through Tarzan…. Tarzan was one of my biggest fans. So, I told him I needed to bring some people in to make a video for Mad Yardies and Tarzan said he knew the perfect guy. So, it was a great link.”
Indeed, Tomasz was the perfect person for us to hang out with for the day, as we looked to check out some of the more famous sights and stops in and around Treasure Beach. Our first night in the area, we had dinner by Frenchman’s Bay, which probably had some of the best home-style burgers we had in quite a while and as luck would have it, it was also karaoke night. We were in for a treat, as the stage and our table was right by the beach, so both the music and the waves from the sea seemingly moved in concert providing a lovely soundtrack to end the night. We were told that breakfast by Smurf’s was the move to make in the morning and we certainly were not disappointed. Just one look at the menu would show you the variance of the style of food on offer.
From the unique and specially tailored Spanish and Smurf’s omelette, to the more expected fare of callaloo and saltfish or mackerel rundown, the staff at Smurf’s Café have you covered no matter your tastes or your palate. That breakfast was just the preparation our crew needed for the trip ahead, as we were supposed to take a tour of the entirety of the Billy’s Bay before heading out to one of the more famed hangout spots of the county of Cornwall – Floyd’s Pelican Bar. In the 40 or so minutes it took to get from our launching point to the “bar in middle of the sea,” we got to see all the seaside attractions from the wonderful perspective of sailors coming into the land after spending some time out living the maritime life. Upon arrival at Floyd’s bar you get an understanding of how it became one of the places to be once you arrive on the island. There was not a space on the wooden structure to even initialize a name as everywhere you look you see scribbled ‘proof’ of patronage over the years. With good reason, because the vibe at Floyd’s has to be one of the most unique on the planet. A floating paradise for fans of alcohol and snorkeling – as odd a pair you might find.
After a few hours chilling with Floyd, yes Floyd is still there – hanging out every day talking to whoever’s ‘willing’, our group made our way back to the shore and back to Cliffside Cove and after a few hours of rest we were, on a whole, famished and were at a loss as to what we were going to have for dinner. It was then that Josh surprised us with the news that Singing Chef would prepare a meal for all the guests present at the guesthouse. This was great news because, as his moniker suggests, the Singing Chef is equally adept around the stove as he is around the microphone. He is noted around Treasure Beach as having the only eatery with live music every night after dinner. Lobster with garlic butter, Kingfish with steam rice and cabbage smothered with cheese was what was on menu the entirety of which was devoured with much gusto. Then the Singing Chef grabbed his guitar and he and J-Dub serenaded the crowd that gathered, a great way to end the night. Our last day in southwest St. Elizabeth was spent exploring probably the most famous restaurant and resort in the area: Jack Sprat and Jake’s.
The views from both these places, especially at sunset, were simply breathtaking and should be experienced firsthand. These were our last thoughts as we left the peace and serenity of Treasure Beach to return the oft gritty reality that Kingston can be. However, we all knew that it would be just a matter of time until St. Bess would be calling for our return.
All images provided Jik Reuben, Warren Mckane, Tomek Rozak and Tomasz Lada
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